Over the past few years, a major target for my travels has been Croatia.  After I earned 100K points with my AmEx Platinum card, it seemed like it was finally time to make that a reality whilst being able to get there in style.  It turned out the easiest path both in terms of points and routes was to take a business class seat on Turkish Airlines, a new one for me.

When I arrived to the international terminal at LAX, it turned out to be a very good thing I had a business class ticket as the line for security was quite long.  Even with the separate first/business class line, it still took about 45 minutes.  I shuddered to think how long it would have been in the steerage line, which also seemed to have no separation for Pre Check.

The first leg would take me from LAX to Istanbul, a 12 hour flight made much more palatable once I saw the sheer amount of leg room my business class seat had.  This did not suck.

One of the heavily advertised features of Turkish Airlines’ business class is what they call “Sky Chefs” – which I’m fairly certain did not involve any actual cooking but they did look chic in the chef whites and matching toque.

A couple of hours into the flight, it was time for dinner, which started with a trio of appetizers – a crab cake, tomato and mozzarella, and beef kabob.  Not bad.

“A candlelight dinner high above the clouds” – inscribed on the electric candle holders.

I chose the salmon with celery puree and grilled zucchini for my main course.  The salmon was a bit dry but tasty, and the sides paired nicely with it. Afterwards I had a very nice piece of apple hazelnut bread pudding of which I neglected to take a picture.

The other big advantage of being in international business class are the lie-flat seats, a godsend when taking a 12 hour overnight flight. Turkish Airline’s version included this fancy brochure of bedding options.

Unfortunately, my seat may have well been a trampoline thanks to the constant turbulence taking the Arctic route to Europe, as well as a seemingly endless parade back and forth by the Sky Chefs as well as flight attendants taking care of other business class passengers.  I was able to carve out maybe 3 hours of actual sleep so I wasn’t exactly refreshed when we landed in Istanbul exacerbated by the deadly combo of taking a 15 minute shuttle from the plane to the terminal and then arriving into this mess.

3 shuttle buses pulled up at the same time and we all crammed into a tight hallway for the international transfers with no real sense where this line would end…

which turned out to be another crammed hallway to an equally crammed security checkpoint with very disinterested guards waving people through with no rhyme or reason.  I was more than ready to get back on a plane after that clusterfuck.

So much for my spacious seats.  The 2nd leg from Istanbul to Zagreb, Croatia featured, to put it mildly, much more Spartan accommodations.  This Turkish Airline plane’s “business class” seemed to be nothing more than the first 3 rows without any extra legroom.  Fortunately, probably realizing the scam, I was the only passenger so I was able to turn my first seat choice into this.

Still, it was only a bit less that 2 hour flight, which was good given that it was yet another bumpy ride.  By this time I was really getting tired of turbulence and after another rough landing was glad I was getting a 3 hour break in Zagreb before the final flight.  This time I would be on Croatia Airlines for a quick puddle jumper to Split – a mere 35 minute flight.  I was once again all alone in “business class” but this time opted to just take the aisle of the first row.

Once again, it was a pretty old plane, with a messed up monitor that made the crudely animated safety video look like an acid trip.

I was picked up at the airport by a friendly old man who spoke very little English and made the rainy 30 minute drive to Split.  There I was met by my Airbnb host, who guided me into the old city since cars aren’t allowed.  The reviews weren’t kidding when they said it was centrally located as the famous Dioclientian Palace was literally next door.  By this time, it was past midnight and I quickly collapsed into a deep slumber.  The forecast for the next day indicated rain pretty much all day, which would be fine as jetlag would certainly be a factor.

I woke up to the sounds of loud construction going on seemingly right outside of my window but at least they had started at the reasonable hour of 9AM.  I caught up with a bit of work, wearing headphones to drown out the noise, and at around noon, headed out to satisfy my ceviche craving.  One of the places I had asked people where they go on their day off turned out to be a cevicheria pretty close to my apartment.

The Google Maps path showed it was a bit under a mile away, which would be easy enough to walk, and seemed to be pretty easy to navigate.  This was true, until I made the turn to another street, where I literally had to take the beaten path.

There didn’t seem to be another option so I did my best navigating the various holes and broken glass that was seemingly everywhere, anxiously consulting the app to find out how much longer of this I had to endure.  Eventually, after stepping around a particularly muddy section, I arrived at my destination – La Onceava.

Given what I had just experienced, I was very surprised to find a large, pretty modern looking restaurant in front of me.  The expansive courtyard was filled with lunch goers and was blissfully free of English or other languages.  TripAdvisor wasn’t going to send too many tourists this out of the way!

Immediately after being seated, I was greeted with the familiar site of a pisco sour, and while I didn’t really feel like a full one, this mini version was great.  Also great was this magnificent basket of chips.

The menu, not surprisingly, was filled with options for ceviche and other traditional Peruvian seafood dishes.  One version caught my attention, Piscomarisco, a mixed seafood ceviche with a pisco leche de tigre sauce.  This, as my waiter explained, is the traditional preparation of ceviche up north.

A short while longer, this plate of seafood beauty arrived.  I had never seen the Peruvian corn on the cob like that but the rest was very familiar – a lovely mix of lobster, shrimp, conch, squid and octopus along with sweet potatoes and red onions.  The seafood was very, very fresh, and I could in fact taste a bit of the pisco in the sauce.  Amazing.

