Smells Like Leather...No, Pine!

On Wednesday, Matt and I attended a blind white wine tasting event at Casa Coupage. Here's the very attractive wine tasting salon where it took place. (I took the photo after all eight attendees left.)

The evening started with a sniffing test. We were passed small vials of scented liquid and asked to identify the smells. The aroma was often very familiar, but it was amazing how hard it was to put your finger on it. People had completely polarized ideas, too. One person would say it smells like rubber. Another would says it smells like cat urine. (Seriously.) Sadly, out of six vials, I only got one correct, and it was naranja (orange), arguably the easiest. The exercise, Santiago and Ines explained, was to help us train our nose. Clearly Matt and I need a lot of help in this area!

Next was the blind tasting of three white wines, meaning you taste them without seeing the bottle. We learned how to evaluate them based on smell, appearance and taste. What was really neat is they have special wooden tables with a built-in light strip in the center. You hold your wine over the light for a better examination of its properties. Then, after finally taking a sip, you rank the wine using a handy chart and try to identify the grape. I got the first two correct (Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc) but was thrown off by the third, a Viognier that was not nearly as sweet as I'm used to. All three wines were Argentine and sell for around 30 pesos.

Here's a photo of their custom-built, temperature-controlled wine cabinet, which is really rather high-tech but is made to look like antique furniture so that it blends in with the 1920s house.

The last part of the evening was the pairing menu. Casa Coupage works with a terrific chef who designs a gourmet meal to complement the selected wines. Our meal included grilled polenta with goat cheese, mango salad, trout ravioli and an apple tarte. Que rico! With each dish, we noted the wine that paired best with it. This, for me, was really the "a-ha" moment. Once you taste the food and then go back to the wine, you may have an entirely different impression. The wine I liked the least upon my initial tasting (the Sauvignon Blanc) was suddenly my clear favorite with the trout ravioli, for example.

And as if the evening wasn't thrilling enough, we made instant friends with the two very fascinating and well-traveled people at our tasting table: Ronnie, who is starting an olive oil exportation business in Patagonia, and Maria Jose, who is the regional marketing manager for Disney on Ice. They've both lived all over the world (the US, Spain, Germany, Mexico, etc.) and lucky for me, they both speak fluent English. Here's a photo of Maria Jose speaking to Ines in the foyer. You'll be hearing more about her and Ronnie. He invited all of us to dinner at the nearly hundred-year-old Club Nautico San Isidro, a famous boat club located in the river delta.

What Things Cost in BA – Part II

Someone asked me, so what’s NOT cheap in Buenos Aires? There’s got to be something, right?

The answer is yes, there are a few things we’ve noticed that are no cheaper here (meaning, they’re about the same cost as in the States) or are actually more expensive than they would be in the US. Some of these items are easily explained, such as Heinz ketchup and foreign brands of salad dressing, which are both imported. Others are more curious. Why soda would not be cheaper here, for example, mystifies us. A 1.5 liter Coke costs $1.00 USD, when you can get a 2 liter in the States for the same price. And for small, 500-liter, portable sizes, a soda is actually more expensive than an equivalent-sized beer!

Roughly the same cost as in the US:

Heinz ketchup (no other brand will do!)
Paper products (paper towels, toilet paper, etc.)
Olive oil
Plastic patio furniture

More expensive than in the US:

Coke/Pepsi
Salad dressing (all are imported brands)
Wireless routers
Calls from land lines to cell phones (extra charge for calling cells)

Finally, as a random sidebar, there is one favorite imported food item that so far we have been unable to find in Argentina. Strangely, this is something we were able to buy in Nicaragua (albeit at an exorbitant cost). Any guesses? Here’s a hint. They grow the main ingredient for it in the South, and it is often paired with jelly. Yes, we are having slight withdrawal for peanut butter!

