I may have asked this before, but I now have all my travel plans nailed down. I will be in BA all day and night on March 2. Staying at the INtercontinental Hotel. Any of you guys have some good recommendations on lunch and dinner places? Want some flavor of Arg (seafood would be good since I am sure we will eat a lot of beef at the lodge).

Also any cool watering holes, etc. I am not really looking for a bunch of commercial or touristy stuff. Any recommendations will be appreciated.

Also, what would you guys expect the temps to be in LaPampa the first week of March? Thanks!

Contact Mr. Nanitial or Afrikander (ARF BsAs Members), they are from and live in BsAs and can gave to You, the best advices were to lunch & dinner, I think that will be another inusual hot march and the roaring maybe did not start until march end, just important only in free range farm.Maybe will be about 20 to 28 ºC. Good Luck . Guille

Tim: there a lot of good restaurants in the Puerto Madero area, which in itself is an interesting tour. Near the Intercontinental Hotel also you may find Spanish cuisine and fair priced seafood at the Hispano, the Meson Español, the Imparcial and many others. Over Corrientes Avenue and also in the Costanera there are many others. Last but not least you may try The Brighton (ex Clarks) which is at Sarmiento Street between Florida and Maipú.
Good luck

I agree with nainital, there is a very good steak house called Cabana Las Lilas in Puerto Madero, and another one directly opposite the Shearaton which I have forgotten its name.

thanks guys!

I hesitate to mention this because I haven't eaten there for several years but I have eaten there many times over a 25 year period and it has been consistently good. Perhaps the locals can update my opinion, but if you want top quality meat in an Argentine Asador type restaurant with an excellent wine selection, I'd try "Las Nazarenas, 1132 Reconquista" which is within a couple of miles, give or take, of your hotel.

Tim: I forgot to mention "Plaza Mayor", which is near your hotel and a fairly priced place for seafood. Not a five star restaurant, it should be noted. You may also try the Palermo Hollywood area. Like you can see there are many zones with good cuisine, i.e. Recoleta.
Again, good luck

Ricardo. I am not a fan of 5 star restaurants. The 5 stars usually represent five little dabs of some dark substance around the rim of a plate that contains a piece of meat or fish that would starve a Chihuahua. Give him the name of that wonderful parilla restaurant where we dined last time; your nephew and his wife were tango dancing there. That was good eats..... .

Thanks again...I am like Bill. It sure doesn't have to be fancy, I just want it to be good (and enough to fill me up!).

Well, actually there are so many places that I find quite difficult to reccomend any one specially...

But to my own taste, Puerto Madero is hard to beat... very nice places, where you can find almost any dish you might desire, nearly all restaurants over there with good service and not too expensive... and best of all that 's quite a safe place. Puerto Madero is around ten blocks from your hotel so you can go there even walking... and on your return try to stay along the avenues - I am not saying it is a risky place, but some minor thefts occur there, specially around San Telmo area and late at night.

Puert Madero once was the place where goods imported and exported to and from Buenos Aires by sea were shipped and disembarked... was abandoned for decades and now is one of BUE most expensive and top places.... now if you are looking for something more "antique" San Telmo is the place (see all alomg Defensa street and sides blocks) where practically you can find three or four restaurants per block... in this case just choose the one you might feel best... in San Telmo give yourself the pleasure of drinking a cold beer (or have lunch) in any of the places surrounding Plaza Dorrego (San Telmo main square), which at night is also a nice place - just do not to be distracted (remember, there is where George W's daughter was robbed ! ).

I won't reccomend you Palermo Hollywood... to my own humble opinion is nothing but pure propaganda which main reason is just to raise that zone's real state value...

Now, all places mentioned by Nainital are very good indeed... Also Las Lilas y Las Nazarenas are almost a "must go"... but if you want to taste Argentina's famous meat, just tell that your outfitter (BTW, who is he?) you want an "asado hecho a la cruz" , even better touch his own pride and tell him you were told that the pampeanos (La Pampa inhabitants) make the best asados (an innocent lie) and thus he has to demonstrate it to you ...