I wasn’t planning on getting a dessert but when I saw they had one of my favorites, tres leches, for about $4 USD, I had to try it.  As depicted above, this was way more than I expected and the cake was fantastic.  I ate pretty much all of it, paid the check and left the courtyard only to be basically surrounded by cabbies all vying for my business.  When I told them I was going to walk, a few in chorus said “no, very dangerous, take our cabs.”  Had this been at night, I probably would have agreed but since I already knew the way, I politely declined.

I picked a slightly different route home to avoid the construction mess and headed back to the apartment.  A few hours later, it was time to go check out the section of Barranco I had seen previously, which apparently was very close.  Walking down the other side of the street, I turned on to Avenida San Martin, which ran along the old part of the barrio.

I was immediately struck how different the surroundings were, with beautiful parks and mansions with large gates and security cameras everywhere.  I passed by the large Barranco Park and headed up a side street to a small restaurant that had been getting a lot of buzz.

Sibaris, according to the menu, focused on whatever is available that day at the nearby Suquillo Market and items changed accordingly.  From a quick read, it seemed to be leaning heavily on the fusion cuisine that has become a staple of Lima.

The wine selection was underwhelming but the beer choices were plentiful.  I ended up with another style from Nuevo Mundo, this time a porter.  It was a very nice beer made even better by the ice cold glass it was served in, which was needed as the restaurant was a bit stuffy.

Instead of a starter and main, or just a starter, I decided the two best things were both starters so chose those.  First up was a tiradito of Amazon river trout.  I was thrilled to find trout on the menu as it’s rare in South America and this turned out to be a fantastic starter.  The trout was perfectly sliced and the slightly spicy sauce enhanced the flavor greatly.  I could see why people were talking about Sibaris after this.

For my other starter, I selected the “buns” of shrimp and braised pork belly with sweet potato spread.  Now THIS was Peruvian fusion at its best, with the crunchy tempura shrimp balancing out the rich pork belly.  The Asian style bun with the spread was the perfect vehicle for these bite-sized wonders.  Another great dish.

After paying the bill, I retraced my steps back to the plaza and crossed over the other side to the Bridge of Sighs, one of the more notable landmarks in Lima.

This was the part of Barranco I had explored previously so I took a few snapshots, walked around a bit and headed over to Santos, which I had enjoyed during my first visit.  Unfortunately, it was pretty empty as it was only 11PM so I took off but not before getting a photo of this cool room.

I walked along the grounds just outside of the area, noticing an interesting art installation that studded the banks of the now dry river.

My final stop of the evening was going to be at what is considered to be one of the best bars in the world.  While I was looking for something small and intimate, it turned out to be nothing of the sort.

Ayahuasca Bar and Restaurant was housed in a massive mansion from the late 1800 that had been lovingly restored to its original splendor.  I was a bit overwhelmed by the sheer size and took awhile to walk around to get my bearings.

After checking out each room along with the truly amazing bridge connecting the two parts of the mansion, I ended up in one of the busier rooms, which had Ron Zacapa branding all over it.  Since that had become a favorite of mine, it seemed like the logical pitstop.

The bartender in this room looked like something out of central casting for a fierce Inca warrior but turned out to be a gentle giant, even at one point proudly pulling out a large coffee table book about the venue after I had asked about its history.  Not every day I go to a bar with its own coffee table book.

Wanting something a bit different but with the Zacapa 23 that I had grown found of, the bartender suggested a mojito with that instead of the usual white rum.  It was an excellent call, and I enjoyed the next 30 minutes or so continuing to explore the mansion

At about midnight, more people started to arrive, and I could tell it was about to switch into party time.  Unfortunately, my long day combined with the fact it was 2 hours later on my body clock made it time for me to leave this weird, wonderful place.  I made the quick walk back home and went to sleep.  Tomorrow would be my final stand and my eagerly awaited return to El Mercado for one last bite.

It was my final day in Buenos Aires, and I still had quite a bit of pesos remaining, which would be useless once I left Argentina so it was time for a mini-spending spree.  First up, I decided for one final nice meal at the legendary parilla Don Julio.  Since I didn’t have a reservation, I made sure to get there by 1PM so there wouldn’t be a wait, and I was soon seated at a nice center table to better take in the old school surroundings.

Don Julio is one of the oldest parillas in Palermo Soho and while it doesn’t have quite the cache of its neighbor La Cabrera, it is still considered to be one of the best in the city.  I judge all parillas by the most sacred of Argentine cuts – the ojo de biefe (aka rib eye) so that’s what I ordered along with fries – old school at its finest.  I was pleasantly surprised the rib eye only cost about $15, way less than what I was expecting.

Soon this glorious cut of charred meat arrived along with a mountain of hot, crispy fries.  Not knowing what I’d be having for dinner on the plane, I was glad to get in a nice and very filling lunch.  About half-way through the deliciousness, I concluded it wasn’t right to have this without a nice glass of Malbec.  Since I was still trying to use up my remaining pesos, I selected the much-heralded El Enemigo Malbec from Mendoz, and it was a perfect companion to the rich steak.

