don’t forget the empanadas

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alfajores, Argentina, Buenos Aires, cooking class, empanadas, food, travel

after tips 1,2, 3, 4, 5 & 6 – a final tip on Buenos Aires…

tip #7  eat some empanadas (or take a cooking class and make them!)

thanks lonely planet!  from reading your Buenos Aires travel book during some trip planning, i knew i’d have some time to kill in the city, and decided to book a cooking class. 

let’s dance, let’s (Argentinian) tango!

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Argentina, Argentinian tango, Buenos Aires, la boca, travel

previously, tips 1 &2, and tips 3 & 4 from my reflections on Buenos Aires…

tip #5 visit a market, but be smart and keep valuables close at hand.

Buenos Aires has different neighbourhoods and the weekends (particularly Sundays) are the days when markets are filled with people.

it’s hard to see in the photo, but the sea of people continues to infinity (ok, just seems that way, it’s a pretty long street)

there are markets for food, jewellery, crafts, antiques…the San Telmo market is known for antiques.  it was really something.  so many knick knacks…

and even a place filled only with dolls (*shudder*).

i met an Irish girl while i was in Brazil who foolishly did not lock her backpack (or wear it on her front) and her wallet got snatched by a smooth criminal (unintentional pun, i swear).  like any other big city filled with people, common sense is important but in an unfamiliar city, amp up the safety quotient a couple notches.  the necessity of this was unfortunately a reminder more than once on this trip.  even so, i personally never had any problems.

tip #6

“argentina has great beef”

Tags

Argentia, beef, Buenos Aires, Casa Rosada, food, travel

previously, tips #1 & 2 – Buenos Aires

more thoughts from my stop in Buenos Aires earlier this year…

tip #3: eat some steak. please don’t order it well-done.

thanks to a scene from “While You Were Sleeping” (a cute Sandra Bullock movie) where Saul says “Argentina has great beef”*, my taste buds started salivating at the thought. it’s been a long, drooly, 17 years.

this amazing steak was approx. $12-15 CDN

i was urged passionately by an Argentinian not to get steak more than medium doneness, his worry so strong that i would reinforce his belief of North Americans totally overcooking their steaks. i agree, it is a tragic waste, especially when medium-rare provided the perfect tenderness and chew, and plenty of juices full of great flavour. i wish i had a photo to show you, but the steak was so good it had my full attention.

if you’re wondering what might contribute to Argentinian beef being so great, for starters, grass-fed cattle are still much more popular, and the taste of the meat will differ from what most of us grain-fed beef eating North Americans are used to (with some exceptions of course). combine that with the way Argentines grill their meat. and the proverbial cherry on top is the value – the equivalent cost of a basic steak in a chain restaurant like the Keg would get you one of the top steaks in Buenos Aires (and i bet it would be mind-blowingly good).

*love the randomness of the conversation in this scene

tip #4:

“the paris of south america”

Tags

Argentina, Buenos Aires, Cafe Tortoni, churros, food, travel

some thoughts on my brief visit to Buenos Aires, Argentina.

tip #1: if going in winter (summer up here in the northern hemisphere), pack some warm clothes.

first thing to note for anyone that requires some geography refresher – Buenos Aires is quite far south.  its latitude is roughly the same as Cape Town, South Africa.  perhaps this is showing my poor geography knowledge as a south american virgin prior to this trip, but wow, who knew?!  it’s not as cold as winter can be here at home, but wearing 2 layers underneath a gap fleece pullover isn’t quite enough.  clothes aren’t as cheap as you may think, and chicks, don’t expect to find any hoodies.  Argentinian women must take after the French (see tip #2 for more) – there is no casual wear that includes hoodies or yoga pants (off topic – someone pointed out to me recently that women wearing yoga pants in public is definitely a Canadian thing, not a North American thing.  thoughts?)

isn’t it lovely inside Cafe Tortoni?

to warm up, have a coffee in any number of cafes, modern, retro, or perfectly european.   the churros at Cafe Tortoni, the oldest coffee shop in Argentina were some of the best i’ve eaten anywhere!

tip #2: