Buenos Aires Pizza Showdown - El Cuartito vs. Guerrín

Pizza in South America? In Argentina? Yes, yes, y'all. I have to say that I was a little skeptical before our trip, but I kept reading all of these raves about Argentina's pizza. As I mentioned before, Italian immigrants came to Argentina in droves and brought much of their cuisine with them. Forget about the beef! Argentina has great pizza and gelato, too (that's for another post).

When doing research about pizza spots in Buenos Aires, two names kept coming up, Guerrín and El Cuartito. I somehow felt like I had to take one for the team to make sure you guys could see what each place had to offer. I'm always trying to help YOU out. ;)

Let's start with El Cuartito.

I liked the vibe of El Cuartito. It was a Friday afternoon, and the tables were filled with Porteños (the nickname for Buenos Aires residents) in large groups with large, square pizza pies, and a few had beers. It seemed like quite a few groups of co-workers. I saw almost no tourists (always a good sign), but what really stood out to me were the old Argentinian movie posters and tango paraphernalia.

El Cuartito's Dining Area

Old movie posters....I didn't realize the extent of the Argentinian movie industry.

The most common and truly local type of Argentinian pizza is called the fuggazeta. It's all dough, cheese and onions. For those of you into "white pies" (no tomato sauce), then this is definitely for you. We decided against a full pie for a variety of reasons, but you can try fugazzeta by the slice, too. For me, it was just waaay too much cheese (Yes, there can be such a thing). I'm not used to provolone oozing off of my pizza pie and plain, almost raw onions and I don't mix very well. This just wasn't for me, but I'm glad I got a "slice" (pun intended) of the local specialty.

El Cuartito's Fugazzeta. I so wanted to like this. :(

Husband J was ready for the real deal. To describe Argentinian pizza in my own words, I'd guess I'd tell you to imagine if Chicago deep dish and New York's version of a thin crust pizza had a baby. The crust of the the pizza at El Cuartito was beyond doughy and honesty resembled bread. The cheese was fine, the ham thick and salted, but, for some reason I couldn't help feeling like this tasted like an open-faced ham and melted cheese sandwich with some olives thrown on top. This was passable pizza in my book, but I don't think I'll be seeking it out again. 

Check how thick that crust is!

To be honest with you, we actually went to Guerrín BEFORE we made it to El Cuartito. Just like El Cuartito, at Guerrín you can stand at the bar á la an Italian trattoria. Make your way to the back and seat yourself. Guerrin offers fugazzeta as well, but Husband J and I were both too hungry to really mess around. We'd just wandered around most of downtown Buenos Aires. Instead, we ordered something similar to what we'd had at El Cuartito.

This is pizza, my friends. PIZZA.

Our pizza at Guerrín - tomatoes, olives, ham

The crust was thicker than the usual Neapolitan or New York style that I eat, but it was just enough to be both crispy and a little springy but not breadlike. The cheese was melted perfectly. The lovely hidden surprise? Fresh, tender ham. The slices of tomato brought out the tangy tomato sauce underneath it all. This was darn good pizza. Husband J and I polished this pie off pretty easily. 

I like that Argentinian pizza is a little different from the Italian and U.S. versions that I've eaten before. Italian culture has influenced the country in a different way, so it should have its own take on such a popular dish. So, yes, don't sleep on Buenos Aires' pizza. Really.

El Cuartito

937 Talcahuano 

Buenos Aires, Argentina

Guerrín

1368 Avenida Corrientes

Buenos Aires, Argentina

7 Things To Know About Eating & Traveling in Argentina

I like to research the heck out of a place before arriving in a new destination. At the same time, you can't know everything beforehand. You've just got to experience it. That's how I felt about some of the situations we experienced in Argentina, so I thought I'd share them with you.

1. Internal flights can be expensive - If you are a non-Argentine, finding cheap flights in Argentina is downright difficult. When buying a domestic airline ticket online from outside of Argentina, the prices are different than for locals. That includes buying them within the country. To get a reduced rate, you either need a DNI (Documento Nacional de Identidad/National Identification Document) number or need a credit card issued from an Argentinian bank, which......requires a DNI number. One of the main reasons for expensive flights is that there is no competition between airlines for domestic air travel. There are really only two to choose from, Aerolineas Argentinas and LAN. I hear that the high-end buses are amazing and relatively affordable. If you choose traveling by bus, know that Argentina is a vast country, and there are long distances between major areas.

2. You may need to send up smoke signals to get your waiter's attention. Sometimes I get a little miffed when wait staff here in New York City drop the check on your table and say "Whenever you're ready...." while I'm still eating dessert. In Argentina, I felt like I had to send up flares to get the wait staff to notice us, especially at the end of the meal. People lounge over food or even a very small cup of coffee, so don't be in a rush per se (you're supposed to be relaxing anyway). We weren't necessarily in a rush at all of our meals, but sometimes we did want to actually get back to our hotel.

