It’s so interesting to see the process from start to finish.

So bare in the beginning.  Then a complete fucking mess.  Stripped to the bones and rebuilt with purpose and care.  I’m so pumped to see the final product!!

Here are some shots from the first couple of weeks of construction.

The days have been so thrilling!

And exhausting.

Not only do we have endless decisions to make… but Ticol and I have to agree on them!!

And we are very different.

He’s all, ‘why spend money on clothes when you can use it on travels and adventures?!’ and I’m all, ‘I totally get that love that about you, and yes, save for travels 100%, but if you’re gonna play the role you gotta look the part.  And it’s okay to spend money on clothes/apparel/things with no real value, as long as they’re good quality and serve a purpose. ‘  It’s very non-superficial with him!

AND I LOVE THAT.

And in return he LOVES his fancy clothes that I have gracefully steered him to appreciate.

Win win.

Bueno!

Originally the NOLA space came with these massive black metal doors which in theory look really cool.  Unfortunately they take up too much space and logically they don’t make sense.  So we sold ‘em and decided to transfer the tall wooden doors from the outdoor patio space (now the bathrooms) to the front entrance.  This required outside skills and Chelo knew the guys for the job.

Two brothers, Argentine, very grumpy.  They constantly yell at each to shut up and just keep working, boludo.  Everyone does their best to stay out the way when they’re around.

Luckily, they know their wood!

They removed the doors, inverted some of the details, and built a frame connecting all four doors.  Ticol and I treated the wood to protect the doors from the sun, rain and overall anti-aging.  They’re installed and are looking beautiful!!  The glass still needs to be put in but that can wait ’til later.

And not only are these door eye candy, but they’re fancy wood!Apparently they were imported from Oregon back in the 1930s for the Llao Llao Hotel that was being built in Bariloche, an area of Argentina to the west covered in lakes and mountains.

The carpenters were very impressed when they first saw the doors and curiously asked how and where we got them.   It was cute to see these older men show such appreciation for something that so many wouldn’t think twice about.

Fortunately these brothers have a personal door collection that they allowed Ticol to browse through once they heard we were in the market for a few more doors.

We need – two for the bathrooms + 1 for the kitchen.Ticol and I discussed what we wanted and he went to check out their inventory on the opposite end of town.  He returned excited, showed me some photos and within a couple of days the doors arrived.

They need a lil treatment love, but they’re exactly what we were wanting!

Y’all like?!

Our kitchen door is hopefully arriving this week.  It’s going to be a swinging door, like a shutter cowboy style!!

It’s gonna be so good….. All of it, I can feel it!

¡Hasta la proxima! 

Peche Seafood Grill is his latest.  Peche is located on Magazine St. in the Warehouse District and is open for both lunch and dinner service with a focus on coastal seafood with a unique, modern approach to old world cooking methods.

Some old & new friends decided to give it a go and we called ahead to make sure the kitchen was still open.  I forget how early people eat in the States, the kitchen closed at 10pm!

We rushed on over, grabbed a table, ordered some vino and the mini feast began.

Fresh greens, pecan & feta salad to start and a dark velvety bowl of seafood gumbo.

Shrimp toast & red tuna also made an appearance.  Both fresh, light and popping with flavor.

Next up the Louisiana shrimp roll (daaaamn good), seafood salad & fried shrimp with ginger, tomato & jalapeño.

Everything was dreamy and just the right portions if you were saving room for dessert.Dessert, if I can remember correctly…

Peanut butter cheesecake, creme anglaise, milk chocolate & brittle.

Blueberry & lemon sorbet.

Probably the best meal I had in New Orleans this go around.

Loved the decor and the wine list.

Can’t recommend it enough for your next NOLA visit.

And a big thanks & congratulations to the wonderful couple who refused my money!  I love you guys.

Here’s a quick catch-up for y’all back home from my Instagram account.

Miss you all like crazy.  Come visit!

Stephanie booked her ticket!!

Biggest press accomplishment so far-  The New York Post!

Yes, I know.  It’s the trash newspaper for New Yorkers.

