Elena

Dining Destinations for Christmas and New Year's Eve in Buenos Aires and Mendoza

"At the Four Seasons Hotel Buenos Aires , the festive spirit is in full swing, with the aromas of panettone and nougat filling the dining rooms. The hotel, awarded two MICHELIN Keys , hosts a Christmas Eve celebration at its onsite restaurant Elena. Executive Chef Juan Gaffuri showcases Argentina's finest products in a specially crafted four-course menu. The experience begins with Patagonian trout tartare, tapioca crunch, and trout roe. It continues with sepia ink and octopus arancini; pecorino foam carbonara pasta; and the catch-of-the-day with mandarin gastric. It finishes with a pasture-raised beef chop served with gírgolas and portobello cream. For a decadent yet restrained dessert that hits all the right notes, there's a 70% chocolate ganache with coffee toffee and caramelized pine nuts. The festive decor, toasts, and pairings with cocktails and wines from Catena Zapata will surely get you into the holiday spirit. The seven-course menu with wine pairing is priced at $300 USD on December 24th, with an exclusive $500 USD menu for hotel guests on the 31st." - Guía MICHELIN

The Best Steakhouses in Buenos Aires

"Located in the Four Seasons Hotel, Elena aims to be a benchmark for Argentina's finest aged meats while maintaining a relaxed, shareable dining style; I found spacious tables, generous portions, and a focus on heavyweight beef aged in dry chambers to perfect tenderness and flavor. Dishes range from Huancaína octopus and mushrooms with Patagonzola to charcuterie boards, curry lamb, and a Milanesa with truffled fries, but the highlights are the wood-fired meats from the Josper oven—try the 450 g bone-in Ribeye aged 45 days, the 950 g T-Bone for sharing, or the 'cut of the day' matured for 70 days—paired with sides like Triple Fried Fries, Pistachio Lime Cauliflower, or Sweet Potato with buffalo yogurt, and finished with a scoop of inventive housemade ice cream." - The MICHELIN Guide

"If we were to rank the best Argentinian hotel restaurants, Elena, occupying the luxury Four Seasons Hotel Buenos Aires, would definitely figure high up on the list! Aesthetically inspired by the interior of old houses in the San Telmo district famous for its tango venues, it features a private dining room in the wine cellar and a main dining space brightened by a large glass dome, with an open kitchen to one side (note the ageing cabinets full of different cuts of meat). The culinary concept here, in what we would describe as a contemporary steakhouse, is traditional with meat (Angus sirloin, 45-day-aged Angus T-Bone, Argentinian wagyu ribeye etc) cooked on the Josper grill, but you can also order delicious ham and cheeseboards, catches of the day with different garnishes, as well as the occasional pasta dish." - Michelin Inspector

2 days in Buenos Aires

"The main restaurant of the Four Seasons Hotel, serving shareable dishes, particularly self-matured meats, fish, octopus, and vegetables." - The MICHELIN Guide

The Best Way to Cook Meat, According to These Argentine Chefs

"At Elena Restaurant in the Four Seasons Hotel Buenos Aires, executive chef Juan Gaffuri insisted I taste the steak 'naked' before adding chimichurri, explaining that grillers take pains to avoid smoke—using grates with canoe-like cross bars to channel fat away from the coals—and that meat is best seasoned just before or as it hits the metal with coarse sal parrillera and finished after carving with a delicate shower of Patagonian sea salt." - Jane Sigal