Living the "Dulce" Life in Buenos Aires

The month of January might not scream "ouce cream" to those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, but it certainly does in the Southern Hemisphere. While I normally spend New Year's Eve and Day huddled inside wearing sweaters and sipping hot cocoa, this year I was eating ice cream in sundresses. When my boyfriend asked me where we should spend New Years this year, I told him that Boston or Seattle would be great... but someplace warm would be even better! Here I was, thinking about visiting family in Arizona or friends in Florida. But the boyfriend had grander plans and suggested we use airline miles to fly to Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Now, Argentina was never at the top of my travel wish list (Alaska and Sub-Saharan Africa are!). But my college roommate studied abroad in Buenos Aires, and she still raves about the city. And when my boyfriend reminded me that it would be warm in Argentina during January, I figured that this was the perfect opportunity to see the city while catching some rays. Plus, I needed to practice my Spanish - which has become dismal since my own study abroad time in Madrid, Spain. But it wasn't until I started reading more about Buenos Aires that I got very excited.

Tango. Wine. Steak. Gelato. What more can you ask for?

Wait... Gelato?

While researching things to do and see in Buenos Aires, I learned that more than one-third of Argentina's population is of Italian descent. Most of the immigration took place before World War I, but the Italian culture is still alive and well in Buenos Aires. For example? Unlike in most Spainish-speaking countries, "gelaterias" (Spanish for "gelato shops") far outnumber "heladerias" ("ice cream shops") in Buenos Aires. I was beyond excited to experience this unique part of Argentine culture for myself.

We had a fabulous four days in Buenos Aires. The weather held up beautifully, and we spent our most of our time outdoors - taking in the sights, sounds, and tastes of Argentina's capital. Some of the touristy highlights of our trip included visiting La Recoleta Cemetary (final resting place of Eva Peron), walking along Puerto Madero (popular waterfront area with great people-watching), and exploring Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes (world-class art museum with no admission fee!). Perhaps the best decision we made during the trip was shelling out a couple hundred dollars for the New Years Eve package at Complejo Tango. There are many tango shows to choose from in Buenos Aires, but Complejo Tango provides a full-package experience for anyone who is interested in learning and watching tango. The NYE package included a 90-minute beginner's tango class, three-course dinner, unlimited beer and wine, professional tango show, midnight champagne toast, and - finally - a dance party with a DJ. While the boyfriend and I agreed that neither of us have a future in professional tango, we had a blast learning some steps with other tourists from around the world. It was definitely the most unique New Years Eve I've ever had.

Food and wine was a whole other highlight of our trip. We had steak for dinner more often than not. The Malbec wines were fantastic cost less than they do in the States. You don't have to go far for great food in Buenos Aires. There's a great cafe or restaurant on every block, it seems. On our first night, we found a great spot just outside our hotel (the Sheraton Libertador Hotel). We had finished dinner early in the evening (especially when you consider that most Argentines don't eat until 10pm or so) and were in the mood for a nightcap. Il Gran Caffe is a bustling full-service cafe with plenty of seating both indoors and outdoors, situated on a busy city corner. We sat outside to enjoy the summer weather and do some people-watching. The boyfriend ordered a sweet white wine, but had my eye on something else. Walking to our table, I passed several patrons enjoying goblets of gelato. Sure enough, Il Gran Caffe offers six flavors of gelato. In the mood for chocolate, I asked our waiter for a scoop of Gianduia -- a Nutella-like combination of milk chocolate and hazelnut gelato. When he told me I could pick another flavor for the second scoop, I blurted out the first flavor I saw: Amarena. It was a risky move, but I've never met a gelato flavor I couldn't stomach.

The verdict? This was not a great first-time Argentine gelato experience! Il Gran Caffe's gelato is a bit on the firmer side, as I'm sure they purchase tubs of gelato from third-party vendors and store them in their deep freezer. This was more like American store-bought ice cream than premium Italian gelato. Still, the flavors were unique and satisfied my sweet tooth. Now - what was Amarena? I tasted a sweet cream base, and a tart fruity swirl. With the boyfriend's help, I deciphered that the fruit was sour cherry. Later, I read online that Amarena is a traditional Italian gelato flavor - just one that I haven't tried before. The Gianduja was good, but not the best I've had. The milk chocolate flavor overpowered the hazelnut, and the combination was a bit too sugary-sweet for me. I did like the thin chocolate flakes, though, which are not traditionally part of the flavor. After all, how can you go wrong adding chocolate to chocolate? Still, my first gelato experience in Buenos Aires didn't blow me away...

