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A Foodie's Month Long Adventure in Buenos Aires: Part 2

A Foodie's Month Long Adventure in Buenos Aires: Part 2

Old Mar 10th, 2010, 11:04 AM
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A Foodie's Month Long Adventure in Buenos Aires: Part 2

This was one of those days; one seems to have when traveling when nothing much seems to be accomplished.

.
My DH tried to make his first withdrawal from an ATM. Access was denied.
He was told to call his bank to correct the problem. Neither of us spoke enough Spanish to accomplish this task. We emailed our bank & they gave us a phone number to make a collect call to the appropriate person to help us with this problem.
Still, could not make contact.

Finally, we contacted the owner of our apartment.
She sent us an email with instructions in Spanish for me to copy & take to a place that sells international calling cards. We purchased the calling card, called the bank, and discovered that Citibank was the problem not our card. Rather than say that they did not accept Royal Bank VISA cards; they said to contact our bank. Half a day wasted!

In the afternoon, we took our first trip by subte (subway) from Palermo to city
centre. We went downtown to get information on the tango shows at the Borges Theater.
Also, to look at Galeria Pacifico 's (a large upscale mall) gorgeous dome with hand
painted frescoes.

We accidentally happened upon La Chacra Restaurant. We decided to eat lunch, there.
It looked really ancient. A huge stuffed bull in the entry, an asado (barbecue) in the front window, big game animal heads on the wall, grumpy old waiters, and white tablecloth service... you get the picture.

We ordered one serving of a side grilled eggplant and the chivito cazuela (kid with a vegetable & tomato sauce.) Once again, we were glad we only ordered one main dish. You could seriously do your self-damage if; you tried to eat one entree by yourself.
The meat was tasty & so tender that it fell of the bones. The sauce was yummy. I wished that I could have bottled it for future use.

On the Internet, it is reported to be one of the top traditional parrillas in BA. We didn't know this in advance. I looked the restaurant up on the web after returned to our apartment.

We took a very hot & crowded colectivo (bus) back to our Palermo.On our walk back to our apartment from the bus stop it was so hot that it felt like the sun was nipping at my ankles.

While I was doing my research for restaurants of BA, I posted the question: “Hidden Gems…Special Little Restaurants?” on Fodor’s.
It was eight weeks before my DH & I would arrive in BA. I had read the guidebooks & searched through endless blogs & forums for well known & best loved restaurants. If, reading about food could get one fat, I would have been in serious trouble! I wanted to find the little hidden gems where Porteños & expats enjoy special culinary treasures.
I had many informative replies. Scarlett suggested taking a look http://www.guiaoleo.com.ar/detail.php?ID=183

I found a “closed door” restaurant called Casa Coupage listed there. As my Spanish is very poor, I researched Casa Coupage in English. One blog stated: "Santiago and Inés are gracious and welcoming hosts who definitely have a passion for both great wine and great food (our favourite combination). As you make your way to Casa Coupage, the unassuming door you walk up to in Palermo hides a gem." Talk about a match made in heaven!

We had hoped that an evening there would give us insight on which wines to buy while in BA. I emailed Casa Coupage for a reservation for a wine tasting/food pairing evening. The reservation was confirmed for the first Wednesday Jan. 20th (the fifth day) that we were in BA.

But, things don't always go as planned while traveling. Tuesday morning, my DH started having intestinal problems We stayed close to our apartment for a day or so. We both lost track of time. I was in bed about midnight, with my mind going through what we has done the previous days, when, I realized that we should be at Casa Coupage! I emailed them the next morning and asked for forgiveness. I also, had the nerve to ask for another booking! They responded about a week, later. We have been forgiven and had reservations for Feb.10th.

While sitting on our balcony eating breakfast one morning, DH read me the following quote from an English BA newspaper: “ In Buenos Aires Money Is King, Cleavage Is Queen.”
So, ladies leave your jewellery behind. Just wear you low cut dresses or tops.

”I have recovered from over-eating at La Cabrera. Also, I have a small hole in my knee & a couple of bruises from my fall.” This was what I wrote to my friends and family back home after our dinner at the infamous La Cabrera. No I was not drunk when I fell!

Canuck50 & her DH invited us for a glass of wine at their apartment in Palermo Soho before heading La Cabrera for dinner.

We had written the address they gave us for their apartment. The address was 2300 Uriarte. When, we got to the beginning of the 2300 block there wasn't a 2300 address. We walked back and forth checking the numbers. But, it wasn't there. As, we had not taken their phone number, we couldn't call them. DH suggested that we find an Internet cafe & check out the address, again. But, I knew that was the address she had emailed me. While we were walking, I remembered that I had looked at their apartment up on the Internet before coming to Argentina. I recognized the apartment complex mid-block & across the street. The 2300 address had made no sense. Luckily, I had a visual memory of the place from the photos.

We decided to walk the restaurant. The sidewalks of BA seemed to change surface in front of each building. As the lighting was poor and the sidewalk changed to black tile, I manage to trip and fall flat out. Luckily, I didn't do too much damage. We managed to get lost. We were half a hour late for our reservation at La Cabrera. There was a huge line-up to get in when we arrived. The hostess was not happy with us. We were lucky that they honoured our reservation.

Our friends ordered a Caesar salad as a starter. It was loaded with croutons, chicken, crispy ham, and Parmesan We all shared it. It could have easily fed the four of us as a complete dinner!
DH & I shared a tenderloin of beef that was stuffed with sun dried tomatoes and cheese. It came to the table on a wooden platter & looked like a football! It was perfectly cooked and very flavourful. I couldn’t figure out how they managed cook this huge stuffed steak medium rare? But, I did figure out that Argentine beef is far more flavourful than our beef at home! Our friends had thyme marinated tenderloin as their main course. The main courses came with at least a dozen little dishes of sauces, condiments, and relishes. I found these dishes not to be very tasty. Many of them, I couldn’t even figure out what they were supposed to be! We washed down all this food with a couple of bottles of Malbec.

When, we left the restaurant at 12:30, the streets we teeming with people of all ages from babies in strollers to old men with canes.
We stopped at Filippo’s for helado (ice cream) & the place was packed. I had their fresh raspberry gelato. I was in love. <3 This was the way gelato should taste: Rich, creamy, and not too sweet!
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Old Mar 10th, 2010, 12:11 PM
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Ahhh gelato!! sooo good. I could not get away from ordering Dulce de Leche.

Great report.
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Old Mar 10th, 2010, 12:16 PM
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Kodi: A good thing that we walked so much or we would be fat as seals from eating so much gelato! (A Canadian saying.)
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Old Mar 11th, 2010, 06:25 AM
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Still enjoying the report. Those portions are huge, my DH and I finally did learn to order one steak w/sides to share, it was always more than enough food.

Did you get to the place in San Telmo w/the 9 course tasting menu? (Vinerias, etc), I always forget the name (but not the meal).

Looking forward to the rest of your eating adventures!
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Old Mar 11th, 2010, 06:58 AM
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owlwoman:

We ran out of time! There are so many wonderful restaurants, art galleries, museums, etc. in BA. We need to return to BA in the future to see, eat, drink, and experience what we missed the first time round.
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Old Mar 13th, 2010, 11:37 AM
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anxious to read section 3... it is far easier for us readers if you just add on to this thread rather than start a new one...
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Old Mar 15th, 2010, 05:54 PM
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I will try to get part 3 up very soon...
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