Food

Given our full enjoyment of Buenos Aires' eateries, we felt these establishments warranted a post of their own. Besides being exceptionally affordable (the most expensive steak in a parrilla ran about $15 on average), they also boasted food to rival top offerings in any other world city.

Argentine (Traditional) - AKA Parrillas!
Manolo - No-frills neighborhood Parrilla in San Telmo
Definitely seemed to attract a local crowd more than other places we visited, but was also a step below in terms of quality. That said, they still cooked up a pretty darn good lomo (tenderloin), an exceptional value at less than $10.

Desnivel - Another San Telmo Parrilla
Offering about the same level of frills as Manolo, boasting a primarily local crowd as well and known for surly waiters (though we had a great experience), their meat was a "cut" above. Jake went with a cut of lomo for around $13, while Nicole sampled an amazingly large 1/2-size Vacio (flank) for $6. Both were well-cooked and very tasty. Though the meal rang up at a mere $36 including a bottle of Norton Malbec and tip, we probably could've gone with a shared plate of Papas Espanole as they each had over a pound of fried potatoes!

La Brigada - Yet another San Telmo Parilla
Attracting more of a tourist crowd (it might have been that they just grouped us all together), this was the top of the pack, but also the priciest with our meal ringing in at $68. Jake went with Ojo de Bife (Ribeye) while Nicole had Entrana (Skirt). Both were cooked to rare perfection (amazing for a 1/2-inch thick skirt) and had great flavor despite their little fat content. We also wizened up and shared a plate of papas provencales.

Argentine Modern
La Vineria de Gualterio Bolivar
Already covered extensively in our past post (see BA part 1 below), so we'll leave it at that.

647 Dinner Club - Modern Argentine Food in San Telmo
647 was highly rated on many food blogs and publications. Though the food was good, I don't think we'd say it was exceptional and it certainly didn't rate highly in terms of value for money. The space was impressive, if a little clubby, but was almost empty save about 6 tables of diners (about half of them tourists). Probably worth a pass, at least for food.

Other
Filo - City Center Pizzeria
Their thin crust creation was some of the best pizza we ever had, hands down. Even went back for lunch a second time.

California Burrito Company - City Center Burritos
OK, we were probably craving mexican food, so our standards might've been a bit lower, but they still made some darn good burritos that would rival some of the SF-greats. Went for lunch two days in a row. Helped that it was a great value too.

Freddo - Gelato
Might be a chain, but they still made some pretty good gelato, many flavors incorporating that Argentine specialty - Dulce de Leche.

Our final two days in Cape Town have been a bit of a whirlwind! Yesterday, we hired a car to head down to Cape Point - the southernmost point in Africa - stopping on the way at Groot Constantia, South Africa's oldest winery (set in an area that resembles Los Altos more than somewhere you'd expect in Africa). The coast on the way down is rugged and rough-hewn, but also pretty striking, particularly given the great weather.


Cape of Good Hope from Cape Point Lighthouse

Despite hurrying on the way back to make Easter Tea at the Mt. Nelson Hotel, we still managed to catch the penguin colony at Boulder's Beach and even pick up some superb fish and chips from Kalky's in Kalk Bay, despite the long lines (thanks to Clare for the recommendation). Yes, even after enjoying the grease-soaked lunch, we still managed to fit in plenty of tea sandwiches and cakes back in Cape Town.


Given the queues and the food, their claim of "best fish and chips" might just be true...

Mt. Nelson Hotel

Today, we arranged a tour of the winelands with Tania of Discovery Tours (who we highly recommend). We really tend not to be the tour type, but this allowed us both to partake and to fit it in a visit before our afternoon departure. Further, having a guide finally allowed us to get a bunch of decent pictures together (see below).

Given the holiday Monday, many vineyards were closed, but we still enjoyed wines from Asara in Stellenbosch (including an excellent white Cab) and Clos Cabriere in Franschhoek. In between, we stopped off for a quick Gelato in Stellenbosch and at La Petite Ferme - a restaurant that had been highly recommended by friends and that friendly BA agent - for a fantastic light lunch overlooking Franschhoek. To cap off the day, we stopped off to pet cheetahs on our way to the airport (a bit contrived maybe, but still a good time ;-) ).

Shady Street in Stellenbosch

Le Petite Ferme

Next update: Dubai!

ps: we'll be working to add more photos to mobileme as internet allows... stay tuned.