Closed Bars / Restaurants
Yes I noticed this a few days ago when I was drinking about next door to Henry Beans (don't remember the name of the place). I didnt look for any signs on the closed places. But maybe they are just closed for the Jan holiday as numerous places are? The lack of crowds on the Recoleta strip is simply due to half of BA being on holiday. At least one of my favorite restaurants in Recoleta is closed Jan. 2-17 for vacation.
PS MiddleAgeGuy,
I havent been to Filo for a while but the location is good, only about 1 block from Kilkenny and next door to one of the Downtown Mathias. The pizza there is almost authentic Italian, although since I was raised on American pizza Ill admit I prefer our deep dish greasy supreme to the real thing. Filo is kind of a faggy place, run by 'em. But its still good to go once in a while.
La Querencia - Júnin and Juncal
There are four of them. The other three are at Chenaut 1912 (Las Cañitas) Aguilar 2391 (Belgrano) and Paraguay 434 (Microcentro)
Featuring "Cocina Regional", the menu was a bit different than the typical BA resturant. They had some interesting empanadas for starters (I had "Del Tambo" which was 6 regular cheeses plus a touch of blue for 1.70p) but the main dishes are mostly stew type dishes. I had Bife a la Criolla for 10p which was more like a pot roast than a stew in texture. Quite tasty. The waitress said "muy picante" but that was by BA standards. Nobody from the US would say that it was at all spicy.
30p out the door with a 1/2L of Quilmes, spring water, and a monster piece of "Torta Querencia", and propina. I will return.
4824-4483, 4821-1888, 4823-1414
Empire Thai - 427 Tres Sargentes
Empire Thai, at 427 Tres Sargentes, nearest cross street Paraguay.
Actually not that great Thai food compared to what I know as Thai food in the San Francisco Bay Area, which I think is a pretty good place to get Thai next to Thailand itself.
However, if you miss actual spicy foods while in Argentina since it seems Argentines think even a tiny little bit of spice is "peycante", try this place. Seriously, it's some weird tasting food, not bad in the sense of non-edible, just not really what I'd even classify as Thai food. But it can get pretty damn spicy and that's what I wanted.
Green curry is nothing. Zero spice so I thought on first visit this place was another Argentine spice level place saying they had spicy stuff but really wasn't. But tonight I tried their Red Curry with chicken / beef / etc that you choose, and wow. Even being a spice lover, and even being told it was "very spicy" in a real warning kind of way so that I actually said ok, please make it less spicy than normal, it was flaming hot.
Average food, but the only place I've found so far with actual spicy, even flaming hot, plates.