El Cabildo in downtown Buenos Aires

3. Vegetarians, be wary - Argentine cuisine isn't exactly known for its meat-free options and vegetable cookery. Even if you say you don't eat meat at a restaurant, wait staff might just think you don't eat RED meat. I would suggest asking for things specifically without carne (meat as in red meat), pollo (chicken), etc. Spell it out, if you must. Because of the strong influence of early 20th century Italian migrants, Argentina really has great Italian cuisine. Pizza and pasta are always good bets. Buenos Aires also has a Koreatown and a Chinatown, which may have great veggie options (didn't get to check them out). In Patagonia, it was harder to find good vegetarian fare, although I do recommend Pura Vida in El Calafate. Vegans, I don't know what to tell you because everything had cheese on it. Buena suerte (Good luck!). :(

I enjoyed taste testing empanadas wherever we went in Argentina. Every place has their own recipe and style. Vegetarians, try the spinach ones!

4. Watch your money - I mean literally examine it closely. Counterfeit money is a real issue in Argentina, and it is very much a part of the monetary system. You may get some fake funds from unlikely places: shops, restaurants and maybe even your hotel (although most places like this take great pains to weed out bad money). I have heard that taxi drivers can be some of the biggest culprits, but I'm not going to throw shade on a whole profession. Here's a good link to know if you've got the right money.

5. You may know Spanish, but the Argentine usages are different - I've heard lots of jokes about bringing together Spanish speakers from different countries in one room, and many of them not being able to understand each other because of regional word usage. Argentina uses some words that I haven't heard before for common nouns. Sanitario = bathroom, coletivo = bus are a few that come to mind. You can still use the Spanish vocabulary you know, but just know that Argentines occasionally call things by a different name.

U.N. Plaza, Buenos Aires

6.  You can get by without Spanish, but it sure does help. In most destinations around the world, making a feeble attempt at the local language is going to get you far with local staff. Both Buenos Aires and El Calafate (where we were based for our time in Patagonia), were major tourist centers, so many people spoke English.  Yet they weren't always totally fluent, and sometimes it was easier for me and for them if I just spoke Spanish. I think I'm trying to give myself props, but at times I think we also got better service because of it. Ok fine, I'm probably just dreaming, but I believe my knowledge of Spanish helped us. If you can use some basic phrases or learn even a few key vocabulary words before your trip, it might help.

An iceberg in Lago Argentino in Patagonia

7. Argentine men are flirty (at least with me) - I got quite a few (okay, many) winks and even a few catcalls. I wasn't exactly expecting that.  I suspect it's because I'm a little exotic looking there? (Unlike its neighbor, Brazil, Argentina has almost no Black people) Actually, I think it's just an Argentinian man thing and probably nothing to do with me. :) In case you're wondering, Argentines are pretty good looking.

Are there any details you wish you had known prior to your last trip to a new place? 

Around Buenos Aires - The Capital City

Buenos Aires is Argentina's largest city as well as its capital, so it's really a grand, dignified kind of place. Swagger? Check! There are monuments everywhere, and you can easily find yourself wondering who is immortalized in yet another statue. I have to admit that I kept getting confused by many of the names of places because so many were named after dates important in Argentine history. What happened on July 9? May 25 is important because...? Oops...I'd read a little bit about Argentine history before leaving, but I guess it just wasn't enough.

The best places to see the grandeur of the city in all of its glory are in Buenos Aires' downtown. Many things are close together, and even for the ones that aren't, it's a nice walk getting there. By the way, B.A. is a walking city, so be prepared with some comfortable shoes.

Here are just a few of the national monuments or places of interest we saw.

Argentina has 23 provinces, and each is represented here at the Congreso Nacional (National Congress) by elected officials in two houses: the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies (the latter sounds kinda cool, doesn't it?).

in front of the Congreso Nacional Building 

I particularly liked this shield with all of the provincial seals on the building's front gate.

Here's a close up of the seal of Santa Cruz Province where we were heading in a few days to El Calafate and the Perito Moreno Glacier.

We headed over to Plaza de Mayo, a political hot spot where Argentines have come for generations to speak their minds about a variety of issues. One of the most important protests in recent memory has been the Madres de Plaza de Mayo (Mothers of Plaza de Mayo), who weekly held vigils to demand answers about the whereabouts of their missing adult children, many of whom were political prisoners that were kidnapped, tortured and killed during Argentina's military dictatorship in power from the 1970's to early 80's.

Since it's smack dab in the middle of the Plaza, you won't miss the Piramide de Mayo.

May 25, 1810 is the date commemorating Argentina of self-rule from the Spanish government.

A statue of Senor Manuel Belgrano, one of many important Argentine founding fathers is in the Plaza, too. This statue of him is in front of the Casa Gobierno aka Casa Rosada (see below).

