Coupletivity

Argentina - Day 10: Bodega Day & Ruca Malen

The window on the left was ours, about 3 feet from our table.  After visiting two bodegas (AR for winery) - Septimo & Achval Ferrer - we ended up at Ruca Malen, another beautiful winery off Route 7, the route that goes from Chile's Pacific to AR's Atlantic coasts. 

Lunch was big...and it was served to us starting at 2:30pm.  The meal was paired with the bodega's wine - a flight of wines for over 5 courses! 

We leisurely ate our way through.  Our day ended at El 23 in Mendoza for wine with a Swiss couple we had met at our hotel.  We didn't have dinner because our stomachs were replete - as in full - and there was no way we could've had a dinner after such a large lunch.  This would be a recurring theme for the next few days. 

Argentina - Day 9: Cooking class, electronic tango, and Pablo.

Day 2 in Mendoza started off with class.  A cooking class. The guy on the left is Pablo Del Rio, a chef at AndeLuna Winery's cafe.  AndeLuna is owned by Ward Lay...as in "Frito-Lay".  It's a beautiful winery with amazing views of the Andes.  Bdawg took a cooking class with Pablo, a charismatic and energetic chef with passion for cooking.  Really. 

We started off by making bread, then moved on to chimichurri, meat, cookies, and the list goes on and on.  We even made empanadas!  Bdawg was a stellar cook along side Pablo, and those two hit it off right away. I decided to stay away and do what I do best: make video. 

Pablo not only introduced us to typical Argentine cooking (there are 7 regions within AR where he gets inspiration from), but he also gave us a taste of "electronic tango".  With the iPod plugged in, Pablo blasted "Bajofondo", a mix of traditional tango with DJ's and electronic instruments.  Within an hour of starting class, the wine was poured, the kitchen was emanating smells from the oven as everyone (Pablo has 2 sous chefs) was moving about to the tango music. 

We made ourselves lunch along with some components for guests who had arrived specifically at the cafe to taste Pablo's amazing cuisine.

Argentina - Day 8: BA to Mendoza, Bdawgs Bday, the Andes.

Today was Britt's birthday. And it was time to head off to Mendoza, a town (Argentina's 4th largest) that sits at the foothills of the Andes and is just 160km's from the world's 2nd HIGHEST mountain.  More on that later...

Fabian, our tour guide greeted us at the airport and with our driver, we headed into town to get a bit of history.  It was over 90 degrees and dry.  I won't bore you with the rich history of the town, but it was certainly our kind of town.  Mendoza has more of a Parisian feel than BA.  A French architect designed the city's center, a lush area of homes and apartments and 5 parks - each placed in a square within a square. Think of a dice, with the 5 showing - that's how it's laid out, which makes it easy to navigate.  Our driver, Javier was an excellent driver, and Fabian was a great tour guide.  We had hired them for our duration, and little did we know that we'd become close to Fabian and that Javier would end up being one of our friends, sincerely.  More on that next....

 

This is the view from the roof of our hotel, the Executive Park Suites.  It was taken at around 7:45pm.

Argentina - Day 7: Las Lilas, the counterfeit caper

I'm not going to write much here.  We had an uneventful day and ended it with an argument over the passing of counterfeit money with a Taxi driver.  You can read more about it here: CLICK

Argentina - Day 6: Tango, Miami, and Mate.

San Telmo - they say it's the birthplace of Tango. The barrio San Telmo is one of the oldest in all of BA, and on Sunday's it's teaming with artisans and tourists.  Lots of them...for blocks.  It's a trap for sure, blocks and blocks of different people selling a lot of the same thing: jewelry, knitted Peruvian hats, leather belts/bags, the list goes on and on. We started at the beginning - a street called Defensa, off Plaza De Mayo.   We ended at Plaza Dorrego - a small square surrounded by Tango show-style cafes.

