Empanadas in La Boca

Wednesday afternoon we strolled through La Caminita de La Boca - a colorful neighborhood down by the port. It was at La Perla where we sampled our first (hopefully of many) of the Argentine specialty, empanadas. Unlike the Mexican cousins we have experienced before, these delicate little hand pies were light, flaky and obviously oven-baked.

The Herbiviore's Dilemma

Forgive me Linda McCarthy, for I have strayed. I have sinned against pig, chicken, beef and any number of any other animals I can't identify at this point in time.

Tonight, Marc and I partook in our first authentic Argentine parilla at a restaurant in Palermo Hollywood se llama Cava 71. For those of you who know me, I have been a vegetarian for over 10 years. And I still am. I'm just on a vacatation at this time. When in Buenos Aires ...

At about 10pm, we were able to score a table on the roof (al fresco) at Cava 71, a parilla restaurant in the neighborhood of our hotel. The first course was the "salchicha" course consisting of 4 different grilled sausages. Here's what I could identify: spicy chorizo, blood sausage, smaller pork sausage of some sort with a delicous crisp skin, grisly fat and something that appeared to be a chicken neck (of which I was unable to cut, let alone eat).

The chorizo was brilliant as was the smaller pork sausage grilled to a crispy perfection (that's the spiraled on on a skewer in the photo). I tried the blood sausage to discover a creamy, rich flavor that wasn't all together unpleasing ... had I known it wasn't a blood sausage first. Fortunately the table was dimly lit. Even Marc didn't go back for seconds following this discovery.

Second course was a plate stacked grill grilled pork, steak and chicken. The pork was my favorite - rich and flavorful with no fat to speak of. The chicken, was .... well like most chicken I remember having, but it was juicy and had a smoky flavor. The steak was good, but considering all the hype over Argentine grass-fed beef, I feel the true experience was lost in this medium. The meaty spread was served with papas fritas - some of the best we've had so far: thick cut steak fries fried to crispy perfection, and of course - a basket of bread.

Two glasses of vino blanco for me (it's so hot!), a grande Quisme cerveza and a glass of Malbec for Marc and the whole meal only set us back $98 ar pesos ... solamente $33 US.

The best score of the evening was our pre-dinner cocktail at a bar en route to the restauante. I had a fabulous half bottle of a Mendoza Malbec for just $12 ar, $4 us. Delicioso!

First Argentina Lunch

We chose to dine our first official meal at The Lobby, a vinoteca and restaurant in our Palmero Viejo neighborhood. We sat on the sidewalk and watched local portenos eat, drink and smoke while we did the same.

Marc sampled the pre fix lunch menu: Tomato Bruschetta, Penne with Salsa de Hornga (mushrooms) and Brownie con Helado (which never came, but we were all the better for it). The menu, with drink, was $24 ar ($8 us).

I went with a Vegetable Sandwich that was a triple decker affair featuring grilled tomato, zucchini, sweet potato, mushrooms, caramelized onions and gooey white cheese. The plate was completed with onion rings and TWO types of fried potatoes: thick wedges and thin crispy chips. I'm in heaven!

The owner/sommelier recommended several different Argentine wines, including a Sauvignon Blanc that was refreshing after all those fried potatoes. All told, our two hour lunch extravaganza set us back about $60 us ... not the "cheap" we were expected, but I'm sure we'll find more value as we explore the city.

Zip-Tastic

Believe it or not, I've lived in Colorado for over 10 years and I've never owned a pair of zip-off (or "convertible") pants. Blasphemy, I know!

Perhaps it was the complete lack of styling these pants-turn-shorts showcase that turned me off from making the purchase. Or, more likely, the consideration of "when would I EVER need access to shorts and pants in a single hike?"

Well, I have found the answer. Patagonia is one such magical place that may require me to have shorts and pants in a single journey without first having access to my suitcase. And so, I have ventured into the world of travel wear with the purchase of a pair of The North Face convertible pants.

On sale at REI, of course.

The Planning Process

Marc spent pretty much the entire month of December reading travel guides, researching hotels, hosterias and hostels throughout Southern Patagonia and generally planning where we are going to go, how we are going to get there and where we will be staying. He's the real hero of this story.

Now that those pesky details are out of the way, we've moved on to Planning Phase 2: Shopping.

Considering our garage is basically a scaled down version of your local REI, you'd think we'd have all the necessary details to hit the trail running. When we started thinking about this trip, Marc proclaimed we were going to do it without buying any new stuff. Not so.

Marc opted to buy a new ultralight 3-season tent for the trip. I'm pretty sure this decision was solely driven by the fact that it was a killer deal at Sierra Trading Post. I needed a new sleeping pad, because I seem to have lost mine (thanks mom!). And then there is the camera ... semi-pro digital set up that needs lenses, filters, tripod, carrying case, extra battery, extra memory ... seriously, the list will go on, and on, and on.

Of course, there are also wardrobe considerations.

Hiking pants for Marc. Socks and boots for me. I just placed an order with Athleta for a wicking UV-protection hoodie and a little travel skirt. Because we're doing this trip a little bit city and a little bit country, packing a convienent, yet stylish (and lightweight), wardrobe is going to be a challenge.

And the most exciting part of developing a "travel wardrobe"? The ExOfficio underwear my mom got me for Christmas. Wicking, odor-resistant and dries in like 2 hours! The packaging says, "16 countries, 4 weeks and 1 pair of underwear." I think I'm going to try 3.

These Boots Were Made for Hiking

My new Asolo Stynger GTX boots arrived last week and I'm starting the slooooow process of breaking them in. Considering it's been about 10 degrees everyday this week, I've been wearing the boots on the treadmill at the gym. Yeah, I know I look hot. Most people have their boots with them to wear out in the snow, but I do the opposite and change into the boots once inside.

So far, the Asolo are performing well! No hot spots or blisters and I'm feeling really excited to get these babies in some Chilean dirt in Torres del Paine! I got the color scheme "sage/black" but I'm wishing now I had gotten this orange color (pictured above). C'est la vie.

Welcome!

Well, it's official - Marc and I are heading to Patagonia for a month of death marches (er, backpacking) and exploring the far reaches of one of the most amazing places on earth. Of course, for those of you who know me - no trip (be it to Nebraska or Argentina) would be complete without a full report on the ins and outs of every single meal, snack and beverage I enjoy. And so begins this blog.

It should be noted that when asked for ideas on what to name this blog, Marc suggested "Whining My Way Through Patagonia" which I thought was sort of funny, and most likely would prove appropriate, but I opted for the food reference instead. Just so you know where we're coming from here.