Hop on a plane to try Cabaña las Lilas
By Asado Argentina on Oct 22, 2006 in General Info
Or at least that’s what the New York Times says in an article titled: An Epicurean Pilgrimage: Meals Worth the Price of a Plane Ticket. Check out various travel guides, articles, books, and magazines that features something related to dining out in Argentina and you’ll usually see this restaurant listed. For the years I lived in Buenos Aires, I never actually gave Cabaña las Lilas a try. I always wanted to however and can’t really remember why, but oh well, maybe next time I’m up there.
Truly don’t waste your time. Good but not great quality meat, tourist/business oriented service, outrageous prices (2-3x what you’ll pay elsewhere in town) - living on a reputation from an over-hyped, over-blown PR campaign. You have to realize that the writer, RW Apple, was not really a food person, but a political writer (the Times referred to him in his obituary as “an indiscriminate eater” - i.e., he’d eat anything you put in front of him) - having dealt with him in the restaurant biz, the only thing really important to him was that restaurants treated him like he was as important as he liked to believe he was - and that someone else picked up the tab, i.e., the NY Times.
Dan | Nov 14, 2006 | Reply
Yeah I figured as much. I usually stay away from these types but always thought, in this case at least, it would be different due to the owner actually serving the beef that he produces.
However when you start to something listed as THE place to eat on various travel pieces, without hardly any other recommendations, written for publications outside of the country, it turns me off a bit. You get this feeling that the writers are shuffled right from the plane to their 5-star hotel and then off to the recommended restaurants listed on their itinerary without experiencing the true local establishments. Which is probably just what happens.
That being said I’ll probably end up trying it anyways, just so I can hear “I told you so” hehe.
>treated him like he was as important as he liked to believe he was
I’m sure the flight out to the owner’s ranch satisfied his importance.
Administrator | Nov 17, 2006 | Reply
I was just at Cabaña las Lilas last week and I agree with Dan, don’t waste your time. The food was mediocre and overpriced. If Lilas had delivered on half of the hype I would say give it a try but as it was I feel I wasted an evening and my money by eating there.
If you are in the mood to spend close to that kind of money and actually want a meal you will remember then I suggest Piegari Vitello e Dolce at Posadas 1042. It is mainly a parrilla (it is across the street in the “Recova de Posadas” which is focused on italian dishes.) All four meals I have enjoyed at Piegari were fantastic!
Bife De Chorizo comes more thickly cut than usual and grilled to perfection.
Bife De Lomo and was grilled perfectly.
Brochette De Lomo is cooked perfectly and it is big enough for two.
Grilled Trout is bone-free and tasted like salmon, it is pink like one too and is big enough for two (basically half of a salmon).
My personal favorite dishes were (and I would recommend this to anyone wanting an outstanding meal) the Brochette De Lomo with the grilled vegetables and the grilled risotto and please finish it all with Egoista.
Egoista, a hot chocolate cake, oozing hot chocolate sauce and served with yoghurt ice-cream.
Go ahead and say “I told you so†about this restaurant;-)
bcb | Jan 26, 2007 | Reply
Thanks for the tip and suggestion. My favorite was El Mirasol de Boedo. Located in what used to be an old house so its small and comfortable. Excellent mollejas and brochettes. Not sure how the one in Recova next to Piegari is tho. I hear their prices have really skyrocketed, like everywhere else I guess, but they were always a bit pricey.
>Grilled Trout
I’ve had no luck this season with catching any. One more month until all of the decent easily accessible spots become catch and release. A local fish market carries some small frozen fillets but I want to catch a big fresh one to toss on the grill.
Asado Arg | Jan 29, 2007 | Reply