Scarlett Goes to Buenos Aires
 

or Scarlett Learns to Tango :)
So, the Yankee and I are going to Buenos Aires in Oct.
Booking the flights and hotel part was easy, sort of. Finding a pup sitter was the hardest part.
But now- I need Restaurant recommendations and shopping ideas..and if you would like to tell me your favorite museums, sights, special places, or just activities, please do..I have been reading various forums, guide books and articles from newspapers and magazines, but somehow,my trip planning is incomplete without Fodorites adding their two bits :D
So , thanks in advance, ~Ciao~

Hi, Scarlett!
Let's see just how good your sense of humor is. Sadly, I have recently found it lacking in other posters.
I suggest reading http://tinyurl.com/qyasq
LOL!!!

Hi Scarlett,

I haven't been following your posts, but I recently returned from Argentina so I thought I'd add my two-cents.

On our last night in town, our travel agent, Isabel Llobet, hooked my husband and I up with reservations at the tango show at Piazzolla's, on Florida street.

In our own private balcony, we had a three-course dinner with wine, and were treated to a great show of music, song and dance. It was a wonderful way to cap off a remarkable trip.

As for restaurants, on the advice of my brother-in-law who had been there two years ago, and the friendly concierge at the Hilton Puerto Madero (where we were not staying but took advantage of his knowledge and kindness nonetheless), we had our first dinner in BA at Cabana Las Lilas, in Puerto Madero.

The place seems to be an institution. It was humongous (divided into several adjoining rooms plus a patio) and all but a tiny fraction of tables had reserved signs on them.

A tour guide we met at the very end of our trip told us that it is BA's most expensive restaurant. I can't confirm that, but compared to Montreal upscale steakhouses, it wasn't terribly expensive. (Compared to other BA restaurants, it was. We're glad we went but it probably isn't necessary to spend that much money for a great dining experience.)

The food was plentiful, yummy and it had a very convivial atmosphere.

Also, on the recommendation of some Portenos, we ate at Barbacoa, in Recoleta.

It's another "steak, etc." restaurant (I had chicken brochette, for a change). It was also packed, mainly, from what I could tell, with Portenos. It was well priced and was a good and comfy place to spend dinner time.

One last note: one of the best things I found about BA was that the food was eminently edible everywhere. During the day when we'd be out walking around town, we'd have no problem finding a decent looking bistro to pop into for lunch.

We had no bad meals anywhere and there were so many restaurants to choose from on every street that we never felt at a loss.

In other words, if I were you, I wouldn't get bogged down trying to plan my trip down to the last morsel of food. With a clear conscience and an empty tummy, perhaps you'll discover a great "find" worth reporting back to the forums.

Bon voyage!

Great restaurant that I will recommend in Palermo is called Cluny. Their steak and lamb chops are fantastic. The atmosphere is also very nice - the restaurant is divided into 3 or 4 areas and has a nice bar/lounge area as well as very trendy dining room.

I'm not a shopper, but I'll probably never get out of the very many restaurants. Thanks Pfizer (for Lipitor from Canada).
Hasta pronto (avr on the 19th and perhaps Scarlett O/the Yankee on the 28th).
M

avrooster, LOL, You never know when I might pop up asking for recommendations..

Fodors has been a favorite planning tool for many years, I value Fodorite advice as well as TripAdvisors :)

Montreal traveler, thank you!
I will check out<i> Piazollas</i> right away, sounds great! I have read a bit about <i>Cabana Las Lilas</i>, thanks for the review.
We have been to Montreal many times and always got great recos from people on Fodors (Canada forums)..from experience I think most Montrealers know how to eat well :)
Thanks...I won't get too bogged down but hate to waste time and money , not to mention appetite, in a typical tourist trap, so I like visitor/locals advice .
Ivor, will investigate Cluny :) I have seen the name..thank you!
Mike, see, you will have to go to South America to meet us ~lol~

Also, if you are into Tango and don't wish to go to a touristy Tango show (such as Piazzola), you can go to one of the many milongas. The one that I highly recommend is called Porteno y Bailarin. On Tuesday night sometimes they feature the performances of one of the best tango dancers in the world. I don't think they serve food but they have a bar. Not to be missed!!!