I was expecting to see a lot of tango dancers, but surprisingly, we only saw two.  It wasn't the romantic scene I had hoped to capture with my camera.  So we walked back up and decided to head over to Puerto Madera, a newer part of BA and home to Las Lilas (see previous post).  PM is a huge contrast to the rest of BA and it looks a lot like Miami, however, hidden behind it is an area that is frequented by the locals.  Along the Av. Tristan Achaval Rodriguez is a REAL local market, lined with "parillas" and "portenos" who are enjoying a nice stroll.  I highly encourage you to visit this area, although it can be somewhat "dodgy", it's completely safe - there are Naval Police walking around who are also responsible for the security of Puerto Madero.  We had met our friend Alexandra and her friend Meghan, who guided us through the area, strolling the booths of crafts and watching dancers perform salsa in the Plaza Haroldo Conti.  We had been out for almost 8hrs and it was time to rest.  Meghan invited us to her apartment for "mate" (pronounced mah-tay) or chimarrão, a traditional South American infused drink. It is prepared from steeping dried leaves of yerba mate (llex paraguariensis, known in Portuguese as erva mate) in hot water. It is the national drink in Argentina. 

Meghan escorted us to her apartment in San Telmo, just off the area we had just been.  There is a "process" to drinking mate & preparing it.  First, you pack the yerba into the cup, traditionally a wood cup - and place the silver straw at an angle.  You NEVER stir it.  You simply pour hot water in.  You NEVER boil the water.  Once prepared, we follow the mate etiquette: one person will pass the mate and will take it back, re-pour, and pass it to the next person.  This continues until you say "thank you", which signifies "I'm done". 

Argentina - Day 5: Vodka for Breakfast, shopping, at Home.

Fried chicken is good.  Fried chicken with a "passion fruit" vodka is even better.  All of the above at 11am in Palermo Hollywood is....wait for it....AWESOME!  We took a stroll a few blocks from our Palermo Loft to check out Olsen Restaurant, a Scandinavian joint nestled deep off the gritty street, an oasis of wood and open space set in a minimalist theme.  Once your amazement at the decor settles, and you find your seat at one of the various tables that surround the large open fireplace and a direct view of the kitchen, it's time to order.  Brunch here is done right.  Bread is served warm, and they have vodkas.  Lots of them.  I ordered the passion fruit vodka which was perfectly done, the vodka not overpowering.  It was my version of the bloody mary - but only because it was vodka and it was being consumed before 12pm. 

Fried Chicken caught my eye and so I summoned the strength and courage to order it. Actually, it was simply my stomach growling.   A mix of colds greens along with a cold soup that was an excellent palette cleanser for the oily goodness.  However, what amazed me was how NOT oily and greasy the chicken was.  It was as if it were a dried breaded chicken and not necessarily a traditional fried version.   Frommer's says "Fish is the main point of this place, and a few of the meat dishes, though flavorful, tend to be on the dry side."  I simply ordered a 2nd vodka and ate everything.

Sedated and slightly buzzed, we ventured out onto the street to do some local barrio market shopping.  6 blocks away lies Plaza Serrano, a circular lot where local artisans come and sell their wares.  It's surrounded by cafes, or "resto/bars" as they are called, so the entire area is practically closed to cars so the hundreds of locals (and tourists) can easily walk, perusing the many items by artists.

It was a drizzly day, but warm, so being outside was fine.  That's what I love about BA, the weather can be bad but accommodating.  We continued our stroll around the plaza and the local shops.  It's amazing how fast the days go, with brunch at 11am (early by BA standards), and then a few hours of walking around, it was already 5pm!  Happy hour! We decided to walk back over to our side and head over to a boutique hotel called Home.  We had heard that drinks here were fun and the backyard/cafe area was a nice place to rest your feet with a cocktail in hand.

 

Home Hotel is a unique boutique concept, a retro-future style with an amazing outdoor area AND pool!  We nestled ourselves at the bar to avoid the drizzly day, ordered and simply talked to the nice bartender.  It was a nice way to end the day.

UPDATE: Days 5 till Present.

UPDATE: We've been in Mendoza having a spectacular time. We'd had no internet access at our 4-star hotel, such is Argentina. I write this as we are sitting at the airport in Mendoza on our way back to Buenos Aires for our last two days. Since my last post, a lot has happened. Britt went zip-lining. We rode 4-wheel quads through the desert foothills of the Andes. I rode horses like Gauchos (Britt galloped) in the river beds of the moonscape land of the Porterillos campos. We even saw the 2nd highest peak...in ALL the world. I have tons of photos and reports to write, so please check back tomorrow.

