FARINELLI

On our last morning, we finally walked further up the road to try out a place that had been recommended to us when we first arrived.  Farinelli is a modern cafe that opened recently and has, since then, been the neighborhood hangout for Palermo Chico's stylish residents.

Walk quickly and you'll miss it as its' a tiny storefront accented only with the name on the large red awning shading its' one wooden outdoor table.  Inside, it's all red and white themed interiors matching the illy coffee they serve (a good sign).  Farinelli is sort of self-service.  First, you place your order at the counter near the entrance then try and snag one of the few tables, then you wait patiently until they come and bring your food over.  Service is a bit laid-back to say the least but friendly enough.

The breakfast we had was easily one of the more sophisticated ones for Buenos Aires - homemade granola with berries and yogurt, thick slice multi-grain toast served with the usual pots of cream cheese and jam, an Argentine quirk - jam for the few who want to indulge and cream cheese (aka mendicrim, the local brand) for the many more on a diet.  We also shared a raspberry muffin and a flaky enough croissant (not the usual bready medialuna that passes for a local croissant).  Music is sort of sixties pop (or maybe it was just the playlist that morning) but the place is bright and airy and definitely a neighborhood hangout.  True enough, we did run into a friend who lived nearby who was also having breakfast.  If I lived in Buenos Aires, I could imagine myself dropping in to Farinelli at least once a week for the illy coffee, the pastries and the cool ambience and maybe I'll even bump into a friend.

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Farinelli

Bulnes 2707 (almost on the corner of Cerviño)

Palermo Chico

Buenos Aires

Telephone: +54 114802 2014

*Open Mondays to Saturdays from 8:00 to 20:00

BENGAL

In a city where fusion is unusual and grilled meats are eaten plain, it was refreshing to try a different kind of restaurant.  Bengal has been open for a few years now and has been successfully serving a menu of both Italian and Indian specialties.  It sounds strange but the combination works as those not willing to try anything new or spicy can stick to the Italian side of the menu while those who would like to go Asian for the day, can opt for the pretty authentic Indian dishes.

Located near the Ministerio de relaciones exteriores (Foreign affairs and culture ministry), the noon crowd is made up of mostly suited types having business meetings over lunch making ours the only table of lunching ladies (my MIL and I).  Luckily, we were seated right beside the window on that dark rainy spring day.

I arrived late because A and I had a late breakfast at the Alvear, with his childhood friends Sebastian and Guillermo then afterwards decided to wander around Recoleta and ended up getting stuck in a  sudden spring downpour.  When I got there, An was already waiting so I  had a quick look at the menu and ordered straightaway and A left to meet another friend for lunch somewhere else.

The food came quite quickly, a relief since I was hungry - spicy prawn tikka and saffron-flavored basmati rice for me which came in a clay plate that helped keep it hot while An had the chicken tandoori, also with basmati rice.  I also ordered some naan bread which was perfect for sopping up the leftover sauce on my plate.  The food was spicy enough and pretty authentic.  I admit that I was skeptical about the whole Indian-Italian combination as I thought that the dishes would be a fusion of both and was pleasantly surprised to see that they keep the Italian dishes totally separate from the Indian ones.  Aside from Sudestada in Palermo viejo which cooks up really good Southeast asian cuisine, this was the first time I tasted really spicy food in Buenos Aires as most places that purport to be "Asian" often lack that spice kick that good Asian food has.  Dessert was a shared panna cotta (from the Italian side) which came with a citrus syrup and grapefruit zest - a tart ending to tone down the heat from our spicy lunch.

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Bengal

Arenales 837 (between Esmeralda and Suipacha streets)

Retiro, Buenos Aires

Telephone: +54 11 4394 8557

*Open daily for lunch and dinner

MUNICH

For every new favorite, there is a classic counterpart.  Munich is the kind of place that hasn't changed much since it opened in 1956 and continues to serve the same home-style local fare.  Its' prime location alongside that other Recoleta institution La Biela (the traditional cafe to go to pre-or-post cemetery visit) makes it perfect for first-timers visiting the city who want to get a taste and feel of a local hangout.  Munich is where my husband, his parents and his siblings spent many long Sunday lunches and where he took our eight-year old son for lunch on a previous visit to Buenos Aires in 2007.

El Munich (as regulars call it) is brightly-lit with lace-curtained windows to keep out the curious, mounted animal heads (boar, deer and lots more), green leather banquettes, wooden panelling, white-linen tablecloths along with the jacketed and bow-tied waiters who've seen just about everything and served everyone over the years.  Munich is like one of  Paris' classic brasseries (Brasserie Balzar or Bofinger maybe?) serving large portions of classic dishes in a non-nonsense way.

No sooner had we squeezed into a booth and when a plate of assorted bread (breadsticks, crackers, rolls) was set down on the table along with the leather menus.  There's lots to order at Munich and their extensive menu is filled Argentine classics like milanesa (fried breaded beef escalope) and revuelto gramajo (sauteed potatoes, onions and ham topped with a runny scrambled egg) but simpler dishes like grilled beef and fish are also available.