STILL!  I made it all the way to New York from Buenos Aires.

I’m proud.

Major props to my novio, Francisco, for all his hard work.  Couldn’t of done it without you.

Loads of vegetarian cooking at home lately.

This pasta with sun-dried tomatoes, hongos de pino, arugula, and Torrontes was simply divine.

Light yet substantial.

I got a new bike!

Story goes something like-

Liza getting her hair cut at the salon on a Saturday afternoon.  Boy arrives, taps on the window and excitedly points to the bike screaming, ‘es para vos gordita, es tuyas!!’

Liza responds a bit over excited, ‘que?!  que?!  pero no hice nada!!  ES PARA MI?!

She’s a looker.  I’ve been riding her all over Buenos Aires collecting things for NOLA, hence the gorgeous fall flowers for our grand table.

Roasting peanuts!

A first for me.

These are garlic and thyme pictured above.

My favorite so far is chili piquin and lime.

They’re sinfully addictive!!

One of my favorite houses in Buenos Aires.

<3

<3
Christmas came early this year.

And boy was I excited!!

The suegra generously handed over her great grandmother’s set of dishes.

Check out  the coffee set!

She’s a great addition at NOLA

New Sunday routine with the boy-

Burger Joint, one of my BA faves as you know, for juicy burgers and crispy fries!

<3
Pickling like a mad woman in the kitchen lately!

These pickles are so great with a toasty grilled cheese and hot sauce.

If you fancy pickling at home you can find an easy recipe at Pick Up the Fork.

The girls over at Fuudis decided to put together the first Buenos Aires Food Week.

Very cool, chicas!

I  indulged  at Mullu for lunch.

Loved the ambiance, service and tasty Japanese-Peruvian infusion plates!

Europe is in three weeks!!

I’ve been ‘eating right’ and doing loads of jumping jacks, squats and yoga to get ready for beach madness in Croatia.

Anybody have any quiet beach suggestions?

There are just so many!

Spinach is in season in Buenos Aires.

These spinach quesadillas with chipotle alioli were a hit last week at Mexican Pop-Up!

Gorgeous building in crazy microcentre.

Fall has arrived, but the days are passing sunny and warm.

Another new addition at NOLA, these gorgeous benches at the grand table.

Things are coming along!

And a bit of Momo el gordo.

Still loving you, Buenos Aires.

<3

I don’t know what it is about the ambiance but it makes me feel like I’m on vacation.  Or maybe it was just that it was a warm sunny day and while everyone was back at work with the Monday Blues I got to stroll the streets in sandals with my new hair cut and feel like I didn’t have a worry in the world.  I want more days like that, especially with sandals and summer dresses!!

Oui Oui has two locations, a few hundred feet from each other on Nicaragua between Arevelo and Dorrego.  Apparently they’re never open at the same time, which is kind of strange, but who cares as long as one is always open.

Their eggs benedict looked deadly but I went for the big cup of coffee with a pan au chocolat, by far the best French pastry I’ve had in Buenos Aires.

The menu is short and sweet with sandwiches, salads, and a few classic breakfast items.  People tapped away on their computers in between bites while soaking up the friendly Bohemian vibe that Oui Oui naturally exudes.

Prices are normal for the Hollywood scene and the outside seating is a bonus.  I imagine they’re full daily so make sure to go early and snag a spot.

Oui Oui

Nicaragua 6068, at Dorrego in Palermo Hollywood

4778-9614

Mon- Fri 8am – 8pm

Sat – Sun 10am –  8pm

A quick note that I will be hosting Thursday Mexican Night indefinitely at Tout le Monde in Palermo Soho!

Where-  Tout le Monde Cafe, Gurruchaga 1417 at Cabrera in Palermo Soho

When-  Every Thursday 8pm- midnight

What-  Kitchen opens at 8 and closes at midnight!  A small menu of Antojitos (Mexican small plates) will be offered with tasty snacks such as tacos al pastor, torta de res, chilaquiles, and more.  Everything is homemade.  Even our cheese, tortillas, sauces, juice, TODO!!

