World Dinner Club

World Dinner Club
World Dinner Club

Thursday, September 27, 2012

Argentine Odyssey: Parilla and Recoleta

Small streets of tombs in Recoleta
 On our last day in BA, we visited the Recoleta Cemetery and found ourselves quickly lost among the mausoleums in this small city of tombs.  
Nice place to rest for eternity

Makes the pyramids look understated



Evita's Family Crypt
Naturally, we had to find the tomb of Eva Duarte Peron.  A bit difficult to find without a map, Evita can be found in the Duarte family’s mausoleum down one alleyway and then another from the center of the cemetery.












Tender Flank Steak

We knew a final meal at a parilla (steakhouse) was in order and had a late lunch at Miranda in Palermo.  I had another variety of flank steak called tender flank steak. 


Lamb Fillet

This is a salad?


S had a beautifully caramelized lamb fillet and we managed to eat a massive salad topped with pumpkin, zucchini, eggplant, and a very oily pesto sauce, which was rather superfluous and gilding the lily.


Persico Gelato

With a fine malbec, we were happy with our last choice.  










We followed it up with a dulce de leche and cognac gelato on top of a scoop of dark chocolate chip from the Persico ice cream parlor.

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Friday, September 14, 2012

Argentine Odyssey: Polo Lessons


Me and Tostada
Trying to Make Contact
OK, Tostada... ándale!

Polo is not leisurely. It is a fast-paced, dangerous sport and also one of the most beautiful, but Nacho Figueras can relax.  I won't be giving him a run for his money any time soon.




 Back in Buenos Aires, I was able to take a polo class with Polo Elite. It was exciting to head out into the Pampas region and see the miles of horse farms, dotted with polo training grounds.   I found myself with an interesting group, including a British couple that was traveling the world for a year, a nanotechnologist from Switzerland and two experienced equestrians from Canada.


 Our instructor, Fernando, was more than able to accommodate our different skills and quickly got us on our horses and helped us get used to our mounts. Unlike the old horse I rode in Patagonia, who was sluggish, here I had a spirited steed that didn’t trot and only ran. I only had to inch my hand forwards and “Tostada” would break into a gallop. My first time learning to hit the ball was problematic given my usual lack of coordination and my horse’s innate reluctance to do anything slowly. Still one learns some basic skills and managed to play an abbreviated game.


That night’s dinner was in the trendy area of Palermo where we found creative sushi and sushi-inspired dishes.  Sushi is popular in Argentina. However, the rolls in Buenos Aires were very different from what I would recognize in the United States.  There is cream cheese in every thing. At least half a dozen variations of the California roll exist. Overall, the better stuff are the nigiri classics that one would know well. After drinks in Plaza Serrano,  we found ourselves heading home at 1am, just as the area was getting going.







Thursday, September 13, 2012

Haute African

AFAR - Where travel can take you:

'via Blog this'

South Africa is one of the most interesting places to eat in the world. One of my most memorable meals will always be medallions of kudu steak I ate at a restaurant in Melville area of Johannesburg in 2004 after leaving Cameroon after two years with the Peace Corps.

 It is interesting to read about the food scene in South Africa today and the innovative chefs who have such a profound respect for their culinary heritage.

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

More From our Test kitchen: Sri Lankan Spiced Pork Chops


No that is not a ribeye! That is what you can do with a pork chop if you have the right tools in your bag of tricks.

From our test kitchen: "porterhouse-cut" pork chops with small batch ground Sri Lankan spices. Coming to a future dinner box!


We paired the chops with oven home fries with shallots and green peppers. Uh huh. It was pretty awesome.