Dining is, of course, a huge part of traveling. Experiencing a culture by visiting a restaurant and consuming its food is an excellent way to connect with that place — trying to understand the menu (always best to visit restaurants that don’t hand you an all English translation as these are where the locals eat), trying to converse and build a bond with a waiter, and finally enjoying the meal itself. Usually these experiences jell into a wonderful experience although sometimes they don’t.
The dining experience is all the better when you’re in a place with interesting decor, the food is delicious, inexpensive, and you’re looked after by attentive staff. We had such an experience at the Cumana restaurant in Recolata, just a short block from the hotel we were staying at.
(Carbonade: A stew with beef, sweet potatoes, peaches, carrots.)
We ate at this restaurant several times during our week in Buenos Aires and were able to try a large number of items on the menu. The empanadas were excellent and I’d especially recommend the chicken empanada (note: these are baked in Argentina, not deep fried and are fresh and very tasty). The restaurant served delicious tamales, pizzas and a wide variety of savory stews cooked in an Northern Argentine style. Deserts were also excellent and drinks (including beer and wine) were inexpensive. The tab generally was about half what you’d pay in an average Buenos Aires restaurant.
(Tomato, Eggplant and Provolone pizza)
By far most of its clients are locals, not tourists. Cumana gets very popular later in the evenings (after 9 pm) so arrive early for a table and to avoid the wait. This restaurant accepts cash only — no credit cards.