Asado at the Estancia

Every few months it’s important to get a vacation from Buenos Aires, if only for just the day, and venture off to distant lands like Zona Norte, Tigre or somewhere in the campo.  Spending a day at an estancia (Argentine ranch) is common on the tourist-trap track, and after many years living in this country refusing to pay for this “authentic” experience, I finally managed to see what the hype was all about.

I visited Estancia Santa Susana, located in the Buenos Aires province, near a small town called Los Cardales. Walk off the huge tour bus and you are greeted by a guacho, decked out in his gear, who proceeds to give all the females kisses on the cheek.  The crowd ate this shit up, but I could have sworn that this same “gaucho” picked me up in a taxi a few nights before in Almagro.  Gaucho by day, Radio taxi driver by night.

This particular estancia is all about the mass production.  It was filled with diverse tour groups – elderly Nordic-looking couples, rowdy middle aged Mexican, honeymoon staged Study Abroad students – all to get the “true” Argentine experience, or pick up some memorabilia from the local gift shop.  Basically the itinerary for the day is: riding horses or taking a carriage ride, ASADO, music + show, gauchos + show, get back on da bus. Obviously the food related portions interested me the most and happened to be the highlight of my day.

Touristy-ness aside, the asado was pretty awesome – I mean look at all those chorizos, I lost count at 40.  This is definitely not a place for vegetarians, and although they did have one sad pasta option and a few mixed salads (with and without mayo), the real spectacle was all the meat.  This is the type of asado in the truest form… slap some chicken and beef on the parrilla, smother it with salt, top it with some chimi, add in some soft yet crusty bread for seeping the juices and listo.  Simple yet so mighty delicious.  It’s truly amazing the quantity of meat they must go through on an annual basis.

I know, these chorizos are turning you on.  You just wanna put a fatty in your mouth,

I’d recommend Estancia Santa Susana for those who love doing touristy things (c’mon, just admit it if you do), if you are visiting with a large group, or if you have someone else offering to pay.  The price is AR$150.  For more photos from the estancia, check them out here.

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