Everyone knows that Argentina has some of the best steak and wine in the world. I came to Argentina being aware of that, but also planning to take it easy on both. I’ve never been a big read meat person and actually for a few years in my teens, I didn’t eat it at all. And the wine? Well, I’d had enough partying in Bolivia to warrant a rest.
After the salt flats trip, where we had been fed bread, soup, and llama and hadn’t had a shower in 3 days, Brendan, Caitlin, Moya, Jack and I decided that our first move would be to find a hostel in San Pedro de Atacama, Chile, take showers, and get a nice meal. Following the first two things on our to-do list, we went to a restaurant that served fantastic food and we debated: do we get a steak now, here in Chile, or do we wait for a steak in Argentina where the beef is supposed to be out of this world? We opted to wait and instead ordered salmon, which, to be fair, was absolutely incredible and tasted better than a steak would have tasted at that moment.
The next day, we all got in yet another bus to go to Salta, Argentina, a city with incredible architecture and food. During the trip, we researched and debated about which hostel and restaurant to go to when we arrived. Our bus didn’t get into Salta until 9pm, so we hurriedly got to our hostel, dropped off our things, and went to find one of the restaurants that was in the book. When we got there, it was closed. When we got to the second one? Also closed. Noooooo!
So we opted to go to an Irish pub and yes, we still ordered steaks. It was a simple steak, seasoned only with salt and pepper with a salad on the side, but man, was it good. Maybe it was just because we all had wanted this to be an amazing steak, and it ended up being a self-fulfilling prophesy, but if this was the only steak I would have had in Argentina, I think I would have been happy.
The next day, Caitlin and Brendan left to go do a quick trip to Iguasu Falls, and Moya, Jack and I stayed in Salta. This day is what I now consider to be the first real day of my eating insanity. Here begins a detailed and slightly embarrassing account of what was consumed.
Day 1: Salta with Moya and Jack
-While walking to the bus station to buy my ticket to Cordoba and their tickets to Iguasu, we passed a bunch of booths that were selling various street foods. We each decided to get an empanada, which for those of you who are unfamiliar with them, are delicious pastry-filled treats that have (usually) chicken or beef inside along with seasoning and perhaps a few veggies. --We all agreed that the empanadas were among the best we’d ever had and we would be happy to eat 10 more each.
-But instead of 10 more, we waited until after buying our tickets to go back to one of the restaurants that had been closed the day before. This restaurant specialized in traditional Argentinean cuisine, so we each got a stew. Mine had beef, bacon, beans, and veggies cooked in a broth for who knows how long until it all practically disintegrated when your fork hit it. Oh, we also had some unbelievable bread and shared a bottle of wine, a malbec.
-After chilling out at the hostel for a few hours watching a couple movies on the couch, we decided to get some dinner before I was sent off on my bus to Cordoba. We settled on a restaurant called Bonny and Clyde’s, and we each ordered steaks. This time I got mine with mushrooms on top and I think I could have cut it easily with a butter knife.
Days 2 & 3: Cordoba with Verena
Giving a complete run-down of Cordoba with Verena would both make this blog entry too long and would repeat some things I wrote in my entry about Verena, so I will not be specific but will only say that in Cordoba, I enjoyed: a fried seafood empanada, a shared plate of various fried seafood, an alfojore, dulce de leche spread on bread, a 3 course dinner at Verena’s friends restaurant, and my homemade chicken marsala (which was probably the healthiest thing of the bunch.)
Day 4: Buenos Aires with Caitlin and Brendan
-This was the day that I arrived in BA at 5:30am and had to go to two hostels before finding the one whose couch I slept on. After Caitlin and Brendan met up we me, we enjoyed a lunch of caprese sandwiches and shared a monster brownie that was covered in dulce de leche and meringue.