I See Dead People - Part II

As a follow-up to Matt's post about the Recoleta Cemetery, I thought I'd share a few photos of different mauseleums to show the vast range of styles. These are shots I was able to capture when the SilverSeas cruise ship group didn't get in my way. :) Yes, while the cemetery is truly breathtaking - you feel like you've stepped into the 1800s - there is the unavoidable tourist aspect of it. Anyone who travels to Buenos Aires feels obligated to visit, and on weekends, it can be mobbed with people trying to view Evita's grave.

This first grave is that of an Italian family who arrived during the large wave of Italian immigration. Senor Roverano is literally "getting off the boat" to start his new life in Argentina.

This second grave was built by a poet/artist type. He felt his family's remains should be stored in a more natural setting, and indeed, it's quite a contrast to the gold-gilded tombs all around it.

This one has more Arab influences - and a feline friend sleeping on it. A sizeable segment of the population hails from the Middle East. In fact, the last president, Carlos Menem, has a Syrian background. (Incidentally, Menem's son is now dating the pop singer Shakira. There's your one People-magazine fact.)

Finally, here is Evita's grave, located in her family's tomb ("Familia Duarte"). Stylistically, it's fairly sedate, but there are usually fresh flowers placed on it daily by her loyal supporters. Interestingly enough, her husband, three-time president Juan Peron, didn't make the cut for the Recoleta Cemetery. He is buried elsewhere. One other piece of trivia is that her family had to place a steel plate and a series of trap doors in the mauseleum to prevent the theft of Evita's body, which had once "disappeared" for 16 years until it was located in Milan. Apparently the tomb is now strong enough to withstand a nuclear attack!

Would You Like Some Fries With Your Mini?

When we first walked by, I did a double take. "Was that a Mini parked inside that restaurant?" I asked. We backed up a few steps and looked again. Yes, in fact, there was a shiny Mini Cooper hanging out right inside a restaurant on upscale Avenida Libertador, just inches away from nice, civilized people who appeared to be having a nice, civilized lunch. There were two Minis in fact!



As we peered through the floor-to-ceiling windows and took in the scene, it became clear that we had assumed wrong. There wasn't a Mini in the restaurant, you see, but the other way around. There was a restaurant in a Mini dealership! What's even more surprising is that this is actually not a novel concept in Buenos Aires. A few days later, we passed another hip cafe located inside a Renault dealership.



As for why and how this eat-with-your-new-car trend has flourished, we don't know. Certainly a car dealership is the last place we ever thought to look for an espresso and a croissant. But we'll be getting to the bottom of the mystery soon. My first question is: do you have to pretend to be interested in buying a car to eat at the restaurant? Or, if not, do they simply hope you will become enamored with the car by spending quality time in its presence?

Cemetery de la Recoleta

The ritzy part of Buenos Aires known as Recoleta takes its name from a Franciscan convent but is best known for the must-see Cementerio de la Recoleta. The Cemetery includes graves of some of the most influential and important persons of Argentina, including several presidents, scientists and wealthy characters. Internationally, Eva Peron (Evita) is one of the best known persons buried in the cemetery. On Tuesday, Amy and I enjoyed a guided English language tour through the cemetery.

The entrance to the cemetery is through neo-classical gates with tall Greek columns. The cemetery contains many elaborate marble mausoleums, decorated with statues, in a wide variety of architectural styles. Most of the mausoleums hold between 22 & 24 caskets; though some mausoleums hold even more! The entire labyrinth-like cemetery is laid out in sections like city blocks, with wide tree-lined main walkways branching into sidewalks filled with mausoleums.

One interesting and unique aspect of La Recoleta Cemetery is a colony of feral cats that resides within the gates. Although they can be spotted anytime, they tend to gather in groups of dozens near closing-time, when some of the locals come to feed them.

What Things Cost in BA

We've been keeping tabs on what things cost, mostly because it continues to amaze us.

Here's a sampling....

