Fiesta De Halloween!

We may be over 5,000 miles away from the US, but that doesn't stop us from celebrating the ever popular Halloween! Tonight us gals will be getting all decked up and jumping on a pirate ship here in BA that will be setting sail on the Río de la Plata to celebrate this beloved holiday. Jessica and I will be dressing as a duo: her as an illegal immigrant, and me as the border control. Greta will be wooing the boys in a sexy bear outfit while Ashley will be debuting in a beautiful Geisha get-up. While the weather is forecasting for rain, the warm air has got us all riled up to go out and have a great night in our wild and crazy costumes! Pictures are soon to come.

Anxiously Awaiting

It is currently 9:20 PM Buenos Aires time (yes, Argentina has finally decided to NOT do daylight savings), there is a huge storm going on outside, and Jessica and I are sitting here anxiously awaiting the arrival of our first two visitors: Greta & Ashley! Jessica and I have been so excited for them to come that we have created an extensive itinerary to ensure Greta and Ashley have the best trip ever (my next job: travel agent). To see what we will be up to for the next couple of days, see below:

Friday, October 23, 2009

9:00 PM- Land in Buenos Aires

10:00 PM- Arrive at Jessica and Karlyn's Apartment

11:30 PM- Dinner at Las Cabras (our favorite neighborhood dinner spot)

1:00 AM- Go to bar DUDUI, a bar here in the neighborhood that we have recently discovered

3:00 AM- CROBAR to see Steve Angello, a Greek-Swedish well known DJ

Saturday, October 24, 2009

11:00 AM- Breakfast at Oui Oui. Having deviated away from our usual Huevos Completa (Eggs, bacon, toast, lemonade, cafe con leche) for the past two visits, I am looking forward to going back to my original indulgence

1:00 PM- Spend the day in Palermo Hollywood, Viejo, and Soho visiting Jessica and I's favorite shops

10:30 PM- Dinner at Osaka, where celebrated chef Daniel Delgado Jitsuya fuses Peruvian and Japanese flavors into his dishes

12:00PM- Choosing between Shampoo or Jet for a fun night of dancing

Sunday, October 25, 2009

12:30 PM- Breakfast at Olsen, a Scandinavian restaurant that has been built in an old warehouse, that is well known for their Sunday brunch (and requires a reservation in order to enjoy!)

2:00 PM- San Telmo for the antique Fair

3:00 PM- (Optional) La Boca soccer match

10:00 PM- Asado at a friend's house

1:00 AM- SLEEP

Monday, October 26 -> Thursay, October 29: MENDOZA

DAY 1: MONDAY, OCTOBER 26

12:00 PM- Leave apartment for airport

12:30- 1:20 PM- In-Flight

2:00 PM- Arrive at hotel and check in

Almacen del Sur (http://www.almacendelsur.com/) CONFIRMED

4:00 PM- Lunch

“Enjoy a celebration of Mendoza's gourmet cuisine during a three or five course extended lunch in this tranquil setting. Gracious host Santiago Orozco Russo will give you a guided tour of the restaurant's vegetable gardens. Watch the chef prepare your meal from a charming array of country tables and chairs.”

- Recommended: The grilled meats

10:30 PM- Dinner at Don Mario (best beef in Argentina!) CONFIRMED (http://www.donmario.com.ar/)

“Ask Mendocinos where to find the best steak in town, and they will undoubtedly direct you to Don Mario. This no-frills Argentine parilla with a casual country house atmosphere is famous for its hefty portions of bife de chorizo (sirloin steak) and bife de lomo (filet mignon). The knowledgeable staff will help you select wines from the wide-ranging list. Request Cristian as your waiter.”

- Recommended: Bife de chorizo and the pears with Malbec sauce for desert

DAY 2: TUESDAY, OCTOBER 27

10:00 AM: Leave Hotel

+ 30 – 45 Minute drive

ALL DAY @ LUJAN DE CUYO

Achaval Ferrer (http://www.achaval-ferrer.com) CONFIRMED

11:00 AM: Bodega Tasting ($30 Argentine Pesos)

“In the words of its founders, Achaval-Ferrer is and will always be a small Argentine winery that is passionately committed to producing small quantities of fine red wine. As a testament to their approach, their 2002 Finca Altamira Malbec scored 94 points in the 2004 Wine Spectator weekly. The work at Achaval-Ferrer is built around producing what they refer to as two "ideas" of wine. The first "idea" is a testament to terroir. These are single-vineyard Malbec varietals, all three of them from very old, low-producing vines in very special places in the Mendoza region. The other "idea" they call the "pursuit of the ideal wine". It is a blended wine based on Bordeaux varietals grown in the Mendoza region. They have named this wine Quimera (in Spanish Quimera means an impossible ideal). Based on what we have seen from this winery to date, we doubt that perfect is impossible.”