-For dinner, we decided to go to an all-you-can-eat parilla. I convinced myself that I could still eat healthy if I ate a lot from the salad bar before hitting the meat... Once there, we automatically had 2 bottles of wine put in front of us. I ate a plate of salad but could not say no to the massive grill of meats calling out to me. After trying about 6 different types of meat, I was stuffed. That is, until our waitress asked us which dessert we wanted because it was included. So, a plate of 3 perfiteroles later, I was done.
Day 5: Buenos Aires with Caitlin, Brendan, Jack, and Moya
-Jack and Moya met the other three of us at our new hostel around 11:15am and we decided to just go downstairs to the restaurant there to grab a quick lunch. I ate what I thought would be a small ham and cheese toasty (basically a ham and cheese sandwich that has been put in a panini press but without butter on the bread) but it ended up being massive. I ate half and gave the rest to Jack.
-After going to La Boca and seeing the tango and gaucho dancers, we stopped at Freddos to get some famous Argentinean ice cream. I got a small cup with 2 flavors: mint chocolate chip and vanilla.
-That evening, our hostel was hosting a free pizza party and pool tournament so we stayed there that night and ate the free food.
Day 6: Buenos Aires with Caitlin, Brendan, Jack, and Moya
-This was Caitlin and Brendan’s last day of their trip, so we wanted to go out with a bang. For breakfast, we had the free breakfast included at our hostel: coffee with milk, bread with jelly, and croissants.
-We went to Polermo to explore and decided to stop at a restaurant to grab lunch. We all ordered burgers and shared an appetizer plate that consisted of anything you can imagine fried.
-While shopping around, Moya pointed out her favorite cupcake shop that we were, of course, obliged to go into. Moya opted for a lemon cupcake while I went for an oreo-inspired one.
-Dinner: Oh man, this was another big one. We went to a restaurant named La Cabrera. It’s well known in Buenos Aires as being one of the best steak places. We each ordered our own steak, some plain and others with chunks of blue cheese on top. Various sides came with each steak, and I’m pretty sure Brendan and Jack ate a whole cow that night. Their steaks were beyond massive. The other four got dessert but I fell asleep at the table (seriously) so I missed out.
Day 7: Buenos Aires with Jack and Moya
-Breakfast was the same as the morning before: coffee, bread, and croissants. Caitlin and Brendan had an early flight, so they went to the San Telmo market with us for an hour before they had to leave.
-Jack, Moya, and I were sad that part of our gang had left, so we decided a coffee might perk us up. I opted at this point to move from any coffee beverage with milk to plain espresso because I knew it had less calories and I was starting to feel the effects of a week of binging.
-But an hour later, we were exploring the market some more and a woman selling empanadas walked by. Yes please! I’ll take one!
-As we were walking home from the market, we came up to a French restaurant that Moya and Jack had been to. They had been talking about this restaurant since they’d arrived back in BA, so we decided to have lunch there instead of doing a big dinner that night. Lunch consisted of a shared bottle of champagne, wine, french onion soup, the best beef bourignon I’ve ever had, and molten chocolate cake. Honestly, I think it ranks in the top 3 meals I’ve ever had.
Day 8: Buenos Aires with Moya and Jack
-Breakfast again downstairs with the croissants etc.
-The three of us felt gross. Let’s go for a walk at the Ecological Park! We walked through the city to the edge of the park and decided we should grab some lunch first... we needed to make sure we’d have enough fuel! A choripan later (think massive chorizo in a roll with whatever toppings you want) we walked around the park for a couple of hours.
-After a lazy later afternoon/early evening, we decided to hit up a pizza joint that they had been to a few months earlier. They promised me it was worth it. After 1 large arugula, mozzarella, and procutto and 1 medium ricotta, mozzarella, and basil pizza, I agreed with them.
And that, my friends, pretty much ends up the massive binge that I was on. The following day, Moya and Jack left Buenos Aires and I went back to eating 2 meals a day and to not eating my weight in animal meat every day.
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As I am finally posting this for the blog now in Rio, I can also comment that I have lost a few of those pounds and have found fruit to eat for breakfast! FRUIT!
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