Tag: buenos aires
Buenos Aires- Delicious Palermo and Good Bye…
I am back to report on the dinner last night at Azema Exotic Bistro. Unfortunately the restaurant does not have a website- I guess they want to keep it simple and old school word of mouth.. although I do think all restaurants should have a website to refer to. That being said- that was the only thing wrong with this place. Let me put it in perspective. We read up on this place- it is all over the internet. Lots of magazines like Food and Wine and Travel and Leisure have talked about this place. It is owned by Paul Jean Azema. His world travels have inspired this restaurant. It has a fusion of Creole, French, Vietnamese, Indian and Caribbean cuisines. We made reservations for 8.30 (yes, that is when the place opens). We rested in our room till then but an hour before we were to leave, the skies opened up and brought us rain and wind like no ones business. We waited a bit but it didn’t get any better. When it was time to go, I suggested we stay and order in from somewhere else but my husband insisted we go- especially because we were a block and a half away. So, we borrowed umbrellas and braved through the really bad weather. We got to the restaurant with our feet and shoes completely soaked- we were not happy. We walked into an eclectic restaurant, decorated with African objects. We sat down and were given the menus. We asked for an English version and we were told the owner will come and explain the dishes… and he did. We were happy to hear his explanations about all his dishes. We decided on sharing the ceviche. It was simply the most delicious ceviche I have ever had. It had the perfect balance of tart, savory, heat and a bit of sweet. I asked him what he added to this amazing dish and he rattled off a bunch of ingredients including milk and turmeric! 
Next, I ordered a yellow fish curry. Again, it was amazing. It invoked memories of our Kerela trip. It had Caribbean flavors including pieces of plantains that provided an amazing sweetness off set by the pickled chilies in there.
I didn’t think the meal could get any better .. but it did when I had the passion fruit mousse. Not sure if I have ever mentioned before but passion fruit is my all time favorite fruit.
The dessert was amazing and a perfect end to an amazing meal. The experience was amazing and before leaving, I asked the owner if he plans on opening a restaurant in America- he said, “one never knows”. I hope he does.. but in the meantime, we will most likely be returning tomorrow for our last meal.
This has been an amazing trip to Buenos Aires. We had a wonderful time in Recoleta sightseeing and walking around. Palermo was simply delicious with all the restaurant choice. The wines and the gelato were delicious as well….
No matter where we go- I love going home. Looking forward to my own kitchen and bed! Thanks for coming on this amazing journey with me.. back to reality on Monday!
Buenos Aires- Day 5 and 6 in Palermo- A Variety of Cusines
We made our way to Palermo which is another section of Buenos Aires that is quite popular with tourists. As I mentioned in the previous post, this area is filled with restaurants, boutiques and very trendy bars and cafes. Each block is lined with tons of them. It is a feast for the eyes.. one doesn’t know where to go. We had our fill of grilled steak, etc and were looking for something different. We found a Vietnamese, Thai fusion restaurant in our area called Sudestada. We unpacked and explored the area.. but before we left our room, we looked up the restaurant and the menu. We reached the spot and discovered it doesn’t open till 8.30.. wow, really? We, in America are not used to that… but we wanted to try their food so badly that we waited and had a drink while our daughter ate her dinner (she wasn’t willing to wait that long for food).
Well, the food was worth the wait. I had a whole fish cooked in tamarind sauce and washed it down with a delicious mango cocktail- yum! Unfortunately I forgot to take my camera.
The next day, we walked to a charming cafe called Pani. I had an omelet and cafe con leche. My daughter had a delicious cinnamon bun and fruit salad. I later looked up this cafe and people online were talking about their unbelievable cinnamon buns. We had a delicious croissant filled with ham and cheese. This place also serves afternoon tea, lunch and dinner. We will be back there tomorrow.
We researched lunch as well and found a place called La Fabrica del taco. They are famous for the taco al pastor. I had a taco and a margarita. The decor was colorful and very eclectic. The whole experience was great. We walked around some more and came back to our hotel and chilled a bottle of sparkling rose! Delicious! Will report back on dinner at Azema cafe. The place does not have a website and it is supposed to be a very eclectic place to eat as it is a combination of French and African cuisines. 
Buenos Aires- Day Two.. Dinner At Casa Felix
Day two started with a trip to the museum. It is walking distance to our hotel and best of all, it was free. It was not too big- just the right size for me.. it had a great selection of art. We spent about an hour in there and then saw a double decker bus that toured around the city. We got on to see the entire city- it was huge!!
We got off at La Boca which is a fairly poor area. It’s cobblestoned streets are lined with tango dancers and live music. Lots of cafes and restaurants are there as well. We had lunch and walked around a bit. We returned exhausted to our room to rest up for the main event of the day- dinner at Casa Felix, which is a closed door restaurant here in Buenos Aires. One has to call or email to make reservations about a month in advance. I got in touch with the chef a year ago and he asked me to get in touch with them closer to our trip. I was super excited about this meal as it is all farm to table. I also love the idea of going to someone’s home and eating a delicious meal.
We got there at 9.30- yup.. that was a little late, especially since we took our 9 year old daughter was with us. Anyway, we walked into a open style home with a courtyard near the entrance. Tables were set up there and other people were in a little garden off the kitchen. They war all drinking a lemon verbena drink (verbena was growing in the garden) and munching on fontina cheese wrapped in chayote leaves (chayote was growing in the garden as well!)
After a while we sat down to a delicious Bolivian peanut soup. Cumin and chili infused oil introduced a nice kick to it. I ordered a flight of wine to complement the dinner. All the wines were delicious.
The next course was some sautéed baby potatoes that tasted like beets. It was served with a homemade ketchup with a side of fresh picked greens, herbs and flowers. 
Next was a watermelon and mint granita with a hint of tandoori masala. It was a great palette cleanser.
The main course was a chimichurri encrusted sea bream with sautéed green beans, pine mushroom and garlic confit. It was delicious. 
We ended the meal with plums and caramelized figs in a jasmine and honey soup with cinnamon ice cream.
All in all, it was an amazing experience. My only regret- it was quite late when we finished and my daughter was exhausted.. but we couldn’t have made it without her.. but I guess it was okay as we all slept in the next morning…