New Stockholm, old vices

-Espresso baren, Moderna Museet, Stockholm

So, I'm in Stockholm these days (and yes, I'm already missing empanadas), that's why I haven't been able to post anything these last past weeks. I've started a new blog here in Sweden. I'll be back in Buenos Aires some time soon, i hope. I promise to post lots then! In the meantime enjoy 'New Stockholm'

Buenos Aires tea party

El Ultimo Beso
4880 Nicaragua
mon/sat 9am 2am
4832-7711

When I lived in London I had a bit of a hard time trying to find a place to go for afternoon tea. I mean, it's an english tradition, right? And still, nothing. I had to conform with coffee at Nero, or the noisy place around the corner. Bad music, bad coffee.
I know that there are places that play bad music and serve bad coffee and tea in Buenos Aires. But, I also know that I can always count on 'El Ultimo Beso' for a refined afternoon of tea and a massive amount of cakes and cookies freshly baked everyday. On saturdays they have a massive cakes and cookies' buffet'. The loose tea is especially selected and the coffee is quite good. Also, the place just looks great, if a little on the girlie side, which explains why most of the customers are nice looking ladies. But again, that's fine by me. Who would complain? Tea plus cakes Plus lovely ladies.
And you don't have to go to London.

Beyond medialunas

Argentina's been having a bit of a rough time lately. The global crisis first and now the swine flu pandemic, that has hit this country the hardest, after the US. A combination of bad government, bad timing and plain bad luck has made the situation worst than in other countries. I guess the best we can all do, local and visitors alike is to be careful, wash our hands often, avoid public gatherings (not easy in a big city like Buenos Aires) and not get too paranoid.
When times are tough, nothing better than some good comfort food, like medialunas.
This blog could well be called 'beyond medialunas', since they seem to be a staple in the local diet. They are a smaller, sweeter version than the all too popular croissants. People have them usually for breakfast with cafe con leche. There are 2 kinds of medialunas:
. de manteca -fluffy, thick and quite sweet
. de grasa -thin, flaky not as sweet

So, if you are visiting this lovely city, or are already here, remember to wash your hands and avoid public gatherings. Oh, and don't forget to order some good medialunas. They will make life a little sweeter, even in this rough times.

Photo by Martin Lavega

books + music + coffee

Boutique del Libro
1762 Thames
4833 6637:
mon/thu 10am-10pm
fri 10am 11pm.
sat 11am-11pm
sun 2pm-10pm

I was talking about my favorite cafes ever other day. and several ones came to mind. From Nordic Bakery and Fernandez & Wells in London, Teany in NYC and Albert & Jack's in Stockolm all these cafes have something in common: Great location, amazing food and coffee, perfect atmosphere and just that something that makes them special. Whether it's the best cinnamon rolls ever or a huge tea selection, there's something that sets them apart from the rest.
If I had to choose my favorite cafe in Buenos Aires, and this is not easy, I mean, why choose one, when I can go to all of them? but for argument's sake, if I had to choose one, then 'Boutique del Libro' would be my pick. It's a music shop, a book store and an amazing cafe. They have a great selection of cd's and dvd's. thousands of books, from arts to politics and everything in between.
Everytime I go to la 'Boutique del Libro' there's amazing music playing. Cat Power, the National, Bonnie Prince Billy and many more will make the afternoon a much more pleasant one.
Located in a quite area of Palermo Soho, 'la Boutique del Libro' is the perfect place for a perfect afternoon of music, coffee and music.
It might be your favorite cafe, too. It certainly is mine..

Naturally natural

Natural Deli
opened everyday till late
1776 Gorostiaga st.
1672 Laprida st.
4514 1776

After a few days of eating medialunas with cafe con leche for breakfast, your stomach starts complaining. You feel tired, cranky and stuffed. You'll soon start craving for natural food.
An apple or a walnut would do. But there's a more appetizing solution: 'Natural Deli'.
Mike, the owner and organic food's crusader, came from London to teach us that good natural, fresh, organic and veggie food can actually taste good. Organic coffee, scramble eggs, home made granola, french toast and home organic jams will redefine a typical breakfast in Buenos Aires. For lunch there's quiche, sandwiches, wraps, soups and freshly pressed juice, lemonade and ice tea. All good and fresh.
This is not a fast food place and they do take their time to prepare the meals, so patience is a must (you are in Buenos Aires after all). Natural Deli has two branches and they are planning to open up a few more. And yes, they sell apples and walnuts, too..

(Not a) Corner deli

Mark's Deli
El Salvador 4701
mon/sat 830am-930pm
sun 1030am9pm

I was slightly reluctant to write about this place. But why? It's always packed, so they definitely don't need any extra publicity. Then, they didn't let me take pictures. I really wonder why? I hate it when places impose this kind of stupid restrictions on paying customers. And it's expensive.
So why am I still writing? Well, despite the fact that it's always packed, they don't let you take pictures and the waiters are cranky, the place is a classic in the Palermo Soho area. They were one of the pioneers in the neighborhood, when they opened back in 2002.
From ice coffee to orange/chocolate pound cake to the sandwiches and salads there's a big selection to choose from. Everything is freshly made everyday.
Mark's isn't really a deli, as it's know in the states, although you can take stuff to go. It's more of a NYC style coffee house (I mention NYC since I lived there for years, I guess if I had lived in Chicago, or say Spokane, I would have said that it reminded me of either one of those cities).
I personally like Palermo, but there's a lack of good places to go for breakfast/lunch/afternoon coffee. The ones around Plaza Serrano are rather tacky and expensive. So places like Mark's Deli (and there are just a few in the area) are always a must go for those of us coffee nerds.
I always told myself that I wasn't going to write about Mark's Deli, but I just did. Maybe I wrote about it because I was there today and had a good time, even if it was crowded, expensive and they didn't let me take any pictures, except for the ones I managed to secretly take, of course..