After lunch, still with a large handful of pesos to spend, I walked over to the outlet mall, where there was a very nice wine store called Winery.  I told one of the staff members I was looking for 1-2 bottles of a Mendoza Malbec that would be hard for me to get in the States.  He ushered me into their cellar section and rattled off several choices.  I was torn between getting 1 excellent bottle or 2 really good bottles.  After much hemming and hawing, I opted for the latter and had them tightly pack my purchases.

I made one last trip to the apartment to pack up and drop off the keys to my host.  I had contacted in advance a taxi service to take me to the airport and was pleasantly surprised when they pulled up exactly on time.  I had over 3 hours before my flight but since it was close to rush hour didn’t want to chance it.  This turned out to be very wise because what should have been a 30-45 minute drive turned into a 90 minute ordeal trying to escape the onslaught of traffic seemingly everywhere.

I still had plenty of time to check in, which was a breeze and security was even easier so I thanked the travel gods once again.  I apparently did this too soon as I forgot I still had migration to go through.  I sighed as I saw a massive line in front of me and 2, yes 2, booths open.  It took about an hour to finally get through and by this point, i was down to 30 minutes before I would need to board.  I had really wanted to check out the American Express Centurion Lounge since I am a Platinum card holder but this turned out to be 20 gates away from mine.  So instead, I used my Priority Pass card to access the much closer One World Lounge… for about 10 minutes before I had to head to my gate.  Oh well.

My flight to Lima was on an older 767, including the old school monitors versus the newer in-seat ones.  I had been lucky enough to snag an exit row seat, which in these older planes meant even more space than usual.  Unfortunately, this also meant old skool meal choices, both of which looked awful along with a very liited beverage selection – and no ice.  I reluctantly chose the beef option and let’s just say, be grateful I didn’t take any photos of it.  The flight, despite the trip over the Andes, was relatively bump free and a bit under 4 hours, I was back in Lima.

I wanted to mix things up for this final leg of the trip so I had booked an apartment in the bohemian Barranco section of the city.  I had enjoyed my brief visit to this area the first time I was in Lima and was eager to explore it more thoroughly.  I took the same Green Taxi service and was surprised to find out it was the same 60 soles fee that I had paid to get to Miraflores.  After a somewhat circuitous route, I arrived at the apartment, which was located on a quiet side street between of the 2 main ones in the barrio.

The one-bedroom apartment was fairly Spartan but would be just fine for only 2 nights.  I unpacked, cleaned up a bit and headed down the street to El Dragon, a club that many people had told me to check out, especially since Wednesday was their house music night.  I walked down the fairly grimy street, passing what looked like several quite delicious food stands and about 15 minutes later arrived at the unmarked El Dragon club.  I paid the $10 entry fee, which included a free drink and made a quick loop.

The main room had a surprisingly booming sound system and after a futile attempt to convince the bartender that my free Miller (blecch) should be one of their country’s beer since it was the same price, I took the Miller and planted myself at one of the same tables facing the dance floor.

I chatted with several patrons and enjoyed the set the opening DJ was putting together.  I noticed what looked like the headliner approaching the booth and while I was starting to get tired, I wanted to see what he was like.  As I saw him and someone else start to hook up a bunch of equipment, I began to realize I probably wouldn’t like his set.  This proved to be true about 10 minutes later when the nice, driving house music was replaced with the worst impulses of German tech house in all of its bleeps and blorps.  I took that as a sign to head home and pick up my exploration of Barranco tomorrow.

Today would be my final full day in Buenos Aires. Work kept me busy until about 1pm when I was finally able to escape for a bite to eat. This time I was certain my destination was open so I made the quick walk down the street and arrived the relatively empty L’adesso a few minutes later.

There is a fairly large Italian influence in Buenos Aires and this place is considered to be one of the better restaurants focused on real Italian cuisine. I had been told their 3 course tasting menu was excellent and soon discovered there were in fact 2 options – Il Piccolo or Il Grande.  Sending the latter might be too much I opted for the smaller. I was soon presented with a very nice amuse bouche of fresh tomatoes and basil on focaccia.

The next morning it was time to me to  start to get back into a somewhat normal rhythm so that was spent catching up on work. Around 1 or should I say 13:00, I hit the streets to find a quick lunch somewhere close. My first choice turned out to be closed so I ended up a cute little cafe.

I woke the next day and had a sudden urge for a good ol fashioned brunch. Fortunately, over the past few years Portenos had embraced the concept and there were no shortage of places to go. Opted for one of my old haunts, Magdalena’s Party which was a few blocks from me.

Known as one of the key hangouts for ex pats, it was fairly packed with people both in and outside having standard brunch fare. I decided to get eggs Benedict and a glass of mimosa of course.  Part of the charm of Magdalena’s Party is that their staff clearly enjoys a good party both during and off hours. This was evident in the slightly hungover vibe I got from my server.

The eggs Benedict and roasted potatoes were great fuel to wake me from my lazy Sunday and I soon departed to walk around the neighborhood a bit more.

Eventually it came time for dinner and I excitedly walked over to one if not the best restaurants in Buenos Aires. Las Pizarras was a mere two blocks away and features various game meats cooked to absolute perfection.

Still nursing a bit of a hangover, I forced myself out of bed eventually to enjoy some truly great weather.  My goal today was to explore Palermo Soho a bit and soak up some rays.  But first, I needed food.

I walked down one of the main streets that led to Paraguay, taking a few pics along the way of the ‘hood and eventually arrived at a parilla called Simply Palermo.  Worked for me.