That's a very basic idea of where to eat, since I suppose that by the date you mentioned your primary motive to come here is the rut... so I guess you won't be long in BUE...

By "etc." I assume you mean tasting the legendary fire of latin women, where argentinas had earned a well deserved respect ... and here the best alternative is to use your own hotel reccomendations (call them escorts, a higher level of "female social workers" ) or just go downtown to any "pub" late afternoon, where you can do your own pick... learning from Bill's experiences, just try to avoid nurses

This rut I am going after my own chance at Parque Nacional Lanin (Patagonia), but I will be glad to help you if I can

About your concern about temps, the weather is crazy all along the world - and Argentina is not the exception... but as Guille said, this will or will not affect your hunt depending the place and given conditions where you will be hunting...

Last three or four years, high temperatures made the rut start later than expected (usually by the middle of march)... later and shorter

Hi Tim,
This is what you are looking for:



Martin

Looks good! I figure we will have plenty of beef at our lodge, and that is why I was asking about seafood in BA.

And...NO, I didn't meant the etc. that way . Maybe I should have just stopped at watering hole...

I have not eaten at any of these places, but they were recommended to me by a former partner of mine, who grew up a Porteño, as follows:

Good Restaurants in Buenos Aires:

La Cabrera – in Palermo Viejo. Among the Porteños, regarded as the best steakhouse in the city. Each steak comes with 9-10 little side dishes resulting in one getting 3 to 4 times as much food as one could possibly eat. It’s perfectly okay to share a steak (and the side dishes). Reservations highly recommended. Complimentary wine and beef sausage tidbits served outside at sidewalk tables while waiting. Address: 5099 Cabrera, Palermo Viejo, Buenos Aires, Argentina, Tel: 54 11 4831 7002.

La Viña del Abasto – in Abasto. Not in a touristy part of the city, but wonderful chicken simply prepared with great herbs and spices. Small, traditional place with great character. A neighborhood restaurant where the locals eat. Address: San Luis 3007, Abasto, Buenos Aires, Argentina, Tel. 54 11 4963 4890

Chila – in Puerto Madero. Very high style and imaginative, cutting edge food. Wine cellar is located in the main room of the restaurant with more than 200 labels. Enjoy a drink before or after dinner at the bar. Head chef Soledad Nardelli’s unique style is defined as a French vision of the local cuisine. Reservations are required. Address: 1160 Avenida Alicia Moreau de Justo, Puerto Madero, Buenos Aires, Argentina, Tel: 54 11 4343 6067.

Cluny – in Palermo Viejo. A little less style than Chila and a bit warmer. Similar (first rate) food. Reservations highly recommended. Address: El Salvador 4618, Palermo Viejo, Buenos Aires, Argentina, Tel. 54 11 4831 7176

My partner told me that Cabaña Las Lilas is not as good as it once was, and is surviving on tourists who eat there based on its reputation from times past.

I will be visiting next month, and I am looking forward to trying out some of these places.

Boys, remember that Tim asked about seafood. For my money the best place in the city for seafood is located in Marcelo T. de Alvear and the avenue known by the porteños as "El Bajo", very difficult to get a place there because is always already reserved. Now, seafood is mostly associated with the Spanish community, so I quoted some of the best known restaurants they manage (being not very expensive). Bill: the place where we dined is at Corrientes Avenue and Suipacha, there is the statue of a cow at the door but for the life of me I don´t remember its name. And yes, the other girl (not my relative) who danced tango was a real beauty. A pity that I can´t dance a step...

quote:

Originally posted by Martin Godio:
Hi Tim,
This is what you are looking for:



Martin

I am drooling all over the computer screen...thanks....

I hear Blacks has a good sushi bar.

quote:

Originally posted by Mike Smith:
I hear Blacks has a good sushi bar.

I thought the Japs had the sushi bar?

Bill: the cats at Blacks can make sushi of you....or me.