Last night I had dinner with my friend Sally. She lives right in the heart of Buenos Aires, near the Congreso building and square, and there are lots of interesting restaurants in her hood. (On the way through the square, we came across a little outdoor milonga, with people dancing in puffy jackets on a cold evening!) Before the pandemia, we had planned to try a place called La Gran Taberna, and last night we finally made it.

What a delightful place! It’s what we call here a “barrio restaurant”, with typical Argentine food, a nice buzz of noise and friendly waiters. It’s been there since 1976, so you know they are doing something right.

Sally had a typical Argentina dish called a milanesa, which is breaded meat (in this case chicken), and I opted for a pepper steak. Even though it was called a “mini”, there was enough to bring half of it home. I’m about to slice it up and eat it with a baked potato for lunch!

I’m pretty sure I’ll be back at La Gran Taberna again soon.