Evita and Heels

We decided yesterday evening to do something simple for dinner.  We'd been eating so well that we headed back to the Design Center to one of the outdoor cafés there--about a ten-to-15 minute walk.   We ate at Primafila, a rather nice place with a large open patio overlooking the parks along Avenida Liberdad, one of the city's main ceremonial avenues.   Surprisingly the wine was good and the food very nice.

We began with a small selection of squid tempura with zucchini and a relish of sliced cucumbers and radishes.   Then Ben moved on to a risotto of langoustine and shrimp that was loaded with essence of shellfish and was light and good.  John had what was called "Four-hour braised rib roast" after he found out they were out of sweetbreads.  This turned out to be a lush pot roast that fairly oozed gravy and good spicing.  Very well matched with what the Argentines call creamy potatoes.   The wine was a nice Malbec from Mendoza, a 2012 Niente Senentiner.   Quite luscious.   

This morning was our day to finish up what we really wanted to do.   We headed off to get good coffee at the little shop on the street, then money, then a bus ride to Plaza de Mayo to take a subway ride.   The Subte (subterranean) as it is called here, was built by the British about 100 or so years ago, the first in South America.  It annoyingly runs on the left!    However the story goes that it still ran cars built 100 years ago in regular use.  No longer. The cars are brand new or about 30 years old.  Fast and crowded.  Most cars are not air conditioned, but cheap at 3.5 peso/ride. (45 US cents)   Busses here are even cheaper at 2.5 to 2.85 pesos per ride.  (33 cents to 38 cents).   And they are always crowded and on the main routes run on 2 to 3 minute headways!  Great way to get around.

We used the Subte to get to the Evita Museum in Palermo.  A fascinating hagiography of Eva.  She had very good taste in clothes--many of them are on show.   Whatever one thinks about her husband, Juan Perón, she is certainly a work of art.  Like Ronald Reagan she was an actor before moving into the realm of political show-woman-ship, and she really knew how to play the part.

From there we walked to Palermo Viejo through streets of fashionable shops.   When we saw these four inch platforms we knew that every US woman we know would be just aching for a pair (and aching after wearing them too.)  Lots of Porteñas wear shoes like this.   Didn't see any broken ankles.

Then to a restaurant recommended by the two lawyers we met last Saturday who are traveling around the world.   Caldén in Soho is a steak parilla but has good pasta too.  We started with mushrooms from their farm grilled with a cream sauce, a selection of relishes including roasted garlic, and two different kinds of Argenine sausage--a black blood sausage, much like English black pudding but lighter, and a pork sausage.  Both grilled and brought hot to the table.   Then we moved on to two different types of sorrentino, which are oversized ravioli.  John's were filled with mozzarella and ham, Ben's with salmon.   We ordered a 375 of Uxmal Malbec, which John rather liked, but Ben found ordinary.  It was one of two splits on the wine list.

Then we headed back to the hotel, picking up some yoghurt and fruit for dinner tonight.  




Ben has begun packing

We leave for home at 7:15 AM.