earlyretirement
Moderator
I've dined at most of these places including Aramburu. I didn't do the wine pairing as I'm not a big alcohol drinker. The food was good but not as spectacular as other Michelin restaurants. I wouldn't repeat it but my wife enjoyed it.
I agree with @Vince and @Vero that there is a tremendous amount of wealth in Argentina. People forget that. They talk about all the misery with the economy but there are a LOT of Argentines that are tremendously wealthy. I know many families there for the past 22 years that put my American and European friends to shame. In the USA, it is difficult to really know if someone is high net worth because they have so much debt. Many people have 30-year mortgages or even when they get equity in their houses they pull out the equity and refinance their homes over and over.
People in America live with high amounts of debt. My Argentine friends all own not only their own houses/apartments but most of them own several. They are dining out almost every day. If you go around Recoleta and Palermo you always see places packed. It's not with tourists but with LOCALS. No matter how good or bad the economy is in Argentina you will always see these people in a great situation.
At the turn of the Century a tremendous amount of generational wealth was created and just passed down from family member to family member. People forget that about Argentina.
As for if restaurants need to pay Michelin, the restaurants can't "buy" a place on the list. But I read that the city board of tourism has to pay Michelin for that city. I have eaten in many Michelin restaurants and none of them were bad. But someone has to pay for the honor of them listing in each city.
www.nytimes.com
I agree with @Vince and @Vero that there is a tremendous amount of wealth in Argentina. People forget that. They talk about all the misery with the economy but there are a LOT of Argentines that are tremendously wealthy. I know many families there for the past 22 years that put my American and European friends to shame. In the USA, it is difficult to really know if someone is high net worth because they have so much debt. Many people have 30-year mortgages or even when they get equity in their houses they pull out the equity and refinance their homes over and over.
People in America live with high amounts of debt. My Argentine friends all own not only their own houses/apartments but most of them own several. They are dining out almost every day. If you go around Recoleta and Palermo you always see places packed. It's not with tourists but with LOCALS. No matter how good or bad the economy is in Argentina you will always see these people in a great situation.
At the turn of the Century a tremendous amount of generational wealth was created and just passed down from family member to family member. People forget that about Argentina.
As for if restaurants need to pay Michelin, the restaurants can't "buy" a place on the list. But I read that the city board of tourism has to pay Michelin for that city. I have eaten in many Michelin restaurants and none of them were bad. But someone has to pay for the honor of them listing in each city.
Michelin’s Coveted Stars Can Come With Some Costs
As its universe of dining guides expands to new places, the company is asking those regions to help pay the bill. And some chefs fear the honors are fostering a world of restaurant clones.
