Argentina is a country in South America. The land of the gauchos and the pampas. Beef and Buenos Aires are a match made in heaven. Vineyards and volcanoes. Villages in the mountains and cosmopolitan towns. And a world-class food and wine scene. houses
You can smell the aromas of delicious regional and national dishes, as well as elegant wines that are now enjoyed all over the world, everywhere you go in this country. Argentina is "Foodie Heaven!" in every sense of the word.
On an 11-day gastronomic feast, you can now take a huge bite out of the Argentine table. Zicasso, an online luxury travel referral service that connects travelers with top travel specialists all over the world, will help you get there.
The journey takes you from Buenos Aires' sophisticated cosmopolis to Bariloche's soaring mountains, ice-blue lakes, and glaciers, and then on to Mendoza's vineyard-filled countryside. Travelers can visit local food markets, take cooking lessons, eat home-cooked meals with Argentine families, learn about new Argentine wines before the rest of the world, dine at a trendy closed-door restaurant, and talk with emerging chefs who are developing a new national cuisine using locally grown ingredients.
The journey begins with a food tour led by a Buenos Aires chef who visits a traditional bakery, a butcher shop, and a bustling outdoor market. They'll learn about various types of Argentine pastries (facturas) as well as different cuts of the country's popular meats. They'll later assist their guide in making crispy beef and corn empanadas in her own kitchen. A traditional dinner is served in the evening, accompanied by a show featuring one of Argentina's most popular exports...tango!
Guests enjoy a traditional Argentine barbecue - an asado - with a local family in the alpine mountain town of Bariloche, set amidst the craggy peaks and massive glaciers of Patagonia. They'll also try a Patagonian curanto, which involves cooking meats, fruits, and vegetables on hot stones over an outdoor pit. They'll also take a cruise on Lake Nahuel Huapi, where they'll visit glacial fjords, waterfalls, and the Valdivian rain forest. Every curve in the road elicits "ohhh's" and "ahhh's" in this area.
The itinerary includes stops at legendary wineries and bodegas in historic Mendoza to learn about the history of local winemaking. Guests will prepare local delicacies using local ingredients, such as clay-oven empanadas mendocinas and caramelized fruit desserts, during a special cooking lesson.
The trip concludes in Buenos Aires, where guests can enjoy the sights, sounds, smells, and sensations of a city where European and Latin American cultures collide in a whirlwind of sights, sounds, smells, and sensations. They'll go to fantastic shopping areas and cultural centers, as well as government buildings like the stunning Casa Rosada, the pinkish Presidential palace. They'd also do well to visit the lively "La Boca"
neighborhood, a jumble of very-funky buildings in bright colors, packed with atmospheric cafes and bistros where the food and wine flow until the wee hours of the morning, and where the live music is contagious.
Then they'll have a final dinner at a "closed-door restaurant," which is one of the hottest gastronomic trends in the world. In an atmosphere that can only be characterized as pure elegance, guests can dine on Argentine haute cuisine paired with selected wines at Casa Coupage.
Guests can also book an entire day with a chef, who will take them to some of their favorite markets to shop for food for their own private dinner. They'll also have the opportunity to assist the chef in the preparation.
This travel is truly a sensory overload. But one of the best parts is that you'll recall those delicious flavors and aromas long after you've left. And, maybe even better, you'll be able to make some of them yourself!