Food Review Argentina: Vegetarians Need Not Apply

Every single person who had already been to Argentina and heard about my trip told me the same thing – you won’t believe the beef. And I will annoyingly repeat the sentiment here. There is no reason not to eat meat every single day that you are in Argentina…I did. You might as well fill up while you’re down here. The ¨best¨ is the bife de chorizo – which I had twice. The cuts of meat don’t translate very well, so just bear with my local terms. I also had the asado de tira one night (beef ribs…but not like the ones you’ve had in the US) which were also very good. The only thing I didn’t try was the baby beef, but I will try to either track it down in Chile or just have to come back….obviously.

Other highlights – the french fries, which seems like a stupid thing to point out, but it’s the traditional side for all the beef, so they take it pretty seriously. They are all hand cut and delicious. At one restaurant, El Palacio de las Papas Fritas (yes, that translates to the French Fry Palace), they served them soufflè style.

Empanadas are also pretty common. Empanadas are like orange soda for me…I know I like it, but I rarely eat them. I had one with sweet basil and cheese that stood out, and, in a twist, had a Roquefort and walnut empanada. It was actually really good, though it sounds strange. Grilled goat cheese, another traditional dish that includes crispy jamòn on top, was also a standout…but pretty much anything off the grill is.

For dessert there is of course flan and you can’t come to Argentina without having dulce de leche, which is like carmely sweetened condensed milk. I had it with toast in the mornings, but it’s also available on just about every menu in town. Oh, and of course the wine. We stuck to Malbec since that’s the big deal vino down here. Be sure to have it with every meal.

Here´s what I wouldn´t recommend – white salmon. I read about it in my tour books and tried it for dinner one night, it was really bland and just tasted like meaty white fish.

Skip it and have another steak.