Hi, all!

It’s the eve of a New Year. Can you believe it? 2012 has been a good year for me even if I am always beating myself  up. I need to be happier with who and where I am in 2013. What about you?

I can’t imagine going to three more radically different places than I traveled to this year (Argentina, India & Iceland), and the good eating wasn’t just international either. I had some great food right here in New York City. As is my usual end of the year tradition, I want to highlight my Top Ten Food pics for 2012. Here are some of my favorite eats/feeble attempts at decent food photography for 2012 (links to past posts included, in case you missed them):

1. These are the best pancakes EVER!! I’m going back to the Pancake Month at Clinton Street Baking Company in February.

 Banana Pancakes with Bavarian Cream, Toasted Coconut & Warm Maple Butter 

2. I ate a lot of great food courtesy of some wonderful special invites from my friend M. I now have a newfound respect for Austrian food thanks to the chefs from Edi & the Wolf and Seasonal.

 Smoked Wild Salmon with Mustard Creme Fraiche, Leek Water & Crispy Brown Bread

3. By far, the best meatball parmigian sandwich, I have EVER tasted in my life. I went back with Husband J, and he says it’s in his top two as well. I’ve also tried the chicken parm, and it’s equally good. I’m going back to try the eggplant, too.

Meatball Parm Sandwich at Parm

4. Discovering Argentinian pizza was a pleasant surprise.

Tomato, Olive, Ham Pizza at Guerrin in Buenos Aires, Argentina

5. I miss India’s spicy breakfasts. Nothing like a little cumin in the morning.

Breakfast Tiffin at Saravana Bhavan, New Delhi, India

6. I know it’s just a hot dog, but it’s a darn good one. The Icelandic people are very lucky.

The Everything Hot Dog from Baejarins Beztu Pylsur in Reykjavik, Iceland

7.  Celebrating a family milestone with an excellent meal!

Pan-Seared Foie Gras with Pinot Noir Cake, Foie Gras Ice Cream and Green Grapes at Castle Hill Inn, Newport, RI

8. High tea: I need to do that more often.

Raspberry Tart at High Tea from the Alvear Palace Hotel, Buenos Aires

9. Anything sweet with glitter deserves a mention.

Kaju Katli in Jaipur, India

10. I still haven’t written about the steaks in Argentina.

Ribeye from Don Julio, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Any favorites from these set of pictures? What are you hoping to eat or cook more of in 2013?

Travel photos are coming later!

I like to drink tea with the best of the them, but if I could have high tea regularly I am sure that my appreciation of this warm, soothing drink would skyrocket.

I’m going to advocate for having a high tea at a swanky hotel. These kinds of high teas are definitely the best. While in Buenos Aires, Husband J and I made sure to stop by the high tea at Buenos Aires’ “Grand Dame” of hotels, the Alvear Palace Hotel. It’s one of Buenos Aires’ most lauded and most luxurious hotels. I would have considered staying here, but I wasn’t so sure that I wanted to drop the $500 USD plus for a room. Maybe someday.

Part of the lobby at the Alvear Palace. I was trying not to take a pic of this woman on the phone. Oh well…

Tea is served in L’Orangerie restaurant at one end of the lobby. You can take tea here OR……

Here in this gorgeous solarium area like we did.

After ordering, the march of food began. I guess when I mentioned going to high tea to Husband J I expected him to know what it was. We had just eaten a ton of pizza (well, HE had just eaten a ton of pizza) at Guerrín. I think when I said tea, he thought I meant just a cup of tea. Oh no, honey. High tea is much more than that. Was that my bad? Should I have warned him appropriately?

My advice: Come to this tea HUNGRY. Eat a light breakfast and a quick, light lunch or mid-day snack if you have to. If you can hold old out until tea time, even better. Tea starts each day at 4:30pm and doesn’t stop until about 7pm, every day except Sunday. You want your stomach prepared. Really.

To start, we were served a banana-flavored bread. Unlike the more cakey pastry-like banana breads that we have here in this U.S., this had the consistency of an actual bun. I liked it. Nothing like priming your palate for things to come.

The  main tray of savory sandwiches and sweets came out next. I think Husband J’s eyes bulged. I reassured him that I was taking this one for the team, and I would be taking the lead on eating.

 He looks a little scurred (scared), doesn’t he?

Everything about the Alvear Palace Hotel’s tea is about reliving old school luxury. From the white-gloved waiters, the classically elegant china and the beautifully maintained tea service ware, it’s just a style of dining that I think many of us just don’t experience much anymore. The waiters were very attentive, and they speak excellent English just in case you don’t want to order in Spanish.

I started in on the heavier, savory sandwiches. I have to say that these were not my favorite of the sandwiches as a whole, but you can never go wrong with smoked salmon.

A few of the sandwiches were a little dry or bland.

