From rotiserías (take-out joints) to cafés offering classic porteño fare to pricey fine dining establishments, in many parts of Argentina a platter of crispy–sometimes not so crispy–fried squid rings served with a couple wedges of lemon is not hard to find. Every place has their own unique recipe that ranges from a simple dusting of flour and salt to bubbly batters containing milk, eggs, or beer. Often offered as an appetizer, rabas fritas can work just was well …

Chingolo or Palomita (chuck tender in the U.S.), is a cut of beef that consists of the entire supraspinatus muscle which lies laterally to the shoulder blade bone. Contrary to what you may be thinking about a cut with tender as part of its name, chuck tender is anything but tender. Slow cooking, as with many other cuts from the chuck, is needed in order to turn that toughness into tenderness. For this cut, braising or stewing is …

I’ve been performing some back-end work and realized that a FAQ page has been long overdue, maybe even a couple posts for the most frequent, useful questions. Not that I get bombarded with questions on a daily basis but those that I do get tend to relate to the same topics. Much easier to drop a link instead of a rewriting a slightly different letter each time. Loses the personal touch but….

The parrilla has not seen much action lately. The weather has been nice (something you really have to enjoy while you can down here) so for the weekends I’ve …

The dishes in these two photos contain dried parsley (perejil deshidratado) from the same company, Dos Anclas, one of the top manufacturers and distributors of salt, spices, herbs, oil & vinegar, and so on in Argentina. The dried parsley in the first photo was purchased a few months back. The second one, yesterday. Sad, no? Their packs of dried basil and oregano have been just as bad for months.

I’ve finally come to the realization that I will probably never catch a salmon or trout using spinning lures. Good riddance. I was never much a fan of that style of fishing anyway. Cast it out, reel it in. Cast it out, reel it in. Wind is another topic. Even with large heavy casting spoons, if the wind is really kicking you’re lucky if you can cast further than 20-30 ft. Then there is location. All of the …

So as I was about to pull out of a parking space at the supermarket yesterday, I noticed two single-page advertisements tucked snugly under one of the windshield wipers. One for a takeout and catering service listing a selection of foods for the upcoming holidays, the other for a laundromat. Onto the passenger seat they went for saving (takeout) and disposal (laundry) upon reaching home. In all the chaos of unloading the car they were mistakenly left behind. This morning while waiting in the car and taking a closer look at the food brochure, I saw this….

A visitor to this site recently asked for a list of various Argentinean dishes in order to plan a themed New Year’s dinner. Since we are currently doing our own planning for the upcoming holidays, I decided to send a list of what various friends and family have been serving over the years for Christmas and New Year’s. That being said, do not take this as a 100% traditional list. Everyone has their own traditions based on generations and regions. If anyone wants to add anything–something you feel out of place or a different version of what I listed below, …

Like how there is chuck and chuck, there is aguja and aguja. Huh? Let me explain. There is chuck the primal cut which comes from the shoulder area with some of the neck and ribs included and, from this primal cut, there is a section of muscles that form what is called the chuck roll cut. (This section runs above the shoulders, along the back, from part of the neck to where the rib eye cut begins. From the chuck …

Are you familiar with those mainstream travel guides that dedicate a few pages to some bars, cafés, and restaurants that are considered authentic representations of a city’s energy and spirit? Well, Gabriela Kogan has taken that concept and wrote a book listing various establishments in Buenos Aires titled, “The Authentic Bars, Cafés, and Restaurants of Buenos Aires.”

If you are looking for price scales and extensive reviews on service and cuisine, look elsewhere. The purpose of this book, in my view, is to enlighten the reader of the personality and charm of each restaurant, café, and bar in Buenos Aires that have stood against the test of time. From small family-operated restaurants with kitschy interiors that have been turning out dishes of pasta for decades to hundred-year-old cafés where intellectuals hunch over their coffee and debate politics. There is no general structure with each listing and that actually makes the book an enjoyable read whether or not you will visit, or have already visited, any of these locations.

I always wonder if I should hold off on posts such as this one. Most of the people who stumble across this site or have the feed plugged into their favorite reader are situated well above the equator. Grills are probably being packed away and many are looking forward to roasts, pasta, stews, chili, soups, or any hearty fare that receive front and center attention during the fall/winter seasons. Yet, here I am, in …