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Premium French cuisine in Palermo. Cluny serves up really well sized portions - despite opulent digs that scream your entrée will consist of tiny, insignificant scraps of food displayed in fun-looking, fancy arrangements. In truth, the presentation is excellent as is the spacious European décor. The delicious French fare remains as good as it gets in Buenos Aires. And don’t ignore the lunch and dinner meal specials (called “menus” in Spanish), more often than not, Cluny offers very respectable bargains.

Address: El Salvador 4618

Best skirt steak in Buenos Aires. Walking up from the street you can look behind the scenes, seeing inside of the kitchen, and watch the cooks work their culinary magic. Bar Uriarte’s a trendy Palermo Viejo joint - great place to take a date, converse over a bottle of vino and enjoy great food. The wood-fire oven dishes are must tries, one flavorful dish after another. Reasonably priced considering the quality, don’t miss checking Bar Uriarte out if you’re in the neighborhood.

Address: Uriarte 1572

Tons of cous cous dishes and first-rate North African food. Bereber’s a neat little spot with a very mellow low-lit environment. Try the tajines - slow cooked dishes of incredibly tender (falling-off-the-bone type) meat with cous cous, aromatic veggies and sauce - downright delicious!

Address: Armenia 1880

Cancún’s a sweet little hole-in-the-wall Mexican food restaurant in San Telmo, just a short stroll from Plaza Dorrego. The owners (husband and wife team) are generally in house and in great spirits. Cancún’s set in a modest space, nothing lavish, but the Mexican food is SUPER tasty (something I miss quite a bit when away from California).

Address: Defensa 680

Almost seven pm here, Thursday night in Buenos Aires. Perfect time to sneak in that last minute siesta (near mandatory actions in a city where mellow evenings mean hittin’ the sack by 4:00 am) before another big night on the town. But, I’m using the time to write. In a few hours I’ll meet up with a few amigos extranjeros (foreigner friends) at Palermo Viejo’s Wherever Bar for a bit of pre-gaming before cabbing over to another hot Palermo night spot, Piano Bar at Crobar. At Piano Bar we’ll see a performance by Misticos, a popular underground Buenos Aires rock band whom my Porteño buddy, Qui Que, lead vocals/guitars for. No question, tonight’s got potential. Of course, in Buenos Aires you never know…

… some tragic recent history concerning the Buenos Aires live music scene…

In December of ‘04, a devastating fire ripped through a rock concert at a well-known Buenos Aires boliche (club/disco) claiming over 190 lives, and prompting a three-day national mourning period.

The ensuing days saw the Argentine government order all nightclubs shut down, and all live music banned, for weeks. Numerous establishments went out of business, and many strict new security regulations set up. Today, the incident’s lasting effects are still felt citywide.

Last time Mysticos played an event, I assembled a group of fifteen or so people, arrived early, and locked down the best seats in the house. All the pieces were in place for an unforgettable eve.

Mysticos come out, the place’s buzzing, electricity consuming the atmosphere, energy in the room couldn’t be more stimulating. The performance begins… and they’re great! Looks of subtle approval and increasing excitement beam about our table. Cheers, smiles, laughs… everywhere. First song ends, and the crowd’s juiced!

The stage goes dark now. Thoughts jump to the time-honored, build up out of the darkness into the next song. Then the realization hits. The stage lights have been cut, pulled… something’s wrong. An awkward confusion follows, the band walks off stage, not returning. Show’s over.

Days later, back at Wherever Bar (notorious haunt to local musicians) I run into Qui Que. In one quick word he affirms my suspicions.

“Policía”

“Como?”

“La otra noche… policía”

The fire’s fallout effects me too.

Will it again tonight? Will an overcrowded room or some fire hazard mean police action ends our Thursday night outing? Via sympathetic audience members and enhanced security measures, of course, the fire’s fallout still effects us. ‘04’s December tragedy lives in the hearts and minds of Buenos Aires’ inhabitants. But, so does the resurgence of a once vibrant live music scene. Every show, every concert, bears testament to that. And, one way or another, tonight will too.

Do we have an epic evening ahead? I sure hope we do, but in Buenos Aires you never know…

… okay, gotta get ready… more to come soon…

Definitely a must see Buenos Aires bar. Once a beautiful, 3-story, 1913 mansion, Milión now makes a fashionable bar/restaurant (though cocktail lounge fits more appropriately). Hidden from the street, Milión’s ground level outdoor garden space offers choice spots to take that first drink. Up from the garden, a grand staircase (which when the night wears on, also becomes prized place to sit) leads you to the 2nd story where you’ll find the low-lit cocktail bar and a ton of posh places to plant down. Milión certainly creates a sexy scene, easy on the eyes all around - the crowd, decor, and architecture - all add into an elegant evening atmosphere. And don’t be surprised by the unisex bathrooms!