- Recommended: Quimera Blend (malbec, cabernet, cab franc, merlot)

+ 30 Minute drive

Carlos Pulenta (http://www.carlospulentawines.com/) CONFIRMED

1:00 PM: Lunch @ La Bourgogne

3:00 PM: Bodega Tour + Tasting ($25 Argentine Pesos)

“We will start our tour with a walk around our fine vineyards, the origin of our wines. Then you will get to know how our wines are elaborated as we tour the winery, and we will finally enjoy a wine tasting session at Club Vistalba. After the tour, we will taste three of our wines: Tomero White or Rosé, Tomero Red, Vistalba Corte C, Vistalba Corte V - Olive Oil. “

+ 30 Minute drive

Haceinda del Plata (http://www.haciendadelplata.com.ar/) CONFIRMED

5:00 PM: Wine Tour + Tasting ($20 Argentine Pesos)

“Despite it's easy access from Mendoza in Chacras de Coria, Hacienda del Plata quickly envelops you in the history of the legendary Argentine gaucho and Argentine winemaking. On your first visit you will be pleasantly surprised by the remarkable transformation from the surrounding city to the vineyard that is hidden behind this unremarkable gate. Offering tours that focus on grape growing techniques on its 30 hectares of vineyards, this bodega insists that their personnel treat each vine with the same respect that the gauchos used to tame their horses. The bodega limits tours to one to two small groups at a time, insuring a relaxing, personalized visit. If you want to spend a leisurely afternoon at the Hacienda, they also serve a traditional asado (barbecue) lunch beneath a canopy of wisteria on the back patio.”

- Recommended: Mayoral Malbec

9:30 PM: Dinner at Azafron (www.bve.com.ar)

“From the garlic wreaths and bouquets of dried flowers hanging from the ceiling to the wood cabinets that line the walls, Azafrán exudes the warmth and exoticism of the spice that inspired its name. The eclectic menu draws products from all over Argentina: Patagonian deer and lamb, Tierra del Fuego crab, and, of course, beef from the nearby Argentine pampas. Chefs cook meat to perfection, lending a creative spin to their dishes with generous doses of herbs and spices. Don't skip the tapas (especially the crab croquets with ginger sauce and the spicy meatballs) or the venison raviolis. Visit the restaurant's wine library, in which wine racks replace bookshelves, to choose a bottle from the wide array of Argentine wines in all price ranges. The deli next-door features an excellent selection of Mendocino wines, olives, cheeses, and cold cuts - perfect for an al fresco picnic.”

- Recommended: Pork Tenderloin

DAY 3: WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28

9:00 AM: Leave Hotel

+ 60 Minute drive

ALL DAY @ VALLE DE UCO

Salentein Winery (www.bodegasalentein.com) CONFIRMED

10:30 AM: Wine Tour + Tasting ($350/4 = 87.50 Argentine Pesos)

“ Situated in the middle of 455 hectares of vineyards below the eastern slopes of the Andes, Salentein is a massive, concrete and steel harbinger of the future of Argentine wine. With annual production exceeding 1 million bottles, the winery is known for classical varietals, old vine preservation, and European production methods that yield world-class wines. The 45 minute tour showcases the award -winning architecture of the magnificent, cross-shaped bodega, which uses a traditional gravity transfer system to allow wine to flow from French stainless steel tanks and wooden vats to the underground oak casks used for aging. The tour ends in the dramatic, low-lit tasting room, where guides pour wines atop a massive marble altar.”

- Recommended: 2001 Salentein Reserve Pinot Noir; Salentein 2002 Malbec.

