LI Cuture Post

Passport LI: Argentina

Posted October 9, 2009 by Ted Hesson

Want to delve into Agentine culture beyond Evita and futbol? Check out some Long Island spots that will turn your world upside down (at least in the hemispheric sense):

Gather together some friends and head to Cafe Buenos Aires in Huntington (23 Wall St.; 631-603-3600) where you can learn to eat like a porteno (the Spanish nickname for residents of the aforementioned capital city).

Argentina is known for its beef, and you’ll probably want to cut into their gaucho steak, slathered in melted blue cheese, or the Patagonia-style lamb chops. If you’re not a carnephile, the restaurant manages to balance the meat-heavy argentine fare with fish dishes, like seafood stew and prosciutto-wrapped monkfish.

For dessert, splurge on the flan, churros, or an apple pancake with ice cream. Throughout the courses, tango dancers have been known to heat up the dining room, so be prepared for things to get steamy.

After seeing expert tango dancers in action, you might want to take a few classes yourself. At Ella Marie Dance Studio in Hicksville(376 W. Old Country Road; 516-521-9201; $15; 7:30 to 10:30 pm), you can take a tango class the first of every month. The tango has always been an integral part of the Argentine culture, and the sensuality of the dance has made it a classic that everyone wants to learn (See an Andes-sized pile of romance novels for evidence).

What you might not know is that Argentina boasts a long history of motion pictures, as well. The first animated feature films were made and released there, and the industry is still turning out modest global successes today, like Nine Queens, a cryptogram of a movie about two con men, and The Official Story, a politically relevant 80s film.

So after you eat and dance, why not rent a few argentine flicks, kick your feet up, and drift away to Suramerica? The weather’s just starting to get nice there.

“Tango legs” photo by dark_mephi via Flickr and “La bandera argentina” by Diegosaurius Rex via Flickr

Tags : argentina, dance, passport li, restaurants

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