595241 Wed Feb 11 07:34:29 -0800 2009 2 56 South America 0 4406741 Dining Recommendations Buenos Aires Hi - I am traveling to BsAs in two weeks, and I will be in the city for 5 nights. I have compiled a list of places that have come highly reviewed, and I would like to get your take on them. Also - what is the best time to go to dinner, and if any of these nights have a popular night please tell me. I am staying in Recoletta. I would like places with great food and great atmosphere - where the locals go! Lastly, please let me know of the best places for fish and somewhere with vegetarian options. Thanks! DINNER Sucre Casa Cruz La Cabrera Osaka Bice La Cabana Cabana de las Lilas - I heard this is very touristy - true? Casa Cruz Social Paraiso La Cabrera Sottovoce Cluny Astrid y Gaston - is it open? Any really good italian restaurants? LUNCH Bar 6 Olsen El Cuarito Bar Uriarte Juana M Wed Feb 11 07:34:29 -0800 2009 168842 jwurz 1 4434145 If you're looking for the places that the locals go, for the most part, just erase the list you have above - most of those are places that are more touristy, upscale, or at the very least, more likely that you'll be surrounded by expats and tourists as opposed to Argentines. That's unfortunately the way those "highly recommended" lists come about - mostly writen by visitors, not by locals. Still, many of those are quite good - in particular, Sucre, Casa Cruz, Osaka, Social Paraiso (the only spot on your dinner list that you'll find more locals than visitors), Cluny. Bar Uriarte for lunch. Best Italian spots - Il Matterello, hmmm... Siete Baco for more casual. Fish - Damblee, Jangada Vegetarian - Bio, Artemesia, Verdellama (raw food vegetarian), Casa Felix, Kensho Astrid & Gaston is not open here, at least as of yet. Thu Feb 19 18:14:12 -0800 2009 4406741 30506 Casa SaltShaker 1 4454588 Dear jwurz, Just got back from BA this morning and don't want to see another steak for a while. We loved La Cabrera and thought it was one of the best steaks we had. The service is very chaotic and our waiter spoke very little English but it was fun. Suggest you bring a Spanish-English dictionary if you are not fluent. They only take reservations for 8:30 - the early bird special by Argentinian standards. We finished at 11:00 and there was still a wait. Restaurants start filling up for dinner after 10:00, except for tourists. We also ate at La Brigada and had lightening fast service. We got there at 8:30, too, and felt like they wanted to turn the table quickly. The steak was fine but not the best. Our first meal, after stumbling off the plane, was at a restaurant in the neighborhood of our hotel on San Martin. It's called Establo and had a mix of tourists and lots of locals. The menu was enormous - everything from pizza and eggs to steak. The food was very good and very reasonable. We must have eaten four meals there because it was convenient and so varied. The pizza was not as good as at Filo, a few storefronts down. We had a late lunch yesterday before going to the airport and the steak was almost as good as La Cabrera's. My husband and I shared a whole loin and it was $18.00! Their french fries are really homemade and the salads enormous. Argentina has great produce and the tomatoes are incredible. The portions are huge and most salads could serve 3 - 4 people. The worst meal (and most expensive) was at Sorrento in Puerto Madero - lovely looking and on the water. Our party of 6 all had fish and it was very disappointing. The fish was piping hot but the sides ice cold. Waiters never check back and seem to disappear for long periods of time, especially in the better restaurants. By the time the potatoes and vegetables were replaced we had long finished the fish. It was the only restaurant that seemed uncaring. If your going to Iguazu we had an interesting Argentinian river fish called sirubi at a restaurant in town called Aqva. The food at the Sheraton should be avoided but it's about half an hour by cab into town. Have a great time. We loved BA and hope to go back! Thu Feb 26 11:11:03 -0800 2009 4406741 205738 maama06