La Cabrera

We wanted to write a brief post dedicated to the meat-party-of-a-meal we had during our last night in Buenos Aires. After being told numerous times that we had to experience "the traditional Parrilla" meal while in Argentina, we saved our steak dinner until our last night, dining at La Cabrera, which was recommended to us by many of our friends.

I was expecting somewhat of a tourist trap, similar to Andres Carne De Res in Bogota, so was pleasantly surprised to arrive at a small, traditional-looking steakhouse with a homey interior.

After a brief review of the menu (sorry vegetarians - I seriously cannot recommend you visit this restaurant!) we decided to try a few traditional dishes: chorizo, provoleta (basically grilled cheese with meat) and bife de chorizo (steak fillet). Even though I read about this place ahead of time and knew that ordering side dishes was not necessary, it still felt like we over-ordered!

The "half" portion of the chorizo appetizer.

Provoleta: grilled provolone cheese, prosciutto and sundried tomatoes. Amazing!

Seriously, are those a million mini side dishes?

Our steak - delicious!

The meal was delicious - the meat was well prepared, the wine was great and our server was excellent. A few minor gripes though (should you find yourself in search of a meat-heavy meal in Buenos Aires):

1. The chorizo appetizer arrived literally one minute after we ordered it . Whether by design or coincidence, it felt like the first of several signals that we were being rushed out to accommodate the ever-growing line of would-be diners.

2. The steak had a thick layer of fat along the edges and I'm not used to that. We could easily cut off the inedible portion, but obviously this counted toward the steak's total weight - I just though it should have been more clear.

3. The "side dishes" (well really they're small sauce dishes) are mostly mayonnaise-based and not that great. Vegetables slathered in mayonnaise are not my preferred accoutrements for steak. The fries (not ordered) were great though!

Overall, we had a great meal and really enjoyed our parrilla experience at La Cabrera - we would definitely pass along the recommendation!

Iguazu Falls - Part 1

Our last day (well, technically second-to-last since we will be back for one night before flying to Rio) in Buenos Aires was pretty mundane: resting after another 14-hour bus trip back from Mendoza, making sure our laundry was done and hitting up one more restaurant recommendation from a friend.

We headed to Las Pizarras (thanks Jennifer!) for a great meal with fantastic service and great wine. The menu changes daily and is presented on multiple chalkboards, but definitely has a strong Argentinian / French Bistro / hope you love meat attitude. The standout for us was actually the steak tartar appetizer - it was substantial, really well-seasoned (capers!) and very different from what we would have gotten in NYC (small mound of raw steak with an egg yolk). So far, all of our restaurant recommendations have worked out pretty well!

I'm not even a big fan of steak tartar normally but this was delicious.

Thursday morning we woke up and headed to the airport to catch our flight to Iguazu. We had originally intended to take another bus, but after learning the trip was actually 24 hours (!!), we opted for a quick 2 hour flight instead.

We arrived at Casa Yaguarete, a small B&B I had found via Trip Advisor (of course!) and were warmly greeted by our hosts, Lorena and Andrea. Lorena promptly gave us an overview of the property, told us which tours we should take (and on which day), gave us a map of the city and provided hand-written directions for everything else. We headed into the small town of Puerto Iguazu, Argentina (about a 40-minute walk) and took a look around before grabbing a quick meal and heading to bed.

Friday it was time to head to the falls, starting with the Brazilian side as recommended by our kind hosts. A note on the geography: Brazil and Argentina each have their own national park, small tourist town and accompanying airport to provide access to Iguazu. Crossing the Argentinian / Brazilian border via bus and going through customs was actually very easy (thanks for picking up our visas Nick!) and we arrived at the national park in about an hour. From there we took another bus and headed deeper into the park and closer to the falls, which was clear as soon as we heard the sound of rushing water. There were many paths to take to continue observing all of the different falls from various vantage points, but I'll let our pictures do the talking here!

There was actually a line of people to get a photo at this overlook. We saw some other tourists scoff and move on, but figured it was worth a five-minute wait to get this shot!

Sort of the "gateway view" of the falls.

One of the various "platforms" between different waterfalls.

Another waterfall "platform."

More waterfalls.

I wondered how many individual falls actually comprise Iguazu.

Given all the mist in the air, there were many different places to see rainbows around the falls!

It felt like the falls just kept on going.

We walked around for a while, taking in the view from each overlook. There is apparently a lot of debate over which side is preferable - Argentina vs. Brazil - but it's hard to imagine the views from Argentina can top the ones we had today. We'll find out tomorrow!

Almost Like We're Back in New York

Buenos Aires is definitely the biggest and most cosmopolitan city we've been to so far on our trip so we were expecting it to remind us of home a bit, but it really felt like we were back in New York as we walked around today. As we would begin many Saturdays back home, Sarah picked out a brunch place for a filling meal to start the day. Magdalena's Party also happens to serve some of the best bloody Mary's we've ever had - no horseradish, but plenty of peppers to give it a nice kick!

The morning sun made the celery look like it was glowing; it also gives you a detailed look at the thickness of my beard!

