More Restaurant Reviews

This is prompted by my credit card statement, because it reminds me of a few restaurants I've eaten at recently.

Sudestada -- So, I've eaten there a few times. And despite previously thinking that one of the waitresses is one of the cutest girls on earth, I didn't like her new hair cut. Hmm. But this meal, which I'm pretty sure was entirely the same as one I'd eaten before, was amazing. It goes to show you that there is variability in dishes. It's also weird that I usually let my friend John order for me when we go here. Normally I'd pick the opposite because I'm stubborn. Maybe being friends with Perez has taught me that occasionally it's best to defer. (You've heard the story about how we hated each other at first, right?)

Olsen -- This is the sister of a famous restaurant in...Spain, I think. I'm too lazy to look it up, but it's a Norwegian (?) restaurant. It's really good. Hance, Liang and I went there. We didn't have reservations so we had to sit outside on a really cold night. They provide blankets. It's expensive, but really good. The appetizer was phenomenal (is that really the first time I've had caviar?) the main course was quite good as well.

Aire -- I've written that this is my favorite restaurant, and I continue to like it. It's quite good, although the entrees are the weakest part as of yet. Will this be my first date restaurant? It's looking like it.

La Espuela -- Betty, J Hance and I went to this place in Canitas. Diego joined us later. The ambience was great, except that they were showing a movie. Uh, what? The food was great, except that they only had 2 steaks left. Uh, seriously? Mine was more done than medium (this is normal is BsAs...call this foreshadowing), but excellent.

Morichu -- I went here the last night in my old apartment. Wow, bad. I ordered my steak "jugoso" which is equivalent to rare in the US. Except that Argentines cook their steaks more than we do in the US. Jugoso here is equivalent to medium rare in the US. Except that this was really rare. And totally bland. Too rare, too bland. But huge. I was disappointed. Still, I ordered Tiramisu for dessert. Horrendous! The exact same thing: huge portion, but no taste. Avoid Morichu at all costs.

Bonito / Jungada-- Some Argentine friends picked this. My steak was good, but definitely below average for Buenos Aires, Palermo Hollywood. I was the only one in the group to get alcohol with dinner, and it was a HUGE glass of red wine, but a little bit pricey (well, relatively speaking). The wine wasn't amazing either, though not bad.

Punta Brasas -- Joe and I ate at a restaurant next door when this place was protested. The food was pretty blah here, honestly. I won't go back.

Soberbia -- John says this place is good. The executive menu one day wasn't fantastic. I'll give it another shot and report back.

Standard -- Not really my type of menu, but excellent for what it was.

Social Paraiso -- Betty and I both had steaks, and they were awesome. Highly recommended. One of the few times I've ventured over into Soho instead of staying in Hollywood. However, there's an all you can eat steak place for like $9 US, so I'm going to go stuff myself silly sometime soon.

Not terribly sure why I took a picture of this. Not sure why I'm putting the picture up either.

This hotel development on my street, a few blocks from me. There's also going to be condos. It's going to be very modern and swanky, I imagine. Within two or three blocks, there are lots of construction projects in progress that are going to be nice.

My spanish teacher [she calls herself a professor, which is weird to me. Cultural difference? She's my age, not exactly wizened and gray. I know what you're thinking...and yes, she is cute.] says that she doesn't like Palermo Viejo anymore, because she remembers it when she was a girl. From what I read, this used to be a working class neighborhood. Now, I think it's something akin to Montrose in Houston -- the hip, artsy, young part of town that is gentrifying like crazy. Unlike Montrose, its restaurants are awesome.

If I was more optimistic about Argentina's economic prospects, I'd buy a swanky condo and start a business here. Alas, the wife of the ex-president just became president, no one likes her, and she totally hearts Hugo Chavez. Enough said? I think so.

Yup, my neighborhood is gentrifying:



That's about 7 or 8 blocks from me, I'd say. I don't actually see many Mercedes cars on the road here though. Sorry for the picture quality.

I went for a walk after church today. It was a beautiful, blue-skied sunny day and I wanted to enjoy my neighborhood and find something to eat.

Palermo Viejo is gentrifying right now, with towers of lofts going up and buildings being redone like it was Midtown or the Heights. This is a representative picture -- I know it's not a great one -- of a couple of towers of departamentos. There's actually a third tower just to the left of this picture also. Each tower is probably 30 floors high.

This is looking towards la calle Avenida Juan B Justo, which is the divider between Palermo Soho and Palermo Hollywood.

Someone convince me I shouldn't buy an apartment there...please?