El Bife de Argentina

We have begun to slowly understand how to shop (try not to tell the girl at the shoe store that you want to eat the shoes...comprar, not COMER (oops!!!!!)), order cafe and vino, and how to order beef.

Last night we went out for the Italian and had our first taste of yummy Argentinian bife. The Italian restaurant we tried had it down, eggplant lasagna and steak beautifully marinated in a sweet gravy with hints of smoky cherries. We knew that we were on the right track and the beef we were looking for was in plain sight.

This morning, (or should I say this afternoon since it was after noon before we even thought of leaving the hotel) we ordered the best bit of beef yet. I remembered seeing the locals with a nice thin cut of steak for lunch and I was dying to try the same. Desperately not wanting to over order Dave and I decided to split a lomito sandwich (steak sandwich). It was perfect, we split it in two and sank our teeth into sweet juicy meat. We added a small touch of mayo and cracked pepper to add a little something something to the meal.

Once you begin to discover how to order and where to go it is a delight.

The best insider tip we got so far was from a wonderful waitress at a bar where we had our first taste of Argentinian beer (with salted roasted peanuts). She asked if we were tourists, and asked if we were using the Lonely Planet Argentina book. Naturally we replied, yes. She let us know that while it is a great guide for South East Asia in her experience, when she looked at "ours, for Argentina" it was not a great resource at all. She provided us with maps written in espanol and gave us a great idea of where to go for those leather shoes, cheaper clothing, and all other things.

Happy to have new direction and new recommendations for red meat we are off to a dinner of the bife! We took the recommendation of the hotel concierge and went to a new parilla, Campobravo. The best steak yet, the best food yet. My favorite food here is hands down the empanadas. Tiny meatpies spiced perfectly, these had the tiniest bits of prime cut beef. Next we sank our teeth into bife chorizo.

The story goes, I realized today I totally LOST our translation guide. Saddened that I no longer had what I considered to be my life line, I read the other travel book we had. It explained (light bulb goes over my head) bife chorizo is one of the best cuts of steak and our new favorite part of the cow. (moo!).

Campobravo didn't fail. The steak was sweet, salty, and accompanied by two garnishes.. oregano and garlic, and onion and tomato.. both highlighted the grilled meat in two very distinct ways. We had a large side of pure papas... mashed potatoes mixed with a sweet cream that melted in your mouth, but was so substantive it maintained great texture while absorbing the juices of the bife chorizo.

I will tell the tales of buying grass fed beef and trying my hand at matching similar garnishes and flavors as I am so excited to add to the diversity in my recipe book.