Cheap Eats and Foreign Smokes

Dinner tonight in Cordoba at La Imprenta, a wine/arts/literary bar not far from the weekend's hotel. Everything you ever heard about Argentinian beef is true. Two lomos (tenderloins) with lovely braised veggies in a red wine reduction for 25 pesos each (converts to a grand total for 2 people - barely 20 bucks, with tip). Included a lovely house Malbec, mineral water and a couple of Quilmes.


Yesterday we contemplated doing La Parilla but chickened out when we saw that the full serve bbq included not only tripe and kidneys but cow brains. Hmm.. maybe just a little too BSE-shy, us Canadians.




So instead, we just did big ole hunks of beef at Viejo Balcón, overlooking the river. And it is also true that none of the good steakhouses open before 8pm. We arrived around 9, and were the third table to be seated. By 11, the joint was full. No garnish, no veggies. Some fritas on the side only because we asked. Barely any spice. Just meat, perfectly, wonderfully grilled. And nobody asked how we wanted it done.




Sheena's travel discovery: Hellman's also makes Ketchup. Yep. Who woulda thunk it.




Cigarettes in Argentina cost about a buck a pack. Not joking. Imports like the now universal Marlboros a bit more, but my adventurous travelling companion insisted on trying a local brand. So he got these. Still never got an answer as to whether they tasted more like sweaty short men or underpants.