10 | January | 2023 | I'd Like to Speak to the Manager!!!

Another Open’ Another Show!!!

I’d like to speak to the manager!!!

The days are winding down. Our trip is coming to an end.

It’s Friday and we only have two more nights to enjoy in Buenos Aires.

My knee is still shot. It kept me awake all night on Thursday night into Friday. In fact, around 5:30 I took a pain pill my doctor prescribed and it didn’t touch the pain. Around 7:30, I took another and finally went to sleep.

The worst part, was that we had to be up early on Friday.

We were going site seeing.

First stop, Recoleta Cemetary. We’d been looking forward to this for a while.

It is stunningly beautiful, in its decay and formalness, and sadness, and reverence.

All of the graves are marked with mausoleums. Some very simple, with a single urn. Others are clearly meant to mark the importance of the family.

At one point Adam mentioned that it could be a study in textures as no two graves were alike. They had marble, stucco, brick, limestone, a mix of all, some were deteriorating as they were so old, others looked like they’d been built yesterday.

The cemetery is still in use and families are still burying their loved ones there. The newest date I saw was 2006.

It’s also interesting because many of the mausoleums have glass doors and you can see the casket sitting on a pedestal. Or you can see 17 urns positioned on a shelf.

Some of them, had live plants, not unlike you’d decorate a grave in the south and we watched a caretaker, move around watering the plants.

Also, all of the graves, had very steep stairs that went below ground and it was very, very, very creepy. The whole place looked like the scene from a vampire movie.

We eventually found Evita Peron’s grave. It was much simpler than I thought it would be. It was a site with the entire Peron family. We paid our respects and moved on.

From there, Adam and I took an Uber to the Teatro Colon. The National Theater of Buenos Aires, their grand opera house. We’d booked a tour at 3:00.

I should say, that at this point, my knee is cooperating. It hurts but I’m managing.

The theater is beautiful. Named after Christopher Columbus. It is the National Opera House.

It seats 3,000 people, all though it was later clarified that 500 of those seats are in the fourth and fifth balcony and are standing room only, although you are permitted to bring your own chair.

We also learned that a few years ago, it was ranked number 1 in the world for acoustics beating out all the other major opera houses in the world.

There are lots of other fun facts but I’ll include the comments in the photos.

We wrapped up the tour, disappointed that we couldn’t see backstage, as it was the same size as the house, and the design areas, went three stories below level and employeed 1,500 employees year round. Boo.

We headed home and on the way decided to head back to the wine bar from day 1.

https://www.pain-et-vin.com/home

We showered, got dressed and headed out. This was a good choice, because it was literally four blocks from our apartment, and I could waddle there.

We joked when we got there, that the marienda was becoming our favorite meal of the day.

We were seated, and ordered a bottle of wine to share and an assortment of snacks. Some charcuterie, grilled carrots, venison tartar (which was delicious), and bread with cheese.

We enjoyed it all, but mostly it was nice just to sit and relax in the air conditioning enjoying each other’s company.

We finished up, paid the check and then Adam decided he wanted to buy some wine to take home with us. The next thing I know I’m being handed 7 bottles of wine to help carry back to our apartment.

We get back and continue to just hang out and relax.

We discuss going to another bar for a pre-dinner drink but decide to have the drink after dinner.

Around 8:45, we put our shoes back on, and head to the restaurant.

Once again, it’s about 6 blocks away, and I hobble there.

We arrive, and Chef and his friend are already enjoying a drink on the sidewalk while waiting for our table. They had taken our idea, and stopped at the bar we wanted to go to and had a pre-dinner drink.

At 9:30 we are seated for dinner on the patio. It is a gorgeously, warm night. And it’s the perfect temperature to be outside with the breeze that is blowing. As with all the restaurants, it is a scene. There are probably 30 people waiting for a table just hanging out and every table on the patio is seated.

https://www.instagram.com/elpreferidodepalermo/

If you want to look it up.

It is a well-known restaurant in the area for locals and tourists alike.

We were seated promptly at 9:30. We were greeted promptly, given menus by the server, which is often the case and that was the last prompt thing that happened all night.

It is not unusual in BA to signal your waiter that you need something. I saw people snap, call out, raise their hand, and yell. The snapping was my favorite, because I know how much I hate it.

But.

