March 2nd: We toured downtown Buenos Aires today. We experienced the crush of humanity on the subway ride in. Actually, it was no problem since the riders were all tolerant, cheerful, and respectful of each other. After touring the downtown for 5 hours, we needed lunch so we hunted for a restaurant called “El Obrero” (the worker) in a rough part of town called La Boca. I had to show the cab driver the street on my map. The restaurant was recommended by a fellow who flew on the same planes with us from Providence. He and his wife, an Argentinean, bought an apartment here and he assured us that we would find “comida tipica” at El Obrero. We also found the restaurant in a very helpful online guide to the restaurants of Buenos Aires. Unfortunately the guide wasn’t helpful enough because El Obrero was closed. I still don’t understand why “mediodia y noche” didn’t apply to 3PM. So we asked our sympathetic cab driver to take us to a really good “big beef” place (My Spanish is not at its best yet). He dropped us off at Estilo Campo where we had a very enjoyable meal.

Estilo Campo is the quintessential upscale Argentinean steak house dripping with ambiance, complete with the “merry go round” style roasting pit, scads of committed professional waiters, and a full line of appetizers, wines, desserts, brandies and Cuban cigars. They take pride in actually selecting the beef that they serve. At our waiters recommendation we ordered the Asado al Asador (Roast on a Spit) and the Vacio al Asador (Flank Roasted on a Spit). It is going to take a while to adjust to the meat here. Last month there was a wonderful article by Richard O’Mara in the Christian Science Monitor, about understanding how they raise the beef. The article goes on to describe the different ways they cut the meat and of the asado (barbecue) and asador (barbecuer). We got the costilleta or meat near the short ribs. We would ordinarily consider this stew meat needing a long slow cooking process to break down the connective tissue. One thing, for certain, you have to cut it into small pieces. The flavor was good. In the photo you can see the concentrated outer layer of barbecued goodness. I would describe it as meatier than our beef. Oh well, I expect to explore these questions over the next three weeks of dining and make my peace with the Asado.

The wine we had with the meal was a generous Malbec, the 2004 Alamos from Catena, described very well in this review.

We completed the meal with a Chocolate Mousse that was very densely flavored, an espresso, and a generous warm glass of domestic brandy, Reserva San Juan, which I will have again.

I of course took some photos.

This morning we landed in Buenos Aires at 10:30 AM: 13 hours after boarding in Providence. Time here is EST plus two hours. Buenos Aires is due south of Saint-Pierre, Newfoundland with a southern latitude that matches North Carolina. We flew in a very comfortable United Airlines Boeing 767. Economy seating was the most spacious I have ever experienced. I like the seating arrangement with window-2seats-aisle-3seats-aisle-2seats-window.

We are staying at a cozy Bed and Breakfast called Solar Soler in the suburb of Palermo Hollywood. Old, well pruned, Sycamores keep the streets cool and provide ambiance for the many restaurants. This is perfect outdoor dining weather and we found a nice table at La Pascana, on the bustling corner of Paraguay and Humbolt.

Serendipity rules when we travel, and so it came as no surprise that La Pascana’s stated mission was to offer recovery from the hardships of the road. And that they did. Click here for photos of our meal. All that for $14.49 with tip.

La Pascana also has an interesting web site.

Hugo the owner of La Pascana recommended Bodega 52. Tonight we went there and had a great 2002 privately bottled Bodega 52 Malbec from Lujan de Cuyo, Mendoza with a bruschetta, and mixed ham, salami, and cheese plate. We simply ordered the Picada Argentina for 2. Picada is an appetizer plate. There is a full listing of the items included in this Picada in Spanish on Bodega 52’s web site. Here is a picture of the Picada and the Bar.

Next week…February 28th, Debbie and I (John) are going to Argentina for three weeks. We plan to keep you informed of our search for Malbecs, recipes, and hot spots as we travel across the center of the country from Buenos Aires to Mendoza. We may make our way to Santiago, Chile and Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay. (How many more “U’s” will fit in a country?)

Scratch Chile…too much driving from Mendoza.

Please check back in on a regular basis to see the latest.

Oh, by the way we just rented the movie “Tango Bar”. It gave a history of the tango with mesmerizing footwork. My stereotype of the dance, sadly, was found in a cut from a Laural and Hardie move. Anyone ever hear “Hernando’s Hideaway”? We have a lot to learn.