Not one to be discouraged, I decided that to find the best gelato in Buenos Aires - I should rely on the locals' knowledge. So on our second night, I brought up the subject with our friendly old cab driver while he drove us to the trendy Palermo neighborhood. My Spanish is pretty rusty, but the cab driver got the gist of my request: could he please drop us off at a good gelataria? I rattled off a list of ones in Palermo that I had pulled off the internet in the hotel room. The cab driver nodded with a smile and drove on. Finally, he pulled up to the curb outside of Persicco - considered to be one of the very best gelaterias in Buenos Aires. I know Persicco has multiple locations throughout the city, but I can't imagine any are more busy than the Palermo shop! It was almost eleven-o-clock in the evening, but Persicco was hoppin'. Unlike at Il Gran Caffe, most of the clientle seemed to be Argentine. I didn't hear any English conversations in the crowd outside or inside the shop. This had to be a good sign, right?

Once inside, I quickly learned that not only does Persicco have gelato-making down to an art, they also have gelato-ordering down to an art. To streamline the whole process and ensure proper payment, Persicco requires you to pay at the register before approaching the bins of gelato. You order and pay for a certain size (not flavor) and are given a numbered receipt. Then, you must patiently wait for your number to appear on an electronic sign (not unlike the ones at the deli) - at which point you may approach the gelato-scoopers, hand your receipt over, and list off the flavor(s) you'd like. The hardest part of this whole process is selecting your flavors. Since my boyfriend was interested in "tasting" the gelato, I ordered a 2-scoop bowl. Persicco's menu boasts a wide variety of flavors that are conveniently organized into groups. You have your chocolate flavors, your fruity flavors, your dulce de leche flavors... Yes, Persicco has a whole group of dulce de leche flavors - one with chocolate chips, one with brownies, etc. While it was tempting to try two dulces, I opted for more variety and ordered a scoop of traditional Dulce de Leche and another of Coco a la Crema.

Two spoons... to share.

The verdict? Oh my goodness. This is what all the gelato hype is about. Persicco's gelato is as good as any I've had in Italy. The texture is spot-on; thick, creamy and feels like silk as it melts in your mouth. The flavors are intensely luxurious. The Coco a la Crema lived up to its name, perfectly blending the flavor of coconut with a traditional sweet cream base. While this gelato lacked the chewy bits of toasted coconut that I usually crave, the coconut flavor was strong and natural-tasting. But it was the Dulce de Leche scoop that had me swooning. The boyfriend and I agreed that Persicco had perfectly captured the essence of the sticky, caramelized milk-and-sugar dessert found all over South America. The gelato's flavor was similar to a rich, dark salted caramel with an almost-burnt aftertaste that is quite addicting. I've never tasted anything quite like it, and it's just another reason to add Buenos Aires to the top of your travel wish list ;)

The Stats:

Il Gran Caffe
Calle Florida 700
Buenos Aires, Argentina 1054

Persicco
Multiple locations in Buenos Aires
http://www.persicco.com

Taste of the Southwest in Newport, RI

I rarely go anywhere when I go "home." That's to say, I usually travel to Massachusetts for the sole purpose of spending time with my family. This usually means sticking close to our childhood home, where my parents still live and which serves as a central meeting place for me and my sisters. I'll head into Boston or Worcester to visit friends, but I make these excursions brief. I'm always trying to maximize my "family time" before I inevitably have to leave. In fact, this constant traveler transforms into quite the homebody when she sets foot in Massachusetts. So there remains many places in New England that I've never seen: Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket Island, and Block Island (just to mention a few). But when I was home for Christmas, I crossed Newport, Rhode Island off my bucket list. My father wanted to take the whole family on an outing as an early Christmas present, and I was thrilled by his choice to visit to the Newport mansions.

The drive from our house to Newport, Rhode Island takes just 90 minutes (excluding the mandatory Starbucks pit stop, of course). Upon entering the picturesque coastal town, my dad headed straight towards the most famous Newport mansion of all: The Breakers. This Vanderbilt family summer home sits right alongside the shore, where powerful Atlantic waves "break" into jagged cliffs (hence its name). In 1948, the Vanderbilt family donated The Breakers to be converted into a museum. Today, The Breakers is the most-visited attraction in Rhode Island - with over 300,000 visitors touring the premises each year. And come December, The Breakers is decorated elaborately for Christmas - with dozens of trees, garlands and wreaths adding even more splendor to the mansion. Given my family's obsession with all things Christmas, my dad rightly assumed we'd appreciate The Breakers even more during the holidays. I wish I could've taken some photos to share, but photography is a "no-no" at The Breakers.