Argentina: Update - Counterfeit Pesos

Look at this image.  Can you spot the fake? It was bound to happen.  On one of the first taxi rides we took, we used a $100 peso note to pay for the fare, the driver inspected it thoroughly.  He held it up to the light, felt it with his fingers, held it up to the light once more.  I simply chalked it up as a paranoia that was common amongst their profession - one that has them carting people from all walks of life, all over the city - encountering the most bizarre and probably the most criminal of scams.  We must not forget that less than 10 yrs ago, Argentina was in economic collapse and is still recovering. 

Yet, you walk around BA and see vibrant commerce.  Puerta Madera is probably the biggest contrast in all of BA.  A rich, gentrified area located on the port side of the river, with high rise apartment buildings that resemble more of South Beach Miami than the old, colonial side of BA.  This is where we had our meal last night, at Cabaña Las Lilas.  Recommended to us by almost everyone we spoke to, known for their beef and their level of service.  We ate among the BA elite, enjoying wonderful wine and food that was probably one of our top 5 meals yet.  Asking for "la cuenta", we paid and left, taking a stroll around the "madera", enjoying the cool evening.  It was almost 12pm, so we hailed a taxi home.  TRAVEL TIP: A taxi in almost any direction in BA centro should never cost more than $25-30 pesos.  Our fare came out to $24.56 pesos.  I paid with two $10's and three $2's.  As we got out, the driver quickly called out to us and told us that our two $10's were fake.  At first the verbal exchange was civil - I asked him how this could be and if he could show me.  He started to become annoyed.  Was this a taxi scam?  If so, I decided to play dumb - I call it "being American" - and told him it was all we had.  He then got really annoyed.  I should have just left him with those bills and walked, or better yet, have him call the police (they are on various corners in Palermo) and have them settle it.  Scam or not, whether Las Lilas gave us fake bills unintentionally or not - we were on a busy street with a pissed off cabbie.  I gave in - handing him a $50 note instead.  I decided his punishment would be having him wait while I took my goddamn time getting a new note.  That seemed to annoy him more - and with that I paid and walked away. 

Travel Tip: The bills we got from Las Lilas were indeed fake.  How can you tell? There was no magnetic strip and the almost transparent faces hidden on one side were different than real notes we had. 

Argentina Day 4 - Private Restaurant: Casa Felix

Remember this term: Puertas Cerradas  I say this because the speakeasy movement -according to Condé Naste - has reached BA, but it's not stopping at underground bars and drinking establishments.  San Francisco has the food equivalent in the form of "supper clubs", dinner at undisclosed kitchens by chef's looking to break out from their normal menu's by experimenting on their friends. Buenos Aires is no different if you visit Chef Diego Felix.

Tucked behind a typical apartamento in the Chacarita barrio of BA is the kitchen of Diego Felix. It's also where he and his wife, Sandra, live.  Taking your work home with you doesn't apply here - Diego serves up a 5 course menu IN is home.  You and up to 15 others get to sample some of the best food Diego can conjure up - with herbs and items from his backyard garden, to fish and carne from vendors in and around BA.  So let's begin...

Diego and Sandra greeted us warmly at the door to their hidden restaurant/apartamento.  Being the Americans we are, we arrived first.  Food dorks.  They gave us a tour of their wonderfully laid out dwelling, passing through the kitchen where two of Diego's friends were helping prepare for the nights food.  The backyard served as a garden for a variety of items that were to be used in the evening's meal.  A round of pisco sours were given as a welcome drink and after meeting the other guests, we were seated and ready to begin.

A basket of warm bread with a white bean + red bell pepper spread was served along with a garnish of herb from the garden.  The open patio, draped with colorful flags and painted tree silhouettes were our view for the rest of the evening. 

Botana - Our first course arrived in a green suizo sauce.  The dish consisted of sauteed oyster mushrooms over causa in a suizo sauce, arugula flowers and a chili infused oil.  The blend was a wonderful profile of flavors that wasn't overwhelming for a first course.  The chili infused oil was subtle yet invigorating to the mouth. 

Appetizer - Our second consisted of an app, artistically laid out in a sort of Indian style work of art - a  grilled Mbeyù (a fried tapioca flour flat bread of the Guarani Indians), papaya and cucumber salad with a mandarin vinaigrette. A sprinkle of chili baked peanuts offered an interesting and refreshing nutty heat. The cucumber salad was a nice topping choice, giving off a scent of freshness along with a citrus tinge from the mandarin dressing. 

