Gotham Gal

good-bye to 2009

I am so ready for 2009 to leave and 2010 to begin.  Although it is just a one day that separate the year, it is a mindset.

 I am not sure there is anyone I know who doesn’t feel the same way.  It was just a crazy year.  Stressful on many levels.  Overwhelming too.  We were all on cruise control and then all of a sudden the tire blew.  Not that it has happened before but it takes time to adjust. 

 A lot has been written about this past decade.  Although some people have written that it has been a big zero of a decade, I don’t agree. 

 Technology has changed the game this decade.  The world got flatter.  Certainly large companies continue to rule but in many ways, technology has changed that game.  The leaders of the music industry who were the deciding factor on many careers don’t really rule anymore.  Musicians now have the ability to create their own audiences through the world wide web.  Same for authors who want to publish their books.  They don’t necessarily need the big guys, they can find their own niche audience on the web.  When a young 13 year blogger named Tavi is invited to sit next to the top fashion critics in the world at the premier fashion shows, you need to step back and take pause.  Who is running the fashion world, is it Vogue or is it the Sartorialist?  Perhaps the Sartorialist is pushing Vogue to rethink the way the are going to operate in the next decade.  In essence, a lot has changed this past 10 years.

 Certainly bloggers have become the information providers.  You can travel around the world and find out where to eat, what to see, what to do or not do in one simple click.  We have become a social world through the Internet by keeping live diaries, tagging photos and keeping everyone you touch up to date through your own personal home page.

 The last decade has been a game changer in the way we live our lives.  Many did not see the game changing or had the vision to figure it out.   As thrilled as I am to say goodbye to 2009, I am really excited to see how the next decade will unfold.  No doubt, the tools we have today will be ancient compared to the tools we will have tomorrow and they will continue to create a more intimate flatter singular world where the cream of new ideas and people will rise to the top without having to play the game the way we have had to in the past.  Every person is their own brand playing their own game. 

The smoke and mirrors of the past 10 years has certainly masked many inequities in people and businesses that had no right rising to the top but sometimes there is a need to flush that out.  We have witnessed the flush in 2009 which is why it has been a stressful year. 

My guess is 2010 will not only be a good year, it will a step in the an interesting new direction.  Regardless, to everyone out there who reads my blog, thanks for the support...and the comments.  Hope that 2010 is a happy healthy year.

 

Last day in Buenos Aires

Today was the finale.  One too many days but that’s ok.  This was definitely a relaxing vacation when it comes to cities.  We did late lunches, late dinners, no breakfast and slept in late.  Generally one activity or maybe 2 in the afternoon and then some rest and relaxation.  All good.

 We had to check out at noon so I had the van that was going to take us to the airport drive us around town to hit up the last few things we wanted to do before departing.  It was a nice way to get a few more things done with ease.

In the morning, I was able to hook up with the woman my friend knows that represents 4 artists.  I really liked all of the artists and took some pictures before deciding what I wanted to do.  Sometimes it just needs to sit with me for a bit first.  There are a few pieces that I really did love.  We will see.  One of them is above. 

 

Our first stop was Café Tortini which is the oldest café in BA and something all tourists should do.  Figuring since we had the car, we might as well go do it.  Nada.  A line around the block and couldn’t imagine it was worth the wait. 

 

En route to another place for lunch, we stopped by Carpincho.  If you need gloves, this is your place.  When we were in Florence, we got a bunch of gloves at one place that only sells gloves.  All beautiful and better priced than in NYC.  They actually carry the Florence gloves at some of the better stores in NYC so I know they are more expensive at home.  Carpinchino, although the gloves are not as elegant, they are well worth the price.  One pair of black leather gloves with fur lining for the coldest winter we are about to have were $40 US.  A steal.

 

Then we drove back to Porto and had lunch at La Cupertina.  This is a must go to.  Clean, quaint and authentic.  The owners are there serving you.

The empanadas are fantastic.  The delicious aromas hit you the minute you walk in the door.  Hand made stuff right before it comes to your plate.  Flaky, perfect crust with a variety of fillings. 

