Cabaña las Lilas: *DO NOT* Hop On A Plane To Try?
By Asado Argentina on Aug 29, 2007 in General Info
A while back, I wrote a small post about an article in the New York Times titled, “An Epicurean Pilgrimage: Meals Worth the Price of a Plane Ticket“. Basically, the piece is about various restaurants around the world that serve up such superb food that the plane ticket prices are justified. The restaurant in Argentina’s case, Cabaña Las Lilas, is listed in all sorts of travel literature as well. I still have never dined there, and probably never will due to what I’m about to say, but a couple people commented in my previous post that the restaurant is truly overrated.
I came across a recent article today on a local foodie project/site, El Cuerpo De Cristo, that brought extreme horror to my eyes. I freaked out so much that the wallpaper we plan on tearing down in one room of the house almost got to a good start. Check out the picture of Cabaña Las Lilas’ tira de asado here and take a gander at the price too. Not only is the price horrible, but those two pieces of meat are an abomination! Those look like the two pieces of Kal bi I would order at a small Korean restaurant for $6 dollars-that included rice. 57 pesos for something that looks as thin and dry as a McDonald’s hamburger patty, wtf.
Tira de asado (aka asado de tira), is probably “the” cut of meat in Argentina that truly tells you whether or not the asador has their !#&% together. Now I’m not blaming the guy who cooked this mind you, obviously someone higher up gave the order to skimp on portions.
Listen here folks, if that is how they serve a tira de asado, rip out the page of your guide book that labels this tourist trap of a restaurant as “The Best Steak House In Argentina.” Better yet, just drop the whole book off at a recycling center because all of their other information must be incorrect as well. After you’ve done that, find someone in-the-know to point you in the right direction. Preferably outside the “river walk” theme park known as Puerto Madero.
Anyone who hasn’t figured out that Las Cabaña Las Lilas is just a tourism rip-off that’s being self-promoted by the restaurant to every guidebook and magazine out there, deserves the sticker shock and the mediocre beef that they get. Problem is, some folks like the writer of the Times article (who has since passed away and I hate to speak ill of the dead), are more interested in promoting any place that gives them promotional dinners and treats them special (unlike their other customers) and are happy to write fluff pieces in exchange.
Dan | Aug 30, 2007 | Reply
OH My!!!! All this kind of place are the same… Please do not go to “Estilo Campo” The meat is horrible, “DURA” hard… I eat harder meat on MCDonalds
Too bad… too expensive.
Sab | Aug 30, 2007 | Reply
Hey Dan,
Yeah I checked around a bit today and came across a few travel blogs where people pretty much came to the same conclusion of “we deserved it.”
Another problem, and I saw this while checking around too, is that some travelers arrived and followed their tourist trap itinerary to the “T”. They really didn’t experience any other options to compare to and therefore stated these places as the best. How can you say they are the best when you only follow your guidebook or camp out in the hotel dining room? Thus the viral cycle continues on promoting ripoffs. Or worse, if they had a really bad experience, everything else must be 10x as bad.
I don’t think all guidebook suggestions are bad btw, there are some winners, just need to explore a little.
Hey Sab,
I never tried Estilo Campo either. Almost, but always ended up somewhere else. Back in the day(a few years ago, before the tourist revolution), I heard they had some pretty good meat, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they went the tourist route as well.
Asado Arg | Aug 30, 2007 | Reply
This is so depressing to me. I used to work in Puerto Madeiro in 1998-2000 when the area was just getting on its feet and Las Lilas was a fledgling restaurant. I was a patron nearly every Friday night and entertained clients, girlfriends, friends, etc. because of the atmosphere, food quality and value. Standard fare was mollejas, grilled provolone, ojo de bife, souffle potatoes and a split of Montchenot. That ENTIRE lineup was less than $50 and was a meal worthy of a flight down to Bs As.
How the mighty have fallen. Sad to read this.
TechTarHeel | Mar 26, 2010 | Reply