Parilla deathmatch I: Rio Alba vs. Don Julio

Don Julio is the parilla restaurant closest to our apartment - literally half a block away. So we've been there twice already, and it's good. (Time Out says "regulars swear it's the best parilla in town.")

Last night we decided to branch out and try Rio Alba, which Fodor's calls "the best parilla in Buenos Aires. Period." And in this face-off we must agree: Rio Alba kicks the butt of Don Julio in terms of one very important factor, namely flavor. The ambience is also a little more fun at Rio Alba - it has more of a casual cafeteria vibe whereas at Don Julio you feel like you're on display a bit.

Here are some selections from Don Julio - for starters, the excellent chorizo sausage:

And here is our favorite cut of meat that we've tried from Don Julio, the lomo (basically a filet mignon).

From these pictures, you can get a sense of the cuisine - delicious, good quality, but perhaps a little on the Spartan side. Also, we ordered the steak "jugoso" (bloody, or rare - which typically is the best way to get a medium rare steak in this country since they like to overcook everything) - and you can see it's basically medium or even medium well, certainly not jugoso.

Now for your comparison, here are some selections from Rio Alba - first, the fried roquefort and ham empanada:

(We also had empanadas at Don Julio; they were baked, not fried, and the flavors were more traditional - e.g. humita, carne, etc.)

Here are various items including the bife de chorizo (this is not in fact chorizo but a sirloin), papas fritas, and grilled veggies.

As you can see, Rio Alba won't win any awards for healthy dining (notice the big strip of fat on the right side of the steak), but DAMN it's good stuff, a veritable flavor explosion. And talk about jugoso! (It's practically still breathing, in fact...is there a way to order it a little less jugoso?)

Note: Rio Alba, despite the informal atmosphere, did end up being a bit more expensive than Don Julio (about $10 US more for 2 of us).

(Rio Alba is located at Cervino 4499. Don Julio is located at Guatamala 4691.)