Spicy pulled beef, pulled chicken with vegetables, corn with white onions and cheese ( a classic Argentine empanada ).  We ended up with 16 empanadas among us.  We ordered a few more after our first round.  

We also had a bowl of Argentine Stew on our second round.  Jessica saw the big vat of it in the kitchen en route to the bathroom.  An intense yellow color soup filled with chorizo, pork, corn, butter beans and other beans.  So good and for an added zip you just add spice. 
A round of Coke Lights and some water too.  After we finished, we had some desserts.  2 thin wafer cookies, like a triple decker sandwich filled with dulce de leche with a sugar icing poured over the top.  Really really sweet.  The other was the same but the base was a blander cookie with the dulche on top.  The best was 2 cookies with the consistency of a black and white made into a moonpie with dulche de leche and a hint of chocolate in the middle.  An excellent lunch.  Loved the whole place.  Total for all that food was $40 US dollars.  Crazy.

 

We drove over to La Casa de las Botas where they make boots from scratch.  The boots are more geared towards the equestrian crowd but they are quite beautiful and not expensive.  Em tried on a few but decided that they weren’t her thing.  But the place was a step back in time.  Still making them by hand in the back.  Very cool.

 

Honestly, at this point, as much as we thought about returning to San Telmo to check out a few more galleries which I wanted to get to, we bagged it and made our way to the airport to deal with the new insanity.  Here, we have to be at the gate one and a half hours in advance to be patted down prior to getting on the plane.  Fun stuff. 

 Great trip, as always, it is a treat to discover new cities and return to places we have been before to see what has changed. From the people to the restaurants to the vibe…and of course seeing it through my kids eyes is always the biggest bonus.  There is definitely a change in the atmosphere over the last 10 years ago.  When we were here last, 70% of the people that lived in BA were under 30.  There was bounce in everyone's step.  I felt it must have been like what it felt like during the 1950's in the USA.  Not now.  There is a feeling of cruise control and most who we talked to are not thrilled with the Government.  It is quite interesting how 10 years really changes a country.  After all, as someone described Argentina to me on this trip, the Government doesn't have a set of rules to follow like the USA.  Each Government basically starts again from scratch.  Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose.  Right now there is a feeling of limbo not joy.  Interesting.

 Next year??

Jangada

Our last night in Buenos Aires, we had dinner with Jessica’s friend and her family.  They are staying at the Faena Hotel + Universe so Fred and I went over there with Jess to meet them for a drink. 

 The hotel is quite cool.  Philip Starck designed.  You feel as if you have entered the land of cool the second walk into the place.  I guess that is why it has a + Universe at the end of the name. The bar is a large room with couches, chairs, and the light is dim.  A nice looking pool outside to hang during the day too.  From what they said, the rooms are way too small. 

 Years ago, after doing the boutique hotel scene, we all decided in unison to bag that direction.  Although cool scenes, not always great locations and more important, rooms that were way too small for staying more than a night and basic services that were questionable.  In the last few years we have gone the larger hotel route.  For the time being, it works.

I wanted to pick a fish restaurant this night because I knew it was the right thing for the group we were dining with.  We had already done Oveida and so had they and Jangada, which appeared to have really good reviews would be the perfect choice.  Wrong.

Don’t always believe what you read.  Do not go to Jangada.  The restaurant is simple in décor which is totally fine.  The service isn’t great but certainly that is part of the culture but the food is awful.

Portions are huge.  We began with a mixture of things.  Somehow the first round was small bowls of fried calamari which I do not recall ordering not does anybody else but at least we had something to eat.  Nothing great but at this point edible.  The salads came out for the few that ordered them.  Well, not all of them, one salad never appeared.  A few of us had ordered the stuffed calamari to begin but that came about 15 minutes after the salad.  Tiny squid stuffed with nuts and then sautéed in olive oil.  Tasteless really and way too much effort to stuff those tiny squids if they can’t deliver them on time to the table.

 The thing at Jangada is the paca.  Pacu is a relative of the barracuda and can grow up to 60 lbs.  There are a variety of fish that they offer coming from the river which you don't see in Buenos Aires.  Many of the fish are for 2.  Each fish is served on a wooden plank.

