Archive for March, 2012

Your Library: Check It Out

Your Library: Check It Out

First of all, I’ve been planning this post for a long time. Much longer than the Toronto Library strike. So this post isn’t really a political statement.

Second of all, I hope everyone noticed my awesome pun in the title of this post. If you didn’t, take a sec, and go read it again. ‘Cause it’s a good one.

Third of all, I’m pretty sure that this post is going to make my mom’s heart explode (she was a teacher-librarian for most of her career, she’s been a library consultant and she’s got her masters in library and information studies), but I’m writing it any way! Hi mom – please don’t have an exploding heart :)


Libraries are a great equalizer. In most cities, you get access to hundreds of thousands of books, merely by being a resident of that city. In some other cities, Edmonton (where I grew up) for instance, you need to pay a nominal ($10) fee every year. But just think of all the free or virtually free learning and stories that are out there, just waiting for you.

I was trained in the wonders of the library from a very young age. Some of my fondest memories from summer holidays include kicking some serious a$$ at the Millwoods Public Library’s reading club (and yes, I just admitted that on the internet). Even when I tended further right on the political spectrum than I do today, you wouldn’t have won my vote by suggesting cutting or closing libraries.

This is probably because I’ve always been a bookworm. I love quirky characters and a good plot. I adore lyrical language. I love a good story. I love surprises. I love clever twists. I seriously love to read. But books. Books have been the bane of travelling Allison’s existence for years. You can’t take library books if you are going for longer than 3 weeks, since they will expire. A new, English-language novel in most countries sets you back $30+. So you pack your backpack full of 6 books and rely on book exchanges, which are hit and mostly-miss. I’ve read some bad, bad books in my day because I’m desperate for something to read.

But the 21st century arrived, and with it, ebooks and e-readers. Say what you will about e-readers, they changed my life for the better. A bookworm who finds reading ergonomically awkward? Yup, that’s me. Replace a big book with a 2oz e-reader and you have yourself a happy me. I talk with my hands a lot (surprised?) and I realized just how addicted I am to my e-reader this weekend, when rather than doing the “flipping the page” gesture to indicate reading, I did the “press the button”.

E-readers give you access to thousands and thousands of books, as long as you’ve got an internet connection! And several publishers offer cheap or free books (see Pixel of Ink for a good daily aggregator). And popular books range from $10 – $13. A heck of a lot better than $15 – $25 for a used crappy book in a remote book exchange or $30+ for an ok new book in an airport.

But even better than paying only $10 – $13 for popular new books? Paying nothing but your municipal taxes for those same books. Enter the library. Most municipal libraries (in Canada and the US at least) have charged into the 21st century and are lending ebooks. Do you know what this means? This means you can still borrow books from the library while you travel. Game. Changer.

It’s probably a little bit sketchy, since I’ve moved from Toronto (though I’m in this in between stage, so I don’t feel so bad), but I’ve been borrowing ebooks from the Toronto library like a boss. In the past 3.5 months, I’ve borrowed Room, The Elegance of the Hedgehog, The City and the City, We the Animals, I Am the Messenger, Swamplandia, Fifth Avenue 5 AM, A Visit from the Goon Squad, The Historian, The Imperfectionists, Olive Kitteridge, The Sisters Brothers, and Cleopatra’s Daughter. These are mostly pretty popular books right now. And I got them all, from the library, while overseas. Amaze-balls.

So go as fast as you can and check out your local library (unless you are in Toronto, where the librarians are on strike). I promise you won’t regret it!

March 31, 2012 2 comments Read More
kaizen :: japanese/peruvian

kaizen :: japanese/peruvian

Last Saturday we spent the day in Tigre, which was amazing. I shot b&w film in Tigre, so you are going to have to wait for the images, but once they’re developed I will certainly share more!  By the time we got back to our apartment late Saturday evening, we were worn out. Shells of humans. And going for groceries or out to a restaurant held little appeal to either of us. Enter Buenos Aires Delivery. I’ve already told you all about how awesome Buenos Aires Delivery is, and I think that every city with an independent restaurant scene needs a similar site.

On Saturday night, I was feeling like ceviche while the hubs was feeling like pasta, so we met somewhat in the middle (ok, a little closer to my end of the spectrum) and landed on Kaizen – a Japanese/Peruvian place, for ceviche and yakisoba.