+ 30 Minute Drive

O’Fournier (www.ofournier.com) CONFIRMED

1:30 PM: Wine Tour + Tasting

“Spanish company O Fournier built this temple to gravity-only winemaking in homage to its resident winemaker. It is worth the trip to Valle de Uco to see this marvel of architecture and technology and to taste award-winning Tempranillo blends. The winery has a capacity of 600,000 litres in stainless steel, oak and cement housed some of the most unique architecture in the Mendoza province. O Fournier is known for its "Alfa Crux" and "B Crux" wines - wines that are as complex and rewarding as the architecture where they are produced. The wines are named for the stars of the Southern Cross. This constellation is visible in the Argentine sky.”

- Recommended A & B Crux 2002

2:00 PM: Lunch @ winery

Jacques & Francois Lurton (http://www.francoislurton.com)

5:00 PM: Wine Tour + Tasting

“Jacques & François Lurton are the sons of a renowned French Bordeaux maker, Jacques and François Lurton founded their landmark Mendoza winery in 1988. Cultivating grapes in the Uco Valley and Maipú regions, the Lurton brothers draw on their 'old world' viticultural expertise to produce fine wines in 'new world' terroir (including their Piedra Negra 2002 Malbec, which earned 90 points from the Wine Enthusiast in 2004). The Lurtons' wood, concrete and stainless steel cellar - situated in the middle of the vineyard - showcases a unique system of freezing the grape must to extract maximum flavor. This tradition cum innovation approach yields uniquely balanced wines that can be enjoyed young or aged for several years.”

9:00 PM: Leave hotel

+ 10 minute drive

9:30 PM: Dinner at 1884 (www.1884restaurante.com.ar) CONFIRMED

“Some people come to Mendoza just to eat at celebrity chef Francis Mallman's restaurant, inside the Romanesque Bodega Escorihuela -- known, among other things, for housing the biggest wine barrel in the province. With fine Argentine meats and fresh local produce, his carefully presented cuisine combines his Patagonian roots with his French culinary training. Local go-tos such as lechón (young pork) and chivito (baby goat) are classics, and the huge outdoor wooden stove produces an incredible salted chicken. This is simple food prepared in a stripped-down style typical for Mallmann. Dishes are prepared with matching local wine selections, with Malbec and Syrah topping the list. In the summer, request a coveted garden table. For dessert, the chocolate fanático will blow your hat off. You can easily combine in the same visit a meal here with a tour of the bodega, which also has an art gallery. Tours are offered weekdays every hour from 9:30am to 3:30pm.”

- Recommended: Chivito (young goat) with grilled vegetables

DAY 4: THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29

10:00 AM: Wake up and have breakfast @ hotel

11:00 AM: Vines of Mendoza in downtown

12:00 PM: Leave for airport

1:20- 4:02 PM: In- Flight

SIDE OPTIONS:

Casa 3: Hip bar/restaurant that wouldn’t look out of place in Barcelona

De Un Rincon De La Boca: Best pizza in town (bring your own wine!)

Decimo: Wine bar in town

El Palenque: Downtown fun and exciting restaurant /bar (place to be seen)

Thursday, October 29, 2009

9:20 PM- Dinner at Il Ballo Del Mattone (best Italian restaurant in BA... in our opinion)

11:00 PM- Halloween boat party (don't worry- we have one clever costume in the works!)

Friday, October 30, 2009

12:00 PM to ?- Day in Recoleta: Cemetery, lunch at Voulez Bar, shopping at Patio Bullrich, topped off by a class of wine at the Alvear Palace!

9:30 PM- Dinner at La Cabrera (parilla deliciousness)

2:00 AM- ROXY! Rock music & dancing

Saturday, October 31, 2009

A sad farewell to our visitors, Greta & Ashley

PS: Jessica and I are in the process of updating our blog to create more information for our readers! One recent feature we have added are links, so when you see an underlined word you can click on it in order to visit the website!

Channeling Our Artistic Energies

Even though Karlyn and I both have not had much experience in the kitchen (well me for that matter), we will be returning to the US with a whole repertoire of traditional Italian cooking. Today, we went to our second cooking class and learned how to make pasta from scratch. I was amazed at how easy it was- not just one pasta dish, but three, with sauces included. They also were anything other than the ordinary dishes you can find at every other Italian restaurant in town. They were works of art and that’s why I think half the struggle of cooking goes into presentation. I’ve always considered myself a terrible cook, but in truth maybe I just lack the practice? Karlyn and I have sworn to try out our new dishes on our upcoming visitors and (hopefully) wow them with our adept presentation of Italian cooking in Buenos Aires. See descriptions below to get a good idea of the masterpieces we created today.

