Cabaña Las Lilas
Puerto Madero District
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Where to Eat in Buenos Aires
Porteños are
carnivores: if forced to go a while without their parrilla, or grilled meat, they start to get grouchy. All
over the city, one finds parrilla restaurants, some indicated by stuffed bulls at the doorway. One standout
is Cabaña Las Lilas, on the waterfront in the area of restored warehouses known as Puerto Madero, on
Avenida Alicia Moreau de Justo 516, (54-11) 4313-1336, fax (54-11) 4315-6045. The meat, from grass-fed
cattle raised on the restaurant's own ranch, is extraordinarily tender and comes in a variety of cuts, some
of which may be unfamiliar to Americans. Open daily for lunch and dinner. Dinner for two with a
bottle of robust red wine from Mendoza, $60.
The new and stylishly severe Sucre, at Sucre 646, (54-11) 4782-9082, with a view of a park in Belgrano Chico, takes a very different approach, in
an effort to remind diners that there is more to Argentine cuisine than beef. A gigot of boneless
Patagonian lamb is typical of the restaurant's flair for adapting Mediterranean recipes. Open daily. Lunch
or dinner for two with wine, $50.
For more than a century, Castilian, Basque, Catalonian and
Galician immigrants have been flocking to Argentina and leaving their mark on eating habits. Of
Buenos Aires's multitude of Spanish restaurants, the quiet and cozy José Luis, Avenida Quintana 456 in
Recoleta, (54-11) 4807-0606, fax (54-11) 4807-3566, is probably the most highly regarded. There is
paella and suckling pig here, of course, but fish and crustaceans dominate the menu, in a charming, informal
setting that looks out onto a garden. Meal for two with wine is $50. Closed Sunday.
More than half of
Argentina's population is of Italian descent, so it's no surprise that the capital abounds not just in humble
pizzerias and family-run trattorias, such as Il Matterello at Calle Martín Rodríguez 517 in
La Boca, (54-11) 4307-0529 (closed Sunday night and Monday; meal for two, $30), but also in
upscale restaurants with gourmet aspirations. One currently fashionable dining place in that
category is Bella Italia, Calle República Árabe Siria 3285 in Palermo, (54-11) 4802-3253, closed
for lunch on Saturday and all day Sunday. Besides the usual pasta, there are dishes such as
flounder on a bed of tomato and spinach, a more subtle variation on traditional Florentine
recipes. Meal for two with wine: $45.
For a really cheap meal, do what porteños do: try
a tenedor libre (free fork), one of the many no-frills, all-you-can-eat restaurants that offer
lunch or dinner, including parrilla, for as little as $4 a person. A bottle of beer or glass
of wine typically cost $1.50 extra. Many feature Chinese or vegetarian dishes that are difficult
to find elsewhere. One centrally located tenedor libre, just off Avenida Córdoba near major
downtown hotels, is La Gran Victoria, at Suipacha 783; (54-11) 4328-0271.
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