After about 15 minutes, Chef signals that we want to order drinks and we do. And they come. But no one has asked if we want water, still or con gas. I NEED WATER!!! – CON GAS!!!

After about 15 more minutes, Chef signals that we need something, and asks if we can get water. When the water comes, we let them know we are only going to be 4 as his friend’s wife was supposed to be there and I’ve come to the conclusion they are waiting for the table to be complete to serve us.

The water arrives and sometime after that, we order.

It’s really not a complicated order. We aren’t even ordering all the things. It’s 5 apps, 4 entrees, 2 sides. Relatively, simple considering what we’ve been doing, by literally order 7 appetizers and an assortment of entrees.

A few minutes later, the apps arrive. Well, most of them. 4 of them arrive. All of them but mine. I don’t say anything, there is plenty of food.

We eat the apps, finish them up, and then our plates are cleared.

This would be a good time, to say that our server has a trainee. She is very sweet, but the most nervous person I’ve ever seen try to wait tables. So, so, so nervous.

Our apps are gone and then the entrees arrive.

Fun fact, they have put empty entrée plates in front of us. Then they bring the entrees out plated, on a large oval tray, and then transfer the entrée to the new plate in front of the guest. All one handed with two forks. One hand is holding the tray, the other is dishing out entrees.

All of our food is served, and chef uses this opportunity to ask about my appetizer. The server is surprised that we didn’t get it. Hmmm. It arrives 45 seconds later. I don’t say anything, but my mashed potatoes are nowhere to be found eiter, and never do arrive.

Once again, there is plenty of food and I don’t really need them. In fact, I only ordered them at Chef’s suggestion.

I should say, that the food is all excellent. Well prepared, well-seasoned, but the service….

We finish up dinner and once again, our plates are cleared.

What happens next is something to see. We’ve seen it over and over again while in Buenos Aires. The staff uses tweezers to detail the table. To whisk a dirty bev nap into the pocket. To pick up a piece of bread. It’s quick and mesmerizing to watch them work with their tweezers.

The table is cleared, dessert menus are presented.

We order dessert and coffee. It’s 11:30. Two hours after we were seated. The entire meal could have been executed in 90 minutes if we’d been served properly.

I mention this, because at midnight, we still don’t have our dessert, and we still don’t have our coffee. At one point the trainee, comes to the table and asks if we are good and if we need anything else. Chef says that we are great, but we’d be better with the dessert and coffee, we ordered.

This doesn’t speed things ups. It finally arrives at 12:15.

By the way, the restaurant is still on a wait at this time.

By the time we finish dessert, and pay the check it’s going on 1:00 a.m.

This is by far the worst service we’ve had in Buenos Aires, which is sad, because the food was really good.

We all say our goodbyes, give each other hugs and Adam and I head home.

By way of a detour to The Three Monkey Bar aka Tres Monos.

We’d discovered the bar last weekend, when we were looking for a place to eat on New Year’s Day. We’d not had an opportunity to stop and check it out but since it was on the way home, stop we did.

We get there and just like every other restaurant bar, it’s packed. We check in and they won’t have a table for at least 45 minutes. They do offer to let us order at a counter at the window or sit on a bench around a tree. We choose the tree and get settled.

Before we’ve even looked at the drink menu, a server walks up and hands us two shot glasses to start. We say what the fuck, bottoms up and enjoy it. It’s my first shot in three years.

It’s rum based, we find out later, and not really very boozy. It tastes great, and they use it as a way to start the experience.

We order cocktails. For me a boulevardier variation on their menu. For Adam something I don’t remember.

They come about 6 or 7 minutes later and are quite delicious.

It really is a scene here. Every table on the patio is full. The bar inside is full. I’m watching the bartender through the window and from behind she looks just like an old employee of mine named Tara. The pony tail, and the same gestures.

This bar: https://3monos.com.ar/bar/ Adam also found the bar listed on several sites as one of the top 100 bars in the world. It really was great.

We hang out on the bench until around 2:30. We pay our bill and head home.

It’s late when we get there, and for the first time since coming to Buenos Aires, I skip my daily post and by 3:30, we are fast asleep.

And for the first time in three days, I sleep, without aid, without pain, without struggle.

It was late on Saturday, when I finally woke up.

Me at the entrance to the Cemetery.