It’s true, Argentines Know Beef
On Saturday some friends were passing through Buenos Aires on their way to Bariloche for a snowboarding trip. We decided to catch dinner together that evening at El Mirasol (I think it’s just a name that doesn’t translate to anything). We taxi’d ourselves from the Congreso area to the swankiest part of Recoleta.
El Mirasol turned out to be an upscale restaurant filled with older, wealthy patrons. We were dressed a full notch below what would have been more appropriate, but we were treated very well and seated immediately. I somehow, as poor as my Spanish is, became the point person for the moso (server). This was a very challenging role, as I could only parse bits of what he was saying. But we communicated well enough. I ordered tenderloin tip, which was spectacular. The five of us shared a bottle of Familia Gascon wine, each had steaks and shared a few sides. The bill came to $430 pesos, which figures to about $28 USD for each person. Expensive for BA, but cheap in terms of dollars for a place as nice as this.
Unlike the US, you don’t tip on the bill itself. You have to leave cash. That little bit of info took us 20 minutes to figure out (I was texting my Argentine roommate Emilio for some help). In general, 10% is appropriate at this type of place.