I got a nice table outside to enjoy the glorious weather and watch the highly entertaining show going on in front of me.  As noted in the photo above, it was a 4-way intersection with no crosswalks or stop signs, which resulted in total chaos when cars would get there at the same time.  I watched about 4-5 near head-on collisions along with much honking and yelling.  My favorite was when a cyclist would approach, assuming he had the right of way only to be quickly chased away by cars who clearly didn’t think he did.

Since i hadn’t eaten a parilla yet, I of course had to order something from the chargrill but wasn’t quite in the mood for a steak.  Fortunately, they had another favorite of mine – bondiola – which is basically a large pork steak.  This along with fries seemed to be just what I needed to tackle the rest of this hangover.  I paid up and headed down the street towards the Plaza Serrano, stopping to take a few snaps here and there.

There was a weekend street fair going on at the Plaza, with both hand goods and clothes.

It was all pretty junky though so I mainly just wandered around, taking in the sights and sounds.  After a couple of hours, my feet started to ache so I made the walk back to the apartment for some rest.  I had a 9PM reservation for my last big meal of the trip that was coming up soon so time for siesta.

Aramburu is considered to be the grandaddy of all tasting menu focused restaurants in Buenos Aires, having launched with that concept exclusively over 9 years ago, as my server proudly proclaimed.  I was told the menu would be “around 12-13 courses” and focus on everything available at this time of year, which since it was spring meant the selection would be pretty diverse.

The first course soon arrived – 3 bites of an apple ravioli filled with blue cheese, a chicken pate ball made to look like a cherry and “sea” chips, which I was to pick from the corral around it. All 3 were good and a nice way to start the meal.

The second course was a carrot ravioli and a pork shu mai with a soy ginger sauce.  The ravioli was a bit of a mess to eat but delicious as was the dumpling.

The striking presentations continued with the next course – an oyster “pearl”, which was oyster puree encapsulated to make it into an oval.  One bite though and the whole thing burst into my mouth.  Not a huge oyster fan but this was at least creative.

The fourth course – a scallop with eggplant puree – was the first time I was offered utensils.  The scallop was very tender and went surprisingly well with the eggplant.

The fifth course, the server explained, was their signature dish, a shrimp roll with a grilled shrimp wrapped around ramen noodles then quickly fried.  It was served in a small pot with a hot stone, which then had a broth poured over it to send some lovely aromatic steam into the air.  I could see why they were so proud of it.

I sighed though as the next course arrived – sweet breads, my favorite.  However, with the pumpkin puree and the lemon “snow”, this turned out to be way better than expected.  The tart lemon snow helped cut through the richness of the sweet breads and the pumpkin puree added some much needed flavor.

The seventh course was a piece of grilled white salmon filet with a celeriac puree and a pistachio crust.  Simple but well made.

Both the presentation and quality of the dishes jumped up considerably with the eighth course – 19 hour roasted suckling pig with a pear apple sorbet.  This was outstanding, with a playful presentation of the pork underneath leaves like a traditional Hawaiian pork roast.  Pork and apples go so well together so I wasn’t surprised when combining the pork with the sorbet turned out go beautifully together.

I actually gasped when the ninth course arrived – quail and quail egg with mushrooms.  I had never seen quail presented this way and so dramatically.  As one of my favorite game birds, this was a particular delight as it was perfectly seasoned and the earthy mushrooms were a great match with the deep flavor of the quail meat.

The last savory course could really only be some sort of steak, in this case a slice of filet mignon with grilled radicchio and mustard.  Nothing mind-blowing about this one – just a nice piece of steak and a side.

However, the next course, a palette cleansing sorbet of cucumber and a lemon granita was just that.  It was so good I ended up getting another order.  Not too sweet and with a huge burst of cucumber flavor, this was a stone-cold stunner.

The twelfth course was a raspberry sorbet with raspberry powder and a “wings of a bird”  As one might guess from the description, it tasted a lot like, well raspberries.  More points from the presentation versus actual taste for this one.

Fortunately, the final course made up for it – white chocolate ice cream with a vanilla panna cotta and white chocolate “nibs” with apple slices that had been marinated in whiskey.  Combining a whole lotta things I love into one dessert made this a can’t miss and it certainly did not.  Absolutely delicious and a worthy final course.

The final little bite would have made more sense if I drank coffee but was still tasty with the last bit of Malbec I had left.  Once again, a beautiful presentation.  As I finished up, I began chatting with the table next to me, who turned out to be cousins in town for a few days.  One of them was a foodie.  The other decidedly was not so most of the theatricality of the meal was lost on her.  I compared notes with the foodie one and gave her some suggestions for her final lunch tomorrow.  It was still early (well only midnight), so I decided to head back to Palermo and get a nightcap somewhere.

I had my cabbie drop me off in the heart of Palermo Hollywood and after a couple of unsuccessful stops at bars that had opened since I was last here, I crossed a few blocks over to one of my favorites, Olsen.  Tucked away on a quiet part of the street with a magnificent courtyard that extended to the open layout of the main room, it is a great spot to mingle or in my case, just have a nice cocktail in relative quiet. I finished up and opted to walk the mile plus streets home, working off my meal and enjoying the cool weather.

