Celebration in Buenos Aires
Casa Palermo has had a number of guest inquiries about Christmas in Buenos Aires, so I will share our experience . . .
Christmas
In general, we found that Christmas was less commercialized than in the U.S. Stores often had decorations, to some extent, but nothing like in the U.S. It was a welcome change.
We had the foresight to stop in at Roof, a restaurant around the corner, about a week ahead of time to ask if reservations were necessary for Christmas Eve. Indeed, not only were reservations required, but a deposit in the form of full payment was necessary. We we arrived it was evident why. The place was entirely filled. And unlike many restaurants in the U.S., they don't "turn tables." Once you have your table, you have it for the evening. We arrived at 9:00 p.m., with daughters Natalie and Julia, and didn't leave until 1:00 a.m. They had a fixed menu, but with numerous choices for appetizers, main courses, sides, etc. Everything was excellent; the service, the food, the ambiance, as well as the festive atmosphere that the staff created.
After dinner there was dancing and we took full advantage. In addition, two teenage boys from Colombia came to our table to ask us for approval for them to invite Natalie and Julia (teenagers then) to dance. Around the time desert was served, Santa appeared, in complete costume, an visited each table, giving every lady a small gift bag.
At midnight, two unexpected things happened. First, everyone in the restaurant started clapping and counting down the last minute before midnight. Second, at midnight, the sky erupted with fireworks and a lot of the people, including us, stepped outside to watch them. The sky was filled with fireworks in every direction. These were not organized displays, but fireworks being shot from what seemed like half the houses in BA. It was entirely unexpected and spectacular. Overall, it was a most memorable Christmas Eve, particularly because Natalie and Julia were able to be with us.
We anticipated that not much would be open on Christmas Day, so during the day on Christmas Eve we bought medialunas (small glazed, crescent-shaped bioche), fruit and other provisions for breakfast. Thank god! Nothing was open. Absolutely nothing. The city was wonderfully quiet. No traffic whatsoever; just the songs of birds. We had to do some hunting to find a place for lunch, but interestingly, by dinnertime, a lot of restaurants reopened. In any case, be prepared.
New Year's Eve
Shortly after making reservations at Roof for Christmas Eve it occurred to us to plan on New Year's Eve and we made reservations at the now defunct Club del Vino. Natalie and Julia left shortly after Christmas, so it was just the two of us for New Year's Eve. Although the atmosphere at Club Del Vino was less festive, the food was good, but they offered way too much. We had finished two main courses by 11:30 p.m. and saw the wait staff delivering plates with what looked like some sort of cakes. We decided to forgo the desert and made a sudden plan to leave and get to the roof terrace at Casa Palermo to watch the inevitable fire works. While waiting for the check, we realized that the "cakes" were not cakes at all, but yet a third course of lomo (filet mignon)! Once outside we discovered that there wasn't a taxi to be found and started on a brisk walk home (about 1 mile). We were astonished to find that there was no traffic on Scalabrini Ortiz; normally a heavily packed four lane thoroughfare. We arrived at Casa Palermo in time to crack open a bottle of champagne and to get to the terrace a few minutes before midnight. Once the fireworks started, they didn't end until almost 1:00 a.m. We watched an incredible display, with rockets and bursts in all directions. New Year's Day was similar to Christmas Day. Virtually everything closed and a wonderful quiet and peace everywhere we walked.