*Check out what others are saying about Thursday Mexican Night.

UPDATE – Mexican Pop-Up currently on-hold.  New location in the works and will be posted as soon as it’s finalized!

You could say that I’m partially in-love.

I had been craving a new go-to cafe.  I was over mine, being angry with Malvón and bored of Baraka.  A new OH MY GAWD, I LOVE THIS PLACE was high on the priority list.  Particularly one that is open 7 seven days a week, and serves both coffee and wine.  For now it’s my new Greenwich Village V-Bar but not nearly as cool or down the street from my flat.  They have put some serious thought into the design, and it shows.  Service is good, products some what strange.  And it’s surrounded by tons of thrifty furniture shops.  It makes me want to move to Hollywood and be retro.  Palermo Hollywood in Buenos Aires, that is.

So here’s the low down.  They’re open every day til 8pm, have loads of super-sized sweets, and a savory menu that’s something like a mix of 10 sandwiches, salads, and hot plates.  The savory menu is kind of pricey and I haven’t had it yet but my snarky pie friend boasts about the burgers, a menu item that is insanely hard to find properly well done in the land of cattle.  Don’t ask, I have no explanation.

I did share a slice of mousse de citricos with a girlfriend.  Imagine a brownie meets chocolate mousse bottom stacked with a heaping gelatinous blob of …. mediocre gelatinous blob?!  And it was really unfortunate because they all look so beautiful in their display cases!  In this situation WAY TOO much gelatin was used causing us to destroy the slice because it was impossible to pull a bite away without the whole blob falling down.  It was a sad scene.  The scones and cheesecakes did look marvelous.

I also had a situation when ordering an iced tea.  You see, there is a terraza(terrace).  And this terraza is fabulous.  It’s loaded with sunshine on a quiet street corner with fun views AND electrical outlets to charge your loyal companion.

I was there on a WARM day.  So I decide on an iced tea con menta (with mint), since my beloved iced coffee isn’t a thing here in South America.  The waiter brings me what looks to be a light green milkshake.  Confused and hesitant I ask, “Oh, does this have milk?”  His response, “Nope.  This is your order, an iced tea with mint.”  After a sip I conclude that there is no way I was drinking this scary dairy concoction on such a hot sunny day, WHERE IS MY REFRESHING ICED TEA?  So the waiter returns and I declare, “I’m not sure what this is.  To me this is not an iced tea.  Are you sure there isn’t milk in this WHITE thick ‘iced tea’?”  and he replies, “There is no milk, just cream.”  Ok, so there we have it.  It doesn’t have milk, but it does have cream.  I exchanged it for a copa de vino blanco (cup of white wine, which was HUGE) and happily typed the afternoon away on the tranquilaterraza.

So yes, dear Decata.  I am partially in-love.  Some things you do so peculiar.  Others you have perfected.  It’s an intriguing mix.  I’ll be back for more wild  adventures.

Decata

Honduras 6100, corner of Dorrego in Palermo Hollywood

4775.3143

Daily 9h-20h

So, what does Casa Naturista sell?  Dried spices & herbs, black sugar, brown sugar, organic sugar, shitakes, hongos de pino, almonds, cashews & loads of other nuts, dried fruits, local honeys, imported teas, corn flour, garbanzo flour, oats, granola, spirulina, integral breads, fruit juices, tofu, CAYENNE pepper, peanut butter, tahini, fancy pastas, local jams, special salts & other condiments, black beans, YUMMY veggie tartas & soy empanadas, products for celiacs & diabetics, tabasco, coconut milk, AND TONS more.

Not only am I raising awareness about their quality products to enhance your dining experience and overall health, but I’m a BIG fan of supporting small businesses.  Casa Naturista opened up about 2 years ago with the intent to provide healthy non traditional (non tradition for here in Argentina) products to others without burning a hole in their pockets.  Service is sweet with a muy buena onda.

Casa Naturista

Serrano 1321 entre Niceto Vega y Cabrera (next to el Topo, yummy yummy churros)

4776-8150