The rain continued to pour as I groggily woke up and dealt with the punishment I had inflicted upon my poor body over the past few days.  I was in no mood to venture out into the rain so I pulled up the great site I had used many times during my last stay, BuenosAireDelivery.  I knew I needed to take a break from all of my meat consumption so I scoured the site for anything vegetarian that looked decent.  In Buenos Aires, this is easier said than done but I finally found a place that seemed to be what I wanted.

The restaurant listed a tortilla (in Latin America, this means usually an omelet or a quiche) with roasted carrots, chard, onions and potatoes.  I selected that along with a rice and white cheese empanada that sounded good.  About 10 minutes after ordering, I hadn’t received the email confirmation that is usually sent right away so I used the site’s online chat to inquire as to the status.  It was then that I realized I had forgotten (suppressed?) the somewhat maddening process of trying to order for delivery in Buenos Aires.  Most places will list dishes that they in fact do not have at the moment and that causes the order to be cancelled.  Thankfully in this case, it was just the empanada so I switched it to a four-cheese one and the order went through.

About 45 minutes later, the intercom rang and since I couldn’t figure out how to buzz in the delivery guy, I just went downstairs to get my meal from him that way.  The tortilla was nothing special but it was filling and at least somewhat healthy so it was a winner in that sense.  The four cheese empanada was very good and combined with a couple of pieces of my bread from last night, overall it was a simple but satisfying lunch.

I was still pretty tired and couldn’t quite muster up the energy to catch up on the blog so I instead lounged on the couch and watched some TV.  After the required siesta, I showered and got gussied up for my big evening.  Although where I was going was about 2km away, I thought it best to reserve my energy and took the short cab ride just past Plaza Armenia to my destination – Nicky NY Sushi.

The restaurant, however, was just the excuse to get to the main goal of the evening, the private Harrison Speakeasy, which had recently been cited as one of the best bars in the world.  There were only 2 ways to get in – either be a member or go with a member; or make a reservation at the sushi restaurant it is behind and when done say “I want to see the wine cellar.”  I had discovered that latter method randomly in the comments section of an article about the speakeasy, and I had confirmed with the bartender at Rey de Copas that indeed was the correct way to do it.

I made my way past the velvet rope and the unsmiling model-type hostess in a kimono to a nice table that overlooked the small kitchen in the middle of the restaurant.  Wanting to eat light, I chose some salmon nigiri and a “crazy crab” roll, which turned out to be better than expected.  I noticed on the menu that entry to the bodega required at least $250 pesos per person, which I had just hit with those 2 items plus a glass of Torrontes.

After I paid the bill, I leaned in and said that I would like to see the wine cellar.  My server nodded and told me to wait a moment.  Soon that same unsmiling hostess appeared and ushered me across the restaurant and through a set of curtains.  Sure enough, in front of me was indeed a small wine cellar and she began to explain that Nicky Harrison was the son of a famous gangster who had opened up one of the first speakeasies there because he didn’t want to stop drinking during Prohibition.  After the story, she escorted me through a fake panel at the back of the cellar to another room, which had a large vault door.

She said we were now in a time machine and now about to be transported back to the Roaring 20s of New York and Nicky’s private speakeasy.  Since during that time there were no modern cameras or cell phones, the use of those for photos was prohibited (clever way of saying no photos.) and she opened the vault to reveal a small patio, which had a few people on it smoking, and led me into the quite spectacular main room.  Ragtime music quietly played in the background and the dark wood room was dimly lit by candlelight on the tables.  This must have cost a small fortune to design as it truly did feel like I was on the set of Boardwalk Empire.

I took a seat at the bar and was soon handed a copy of a newspaper which had the large headline  – NICKY HARRISON ARRESTED AND SPEAKEASY SHUT DOWN BY NEW YORK POLICE – along with what appeared to be legit news stories from that same date.  Inside the next page was a list of the drinks – all versions of drinks that would have been served during that time.  Santiago, the bartender nearest me asked what I would like, and I selected the Smoke Old Fashioned.  He said that was an excellent choice as it featured Bacardi 8, one of his favorite rums.

He first took out a beautifully etched glass and lit some vanilla tobacco on fire, cupping the glass over it, which quickly filled with smoke.  Next he combined the Bacardi 8, some red vermouth and Angostura bitters into a pitcher and stirred it for a couple of minutes.  He lifted up the glass and poured the drink into it.  He finished it with a twist of orange and presented it to me with a flourish.  It was a very delicious mix of slight smoke, bitter and sweet – a really good cocktail.

As I chatted with him, I found out it was actually his first day here but he had been bartending for 7 years, most recently at another popular speakeasy.  He spoke excellent English but I would occasionally switch back to Spanish when he got busy.  A very cool dude originally from Venezuela who had been here 7 years, he was a charming host and clearly had the chops to be there.

About an hour later, I told him to make me his favorite rum drink, and he smiled as he said OK.  I said once again that I didn’t want anything too sweet but other than that, have at it.  He got to work with all matters of fancy moves and ingredients, which I tried to check off along the way.  While this was going on, I noticed that another bartender had lit something on fire on top of what looked like a model train.  Sure enough, shortly thereafter, a waitress picked up the tray and started yelling “WOO WOOO! WOO WOOO!” as she delivered what I found out was the Union Pacific 2 person drink to a table near me.