I thought the tea sandwiches were much better. I believe this was egg, tomato and cheese.

I think the Alvear Palace’s tea really excels with its sweets. I tried to take notes, but I was really eyeing the food and trying to figure out what to try first.

I don’t think you can really have high tea without a scone. This one was lovely especially with all of the jams and jellies on offer, which I unfortunately did not capture.

I was totally in love with all of the sweets we had. I thought this raspeberry lemon tartlett was beautifully presented.

Chocolate. Yay…

I think after awhile my pants just started to get a tad tight. Luckily, Husband J and I had this picture taken before the end of tea.

Just when I thought the onslaught of food was over…nope it wasn’t. What you can’t see inside is yet ANOTHER dessert that we were offered as a finale. The waiters even brought out the dessert cart. I told them to pack it up. Yikes! It was this lovely coffee flavored mille-feuille pastry. Perfectly flaky and great for an after dinner snack that I tore into later.

Even the take out bag is pretty here.

STILL. MORE. FOOD. Petit fours. I think there were only two left after we were done. Chocolate, pisatchio and lemon. Yummm…

Okay. If you are not stuffed just looking at these pictures, just imagine how I felt. Oy!

Oh yeah, we had some tea, too. I had a nice pot of peppermint tea, my usual stand-by.

I had a lovely time and enjoyed this experience. While it wasn’t my first and only high tea experience, I think the surroundings and value for food and service make for a pretty nice afternoon of relaxation after pounding the pavement in Buenos Aires.

Have you ever attended a fancy high tea? Where was it, and what did you like about it? 

Alvear Palace Hotel
Avenida Alvear 1891
Buenos Aires, Argentina

I’m not a morbid person, but I do love a good cemetery with some historical significance. For visitors to Buenos Aires, that’s Recoleta Cemetery.

Historically, Recoleta Cemetery has been the burial place for the city’s elite. Many of Buenos Aires’ and Argentina’s most prominent citizens and public figures are laid to rest here: multiple past presidents of Argentina, well-known artists and writers, and military leaders.

Entrance to Recoleta Cemetery

Husband J and I decided to wander through its mazes of crypts and masoleums. To me, this was more than just a cemetery. It was more like walking through an outdoor museum. Recoleta Cemetery was also a way of understanding how Argentina’s elite wanted to express their love for the dearly departed as well as let everyone know “I was the MAN/WOMAN” Does that make sense? In many cases, no expense was spared for making sure that these persons were given lovely homes after they passed on. Take a look.

Do you recognize someone?

There was no way that I was going to Recoleta Cemetery and not paying my respects to one particular resident. That would be Mrs. Eva Peron. She is buried in her family’s space (The Duartes), although there has been lots of controversy and intrigue regarding her final resting place over the years. Don’t worry; she’s in there now.

You won’t have a problem figuring out which one’s hers because there is usually a crowd in front of it. I captured this pic above simply by being taller than most of the people around me.

A variety of groups and individuals have had plaques installed on the front of the mausoleum in tribute to Mrs. Peron.

All in all, our walk through Recoleta Cemetery wa a pretty interesting look at the history people of Buenos Aires from a different perspective even if there were moments that I got the hee bee gee bees (I’m a fraidy cat).

Have you visited a famous cemetery and enjoyed it? Where was it? I wanted to go to a few of the famous cemeteries in New Orleans, but I didn’t get a chance.

Yeah, I know. The title of this post is a little odd, but I have no other idea how to express what I’m about to say.

Flat out: I liked Buenos Aires, but I think I’d rather live there than travel there. Does this make any sense?

I know that I can sometimes be a cheesy traveler/tourist. When I visit a new place, I want to know what the residents are like. I want to see what is distinctive about that place and why visitors and locals like it. I usually find all of this out by a mix of roaming and people watching, but I also want to go to the known frequented spots, too. I know it’s the nerdy, restless traveler in me.  Often there’s a reason why there are must-see places to visit. I don’t feel ashamed about getting my “tourist on”. It’s fun.

So knowing this about myself, when I got to Buenos Aires, I realized something by the end of my time there: I’d rather LIVE in Buenos Aires than visit there. Part of this stems from the fact that there wasn’t enough for me personally to “ooh” and “aah” over. I like being awed by a place. Buenos Aires felt homey and familiar.

Instead of being bowled over by the city, I kept picturing myself in Buenos Aires.

I saw myself hanging out on rainy Saturday afternoon browsing through El Gran Ateneo Bookstore.

El Gran Ateneo is a converted theater.

I saw myself spending afternoons in the Japanese Garden on a park bench reading a book or people-watching.

I could totally see myself sitting in one of Buenos Aires’ plazas staring at all of the statues and other beautiful public art.

The next time I’m in Buenos Aires, I hope it’s for a longer period of time where I can just kick it and really become a part of the city. Buenos Aires reeled me in. Sometimes a place doesn’t need to wow you for it to still be special and worth visiting.

