As we close out our time in Mendoza, we made a list of all the things we wanted to do before we left and made a plan for a busy week. There were stores, restaurants, and places that had been lingering on our list for weeks. There’s nothing like a deadline to spur action!
Here are the highlights from a jam-packed week.
Highlights
Hosted Dinner
We were invited to an appreciation dinner with our Airbnb host and his partner. This has been one of our favorite stays, and that’s half due to our friendly and helpful host, Mauricio. We ate a home cooked meal of pollo al disco (a chicken and vegetable stew cooked in a pot similar to a dutch oven) and enjoyed great conversation over local wine and brandy. We giggled about the difference in meal and sleeping schedules between the United States and Argentina. We ate this meal around 9 PM, which is still early for Argentina!
Mendoza
Since we haven’t been staying in Mendoza for several weeks, we haven’t really made an effort to visit the city. There were a few places we wanted to check out so we made a few bus trips to the city.
Park San Martin
When I say “the park”, you might envision a grassy area with trees and and a some playground equipment. When I talk about Park San Martin, please envision a green space roughly the size of 400 baseball fields, slightly larger than New York’s Central Park. This massive park was constructed at the turn of the 19th century and lies on the western side of Mendoza. The park holds several sporting facilities, a lake, museum, and a monument on the far west side. We returned to the park to visit the monument.
The local bus drove through the elaborate gates and I could see people having picnics all over the grass. Such a difference from when we walked through here around Christmas. It had previously felt like a ghost town. Now the small lanes were bustling with traffic. Within a few minutes we had arrived at the end of the park and jumped off the bus at the base of Cerro de la Gloria, the Hill of Glory.
Cerro de la Gloria is steep climb up rocky switchbacks but affords nice views. We had just missed sunset but the temperature was much cooler, and for that I’m thankful. We spent a few minutes admiring the impressive monument dedicated to General San Martin and the Army of the Andes, which represents liberty of South America from the Spanish. Then we walked back down the same trail, catching a glimpse of the rising moon.
When we had exited the bus, we had spied some animals at the foot of the hill, so we meandered around the cages to see what that was about but it was getting dark. It seemed like a zoo of sorts filled with goat-like creatures. Thanks to a quick Internet search I can tell you that the Mendoza Zoo is being transformed into an Ecoparque. Currently closed to the public during the renovation, the Ecoparque houses over 1,000 animals. While it formerly housed exotic species such as flamingos, monkeys, tigers, elephants, and bears, those animals have been or are being transferred to sanctuaries while the facility is converted.
At this point in the evening, I was famished! So we jumped back on the bus and rode down Sarmiento Street. The avenue is filled with nice restaurants and beautiful historical houses. The restaurant we wanted to dine at could not accommodate us, so we had an okay dinner around the corner. It wasn’t a highlight so I won’t go into detail.
Central Market
We also made a trip into the city to visit the central market. We bought meat and cheese. We even found pastrami – what a treat! There were several places selling Asian spices too. The markets in Europe have been more elaborate and interesting overall but I like the food we picked up and we were both pleased with the experience.
Gastronomy
La Gloria Cantina
After enjoying my birthday dinner so much at Mercado de La Gloria, we decided to visit their sister restaurant, La Gloria Cantina. The two venues sit across the street from each other in a small neighborhood called Chacras de Coria, a suburb of Lujan de Cujo that is about a 10-minute drive north of our rental home. The expansive patio in the back wowed us.
We sat enjoying live music and delicious food. Plus they whipped up some craft cocktails.
The kitchen also created a fantastic dinner for us. Carpaccio, cheese baked in a pastry, steak, risotto, and an interesting take on tiramisu for dessert.
Cavas Don Guillermo Cano
Just down the street from our home, this restaurant hides in plain sight right behind tall walls.
Their specialty is private dining that consists of a set menu: a picada platter of meats and cheeses, and enough side dishes to make a Korean restaurant jealous.
The meal does not stop with the plethora of small sides and bowls. We were fully engaged in eating for two hours. We were brought spaghetti bolognese, beef empanadas, and pot roast as well. And just when we thought we were dying of gluttony, dulce de leche ice cream topped with apples with caramel arrived to the table. It tasted like a deconstructed caramel apple. The last course was a complimentary digestif, and we chose fernet. We were so glad to be done with food!
The total meal took about three hours and we rushed the service a little at the end. It was a nice farewell to the Mendoza area.
Wine Tasting
Even after several weeks here, there are so many wineries we haven’t seen yet! I recently read that there are over 1,500 wineries in the area. No wonder it felt a little overwhelming trying to pick a few to visit!
Bodega Carmine Granata
We had walked past this establishment several times without even realizing it existed. While perusing the neighborhood on Google Maps, I saw that it was a highly rated winery.
