Two Great Days in Buenos Aires

For years we’ve written “3 days in ____” accounts of our travels in places ranging from Paris to Istanbul to Mexico City—well before United’s inflight magazine Hemispheres started their ‘3 perfect days in ______' series (and, pilfered the title). Three days is always cramming a lot in, so when we had just two days in Buenos Aires, on the way to Patagonia and far southern Chile, the challenge seemed even larger. But we felt up to it.

A cardinal rule for us is—short stay, great hotel. The Four Seasons Buenos Aires overlooks the edge of the city and the sea to the rear, a jewel of a private garden and their Mansion extension, a (pink baroque, wedding-cake architectural confection). We were whisked directly to our room for a very early in-room check in, after 19 hours of traveling, once again pointing up the impeccable service in Four Seasons properties.

After a rest, we strolled around the shady, tree-lined streets of Recoleta, getting the lay of the land, and taking in the chicly dressed women, dapper elderly gentlemen taking coffee at a corner café, and lots of dog walkers with up to a dozen mixed breeds twining leashes around their legs. Intriguing restaurants dot the streets, along with many elegant small local shops of fashion, jewels, leather goods and housewares.

Recoleta is one of the most elegant areas of the city, with broad, shady streets, many French style buildings, and a profusion of parks and greenspaces . Originally, this area was made up of simple houses or "ranchos". During the seventeenth century, the lands were given to the Recoleto fathers (Padres Recoletos). There are both a Convent and the Church of Nuestra Senora de Pilar which were constructed by them in 1706.

During the yellow fever epidemic in 1871, many rich families fled to this area and built large houses and palaces surrounded by elegant gardens. This is one of the areas that contributes to Buenos Aires the epithet "Paris of South America". Some people consider this district a copy of Paris. Cultural and performing events are frequent in Recoleta, and on weekends there is a large handicrafts market.

La Recoleta Cemetery is one of the most famous cemeteries in the world--up there in notoriety and stature with Père Lachaise in Paris. Founded in 1822 by the Recoleto Fathers, it is the final resting place for many Argentinean and world luminaries--artists, scientists, Nobel winners, Presidents, the famous Argentinian heavyweight boxer Luis Firpo, and most famous of all, Evita Peron.

The tombs and mausoleums are crowded quite close in Recoleta--many are in fine shape, and some are crumbling. The architecture styles of the tombs range from art deco to neo-classic, and some of the mausoleums and sculptures have been named national historic monuments. A unique view of the "rooftops of Recoleta" is had from the windows of the small museum in the Pilar Church that backs on the cemetery. One singular aspect of Recoleta is a colony of feral cats that thrives within its lanes.

Taxi rides act as impromptu sightseeing tours on three-day visits (or two)—fast at mid-day, and more leisurely in the traffic of late afternoon. Long known as Paris of South America, the city’s broad boulevards such as Libertador are lined with late 19^th century apartment towers. Huge monuments at traffic circles and on grassy knolls such as the Garibaldi Monument, the Obelisk, and the Monument de los Espanoles further the Parisian analogy.

Another tenet of 3 day tours is that in-depth tours of museums, historical and architectural monuments are out, but with our taxi as tour-bus method, we were able to shoe-horn drive-by visits of many of Buenos Aires major attractions into those transits, taking in the Teatro Colon, Metropolitan Cathedral, the Congress, the Casa Rosada, or Pink House, Argentina’s White House, as well as many of those monuments.

Buenos Aires is a city of neighborhoods. If Recoleta is the Upper East Side in New York, San Telmo, the oldest neighborhood, near the original port, might be the Village. Renovation, and revitalization since the 70’s has resulted in a mix of restored colonial buildings, cafes, restaurants, boutiques and nightclubs. San Telmo is the antiques center of the city, and is also the tango heart of Buenos Aires, full of clubs and tango parlors, called Milongas.

In calle Estados Unidos in the midst of San Telmo sits the venerable restaurant La Brigada. Not the fanciest or trendiest steak house in the city by far, but ask a local where they go for bife, and like as not, they’ll direct you here. Dark heavy wood furniture, vintage waiters and sports memorabilia on the wall set the atmosphere. The menu is long with interesting starters, from which we pick grilled moronnes—red peppers and fresh, really fresh hearts of palm. The list of steaks is even longer, filled with some cuts that are recognizable (lomo, or fillet, chorizo, or New York) and many that are unique, such as entrana—thin skirt steak, and colita de lomo, or Sirloin tail. I’m here for one reason only, a longs standing quest—tapa de ojo de bife. Ojo de bife (eye of beef) is the Argentinean term for rib-eye, and tapa, or cover, is the small cut, technically the spinalis dorsi, of super tender, extra rich meat which wraps over the top of the whole prime rib. To some, including noted food writer Jeffrey Steingarten it is the apex of beef.