It was now past midnight and the rest of the room had started to fill up more – a mix of what clearly looked like to be members along with a few like myself who had done the dinner route.  I chatted with a nice couple next to me at the bar, who were regulars.  The middle bartender had just handed the male of the couple the largest tumbler I had ever seen with a giant ice cube – his gigantic version of an old fashioned, which was 3 drinks in one.  He let me taste it and yep, it was indeed that.  Pretty crazy.

Soon after, Santiago handed me the drink – a Manhattan but made with the same Bacardi 8 from the last drink instead of the traditional bourbon – served in another piece of stunning antique glassware.  I was surprised how much it tasted like a traditional Manhattan but without the usual back of the throat burn associated with the bourbon in the original version.

A few minutes later, 2 guys approached the bar.  One seemed to affiliated with it somehow as everyone was greeting him as he inspected the bartenders.  It turned out he was one of the owners, here to check out the new guy along with his head bartender.  A round of drinks suddenly appeared and I was handed one as well – not exactly sure what it was, but it was quite good.  The owner soon left but the main bartender stayed, Martin, so I started chatting with him.  I explained how in Los Angeles there were several bars like this and how much it reminded me of The Varnish there.  He hadn’t heard of it but said he would definitely check it out.

It was now just past 1AM, so I decided to get one last drink and challenged Santiago, like I had the other Santiago at Rey de Copas, to make something smokey but not what I had originally.  He nodded and pulled out a bag of what looked like some sort of chilis and laced the bottom of the pitcher with those.  Next he added some Cynar, an artichoke liqueur which has become popular lately, along with some red vermouth, Campari and finally some Bacardi 8.  He stirred all of this together and then strained out what he now told me were smoked red chili flakes, and handed me the drink, again in a truly stunning piece of antique glassware.

He said it was called Negrito Diablito – and it was something he had created during a short stint at Rey de Copas, with the twist being using Cynar instead of the usual bitters and rum instead of gin.  This was a serious cocktail.  The smoke chili flakes added a small note of heat and the Cynar had just the right amount of bitter without overwhelming the rest.  I nursed it for quite awhile since I knew it would be last one plus it packed quite a punch.

About an hour later, he said it was last call, very early by Buenos Aires standards, but given I had been there since 10PM, that was A-OK with me.  I said my goodbyes and headed down the alley to back entrance of the restaurant, and out onto the street.  It’s nights like this why I love traveling alone as it makes it a lot easier for magic like that to happen and enjoy life to its fullest.  Tomorrow (or rather later that day) would be the last of multi-course dinners extravaganzas so it was time for some ZZZs.

Since the initial $100 USD I had exchanged was now almost gone, it was time to re-up via the online payment service, Xoom, which allows one to send money from one country to someone else in another.  In my case, this meant sending money from my US bank account to myself here in Buenos Aires.  I had discovered this great service during my last stay and while it wasn’t quite as good as the “blue rate” (the underground market) it was still substantially better than the official rate.  The only problem was that the nearest place to collect the funds was in Recoleta, which was about a 20 minute cab ride away.

Still, this gave me a chance to go back to one of my favorite restaurants in the area, Cumana.  The restaurant is known for its authentic take on classic Argentine cuisine such as locro, casuelas (basically a casserole but in a pot) and of course empanadas.  Since I knew I had a big meal in store that evening, I decided this time not to have anything too heavy and chose 3 different empanadas – cheese with basil and tomatoes, cheese and spinach, and beef.

Pipping hot, fresh out of the clay oven that dominates the small kitchen, these meat pastries of joy were fantastic, perhaps the best I had ever had.  I ended up ordering the chicken just to see what their version was like, and it was also excellent.

The MORE money store was a few block away down the main street of Santa Fe, and I noticed as I walked towards it that the trees were covered in the same purple blossoms that permeate Los Angeles around this same time of late spring.  It made for a very visually appealing walk along with the impressive architecture of the neighborhood.

The process to retrieve my money was very straightforward and I only had to wait for one fellow traveler to get his before it was my turn.  I showed my transaction number along with my passport; confirmed I wasn’t here on business and got my wad of 100 peso bills (the largest tender recommended to carry around)  I cashed $700, which equated to just under 10,000 pesos, which made for a visually impressive bankroll.

Not wanting to hanging around too long with such a wad of cash, I hailed a cab and headed back to the apartment.  After a couple of hours of catching up with various friends’ Thanksgiving well-wishes and a FaceTime chat, it was time for perhaps my favorite restaurant in Buenos Aires, iLatina.

Located in a nice mansion in a slightly dicey barrio just south of Palermo, iLatina was probably the most famous of the puerta cerrada (closed door) restaurants.  As readers from my previous adventures know, puerta cerradas are essentially underground restaurants in that they are in spaces, like this mansion, that aren’t zoned to be a restaurant.  This also allows the owners to provide a fairly substantial discount in their offerings since they don’t have the usual overhead of a traditional restaurants.

iLatina had recently ascended to the coveted number one spot on TripAdvisor’s top restaurants in Buenos Aires so it was no surprise that I noticed most of the tables around me were speaking English or at least not Spanish.  Specializing dishes from across South America, with a particular focus on Colombia (where the chefs and owners are from), they offer an 8 course tasting menu along with the requisite wine pairings.  Since I had already done this the night before, I chose to stick to by the glass this time around.