Time for a break and palette cleanse.  I'm often skeptical of these types of phases in a meal, as I often find them to be over stated indulgences by a chef to impress us with artistry (food equivalent of smoke and mirrors).  This was not the case with Diego.  A simple "Intermezze" was served to us that was simplistic in presentation but timed perfectly for what was about to come.  The melon and burrito granita was a slushy but refreshing shot to help invigorate the mouth.

Main Course -   Here is where Diego's true colors shine. Now, I don't want to use cliche terms like "an artist with an empty canvas", but I will say this:  I was amazed at how he put all these ingredients together in such a way that would defy the very words spelled out to us on the menu.  Chamomile and Fish?  Garden greens and salsa criolla (usually used on steak!).  Our main course arrived, an achiote marinated sandperch, pea and chamomile puree, garden greens and salsa criolla.  The fish was evenly seared to such a perfection, that I couldn't believe 17 others' dishes were the same. I had to look around to see, and yes, they were. This is no small feat, even in a restaurant kitchen.  I dove in with the anxiousness of a child opening Christmas presents.   My first bite was a mix of salsa criolla, perch and greens.  I was more confused trying to conjure an image of where I would be in the world eating a dish like this - Cuba? Puerto Rico? - but that's where Diego's creativity is truly shown, his dishes are inspired by a variety of regions in South America that you just have to simply forget where a dish like this would be served and enjoy the foods flavor. Complex in presentation, yet simple in delivery of flavor, distinct tastes perked my mouth with every bite.  The fish was light and seared perfectly, all of it seemed powerful in flavor yet not too heavy in consumption.  By now, we had been at Casa Felix for over two hours!  Time seems to fly when you are enjoying your surroundings and admiring the food that was so well prepared in execution: non-over stated presentation, creative flavor profiles that shocked (when read on the menu) and awed (in flavor), and a feeling that you have had a truly unique meal prepared just for you - this is due to the ever changing creativity and discovery that Diego does in his kitchen.  The chamomile was picked on a walk he recently did in BA.  It inspired him to create this dish.  BA is truly his empty canvas. 

Dessert - Our coconut and lavender cream pie was served with a splatter of honey.  It was a fabulous way to end the meal.  Like a great first date, I wanted to make another reservation to see what Diego would conjure up next.  If you get a chance to visit Buenos Aires, Casa Felix is a MUST for you.  Leave all your Gary Danko, French Laundry, Michael Mina and Le Cirque snobbery at the door.  Diego prepares his meal with such passion and personalization that you couldn't get at such places.  Get a taste for Buenos Aires here, practice your Culinary Spanish and expand your food horizons by making a reservation for the very limited seatings.  I will be back, if Diego will take me.  Ciao.

Argentina Day 4 - Leather goods & Private Restuarants

The best meal we've had since we arrived was accomplished last night.  More on that later...

Today we woke up on the early side - 9am - and decided to get an early start to the day.  Our goal: do some shopping.  We walked over to the Palermo Soho side passing our way through Plaza Serrano - a small round-about that is home to craft fairs on the weekend. On this particular day, artisans were there setting up shop as we strolled through the tiny makeshift market.  We continued walking down Calle Armenia to visit a particular leather store which was ok, but not great.  So we decided to hail a cab and venture to Florida St, the small, tightly packed pedestrian shopping area that house some of BA's best stores.

We arrived to a packed Florida St. with shoppers and tourists venturing up and down the streets.  We stopped into our first leather store and met Jorge, a nice gentleman who spoke great English and wow'd us with his leather charisma.  An hour later, Britt had purchased a beautiful jacket for her mom.

3pm and it was lunch time.  We decided to go back to La Cumana to actually try a full menu lunch, so we hustled through Barrio Norte to try and make it there before the 4pm menu service closed.  We arrived at 3:30pm and had an amazing meal of salad, empanadas and of course 2 vasos de vino tinto. We took a stroll to let our food settle and walked again through Recoleta.  We made it all the way back to the Cementario de Recoleta and hailed a cab home.  It was 4hrs till dinner reservations and we needed to rest.  You'll find out why in a moment...(read the next post)