The Food

We ended up ordering four dishes: steamed gyoza, Mex (salmon and guacamole) rolls, chicken yakisoba, and ceviche. We polished it all off and were just a teensy bit hungry at the end of the meal. This is more likely due to the little lunch that we had, rather than the amount of dinner that we had.

Appetizers: The gyoza was not so good. It was very doughy, and the outside to inside ratio left something to be desired. I’d give it a miss next time. I actually quite liked the mex rolls, but that could be because of the generous amount of wasabi that was provided to us. Delicious, delicious spice! We inhaled the rolls. Seriously, inhaled them.

Yakisoba: Like most things in Argentina, the yakisoba was too salty. That being said, it was quite flavourful and they were generous with the chicken, which itself was moist and delicious. I would probably order it again.

White fish ceviche: This was where Kaizen really excelled. I thought the ceviche was excellent – it was not fishy at all, just limey-cilantroy goodness. They were a little skimpy on the sweet potato, but did top it with cancha, which gave it bonus points.

The Bottom Line

Kaizen Sushi, Guatemala 4665, Palermo Soho, Buenos Aires, Mon to Sat, 20-24. You can also order online via Buenos Aires Delivery, minimum 60 peso order.

For 150 pesos ($35) including tip, this was a steal of a deal, and I would certainly order in (or visit the restaurant) again.

March 30, 2012 0 comments Read More
Browned Butter Pasta

Browned Butter Pasta

In my quest to become the Richmond food blogger, I’ve become so busy thinking about restaurant reviews that I haven’t posted a recipe post in… well… a long time. And while it is true that eating at this many restaurants means I’m not cooking as much, I’m still cooking a lot, and becoming ever more adaptable to cooking with what is available in Buenos Aires.

Dinner on Monday night was decidedly gourmet, and about half way through cooking it – I realized I was going to be blogging it. This means that I don’t have a lot of prep images (any, in fact), but I do have a handful of images of our delicious browned butter pasta with a red wine-balsamic vinegar reduction accompanied by garlic roasted brussels sprouts in a garlic cream sauce.

As spring approaches for most of my readers, this recipe is going to seem a wee bit out of place. But this week in Buenos Aires it’s been clear… fall is coming. Monday especially was cold and windy and all we felt like having for dinner was comfort food. So pin this recipe or or otherwise save it for later, and then when fall comes… you’ll thank me.

This meal was inspired by: this pin, the fact there were brussels sprouts in the grocery store, the delicious looking fresh pasta in said grocery store, and the fact that I had planned on making a browned butter cauliflower pasta a few weeks ago, but couldn’t find a cauliflower and have been craving browned butter since.

Some days the random stars align to create something delicious.

Browned Butter Pasta with a Red Wine Balsamic Reduction

Serves 2

Ingredients

  • 2/3 cup red wine
  • 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • Fresh stuffed pasta
  • Italian parsley (for garnish)
  • Parmesan cheese (to taste)

Directions

  1. Combine red wine and balsamic vinegar in a small sauce pan and bring to a boil. Simmer over medium heat (stirring frequently) until the mixture has reduced.
  2. Bring water to a boil and cook pasta according to package directions.
  3. Meanwhile, heat your butter over medium heat until it browns (learn about browning butter here).
  4. Mix your cooked pasta into the browned butter.
  5. Serve with a drizzle of the red wine reduction, parmesan cheese, and italian parsley.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts in a Garlic Cream Sauce

Serves 2

Ingredients

  • Brussels sprouts
  • 2 cloves garlic, divided (I use 4, but I always double my garlic)
  • 2 tbsp cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/3 cup heavy cream
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut off brown ends of brussels sprouts and cut in half length wise. Toss with 1 clove crushed garlic, olive oil and salt and pepper to taste.
  2. Pour brussels sprouts on a baking sheet and roast for 35-40 minutes until crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. Monitor and shake pan as needed.
  3. Meanwhile, combine heavy cream, 1 clove crushed garlic, and a few sprinkles of salt. Let warm to room temperature while brussels sprouts are roasting.
  4. Serve brussels spouts garnished with the garlic cream sauce.

March 29, 2012 0 comments Read More
Puerto Madero Carrito :: Choripan

Puerto Madero Carrito :: Choripan

On Friday, we decided to take our friend Ian to the ecological reserve in Puerto Madero. Buenos Aires is a city of contrasts and the ecological reserve in Puerto Madero is striking example of these.

