A Foodie's Month Long Adventure in Buenos Aires: Part 1
Mar 9th, 2010, 06:09 PM
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A Foodie's Month Long Adventure in Buenos Aires: Part 1
My sister was instrumental in getting me interested in taking a trip to Buenos Aires. She traveled in Argentina, the winter of 2008
and the autumn of 2009. When, she arrived in Buenos Aires, she emailed me and said that it was the “perfect” city for me to visit.
I explored Buenos Aires on the Internet and found indeed, this city had many assets that interested me, when traveling.
First and foremost, I am a self confessed “foodie.” I started cooking when I was five. I have taught cooking classes at local colleges. Also, I have taken cooking classes, locally and while traveling in SE Asia. On our last trip to SE Asia, 2009: Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam, I convinced my DH to join me at the cooking schools that I attended. Food takes one right to the heart of a culture!
My research on Buenos Aires turned up a food culture that both my DH and I found interesting.
My DH is an award winning wine maker. Our SE Asian travels did not give us much opportunity to drink quality wines.
The descriptions of wines of Argentina excited our palates. We started buying Malbec from our local wine stores. We enjoyed them, immensely!
Besides, restaurants and wines, Buenos Aires had art galleries, museums, gardens and parks, interesting neighbourhoods, and markets that I wanted to explore.
I started looking for accommodations on the Internet. I knew that I wanted to stay in an apartment with a kitchen to prepare breakfast for a good start to each day. Also, to prepare the occasional dinner with local food that I found at the markets and the grocery stores. I could picture us eating breakfast on a balcony in the morning and later, having a glass of wine there, in the early evening.
My preference was to have a two-bedroom apartment with a quality kitchen, a balcony over-looking a street with lots of trees, in an area
with lots of parks and gardens, a local grocery store, good public transportation, and relative safety. I looked at hundreds of apartments on the Internet over a period of several months.
Finally, I went on Fodor’s forum for advice. Scarlett suggested that the Palermo Botanico area would be the best area to meet my wants and needs. I immediately, typed “Palermo Botanico apartment” into in my Google search. After months of looking, I had found our “perfect” apartment! I asked Scarlett on the forum what she thought of my choice. She asked for the link. Within an hour of putting up the link, someone rented it for the dates (Mid Dec to Mid Jan) I had mentioned on the forum! How naïve, I was! I did all the research for some one else. I should have written Scarlett, privately. But, as a newbie to the forum, I didn’t know that I could do that. I had to book the apartment for one month later than we had originally planned. (mid Jan to Mid Feb)
My DH booked our flight with American Airlines from Vancouver to BA with one stop over at Dallas/Fort Worth.
He also, booked flights on a seaplane from Vancouver Island to Vancouver, the evening before our departure as we had a morning flight. I arranged to stay at my sister’s condo in the False Creek Area of Vancouver.
Our fight to Vancouver on the seaplane took on high drama, at least in my DH’s mind.
The day we were leaving, the marine weather was forecasting gale winds. But, the weather channel had not put up an alert. He started pacing from room to room declaring that we should change our reservation to an earlier plane.
For those of you who know DH, this has become a bit of a trend. He makes reservations on a seaplane or a ferry that give us ample time to finish up what is required to be done at home before heading off to Vancouver for our flights our of YVR. Then, a weather warnings setting up a panic in him that results in me rushing through a shower, leaving many things undone, forgetting important items (like the tickets of the event we are taking the trip for), etc.
Well, to make a long story short... the weather channel caught up with the marine weather alert & DH changed our reservations for a seaplane leaving two hours earlier. Yes, I headed off with wet hair. Not, that it mattered. The rain was really pounding down.
We were just leaving the terminal when I heard the announcement that the plane we were going on was headed for Richmond. Not, Vancouver. DH questioned the pilot as we continued down the dock to the plane. The pilot suggested that we get their shuttle over to YVR and catch the new Canada Line Sky Train to directly to where we would be staying at my sister's condo. We both thought this was a great idea as we had planned to take sky train from False Creek to YVR, the next morning about 4:30AM. This would provide us with a test run. (In reverse.) Other than getting drenched walking from the sky train station to my sister’s condo, it worked out great.
Since, we missed the brunch that I had planned to make for our send off, we went to Urban Thai for a wonderful lunch. We had Thai lettuce wraps with spicy chicken, stuffed chicken wings, and grilled squid. The chef sent out a second plate of grilled squid as he thought the first one was too small! All this was washed down with tankards of beer. Needless to say, we were totally stuffed.
