Best brownie

Pasteleria -Freud & Fahler-
1744 Gurruchaga st.
4833 2153

Whenever I feel like having the best brownies in town, I go to 'la pasteleria'. It's a cute little bakery in palermo, in what used to be a garage/wherehouse. They also have great oatmeal and raisin cookies, cheesecakes (the passion fruit cake is life changing) and delicious sandwiches to go. The tea comes from a small company that prepares original blends (promise to find out more about it) and the strong coffee saves the day. Everything is baked on premises so it doesn't get any fresher than that. Now, the place is quite tiny, just one table and two chairs, so if you are lucky you'll get to sit down, otherwise you can always get it to go and enjoy the goodies whilst walking around the neighborhood (it's nice there!)..

Sweet corner

Mamarracha
Costa Rica and Armenia st.
opened everyday for breakfast,
lunch and late dinner.
4831 1083

This cafe used to be really tiny, but not too long ago, they expanded and renovated. It's double the size now and it hasn't lost its bohemian feeling. Perfect to go for coffee and cakes/muffins. The prices are a bit high, so i wouldn't recommend eating there (for the price of a dish here you can go to a proper restaurant and keep some change), although they do offer some tasty appetizers. It gets really busy on the weekends, but you'll always find a table to enjoy something sweet..

Coffee & tango

Cafe de los Angelitos
2100 Rivadavia Ave.
opened everyday 10am-10pm
4952 2320

A few days ago I went with my grandma for afternoon tea. As far as where to go, the decision was easy: Cafe de los Angelitos. She used go there for tango nights back in the 40's and it's down the street from her home (she's 88!).
At some point it closed its doors down, and remained derelict and empty for decades. Some neighbors even organized tango dancing nights in an attempt to collect some money to try to open it up again (including my grandma).
Eventually, it got renovated and it's become really popular once again. Needless to say it looks fantastic, very traditional.
She had te con leche and i had a big cafe con leche with (huge) crossaints. They have lots of different cakes and 'facturas', so there's plenty to choose from. For those who love tango they have dinner/shows several nights a week. So there you go, coffee and tango for everyone!

DVDs & coffee

Miles
1580 Gurruchaga st.
mon. sat. 9am - 9pm
sun. 10am - 8pm
4832 1838

I love movies. Good movies that is. I also love a good coffee. It can be black (not too strong please), with milk (I miss soy milk!), cream or both if it's really cold outside.
Walking around palermo the other day, we came across a place that sells both movies and coffee. Before long we sat down for a lovely afteroon of coffee and films.
There are just a few tables on the main floor, but at the back there's a patio with a bigger sitting area. There's also another room at the very back of the store, but if you don't find a table, no problem, you can always browse around the other side of the store. There are hundreds of indie films from all over the world.
The service is not the best in the universe, but the place is new, so we have to give them a brake, but the coffee, the lemon cake and the little pieces of chocolate we got with the coffee were excellent. This place is a real find, given that the whole 'plaza serrano' area, is packed with super crowded, loud and plain lame places. So if you find yourself walking around the area, wondering where all these people came from, remember that right around the corner there's a place where you can buy good old dvds and a warm cup of the good stuff..

Tipping tips

Whenever you travel abroad, there are a few things that are quite difficult to figure out: Is this edible? Where am I? or.. How do you pay for bus tickets? But there's one thing that's particularly tricky: tipping.
In America, tipping is very common, the standard is 20%. I really love the whole tipping culture there (although it took me a while to get used to it).I think It shows appreciation and generosity. As much as I like Europe, the story there is a bit different, they just don't like tipping (in general). I mean, they might tip a waiter, but never a cab driver, or a hairdresser. I think Buenos Aires is the middle point between them both. 15% is the standard tip for restaurants and cafes here (and a bit more if they really made an effort). Some (most) restaurants charge a 'service fee' or 'cubierto', which tends to be around $4.00 pesos per customer. This is not going to the waiters, so don't think they are including the tip on the bill. I really hate this fee, and I'm still trying to figure out what it acually is. As far as cabs and hairdressers go, you don't have to tip them, but it's always good to let the cabbie keep the change and give the stylist a couple of pesos..
It's nice to be nice.

Finest pastries

Pastry
2027 Uriarte st.
mon.-sun. 8am-8pm
4899 2598

I was there a few days ago, and had this delicious passion fruit and chocolate cake, served with freshly cut strawberries and bananas, what more can one ask for? opened not that long ago by Georgina Manghi (she worked and trained in Buenos Aires, Turin and London), Pastry has become the place to find the finest cakes, muffins, chocolate chip and oatmeal raisin cookies, etc. There's a good selection of soups, tarts, sandwiches and fresh pasta for light lunches. There's also a terrace that's perfect for warmer days. You can just sit there for hours drinking good coffee and eating cheesecake till dawn. This is a great new place, and they take their love (and mine) for pastries to a new level. Lucky us..

Farmers market

El galpon organico
4171 Federico Lacroze ave.
(and Corrientes ave.)
wed. 9am-1pm
sat. 9am-3pm

Last saturday I went to what I think is one of the few organic farmers markets in Buenos Aires. It's in the neighborhood of chacarita (next to a run down train station and down the street from a cemetery!) near palermo Hollywood. It's like a big railroad warehouse, filled with nice people ('sentimiento' cooperative) selling their fresh produce, cheese, milk, granola, pies, etc. They also have a few tables to sit down, perfect for breakfast and lunch. It's a very friendly environment, and it's quite affordable. Don't forget to bring your re-usable groceries bag!