Before the proper courses though, there was a round of Snacks – mini versions of 3 classic Latina American street food, each about a bite full and all delicious.

Next up was the Bread Basket, a lovely assortment of various breads, from coconut and banana to focaccia and bread made with cacao.  Even though I knew I had many courses ahead, I couldn’t resist at least sampling each of these fantastic baked goods.  So good that in fact I ended up getting another order to go to have the next day.

Soon after, the first course arrive – shredded lamb in masa with a cilantro cream sauce, an update on a Colombian favorite.  The lamb was wonderfully tender and contrasted nicely with the smooth masa.  A great start.

The second course was lacquered shrimp with spicy pineapple and fennel.  I was encouraged to mix it all together for the true Caribbean taste.  The shrimps were perfectly cooked and the spicy pineapple added a nice punch.  Classic and delicious.

Next up a dish I never get tired of – ceviche, in this case Baru (an island just off the coast of Colombia) style, which includes the usual ingredients and adds lychee to the mix, along with some strips of pickled mango.  This was fantastic, super fresh fish and the lychee gave it a nice note of sweetness to cut through the acid of the citrus.

The fourth course was supposed to be a chupa (chowder) of grilled octopus but because of my garlic issue, the chef had instead made a pumpkin soup with sliced, caramelized octopus on the side.  My server suggested putting the octopus into the soup, which I had and was blown away how perfectly they went together.  The octopus rivaled my beloved El Mercado version in its tenderness and the soup was fantastic.  Since the ratios were a bit off, I asked if I could have a bit more octopus and they ended up giving me the entire course over again, which I eagerly consumed.

The final savory course was my “turkey” basically – pork shoulder that had been slowly braised in Colombian coffee with a sugarcane reduction along with grilled vegetables and 2 sauces – beetroot and artichoke.  The coffee flavor was unmistakable and paired nicely with the slightly sweet reduction.  The vegetables were perfectly cooked and seasoned, and tasted even better after being swirled around the 2 sauces.

(PHOTO NOT FOUND)

Due to a technical issue, the photographic evidence of the six course, a pre-dessert of cacao truffle with sea salt and olive oil, didn’t make it. Rest assured though, it was quite pretty and tasty.

The final course turned out to be nice, unintentional nod to Thanksgiving – a sweet potato sorbet with creamy goat cheese, candied lemon peels, sesame tuile and hibiscus meringue.  OK, so not exactly traditional Turkey Day dessert but delicious nevertheless.

The final dish of the evening is usually a ceremonial cup of Colombian coffee but for us non-caffeine drinkers, instead I got a cup of a pretty complex herbal tea and some petit fours of classic Latin American desserts.  These probably would have been even better with coffee but a nice way to end a truly wonderful meal.

By the time I was ready to leave, most tables had turned over and now predominately featured locals, which increased the noise level substantially.  I requested a taxi and one of the servers, who turned out to be from Minnesota, waited with me outside for it to arrive.  I wished her a Happy Thanksgiving, which made her pause and thank me so much for telling her that as she was feeling homesick.  My cab arrived and back to Palermo I went but with a quick nightcap before heading home.

I had passed by the intriguingly named Odin Artisanal Beer Tavern on my walk the previous night and always wanting to try a local brew, I thought it would make for a nice post-meal drink or two.  Designed to look at lot older than it actually was, it was basically an urban biker bar, with speed metal blaring out of the speakers and many patrons with numerous piercings and tattoos.  Still, I was there for the beer so I flagged over a short purple haired waitress with a nose ring and took at seat at the bar.

There were two local breweries being featured so I chose to get a sample of 3 different beers from there – 2 from Zeppellin – a Scotch Ale and a porter – and 1 from Buko, their Oktoberfest beer.  First up was the Scotch Ale, which..wasn’t great – a very weak version of what is normally a favorite of mine.  Unfortunately, the next, the Buko Oktoberfest was a disaster.  Just awful and I stopped drinking it after 2 sips.  The final “robust” porter was hardly that but thankfully at least at some decent, if uninspired flavor.  Argies really should just stick to making wine I guess.

It was now past 2AM and while I could have kept going, the bad beer and all of the food in my belly mandated I go home and get some sleep.  There was 100% of rain for tomorrow so I knew I would be able to have some downtime and relax.  I dashed home just in time before the massive thunderstorm took control of the skies, which made for a nice sleeping soundtrack.

After a relatively peaceful night’s rest and catching up some work, it was time to go exploring.  Santiago had told me about a new outdoor mall that had been built in the formerly abandoned train yard just a block away.  Having often used that as my crossing point from Palermo Hollywood into Palermo Soho when I was temporarily living there, I was shocked to what they done with it.

Santiago had noted that while it was considered an outlet mall, in Buenos Aires, that didn’t really mean much – maybe 10-15% discounts.  Given the majority of the stores were ones I could find back in the States, that didn’t really matter as I wasn’t shopping for anything, especially not at places like the Mannequins of the Damned

But first, I needed some food.

There was a small crepe stand close to the entrance and since I wanted something quick and easy, it sounded good to me.  The structure in what clearly seems to be a trend at least in South America, having seen it Cartegena, Lima and now Buenos Aires, was a former shipping container.  For such a setup though, it made a lot of sense to use something like that for their stand.

