Foley and Fitzgerald

We went to the newer section of town along the river front called Puerto Madero. They have renovated a group of very old warehouses into luxury office space and lofts and on the bottom floor and many wonderful newer restaurants. We tried El Mirasol del Puerto.

This is the classic Argentinian style of dining. Most items are meat...every cut of the cow...and pages of side dishes, salads, and vegetables. It reminds me of the Tadich Grill in that the food isn't messed with and everything is good. We had a delcious filet mignon
that we split and couldn't finish. We tried one of their typical meat sauces that they make by pounding herbs, garlic and olive oil and vinegar to a paste. We tried a Beautiful salad of watercress, mozzeralla, radishes, and a typical green called raduiccio (SP) that is bitter but great with their xtra virgin olive oil and a bit of salt. We had two traditional empanadas..one chicken and one with corn and onions. These little pies in pastry just melt in your mouth.
We ordered steamed vegetables and thinly cut french fries as side dishes. The only thing that I could comment on that needed improvement was the vegetables.
Since Phillip has been growing our produce at home we are hard to please when it comes to veges.

The entire bill would surprise you. It was a third of what you would pay in the US or anywhere abroad. The portions were big, more than we needed. The service was trained European style with a head waiter and attendants sight unseen but there when you need them.
The place was rockin on Saturday night. In fact the whole water front was shakin'. There weren't many words of English spoken and that made us think that there is a sizeable class of people traveling from Spanish speaking countries, as well as the Argentinians who enjoy Saturday nite out on the town.

I would like to also comment on the traffic here. The cars and buses at night do not have good headlights. We can't figure it out. But you have to really be careful crossing the streets. the cars will aim for you! The pedestrian does not have the rightaway, even in the crosswalks.

There is something very hot going on in this country. You can feel it in the air. I read yesterday that they grew by 8% last year. That's a growing economy. We haven't figured out why this is still a third World nation. Yes, there are many poor people, but the desire and the evergy of the people is to be productive and get ahead, especially the young middle class. Hopefully they will see that change in their lifetime.

This morning at breakfast we come down at seven for coffee. We are suprised that the wedding party that started last night is just winding down. Beautiful women in high heels and well dressed men are filling out of the upstairs banquet room towards the street. They don't look that tired. I think this isn't an unusual site. I am pondering on how they can do it.
What a people and what a place!