Early the next morning, it was still raining buckets. I was very concerned about soaking the sneakers that I had soaked the previous day & had managed to dry by the fireplace. My inventive DH suggested that I put plastic bags over them. So, I slipped some bags over my shoes and tied them at my ankles. It worked! My feet & shoes remained dry.
As we had checked on the Internet what we could carry on the plane, we had no hassles in the two hour line up that deemed us to be safe & not branded senior terrorists for such major infractions as hair gel, toothpaste or lipstick! But, what pissed me off, was that many people got through this fiasco with lipstick, toothpaste, etc. While, others had such items removed.
The trip to Dallas was uneventful. Thank goodness, as things definitely went down hill from there. Our 4 1/2 hour lay over became a 6 1/2 hour lay over. All the kids in the line-up to get on the plane were seated in the row behind us. All of you know what fun it is to have whining
kids kicking the back of your seat!
We arrived at the airport in Buenos Aires about 2 ½ hours late. We could not find our transport connection. After a half an hour of waiting and a couple of calls to the rental agency, we found our driver. We were on our way to our apartment in BA.
My first impressions of Buenos Aires were a kaleidoscope of colours, sounds, and odours.
Swarms of black and yellow taxis pestered lumbering buses that belched black clouds of smoke. These buses traveled at break neck speed with only inches of clearance as they passed each other.
Buenos Aries had the most beautiful flowering trees. Jacaranda trees with their pale green lacy leaves and lilac coloured flowers and Ceiba Speciosa trees with bright pink flowers and extremely thorny trunk tower grandly over the roadways.
Massive sculptures in marble and bronze drew my eye as we hurtled through BA traffic on our way to the apartment that will be our home for the next month.
Finally, we were there! The apartment building was situated on a very pretty street in Palermo Botanico.
The BYTArgentina representative and the apartment owners were waiting to show us the apartment, arrange the contract signing, and give us the keys. The owners told us to call them any time we needed help or had a problem. We were lucky to have such accommodating landlords.
The apartment was very much like it was pictured on the website with white walls and rich dark wood floors, an up to date kitchen with granite countertops, a walk through closet, two bedrooms, three bathrooms, a maid’s room, living room, dining room, and a balcony. It felt much more roomy than I thought it would be. As I stepped out on to the balcony of our sixth floor apartment, I was thrilled to see the tops of Jacaranda trees swaying their graceful branches in the breeze. I could not see the street, only a beautiful sea of green and lilac.
Before, leaving for BA, I had planned that we would go out for dinner at a small local parrilla. But, the two days of traveling had taken their toll. I just wanted to enjoy our apartment. I sent my DH of to the local Disco Store to buy provisions (food & wine) for dinner while I started to unpack.
My DH asked me to unpack his Keen sport sandals to wear before he headed off to the store. When, he opened the bag that I packed them in, he discovered to his chagrin that I had packed a single Keen sandal & a different totally sandal. They took up precious packing space & are totally useless to him. He said that he doesn't mind being avant-garde. But, there are limits!
My Dh returned from the store with a whole roasted chicken, a baguette, butter, salad vegetables, bottled water, fruit, yogurt, and of course, a bottle of Malbec. He did a great job of picking out dinner and breakfast fixings.
We were both blissfully asleep by 10:00PM. A time when most Porteños are planning their dinner out!
Our first full day in BA, we headed out with a Portena lady that is a friend of my sister's and a member of 5W (Welcome to Women Welcome Women World Wide) the unique women’s international friendship and travel network. We enjoyed
a long day touring of Sunday markets of Recoleta & San Telmo, and the Centro area. The tour lasted from 10:00AM to 6:00PM.
Our tour guide was both knowledgeable & entertaining.
We took a city bus to Recoleta. We went to the National Museum of Fine Arts. I was delighted to see famous paintings
& sculptures by famous artists such as Degas, Gauguin, Monet, Manet, Goya, Picasso, Rodin, etc.
We also, toured the lovely cathedral de Pilar. A quick tour of the Sunday artisan market which only about half set up as it was still morning. After a quick peek at the Recoleta Cultural Centre, we stopped for a beer at Buller's Brew Pub. The weather was very hot, humid & sunny. It was destined to get a lot hotter as the day progressed.
