Search results for

Craft, design, and a do-it-all spirit are fueling Detroit’s rebirth. Meet the creatives ushering in a new era for the Motor City.

Even the least intrepid shoppers will delight in Copenhagen’s offerings

14 Times Travel Went Really, Really Wrong for AFAR Staffers

Luke Nguyen’s Sydney: Surry Hills

Wandering Chef: Richard Sandoval in Peru

Overview

Overview

James Turrell is one of American’s most stunning artists and his work has found a home in the middle of nowhere in the province of Salta, Argentina. Bodega Colome crushes some of the finest torrontes and malbec wine, thanks to vintner Donald Hess, who happens to also be a celebrated art collector. He created an on-site museum dedicated to Turrell’s work that plays with your sense of space, with color and light. The museum can be visited by appointment only and is worth the insane dirt road you must travel three hours from Cafayete to get there. You’ll deserve the glass of vino tinto when you arrive, then be prepared for some of the most mind-bending art you’ll ever experience.

It really doesn’t get more eco-friendly and organic than dining on freshly baked bread and pastries at Rosendals Trädgård Kafé and Bageri. Their breads are baked with biodynamic flour from the Saltå Kvarn mill in nearby Järna, and their dishes are cooked using seasonal ingredients and organic produce from KRAV-certified farms and growers. Don’t be surprised by long lunch queues. It’s extremely popular with locals who wait in line to dig into its minimal yet tasty rotating menu such as pan-seared Pike perch or Arctic char with roasted root vegetables or couscous. The café itself is inside an ambient glass greenhouse surrounded by flower gardens and fruit orchards.

So you didn’t have time on this trip to visit Salta, Jujuy, or other breathtakingly gorgeous destinations in Argentina’s north - put it on your list for next time. At least you can go home with some beautiful handcrafted objects produced in the region’s indigenous communities - and Fundación Silataj, a non-profit fair-trade organization, is the best place to do some responsible shopping. Items at Silataj are divided into four categories: accessories, art, home and textile. Browse through the online catalogue for an overview, or just poke around the store in person. There’s an affiliated shop downtown that’s more convenient for some travelers - Arte de Pueblos (www.artedepueblos.org.ar).

The unmarked door at an unremarkable address might have you thinking you’re in the wrong place—but you’re at Aramburu, one of the city’s most talked-about dining venues, and the location is a reminder of the chef’s humble start in the business. Chef Gonzalo Aramburu honed his craft in noteworthy European restaurants, but when it came time to open his own place in his native Buenos Aires, he didn’t have the cash for a stylish Palermo storefront.


Aramburu is still offering his innovative tasting menu with wine pairings—incorporating Argentinian produce into his particular form of molecular gastronomy—out of the open kitchen here. And to great acclaim: he scored a spot on the list of Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants 2013.

I’m on the fringe of a perfectly manicured polo field, flanked by the jagged steeples of the Calchaquí Valley mountains. Gaúchos speed lithe steeds up and down the green, while postcard-perfect vines, row upon row, pull my eyes toward the not-too-distant sand dunes. I’m gobsmacked by my surroundings, and furrow an eyebrow as a thought occurs to me: I’ve been exploring Grace Cafayate and the La Estancia de Cafayate property for a little more than 24 hours, and haven’t once thought about leaving the property. I can say with confidence that this is the first time this has happened to me. This idyllic parcel of land has exactly what I want in an escape: epic natural grandeur; peace and quiet; luxurious accommodations; five-star dining; a polo field and the largest golf course in South America; and wine. Bottomless barrels of wine.

The beef goes back centuries, and will never be entirely resolved: what are the true origins of pisco, a grape-based, aguardiente distillate that became a national symbol of Chile…and Peru. To end the conflict, the people behind this bar and restaurant invented a new, independent republic dedicated to Pisco that is known as Chipe Libre. Inside a vast Lastarria mansion, this imaginary state unites lands in southern Peru and northern Chile, in obeisance to a sole monarch, pisco. The bar features a good 100 labels and cocktails like “Pisco’s in the Air,” made with lime juice, raspberry, papaya and basil; plus a full range of what are among Santiago’s best traditional sours. Standout food include the crunchy-seafood saltado (marinated and grilled beef strips), with mango, served on a sizzling grill; the joint’s star sandwich, El Presidente, is a solid slice of roast beef, fried egg, and shoestring potatoes. To avoid any sovereignty disputes, Chipe Libre flies its red-and-black, center-starred flag as the republic’s national colors.

Though better known for its high-quality, wide-ranging craft beer menu, Mapacho, in Aguas Calientes, merits culinary attention, too, regional suds or no. Lunch and dinner choices are varied and delicious with choices like trout ceviche and osso buco, as well as a wide selection of Peruvian favorites like lomo saltado (a Peruvian beef stir-fry). The atmosphere is casual; service top-notch. Arrive early or late to snag a coveted river-view table.

This two-level Cantonese palace—connected by an escalator—is lined with tanks of live fish, crustaceans, and bivalves, which the staff will stir-fry, steam, salt-and-pepper, and douse in XO sauce to your heart’s delight. There are many reasons the Chinatown establishment is beloved among in-the-know locals and hospitality veterans, and they extend from the warm, welcoming service all the way through the exquisite live abalone sashimi, mud crab hot pot, and private reserve range of wines. For a Chinese food adventure, arrive late (this place is open until 4 a.m.) and order straight from the live tanks. At least, that’s what the rock stars, politicians, and CBD chefs just getting off work do.