If you are familiar with Yaletown, Puerto Madero is like Yaletown. If not – imagine modern, glassy, shiny, buildings. But, as usual, Buenos Aires is full of surprises and butting off Puerto Madero is a gigantic ecological reserve.

Open Tuesday to Sunday, the reserve is a great haven in the middle of the city. However, the paths are wide and there is not a lot of shade. We learned this the hard way – and all came back super burnt. And, in another surprising feature, fancy Puerto Madero, is home to several semi-permanent street food stands(called carritos). These are sort of like hot dog stands on steroids.

Parilla

Some clients had told me good things about the parilla at the corner of Calabria and Mignone, it might be called “Parilla Bandiola” – it’s always busy (it looks like it does a fair amount of cab driver business). You can recognize this one because of its semi-permanence (there is a small garden behind the stand), its separate papas fritas guy, and its neat tables made out of tree stumps.

You order your food (even your fries) from the cash register next to the parilla, then you get a number for your sandwiches and ticket to take to the fries guy for your fries.

The Food

Offering a very short menu of various grilled meat sandwiches, we all opted for the choripan (chorizo on a bun) and a cone of fries to share amongst the three of us.

The fries were, far and away, the best fries we have had in BA. They were thin cut, hot, crispy, and fresh.

The choripans were huge. The chorizo was delicious (albeit a bit greasy – but this is street meat), the fried onions were tasty, and the tomato and lettuce made it feel like you were eating something at least a bit healthy. The only disappointment for me was the bread. I may have got an old one, however, because the guys said their bread was ok. I ended up eating my choripan as a open faced sandwich, a good idea because it made it a bit more manageable!

The Bottom Line

Carrito at the corner of Calabria and Mignone, hours unknown, if it’s closed try one of the many others lined along Giralt/Rodriguez, pick it by the number of customers

3 of us ate a big, delicious, greasy lunch, with a 1.5L bottle of water and fries for 60 pesos ($15). Well worth it, but don’t do it every day for the sake of your arteries!

March 28, 2012 0 comments Read More
el ateneo grand splendid (travel tuesday)

el ateneo grand splendid (travel tuesday)

El Ateneo Grand Splendid, located at Santa Fe 1860 in Buenos Aires, is the most amazing bookstore I’ve ever been to. Originally a theatre, Teatro Grand Splendid, it was converted into a bookstore and cafe. One word sums it up perfectly: breathtaking. On the old stage of the theatre, you find a cafe. A perfect spot for a soul-filling afternoon pick me up.






Finally, an instagram shot of my cappuccino. Who’s ever seen a cappuccino in such a setting?

March 27, 2012 2 comments Read More
a manger :: tapas

a manger :: tapas

We walk down Malabia street in Palermo Soho several times a day. About a kilometre away from our apartment, at the corner of Malabia and Charcas is a Manger. A place that stops us in our tracks every time we walk by. On the Malabia side is a deli bursting at the seams with delicious looking mediterranean foods, on the Charcas side a tapas restaurant. It’s been on our list for months, but was only a couple of Fridays ago that we finally tried it out.

A Manger


The indoor section of this restaurant is quite small, and there are a handful of tables on the street. Inside features lots of wooden accents and is lined with wine bottles, outside features heavy wooden tables. Food is served on wooden plates, which is unique and kind of awesome. We were served quite quickly upon our arrival, but it took forever to get the server’s attention to order a coffee after the meal.

The Food

The menu is thick and everything therein sounds delicious. I’m not entirely sure what we were thinking when we ordered a picada and a greek salad. The picada featured some cheeses, olives, and prosciutto, but we were already ham and cheesed out when we ordered it. I found it quite disappointing. While the prosciutto and olives were good, the cheeses weren’t anything to write home about. I did appreciate the selection of breads, however.

The greek “salad” was a bowl full of sun dried tomatoes, olives, and feta cheese, which was not quite expected but was tasty.

After lunch (when we finally got her attention) we ordered a capuccino and a brownie. At 6.25 ($1.50) for the brownie, I didn’t have particularly high hopes, and I would say it met my expectations.

The Bottom Line

a Manger, Charcas 4001, Palermo Soho, Buenos Aires, Mon to Sat, 10 – 24.

I’m having a really hard time thinking of the “bottom line” here. I was quite disappointed with the restaurant, but truly it may have been user error. Why would I order something I wasn’t in the mood for? I would give them another try, if only for the sandwich menu, which looked delicious!

March 26, 2012 0 comments Read More