We took a city bus to San Telmo to see the Sunday flea market. There was lots of vintage & antique items for sale.
We also, saw a robbery in progress, there! A Porteña woman grabbed a cell phone from another woman. But, the victim was not
putting up with it. She grabbed the robber’s shoulder, spun her around, then, grabbed the front of her top and shook her as
she yelled, “Thief” in both Spanish & English!
I had my first helado (ice cream) at the San Telmo Market. It was very messy to eat, as it was so hot, out.
We toured Centro looking at many famous buildings & their architecture.
But, we couldn't go inside as they were closed because it was Sunday.
My feet were very sore and I was slightly sunburned (yes, I had sun block on) by the time we got back to our apartment.
Our Porteña friend suggested that we might like to try to La Dorita for our first parrilla dinner.
She even made reservations for us.
It was close enough to walk to the restaurant. We enjoyed the warm night air & the busy street scene.
I got a chance to practice my very broken Spanish. The waiter understood every thing that I said. Amazingly!
We had ensalada de huerto, which was a salad of spinach, yummy moist dried tomatoes,
smoky parrilla cooked squash, mushrooms, & shavings of Parmesan along with
a lovely dressing. Also, a lomo de befe cooked juguso, which is fillet of beef, cooked
juicy (rare). The very large piece of perfectly charred steak that arrived at our table was delivered on a board plank accompanied with a chimichurri sauce. We also, enjoyed a bottle of 2009 Terra de Luna, Malbec. Delicious!
We were very happy with our first delicious parrilla meal in BA!
Our second full day in BA, we walked over to the Botanical Garden ( Jardín Botánico Carlos Thays. ) While walking, we noticed that the sidewalks were in very poor condition. Cracks, uneven surfaces, and small to large holes make walking a bit of a challenge. The amount of dog poop, especially, around parks and public areas was quite disgusting. The gardens closed were closed due powerful windstorm that had blown many large branches off the trees. So, we decided to walk over to the city zoo, as it is located near the gardens. The zoo is approximately 44 acres. The lake immediately charmed me with large fountains spraying water in high arcs as it cooled the area.
Brilliant pink flamingos decorated the lakes edge and posed for photos. This park like zoo had huge trees that provided a rich canopy for
the green parrots that flew as fast as jets from tree to tree. We later saw these parrots in the trees below our balcony & in many other parks, too. Many beautiful sculptures were featured in the park as well.
There were animals called Patagonian hare, “Mara” that were similar to rabbits, But, they were much bigger, had shorter ears, longer legs & no bunny tail. There were Myocastor Coypus, “Nutria” that looked like a cross between a beaver & a rat. These animals were running free all over the park.
There were many Argentine animals: Llamas, vicunas, alpacas, and a raccoon like animal called “Coatis” in cages.
There were many animals from many other countries in enclosures & cages.
There were elephants, giraffes, camels (both the one hump & two hump) tigers,
pumas, white lions, rhinoceros, zebras, and many more kinds of birds & animals.
One of my favourite animals was the red panda from temperate forests of the Himalayas. They are not much bigger than a domestic house cat. The reminded me of my little Somali cat, Solomon who I was missing.
As it was school holidays, there were many children visiting the zoo and feeding the animals “special” animal food that was purchased there.
On our walk back to our apartment I bought a huge bouquet of purple, white, and purple & white variegated Lithiantus, ferns, and baby’s breath. It only cost $3.00US. What a buy!
That evening, we were scheduled to go to a Fodor's GTG. MsLizzy conceived this GTG. Avrooster suggested the venue of Sottovoce in
Puerto Madero. I looked up Sottovoce’s diverse and interesting menu on their website. My choices of what to eat were made before ever being there!
We hailed a taxi to take us to the restaurant. No sooner than we were in the taxi,
a powerful wind came up and a deluge of rain poured down.
There had to be at least 3 inches of water on the streets. The raindrops
were as big as golf balls. When, we got to the restaurant the taxi
driver pulled up as close to the sidewalk possible and my DH
ran into the restaurant to get an umbrella for me. Even so, my strappy
high-heeled sandals & feet were drenched. Poor Avrooster was soaked!
Sottovoce is an Italian restaurant in the very high end Puerto Madero area.