After stuffing our bodies full with a full course of hearty pasta, we continued our quest to find the best vintage stores in Buenos Aires. Usually the Internet is a very valuable source for this type of information, but it has been entirely unsuccessful here. I’m a sucker for great vintage stores, but more than not I end up finding them the day before I head off for a new city. So this time we are trying to start early and be able to take the visitors when they arrive.

As we tried to fight off the rain clouds since we forgot our rain jackets, we searched our first destination: Juan Perez. It was a messy collection of hilarious assortments. It was the perfect spot for crazy Halloween costumes, but seeing as how Halloween isn’t widely celebrated here we need something that’s a little more obvious that our “costume” is not our daily guise. Karlyn came across two adorable jackets both with skeptical top-notch designers. None of us felt our designer investigation skills were up to the level necessary to outweigh the hefty (even in pesos) price. Besides that, we left with a few mouthfuls full of dust and completely uncertain as to our upcoming Halloween costume.

Afterwards, Karlyn and I stumbled across an American bookstore to our surprise. We have had some difficulty finding anything other than American classics (which we have both read most of), crime thrillers, and the overstocked bestsellers. As two avid readers, we spent a half an hour trailing the various bookshelves filled with only books in our native tongue. I am on the hunt for a Pablo Neruda book of poems in English. I am currently attempting to translate the book of 100 Love Sonnets. However, it’s been a little difficult to interpret the overall message in my broke down translations and I’ve been running into each bookstore I come across desperately hunting for an English version. Karlyn is the lucky recipient of my daily-convoluted translations and I can’t say that she has taken too much from these poetry recitals. The book remains to be unfound, but we did stock up on some interesting new reads and Karlyn was able to purchase her first book to help her with Spanish! She has conquered a few essentials, such as basta, which will hopefully prove handy in our food servings (but rather unlikely).

With our new collection in hand, we ventured to our last spot: La Quinta Avendida. This location was a gallery filled with small stores with a blend of random items. We lacked the energy to rummage through the jam packed collections and vowed to return another day. I still have yet to find my go to vintage store and if anyone has any advice, please do share, so the search can come to a halt.

Other than that, we had the pleasure of having an asado with an entirely French and Argentinean group. It was hilarious to hear the variations of French, Spanish and English all pulled into one. Most people in attendance only spoke French or Spanish, so as far as Karlyn was concerned she was out of luck. She tactfully managed (or feigned she did) to understand the conversations. Most of the people there, were working for companies in Argentina and it was fascinating to hear about their experiences cross-cultural work experiences. Many of the people had worked in multiple countries, so they gave us amusing renditions about how it was to work in each country. In the background of this hodge podge group, we had a boy trying to dj on soundboards, people randomly taking candid shots with a massive Polaroid camera, and others trying to tell us about their work in fashion. It was quite an artsy clan and we felt inspired, but disappointed in our own lack of obvious creativity. We may have also met the last piece to the puzzle of our future plans- we shall see. However, check out this site to see one of the girl’s latest collections: http://www.facebook.com/pages/MONA-AMOUR-chemises-de-nuit/47949491622?ref=mf.

We’re off for the night. Please feel free to post any comments you might have. We do LOVE hearing from you. BESOS

Today’s Masterpieces:

1) Pici alle Briciole - Pici with Breadcrumbs - Siena

Pici, or pinci, is “poor people’s pasta”, is a thick, irregular, hand rolled strand pasta, usually served with a simple sauce or seasoning. Today we cooked this particular pasta with a simple garlic, red-pepper, olive oil, and bread crumbs sautéed sauce.

2) Baked Anglotti

Anglotti are made from two thin, square pieces of pasta that are sandwiched together around a filling. Egg-based pasta dough works best for this form of pasta. Today we filled the anglotti with a provolone cheese and then baked them inside the oven until they were glden brown. For the sauce we made something a little spicy and modern: a central American style salsa of pureed tomato, green pepper, green onion, garlic, jalapeno peppers, cilantro, lime juice, and salt.

3) Langanelli con I Ceci - Irregular whole wheat Pasta - Non-traditional recipe

For the whole wheat pasta, we cut these into I Celi shapes which resemble a trapezoid type shape. For the sauce, we sautéed chickpeas, onion and celery together with olive oil, and added the pasta directly into the pan.