A had some grilled fish, An had the pollo Maryland (essentially a chicken milanesa which came with a piece of breaded banana and crispy bacon strips) and I threw caution to the wind and chose the chicken kiev (a large breaded rolled chicken breast filled with oozing butter and herbs).  As usual, we shared a green salad and some shoestring fries.  Don't go to the Munich expecting towers of food or herbs strewn all over your plate. Here portions are large, food tastes as it should and is presented without any fuss on simple white plates.  Service is efficient and although the crowd is made up of mostly old-timers (just like the waiters), the atmosphere is friendly enough.  The only thing that's changed with the times are the prices which can be a little bit steep for standard Argentine cuisine, but for a bit of local flavor, the Munich can't be beat.

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Munich

R. M. Ortíz 1879

La Recoleta, Buenos Aires

Telephone: +54 11 4804 3981

*Open daily except Tuesdays for lunch and dinner

FERVOR

Scenes from Fervor, clockwise from top left: cutlery chandelier, the bar, signage, red menu.

Being back in Buenos Aires is like being back home (my second home, that is) and is always a pleasure to visit even for just a week.  On this trip, we had our first Sunday lunch at our all-time favorite parrilla - El Mirasol.  As always, it was packed with families enjoying the grilled meat and convivial atmosphere.

On Monday evening, my Mother-in-law invited us to try Fervor, a relatively new parrilla for dinner located on Posadas street right smack in the middle of chi-chi Recoleta.  Fervor is owned by the same people who run the Italian restaurant Sottovoce (another one we regularly visit and where we had dinner on Sunday evening).  The restaurant is right beside a street-side flower stall which makes the entrance colorful.  Interiors are bistro-like and done up in red (velvet curtains, menu covers, leather banquettes) and black (chairs and tiled floors) with an interesting tiered chandelier made up of cutlery hanging upside down (good thing there were only spoons and forks as sitting underneath knives would have been too risky).  The menu is simple - charcoal grilled meat obviously but also fish and seafood which is quite unusual in meat-centric Argentina, but a nice change for non-carnivores.

The place was half-empty when we arrived at around eight.  We were seated in a banquette on the lower floor (the place to be) and were in a cozy corner table which afforded us a view of the entire room and lots of people watching.  After looking at the menus, my two Porteño companions (A and his mom, An) ordered lenguado (sole) and brochette de langostinos (prawns).  I, on the other hand, couldn't resist another chance to eat Argentine beef and chose the 400 gram ojo de bije (rib-eye), medium rare.  Two side dishes that we would share were also ordered - an arugula salad and some Provencal french fries along with a half bottle of Malbec.

Slowly, the place started to fill up with an older, international crowd, although there were also quite a few locals and for a Monday evening, it was pretty packed.  By the time our dinner was served, there was hardly a table free and the atmosphere was quite lively - noisy with cutlery and glasses clinking and lots of diners tucking into large hunks of meat.  A bowl of assorted bread was set down on the table along with some sauces - chimicurri and salsa criolla for the meat and a trio of sauces for the fish - tartar, lemon and a slightly reddish spicy one.  The portions were good - more than a dozen grilled prawns on an oval plate, a slab of striped-from-the-grill fish with a wedge of lemon and a marbled slab of charred rib-eye.  The salad was bitter and sour with the lemon dressing and the fries were a mound of hot, crunchy, garlicky goodness - the perfect accompaniment to my steak.

I thought that I would never be able to get through that piece of meat but I managed to eat it all and just give A a couple of bites to taste.  For dessert, I had some homemade ice cream - dulce de leche and chocolate for me and A and the almendrado for An.  The ice creams were creamy and delicious and the almendrado was a tasty discovery for me - crema americana (a typical Argentine ice cream flavor of frozen cream) studded with crushed toasted almonds.  The usual espressos to end the meal and a quick walk up the street to catch a cab home.  Fervor was the first new Buenos Aires restaurant we tried on this visit and the second best meal I had on this trip (the first was Michael's in Miami).  I hope that on our next visit, more new restaurants like Fervor crop up on the scene, where the design and atmosphere is the same level as the food being served.

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Fervor

Posadas 1519

Recoleta

Buenos Aires, Argentina

Telephone: +54 11 4804 4944

*Open daily for lunch and dinner. Reservations recommended

MICHAEL'S GENUINE FOOD & DRINK

Outdoor tables, menu and logo

After a morning spent walking on all over Miami beach and Lincoln road, we went to the Design District, an up and coming area of the city, where we were meeting up with A's brother and his family (who were also in Miami on holiday the same time we were) for lunch.  The Design District is made up of streets and streets of designer shops and one-of-a-kind boutiques for interiors and home decoration.  Here is where you'll find Fendi Casa side by side with Marimekko and Poliform.  In recent years, several fashion boutiques have opened here too - Christian Louboutin, Martin Margiela, Marni and even Tomas Maier.  And where fashion and design go, restaurants follow and one of these is Michael's Genuine Food and Drink.

