Move Over Pancho, This is the Best Buenos Aires Restaurant

Where’s the Beef?

Once I completed my Graduate classes at the Universidad de Belgrano, only a few days were left before our dreaded long haul flight back to the States. A quick weekend getaway to Cordoba had already been completed. What to do? What to do? As the initial jumping off point of any decision in Argentina, we followed our stomaches. And our bellies guided us to a gratifying steak dinner along the waterfront in Puerto Madero to the best Buenos Aires restaurant.

The weather before our return flight was less than ideal. This last full day for Nadine, Sophie and I in Buenos Aires was dreary, cold, wet, and simply blah. Yet the moment we entered Cabaña las Lilas, that dreary weather melted away. Seated at our table, even despite that odd feeling that there were absolutely too many tourists, the atmosphere seemed like this might be the best Buenos Aires restaurant.

As the last night in Argentina, we both agreed that the only item we could order from the menu, without the threat of being extradited immediately out of the country would be steak. So steak it was. No panchos (hot dogs), just pure Argentine beef. What landed on our table was categorically the best steak that either one of us has ever tasted. Succulent, tender, flavorful, and that description wasn’t being read off the menu. Any positive adjective you could possibly think to describe a steak or a Texan, that described this dinner. The thoughtfulness with which we savored this steak is the same way in which we should all be living life everyday, enjoying every drop of it.

After minutes of aimlessly scouring a 100 page wine list (literally), we decided on a very nice Cabernet Sauvignon. It just happened to be the least expensive. The wine actually turned out to be very good wine with bold flavor and a notable hint of vanilla and chocolate undertones (at least that is what the wine list said). The service was fantastic. The wait staff constantly removed a dish from the table anytime a crumb even considered dirtying a dish.

In the end, Restaurant las Lilas was quite possibly the swankiest restaurant we had ever set foot in, but also the best Buenos Aires restaurant and steak I had ever had.

A New Travel Rule

So this trip has ended, like many others before, but this one separated itself in a few major ways. Primarily, it was our first international trip with our 11 month old daughter. And most likely, it’s the first and last we will do with a child that is under 3 years of age, which we painfully learned, is officially the new cutoff age for international travel, or at least travel that is not psychotic.

We found that traveling with an infant proved to be a constant challenge of balancing the desire to visit sites and finding that perfect moment when diapers were clean, that little belly was full, and her eyes that weren’t too tired. Thus, the amount of sightseeing on our part was very limited.

Peek A Boo

In addition to the excellent food, that didn’t catch my attention on my two previous visits, Argentine’s cariño for babies and children was super impressive. It wasn’t only females. Upon entering the subway, people felt honored to give up their seat to us since we had a baby, and men didn’t hesitate to make random faces at Sophie. Their for the elderly was identical. Who knows, they might even given up their seat for a poorly educated New Mexican (repetitive?). Within seconds of stepping on a bus, a group of teenagers let go of their cool image, and played peek-a-boo with our daughter. Argentines taught a great lesson in their treatment of the little and frail ones, and reminded me of a quote from a former Argentine president that I had heard, “the only privileged people in Argentina are the children.”

Our return flight to the USA was a breeze compared to our initial flight into Argentina, Sophie slept four out of the eight hour flight. We still returned home tired, but not completely debilitated. A single week separates us from a return to our education jobs.

Hope all are well and we’ll see where the next adventure takes us.