Bottle of wine: $1.50 USD and up
Movie ticket: $4.00 USD ($2.50 Mon-Tues-Weds)
Men's haircut: $2.00 USD and up
Liter of milk: $0.75 USD
One pastry: $0.13 USD and up
Individual yogurt: $0.40 USD
Wedge of gruyere cheese: $1.67 USD
Cab ride (~15 minutes): $3.00 USD
Baguette of fresh bread: $0.33 USD
Dozen large empanadas: $5.00 USD
New release DVD rental: $1.83 USD
Large pizza and a soda: $3.33 USD
Subway ride (one way): $0.23 USD
3-course upscale lunch special: $5.00 USD
Cafe breakfast (coffee/pastries): $2.00 USD
Women's manicure and pedicure: $13.00 USD
1-bedroom apartment (to buy): $50,000 USD and up

As you can see, Argentina is "muy burrata" (very cheap) for Americans because of the extremely favorable exchange rate (1 dollar equals 3 pesos). It's even more of a steal for Europeans, as 1 euro equals 4 pesos.

How To Feed A Foodie for $10

So you may be wondering, what kind of snacks did we serve Ines and Santiago during their visit? Did with pass the test...or come off looking like Velveeta-cheese-eating Americans? Since we knew we'd have to raise the white flag on the wine selection, food was now our only chance to redeem ourselves. But we needed help - that much was clear. So we set off to consult with the two very friendly proprietors of Salumeria Cuneo, the neighborhood meat and cheese deli located right around the corner from our building. (All told, the trip to their store took about one minute, and most of that involved waiting for the elevator). They were delighted to help and full of suggestions. In the end, we walked away with the following items.

A small wheel of Camembert cheese, which is similar to Brie in texture. (Cost 12 pesos, or $4 USD).



A 12-inch roll of "Fuet de Tandil" salami, which is about the size of a quarter in diameter. (Cost 8 pesos, or $2.60 USD).

A package of "linguini," which in Argentina refers not to pasta but to thin slices of crispy bread, and an accompanying spicy cream cheese to dip it in. (Cost for both, 2 pesos, or $0.66 USD). They even loaned us a small dish for serving the cream cheese under the condition that we return it the next day along with a report on how the evening went. (The verdict: "Fantastico!")

And of course, we had to then swing by Dos Escudos, the "confiteria," or bakery, for some sweets. The following (from left to right) are just a few of the mini-desserts or "masas" you can pick up on every city block: flan, dulce de leche creme pastry, lemon merengue tart and tiramisu. (Cost for 8 pieces is 8 pesos, or $2.66 USD).

So what did we learn? As Matt commented afterwards, stores that focus on just one thing no longer exist in the States unless they're very high end. But here, the owner-operated small shop (whether it's bread or meat or produce) lives on, and it's awfully nice when you need an expert opinion. It also presents an entirely different way to buy and prepare your food. Instead of stocking up for the next two weeks at the supermarket, most Argentines (like Europeans) grab whatever they need to make dinner on their way home, often making several stops. That way everything is fresh and preservative-free.

Indeed, a few days ago I sent the proprietors of Salumeria Cuneo into a state of shock and horror when I asked for a half kilo of sliced "jamon cocido" (baked ham) for sandwiches. "Quantos personnes?" they demanded. "Dos," I said. Both of their heads started shaking. Although I didn't understand every word of the lecture, the message was clear. Why would I buy so much at once instead of coming back tomorrow for more? Didn't I want to eat fresh? Was I insane? I had to admit - they had a point!

Our Friends The Sommeliers

At the wedding, we were lucky enough to reconnect with Ines and Santiago, a pair of true Argentine epicureans. They are both sommeliers, and they both love food. Matt first met them when they ran a restaurant in Granada, Nicaragua, for a few years. Below is a photo of (left to right) Matt, Ines and Santiago at the wedding.


Ines and Santiago now live in a gorgeous 1920s home in the Palermo Viejo neighborhood of Buenos Aires and host private wine tasting events (often with meals designed to complement the selected labels) in their customized wine salon. We stopped by and checked out the place recently, and it would be an understatement to say that we're in awe. We're talking 20-foot ceilings, beautiful original tile, marble staircase, wood and iron French doors, a central atrium filled with plants, etc. The memory card in the camera ran out before I could really capture the place, but here is a shot of Ines in the atrium.

