From Buenos Aires, With Love

And today, our first guest blogger Erica Bleau writing about her recent trip to Buenos Aires....

Buenos Aires querido, like a tango…
this is where you start and where you finish a trip to Argentina.

Of course if you go for ten days you might want to stay 20 , why not if you are on a holiday? But the country has it’s charm with the chaotic Latin traffic (perhaps inherited from Italy?) , French buildings and further away from the capital the calm and mysterious culture of the original indigenous inhabitants. The place is a big hybrid , modern and yet not developed , rich and poor, a big mix of Europeans and their legacy that could never replace the Indian mate with the tea or coffee. They just coexist.

Well, as you can see I could write about Argentina for days but today I've been asked to write about a restaurant... Argentineans are nostalgic ( that’s why we have the tangos) and I have to say that those different cultures contribute to the gastronomic world in a wonderful way; you can find great variety. But we have a majesty: Su majestad, la carne!!

Asi es como para comer la ultima delicia antes de subir al avión mi hermano ha tenido la sana idea de pasar por Puerto Madero…

The restaurant is called “El mirasol del puerto” and it is in Puerto Madero , a recycled area that used to be the harbor and the railway station.
Every piece of meat is perfect with the taste of the animal walking and eating grass, that's the real taste of the meat ( you could never be vegetarian here because the meat is the most natural and common food you have from childhood). And the different cuts in Argentina are pretty special, I have never finished learning all of them because sometimes their names vary from one province or one city to the other. Rib-eye, tenderloin, sirloin. I go normally for bife de chorizo (a thick red strip loin). This time: ojo de bife rojo rojo

http://www.el-mirasol.com.ar/indexesp.htm

As red or as well-done as you prefer the carne can be served with very natural and well done “ensaladas “ (that I think, we have to attribute to the Mediterranean taste for vegetables).

Endibias y rucula con parmesano; rabanitos, tomates .
A mix of fantastic colours; and if you still want to add red, you certainly shouldn’t go without tasting the Argentinean wine. Malbec is one of the favorites ; they say because the grape found it’s natural place growing by the Andes that gives this variety a very special flavor…"Alto las hormigas” a fun name for a great wine; we chose this wine to toast with for this and future trips in front of the river.

After a little walk in the area , among boats, new buildings and the old style English recycled railways stores, my brother took me back to the airport with my mother . I was leaving happy to have seen them all and perhaps I forgot to mention how amazing my farewell was because this is a just a normal ritual for us. My body thanked me and I slept like a log throughout the flight.

Gracias a mi hermano conocedor de los buenos lugares porteños y el selective comite de despedida.

Erica Lopez Bleau
Claro que queda siempre mucho mas para contar…