They charge a cubierto or "table fee" of 10A$ per person for the huge basket of breads,
the cracker-thin crust pizza, & antipasto. There was a 5A$ charge for the bottled water (agua con
gas.)
My DH and I shared Calamarettis Relleno appetizer, which were, grilled squid tubes stuffed with their legs and served with a perfectly al dente risotto cake and a rocket salad. 45A$ ($13.50) We were thrilled with the quality of this dish. For the main course we had Conejo (roasted rabbit) 49A$ ($14) It was served with a mustard flavoured gravy. It was perfecto! But, so large that I could only eat half of my half portion! We shared a bottle of Dona Paula Malbec with Giovanna & her DH and they returned the favour when the bottle was finished.
78A$ ($22) Our shared dessert was a very elegant Tiramisu with raspberry sauce. A fantastico dinner!
Note:
All portions are huge in most restaurants in BA. Unless, you have a very big appetite, you may want to share your share a meals
Our dinner champions were two Canadians couples (MsLizzy & her SO and Canuk50 & her DH), one couple from California Giovanna & her DH), and one Porteno man, Avrooster, the local expert. We shared good conversation, lots of laughs, & a cab back to Palermo.
We got to bed about 2:00AM. Are we becoming Portenos?
and the autumn of 2009. When, she arrived in Buenos Aires, she emailed me and said that it was the “perfect” city for me to visit.
I explored Buenos Aires on the Internet and found indeed, this city had many assets that interested me, when traveling.
First and foremost, I am a self confessed “foodie.” I started cooking when I was five. I have taught cooking classes at local colleges. Also, I have taken cooking classes, locally and while traveling in SE Asia. On our last trip to SE Asia, 2009: Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam, I convinced my DH to join me at the cooking schools that I attended. Food takes one right to the heart of a culture!
My research on Buenos Aires turned up a food culture that both my DH and I found interesting.
My DH is an award winning wine maker. Our SE Asian travels did not give us much opportunity to drink quality wines.
The descriptions of wines of Argentina excited our palates. We started buying Malbec from our local wine stores. We enjoyed them, immensely!
Besides, restaurants and wines, Buenos Aires had art galleries, museums, gardens and parks, interesting neighbourhoods, and markets that I wanted to explore.
I started looking for accommodations on the Internet. I knew that I wanted to stay in an apartment with a kitchen to prepare breakfast for a good start to each day. Also, to prepare the occasional dinner with local food that I found at the markets and the grocery stores. I could picture us eating breakfast on a balcony in the morning and later, having a glass of wine there, in the early evening.
My preference was to have a two-bedroom apartment with a quality kitchen, a balcony over-looking a street with lots of trees, in an area
with lots of parks and gardens, a local grocery store, good public transportation, and relative safety. I looked at hundreds of apartments on the Internet over a period of several months.
Finally, I went on Fodor’s forum for advice. Scarlett suggested that the Palermo Botanico area would be the best area to meet my wants and needs. I immediately, typed “Palermo Botanico apartment” into in my Google search. After months of looking, I had found our “perfect” apartment! I asked Scarlett on the forum what she thought of my choice. She asked for the link. Within an hour of putting up the link, someone rented it for the dates (Mid Dec to Mid Jan) I had mentioned on the forum! How naïve, I was! I did all the research for some one else. I should have written Scarlett, privately. But, as a newbie to the forum, I didn’t know that I could do that. I had to book the apartment for one month later than we had originally planned. (mid Jan to Mid Feb)
My DH booked our flight with American Airlines from Vancouver to BA with one stop over at Dallas/Fort Worth.
He also, booked flights on a seaplane from Vancouver Island to Vancouver, the evening before our departure as we had a morning flight. I arranged to stay at my sister’s condo in the False Creek Area of Vancouver.
Our fight to Vancouver on the seaplane took on high drama, at least in my DH’s mind.
The day we were leaving, the marine weather was forecasting gale winds. But, the weather channel had not put up an alert. He started pacing from room to room declaring that we should change our reservation to an earlier plane.
For those of you who know DH, this has become a bit of a trend. He makes reservations on a seaplane or a ferry that give us ample time to finish up what is required to be done at home before heading off to Vancouver for our flights our of YVR. Then, a weather warnings setting up a panic in him that results in me rushing through a shower, leaving many things undone, forgetting important items (like the tickets of the event we are taking the trip for), etc.
Well, to make a long story short... the weather channel caught up with the marine weather alert & DH changed our reservations for a seaplane leaving two hours earlier. Yes, I headed off with wet hair. Not, that it mattered. The rain was really pounding down.
We were just leaving the terminal when I heard the announcement that the plane we were going on was headed for Richmond. Not, Vancouver. DH questioned the pilot as we continued down the dock to the plane. The pilot suggested that we get their shuttle over to YVR and catch the new Canada Line Sky Train to directly to where we would be staying at my sister's condo. We both thought this was a great idea as we had planned to take sky train from False Creek to YVR, the next morning about 4:30AM. This would provide us with a test run. (In reverse.) Other than getting drenched walking from the sky train station to my sister’s condo, it worked out great.
Since, we missed the brunch that I had planned to make for our send off, we went to Urban Thai for a wonderful lunch. We had Thai lettuce wraps with spicy chicken, stuffed chicken wings, and grilled squid. The chef sent out a second plate of grilled squid as he thought the first one was too small! All this was washed down with tankards of beer. Needless to say, we were totally stuffed.
Early the next morning, it was still raining buckets. I was very concerned about soaking the sneakers that I had soaked the previous day & had managed to dry by the fireplace. My inventive DH suggested that I put plastic bags over them. So, I slipped some bags over my shoes and tied them at my ankles. It worked! My feet & shoes remained dry.
As we had checked on the Internet what we could carry on the plane, we had no hassles in the two hour line up that deemed us to be safe & not branded senior terrorists for such major infractions as hair gel, toothpaste or lipstick! But, what pissed me off, was that many people got through this fiasco with lipstick, toothpaste, etc. While, others had such items removed.
The trip to Dallas was uneventful. Thank goodness, as things definitely went down hill from there. Our 4 1/2 hour lay over became a 6 1/2 hour lay over. All the kids in the line-up to get on the plane were seated in the row behind us. All of you know what fun it is to have whining
kids kicking the back of your seat!
We arrived at the airport in Buenos Aires about 2 ½ hours late. We could not find our transport connection. After a half an hour of waiting and a couple of calls to the rental agency, we found our driver. We were on our way to our apartment in BA.
My first impressions of Buenos Aires were a kaleidoscope of colours, sounds, and odours.
Swarms of black and yellow taxis pestered lumbering buses that belched black clouds of smoke. These buses traveled at break neck speed with only inches of clearance as they passed each other.
Buenos Aries had the most beautiful flowering trees. Jacaranda trees with their pale green lacy leaves and lilac coloured flowers and Ceiba Speciosa trees with bright pink flowers and extremely thorny trunk tower grandly over the roadways.
Massive sculptures in marble and bronze drew my eye as we hurtled through BA traffic on our way to the apartment that will be our home for the next month.
Finally, we were there! The apartment building was situated on a very pretty street in Palermo Botanico.
The BYTArgentina representative and the apartment owners were waiting to show us the apartment, arrange the contract signing, and give us the keys. The owners told us to call them any time we needed help or had a problem. We were lucky to have such accommodating landlords.
The apartment was very much like it was pictured on the website with white walls and rich dark wood floors, an up to date kitchen with granite countertops, a walk through closet, two bedrooms, three bathrooms, a maid’s room, living room, dining room, and a balcony. It felt much more roomy than I thought it would be. As I stepped out on to the balcony of our sixth floor apartment, I was thrilled to see the tops of Jacaranda trees swaying their graceful branches in the breeze. I could not see the street, only a beautiful sea of green and lilac.
Before, leaving for BA, I had planned that we would go out for dinner at a small local parrilla. But, the two days of traveling had taken their toll. I just wanted to enjoy our apartment. I sent my DH of to the local Disco Store to buy provisions (food & wine) for dinner while I started to unpack.
My DH asked me to unpack his Keen sport sandals to wear before he headed off to the store. When, he opened the bag that I packed them in, he discovered to his chagrin that I had packed a single Keen sandal & a different totally sandal. They took up precious packing space & are totally useless to him. He said that he doesn't mind being avant-garde. But, there are limits!
My Dh returned from the store with a whole roasted chicken, a baguette, butter, salad vegetables, bottled water, fruit, yogurt, and of course, a bottle of Malbec. He did a great job of picking out dinner and breakfast fixings.
We were both blissfully asleep by 10:00PM. A time when most Porteños are planning their dinner out!