Mother's Day Adventure

It’s the little things in life and yes, it truly has been. Here, it’s all about the small details and actually taking the time to relish these moments. As irritating as the Argentine system can be, I think it all comes from their dedication to seriously enjoying oneself with friends and family and not letting a time schedule inhibit that experience. That’s why you may often sit down to lunch waiting over an hour before they take your order or idly wondering what exactly was so complicated that the waiter can’t bring you change in less than ten minutes. I think that it’s our American expectations and biases that often get in the way of us sincerely taking in the culture- so Karlyn and I have finally learned to adapt this slow pace and RELAX. One prime example of this lovely custom, is that we still remain unclear on exactly what time it is right now. The Argentineans have not yet decided if they will implement day light savings time and you are inevitably left with hordes of people working at their own preference of timetables. We’re hoping they’ll finally decide one soon because it’s making it hard to catch a movie.

Looking at the calendar has made us realize how fast time goes by- we were completely dumbfounded that it has almost been two months since we have been here. We wish time would just stand still. We’re sick of hearing questions about what are you going to do with your life? Where will you live? Who will you marry? When do you think you will have kids? What is it that speeds up the controls of time immediately after you graduate college? We just want to stay in this moment- live and be young. It’s a scary thought when you start thinking in seven years when I am thirty, where will I be? That’s why I think it’s so important that we have this time to just sit back and think. What do we really want to do with our lives- what are our passions, goals, etc. and then make a decision we know will make us happy.

Yesterday, we celebrated mother’s day here the best way we know how. A delicious pizza lunch sitting out on a sunny block filled with family’s lovingly embracing and recanting old stories and memories. Not to mention, vendors carrying huge baskets of pink roses to be awarded to each mother present that day. Karlyn and I stared on while enjoying a bottle of white wine as we observed the interactions of those next to us and the uncanny resemblances of the different members in each family. After relishing a delicious bottle of Sauvignon Blanc, we were awarded two bottles of champagne on account of it being mother’s day. Even though we aren’t moms now, there’s no reason they can’t let us celebrate too. We decided to take our bottles of champagne to go and head to the tracks.

At the tracks, we tried to make sense of the mess that was the race schedule. I don’t know if it was the language barrier that prevented us or just our own stupidity. The races were quite the spectacle- not to mention in construction with the area in front of the arena torn apart. We were amazed to see how fast and with such vigor the horses ran down the path. Only for a short instant were we able to make out the winning number, horse four, definitely not what we were expecting, but at least we didn’t place any bets.

After watching one race, we eased ourselves off the betting scene in an attempt to get some much-needed exercise. We were in the mood for walking and a good bit of it- over forty blocks working our way across the city from Las Canitas to Recoleta. We figured the two bottles of champagne would ease us along and we would reward ourselves, as we got closer to our destination. Before we were even a block away, we came across a “special sale” for Ralph Lauren. Could we be much luckier? Karlyn was able to find some great steals for unbeatable prices! With bags and bottles in hand, we made our slow approach taking in the beautiful apartments down Libertador eyeing and taking pictures of the ones we wanted for our own. At times, it seemed like we were walking through a major boulevard in Paris because of the incredible European influenced style of architecture of these majestic homes and apartments- including the American embassy which was as grandiose as you can get. Currently looking a way to snag this lucky position!

We managed to come across two perfect spots to enjoy our ultimate thirst quencher. The first was in the middle of a park with the moon reflecting off the roof of the old remade in which we were sitting under. It would have been the perfect spot for an evening dance. We certainly could have easily been presumed to be lovers to onlookers, but that didn’t stop us from popping champagne bottle number one and singing our own rendition of Van Morrison’s “Moondance”. As we issued cheers with our plastic glasses of champagne, we reflected on just how lucky we were as the moon stared down at us.

With a little struggle, we got up from our beautiful location (with a mental note for future suitors) and continued our journey. The location definitely offset our lack of prudence in our shoe choices and kept us going until we found ourselves in another park a few blocks from our destination. There, we had another round of toasts and brought our full glasses with us as we made it the last few paces of our trip to meet our friends for a good old game of baseball. I know the dads will be shocked at our dedication and wonder what exactly would compel us to watch a game of American baseball in a foreign country- some answers will always remain unsolved. Let’s say it was a marvelous holiday and we were able to appreciate the best sides of both Argentinean and American culture with a few of our favorite delights thrown in.

