Rustic And Revolutionary Dining In El Chalten, 1

For a town just thirty years old, El Chalten has a vibrant restaurant scene. OK, it's entirely Argentine/Italian/Veggie. Don't expect to find Asian or maybe a cozy French bistro. Also no McD's nor KFCs. But Argentine is eclectic and smart enough, and the atmosphere/ambiance often overwhelm the food. Our favorite, twice, was La Tapera, but Patagonia Rebelde (next post) was a hoot and good for the (spiritual) heart.

La Tapera, a building you could find anywhere in Montana; made
us feel right at home

It always starts with bread, steaming from the oven, even
before you order; sometimes with butter, sometimes with a
cheesy buttery substance, here with a a pumpkin sauce

Vicki had the the steak lomo, a double serving (by
Norteamericano standards) of filet mignon

I had the Patagonian stew, which contained every locally-
sourced ingredient...beef, lamb, pork, chicken, sausage, beans,
maize, carrots, onion, etc. Hearty and tasty, but next time I'd
go for the steak lomo

Accompanying the steak lomo, this incredible mountain of
roasted squash, eggplant, zucchini, cheese, tomato... 

Interior of La Tapera

One of the more eclectic collections of license plates we've
seen

So we did it again another day

And if you're too engorged to order dessert, they finish you off
with this exquisite house-concocted liqueur...

Hike to Mirador De Los Condores

Next day, we did the hike up to the Mirador de los Condores, and beyond it the Mirador Aguilas, the only places from which you can see the whole empanada, that is the whole alpine landscape of the region.

Us atop the Mirador Aguilas; too windy to stand up; I did a
video too that I'll link later

Very nice playground, walking through El Chalten

In the Parque visitor center

Helpful model

History of ascents of Cerro Torre and Fitz Roy

View from visitor center

Distant mountain way beyond Lago Viedma

The day's trail

Curious orange mountain

Lake Viedma

Killer bee?

As we descended, Fitz Roy went into hiding; we got out for
another good hike the next day back to Laguna Torres, but then
the clouds and rain returned, and it was time to move on

Condors!

What did you expect to see from the Mirador de los Condores?