Clockwise from top L: beet and heirloom tomato salad, butter lettuce salad, Black Angus burger, skirt steak salad

Set in a strip mall off the main road, the place looks unassuming and nondescript with some outdoor tables underneath large umbrellas.  We get there at noon and killed some the time at the adjacent boutique Sebastien James where they have a fantastic men's shirts.  While A tried a few, I decided to pop in next-door and book a table and was pleasantly surprised to see that the place was already bustling with customer and it wasn't even 12:30 yet.   The interiors are similar to a bistro with booths on one side, a bar near the entrance and another smaller dining area behind the bar.  The place was filled with business types and ladies who lunch which was a very good sign. I opted for an outdoor table so we could enjoy the warm Miami sunshine over lunch.


We sat down early and waited for my in-laws to arrive over iced teas which also gave us time to study the lunch menu.  There was quite a selection with several appetizers, sandwiches, pizzas, salads and a few heavier main dishes.  When they finally arrived, we were more than ready to order.  We skipped the starters and we all had large lunch salads while the kids had the burgers with homemade fries.  As the rest of the drinks were served, a plate of soft, crusty sourdough was also set on the table.  We hardly had time to catch up on each other's news (the last time we all saw each other was in July 2009 in Marbella) when our plates arrived.  The portions were on the large side and were well-worth the reasonable prices (from $11 to $23 for the salads).  A had the Harris ranch skirt steak salad - a hearty plate of grilled meat over grilled onions, radish, arugula, fennel and some olive tapenade; his brother R had the knife and fork Greek salad which was a deconstructed Greek salad of tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, red onions and olives alongside a square slab of Feta cheese seasoned with oregano; his wife F had the butter lettuce salad with oranges, hazelnuts and avocados tossed in a shallot vinaigrette; and I had the colorful beet and heirloom tomato salad with chunks of sweet red and yellow tomatoes, beets, hearts of palm, string beans, blue cheese and walnut vinaigrette to which I ordered with some grilled chicken.

Desserts clockwise from top: homemade ice cream, lemon meringue tart, chocolate cremoso

We tucked in to our delicious and filling lunch - the flavors were simple with the fresh ingredients standing out and making the dish seem like home-cooked food, something that sounds disarmingly simple but quite hard to duplicate in a busy restaurant kitchen.  We were about to skip desserts until we saw the menu and were tempted by the chocolate cremoso, lemon meringue tart and the homemade ice creams.   The chocolate was a dollop of pure dark chocolate topped with sea salt and a drizzle of olive oil and sourdough crostini with a scoop of espresso parfait - the salt contrasting with the bittersweet chocolate and the coffee-flavored parfait.  I had tasted something similar in a tapas restaurant in Barcelona and although interesting, the combination is unusual and elicits interesting reactions.  My coconut ice cream came with swirls of chocolate and was served with some caramelized bananas, an orange sugared jelly and a cookie.  A's lemon meringue tart is one of the best we have tasted in years and it was so good that we had to order second one.  Espressos ended our leisurely lunch and we wet our separate ways - us back to the hotel and them off to explore a bit of Miami.

Michael's Genuine Food and Drink is one of those restaurants that will go directly on my personal favorites list,  an unpretentious place, aptly named and serving genuinely good food and drink at reasonable prices.  It was my best meal in Miami by far.

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Michael's Genuine Food and Drink

130 NE 40th street

Atlas Plaza at the Deign District

Miami FL 33137

Telephone: +1 305 573 5550

*Open daily for dinner, lunch on Mondays to Fridays and brunch on Sundays

another branch in Grand Cayman

NEWS CAFE

On our first Miami morning, jet lag had us up and about bright and early at around 4:00 so we eagerly waited for dawn and the promise of a big breakfast.  The day was sunny with clear blue skies, perfect for exploring the famed Miami Beach.  We got off Key Biscayne and headed straight to the 24-hour News Cafe on the corner of Ocean drive and 8th street.  It was too windy for a terrace table so we sat in one of the red leather booths right by the window for a picture-perfect view of the beach and people-watching.

Opened in 1988, this cafe started out as a news stand with a few tables and has since grown into a Miami institution with a large shady outdoor terrace and a great selection of international newspapers and magazines.  After a quick scan of the menu, we downed our Lavazza double espressos and watched the early-morning crowd walk their dogs and jog on the boardwalk.  Our breakfast specials were served soon after - a large plate of eggs (scrambled for me, poached for him), crispy bacon, home fries, toast and orange juice (when in Florida, drink as the locals do).  As we were eating, the place started to get busier and by the time we finished at around 8:00 a.m., there were quite a few locals and tourists sitting around having their morning coffee.

After breakfast, we walked up Ocean drive and saw the preserved art deco facades of the many hotels and restaurants fronting the sea.  By this time, the sun was high in the sky and we kept going several blocks until we got to the end of the street and continued on to Lincoln road (at 18th street) where the pedestrian mall of boutiques and restaurants is located.  As it was still quite early, we sat and waited at the The Cafe @ Books & Books (another Miami institution) where we had our second espresso of the morning and flipped through several magazines as we waited for the stores to open and for the rest of Miami beach to wake up.

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News Cafe

800 Ocean Drive (at 8th street)

Miami Beach 33139 FL

Telephone: +1 305 538 6397

*Open 24 hours daily