We are now one week into our trip and I have already eaten more meat than in the rest of my 27 years combined. My stomach is handling the transition pretty well given the about face my diet has taken. Now, lest you think this means the food is bad, let me tell you a little story about two gringos in a fancy restuarant in the excessively trendy neighborhood of Puerto Madero in Buenos Aires...The restaurant had been included in an article in the New York Times listing eating establishments that are worth the price of a plane ticket, so our expectations were high. We were also prepared to plunk down some serious cash thanks to my generous friends at Environmental Defense (I promise you guys, I put it to good use!). We arrived at a respectable Argentinian dinner hour, 9pm (most restaurants are not open till 8), but given that we did not have a reservation, we were seated, and I mean seated with the pull out your chair take your jacket off type service, in the waiting area. After consulting the waiter for some help in choosing a nice Argentinian malbec from the book sized wine list, we settled in for a wait. Plate after plate of tasty appetizers appeared at our table till we were shown to a table that resembled a giant tree stump.
Immediately upon being seated again, a new platter of tasty treats appeared. They were so good that Kate even ate the mushrooms and I ate what appeared to be a thin slice of cold, mostly raw beef. Kate opted for a salad as she has been seriously missing the greens and was banking on my steak being big enough for sharing. It was a good bet. I ordered the medallon de lomo (a giant tenderloin steak) and learned how to say rare from the waiter, jugoso, literally meaning juicy.
When my steak appeared it came on a giant plate all on its own with the little guy above resting on it. He was indead juicy and we ate every last bite of that steak. It was so good, I had tears in my eyes. When we were ready to leave we had to flag down the waiter for the check (they never deliver it without you asking) and got the biggest shock of all.
Dinner cost us 200 pesos, or roughly $65. I guess we will just have to go again!
There are plenty more stories to tell but I will leave it at this for now...you can check the newest pictures for more details. You will not find, however, find any pictures of a second incredible dinner we had in Palermo (think SoHo) where they gave us free champagne and chorizo and olives as we waited for some famous parrilla (grilled meat). I will refrain from telling you only about food in the future, I promise! Next up, we will be at an Estancia in the Pampas for two days and hopefully will have some good horseback riding experiences to report. By Saturday, we will be in Mendoza which will be all about wine, wine and more wine.
5 comments:
Jugoso! Love it! Más, más!
Talk to me when they bring you out a steak that requires two people to deliver...and kills vegetarians on sight.
Your "flexitarian" status must be limited to the U.S. and U.S. territories.
This post satisfied my curiosity as to whether you are still eating constantly, Jess. You are. Except now, it's not just rolls with butter.
Good thing you guys weren't in Peru today!
I would like you to know that folks are asking of your exact whereabouts after hearing about the earthquake. Their fears have been calmed but just wanted you to know that you're not out of sight, out of mind :)
Jessica. Porter came back from a walk the other day with a roll as his snack. He misses you so much that his diet at the office consists of clif bars, rolls with butter, and lamarca's ciocara pasta dish. (or whichever was your fave).
You would all be shocked if you actually saw how little Jess has been eating these days now that she has layed off the exercise :) That and Argentinians believe that a coffee with milk and 2ml of OJ is breakfast. We miss eggs, potatoes and everything in the fruit/vegetable category. It seems that Argentinians actually think they are unhealthy!
Post a Comment