Buenos Aires has been on my mind.  I miss the architecture and grittiness.  I miss that meals are social events lasting for hours.  Steaks by Luis recently contacted me to check out their “closed door” asado experience.  I was intrigued by the idea as it is unlike anything I saw when I was living in Buenos Aires researching my city guide.  I decided to send my friend Chance who has lots of experience with steak, wine, and Porteño culture, and I know he enjoys a great dining experience as much as I do.  After hearing about this meal, I am now very jealous and craving a full-bodied juicy red, morcilla on bread, and a perfect steak.  I hope you enjoy (and drool over) this guest post as much as I did.

The asado experience with Steaks by Luis

Having arrived in Buenos Aires nearly seven years ago, I’ve eaten more red meat in that time than I had probably eaten in my entire life leading up to that point. (And I’m from Texas.) Though my first asado was a civil sit-down affair complete with salad, various cuts of meat (none of which I remember), bread, and dessert (maybe), most of my asado experiences in Buenos Aires have been more “casual” affairs.

If “casual” for you is a guy with about four juicy chunks of well salted red meat in his left hand and a coffee cup of Malbec in his right.

That being said, I have dined at some of the best steak houses in town and so I can compare beef experiences with authority.

I’ve also been to a handful of puertas cerradas, so I was pretty sure I knew what to expect before I sampled STEAKS BY LUIS.  I was told that there would be five pasos (courses) and a wine pairing with each one… ok, so I didn’t know exactly what was coming.  Rather than a year old Malbec in a coffee mug, I was excited to see what Luis & company had up their sleeve.

Paso 1: Picadas

This is a fancy way of saying “Meats & Cheeses while everyone gets comfortable.” Thinly sliced jamon crudo (prosciutto style cured ham), several flavorful cheeses, and some local dips. I chuckled when I saw the spread, because it blew away what corner bars normally pass off as picadas.

Wine 1:  Sparkling White -I’m not a bubbly fan, but it was fine.  Others seemed to enjoy it.

Paso 2: Ensalada

 

English speakers may know this as “salad”. Another funny thing for me, because although Argentina produces vast amounts of vegetables, most Argentines I know don’t prefer to actually eat them. But I do and the addition of seasonal fruit (peach in our case) was a nice touch.

Wine 2: Torrontés -from Salta. Torrontés is Argentina’s signature white wine varietal, it’s light and fruity, and great for warm weather.

Paso 3: Achuras

These are the various entrails of the cow that often are not eaten in the U.S. but are sometimes the favorite parts for Argentines. In fact, mollejas (or “sweatbreads”) are the most expensive item at any local butcher shop or menu at any steakhouse. They were on tonight’s menu along side chorizos, morcilla, chinchulines, tira de asado, and matambre de cerdo – which I love cooking at home, but is rarely seen on the menu. (That’s sausage, blood sausage, small intestines, short ribs from a cow and thin pork flank steak.)

All that, plus probably the best provoleta I’ve ever had. Provoleta is a hard cheese cooked in an earthen or cast iron skillet, or occasionally directly on the grill, and even in the best steak houses, can quickly get hard again if you don’t eat it fast enough. This was soft, flavorful, and good to the last bite.

[Editor’s note:  That is definitely the best-looking provoleta I have ever seen.]

 

Wine 3: Oak Aged Cabernet Sauvignon –This Cab from Mendoza had an amazing bouquet I could have sniffed for 15 minutes before drinking. And yes, it was as tasty as it smelled.

Paso 4: Ojo de Bife (Rib-Eye steak)

I came to Argentina a filet mignon fan… which probably explains why I rarely could afford to eat steak before I moved here. The filet isn’t fatty and is always tender. In Argentina however, the lomo is not really a local favorite in large part because it is bland. If it doesn’t have a special rub or marinade, it needs a sauce to liven it up.

Argentines use salt. Period. Ok, maybe later they’ll add some more salt. Not kidding.

So they prefer the Bife de Chorizo (sirloin steak). But if you get a good ojo de bife, it can blow a bife de chorizo out of the water. I had one such ojo at La Cabrera two years ago. And I’ve been looking for one that could match up ever since then… including at La Cabrera.  Up until now, I’ve been out of luck.

But Luis didn’t disappoint.

 

 

I asked for mine “entre jugoso y a punto” (medium-rare) and it was spot on! (Again, a properly cooked medium-rare is not very common even in good parrillas. This country tends to overcook their meat.) The steak wasn’t large, but after all I had eaten up until then, I would have felt not-so-great if it had been much bigger. So I would say they nailed the portion size.

Wine 4: Malbec from the Carinae vineyard in Maipu, Mendoza. I’ve visited this vineyard and am fond of its wines and its owners. This wine was more typical of an asado. Young (maybe 2 years old) and not aged in oak. The wine snob in me wanted another glass of the previous Cab.

Paso 5: Dulce de Leche Cheesecake

RI-DUNK-U-LOUS!

Of course, this being Argentina, Dulce de Leche (a.k.a. “DDL”) had to be part of the dessert. It’s easily made from cooking and stirring condensed milk, but you’d think that it cured every known disease in the world by the way Argentines have elevated it into an essential food GROUP… not really kidding either.

But this cheesecake was amazing. How good? So good that after I finished my piece, I noticed that the guy next to me had one large bit left, but astonishingly had put down his fork. So I watched it like a hawk.

The man is the father of a friend of mine and I’d given him a tour the last time he was in town, so I knew him well enough to ask for the piece, but instead, I waited… patiently… -ish…

Then when the waiter started to pull away his plate, in full hawk mode I swooped in and stole the last bite and popped it in my mouth before anyone at the table started laughing. But they laughed. Yet I think that they also understood.

Wine 5: Dessert White Wine also from Carinae -This wine is made adding grapes during the fermentation process, which made for a much richer dessert wine.

In Summary:

The experience and the food were awesome. You can go out in Buenos Aires for a steak dinner and traditional side dishes and pay quite a bit less than US$75, but you wouldn’t get to sample five wines, the dinner party atmosphere, you definitely wouldn’t have each paso explained to you, and I’ve learned over the last few years that you no longer can guarantee that your meal is going to be remarkable. You don’t have to tell me about what you’ve heard about steak in Argentina.

I live here. I know.

Steaks by Luis is perfect for people visiting Buenos Aires for only a few nights. You get to sample traditional cuts while eliminating the risk of the more frequent “ho-hum” parrilla experience. Locals will elect to save a bit and go to one of their 10 favorite parrillas for their 8th meal of beef for the week, but then again, they can afford to experience the “ho-hum”.

Make a reservation at Steaks by Luis.  (And bring me with you!)

 

 

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Planning a trip to Buenos Aires?

Consider using my Buenos Aires City Guide published by Indie Travel Media.  I love this city, and I want anyone who visits to use this guide to create a unique experience and enjoy the best of Buenos Aires.