El Establo - Microcenter - Paraguay 489

[Lysander]

I have said and posted several times but everyone has to discover it for themselves. Newcomers to the board all think that the permanent residents in Bs As are dumb in regard to restaurants and what to eat. It is not true and the current spate of postings on Milion is a very typical discussion. It gets discovered anew every other year or so. Be warned. The 3 things to eat in Bs As are pasta, (as good as the best fresh pasta anywhere in the world but the sauces generally suck, bolognese is the safest sauce.; pizza and empanadas, (from the local owner-operator around the corner from where you are staying, not a chain. Keep it simple like a margarita or cheese and you will be safe.; and lastly parilla, (Grilled meat and go for the bifes, (Porterhouse and T bones) Lomo, (fillet steak) chorizos, (Sausages that are fantastic) There are plenty of other great cuts of meat but you need to know your way around. Deviate from the 3 Ps and you are dying for disappointment. Never fish or lamb, never anything with a sauce, never anything with pretensions of grandeur and apart from Peruvian restaurants, never any ethnic food. And small local restaurants are best. All else they will generally f u c k up and charge you plenty for the privilege. K I S S is the operative word. OK?

Argento

Argento for once I have to agree with you. Your post sums up the food situation perfectly.

If your idea of good meal is grilled steak, or other plain grilled meat, followed by ice cream, then you'll do fine in Argentina. If you are looking for interesting and imaginative cuisine you'll do better in many other countries. I don't even think the pasta is that great. Maybe they don't use the same kind of durum wheat as the italians, but I find the pasta a bit stogy and the sauces uninteresting. Pizzas are OK, notably the fugazza (plain onion pizza) you get in Pirillo, a little stand up place on Defensa. The thing is I happen to like spicy food, and by and large Argentinians hate spicy food. Peruvian restaurants are a welcome change when you want a spicy meal. Indian restaurants in BA are a disaster. When made properly, empanadas are a handy ubiquitous snack, and I also happen to like locro and lentejas. Some of the finest examples of these local specialities can be found in Pulperia N' Serapia on Las Heras opposite the park. The owner is from Salta.

When it comes to deserts, there is one simple piece of advice - stick to ice cream. The standards dessert menu in most restaurants is unimaginative and limited.

Like all generalisations, there are exception. I have had interesting dishes at some 'new wave' places in Palermo and wonderful grilled Dorado at riverside fish restaurants in Rosario.

Lysander

[BadMan]

You guys are doing it all wrong. Unless you're going to the restaurants in La Recova or Puerto Madero, the best restaurants (quality and quantity) are in Palermo.

Regards,

BM

[Myomy]

Quick report from last night at El Establo:

Took forever to get cocktails to our table.

Ask for Irish whiskey, got Scotch. (no Irish whiskey)

My order came out wrong first time, second time it was a re-do of first order!

My friend's beef was not even ¨select¨ grade, it was tough and overcooked.

I re-ordered my old standby, lomo, which took forever to get.

The place was packed (with tourist like us) but as for me, I'm looking for another place.

I tried La Posada 1820 at San Martin and Tucuman two nights ago. Bad food and really bad service. SOB waiter chased us out the door for an undeserved tip. First time that I have stiffed a waiter in a long time.

PS However, I will stop by El Establo for their grilled provelleta, it can't be beat.

Sincerely,

Latuna

[DblGear]

Lately, they are black burning (like a hardened crust) the outside of their steaks, which are consistently not good grade. I have really cut back on my meals there.

[Schmoj]

Deviate from the 3 Ps and you are dying for disappointment. Never fish or lamb, never anything with a sauce, never anything with pretensions of grandeur and apart from Peruvian restaurants, never any ethnic food. And small local restaurants are best. All else they will generally f u c k up and charge you plenty for the privilege.

This may be the most accurate post in all of Argentina Private.

I deviated from this simple rule at lunch, and now I feel a little queasy. Mustard sauce. What the f was I thinking.

[Rockin Bob]

OK, you do spend a little more at El Establo.

What you do is, alternate with Ugi's across the street!

[El Queso]

RB, I agree except for the bit about the price. A chorizo, a third of a proveleta and a main meal, with Pepsi to drink, for about 100 pesos turns away a lot of people who are more budget minded.

