Hollywood in Cambodia

Hollywood in Cambodia. (click link)

Neil wants this one:

 

He won't let me buy it for him, because he makes the valid point that you have to have a totally modern, minimalist theme going on in your house to hang something like this up. You can't really hang it beside a cutesy crafts project. But it IS really cool, and he really wants it, so I am contemplating getting it anyway. Your thoughts?

The balcony was completely dark, I couldn't see a thing. Kind of scary for it all to come to life when the flash went off. Eerie knowing all of this was there, looking at me in the darkness ... Especially the ninja!

Not sure which is scarier ... without flash:

or with!

Gimme Five

Weekend Restaurant Review: Sucre

I can't even really do a review of Sucre, because it is so consistently excellent (except for the one time I saw a cook drop a chicken leg on the floor and then put it on a plate and serve it ...) that I always go back and enjoy the food, atmosphere, and, inevitably, the company.

Last Friday's trip there didn't disappoint.

We were 10, plus our cosmopolitan baby Nile Malena, and we had an excellent meal and a really enjoyable time.

The restaurant is super trendy, loud (with ambiance-enhancing bossa nova/Thievery Corporation-sounding mixes) and bustling.

My highest recommendations (just don't order the chicken leg).

The owners also own Gran Bar Danzón, another fabulous restaurant which I have probably previously featured on this here blog because it's a favorite.

My meal. Their delicious asado de tira. I was sad when 3/4 of the way through, the waiter whisked it away when I wasn't looking :(

Neil's kebabs.

Jamie's beautifully presented chicken.

Jennifer's fish.

Nile's bottle.

The wine vault. A huge, dimmed, room with a subterranean level, that stands in the middle of the restaurant.

The open kitchen that runs the width of the back of the restaurant. If you sit at those tables beside the kitchen, they had better be prepared for you to see what goes on :)

Salud!!!!

The bar, with a catwalk above to the restrooms.

My current favorite picture of me and my baby girl. She really does enjoy going out and being part of the group.

Weekday/end Restaurant Review: El Pobre Luis

Fodor's Guide Buenos Aires says that "the food is fantastic" at our neighborhood parilla (Argentine barbecue restaurant) El Pobre Luis, where it is served in a "fun atmosphere": a cool renovated factory with sports jerseys and memorabilia everywhere.

Maybe that's why we went there twice last week! I would say it has arguably the best meat I've had in Buenos Aires.

You can smell the mouthwatering aroma of meat on the grill as you get close to the restaurant.

The open kitchen. Check the huge slab of meat over on the cutting board.

Trip No. 1, Sept. 3, with Gabriel and Danae.

The host was so nice, he made a huge fuss of giving me a chair to relax in while we waited for a table, and then the waiters (on both trips) made a huge fuss of making sure the table was moved so that the stroller fit beside it. Great service, I was impressed.

Trip No. 2, Sept. 9, with Steve and Katie.

 

The way we were seated at the table, the waiter totally thought Neil and Katie were together, with their little white baby. Their actual baby boy was asleep under cover in his stroller.

I wish I could accurately describe to you how incredibly delicious Argentine beef is. Everything you've heard is true; it's out of this world. And I was never a big meat-eater before I came here, but oh my goodness, it is SOOOOOOoooooooo good. Huge. And cheap.

The ribs in the foreground are my order, the "asado de tira," my very favorite cut -- it has fat on it that you can eat, it is SO delicious. I don't really know what this is doing for my cholestorol ...

Nile is becoming a true Porteña; I think this was around midnight. Yes, the restaurant was still packed. Yes, it was a weeknight. Crazy Argentines!

Ahhh!

Koala Bears: The Cutest Infestation Ever

**I drafted this before Melinda's recent updates about her father's accident. Prayers and love for him and her family. //// And then I just read about Julie's infestation. **

M's recent adventures in Australia reminded me of one of the classics from Mitch Hedberg. If you want to know a little about my sense of humor, know that I LOVE Mitch Hedberg, RIP:

"My apartment is infested with koala bears. It's the cutest infestation ever. Way better than cockroaches. When I turn on the light, a bunch of koala bears scatter, but I don't want them to. I'm like, 'Hey... Hold on fellows... Let me hold one of you, and feed you a leaf.' Koala bears are so cute, why do they have to be so far away from me? We need to ship a few over, so I can hold one, and pat it on its head."

Genealogy - Rosh Hashanah

A huge street fair was held on the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah. Argentina has the largest Jewish population in South America. We perused the street fair, and the most interesting thing to me was a genealogy booth, complete with genealogists and computers hooked up to a database, sponsored by the government of Argentina.

Even more impressive to me was the long line of people of all ages standing out in the cold for their turn to search for their ancestors.

Weekend Restaurant Review: Le Blé

Five stars, two thumbs up, Le Blé is all that and more.

The food was excellent, the atmosphere was charming and the waitstaff was pretty good (for BsAs).

We met William, Deena and their sweet little baby girl at their house to decide where we were going to eat.


We enjoyed our time at Le Blé, as the hours passed fleetingly with good friends and good food.

***

The entry to their place. A totally sweet, vintage Buenos Aires apartment building. Double doors to a marble-floored and marble-wainscoted indoor/outdoor hall.

The family in their cute little place with a garden out back. Nile took this opportunity to rest up for the restaurant adventure.

Le Blé!

Our communal, farmhouse-style table. I want a table like this in my house!!!!

The guys at our table didn't seem to mind being surrounded by babies.

My favorite Buenos Aires treat: a submarino! Bitter chocolate dropped into steamed milk and add a little sugar, yum!

It wouldn't be a French bakery without the GOODIES!!!!!!

William approves.  Yes, those are burgers they ordered, and ginger-mint lemonade. Quite an eclectic menu, but they do it all EXTREMELY well. Did I mention Jack Johnson's In Between Dreams (one of my all-time favorites) was playing the whole time? Unexpected and simply lovely.