 Fred and I went for the Pacu, someone else went for the Dorado and someone else went for the pink salmon.  There was 8 of us and 4 fish.  2 would have been ample.  But more important, none of the fish were any good.  All overcooked and completely bland served with sopping deep fried onion rings and huge slabs of boiled potatoes with butter.  After a night of not getting anything on time, it would have been ok if the main courses were delicious but they were so not.

 Most definitely our worst meal in BA.  So sorry I picked it.  I would have picked Le Sucre but we had already been to one of their restaurants, Bar Uriate.  I would have picked El Trapiche but thought too much steak.  That is the one restaurant I am sorry we did not get to.  All and all, I should have gone for the quality of the food not the type of food.  Lesson learned but am sharing the lesson with any of you on the way to Buenos Aires.  Don’t go to Jangada.

on our own in buenos aires

today might have set new boundaries.  the kids went off on their own and fred and i did our own thing.  it worked well for everyone and we will all meet for dinner.  love that.

fred and i started the day off at monet cafe which is on a corner in the ricoleta area.  just a simple cafe with good coffee and yummy croissants.  we are attempting to hook up with a woman who has a gallery and is in the midst of moving so all her art into new space and everything is at her apartment.  the hook-up isn't working so well but tomorrow is another day.  we walked back and i found a fantastic leather shop and made a few purchases which always sets the day off in a good direction.  the store just opened up 2 months ago. 

we went back to the hotel to check in with the kids and at that point, we parted ways.  fred and i walked over to el cuartito.  a pizza shop dating back 75 years.  a total local joint.  pictures of argentine sports on the wall.  in the front of the shop, you can eat your slice and have something to drink.  on the other side, is the area where you can sit down an order. 

we ordered a pie with mozzarella, jamon and tomatoes.  it came with olives too but no biggie.  it isn't antico forno in rome (my favorite pizza place in the entire world) but it is quite good.  the crust is thin but has the taste of a thicker napoleon type crust.  the crust is very crispy so a knife works perfect or a really good bite.  highly recommend this place.  total old school. 

we strolled over to el ateneo which is an old theater converted into a bookstore.  a very cool space.  books are even in the higher areas that were originally for seating.  the cafe is around the stage.  worth just walking into.

galleries were on the mind today so that is what we did.  we began at daniel maman gallery which is not really near any other galleries.  it was recommended to me so we stopped in.  the exhibit was quite interesting.  large trees that were wrapped in rope and studded with nails.  there were not only sculptures but also photos of the pieces that made them look surreal.  the best part, was the woman who ran the gallery was incredibly helpful.  i have done tons of research but was still at a loss on where to go for emerging art.  she pointed me in the right direction and confirmed all the information i had including where to shop.  i gave her a few tips when she came back to nyc which she does frequently so it was the perfect exchange.

we decided the best thing to do was to go back to the street called arroyo which is near the sofitel.  there are about 6 galleries on that street, all that carry more seasoned artists but if you ask, you never know what you can find in the back rooms.

we first started at a gallery that was having a show of all young artists and nothing was more than 1000 pesos which is about $380 us dollars.  nothing rocked my boat but i did like the concept.  the next space we walked into is called aldo de sousa gallery.  a young guy who owns it with a mixture of interesting artists.  i talked to him about other artists and what he might have.  also, i don't have space for huge pieces.  he brought out a bunch of stuff.  my favorite was an artist named florencia temperley.  he has a series of photos that she did called the wall.  might go back and buy a piece tomorrow.  there are 2 pieces that i liked.  one of the soccer ball and the other of the shadows of children.

we walked into daniel mamans smaller gallery which is located on that street too.  some interesting pieces, all the galleries seem to have a mixture of artists on their walls right now.  it might have to do with the season. 