Also, a lot of people order things that, like many parillas in town, vary with the level of beef they happened to get in that day. In my opinion, there are places that serve as good an ojo de bife or bife de chorizo for a cheaper price.

But they make really good brochettes, matambrito de cerdo (a pork belly cut that when done right is VERY good) and an excellent milenesa which is different and tastier than most you can get in the city. Also, their creamed spinach is excellent.

I like the atmosphere too, and I like the waiters. Once they get to know you you do get a little bit better service and such.

Of course, one of the reasons it is a little expensive is the attraction to tourists. You can often find a number of foreginers in there. We went last night and sat behind two older ladies from the US, who I am sure got an earful of our riotous banter

[Rockin Bob]

Man, a lot of bad posts on El Establo!

I eat here all the time and I don't have any problem with the place. I don't know where all the detractors go for better beef at a better price. I've been to a lot of steakhouses in BsAs and this is one of my favorites.

It's run by gallegos, so there's a kind of different feel to the place. Different sides on the menu than most places. Great salads, fresh red juicy tomatoes always. Great vegetable soup.

I said to a bartender today, I would rather have a Blenders with a good bartender than a single malt scotch with some boludo.

I like a good atmosphere when I eat. I like friendly, competent waiters. I am in a restaurant to eat, not watch TV or listen to music. El Establo has no music, no TV. Imagine, we might have to entertain ourselves with. My God, conversation!

Also they have a bar you can sit and eat at.

Ah well, there's no accounting for people's tastes. As somebody said, if we didn't have different tastes we'd all be fucking the same woman.

[Exon123]

I have said and posted several times but everyone has to discover it for themselves. Newcomers to the board all think that the permanent residents in Bs As are dumb in regard to restaurants and what to eat. It is not true and the current spate of postings on Milion is a very typical discussion. It gets discovered anew every other year or so. Be warned. The 3 things to eat in Bs As are pasta, (as good as the best fresh pasta anywhere in the world but the sauces generally suck, bolognese is the safest sauce.; pizza and empanadas, (from the local owner-operator around the corner from where you are staying, not a chain. Keep it simple like a margarita or cheese and you will be safe.; and lastly parilla, (Grilled meat and go for the bifes, (Porterhouse and T bones) Lomo, (fillet steak) chorizos, (Sausages that are fantastic) There are plenty of other great cuts of meat but you need to know your way around. Deviate from the 3 Ps and you are dying for disappointment. Never fish or lamb, never anything with a sauce, never anything with pretensions of grandeur and apart from Peruvian restaurants, never any ethnic food. And small local restaurants are best. All else they will generally f u c k up and charge you plenty for the privilege. K I S S is the operative word. OK?

Argento

Tambien Argento,.

With Jacksons exception "Grants" which is the worst place in town.

Exon

[Argento]

Tried this place the other day and have to concur with recent posters that it is decidedly average. Being close to a bunch of hotels it has a ready made captive audience, which were in strong evidence the night I went, including a handful of Argy business types, a large noisy group of adult gringos and a couple of dykes. Still, out of the other options nearby, it was certainly the busiest.

The menu is extensive and it did occur to me that the chef could in no way be a master of all the dishes available.

The blond had pasta and reported it to be very good indeed. I chose the kidneys which I thought to be quite greasy, tasted as though they had been re-heated. I like my offal, but this was poor. Service was adequate. I guess they don't have to try too hard round here as most customers are short stay only.

Finished off with a glass of the lemoncello, which helped steady me a bit when he brought the bill. Conclusion. Very average and overpriced

I have said and posted several times but everyone has to discover it for themselves. Newcomers to the board all think that the permanent residents in Bs As are dumb in regard to restaurants and what to eat. It is not true and the current spate of postings on Milion is a very typical discussion. It gets discovered anew every other year or so. Be warned. The 3 things to eat in Bs As are pasta, (as good as the best fresh pasta anywhere in the world but the sauces generally suck, bolognese is the safest sauce.; pizza and empanadas, (from the local owner-operator around the corner from where you are staying, not a chain. Keep it simple like a margarita or cheese and you will be safe.; and lastly parilla, (Grilled meat and go for the bifes, (Porterhouse and T bones) Lomo, (fillet steak) chorizos, (Sausages that are fantastic) There are plenty of other great cuts of meat but you need to know your way around. Deviate from the 3 Ps and you are dying for disappointment. Never fish or lamb, never anything with a sauce, never anything with pretensions of grandeur and apart from Peruvian restaurants, never any ethnic food. And small local restaurants are best. All else they will generally f u c k up and charge you plenty for the privilege. K I S S is the operative word. OK?