When we'd finished our individual audio headset tours, my dad announced that it was time for lunch. As part of his Christmas present, my dad made lunch reservations at an undisclosed restaurant. The minivan GPS had us heading towards Thames Street, Newport's main tourist strip. Driving down Thames Street, with its colorful t-shirt displays, fudge shoppes, and picnic table-lined sidewalks, brought me back to summers in Maine and Cape Cod. I awoke from my daydreaming when my dad pulled up to Brick Alley Pub & Restaurant, which is arguably the most popular dining spot in all of Newport.

For over 30 years, Brick Alley Pub has been inviting tourists and locals in with its cheerful white-and-yellow awnings and comforting pub food. Although we had a 12:30pm reservation, we couldn't be seated immediately since the restaurant was packed (even on a cold Saturday afternoon in December!). The bar area was filled to capacity, so we stood next to the salad bar. Little did we know - but we'd end up standing there for over 30 minutes! In my opinion, there are no excuses for such a wait when you have a reservation. The only silver lining was that we had plenty of time to peruse the extensive menu and read the many reviews and awards Brick Alley has mounted on the wall. I saw numerous plaques congratulating Brick Alley Pub for having the "Best Nachos" in Rhode Island. Mmm... Nachos are my favorite greasy pub food. And since we were all famished by the time we were seated, it didn't take too much convincing to get my family on board with ordering a platter. Our waitress was very attentive, but she somehow forgot to put our nacho order into the computer system. We realized her mistake when the entrees arrived at our tables before any nachos did! The waitress apologized and promised that dessert would be "on the house." I was disappointed about missing out on these award-winning nachos, but really - could any nachos be better than dessert?

After the wait and nacho fiasco, I was relieved when our meals didn't disappoint. My dad and Ava ordered bowls of the Lobster Bisque, which was rich and hot enough for my Dad, who detests nothing more than lukewarm soup. Carolyn and I each ordered a Lobstacado Sandwich - cold lobster salad, avocado, and cheese served on on a toasted English muffin (or on Boston Bibb lettuce for this gluten-free girl). My mom seemed happy enough with her Harvest Salad, but I think she was secretly envious of our lobster lunches. While our lunches were satisfying, we all saved room for our free desserts. Compared to their food and drink menus, Brick Alley Pub's dessert choices were quite limited. But one dessert stood out among the six options: the Southwestern Sundae. My dad read the description out loud, and I was sold as soon as I heard "soft serve." My dad and I are BIG fans of soft-serve ice cream, so we decided to split the sundae. It's rare for a normal full-service restaurant to have a soft-serve machine, so we weren't about to miss this opportunity.

I'm not what I was expecting the sundae to look like, but I was floored when this arrived at our table:

Check out my dad raring to go with that spoon...

The verdict? The first thing we noticed about the Southwest Sundae was its size. This is a MASSIVE sundae; perhaps the biggest I've seen without a menu disclaimer that it's "made for two" or more. The sundae bowl is actually a fried flour tortilla shell dusted with cinnamon sugar. I tried to stay away from the shell, but the rest of my family loved its churro-like flavor. Then comes the best part: copious amounts of vanilla soft serve drizzled with honey. Brick Alley Pub's soft serve reminded me of the classic McDonald's version - sweet, creamy and very thick. I was worried that the fried tortilla shell would be warm and melt the ice cream before we could finish, but Brick Alley smartly waits for the shell to cool before filling it. The honey drizzle was a new topping for me - but it worked. Its warm, earthy flavor complemented the cinnamon well. The sundae is garnished with heavy dollops of whipped cream, almond slivers, and a sprig of mint. The whipped cream wasn't anything to write home about, but the sundae would've seemed naked without it. The almond slivers added a nice crunch and the mint sprig made the dessert look a little healthier. While the experience was marred by the long wait, Brick Alley Pub redeemed itself with this sundae. And kudos for developing the first sundae ever that my dad and I couldn't conquer together. Here we were, thinking we were "taking it easy" on dessert by splitting a sundae. Yeah right. Even half of the Southwest Sundae is bigger than the average-sized dessert. Luckily, this family helps each other out. So my sisters and mom stepped up to the plate (literally and figuratively) and helped to polish off the sundae. After all, how often is so much ice cream "on the house"?!?

The Stats:
Brick Alley Pub & Restaurant
140 Thames Street
Newport, RI 02840
(401) 849-6334
www.brickalley.com