Friday, October 26, 2012

Bond, James Bond


Skyfall is opening today and the world will be a better place! We are huge fans of Mr. James, and watched probably 1,500,000 times most of his films (with the exception of the ones starred by Roger Moore...). Our favorite actor is of course Sean Connery, but we think Daniel Craig is excellent in a much more modern version of the character.

We can't wait to see this film after the great reviews we heard from the avant-premiere guests.



Thursday, October 25, 2012

Woven lives

We stumbled upon some pictures of Nate Berkus apartment in Chicago, a very nice space indeed, and we rediscovered a woven photograph by the late Fernando Bengoechea.



We met Fernando in New York many years ago (1998 maybe), he was working in a photo shoot for a friend of mine. We were both from Argentina, the exact same age, we were born in the same city and went to the same places as we were growing up. Talk about coincidences...He was a fantastic photographer and such a nice guy!



The woven photographs are painstakingly cut and then woven back together, adding this way a new depth and converting them into works of art.


You can visit the website for more information. His brother Marcelo is keeping Fernando's work alive.

www.fernandobengoechea.com

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Tarquino, or how Recoleta got its groove back.

Not long ago, the only choice if you were in Recoleta and wanted a good drink was to go to any of the five star hotels in the area. We particularly liked the bar at the Hyatt Duhau on Avenida Alvear, but honestly after a while we needed a new place. And then, voila!, one day we discovered Tarquino, or maybe Tarquino discovered us, who knows.

We go there quite often, the bar area before the main room (a glass enclosed patio with a tree and everything) is our favorite place to hang out with friends. We usually end up having our meals there, a more casual setting for our taste. The menu is argentine, but very creative and full of surprises, so you can say good bye to the usual steak for one night.



Tarquino restaurant
Rodriguez Peña 1967
Ph. 6091.2160

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

What's cooking in San Telmo

The moment we walked into Aldo's we felt somehow puzzled. That familiar sensation, sort of a deja-vu, like walking into a place we've been before when it was very clear it was our first time there ever.



But then, as we sat in a very comfortable banquette, all of a sudden we realized the truth: it was like being in a first class restaurant in an international city (we know a thing or two about fine dining, darlings...). It didn't mean a pretentious this-place-looks-like-soho kind of thing at all. It was the real thing, a good looking first class space.

We were there for brunch, a big group really, and had a really good time as the food was tasty and the cocktails amazing. The wine selection, as expected, was superb. So were the good looking customers around us!

San Telmo is happening people...



Aldo's 
Moreno 372
Ph. 5291.2380


Le bourgeois gentilhomme


As you probably already know, Buenos Aires is a stylish place to visit and a wonderful city to live in. Trying to find a good store to get great clothes and shoes is another matter, as it could be a bit tough, especially if you come from a big city abroad.

But since we discovered El Burgues our peace of mind is guaranteed. We really like the chic store, the shoes are fantastic and the overall feeling of good quality makes us feel very very good.

A cut above the rest.



El Burgues
Gurruchaga 1638 & 1743
www.elburgues.com

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Les surprises du Chef

San Telmo is one of the oldest neighbourhoods in Buenos Aires. It is where ancient buildings still stand today, after a few centuries of pollution and neglect. It became somehow a trendy place to buy an apartment, or open a store, a while ago but obviously it is not a location as commercial or high end as Palermo Soho or Recoleta...yet.

Property value went up, some cleaning (and also restoration) of the buildings is taking place so everything is looking much better than a few years back where garbage and squatters made the area a dangerous mess. Everything is improving, slowly but steadily.

Defensa street goes from Plaza de Mayo (of Evita fame) to the flea market in Plaza Dorrego, and all of  those blocks--too many!!!-- have become an open air market. Not as charming as one would hope but still alive and full of people. But unfortunately for all these tourists and locals alike, the question of where to have lunch (a good one) remained unanswered for many years.

But fortunately for us (we really love to eat well) there is a restaurant that changed our bad nourished Sundays in San Telmo: La Panaderia de Pablo, which opened some time ago thanks to the genius of famous chef Pablo Massey. In a wonderful space we had many great meals, always tasty, always argentine, always different. The patio is a fantastic option for those balmy days also, or if you like smoking and can't wait for that ciggy after your stake.


La Panaderia de Pablo
Defensa 269
San Telmo
Ph. 4331 6728

Thursday, February 23, 2012

Morning glory

It is always a good thing to wake up in the morning. Especially in a beautiful sunny day, crisp and clear.
Buenos Aires in the summer could be extremely hot, humid and just horrible, so this morning we look up to the most wonderful blue sky and realize that the cool breeze from the South is blowing and soon we will be wearing sweaters again.
A little sample of our headquarters here in this beautiful, crazy, amazing and derelict city of Buenos Aires, where sometimes you forget you are not in Europe only to realize all of a sudden that you are deep in South America. In the background, Marina Frederking singing "I wanna hold your hand".
Viva la vida, let's celebrate life!.