The next morning, a walk through another part of Recoleta leads us to the Parocchia de Sra. de Pilar church for a visit to the past, then into the nearby Buenos Aires Design Center for a taste of the future (forward looking design) and then another taxi transit to some of the large park areas and a visit to the Japanese garden and the Jardin Botanic for some Zen like strolling in green beauty in the middle of the bustling city. Nearby in this system of parks is the Campo de Polo Argentino, where some of the best polo in the world is played. A very exciting spectator sport when played by top 9 and 10 goal players, such as here, polo is not to be missed—unless, like us this trip, you are too early in the season.

Another taxi transit past the Monument de los Espanoles, the Plaza Italia and Monument G. Garibalid, and Nuestra Sra de Guadalupe church brings us to Plaza Cortazar (formerly Plaza Serrano), the heart of the Palermo neighborhood. An emerging area, Palermo might be likened to New York’s Meat Packing District 10 years ago. It’s an in-flux mix of crumbling colonial buildings, restored houses, renovation projects, trendy shops and boutiques, and chic restaurants cheek by jowl with ancient bakeries. Zig-zagging six blocks in the area provides an interesting couple hours window shopping, architecture admiration, gawking at trendily, skimpily dressed girls alongside proper young matrons with the latest baby stroller, interwoven with skateboarding youths.

One of Argentina’s national obsessions is dulce de leche—milk cooked down to a sweet, brown caramel, and La Salamandra Café in Calle El Salvador makes dozens of tiny pastries with it—the traditional Alfajores—shortbread rounds filled with dulce and covered with powdered sugar; dulce cones robed in dark chocolate, miniscule squares of dulce with a crumb topping, and lots more. We stop for a restorative café, and the thimble of caffeine is accompanied by a flat ceramic spoon filled with –dulce de leche!

Empanadas, the small savory stuffed pies are almost the Argentine national dish, and one must not miss them in Buenos Aires. El Sanjuanino is an old traditional restaurant which specializes in empanadas and other traditional and regional dishes. Some say theirs are the best in the city, although that’s a tough claim to prove, and we have had other great ones elsewhere too. Available fillings include carne picante—a very spicy meat, picadillo, a milder meat/olive/egg/onion mixture, choclo—corn, ham and cheese, and stewed chicken. Two other traditional specialties are tamales, and locro, an oven-baked rich stew of pork, white corn, puréed squash, and onions. The paper table cover quotes a Mexican patron as saying: “Comer es un acto Biológico. Comer en El Sanjuanino es un acto cultural” or “Eating is a biological act. Eating at El Sanjuanino is a cultural act.”

Buenos Aires property development has been booming since the early 70’s (although how fast it will screech to a halt with the current world economic crisis is anybody’s guess) and interesting and architecturally unusual buildings loom over the Centro, and the Puerto Madero area, which is the city’s newest neighborhood, reclaimed and re-developed out of docklands dating to the late 1800’s which lay derelict and abandoned for – decades. The old brick warehouses now house upscale restaurants, bars, and stylish shops all facing out onto the old ship-unloading channel, across which spans the Puente de la Mujer, an iconic single-tower suspension bridge by luminary Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava. Every up and coming city should have one of these.

Puerto Madero would have to be San Francisco’s Ghirardelli Square, or Cannery. A late afternoon stroll in the sun out to the middle of the footbridge, takes in the forest of glass towers floating across the channel which house national and international businesses, the contrapuntal view of the low, rehabilitated brick warehouses on the other side, and the two historic coastal sailing steamers. These are now permanently moored as attractions, but they originally took part in the trade that this port was such an integral part of Buenos Aires’ original growth.

Another architectural marvel, and now highlight of Puerto Madero, which opened literally the day before we arrived, is the brand new Fortabat Museum. Designed by Uruguayan Rafael Viñoly, the sleek steel, glass and concrete and aluminum museum located on Dock 4 contains works of Turner, Gauguin, Warhol, Van Gogh and many Argentinean artists from the collection of Maria Amalia Lacroze de Fortabat.

That evening, we stroll back through the calm streets of Recoleta to a beautiful and elegant looking restaurant we saw the day before named Fervor. The elegant two-level restaurant is rapidly filling with a well-dressed crowd of Buenos Aireans who obviously make this a popular place—and we soon learn why. The restaurant’s tag line is “campo y mar” or field and sea, and along with the usual list of steaks, there are a number of seafood choices, and an entire menu section titled ‘offal’—what some of our friends call ‘parts’.Their house empanadas are quite elegant, with shredded beef, peppers, olives, egg and onions. We elect to be adventurous and order from the offal menu, and a sizzling black grill-platter arrives with sweetbreads, which are tender and grilled crispy, brains, which are crusty outside with a rich, creamy center, and morcilla, spicy blood sausage, accompanied by spinach and potato puree. The food is delicious, and the service is both efficient and friendly. With a final glass of rich, ruby Argentinean Malbec, we close out a packed and informative two perfect days.