Have you ever traveled to a place where you would have preferred being a local to being a traveler?

A hotel review? It’s been a long time, hasn’t it? Home Hotel in Buenos Aires was our little home away from home for the first part of our time there (We spent three days at beginning of our trip in B.A. before returning again after our time in Patagonia).

I’ll say that I tend to like hotels with a little “oomph”? Some might call it trendy or a little chichi, but I’m going to say that if I’m not going to be sleeping in my comfy bed at home or sitting on my couch, then I’d like to enjoy my surroundings. Home Hotel’s swagger was definitely about its design and vibe, and that’s okay with me.

Like most city hotels, our room at Home Hotel wasn’t very big. I chose the Standard Plus room, which is a step up from the slightly smaller Standard room.  There was essentially room for a bed, side tables, a desk, and a credenza for the TV. That was fine with me since when I’m visiting a new city, I like to be out and about anyway. The room was bright, simply decorated but colorful.

Fancy? Nah, but it definitely did the trick in between our days and evenings pounding the pavement in Buenos Aires. I also appreciated that the bathroom was bigger than the one in my own apartment.

Our shower: Big shout outs to the Home Hotel for the ample (and I mean AMPLE) shower gel.

While our room was simple, I have to say that my favorite parts of Home Hotel were the public spaces, particularly the bar and pool area.

 The Lobby

Because it was late summer in Buenos Aires, Husband J and I spent a fair amount of time hanging out near the pool and bar area. No, we weren’t downing drinks, but Home’s pool area really was a little garden respite from the busy streets of Buenos Aires. We spent time here just reading and enjoying the late summer breezes. If you do want to know, the drinks were very good. We made friends, with the bartender, Elina, and we chatted about Buenos Aires in English and Spanish (She encouraged me to practice). We dug our time at the hotel just as much as hoofing it around Buenos Aires. It was nice feeling like we could come back to the hotel and really just hang out, if we wanted to. I know that should be a no-brainer for a hotel, but you’d be surprised at how many places DON’T have that kind of atmosphere.

The garden: They even decorate the trees!

The bar area and outside dining area

 I know some people enjoy a pros and cons list for reviews, because let’s be honest: Nowhere is perfect.

Pros

1. Friendly and helpful staff. From the front desk to the bartenders, every staff member was helpful and went out of their way to make sure we got the most out of Buenos Aires that we could. Whether it was calling taxis or restaurants (There were many closures for Easter weekend), the staff took care of us. In case you’re not interested in practicing Spanish, everyone speaks good to excellent English.

2. Cute guidebook with suggested restaurants, bars, shopping and activities. I loved this little book that we received at check-in filled with suggestions from the hotel. Even with my preparation (okay, occasional over-researching), I still found a few places to try and even went to some of the recommended clothing stores. I’m not a big shopper, and I had to stop myself from buying a few things.

Our mini-guidebook courtesy of Home Hotel

3. Palermo Hollywood location – Home Hotel is located in the neighborhood of Palermo Hollywood. I was worried about not being in the center of much of the restaurants, shopping and nightlife in the well-known adjacent Palermo SoHo neighborhood, but being a fifteen minute walk away is not a downer. I like that Palermo Hollywood was actually a little quieter than Palermo SoHo. There are lots of restaurants, shops, bars, etc. right on Honduras, the street where the hotel is located. We probably could have stayed in Palermo Hollywood for eating and evening options if we wanted to.

4. Great breakfast including made-to-order items upon request. Aaahhh…the hotels serves their medialunas warm, plus eggs, spreads, fruit, coffee and more.

One of the better medialunas that we had on our trip was from Home Hotel

Cons

1. Far walk from the the subte – Taxis are cheap in Buenos Aires. To cut down costs, Husband J and I actually took Buenos Aires’ subte (subway). Home is close to a 15 minute walk (depending on your pace) from the Ministro Carranza stop on the D Line, and it did get a little old after awhile. At least you’ll get some exercise in.

2. Palermo Hollywood location – While I did like being in Palermo Hollywood, it was a walk across the train tracks to Palermo SoHo (Don’t worry. It’s not dangerous). It wasn’t a total inconvenience, but being in Palermo SoHo would have allowed us to be even more centrally located to some of the places we would have liked to go.

3. Paying more for Easter Weekend – I hate mark-ups. We would have had to pay more regardless of where we stayed in B.A. on Easter weekend, but that doesn’t make me feel better.

My main cons were location-based, and the folks at Home can’t really do anything to change that.

So, fun, comfortable and not over-the-top, made Home Hotel feel like home to me. By the way, Husband J was looking over my shoulder as I wrote this post and kept mentioning how much he had liked the hotel. When he does that, I know I picked a winner.

Home Hotel

Honduras 5860

Buenos Aires, Argentina