I got the steak and eggs sandwich. I've never seen this classic brunch combo on a roll before, but with an onion ring and "special sauce," it was really phenomenal.

After brunch we walked up to what I would describe as Buenos Aires' version of Central Park. Along the north part of town there are a series of connected parks: the Japanese Garden, the Rose Garden, a bunch of Plazas, the Botanical Garden and the Zoo. We spent a few hours walking around enjoying the weather and the sights. We had to be careful as we were walking on paved paths though because there were literally hundreds of rollerbladers throughout the park - in Central Park I feel like you only need to watch out for these guys, but in Buenos Aires it seems like everyone rollerblades.

It started as a bit overcast today but fortunately the weather cleared up for our walk!

Sarah at one of the many plazas scattered throughout the parks.

More than a small resemblance to Bow Bridge over The Lake in Central Park.

No palm trees in Central Park though.

Sarah paused for a rest on one of the benches by the pond.

As the afternoon came to an end we wanted to get an early dinner before our overnight bus trip to Mendoza. Sarah had been eyeing a southern-style gastro-pub called Nola and I'm really glad she found this place. Great selection of craft beers (a welcome change to the usual pilsner offerings we're used to) and delicious fried chicken! If you want some decidedly un-Argentinian food when you're in town we highly recommend you stop by. 

The friend chicken at Nola - so good we each got our own order.

Now we are getting ready at out hotel for the overnight bus trip. Normally I would not be excited for a 13-hour overnight trip, but the busses are supposed to be nice and we booked a "suite" class ticket so I'm hopeful that it's a pretty enjoyable experience! Next stop: Mendoza!

Buenos Aires

Alex and I arrived in Buenos Aires late on Wednesday night eager to explore the city. We were pretty tired from a long day of travel and after we got settled into our hostel we went out for a very Argentinian-timed dinner around 9pm. I located La Vinya de Defensa, a family-owned spot down the street, and we headed there for tapas and red wine. The menu was a small chalkboard consisting of five daily tapas; since they recommended two per person and one contained nuts, our decision was pretty easy! Our hosts were lovely and even prepared a special steak dish for us since it was our first time in the city ("You are in Argentina, you must eat steak!"). If you are ever in San Telmo, definitely stop by for the amazing blue cheese scones.

Thursday morning we woke up feeling refreshed and set out to conquer some of the recommendations we've from friends along the way (Thanks Jennifer, David, Tierney and Mathias!).

First stop: Florida Street to get some cash, easily the sketchiest thing Alex and I have ever done. For the uninitiated, Florida Street is where a bunch of local guys (and girls) yell "Cambio!" at everyone, hoping to exchange currency for Argentinian Pesos. Our friends - and even guidebooks - directed us here because the exchange rate you get is approximately 30-40% better than the official rate, which you would get by simply withdrawing pesos from an ATM or using a credit card (click here for a better explanation). After negotiating with a handful of sketchy looking people and moving to a "back office" so we didn't have to exchange money on the street, we emerged with our spending money for Argentina. For context, the official rate was 8.7 pesos / 1 USD, our hostel offered us 10 / 1 and we got 12.5 / 1 on the street (we could have gotten 13 / 1 if we'd been carrying $50- or $100-bills but we only had $20s from Peru).

After an exhilarating morning experience, we walked toward Recoleta for lunch and to check out the famed cemetery.

The Recoleta Cemetery is as well manicured as a park, with beautiful walkways and trees.

Just strolling through a cemetery.

Alex and I marveled at how large and imposing some of the mausoleums were.

One of the biggest tombs in the cemetery.

The cemetery was a very unique place with beautiful architecture; definitely the least creepy cemetery we've ever been too! We left wondering how much it costs to be buried there and/or how famous you need to be (Evita is one of the notable names laid to rest at Recoleta).

After visiting the cemetery, we continued walking west toward Palermo and eventually to our dinner reservation at I Latina. At the recommendation of a friend, we decided to splurge and try their 7-course tasting menu (the restaurant holds the #1 spot on trip advisor out of 2,300 others so I was easily convinced!). Great call - each course was unique, well prepared and delicious. The three Colombian siblings who run the place also graciously accommodated Alex's allergies and thoughtfully described each part of the meal.

Only the bread course, but really great. Alex had nut-free banana bread and we both enjoyed the cheese balls!

The restaurant is located in a beautiful old mansion. At 8pm, we were one of the earliest seatings (the meal still lasted until 11pm!) so we had a great view of the kitchen.

Friday morning we walked to the historic neighborhood of La Boca, known for its bright buildings and working-class residents. Now a popular tourist destination in Buenos Aires, the area seems to have lost a bit of its seedy reputation (at least during the daytime). We enjoyed walking around and sipping coffee at an outdoor café but took a pass on posing for tango photos or buying the many trinkets being hawked at us.

Graffiti on the walk to La Boca.

Most of the brightly colored buildings were composed of old scraps / shipping containers.

After lunch we are heading to a different hotel in Palermo Soho so we can check out a different area of the city. Tomorrow night we head to Mendoza!