The City of Steak

I have now consumed more red meat in the last 5 days of our trip to Buenos Aires than I have in the last 5 years (and probably the next). But after careful consideration, due diligence, and gluttony I can pinpoint some of the highlights.

It's less that we ate excessive amounts of steak at La Cantina de Hugo by La Brigada and more that we ate excessive amounts of cow. Intestines, glands, beef sausage and cuts I've never seen stateside. And they were delicious. Saltier and sometimes fattier than my palate is used to but juicy, flavorful and rich. It was the perfect meal to follow the Boca Junior futbol match we had just attended. Fans frenetically chanting in unison what I'm sure were Spanish obscenities. Life or death reactions to each point scored. Fervent lifelong love for a sports club that unites a community. That kind of unbridled testosterone and passion feels like it should be followed by a big steak dinner. And so it was to be at La Cantina de Hugo. Surrounded by futbol memorabilia and atop a massive wine cellar we feasted.

Cabana Las Lilas is the rustic wood and glass home to one of the finest steak meals I may have ever had. Down in the Puerto Madero neighborhood we found ourselves sitting around a natural wood table so thick it was as if God sliced a piece of a redwood and laid it in front of us to enjoy our meal. We gathered around the proverbial fireplace of delicacies and feasted yet again. On Rib Eye, on shoulder, on meatballs and more. Steak so juicy and tender and flavorful and rare (the way I like it) it was as close to perfect as a steak meal I've ever had. It was truly one of my favorite meals of the trip and it was lovely sharing stories and trading anecdotes from our previous days in Buenos Aires.

After dinning all over this great city of meat, sampling street empanadas and dining with white linen I can truly say that this has been a fantastic culinary trip. Each steak we had was better than the next. But after feasting for days straight on red meat I can say with full confidence that it might be a long while before I visit any City of Meat again.