Street Circuit

Another spotless sky, hot and lovely.  We headed into Recoleto, parts we`d not been to, Retiro, and the edges of the centre.  On the walk up we heard a demonstration in the distance.  Last week was the 30th anniversary of the last military coup.  (Last as in since, not final.)  Then the teachers demonstrated, and then went on strike.  And some other religious freedom protest occurred.  But we had, touch wood, avoided them all.

Then, as we got closer, I realized it was a race, not a demonstration, the drone of cars, not people, and it occurred to me that maybe they were playing the F1 Melbourne race on a large TV in the park.  But as we got even closer and could hear all the nuances of sound, in various dimensions, I realized it was an actual race.  It was loud.  Really, really, really loud.  Turns out it was a) the first time there has been a street circuit in BA in 60 years and b) the TC2000 super cars.  So, obviously, I know nothing about these cars or this circuit but they go 230 km/h and make more noise than imaginable.

French Embassy

Brazilian embassy.

Office building nearby.  Mix of styles...

The Kavanagh building, an art deco tower from 1936.  When built it was the tallest reinforced concrete tower in the world.  How things change...



The Botanical Gardens are feral and poorly tended but a beautiful respite in a very busy area.

Then to dinner, back to Local, a restaurant we`d visited last week and loved for the simplicity and attention to ingredients and flavour.

A very pleasant corn succotash with chorizo

Wood fire roasted chicken with roast vegetables; simple and delicious.

Bye bye Glu hotel

A Light Nosh

We have another day here but decided to have our last big dinner the night before at Hernan Gipponi`s restaurant in the Fierro Hotel. We were going to spend our last four nights there but it was much easier to use the left luggage facility at the Glu.  Gipponi is another local chef who was up in Montreal at the Lumieres, the big Canadian gastronomic festival I`ve never heard of...  They have a tasting menu, five, seven or 10 items.  We took the seven items for about $40 Canadian.  Awesome value.  For the same price in England you could have fish and chips.

Here lies some citrus marinated prawns nestled under a salad on top of a pumpkin puree.  A whisper would have blown it off the plate.

A dish of many miracles: A sous vide poached egg, cooked to perfection, on a puree of caramelized onion, topped with some charred grilled onion and then a hot onion broth.  These are the sorts of crafted dishes that can only be prepared by skilled chefs with both talent and timing.  Reverence.

Veal sweetbreads, an Argentine specialty.  I debated switching it to the grouper.  SS ate it all and loved it.  I liked the dish overall, the zuchini and zuchini puree, the special peanuts from Cordoba, I lapped it all up with bread, but I wasn`t fond of the texture of the meat.

Sole.  Fried sole.  Plus a marinated young fennel that was so soft you could cut it with a spoon and the vinegar had reduced the pungency.  Smoked potatoes, mashed or pureed, artfully arranged under the fish.  And something else.  It got complex with the language.  Really good.

Ridiculous.  Ostensibly, lamb.  And that was good.  As were the marinated  lentils underneath.  And the salsa which escapes me as does the nutty crunch which intersects all the flavours.  Then there is that crispy clump on the side with a sweet house relish below.  That is blood sausage.  And it was so good, so scrumptious, so appealing, I can only call it a donut.  It was very lightly fried in a batter and fell apart with your fork.  The relish was a magnificent counterpoint.  Exceptional.

Watermelon, Campari and lime granita, tart.  Lychees, sweet.  Bed of whipped mascarpone, rich and sinful.  A few exotic extra potent mint leaves for a burst of green. This is why people don`t diet.

Pistachio cake, peaches, raspberry ice cream, chocolate sauce, a tuile.  Nice finish.

And then a few bon bons with coffee.  Nice walk home, about 21 C.

The Long Hot Good Friday

Not much to report.  We walked around.  It was a great day but didn`t involve any culture or sport or shopping.  The only crisis was that my laptop died, probably from the heat--I was on the roof, surfing--and ever since I`ve had to use the hotel laptop with a Spanish keyboard (an apostrophe is CTL ALT keystroke and just try figuring out the at symbol...)

Took lots of pics just poking around the neighbourhood. Another glorious day weather wise.

Sculpture.  Can also dry clothes.

nice to come home to

watch dog

Net content 490 cm cubed.  Which they figure how?

Artemisia, a nice find for a lazy lunch in Palermo Hollywood

New build.  Includes services.

You`ve been tagged

Sexy back

Clematis and Comet

Searching for a Pith Helmet

So during our morning in San Telmo we spent a few hours antiquing.  The best antique market ever.  Ever!  I’m not so much about the chandeliers and crystal and jewellery and furniture, of which there was plenty, including some egregious examples of old school safaris (e.g., tables with elephant tusks for legs).  But everyday items from generations past?  That’s heaven.  There were military stalls, old radio items, canes with hidden swords, leather WWI pilot gear, giant scales and weight counters, sets of petanque balls (1.5 kgs each, too heavy for luggage), toys, games, even the most fascinating item ever: Wooden gaucho stirrups ($150 each, $300 a pair).  Needless to say I was restrained from building my collection! 

Old apothecary bottles

Him: I noticed you got another pistol.  Do we need another pistol? 

Me: They’re part of a set.  Without the set they’re less valuable.

Him: I almost shot my foot off the other day while dusting the luger.

Me: Sorry about that.  I was making sure it was in working order.

Him: They’re on display.

Me: Yes, but what’s the value if they don’t work?