Our first full day in BA, we headed out with a Portena lady that is a friend of my sister's and a member of 5W (Welcome to Women Welcome Women World Wide) the unique women’s international friendship and travel network. We enjoyed
a long day touring of Sunday markets of Recoleta & San Telmo, and the Centro area. The tour lasted from 10:00AM to 6:00PM.
Our tour guide was both knowledgeable & entertaining.
We took a city bus to Recoleta. We went to the National Museum of Fine Arts. I was delighted to see famous paintings
& sculptures by famous artists such as Degas, Gauguin, Monet, Manet, Goya, Picasso, Rodin, etc.
We also, toured the lovely cathedral de Pilar. A quick tour of the Sunday artisan market which only about half set up as it was still morning. After a quick peek at the Recoleta Cultural Centre, we stopped for a beer at Buller's Brew Pub. The weather was very hot, humid & sunny. It was destined to get a lot hotter as the day progressed.
We took a city bus to San Telmo to see the Sunday flea market. There was lots of vintage & antique items for sale.
We also, saw a robbery in progress, there! A Porteña woman grabbed a cell phone from another woman. But, the victim was not
putting up with it. She grabbed the robber’s shoulder, spun her around, then, grabbed the front of her top and shook her as
she yelled, “Thief” in both Spanish & English!
I had my first helado (ice cream) at the San Telmo Market. It was very messy to eat, as it was so hot, out.
We toured Centro looking at many famous buildings & their architecture.
But, we couldn't go inside as they were closed because it was Sunday.
My feet were very sore and I was slightly sunburned (yes, I had sun block on) by the time we got back to our apartment.
Our Porteña friend suggested that we might like to try to La Dorita for our first parrilla dinner.
She even made reservations for us.
It was close enough to walk to the restaurant. We enjoyed the warm night air & the busy street scene.
I got a chance to practice my very broken Spanish. The waiter understood every thing that I said. Amazingly!
We had ensalada de huerto, which was a salad of spinach, yummy moist dried tomatoes,
smoky parrilla cooked squash, mushrooms, & shavings of Parmesan along with
a lovely dressing. Also, a lomo de befe cooked juguso, which is fillet of beef, cooked
juicy (rare). The very large piece of perfectly charred steak that arrived at our table was delivered on a board plank accompanied with a chimichurri sauce. We also, enjoyed a bottle of 2009 Terra de Luna, Malbec. Delicious!
We were very happy with our first delicious parrilla meal in BA!
Our second full day in BA, we walked over to the Botanical Garden ( Jardín Botánico Carlos Thays. ) While walking, we noticed that the sidewalks were in very poor condition. Cracks, uneven surfaces, and small to large holes make walking a bit of a challenge. The amount of dog poop, especially, around parks and public areas was quite disgusting. The gardens closed were closed due powerful windstorm that had blown many large branches off the trees. So, we decided to walk over to the city zoo, as it is located near the gardens. The zoo is approximately 44 acres. The lake immediately charmed me with large fountains spraying water in high arcs as it cooled the area.
Brilliant pink flamingos decorated the lakes edge and posed for photos. This park like zoo had huge trees that provided a rich canopy for
the green parrots that flew as fast as jets from tree to tree. We later saw these parrots in the trees below our balcony & in many other parks, too. Many beautiful sculptures were featured in the park as well.
There were animals called Patagonian hare, “Mara” that were similar to rabbits, But, they were much bigger, had shorter ears, longer legs & no bunny tail. There were Myocastor Coypus, “Nutria” that looked like a cross between a beaver & a rat. These animals were running free all over the park.
There were many Argentine animals: Llamas, vicunas, alpacas, and a raccoon like animal called “Coatis” in cages.
There were many animals from many other countries in enclosures & cages.
There were elephants, giraffes, camels (both the one hump & two hump) tigers,
pumas, white lions, rhinoceros, zebras, and many more kinds of birds & animals.
One of my favourite animals was the red panda from temperate forests of the Himalayas. They are not much bigger than a domestic house cat. The reminded me of my little Somali cat, Solomon who I was missing.
As it was school holidays, there were many children visiting the zoo and feeding the animals “special” animal food that was purchased there.
On our walk back to our apartment I bought a huge bouquet of purple, white, and purple & white variegated Lithiantus, ferns, and baby’s breath. It only cost $3.00US. What a buy!
