This week in review

Despite my best effort to find the motivation to blog from some daily activity, it was inevitable that I would be inspired by food.

Sunday
On Sunday, Aaron and I met up with our Australian “Bizzaro world” couple (I assume everyone is familiar with the Seinfeld reference) Natalie and Jack. Though, technically, to be "Bizzaro" they would have to be our opposites, yet they are just like us (or we are just like them) to the point of it being quite bizzare. I suppose the "opposite" factor is the fact that they live in the southern hemisphere and have cool accents. They are lucky enough to be staying in a fully furnished 2-bedroom apartment and invited us over for tea and pastries. Not wanting to arrive empty-handed, we ducked into one of the seemingly innumerable pastry shops and picked out some chocolate goodies.

Caution, Street Dancers Crossing!

When we got to Jack and Natalie’s, we first admired the interesting sign on the side of the street, which led to a discussion about the infamous freeway sign in San Diego. Jack wholeheartedly believed we were joking because, of course, there can’t really be a road sign illustrating a Mexican couple dragging their child across the freeway, can there?

We continued inside where Natalie had a spread of pastries and finger sandwiches. Being the doll that she is, she specially prepared some with olives instead of meat, which were fabulous (though I have been eating carne here, of course).

A propah tea pahty

We sat sipping tea and getting a sugar high (the chocolates we bought were blobs of gooey dulce de leche on a cookie dipped in chocolate) and talking about various things from education to alcoholism when we realized we might be late for our movie.

(ok, so it's not exactly Bs. As. but we all love this one)

We headed out to see the new Bond movie (in English with Spanish subtitles) and by some freakish coincidence, during a preview for the new Brad Pitt movie, what should flash upon the screen but none other than the San Diego freeway sign we had just been describing! After the movie, we grabbed a bite to eat (surprise surprise!). There is no shortage of pizza in this town and aside from empanadas, it is the easiest ‘cuisine’ to access, so we ordered up a pie with mushrooms, garlic, and fresh basil. ¡Sabrosa!

Tuesday
¡Tenedor libre!
Once again, we joined our Bizzaro world couple for lunch. We went to an all-you-can eat buffet (tenedor libre) for 18 Argentine pesos (about 6 bucks). For that price, you would picture Sizzler, but it was closer to the Bellagio buffet in Vegas minus the shrimp and champagne. They had various stations where professional chefs whipped up whatever you chose. For instance, in the line for the parilla (grill) you could order whatever slab of meat you wanted and wait for them to cook it up for you. I chose to try the fish line and the pasta line. I had some awesome fish and mussels as well as a pumpkin/squash ravioli dish. We spent quite a while at this place and Aaron and I gorged ourselves on the desserts (which the Aussies noted was a perfect example of American excess). Needless to say, we skipped dinner.

Wednesday
Museo de Bellas Artes
(some of) The kids in the hall

Today we joined a group of students from our school (who come from all over the world) and went to the Buenos Aires Museum of Fine Arts. I think it was the most fun I have ever had in a museum. The Norwegian guy from my school pointed out every set of “boobies” in every painting and sculpture, and giddily exclaimed in his best English, “lesbians!” when viewing a painting of several naked women. Now, we are all “cultured” individuals who enjoy art and properly exploring museums, but for some reason, when we are all together, we act a little goofy. Must be the “school” environment that makes us feel as though we are on a high school field trip.
On a serious note, if you happen to be in Buenos Aires, check out the second floor which houses art from only Argentine artists. Not that the Monet’s and Picasso’s downstairs weren’t interesting! After the museum, we all crammed into a little cafe for some empanadas and cervezas. My classmate (and a partner in crime), Jessie and I agree that the beers are stronger here (even Heineken) and thus we always seem to get tipsy when we only have one or two. Over a few beers and salty snacks, we all chatted about everything under the sun. A student from Hawaii explained to me how to use the bidet in my bathroom that I still fear, and the lovely Argentine guide, Noel, who coordinates these activities, helped us practice our Spanish.

Thursday
Shake it like a....



My favorite day this week! Natalie and Jack made reservations for us at Casa Salt Shaker. This “closed-door” restaurant was just written about in the NY Times on Sunday [NYT Casa Salt Shaker Article toward the end of the article]. Chef Dan Perlman opens the doors of his home twice a week to invite patrons to enjoy a set menu that is based on a particular theme. Our theme was “A Night of Radishes” although none of the food consisted of radishes. Apparently it is a tradition in Oaxaca, Mexico and thus the dinner was a play on foods from that region. It was FABULOUS and I had so much fun. Not to mention that my mouth hasn’t experienced spicy food in over 5 weeks. Apparently porteños like their food fairly bland (yet it’s surprisingly tasty). Dan came out as each course was served and explained what the dish was and exactly what was in it. It was a great (and unbelievably affordable) night. I probably drank too much wine for a "school night" but enjoyed every drop of it and it was still worth it even when I had to get up early (which was a tad difficult after the wine and the espresso at 1am). A fabulous night...the food, the wine, the conversation....an unforgettable experience!

Aaron, Me, Natalie and the shortribs.

For those of you interested in the menu, the starter was a chilled soup of blended watercress and honeydew with a kick of chipotle peppers. Next up was a delicious ricotta and squash blossom empanada with a tangy tomato and peppery sauce on the side. The real fire came with the shrimp in pumpkin seed sauce. I forget what gave it the fiery heat but he added diced cucumber to balance it out. The main dish was beef shortribs in Chatino mole sauce (a nutty mole rather than chocolaty). And for dessert, Oaxacan chocolate lasagna, which consisted of lasagna noodles made with chocolate in the dough, and a mascarpone/dulce de leche filling and some stewed cherries and cinnamon to top it off. And yes, it was all as good as it sounds!


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