Him: And taking up half the house I might add.

Me: Think of it as an installation.  They were used in 1930 to depose the President.  They’re historically significant.

Him: Tell me one person who knows what went down in Argentina in 1930?  Who has a shelf full of guns anyway?  And the mannequin in the fencing mask and padding scares people half to death.

Me: That’s because you’ve moved him into the feint attack position.  When we have company just make sure he’s parrying.

Him: And did we need another straight razor?

Me: Well, first, having just one straight razor is kind of creepy.  Six, or seven, now that’s a collection.

Him: Do the straight razors “work”?

Me: Don’t be ridiculous.  Some of them don’t even open.  The straight razors are a display item.  As are the military regalia.  Which, I might add, are in a state.  You’ve grouped all the epaulettes together as well as the swords and hats.  They’re meant to be in groups by regiment, not by type.

Him: Groups of what?  We’re knee deep in breeches and brass buttons and decorations.  My mother sat on a pin the other day and required three stitches.

Me: That was a cross of Heroic Valour from the Falklands war.  She should have been more respectful!  At any rate, we have a complete first aid surgical kit in the corner behind the boxes of astrolabes.

Him: That first aid kit is from the revolutionary war!

Me: Surely surgery hasn’t changed that much in 200 years?  More importantly, the Patricians are distinct from the Horse Grenadiers, so they need to be together, and the 18^th century dress uniforms are getting mixed up with the scabbards.

Him: I am tired of arranging tiny little medals and tipping over radio microphones and lining up military gear according to advancements.  We can’t breathe for the stink of ammonia coming from all the pharmacy bottles.  And having to explain to people which stuff is navy and which is army and why is driving me insane.

Me: I saw a nice pith helmet, not in very good shape, but attractive in San Telmo today.  We could attach all the metals to the helmet to keep them in one spot.

Him: I am not dusting another freaking pith helmet!

And so on...

 

Microscopes, gyroscopes and other scientific equipment

Old bottle of gin

Dolls.  Various states...

Microphones and pistols

Razors, daggers, lighters

Vintage espresso makers

Mint 1970s memorabilia

Government, Slums and the New Rich

The Casa Rosada, or red house, once Argentina`s White House

View from the balcony where Madonna, er Evita Peron, made her famous speeches

Interior Courtyard (one of many)

We did a tour of the Casa Rosada.  The once upon a time seat of government, now mainly for ceremonial use.

From the Hall of Famous Argentinians: Rinaldo!

Gilda!

But no sign of DelPo...

Then, after finding the best antique stores in the Americas, all in one place, and not buying anything (!, see Buying a Pith Helmet...), we wandered San Telmo, the oldest barrio, with its decaying mansions and narrow cobbled streets.  It has the feel of a Graham Greene novel, past glory, decline, a clash of classes and interests.  By far the most interesting architecture of the city.

Franciscan church Our Lady of Pilar, built in 1732

A tree grows in the barrio

Hey little fella, why so glum?

We took lunch in a wonderful French-style bistro, Petanque, with high ceilings and large windows, a mild breeze wafting across the room and a waiter that looked like Mickey Dolenz.  Afterwards we turned toward the waterfront: Recovered, redeveloped, gentrified.  The pedestrian walkways along the river, rows of mega restaurants and towering condos are reminiscent of any redevelopment in any large city and, with the exception of an 18^th century frigate and a very modern pedestrian bridge, you could be in any metropolis on any continent.  Maybe Buenos Aires is becoming the BA of Robert Heinlein`s Starship Troopers?  We noted that this was the first neighbourhood we’d visited free of any signs of tagging.  They must have private security patrols in the night.

warm quinoa ratatouille

The other waterfront highlight is the Philippe Starck Faena hotel which, I guess, was even too expensive for Tom Cruise, who flew in last week for a premiere but only stayed 10 hours and didn`t even dine there.

The Calatrava designed pedestrian bridge

From the waterfront we returned to Palermo Soho.  It was the afternoon prior to a long weekend and awash in locals, visitors, families, teens, and out-of-towners driving slow with their emergency lights on.  We did a little window shopping and took a coffee in an uber-trendy spot called Nanche, surrounded by a local version of Sloane Rangers perusing their shopping and scrolling through their iPhones.  We paid a ridiculous $18 CDN for two coffees, one water, and two small pastries, and mine wasn’t even what I ordered.  After a short siesta we headed out for another culinary adventure.

Las Pizarras is, as one waiter put it, a “rustic” bistro.  It’s like they moved in yesterday, or last year, hard to tell, put everything down without sorting, and began serving food.  At least once they ran out of glasses!  By nine each table was full and there were groups on the street waiting (on the other side of the locked door; it turns out to be standard evening restaurant practice).  The chef, who had just returned from Montreal’s Lumiere festival and had three years culinary experience in London, UK, under his belt, explained the very creative menu.  SS started with a tortilla, I had a soup with the ingredients of vichyssoise but hot and with a goat camembert, followed by a duck with pumpkin and SS had the most sensational rabbit in a to-die-for barley risotto with a bitter green salad.  For dessert (they cooked each, to order) SS had a chocolate cake and I had a sticky toffee pudding.  They seated a last table of three just before 11, as the trio pleaded with the owner who, reluctantly, agreed to serve them.  Rustic, yes; also a madhouse, a wild mix of locals and tourist foodies, skinny modelos, business people, trendies, old timers and of course us.  Absolutely spectacular.