That evening, we were scheduled to go to a Fodor's GTG. MsLizzy conceived this GTG. Avrooster suggested the venue of Sottovoce in
Puerto Madero. I looked up Sottovoce’s diverse and interesting menu on their website. My choices of what to eat were made before ever being there!
We hailed a taxi to take us to the restaurant. No sooner than we were in the taxi,
a powerful wind came up and a deluge of rain poured down.
There had to be at least 3 inches of water on the streets. The raindrops
were as big as golf balls. When, we got to the restaurant the taxi
driver pulled up as close to the sidewalk possible and my DH
ran into the restaurant to get an umbrella for me. Even so, my strappy
high-heeled sandals & feet were drenched. Poor Avrooster was soaked!
Sottovoce is an Italian restaurant in the very high end Puerto Madero area.
They charge a cubierto or "table fee" of 10A$ per person for the huge basket of breads,
the cracker-thin crust pizza, & antipasto. There was a 5A$ charge for the bottled water (agua con
gas.)
My DH and I shared Calamarettis Relleno appetizer, which were, grilled squid tubes stuffed with their legs and served with a perfectly al dente risotto cake and a rocket salad. 45A$ ($13.50) We were thrilled with the quality of this dish. For the main course we had Conejo (roasted rabbit) 49A$ ($14) It was served with a mustard flavoured gravy. It was perfecto! But, so large that I could only eat half of my half portion! We shared a bottle of Dona Paula Malbec with Giovanna & her DH and they returned the favour when the bottle was finished.
78A$ ($22) Our shared dessert was a very elegant Tiramisu with raspberry sauce. A fantastico dinner!
Note:
All portions are huge in most restaurants in BA. Unless, you have a very big appetite, you may want to share your share a meals
Our dinner champions were two Canadians couples (MsLizzy & her SO and Canuk50 & her DH), one couple from California Giovanna & her DH), and one Porteno man, Avrooster, the local expert. We shared good conversation, lots of laughs, & a cab back to Palermo.
We got to bed about 2:00AM. Are we becoming Portenos?
Mar 10th, 2010, 02:59 AM
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Great report, Condu! Let's have more, ASAP, por favor!
About your: "Within an hour of putting up the link, someone rented it for the dates (Mid Dec to Mid Jan) I had mentioned on the forum! How naïve, I was! I did all the research for some one else. I should have written Scarlett, privately. But, as a newbie to the forum, I didn’t know that I could do that. I had to book the apartment for one month later than we had originally planned. (mid Jan to Mid Feb)" was this on Fodor's or on TA?
The reason I ask is that here we don't have the PM feature you mention. Therefore, it sounds as if what you say above happened on the TA forum.
Please confirm.
About your: "Within an hour of putting up the link, someone rented it for the dates (Mid Dec to Mid Jan) I had mentioned on the forum! How naïve, I was! I did all the research for some one else. I should have written Scarlett, privately. But, as a newbie to the forum, I didn’t know that I could do that. I had to book the apartment for one month later than we had originally planned. (mid Jan to Mid Feb)" was this on Fodor's or on TA?
The reason I ask is that here we don't have the PM feature you mention. Therefore, it sounds as if what you say above happened on the TA forum.
Please confirm.
Mar 10th, 2010, 09:27 AM
#6
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owlwoman:
Thank you for your sympathy.
I was really upset when it happened. But, it worked out for the best! I would have not met the people in BA that I now count among my friends if, I had went a month earlier.
Thank you for your sympathy.
I was really upset when it happened. But, it worked out for the best! I would have not met the people in BA that I now count among my friends if, I had went a month earlier.
Mar 10th, 2010, 11:10 AM
#9
Helas, no. Back in WDC and begining to think about next year.
You had agreed to PM me info about your apt. in Palermo Botanico, after your return to BC, and I would still be grateful to have it.
Enjoy the coming Spring. ~Marnie
You had agreed to PM me info about your apt. in Palermo Botanico, after your return to BC, and I would still be grateful to have it.
Enjoy the coming Spring. ~Marnie
Mar 10th, 2010, 11:17 AM
#10
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Marnie: Thanks for the reminder. I forgot. I have no memory since going through menopause. Read my "A Foodie's Month Long Adventure in Buenos Aires: Part 2" and you will understand how bad that my memory is! LOL!
Mar 13th, 2010, 09:31 AM
#13
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What does "my DH" mean? Is this someone's initials or something similar to one's "significant other?"
