First of all, remember that unlike Americans, people from Buenos Aires do not care that much about tenderness. They like tender beef of course, but when it comes to choose they will prefer the flavor over the tenderness.  So please do not be my last week client, complaining in a great restaurant because the Bife de Chorizo was far from tender. The waiter was quite funny when replying to my client if he would prefer a soup instead.

1 – Bife de Chorizo

I don´t know how many times I  have had to explain this to my clients: the bife de chorizo has nothing to do with chorizo, does not have chorizo on it and nobody has a clue of why on Earth it is called that way.  The bife de chorizo is a beef cut that you will find in every steak house in Buenos Aires, and it is very similar to the sirloin strip steak that is popular around the world.  The good parrillas (local name for steak house) will give you a big, thick and juicy portion, and sometimes you will have two options in the menu, small and big, that actually means big and Godzilla size.

2- Asado de tira

Thank god pictures exist, so I do not have to explain what this is. You would probably call it short ribs, but the cut is different than the one in the States. It is served with the bone and actually the meat next to the bone is the best part. The good parrillas usually serve a thick portion, while a less quality place may cut the meat thin as if it was a hum.

3- Vacío

Together with the asado de tira is probably the most popular cut, and it is really strange to find a parrilla in Buenos Aires without at least a piece of it. It is like the flank steak, but completely different. I hope I am clear. We do not take out the fat, and the vacío is usually full of it. It is not that tender but really great. One of my favorites.

4- Lomo

Tenderloin or Filete Mignon, really popular around the world but not that common down here.  It is the most tender cut and most of my clients will order it.

5- Entraña

It is a very unique cut, and I have no idea of the name in English. It is a thin portion of beef, covered with fat in both sides. It is quite tender and very different from the rest.

6- Colita de Cuadril

This is my father´s favorite, so I have had it millions of times. It is a fine piece and it is not that common to see it in parrillas, but the taste is delicius.

7- Matambre

This one is completely different to the rest. Many people do not even include it as a steak cut. It is, however, very unique and when it is done the proper way it is really good.

8- Ojo de Bife

The rib eye, it is my favorite by far. Similar to the bife de Chorizo and really tasteful. It is usually big, and quite expensive, but as many people say you get what you pay!

At BA Private Tours we are happy to say that we have now a US phone number to receive calls from our clients from USA and Canada.

The number is 347 903 4999

We would love to hear from you, and we are trying to make it easy. No more international dialing calls, and no more thinking twice before trying to reach us.

Most of the times one of us will be at the office, and we will gladly get your call. If we are all working on a tour, you will get a voicemail. Please leave us your name and phone number, and we will call you right back!!

]]> http://baprivatetours.com/blog/?feed=rss2&p=406 0 http://baprivatetours.com/blog/?p=399 http://baprivatetours.com/blog/?p=399#comments Fri, 22 Jul 2011 18:10:27 +0000 Admin http://baprivatetours.com/blog/?p=399

In January of 2011 three friends and I traveled to Buenos Aires to spend a few days and go to Iguazu Falls prior to embarking from Chile on a cruise around the horn. The Iguazu Falls tour company representative suggested German Landa as our tour guide. He contacted me via e-mail and we began an exchange of we ideas about what we knew, where we wanted to go, things that we might not know about, times and dates, etc.  He made excellent suggestions about important things to see and do, worked with me to determine economical but well-located accommodations and made sure we both had all the information we needed to be very comfortable with all of our arrangements well before we left on our trip.

Having German as our tour guide was akin to having a friend who lives in the city you are visiting. He greeted us every morning with a smile.  He accommodated all our needs.  Communicating with him was easy as he has an excellent command of American English and our idioms.  He related well to each of us as individuals and made sure each of us got what we wanted out of our visit.  We thoroughly enjoyed all of the restaurants, shows and venues he suggested.  Our few days in Buenos Aires couldn’t have been better.  German was extremely knowledgeable, an outstanding guide and we would all recommend him highly.
Arlene Woods, Laguna Niguel, California, USA

Thank you Esteban!  Disembarkation can be a nightmare so having someone waiting in a sea of 1000, pick up our 8 pieces of luggage and whisk us off on a fantastic city tour not wasting a second of our precious vacation time was amazing.  Being three generations at different physical levels it was wonderful knowing we could walk across a beautiful city park and have grandma waiting safely and happily in a luxury van at the other end and  being able to say “Oh go down that street”, “Need a bathroom break in 5 minutes” or ” I heard about this statue” and having it all happen while being treated like an old friend was wonderful.  The day was action packed and relaxing at the same time, truly informative, incredibly fun, and very reasonable (especially compared to cruise tour prices) and we had an absolutely marvelous time in a phenomenally beautiful city.  Your restaurant recommendations, helping us check into a hotel and getting us upgraded when we got bumped, and even advising us on our upcoming Iguazu Falls trip was extremely valuable. We saw and learned more in a day than we could have in two  weeks on our own, we highly recommend Esteban as a guide on your visit to BA.

Bonnie, Nancy, Chris & Ashleigh
Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada

Esteban, just a quick note to thank you for your service to us when we were in BA earlier this month.  You were a great guide and I will definitely recommend you to others traveling to Buenos Aires.  Thank you for  taking us to a great neighborhood restaurant that we never would have come across on our own. Hope the rest of the year goes well for you.

Cherie Sorokin

Below is a short list of basic things and their prices in Buenos Aires. As a tourist, you will probably not take the time to visit a supermarket, so the prices below are those from drugstores (locally called “kioscos”) that can be found all over the city, or tourist areas. The prices are real today (Nov 8th 2010). I will try to update this post regularly. Prices are in US dollars.

Box of Marlboro:  1.63
Mineral Water (half a litre): 1.00
National Newspaper: 1.00
Taxi ride (around 40 blocks): 7.00
Taxi per hour: 12-15
Cinema Ticket: 7.00 (as an average)
Subway or Bus: 0.30
Fancy dinner: 40-50
Regular dinner: 15- 25
Lunch: 10.00 (from Monday to Friday)
Museums (usually free, sometimes a cheap ticket under 5.00)

We only had a brief visit to Buenos Aires but Esteban made it possible for us to see much more than we expected.  The entire day was hugely enjoyable and informative.  By the time we left to return to Washington, D.C., we felt as though we had been touring B.A. for a week!  We would heartily recommend Esteban’s services to anyone visiting the city.  When we return for a longer visit, we will certainly hire him again.

Painam, Stuart and Robin, Whashington DC