Blogs we like

February 3, 2004

One of the things Argentina is famous for (besides Eva Peron) is the incredible beef.  We had read about the steakhouses in Buenos Aires, and being big time carnivores, we couldn't let a day in Buenos Aires go by without trying a steak.  We had both read about La Estancia Restaurant in various guidebooks, which the website calls "A Hearth Burning in the Heart of Buenos Aires."

When you walk in, you see a large asador or circular fireplace with various kinds of meet roasting on tall spits surrounding glowing coals in the middle.  I've read that there is a floor show in the evening, but we arrived early (probably 6:30) and were the only ones in the restaurant.  Argentines tend to eat dinner later than we do, which was probably a good thing since we didn't know how Alexander would fare if we had to wait a long time for dinner.

Our waiter was a portly gray-haired gentleman wearing a jaunty neckerchief and a white apron.  He didn't speak much English, and we didn't speak much Spanish, so we just pointed and smiled and hoped for the best. He was friendly, and ruffled Alexander's hair and patted his shoulder every time he came to the table or passed it. 

The menu is pretty straight forward, just meat and potatoes and salad.  Nothing fancy, but the portions were huge.  I think it would be tough to be a vegan in Buenos Aires, but I'm sure you could find a way. Frank ordered a 600 gram steak (21 ounces) and I ordered the 400 gram steak (14 ounces).  The steaks were cooked on a grill over open coals and we could see the chef grilling our steaks. Each steak filled up a good size dinner plate, and came sizzling hot.

Growing up in Ohio, I've eaten my fair share of steaks in my life.  I think the best steak I've ever had up to this point was on our honeymoon in Florence, where the steak was seasoned with herbs and honeymoon magic.  But this? beat all of them.  The steak was perfectly cooked, tender, juicy, and basically melted in your mouth.  It was a meat-eater's paradise, for sure.  The best part (to Frank, at least) was the bill: $26 for two giant steaks and a kiddie size plate of roasted chicken.  Prices may have increased since we were there, and we were taking advantage of a strong dollar, but I'm sure it's still a good value.

 After filling up on beef, potatoes, and salad, we toddled out onto Calle Florida and decided to walk back to the hotel.  Calle Florida is a pedestrian thoroughfare with shops shops, businesses, and restaurants of all kinds.  It's colorful, and comes to life at night.  We passed a number of noisy, brightly lit arcades.  Alexander couldn't resist, and darted into one to see what all the fuss was about.  The one we entered had a few kiddie rides that he had fun bouncing around on, and hundreds of different types of video games.  The place was crowded with teens hanging out with friends, and families with small kids.

We spent a fair amount of time in the arcade, and by the time we left, it was dark outside.  We walked out into the cool night air onto a street crowded with people in one of the most vibrant cities on earth.

Our hotel was not far away, and we spent our last night in Argentina in a luxurious room at the Marriott Plaza Hotel, remembering a great day in Buenos Aires.  If Buenos Aires was a person, she'd probably be a faded film star, elegant, cool and sophisticated, but a little worn and world-weary.  It has the elegance of Paris, with a little more grit than glitz.  Buenos Aires is one place I would love to return to someday and see more of, since we only got to scratch the surface in our short time there.