Estancia Nibepo Aike, El Cafate

A ranch at the end of the road south of El Calafate, Estancia Nipebo Aike provided an experience I hope to replicate if ever I return.  The two ranches we stayed at on our trip to Argentina offered beautiful scenery, a sanctuary from the busy life of the city, and the slower peaceful pace you associate with the country.  Apart from some great horse riding and hiking and stunning scenery, this ranch offered great food.

Nipebo Aike -- Where every pic is postcard perfect.      

Although I do not know the name of the chef, he earned my heartfelt appreciation.  Meat is a feature of lunch and dinner here, but this posed no problem.  In fact, they have an on site restaurant dedicated to meat.  You don't really order; you just wait for the fresh meat to come in piles. 

Real.  Fresh.  Lamb.

 
Like Los Juncos, the impressive thing here was the willingness of the chef to improvise.  First, the soups were declared to be flour free and were fresh and simple.  One night, in lieu of standard cannelloni, the chef prepared a corn version.  Stuffed with cheese and spinach and topped with tomato and lamb, this dish had it all.  The dessert that night was a delicious layered fruit, cream, and corn trifle, a one-off for the celiac. On another occasion, making something totally different than the other diners, he prepared a crispy corn bowl filled with vegetables and cheese. Finally, when we requested a picnic lunch to visit a nearby glacier, he procured a dish of meat, polenta, cheese, and fresh tomato sauce.  Since that time, the chef has been kidnapped and now makes regular lunches for me from his basement cell.

Crispy Corn Bowl Creation

One caveat here is that the breakfasts were poor from the celiac perspective.  I was glad to have brought a stash of GF granola.  In his defense, I don't think the chef gets the discredit for this.