down the street is a few other galleries that didn't draw me in.  palatina is another gallery on the other side of the street that i had actually written down so we went in.  the woman at daniel maman told me it was an excellent gallery when she went through my research.  3 lovely ladies helped us.  they brought out some really great pieces from 2 artists that i liked immediately.  the one on the left, the black and white, is from an artist named beto de volder.  what is really cool is the pieces move because there are magnets on the back of each piece attached to a metal canvas.  all his other art is of the same vein but in sculpture forms and drawings but conceptually the same style.  we bought the one shown above.  the piece on the right is from an artist named andrea paredes.  his work is all about cut-outs. one piece was a paper cut out with an exact knife.  the piece above is made of wood cut into an intricate web with green cylinder in the back that pops.  we got that piece too.  beto is 43 years of age and andres is 28 so the gallery has artists they are nurturing, others that have established themselves a bit more and others way into their 70's who are seriously established.  i like that.

on the way back we passed another gallery, galerie rubbers international.  2 artists i really liked in there but unfortunately the guy was on the phone while we were there and i didn't feel like waiting.  the artists were andrea fernandez and lilliana golubinsky. 

i finally connected with the woman who is in the midst of moving her gallery.  we will go see what she has tomorrow morning.  maybe more art is to bring home is in our future.

thymus and freddo

we met 2 people for drinks prior to dinner last night.  readers of our blogs who live in buenos aires.  both work in the tech industry in pr.  as always, it is great to meet people in the city you are in and meet people who read your stuff.  a pleasure.

after, we took a cab over to thymus which is a restaurant in the palermo area.  i had read about thymus but it was driven home after meeting someone in nyc who told me her cousin was the chef/owner behind thymus.  figured, it was a must go. 

the decor is simple, maybe 10 tables.  you can order a la carte or go with a tasting menu in a variety of forms, from 3 to 4 to 6 and the portions reflect that.  we went a la carte.

the first thing out was the amuse bouche.  a small cup of garlicky gazpacho with an olive filled cigar.  chopped black olive paste rolled in filo dough.  nice statement but a tad on the garlic side.

the bread was fantastic.  warm brown bread loaded with walnuts and raisins.  absolutely delicious.  i loved how the served butter and a mound of kosher salt with the butter.  jessica, who didn't come with us last night, loves the salt with the bread.  nice touch. 

for appetizers we went a few different ways.  3 of us went with the shrimp.  delicious tasting grilled shrimp that was almost buttery in taste over a thin layer of mashed potatoes with pulled spicy beef on the side.  not sure the beef and potato worked with the shrimp.  a lot of the food took the creation to a level that i didn't find necessary. 

fred had the goat cheese creme brulle which was rich and quite delicious served with a small salad of greens and a deep fried brioche rolled up and cut on an angle. 

for dinner, i had the chicken.  3 pieces of super crispy chicken that was a tad salty but really well cooked over root vegetable mash and sliced marinated figs with white onions.  didn't love the side, the flavors didn't grab me. 

fred had the lasagna.  deconstructed and stuffed with a rabbit ragu that had braised in red wine.  quite rich and interesting.  presentation was beautiful.

josh had the beef.  the beef was too beefy.  does that make sense? the flavor was just too dense. 

in the end, we opted out of dessert and made our way over to freddo.  a few observations.  i did introduce myself to the chef that i met his cousin, etc.  there was definitely a disconnect but then he realized who it was and he didn't even come over until the end.  he basically sat at the front table the entire time when he had a room full of patrons paying more than the normal argentine meal.  he could have spent some time schmoozing.  conceptually he has some great ideas but they are just missing the mark.  some parts of each dish were delicious where other parts were completely off.  my guess, is give him a few years and a new menu.  he is definitely trying to bring a finer type of dining to buenos aires and for that i give fernando mayoral high marks.

freddo, well, what can i say.  delicious ice cream.  much sweeter than volta.  might have to do another tasting and see which i prefer.

day 4, buenos aires

It was raining when we got up and as always, headed out to palermo for lunch.  today, we began at bar 6. 

bar 6 is a cafe/bar that starts with breakfast and continues all through the night.  the space is very cool.  super high ceilings with modern industrial fabrications against old brick.  the furniture is a mishmash from tables and chairs to old sofas and kilim rugs.  very chic and comfy.

lunch was quite good.  fred and em went with the stir fry which was excellent.  flavorful, asian bend and mixed with black sesame seeds.  i went with a salad that had everything in it but the kitchen sink which was also really good.  jess has the salmon tartare which seems to big here that had arugula layered over the salmon and quite good.  josh has chicken quesidillas.  the menu is as eclectic as the space where it totally works and tastes good. 

