Celina Penteado; A Brazilian Woman Gourmet Takes a Look at Buenos Aires

With one week of vacation and a great desire to travel, I began thinking about the pros and cons of an international trip.

The turbulence of the dollar in this election year caused me to quickly abandon any idea of a long distance flight. I opted instead to use frequent flier miles to travel to neighboring Argentina.

With a few important addresses clutched in my hand, I set out with my suitcase, my passport and a few dollars. Argentina’s economic crisis has made enjoying yourself in the capital city inexpensive and has inspired many Brazilians with a taste for good food to follow the path I was taking.

Buenos Aires is a sophisticated and elegant city; in spite of the political and economic problems the country has been struggling with for some time. There are excellent quality hotels for every budget and prices are dirt cheap because of the devaluation of the peso, the local currency. My choice, which proved to be a good one, was a small four-star hotel in the city center. It was in a good location, comfortable and extremely cheap.

Florida Street, a busy commercial district with lots of good stores, is paradise for anyone who can’t resist a bargain. Although the purpose of my trip was to discover new restaurants and sample good Argentine wines, there isn’t a woman alive who could resist so many novelties! The Galeria Pacífico, in addition to being architecturally beautiful, has amazing stores that I could not resist. I looked around awhile, had an espresso in one of the pleasant cafés, and then headed to Puerto Madero for lunch, carrying a beautiful new pair of the latest Adidas tennis shoes.

Argentine beef is famous the world over and so, contrary to worldwide trend of avoiding red meat, I savored a delicious file mignon with champignons sautéed in the marvelous Cabaña las Lilas. Reading the wine list was a great joy. The sunny, 55-degree afternoon combined with the red wine to form the perfect accompaniment to that succulent steak. I love living in Rio de Janeiro, but have to admit that this combination of sensations simply doesn’t exist in the Cidade Maravilhosa.

A walk around the port after lunch was well worth the effort.

At night, Buenos Aires should be explored by car. I discovered very charming neighborhoods – Palermo Viejo, Palermo Hollywood and Las Canitas – complete with bars and restaurants. On an exploratory trip like this, it is worth taking a risk and venturing into places that you find interesting but you can’t always judge the cooking by the quality and sophistication of the décor. I confess I was disappointed with the food at two places that I chose. This didn’t spoil my good humor, however, because I still managed to sample some excellent wines recommended by the sommeliers in those establishments.

An outing to Buenos Aires Design, with its little artisan fair out front, proved a pleasurable excursion.

Sunday brunch is a tradition with me when traveling. I always choose the place I believe to be the best in town. Brunch at the hotel Alvear, served on the top floor complete with a dazzling view, was one of the high points of this trip.

A visit to the San Telmo antique fair was a magic ending for my Sunday. It simply must not be missed!

When everything is going well, time flies. Monday, my last day, was upon me before I knew it. To keep my mind off this unpleasant detail, I did some window-shopping along Recoleta. I visited Maison Ralph Lauren, located in a spectacular former residence, had a glass of good Argentine sparkling wine in the Café Armani and turned my attention to selecting a restaurant for dinner.

Friends had given me a few suggestions and I ended up in a place that exceeded all expectations. I am accustomed to saying that a good gastronomical experience always begins with the décor of the restaurant. The Sucre, recently-opened, is modern, elegant, discrete and well lighted. The music is good and the food and the wine cellar are fantastic. Good service and reasonable prices completed the picture. It was an unforgettable dinner.

I didn’t fall in love in Argentina although I did find the Argentineans charming and well dressed. Nor did I dance the tango. Who knows maybe next time?

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(*) Celina Penteado is a Brazilian publicist and journalist. She currently works for the celebrated Brazilian chef José Hugo Celidonio. Her passions in life include gastronomy, wines, and traveling... the art of living well. After living in Europe for many years, she returned to Rio de Janeiro, the place she considers the best in the world to live...well!