Mendoza in summer
Art, good food and beautiful gardens
At the beginning of 2023 we spent two days in Mendoza prior to our trip to Panama to take a cruise through the southern Caribbean, where we visited Cartagena, Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao and Puerto Limón, before crossing the Canal de Panamá.
The reason: it was cheaper for us to leave from the Cuyo region than from Ezeiza.
For the first night we chose to stay at the convenient accommodation offered by Huli. Super well located, very close to Plaza Independencia, this small Bed And Breakfast with only seven rooms is ideal to get to know the city. With a modern decoration, following the motto of the beauty of simplicity, it offers spacious rooms and complete breakfasts.
From there we headed to the busy Arístides Villanueva for a light lunch. We chose Magnolia, a restaurant with a large wine cellar, to savor a grilled avocado with prawns and a marinated chicken salad with orange juice.
In the afternoon, we strolled along the elegant Emilio Civit Avenue to the Carlos Alonso Museum, the Stoppel Mansion. The cultural institution inaugurated in 2018 houses the collection of works by the Tunuyán-born artist from Mendoza, and also displays temporary exhibitions by local artists. It is undoubtedly a great local cultural project.
Nearby is the Casa de Arte Piazza gallery. Facundo welcomed us with extraordinary kindness, as all Mendocinos do, to show us his space and invite us to the gastronomic proposal of the house. The one we have left pending for another visit to Argentina's wine capital.
We made a necessary stop at Modesto, a contemporary style cafeteria, to refuel, catch our breath and then continue on to the immense San Martin Park, with its Fountain of the Continents, its Hill of Glory and its monumental sculptural complex by Juan Manuel Ferrari. On the occasion of the Centennial, this work was erected to commemorate the emancipation of South America by the Army of the Andes.
After crossing the center of the city, we passed by Los Toneles winery, the most central winery in Mendoza.
In the evening, the exceptional dinner of Azafrán steps awaited us.
Upon arrival we noticed that all diners spoke other languages; it is perhaps the place of worship of foreigners seeking the vaunted local cuisine. Of course with a large wine cellar, well sectored lights, neutral tones and the star of the decoration: their own preserves.
We started with a salty petit four, two macarons, one in a goat cheese version and the other with beet. We continued with the unique proposal of mini carrots and sesame soil, the reversion of a humita with provoleta foam, and then we were delighted with the sweet potato and pistachio pasta and the black rice with trout and apple. The texture of the rice, its flavor with character, was undoubtedly the favorite of @tripticity_. But before the main course, Chef Sebastian Weigandt came to our table inviting us to taste the black hake. Delicious.
We finished with a variation of the alfajor de dulce de leche and the reversion of a dessert based on sweet and salty popcorn. Great achievement of clash of flavors and structure.
Since that night Azafrán has become one of our favorites in Argentina.
The next morning, after Huli's excellent breakfast, it was time to explore Mendoza's squares. The favorite of @tripticity_ was the Spanish, Andalusian style. Then in San Martín square we visited the Contemporary Art Space "Eliana Molinelli". The large building from the last century, where a bank used to operate, is magnificent, although the temporary exhibition on our visit was not moving.
We continued on to Independencia Square and its subterranean Museum of Modern Art.
It was a humid day ( improper of the characteristic province's dry weather) and the heat was felt, so we decided to cool off with a snack at the Hyatt Hotel, where fate would meet the very person responsible for its coffee, the famous pastry chef Maru Botana.
In the afternoon we headed to Chacras de Coria, to check in at Casa Glebinias garden hotel, a particular hotel proposal run by Alberto and María Gracia. There are seven rooms distributed in four houses located in the middle of a forest created by them over three decades. The number and variety of species in the garden, the colorful composition of the trees and bushes make this boutique hotel an establishment without comparison. Upon entering, it feels like something magical, even unreal.
The name Glebinias is a combination of the names of two trees, gleditsia and robinia.
The warmth of its owners, with whom we were able to share a rich chat, one of those that @tripticity_ values, that sharing back and forth, are simply gifts of life.
Beyond that, in truth all the staff strives to make the guest feel very special.
This hot afternoon invited us to enjoy the hotel's garden and swimming pool, and so we did.
The next morning, after a delicious and varied breakfast, with eggs, fresh fruit, fresh orange juice and the typical "tortitas mendocinas", we decided to take a walk through Chacras de Coria to the Provincial Museum of Fine Arts Emiliano Guiñazú Casa Fader.
Belonging to the new bourgeoisie of the beginning of the century, Emiliano Guiñazú ordered the construction of this weekend house, which was later donated to the State for the creation of the museum that contains the largest collection of works by Fader, who also lived there, in fact he gave classes to Delia, daughter of Don Emiliano. Later they married and lived in the mansion for a while, until they moved to Córdoba due to the artist's health problems.
The remarkable frescoes that ornament the walls are his own work.
Fortunately for us, we were welcomed by the incredible guard Daniel, who after taking our data for visitor registration, invited us to receive his kind and instructive talk about the mansion and the pictorial work it preserves. The passion and commitment with which Daniel told us the history of the owners of the residence moved us as much as his correct and neat narration about Fernando Fader's oil paintings. We were amazed when Daniel showed us the swimming room. An indoor pool, with a perfect water system, among beautiful murals with traditional images.
When we returned to our garden hotel, we enjoyed another afternoon at the pool under the Mendoza sun, eager to return to continue discovering this incredible province that not only offers great wines, but also culture and gastronomy of the first international level.