Anyway, we are now off to an asado with some French friends an hour late- right on time in Argentina. Updates to come! We are very excited for our first visitors who arrive this week and our upcoming trip to the land of our dreams…

Tips: if bored, check out this for all fashionistas that want some inspiration.

Or, click here for great music finds to create your own personal playlist.

Buon appetito!

Jessica and I have taken on a new quest today:

A 10 week Italian cooking class, "The Color Palate of Italy", an introduction to Italian cuisine, that starts with the learning of core ingredients and works its way through the classic parts of the Italian table.

As I'm sure you have all learned from reading our blog, Jessica and I have come to consider ourselves pretty big food connoisseurs of the cuisine here in Argentina (especially since we tend to eat, well, A LOT of it). Since we have now been here 8 weeks (56 days) and have only used our kitchen twice, we decided it was time to tighten our wallets and get down to some home cooking. After deciding to start cooking at home we came across another problem: the fact that neither Jessica and I know how to cook very well! Therefore, we turned to our favorite go to food bloggers here in Argentina, SaltShaker, and signed ourselves up for their private lesson classes. Tom, the man behind the blog, runs a restaurante de puertas cerradas, or closed door restaurant, which are actually very common here in Argentina. Basically what these chefs do is open their homes to the public for a private dining experience and an amazingly delicious and unique experience. Tom and the fellow Saltshaker crew also blog about the restaurants here in the area and since our arrival, Jessica and I have found ourselves frequenting their site before trying out new places ourselves.

Today we had our first class which started out with an olive oil tasting, learning the difference between the way they are made, the difference between virgin and extra virgin, and how the US is the only country that refuses to follow the National Food Standard for olive oil... therefore we learned the olive oil produced in the US doesn't even need to be made of olives!! (So check those labels when you're at the grocery store and don't settle for any old olive oil...) Next we moved to the kitchen where we did a tasting of some different herbs (parsley, mint, rosemary, basil), garlic (sauteed, fried, fresh, poached), and cheeses (provolone, mozzarella, pecorino, and parmesan). Next we were taught how to make our very own homemade ricotta cheese which was absolutely amazing (tastes nothing like the store-bought!).

Next on the agenda came the cooking.... On the menu for today:

- An egg omelette filled with the fresh ricotta, parmesan, and parsley, topped with a fresh tomato, garlic, and basil sauce

- Pasta with an olive oil sauce made with onions and chilies

- Caprese salad with a homemade pesto sauce

MUY BUENISIMO!

Find our entire class schedule below:

October 13 – Core Ingredients – herbs, olive oils, cheeses, garlic – an intensive tasting, plus a lunch featuring these – plus knife sharpening and basic knife skills

October 20 – Pasta – basics of pasta making followed by a lunch of our efforts

October 27 – Pizza – from piadinas to grilled pizzas to Sicilian style to focaccia – it’s a bit of a carbo-loading day, but delicious

November 3 – Grains – working with risotto, polenta and farro, the classic whole grain dishes of Italy

November 10 – Contorni – we’ll work on four classic vegetable side dishes that will make your main courses shine

November 17 – Fish & Shellfish – a trio of recipes from the sea, some of our favorite cooking

November 24 – Poultry – if it flies, it’s fair game for this class – one of our past students’ favorites

December 1 – No class

December 8 – Beef & Pork – we can’t pass up these staples of both Italian and local cuisine, can we?

December 15 – Game – this class always depends on the season and what game is available, and is one of the more creative classes of the series

December 22 – Offal – a little nose to tail dining, with a look at some of those “parts is parts” – always a surprising class, usually because no one expects to enjoy it, and then they do!

Spring Showers Bring..... November Flowers?

As spring and the warm weather approaches, it’s a weird feeling to see the talk of snow and the cold weather among the Facebook walls of our friends from back home. Since both Jessica and I have now started working from home, we’ve really made an effort to enjoy this beautiful 70-degree weather. We occupy our days with long walks throughout the different neighborhoods, or with a book and a bottle of wine in one of the many nearby parks. With the warm weather comes an abundance of life that seems to be springing up all around the city…. And we don’t seem to be the only ones taking advantage of the sun and pleasant air; the parks and the streets are bustling with Porteños and other international folk like ourselves! (I’m starting to wonder when exactly the working population actually makes it to the office?) Restaurants and shops are constantly buzzing with people like us just enjoying this lovely month of October.

