La Cabrera: A carnivore's dream

After a particularly vexing day (read: last-minute class cancellations, lost in aeroparque, mini-concussion from a taxi door), I needed a good meal.  My friend Tori suggested La Cabrera, which she and our other expat friends have raved about since January.  I was still a La Cabrera virgin.

Scrumptious steak plus many sides

Located in the trendy sub-neighborhood of Palermo Soho, you'll mainly encounter other tourists and expats if you go early like Tori and I did (we arrived right when they opened at 8:30), but this restaurant is also a favorite with the locals, who start queuing outside around 10 p.m.  At first I worried that the food would not live up to the hype: Tourist-riddled establishments like the famous Cafe Tortoni often charge an arm and a leg for the ambiance, not the meal, which is second-rate at best.  Not so with La Cabrera.

Tori had been several times before— one friendly waiter even came over to say hello— so she was able to recommend dishes, which was a blessing for me considering that the menu listed about four dozen beef options alone.  Both of us ordered our tenderloins a punto, or medium rare, with just the right amount of pink juiciness.  Our steaks arrived on a long serving board, laden with sides, including pinto beans with sauce, diced and seasoned vegetables, quail egg-potato salad and other scrumptious items I couldn't identify.  In addition to these, a second plate of warm sides included mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, caramelized pearl onions, tomato-marinated eggplant and even applesauce.  The variety of side dishes means that just about every bite you take of your oh-so-tender steak has a different flavor and texture.

Even more sides to sample

Despite the red-meat overload, we both had room for our own chocolate molten lava cake, which is so moist that fold in upon itself at the slightest touch.  Tori and I had split a bottle of Malbec wine, but we still happily accepted complimentary champagne to finish the meal.

Of course La Cabrera is expensive if you're living and working with the Argentine peso.  However, when you convert the amount to USD, my meal, which included half a bottle of wine and dessert, was between $35 and $40.

Some people pose with monuments; I pose with food (and Tori)

Now, who's coming with me on my next visit to La Cabrera?