This sign below is regarding the Malvinas/Falkland Islands. This year is the 30th Anniversary of the conflict between Argentina and the UK over rightful ownership of this small South Atlantic island chain. It was definitely back as part of the national conversation while we were in the country. 

In case you're interested in what this says, essentially it's a sign from ex-combatants of the Malvinas/Falklands War who believe that the government should bring greater public discussion about the Rattenbach Report, which attempts to explain Argentina's defeat in the Malvinas/Falklands War, and the plight of combatants. Many Argentines felt the war was an unnecessary military "intervention" propogated by the much reviled military dictatorship of that time. This part of Argentine history is pretty charged, for lack of a better word. Although that seems to be pretty commonplace. Read a little about 20th century Argentine history, and you might agree. 

Casa Rosada, at the end of Plaza de Mayo, is important since so much of early history of Buenos Aires unfolded right where it's located.  It's the official government house for the President of Argentina, although few have actually lived there recently.

                            

It's where Ms. Evita herself spoke to the Argentine public from this very balcony. 

Historic, majestic, and political is definitely one way to describe Buenos Aires. 

I like capital cities since they teach me about a country's history and politics.  

Do you like visiting capital cities? Do you have a favorite capital city that you've visited? Which one? 

Hola!

Hey, everyone!

Husband J and I are back from Argentina, and all I can say is that I probably will never be hungry again. I still think I am full from all of the food we ate the last nine or so days. I can say that Argentina is a country of so many contrasts and delicious (heavy) food. I also didn't have a bad glass of wine the entire time there.

This trip also made me realize how much I miss speaking Spanish. I studied the language for seven years including a semester of conversational Spanish in college. I didn't keep up my studies in college because I didn't want to take the advanced classes, which were all literature courses (nothing against Latin American and Spanish lit. I just would have preferred history or other subjects that would let me practice Spanish).

I really enjoyed getting to speak with locals, many of whom I believe appreciated my language efforts. You can get by without Spanish in the tourist areas of Argentina, but it sure does help. It's made me motivated to try to continue practicing through a local Meet Up group or something similar starting this summer.

I thought I'd share some snippets of our trip through pictures.

Statue of Manuel Belgrano at the Plaza de Mayo, Buenos Aires

Pizza from Guerrin in Buenos Aires

Perito Moreno Glacier

National Congress building in Buenos Aires

Meat (and lots of it)! Sirloin at Don Julio, a parilla in Buenos Aires

Trekking on Perito Moreno Glacier

High Tea at the Alvear Palace Hotel in Buenos Aires

Looking forward to sharing more in the coming weeks. If you've got any questions for me, please let me know in the comments section!

Food Porn Friday - Alfajor

I'm hoping by this point in our trip that I will have eaten a whole bunch of these:

via Be Different..Act Normal

via We Heart It

At its most basic level, an alfajor are two biscuits with a filling most commonly of dulce de leche, a mousse or jam. If I've done my job as a food blogger well, then I hope I've eaten a lot of these by today. A lot. :)

Have you ever had an alfajor? What do you think of them?

Happy Weekend!

Where to Next - Sing it, Madonna!

I was going to do a nice, splashy pic filled post about where I'll be off to next, but then I thought I'd just let Madonna tell you. She's a little more eloquent than me and perhaps has a better voice. Perhaps.... (although I thought she did a great job at the Super Bowl. She's having a concert at Yankee Stadium on my birthday. Should I go?)

That's right..I'm headed to Argentina!

I'll be learning a lot about Eva Peron in Buenos Aires. She was a performer, First Lady of Argentina, a suffragist, and a politician popular with the working class Argentines. I'm looking forward to learning more about her in Buenos Aires at the museum dedicated to her.

So, Husband J and I will be off to Argentina in a few weeks. We'll be spending most of our time in Buenos Aires. We'll also be heading down to Patagonia to see some big chunks of ice. :)

Buenos Aires - It's often called the Paris of South America

Perito Moreno Glacier

I had really wanted to head over to Mendoza, which is Argentina's wine country, but it just wasn't going to work. Internal flights in Argentina are not cheap. :( With Argentina being the 8th largest country in the world in terms of area (it's BIG), I figured that we needed to defray costs by only going to one other part of Argentina. Perhaps Mendoza and Iguazu Falls next time?

Has anyone been to Argentina, specifically Buenos Aires and Patagonia (We'll only be in El Calafate)? If so, I'd love it if you gave me some of your recommendations of places that you liked during your visit, especially food related ones. I'm making my own list, but I love hearing others' suggestions. Also anyone have a favorite Argentinian Malbec?

Is there any aspect of Argentine culture that interests you? Gauchos? Tango? Good steak? Soccer/Football? Let me know in the comments section, and I'll be sure to take pics or write about it in future posts.

Buenos Aires; Perito Moreno