Address: Parana 1048 (cross street, Santa Fe)

Oasis in the desert for English-speaking seekers. Shamrock’s an extremely poplular Irish pub with foreigners and locals alike. A superb spot on the big weekend nights (Thu-Sat), it also makes that perfect place to head when you need to get out on a Sunday or Monday eve. Seven nights a week, Shamrock’s open to meet your desires.

Address: Rodriguez Peña 1220, (cross street, Arenales)

Really cool little bar in Palermo Hollywood. The first time I visited, I didn’t even make it upstairs (big mistake on my part!), Carnal is all about the upstairs. Carnal’s second level boasts a rooftop open air terrace with sofa seats and an additional bar. Located ideally in a prime spot in Palermo Hollywood with a bunch of fun bars and boliches in the surrounding area. Niceto Club is right across the street, making scouting out the popular boliche’s entrance line possible from upstairs at Carnal. Generally a relaxed vibe here, though it’s been known to get pretty crowded on the weekend.

Address: Niceto Vega 5511 (cross street, Humboldt)

Buenos Aires’ premier manifestation of the quintessential Irish pub. Low-lighting, oakwood countertops, leather sofas, and the best collection of music around, set the scene at Palermo Viejo’s Wherever Bar. Mostly a local crowd, but there’s almost always foreigners sprinkled throughout. The owner/bartenders - friendly, young Porteños - spent years living in Dublin, Ireland, and will make you feel at home. Exceedingly popular with Buenos Aires’ young musicians, don’t be surprised to see your favorite local band members sipping their Fernet and Cokes at the table next to you. While it’s always open Monday through Saturday for lunch, generally it’s only open evenings Wednesday through Sat (however, exceptions have been made).

Address: Santa Maria de Oro 2476 (cross street, Santa Fe)

Three months in and Buenos Aires continues to be a blast! Arriving here in the Paris of the South the first thing to jump out at you is the monumental architectural design of the many federal buildings… haha… no… sorry, in reality, despite some seriously phenomenal architecture, great museums and art, etc… what catches your eye right away, are the people – the very, very beautiful people. Standing out aren’t the top-end, high quality lookers you find in New York or L.A. (they’re here too, and also in every other major metropolitan city). But – the gross quantity – the sheer number of beauties you see everywhere in Buenos Aires! You won’t walk two blocks in a reasonably populated area without some model-esque vixen or gorgeous girl next door type strolling by – it’s unreal. Of course I’d heard the rep, but meeting and exceeding such ridiculous expectations is well, just plain impressive.

Even better, I’ve generally been welcomed in and treated with open arms. This is a wildly social city, and Porteños (natives from Buenos Aires), culturally, make a social bunch. Not long after getting down here, a great group of Porteño friends invited me into their home poker game. Just a bunch of dudes, downing drinks and playin’ cards like back home. The only difference, other than castellano (Spanish) prevailing as the dominant language around the table, shows itself as Fernet and Coke trumping Crown on the rocks as the eve’s favored refreshment.

Several of you asked me about where to stay, neighborhood-wise, when you visit Bs As. I live in Palermo (my favorite Buenos Aires barrio)… tried Recoleta, gave San Telmo a shot (both neat neighborhoods), but Palermo’s the place for me – no question. Kind of a younger, trendy, hipper zone than most the rest of Bs As. Gets a little cheto (read: too cool for you) at times, but definitely a section you want to check out for a good time – a nicer area with a better collection of cafés, restaurants, shopping, bars, and boliches (Argentino for club or disco-tech) than anywhere else in the city. Plus, it maintains more of a local feel (which I REALLY appreciate) compared to several other popular spots about town.

Recoleta felt too much for upscale tourists and local families. San Telmo, despite the incredible Plaza Derrago (famous San Telmo plaza) apartment two of my best friends here stay in, seems all about the budget traveler and tango fanatic. Not that foreigners don’t rent apartments in Palermo Viejo or go shopping in Palermo Soho – they certainly do. Palermo just feels more Porteño to me. When I hang with the expat crowd, we end up all over the city… with more and more of the expat crowd (fun, but not really a unique to Buenos Aires experience). When I hang with Porteños, overwhelmingly we end up in Palermo. Also interestingly enough, Che Guevara (sadly better known to too many of my compatriots as “the dude who Gael Garcia Bernal played in ‘The Motorcycle Diaries’”) once lived here, haha, pre-”Che” era, naturally… okay, I gotta get going. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to shoot them over - hope you’re all well!