afterward, we realized we were in need of cash and started the mission of finding a bank.  not easy in this area.  we did quite a bit of walking before we found one.  where as in nyc, there is almost a bank on every corner or an atm in every deli.  funny enough, last night we walked through recoleta and noticed in that neighborhood, banks are abundant.  so, the neighborhood with the money gets the banks.

malba was the activity of the late afternoon.  malba is the modern art museum of buenos aires.  fantastic space.  large open windows, hanging lamps from the ceilings, glass elevators, and light streaming through the middle and the galleries are off to the side.  not a huge museum but one that is a must see.

what i loved about malba is simply the art.  having gone to modern art museums from one end of the world to the other, this museum has fantastic modern art all argentine based.  most of the art i had never seen but was drawn to immediately.  as always, i brought home the book of malba's permanent collection.  i'm looking forward to going through it and taking some notes.  loved the art.

it was time to go back to the hotel and take a snooze, read a book and just relax.  nice day.

La Cabrera

AARRRGGGHHHHHH!  That pretty much sums up our night at La Cabrera.  Little did we know, thanks to our concierge, that reservations stop at 8pm and although we had a reservation at 930 that just puts us on the list. 

 Like all restaurants, you really aren’t sure, on some nights, how the place works.  There is no doubt that we got screwed, that much I do know. 

 We got there at 930 and were told we were on the list, no worries, about 30 minutes.  The restaurant serves champagne and warm chorizo outside while you wait.  The woman who has the list gets swarmed the second she steps outside.  It is an insane way of doing business but they obviously could care less.  It does not add to the charm, believe me.

There are 2 restaurants.  The original and then the second one down the street which was obviously built for the overflow because it was packed too. 

 Last night, we waited for almost 2 hours.  Why didn’t we leave?  Good question.  We stayed because by the time we got somewhere else, it would be late and she kept saying that our table was almost done.  They had supposedly paid their bill and were waiting for them to leave.  After a certain amount of time, the restaurant should tell them to get up and leave, nicely, as there are other people waiting. What I think really happened is they gave our table to someone else who they knew.

 At 11:15, we were told that they were so sorry, we had definitely been screwed ( basically ) and they were holding a table for us down the street.  Did we want to go down the street?  Not really but at this point, who cared. 

Even if this was the best meal that I have ever eaten in my life, I’d never go back.  The entire frustration at waiting put such a damper on the entire night.  

 So, here it is for the food.  The portions are tremendous so if you go, 2 appetizers for the table is ample.  We ordered a mozzarella, tomato and jamon plate.  Delicious tomatoes and mozzarella with a touch of pesto.  The jambon was a bit hard and not that interesting.  We also had a mixed baby arugula salad with sliced salmon ( nova ) on top and avocados.  The salmon and avocados were really good but the salad but itself was bland.  After eating up the mixes, the lettuce was in need of serious dressing.

 Then, of course, the steak, which is why people flock to La Cabrera.  We ordered 3 Bife de Chorizo, bloody and red.  They like their meat more well done in BA and if you order medium-rare expect your meat to be done.  Our meat came out on the rare/medium-rare side which was perfect. The meat comes out on wooden planks surrounded by small bowls of extras.  The extras run from sun-dried tomatoes to mashed pumpkin to drenched lentils in some weird sauce.  I barely touched any of them. 

Everyone raved about the steak.  Maybe it was me, maybe it was the night but I did not think it was the most flavorful steak I have ever had.   Peter Lugers blows their steak out of the water, IMHO and many other places that I have been through out Italy and NYC.  If I thought about it, I could put together a serious list. 

They were going to give us free desserts for the table because they felt so bad about the situation which only proves that we got hosed because believe me, this place could care less about people waiting. But we were so done after dinner.  Instead, we had some of the lollipops which is their gimmick that they give at the end of the night.  Josh filled his pockets.