Argento

[Speedyg50]

Tried this place the other day and have to concur with recent posters that it is decidedly average. Being close to a bunch of hotels it has a ready made captive audience, which were in strong evidence the night I went, including a handful of Argy business types, a large noisy group of adult gringos and a couple of dykes. Still, out of the other options nearby, it was certainly the busiest.

The menu is extensive and it did occur to me that the chef could in no way be a master of all the dishes available.

The blond had pasta and reported it to be very good indeed. I chose the kidneys which I thought to be quite greasy, tasted as though they had been re-heated. I like my offal, but this was poor. Service was adequate. I guess they don't have to try too hard round here as most customers are short stay only.

Finished off with a glass of the lemoncello, which helped steady me a bit when he brought the bill. Conclusion. Very average and overpriced

[Exon123]

The place is Pricey and so, so with high and miss quality, I eat there all the time.

Exon

[QuakHunter]

Very surprisingly, the Calamari here is as good as I have had anywhere. Except for maybe the El Gran Escape in Quepos, CR.

Very tender, not chewy and just the right amount of breading. They served it with some parmesan and lemons.

Unusual ranking for any seafood in Bs Aires.

[El Queso]

Definitely has slipped in the last few years, quaility and cost-wise.

I still go there, but I live here and I know the waiters there somewhat - not buddies but they recognize me and I always get good service when I go (I tip well as long as I get good service - usually right at 10% and that buys a certain level of respect I don't think many Argentinos usually get as quickly); it's a friendly atmosphere.

I also don't order the the "standard" things like bife de lomo or bife de chorizo because those are expensive and no longer worth what you pay for. My feeling is that you can't always go to restaurants here ordering these items (unless the place is currently known for it), even though all parillas (and really just about any restaurant) make them. You hqve to find the things the current restaurant is actually good at making. This means experimenting sometimes and usually going for the less expensive, more common items because as we know the Argentine cooking is a bit without taste or imagination. The things that everyone else eats a lot are going to be better than the things only the foreigners eat a lot.

My favorite there is matambrito de cerdo which is a little more expensive than some places but almost always properly done. It's also the only place I've had it where they serve a banana pepper with it - just a tinge of spice and sweet pepper taste to go with it.

Another good choice for meat there is the mixed brochette (grilled shish-ka-bob - although I guess that translation may be redundant). Lomo and chicken, with bellpeppers and onions and panceta salado that has had most (but not all) of the salt taken out and almost tastes like real bacon. Usually pretty tasty.

They have a good lomo nepolitano, which is milanesa of lomo (usually very tender for milanesa) with ham, tomato sauce and cheese. I like they way they do the milanesa, which is a lot closer to what I know of as chicken fried steak (as far as how the meat itself is prepared) than this dry, tough, fried-to-leather-consistency coating that is milanesa here in BA. I just wish someone knew how to do a white milk gravy with a little black or cayenne pepper kick like we give it in Texas (and I'm sure other states!) The only time I get it is when I cook for myself.

The pizza is not bad at El Establo if you find yourself there with a group and don't feel like meat.

I also tasted my sister-in-law's four-cheese fettucine once and remembered it as being good, but never had any other pasta there myself.

The creamed spinach and the garlic-sauteed spinach, as veggie extras, I have found to be flavorable.

The place is still expensive, but it can have a decent atmosphere and if you choose something off the main stream you can get out for a bit cheaper and still have a decent meal. And it is a pretty good stepping off point for the Triangle and other parts nearby...

The place is usually reaonably crowded (though not full) when I've been lately. Weekdays 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm for lunch is about 1/2 to 2/3 full, while Thursday, Friday and Saturday (as far as I know - nights I usually go out) are at least 2/3 full. Of course, it's not as jammed as it used to be two years ago, but for a variety of reasons including the general rising prices which they are only a part of in the big city.

[BigMic]

Disappointed here this trip. Higher prices to go with lower quality. The lomo tasted like a lower grade of meat. Maybe the higher number of unoccupied tables isn't just a sign of the tougher times.