Texas company

Good family friends from Texas, Bill and Ann are in town so we've spent the last few evenings with them. Sunday afternoon we met for lunch in San Telmo at a lovely French bistro called Café Petanque – the owner squeezed his grinning little head into one of our photos. The café was packed and the food tasty. After a nearly three hour meal, we strolled the famous Sunday Antique Market along with thousands of other tourists and local wanderers. Usually a Sunday in San Telmo is one of the most pleasant ways to pass a weekend afternoon but the summer heat scorched the sidewalks and I wasn't the only one seeking shade more than deals. Thank god for the two hour sunday siesta ritual in our house!

Last night Bill and Ann invited us to a swanky place in Palermo Soho for dinner at a restaurant they had heard about called Casa Cruz. It reminded me very much of the hip, velvety cocktail lounges in San Francisco and New York filled with attractive yuppy couples and coiffed wait staff. For an added splash of sass, the bathrooms were designed so that men and women shared the mirror/sink area but went off to either the left or right to private bathrooms. Lots of confused looks and awkward glances and thoughts of "Oh my god, am I in the right place? Why am I touching up my lipstick next to some strange man washing his hands?" The menu offered such delicacies as Potato Foam, Essence of Truffle and Whispers of Asparagus Cream. I settled on the Patagonian Lamb ribs and ate well. Usually places that portend to be so fine, so gourmand, actually aren’t but this one was. We devoured the table. Ann and Bill picked a great wine that they recognized from their recent trip to the Mendoza wine region. It was a real treat for us. Our weekly routine includes eating out once or twice a week at most and usually at a small parrilla or pizza joint.

After dinner we took them to one of Argentinas famous tango dance halls aka Milongas – called Salon Canning. Our plan was to watch but I had a feeling Bill and Ann would be tempted to take their own twirl once we got inside (they had taken several lessons before coming). I caught a photo of the backs of their heads stepping forward to the dance floor with hesitation. Two seconds later they're bobbing, sashaying and chortling like teenagers at the senior prom. Hugh and I are working our way up to lessons. This was a close first step. The new tenants livng next door to us are a pleasant and interesting couple in from Hong Kong – here for four months to Tango and check out BA for a possible permanent move. She is a professional dancer and well known Tango teacher. Also a writer of Tango inspired poetry and drawings. He is a former professinal basketball teacher and I assume now retired. Tango next door?