I truly enjoyed your report; where is the La Dorita Restaurant located? If possible please give the precise address. I noticed in my guide book that the addresses are given but not the specific barrios in which the venues are located. Now I'm having to do some research.
I truly enjoyed your report; where is the La Dorita Restaurant located? If possible please give the precise address. I noticed in my guide book that the addresses are given but not the specific barrios in which the venues are located. Now I'm having to do some research.
Mar 20th, 2010, 02:31 PM
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Thank you AVrooster for answering the first part of Eddwarm's question.
Eddwarm: Sorry for the delay on answering. We have been out of town playing tourist in Vancouver B.C. and Victoria B.C.
La Dorita: Humboldt 1905, Palermo Hollywood
Eddwarm: Sorry for the delay on answering. We have been out of town playing tourist in Vancouver B.C. and Victoria B.C.
La Dorita: Humboldt 1905, Palermo Hollywood
Mar 20th, 2010, 02:34 PM
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A lot of time and effort goes into planning a trip. The more research that you do, the the more comfortable you will be with your chosen destination!
Beyond the planning that has to be done before a trip, there is the drain on your bank account and charge card. Our round trip American Airlines flights from VYR to EZE: $3000. Our round trip Sea Air flights from Vancouver Island to YVR: $275C. Our round trip pre-booked flights with Lan Air from EZE to Iguazu cost $590. We spent over $400 on shots and prescription meds to keep us from getting any tropical diseases. LOL! We purchased $2950US from our bank for the rent, damage deposit, & rental agency fee. We were expected to pay this amount in US dollars when we arrived at our apartment. In Buenos Aires cash is king! We booked our transport through our rental agency.
We felt it was safer than taking regular taxi. When, we arrived at EZE we also, had to pay a reciprocity tax of $70US, each.
When, planning a trip the cost even before you are settled in your accommodations can be more than expected.
Beyond the planning that has to be done before a trip, there is the drain on your bank account and charge card. Our round trip American Airlines flights from VYR to EZE: $3000. Our round trip Sea Air flights from Vancouver Island to YVR: $275C. Our round trip pre-booked flights with Lan Air from EZE to Iguazu cost $590. We spent over $400 on shots and prescription meds to keep us from getting any tropical diseases. LOL! We purchased $2950US from our bank for the rent, damage deposit, & rental agency fee. We were expected to pay this amount in US dollars when we arrived at our apartment. In Buenos Aires cash is king! We booked our transport through our rental agency.
We felt it was safer than taking regular taxi. When, we arrived at EZE we also, had to pay a reciprocity tax of $70US, each.
When, planning a trip the cost even before you are settled in your accommodations can be more than expected.
Mar 20th, 2010, 06:43 PM
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I really enjoyed reading about your BA experiences. My DH and I visited BA on our way to Ushuaia a year ago, and were totally intimidated. We'd heard so much about pick-pockets and taking the wrong taxi that it tainted our entire experience. It was an odd experience for us, since we're pretty good travelers -- we've been to all 7 continents, some of them several times, and most of our travel has been independent. This year we're going to Chile and Easter Island. I hope we're braver than we were in Argentina!!! Maybe someday we'll gain the courage to revisit the beautiful city of Buenos Aires. Your trip report is so encouraging!!!
Mar 21st, 2010, 07:29 AM
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Nevermind: I read endless blogs about petty crime in BA.
This did not deter me or my DH from enjoying this beautiful city. We did not feel intimidated at any time during our stay.
I encourage you to give BA another try!
This did not deter me or my DH from enjoying this beautiful city. We did not feel intimidated at any time during our stay.
I encourage you to give BA another try!
Mar 21st, 2010, 10:43 AM
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Nevermind, I recently returned from a wonderful trip to Argentina. I was in Buenos Aires for 2 weeks, and I'm a female travelling on my own.
I did have an incident happen to me... but I learned from it. I love Buenos Aires and enjoyed my time there. What happened did not deter me, and I would gladly go back in a heartbeat. I was very careful, like I am in any city, but it certainly did not take away from my enjoyment.
Give it another try.
I did have an incident happen to me... but I learned from it. I love Buenos Aires and enjoyed my time there. What happened did not deter me, and I would gladly go back in a heartbeat. I was very careful, like I am in any city, but it certainly did not take away from my enjoyment.
Give it another try.