Bottom line, no interest in ever standing and waiting for more than 15 minutes.  Is it worth it, absolutely not.  Every restaurateur that I know talks about customer service and hospitality.  That is the key to success.  The owners of La Cabrera could give a shit about hospitality.  There are plenty of wonderful steak restaurants in this town and for the experience, run, don’t walk, in the opposite direction of La Cabrera.

buenos aires, day 3, san telmo

 
 

Although there are many art galleries in the area of San Telmo ( which we will return to ), the day to go to San Telmo is on Sunday.  Sunday is the day when the streets are filled with people selling their wares.  One big open air market.  The best market are really inside the Square/Park.  The streets are more local people with blankets and such. 

There is no doubt tons of schlock but it is worth the journey.   There are people playing music.

There is the Market of San Telmo where there are some food stalls although questionable if I would eat anything and lots of vintage clothes and antiques.  There is definitely a common time period where most of the wares come from.  Many of the glassware were reminiscent of my Grandmothers stuff.

 

The key is finding a cafe to get a Coca-Cola Light.  Our drink of choice when we are out of the country.

Fred loves to take pictures with his blackberry and then send them to a variety of locations, twitter, flicker, etc.

The place we wanted to eat at, San Juan Cafe, had an hour wait so we bagged it and ended up at a local empanada/pizza joint which I won't share the name.  The crust was good, the insides not so good but at least we had something to eat.

The area is a tad seedy but everyone got their goods.  I bought an old glass seltzer making bottle from 1929 in blue.  The tube inside is actually still made of glass. 

When we return, it will be to look at the galleries. 

More music

Fred posted his top 10 albums of 2009 which I had my fair share of listening to.  As we have become more and more play lists listeners, I really liked the top 25 song list he put up. 

Enjoy...
Here are the tracks.

Ovieda...and Volta

Ovieda, although expensive for Buenos Aires, has been our best meal so far.  Their specialty is fish.  A white table cloth restaurant with old fashioned balled chandeliers.  The vibe and decor reminded me of being in Italy.  Classic.  They do have other things besides fish but we went with what they are all about.

The bread basket is fantastic.  Each of us were served a small portion of a guacamole that had a hint of balsamic vinegar in it with the bread to start.  There were long flat bread sticks that were powered with a brushing of chili pepper, warm white and brown breads and melba toast like crackers.  All delicious and all necessary for mopping up all the delicious sauces.

The first course, well, the pictures almost speak for themselves.  Fred and I went with the baby squid.  Tiny squid, grilled and served across the plate layered with grilled peppers and onions in between with a parsley olive oil sauce.  The squid cut like butter. 

Jess went with the shrimp.  A round disc of chopped tomatoes to create a tartar with grilled shrimp layered on top.  Beautiful and the flavors mixed perfectly.

Josh and Em went with the tuna.  2 large pieces of raw tuna with raw onions over the top sitting in a lemony olive oil dressing.  Excellent. 

For dinner, we went really 2 ways.  Jess and I had the sea bream with veggies and Fred had his with spinach and potatoes.  Grilled sea bream underneath a layer of zucchini and eggplant that was perfectly draped on top.  This sat over a mixture of peppers sauteed and sliced cherry tomatoes.  Fred had spinach on top of his with layers of potatoes underneath.

Josh and Em went with the salmon.  Grilled salmon sitting over a simple butter sauce with spinach croquettes.  That is Josh's finger to the left. 

What always works is returning to the roots of French cooking.  Although there is certainly Italian origins in Buenos Aires, this meal took from not only Italy but France.  Simply cooked fish with a sauce to add flavor.  All well done.  A place I'd return to again and again.  Just an fyi on price.  Everything I described plus 8 bottles of water ( yes, we drink a lot of water ) and 2 bottles of wine came to $250 American dollars. In Italy or France or the US...this meal would run us about $800.

After, we grabbed a couple of taxis and headed over to Volta.  At midnight, the place was hopping.  I believe we went to the original Volta in the Recoleta area of BA.  Open doors with tables throughout that streamed out on to the sidewalk.  The ice cream, well, what can I say...rich and delicious.  Truthfully...how bad can a scoop of chocolate ice cream with almonds and dulce de leche with pieces of brownie in it be?