Great!! Thank you, yes, we want to see as much Tango as possible. My husband is talking about lessons, but we will see about that lol...
Right now we have the soundtrack to Assasination Tango playing :)

Hi Scarlett,
Another restaurant recommendation would be El Mirasol near Recolata, there's a good Italian restaurant across the street too, but I can't remember the name. La Cabana las Lilas is a fun place too, Puerta Madera area is good for a stroll after dinner. It's very lively and the steaks were great there too. It took us a couple of meals to figure out to share everything, the portions are huge in AR. We ordered two steaks a couple of times and with the side orders, it was a riduculous amout of food for two people. For shopping, Florida Street is very touristy, but worth a trip.

Another recommendation, make sure you try and go to the Alvear Palace for cocktails, the place is exquisite.

The Galleria Pacifico (on Forida St.) and Alto Paltermo (in Palermo) are two really nice malls, as well as the one in Recolata, (the name escapes me). Prune is great for handbags. Also, the clothing, especially cotton, is really well made and extremely reasonable. Last time we were there I could of used an extra day for shopping.

I agree with Montreal Traveller about the wandering and just going with the flow for restaurants. We did that for lunch a lot and were never disappointed.

You will have a fabulous time in AR, BA has become one of our favorite cities.

Let me know if you need any further advice.

Pam

Hi Scarlett, I hope you don't mind me making a temporary &quot;hijack&quot; but while Owlwoman is around I wanted to ask her where she found cotton clothing items in Buenos Aires.

I figure you would enjoy seeing the answer, too!

You can take tango lessons while you are over there. Mansion Dandi Royal dance academy has lessons every night. On Wednesdays, they have a milonga. The lessons are really cheap and they will teach you the basic steps so that you can go to Milonga and not feel completely embarrased.

Hi Cmcfong, I found nice cotton tops in a variety of styles/colors in a little shop on the first floor in the Alto Palermo Mall. I don't remember the name, but I'll try to remember to look at the labels over the weekend and let you know Monday, I only have time to do this while I'm at work :)

The saleswoman in the store was really great and even without any English, I spent about 200AR. For that, I bought a skirt, matching top and another shirt with a pair of pants. I'm 5'9, wear a size 10/12 and had no problem finding clothing that fit.

Please, do talk about shopping! :)

Thanks Pam and Igor...and cmcfong.

Thank you, Owlwoman. And thank you, Scarlett!

Don't miss the gelato at Fredos. There are locations all over the city with at least two in the Recoleta area. Another steak house we enjoy in the San Telmo area is La Brigada. Great family atmosphere. Always crowded after 8pm.

OK, I'm 1.76 M and 64 Kg: 30&quot;/76cm waist; 39&quot;/99 cm chest.
With a few exceptions my clothes are mostly (jeans, etc.) old and goofy.
Where should I look for a new wardrobe in Buenos Aires?
M

Another vote for La Brigada

We enjoyed taking the train to Tigre and the &quot;bus boat&quot; down (?up) the river to have lunch at El Gato Blanco. Not exciting, but pleasant and interesting.((*))

Hey, Jed! Thank you, it does sound interesting.
Irjones, now your cookin! Gelato! thanks!

Mike, from what I hear, if it doesn't fit, they will make one that does in a day, so don't worry, you will be able to shop :)
See, I do the right research, lol....

OK. Hotel booked, E-Tickets printed, hotel will send car to airport, that is good..I had a momentary panic attack, remembering a Fodorite finding out that their passport was about to expire..ran to check, they don't expire until 2014, I guess we are safe :D