This past week has been one of a lot of activity, seeming as we have welcomed to new inhabitants to Buenos Aires. One of Jessica’s close friends from Tulane, Brett, and his best friend Tim have just moved from Pasadena to BA and are embarking on their six month living experience just like Jessica and I did almost a month and a half ago. Jessica and I decided it was our job to help integrate them to the city and show them what this place is all about. Thursday night we started with a typical Argentinean dinner at a parilla here in Palermo called Don Julio. A lot of delicious meat and a couple bottles of wine later we all headed to a nightclub here called JET. Judging from the state of everyone when we met up for breakfast the next day (yes, of course at Oui Oui) I think they had a pretty fun first night! Jessica and I had a very mellow Friday day and later ventured to our new favorite Friday night spot, ROXY. Unfortunately I think we showed Brett and Tim a little too much fun on Thursday as they decided to take Friday night off….

Saturday Jessica and I decided to venture to some places we haven't been yet. We visited Plaza San Martin, shopped at the popular shopping mall Galerías Pacífico, and then had lunch at a hip 80's decor Pizza joint called Filo's. With an extensive menu of over 100 different types of pizzas, Jessica and I decided to indulge in a veggie topped mozzarella and tomato pizza. After polishing it off I think Jessica and I would both have to agree that this is one of the best (if not THE best) pizzas we have both ever had! After our delicious meal we ventured on a 15 block walk, that actually turned into a 25 block walk after getting lost a couple of times, to the ever famous Alvear Palace Hotel in Recoleta. The Alvear Palace is a rather exclusive hotel here in Buenos Aires, and quite possibly one of the best hotels in the world. Opening its doors in 1932 when Argentina was one of the richest countries in the world, the Alvear Palace has housed a number of well known names: Antonio Banderas, Donatella Versace, the emperor of Japan, and Robert Duvall, to name a few. This classic French style hotel truly is a magnificent sight, and Jessica and I just couldn't resist enjoying a couple glasses of Sauvignon Blanc in the grandiose piano lounge. After be-friending the bar manager, we promised him that we would return..... however, we will have to be sure to make our visits sparse as the prices at this luxurious hotel don't come cheap! AFter an interesting effort to find a cab home in one of the most intense rainstorms we have seen since we've been here, we managed to make it home in time to get ready for a night out. Jessica, Brett, Tim and I concluded our night with a lengthy dance stint on the dance floor of CROBAR.

Sunday morning we all met for breakfast at a place called Cusic, another delicious restaurant that I think we are going to be adding to the top of our breakfast list! Located right around the corner from our house, Cusic has a delicious meal of scrambled eggs, toast, fresh fruit, fresh squeezed orange juice, and a café con leche all for the ripe price of 22 pesos (translated that’s about $6 USD)! After breakfast us four ventured to the Recoleta weekend flea market where we walked around and browsed the various trinkets. Jessica purchased a really beautiful photograph of her favorite street in Palermo and now we finally have something to hang on our very bare walls! A couple hours after walking around and sipping on some local beers, we met up with some fellow American’s at a place called Casa Bar to indulge in a little Sunday Football (and I'm not talking about soccer!). We actually had the privilege of watching the Arizona Cardinals beat the Houston Texans live on TV!

Last night Jessica, Brett and I had a rather amusing dinner at a place in Las Canitas called Las Cholas. Although the sister restaurant, Las Cabras, happens to be my favorite restaurant in town, I was a little disappointed by this particular location. After ordering a rather ridiculous plate of meat for 50 pesos, the food ended up becoming the subject of a bet rather than an actual meal! Brett dared Jessica to eat 1/3 of an unidentifiable (and rather bloody) piece of sausage in return for 3 bottles of champagne. Jessica, a former vegetarian and anti red-meat-eater actually took him up on this bet and WON! Truthfully I am still rather impressed that she went through with this bet as even watching her eat this made my stomach queasy.

Today we enjoyed a lovely breakfast at a restaurant called Bar 6 in Palermo Soho and I am currently taking a time out on the rooftop patio of our apartment. I’m definitely making it a point to enjoy the weather while it is still enjoyable…. We have had multiple warnings that within the next month we will find ourselves in some rather miserable heat! It sounds like an Arizona-style summer is soon to be upon us….