I scheduled an English tour and it ended up being just me and Corey. The tour was 8,000 ARS per person (around $7 USD) and included a taste of five wines, each paired with cheese or chocolate. What a deal! The bodega is the processing facility and the vineyards are a few miles away. We were able to tour the cellar down below and the large concrete tanks that hold the wine for fermentation or aging. As Argentine wine has gone from quantity to quality, the winery produces a fraction of the product it used to, so some tanks now lie empty. The cool temperature in the cellar felt great during the hot afternoon.
The tasting room in the cellar was built inside two of the former concrete tanks. Our tour guide spoke English very well and led us through a lovely tasting experience. At the end, the team even offered us yerba mate. It was my first time trying it. They walked us through the customs and taught us how to properly accept mate, drink, and pass it back. I was going to pay $20 USD for an Airbnb tour like this in Buenos Aires but they did this for free!
L’Orange / Wine Is Art
A couple we met while tasting wine in Uco Valley recommended that we visit this winery, also located in Chacras de Coria. When I looked at their website I noticed a special evening event, partnering with a restaurant from Buenos Aires.
There was very little info provided so we went with open minds. We paid 30,000 ARS each (around $27 USD), with the knowledge that it included five wines and some food. It ended up being a beautiful garden party, with unlimited wine from five different offerings, plus a pairing course of delicious finger foods like toast with ham or anchovies, arancini, and stuffed mushrooms.
The owner of the winery is Ernesto Cadena, son of the Argentine wine pioneer Nicholas Cadena. The staff labeled Ernesto as eclectic and artistic. The resulting wines are amazing organic and biodynamic wines, although not all are organic, not all are biodynamic, and not all are natural! Confusing for some people but we understand at this point that Argentinian winemakers often use grapes from all over Argentina, and bottle their wine into a confusing array of various labels. We drank wine labeled as Tikal, Siesta, and Padrillos, and also saw wines labeled as Animal and a few others.
We had a fabulous time chatting away with a couple from Malta who was travelling extensively. One had quit her job as a pharmacist and her fiancé was working remotely online. Maybe one day we will get to see them at their village in Malta! Fingers crossed!
Art & Culture
Casa de Fader Museum of Art
Officially named the Museo Provincial de Bellas Artes “Emiliano Guiñazú”, but commonly referred to as the House of Fader, this is a free museum right in Lujan and a worthwhile stop if in the area. The stately property had caught our eye a few times while riding the bus past, and I’m glad we got the chance to visit.
Beautiful art is displayed both inside and outside of the historical villa. The house once belonged to a wealthy businessman, who hired Fernando Fader to paint murals on the walls. The murals survive, and other Fader paintings are on display, as well as Argentine art from various eras.
The outdoor area has labyrinthian plantings, with concrete replicas of Roman statuary mixed with Argentine sculptures. It is an excellent museum to find in a small town!
The Internet has some outdated information on their hours, especially since the museum was recently closed for renovations. Consult their Instagram for opening hours and information on events. We emailed to be certain, and the response was quick.
Honorable Mention
Heat Dome!
Temperatures rose by about 10-15 degrees F during our last week. So thankful for our plunge pool.
We made a half-day trip out to Lujan Playa. I can’t say it was a highlight but glad we went. Entrance was only about $1.50 USD per person. The beach is at the western terminus of a single bus route, so it was important to check schedules both ways.
The beach was created by diverting part of the Mendoza River into a series of pools. As you might have seen from our last post, the Mendoza River is brown. When we paid the entrance fee, the attendant rambled off a bunch of stuff in Spanish. What we mainly understood is that he said brown many times. The water is brown. The ground is brown. Brown, brown, brown.
We found a spot in the shade and enjoyed our picnic lunch, made from the pastrami we picked up at the Central Market. Soon the wind picked up which provided coolness in the 92 degree heat, but it covered us in the silt from the river. We turned brown! And not from our tan.
(De)parting Thoughts
The Mendoza area offers a lot of activities for travelers. It stretches far beyond the city limits of the relatively small city of Mendoza. We loved staying in the southern suburb of Lujan de Cuyo and we were really pleased with our house rental. We felt so “at home” in Lujan.
Mendoza is an oasis out in the desert, nestled in the foothills of the tall Andes mountains. The air is really dry and occasionally it threw my sinuses for a loop. I would like to see what Mendoza is like in other seasons.
Our next stop is a month in Buenos Aires, the city that holds more than a third of Argentina’s population. Everyone gives Buenos Aires glowing reviews, so we’re hopeful that we will also enjoy our time in this cosmopolitan city. After nearly two months in Argentina, we will enter with a head start on culture, food, and wine.