Argentina

My first return to Argentina in many years was one that far exceeded my most optimistic expectations. The early omens were, however, not very encouraging. Near the end of our long American Airlines flight to Buenos Aires from Miami, a flight attendant spilled (most of) a bottle of wine in my lap. It was a red, of course. I dried out by the time we reached our hotel, and a good night’s sleep ended with the promise of a wonderful day. It might have been, had I not stupidly left my eyeglasses behind in an Uber. I was eventually able to contact the driver, but no glasses. Maybe I dropped them switching to sunglasses? Whatever. I had not brought along a spare pair. Rookie mistake by a veteran. So it was that I was stuck wearing sunglasses 24/7 for the balance of our trip. Despite the shades, things did brighten from that point.

Argentina is a big, beautiful, topographically diverse country with a massive wall on its western flank—the Andes—providing protection from South Pacific winds and potential Chilean invaders. Since it would be impossible to see all this great country has to offer in one brief visit, we planned to concentrate on its capital, and make internal trips to the heart of its wine country and to the beautiful region of Patagonia.

Did I mention the traffic? BA has a lot of it, generally well-mannered by global standards. There is this one thing though. While traffic lights are well respected, stop signs, on the other hand, seem to be mere suggestions that perhaps one might slow down a bit before passing by. The skill with which vehicles weave their paths through four-way stops without actually stopping was impressive. Pedestrians proceed at their own peril.

One thing you will find in BA, and throughout the country is beef, in excessive quantity and impressive quality. You can even smell it in air, as if there were an abattoir on every block. We were pleased by the quality and diversity of the restaurants everywhere we went in Argentina, and, while not a vegan paradise, there was something for everyone. Visitors from the US have a great advantage over the locals, beyond the fact that our dollars go a lot further here. Most restaurants open for dinner at about 8:00p and remain nearly empty for the first hour or so. Thus, we enjoyed access to terrific places, were able to enjoy our meals at a very leisurely place and then free up a table for the local regulars who usually show up at 10p or after.

Eating in Buenos Aires was a rewarding adventure. Our experiences were highlighted by a series of coincidences. The night before we left on our long trip to South America, we went to dinner with our son to one of our favorite restaurants in Charlotte. The manager there was a student of my wife’s many years ago, and he always takes extremely good care of us. One of the subjects he always asks about is our travels. When we told him we were leaving the next day for Argentina, he told us he had just returned from BA a few days earlier. He excitedly told us about a restaurant there where two of his former colleagues in North Carolina were now working. Armed with his enthusiastic recommendation and text message introductions to the key managers from Manuel, we found ourselves on our first night in BA at Sucre. We could not have asked for a better opening night. The restaurant is beautiful, the food was excellent and we were treated royally. It also gained us an insider’s list of must-try places in the city, one that proved spot-on.

We chose to stay in a small boutique hotel in BA, the OWN Grand Palermo SOHO, largely based on its favorable location. That location turned out to be very favorable when it comes to dining at the most popular of the multitude of steakhouses, or parillas, that dominate the food scene in BA. That spot, Don Julio, was right next door! I asked the concierge about reservations and he laughed, telling us that there might be something available in about two months. He said the secret is to go there just before they open at 7:00p and get in line. We did as we were told and were seated within a few minutes. The short wait was more than worth it. We sat outside, along the sidewalk, enjoying a marvelous steak and a bottle of wine while watching throngs of would-be diners milling around with glasses of complimentary bubbly awaiting their turn.

Following the advice of our new friends at Sucre, we showed up at the 8:00p opening time at Las Pizarras. Like many others in BA, the door to this restaurant remains locked, and patrons must wait for someone to come to the door and answer. Once the doors were unlocked, we scored an early table and watched a small crowd gather outside to wait for their chance to enter. The name here means “chalkboards” and there were many, detailing, in English as well as Spanish, the various offerings of the evening. The setting and the style here ae that of a bistro. Even the sommelier was French, though the wines were decidedly New World. The food was inventive, well-presented and delicious.

We had another great dinner at a new BA hotspot called Proper, set in a former mechanic’s garage, and little has been changed. You literally dine in the kitchen. The ambiance is a bit industrial—the wait station is a repurposed toolbox and there are stacks of supplies against the walls—but the food, all of which came from a large wood-burning oven in the back corner, was a series of comforting surprises such as padron peppers with sea salt and an unusual beef carpaccio that was plated with potatoes and buttermilk. Having stopped at the popular Bar 878 for pre-dinner cocktails (note to self: next time plan on after-dinner drinks; even though the bar opens at 8 we were still the only patrons in the house when we left at 9), I asked our Proper server if they had a list of red wines by the glass. She said that only offered one, but it was a special one that she was sure we would like. She returned with a bottle that she presented with a flourish and proceeded to begin to explain its heritage. I interrupted her saying, “Oh, that’s one of Matias Michelini’s Passionate wines. We were just at his winery the other day.” What are the odds?

Luckily there is much to see in BA and lots of opportunity to walk off all those calories. BA is a city of neighborhoods. One that almost all visitors find their way to is La Boca. While a tad sketchy and a lot touristy, it is worth the effort. Lots of street art, murals, tango dancers and crafts for sale. You can also see the famous soccer stadium La Bombonera, an Argentine version of Yankee Stadium or Fenway, home of the Boca Juniors. A refreshing change of pace in La Boca is the Fundación Proa, a modern art museum located in a re-purposed warehouse right in the center of the La Boca scene. There is a terrace upstairs that offers great views of the area and a quiet spot for a coffee or lunch.

It was in the neighborhood known as Recoleta adjoining our home base in Palermo where we found one of our favorite places in the city: the neighborhood cemetery! This is no ordinary burial site. Here are block after block of huge, ornate graves, I guess you must call them, though they are elaborate, often multi-story above ground structures. You could spend hours wandering through the labyrinthine park of the dead. The history, the art, the architecture all combine to make this place simply fascinating. You could spend hours here translating epitaphs, peering into crypts, composing Instagram shots of ancient bones, mummified bodies, and long-since wilted flowers. There are more than 6400 souls entombed here, most obscure, but among them many famous Argentines, including Eva Peron herself. I would rate it an absolute must-see.

COMING NEXT: MENDOZA!