La Cabrera

Riding the wave of success arising from the dubious achievement of having been named in the World's 50 Best for Latin America, La Cabrera is now in Santiago, along with its familiar dish cloth-style napkins and at least one cut of Argentine beef. There are now two locations in Santiago, one on Nueva Costanera in Vitacura, and one Isadora Goyenechea in Las Condes.

Buenos Aires based La Cabrera offers a very typical Argentine-style menu almost identical to the menu in Buenos Aires. That means a handful of firewood-grilled appetizers, including sweetbreads, smoked sausage, blood sausage and grilled provoleta cheese, a poor Argentine look-alike of Italian provolone cheese. And of course, empanadas, and tasty ones at that.

Like Argentina based steakhouse Happening, La Cabrera offers a single cut of imported Argentine beef, a strip steak, called a "bife de chorizo" in Argentina, or a "lomo liso" in Chile. The remainder of the beef cuts are are either locally produced or imported from another country such as Brazil or the United States. The steaks are firewood grilled, as are the steaks at Rubaiyat and Happening, in contrast to the infrared sear you'll find at Carnal Prime, a few blocks away.

The quality of the beef is excellent and execution of the menu is typically spot on. The kitchy Argentine farmhouse atmosphere is popular with the locals, but we think it a bit pedestrian for a restaurant at which you can easily drop $75 to $100 per cover. This ambience is in contrast to the sleeker, more contemporary and upscale décor and ambience at both Rubaiyat and Carnal Prime. Service at La Cabrera is typically very good.

The menu offers a single seafood dish (salmon), a couple of pasta dishes (mandatory at Argentine steakhouses) and a small uninspired collection of salads and sides. This is one thing we don't like about this traditional Argentine menu. The lack of innovative sides, salads and main dishes other than steaks compared to both Happening and Carnal Prime is a drawback in the event someone at the table is not so keen on red meat. Nearby Carnal Prime even offers oysters on the half-shell and lobster on a surf & turf.

All of the aforementioned steakhouses have almost identical prices.

In sum, La Cabrera offers high-quality beef and expertly grilled steaks and meat appetizers in an atmosphere designed to mimick an Argentine farmhouse but we find the ambience a bit below the prices. The lack of variety in the menu is another drawback. Good service and execution by the "parilleros" is a compensating factor.