How to order coffee

A friend told me once: 'Never sacrifice a friendship for a kiss'. And I think there's a lot of truth in that. The thing is that in Argentina people kiss each other a lot, even with this swine flu thing. So I guess you do get to kiss your friends and keep them, too. That same friend tried to order a submarino thinking it was a sandwich.
I think it can be a bit difficult to know how to order coffee here. Sometimes the names are different and some other times the names are the same but the drink is different. So here's a quick list of different coffee drinks. I'm sure I'm forgetting one or two, but well... that's what you get for kissing friends.

cafe: small espresso
cortado: small espresso with a couple of drops of steamed milk
cortado jarrito: cortado on a larger cup
lagrima: steamed milk and a couple of drops of coffee, served on a small cup
lagrima jarrito: lagrima on a bigger cup
cafe con leche: espresso shot with steamed milk (pretty similar to a european capuccino)
capuccino: espresso shot with steamed milk, served on a big glass dusted with cocoa powder and cinnamon
submarino: steamed milk served with a bar of dark chocolate (not a sandwich!)

Boulevard

Voulez bar
3802 Cervino st.
4802 4817
mon/sat 9am-1am

So it's hot, Buenos Aires is empty and there's not much to do. What are the options? I guess most people would head to 'los bosques de Palermo' area, by the zoo, to walk around the lakes and trees. Maybe hire some rollerblades or one of those ridiculous peddaling boats. Personally, since i'm not into sports or boats, I tend to go for nice coffee (or ice coffee!) and sit by a sidewalk somewhere under the trees. Voulez bar is perfect for that. It's on the way to the Palermo lakes, so you can sit down for coffee or lemonade and then head to the lakes. The food is fresh with a french twist (from salads to amazing sandwiches). In the afternoon there are pastries and cakes that would make anyone happy, Even in this hot weather..

Best cookies

Sugar & Spice
5419 Guatemala st.
4777 5423

I could write for hours and hours about how Sugar and Spice cookies are the best ones in Buenos Aires, that the owner is a very hands on and an unusual business man (or cookie man!) and that their store/show room is a must visit for cookie nerds. But I won't. instead go check his blog, which is not only entertainig but inspiring and informative. And to me that's what a good blog is all about. Oh! And the cookies are fresh, with real chocolate chunks and inspiring, and to me that's what a good cookie is all about..

Buenos Aires pizza

io te amasso
1885 Malabia st.
tue/sun 10am/midnite
4832 3111

El Cuartito
937 Talcahuano st.
4816 1758

Pizza pizza pizza... So much is said and argued about pizza in Buenos Aires. The best one, the crunchiest one. Everybody shows off their pizza knowledge and of course, I'm no exception.
When we talk about pizza, there's a distinction to be made: argentine style pizza and italian style pizza. The first one is cheesy, has a thick crust and can be eaten by the slice at several traditional pizza joints. The italian kind, tends to be thinner and lighter. not much loved by locals i'd say. Try to convince my dad to go eat one of those. In fact, most Portenos that have been to Italy complained that the pizza wasn't as good as the ones found in BA (!!!). Traditional places like Guerrin, Angelin and El Cuartito tend to be on the top list for local favorites. The latter to me is the best argentine style pizza. The place looks and feels like nothing i've ever seen before. The restaurant is huge, the walls covered with pictures of athletes, football players and boxers from a million years ago, the odd autographed picture. Even though there are lots of tables the place is packed most days. So if you don't want to wait, get there early. and early here is about 8.30pm, any later than that and you'll have to wait. Any earlier and the place most likely will be empty or closed (i'm exagerating). For a more authentic experience get a couple of slices to eat on the counter.
As far as italian style pizza goes my favorite place is 'io te amasso'. The ingredients are fresh, the crust is thin and crispy and the place is tiny and cozy. The vibe is always relaxed and never too packed. And the owner looks like Tony Bennet.
So there you have it: two of the best. Now try to convince my dad of that.

Size matters

Florencio
2363 Francisco de Vittoria st.
9am-8pm
4807 6477

Could this be the cutest cafe in Argentina? I read somewhere that Florencio is the smallest cafe in Argentina, just five tables to sit on and a couple more outside. It's very hard to find, close to the British embassy, in Recoleta. The cakes are the best ones i've ever had. They also have a nice lunch menu with proper salads and sandwiches (no boring tostados here). They are open for dinner twice a week with a fix menu, on wednesdays and fridays.
Perfect place for an old school tea party with friends, now don't take many, though. Remember it's not only the cutest cafe in Argentina, but the smallest..

Go Baraka

Baraka
1450 Gurruchaga st.
4834 6427

Baraka became one of my favorite places to go for good organic coffee, pound cakes, amazing sandwiches and the best chocolate cake i've had in Buenos Aires so far. It's in a great area, near plaza serrano, but away from all the (annoying) mess. There's a sunny terrace, which is great, as long as it's not too sunny (too hot!) and comfy couches to sit inside. They have a really nice tea selection by Tealosophy
and the service is generally very friendly. Today I went for breakfast with my dad and then again for afternoon tea with a friend.. vote baraka!