J&J Go South 2023 - Day 9 - We Have the Meats
After such a long day yesterday going to the Iguazu Falls, we made sure to turn the alarms off and sleep in. We didn’t sleep that late but lay in bed, surfed our phones, and let the morning come to us. Today marks the last day in Buenos Aires and the last day of our vacation. What better way to spend it than start planning the next trip, I’m looking at you Asia in June.
When we finally did get ready for the day we left the hotel a little before 11 AM and walked the ten minutes to the close by Starbucks. Jenn got a white hot chocolate and I had a Carmel macchiato. We sat around chatting about our lives, our future, some things coming up for both of us and what we want to accomplish in the next year or two. We didn’t have to rush so it was nice to just sit around and enjoy our drinks and the beautiful day. From there we grabbed an Uber to the Faena Hotel where we had lunch reservations at El Mercado an Argentinian restaurant. We originally had reservations here a few nights ago but decided to try our luck at Don Julio which didn’t work out. Fortunately for us on the weekends they open an outdoor grill where they have a special asado menu. We got a table outside on the patio with a perfect view of the grill. We started with a chorizo sausage that was out of this world. For our main, we got two different cuts of steak (Rib Eye and Skirt) and a side of fries. The much cheaper skirt steak was so delicious I wish we just ordered two of them.
We left lunch over an hour after we arrived and began the one-hour walk back to our hotel. Along the way, we stopped at the main square, and then made our way towards the opera house. I cannot overstate what a beautiful day it was. The leaves on the tree were just starting to turn and there was a light breeze on the 70-degree day. At one point Jenn said she could walk all day in weather like this and I agree it was perfection. One of my favorite moments of the day was when we stumbled upon a small park off the main drag where the sun perfectly hit through the trees. It was one of those perfect moments I wanted to bottle up.
After the 1+ hour walk back to our hotel we went to our room and took a quick nap before finishing packing and working on the rest of our trips for 2023. We left the room at 6 PM and went down to the Oak Bar in our hotel for our final pre-dinner cocktail of the trip. We’re big fans of the pre-dinner cocktail. Jenn went with one of their speciality cocktails a vodka and rose cocktail called the Pink Swan. I went with a spicy bloody mary, both were perfect and the right drinks before dinner.
Our final dinner of the trip was at Fogon Asado a 30-person chef's counter dinner in the heart of the city. When our Uber dropped us off (a minute before our reservation) we walked in and were seated with the rest of the patrons a few minutes after our arrival. For the next three hours, we began a 7-course dinner and cooking demonstration with wine pairing. The night started well with us making our own personal chimichurri sauce and enjoying their gin cocktail. Things slowed down for about 45 minutes before dinner took off. We enjoyed the pork flank and the few cuts of beef that were all cooked in front of us. Unfortunately, the wines were on the cheap side, and some of the initial dishes were a bit of a letdown. This was one of those evenings that was more about the experience than the food. We ended up leaving before dessert given it was already after 11 PM and we had an early flight in the morning.
We took an Uber back to our hotel, finished packing, and turned the lights out on our night and our trip. We had some great vacations last year but this was the first real travel we’ve had since the pandemic. Going to all new places, and experiencing new cultures, foods, and histories was something we both missed. Sometimes you don’t realize how much you need something until your in it. When we were at Starbucks this morning we both knew what an amazing vacation we had just been on and how badly we want to get back out and travel again. If that’s not a sign of a great trip I don’t know what is. Until we travel again!
