Monday, January 11, 2010

Lomo o Cerdo? Hard choice for a Pear grower

Sunday dinner at Azafan in Mendoza, and what to choose:  my first Argentinian steak or a nice pork dish?  In this land of abundance I go for the big juicy steak and Gail picks the pork.  When they arrive they are beautiful and so delicious, but the pork comes garnished with a beautiful little Bartlett pear, peeled and glazed.  Why can't all the fine restaurants in America buy our little pears and use them to garnish their finest creations.  Both dishes were fabulous and the sommellier took us into the cellar to chose a soft Malbec from a local vineyard.  A great evening.
    We walked over 5 miles today in hot, 98 degree sun, up to the San Martin park, past the thousands of families enjoying a picnic on the Lago or in the forest.  This huge park is the backyard to the million people of Mendoza.  It is wonderful, filled with statues, trees of every kind, a zoo, a lake for boating and a golf course, tennis courts and soccer fields. 
   Later in the evening we took the open bus tour up to the Cerro de la Gloria, a high mountain to honor the Army of the Andes that crossed over the mountains into Chile in 1810 and eventually defeated Spain, gaining independance for Argentina.  General San Martin, who is the "George Washington" of this country, sits atop his stallion and leads the brave troops into the unknown.  I particularly enjoy the sculpture at the top of the mountain, complete with a giant Condor circling above General San Martin.
   Great scenery, happy local people celebrating a summer Sunday in the park.  We both fell sound asleep, exhausted after a long and full day.  Wow, that steak was good.  :-)

1 comment:

dsparkhill said...

Again really enjoying your travelogue--makes us feel REALLY lazy in our Maui lifestyle! We bought a bottle of Mendoza BenMarco malbec at Costco--the only bottle left in the bin! Haven't tried it yet but will lift a toast to you two when we do! Love, Sandy