I ended up going with the classic ham and cheese crepe, which came in a handy carrying case, although it was way too hot at first to eat that way.  After a few minutes though, it had cooled enough for me to eat and walk around the rest of the complex.  I briefly checked out an interesting wine store outlet, which had a lot of familiar Mendoza wines I had enjoyed in the past.  I decided I would come back later to investigate it further.

A few hours later, I was back in a cab, heading across town to a new (well since I had been here last) restaurant called El Banqueano, which specialized in exotic Argentine game meats and fishes with a modern touch.  It was quite a nice drive, spanning across several of the key Buenos Aires landmarks, from the Obelisk to Teatro Colon.  As we approached one of the oldest parts of the city, San Telmo, the streets turned into rough cobblestone for the last few minutes of the trip.

The restaurant was very traditional looking cafe, dark with lots of red in the interior.  Since I had been able to successfully change $100 into a 14:1 rate for pesos (official being 9.2:1) thanks to Santiago, I decided to splurge a bit and get the 6 wine pairings along with the 8 course meal.

At least from the vague menu descriptions, I couldn’t quite tell the supposed exotic meal that lay ahead but it still looked good to me.

Soon after I sat down, the first wine, a nice rose cava from Mendoza, arrived as a welcome.  This was quickly followed by a choice of breads, one of which was called “mushroom bread” so of course I had to get that.  It definitely had an earthy taste to it and was quite good, especially with the Zuccardi olive oil that accompanied it.

A couple of minutes the first course arrived – “Textures of Tomatoes”  – a tomato sorbet, sliced herloom tomatoes with a tomato broth.  Between my IK dish and this one, perhaps I was starting to turnaround on my relative distaste for cold tomatoes as it was very tasty.  A good start to the meal.

Next up was a Sauvignon Blanc, also from Mendoza.  While a bit too bland for my tastes, it paired nicely with the second course that arrived moments later.

I had to ask my server twice what she had said as I think it was crocodile maki?  Yep, indeed it was.  River crocodile maki with a pure wasabi (as in not very spicy) emulsion with a seaweed sauce.  OK, now the concept of the restaurant was starting to make a lot more sense.  And damned if it didn’t taste just like chicken.  I eagerly gobbled up all 3 pieces in quick succession and could have had another 3 easily.

Next wine was a Chardonnay, also from Mendoza.  Unfortunately, like most from there, it was just OK but really was more again for the pairing with the next course.

The third course was an Atlantic white fish, affectionately known as a “trash fish” with a strawberry “caviar” and sauce.  Fortunately the strawberry taste wasn’t very pronounced and the fish was very tender and well-seasoned.  Not a knockout but a solid dish.

The next wine was actually a twofer of a Torrontes from La Rioja and, surprisingly, a class of chica morrada, a fermented beer-like drink popular in the Andes.  My server explained that one of the cooks is from Peru and this was his complement to the dish.

There are only a few items that make me wince when I see it on a menu, and unfortunately, the next course featured it – tripe as part of “All Parts of the Corn” – which along with the tripe had a corn sauce, masa cake and pieces of corn.  After confirming that yep, I hate tripe, I carefully eat around it and found the rest of the dish to be pretty good.

Finally it was on to the reds, with a very nice Pinot Noir from Patagonia.  I had enjoyed a couple of pinots from that region last time I was here and this one was excellent.  So good in fact I ended up asking for another glass, which they happily obliged.

The fifth course was the one I was most looking forward to and even exceeded those expectations – “Mushrooms of the Moment” – a wonderful combination of mushroom sorbet (!), sliced morels, mushroom powder, mushroom cracker with a mushroom puree.  I was surprised it was served cold but this was an absolute stunner for a mushroom fan like me.  Wow.

I assumed a Malbec had to be in the offering at some point and sure it enough one arrived next.  However, since it wasn’t from Mendoza, it didn’t have that robust earthy notes I love so much.  It was kind of a letdown to be honest and even more a headscratcher given the next course.

The sixth course turned out to be a brand new one the chef had been experimenting with – braised chivito (baby goat) from Mendoza with a chivito reduction sauce and kimchi on a black molasses bun.  This was crazy good, super tender meat with a ton of flavor and the spicy crunchy kimchi.  I asked the co-owner, the chef’s wife and sommelier, why she hadn’t paired it with a Mendoza Malbec and she said that truthfully it really should be with a beer.  I agreed.

The seventh course was a palette cleanser (no wine pairing) where my server challenged me to name all of the ingredients.  I ended up getting 7 out of 10 correct, nailing the lemon-lime sorbet, mint, parsley, basil, orange and grapefruit but whiffing on the sweet cumcumber, green apple (which was in a sauce that didn’t have the usual sour notes) and olive oil (which c’mon wasn’t really fair!)  Very complex and a great way to wash away the intense flavors of the last course.

The last wine was a real winner, a late harvest Malbec from Mendoza.  Not too sweet but with that wonderful slightly sticky quality, I was a very happy man and once again asked for seconds with this one.

The final course was a deconstructed version of an Argentine classic dessert – El Aljafor. I was encouraged to combine the various elements together to get the familiar taste of the original cake.  A fun and playful way to finish a great meal.

After the last sip of that wonderful late harvest Malbec, I somehow pushed myself away from the table, hailed a cab and staggered back to my apartment.  Tomorrow would be yet another epic meal day plus I had a critical errand to run to fund my adventures so sleep was a must.