Thanks to the explosion of wine production in Argentina, Ines and Santiago have found themselves in the right place at the right time. As Santiago explained to us, a 30-peso bottle of wine in Argentina is the equivalent of a $30 bottle of wine in the States in quality, but thanks to the exchange rate, it costs an American only $10 to purchase. Needless to say, we plan to hang out with Ines and Santiago as much as possible because they are fonts of information and some of the most interesting people you could ever meet. They also speak English fluently. We're having them over tonight for drinks on the balcony, but of course, we've given up hope of offering a wine that could impress them.

Visit http://www.casacoupage.com.ar for more photos of their home and wine salon - you'll find them within the section entitled "La Casa."

The Capital of Cool

According to Newsweek's January 15th international edition, we're living in The Capital of Cool. To quote the subhead, "Hip, happening Buenos Aires is luring writers, artists and musicians from around the world." Strikingly, the article also states, "Some 22,000 Americans are currently registered with the U.S. Embassy in Buenos Aires, but there are likely thousands more who are not on record."

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16500159/site/newsweek/

Videos on YouTube.com

We now have two videos up and running on YouTube. Neither are in the running for an Academy Award, but hopefully you will enjoy them. The first video is the tango dancing from the wedding and the second video is Amy at the Lima Airport.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3iAwRgPQQps

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iv9Bp2K3S5k

The Phone Lines Are Open

Thanks to Skype, calling us here in BA is as easy - and as cheap - as dialing a 310 number.

Amy: 310-237-6482.

Matt: 310-929-7322.

Both numbers have voicemail too. So even if we're out having a medialuna (sweet croissant) with our cafe con leche, we'll get back to you.

Four Nights and a Wedding

We kicked off our sojourn in South America rather appropriately - with a party. To be exact, a four-day New Year's celebration at a hotel in Palermo Hollywood (a subsection of Buenos Aires' "hippest" neighborhood) with eight longtime friends: Andy, Laurel, Katie, Raleigh, Brett, Adam, Jennifer and Alison. The fiesta culminated on NYE with an al fresco dinner on the hottest and muggiest night of the year (both 2006 and 2007, apparently). But the chilled Torrontes (a sweet white wine produced only in Argentina) helped immensely, as you can see.

Two days earlier, fresh off the boat, er, plane, we attended the wedding of our great friends Diego and Paloma, who live in Nicaragua and have recently opened a hotel at the beach named El Toro. He's from Argentina. She's from Spain. The all-night wedding (9 p.m. to 5:30 a.m.) was an excellent introduction to Argentina's most torrid passions: late nights, wine, barbequed meats, tango dancing (the Tango World Cup runner-ups were present), Diego Maradona (the infamous Argentine soccer player) and confectionary excess. To wit, I present the following photos.

When we entered the grounds of the "quinta" (ranch) where the wedding was held, the first thing we saw (and smelled) was "asado" (barbeque). Big hunks of meat and rows of sausages, including blood sausages, on large outdoor grills and spits like this one.

The amazing tango dancers who performed at the wedding are childhood friends of Diego. They now live and dance professionally in Germany. We have video of their spellbinding dances (they performed 3) but haven't yet figured out how we upload it to the blog. Stay tuned!


The dessert bar was beyond boggling. Probably 20 different cakes and pies, all mysterious and mouth-watering. It was so boggling in fact that Matt's indecision - and fullness from all the meat we ate earlier - led him to miss the entire thing!



And finally, a photo of the happy newlyweds (far right) as well the wedding's other celebrity. To Paloma's immediate left in the black jacket is her uncle, a well-known singer in Spain. She had told us about him but we didn't know how famous he really was. Well, we found out pretty quickly. Based on his tight black pants alone, you knew he was a rock star. And when one of his songs played on the dancefloor, everyone clapped, shouted and sang along. From the kids to the parents, they knew every single word.