We got going a bit later again because we really didn't have any major plans for Friday morning. After getting cleaned up we left so that we would be able to get to La Punta in time for lunch basically. We took the Metropolitano to 2 de Mayo then swapped to a combi to La Punta. This probably took an hour or so and most of it was the 100s of stops the combi makes. They pretty much will pull over anywhere to pick people up and will also honk at people walking by in hopes they will be looking to get on (even if they appear to be walking in the other direction.
After we got off we walked straight to La Rana Verde (The Green Frog) which is a seafood restaurant right over the water in La Punta. The name comes from True Grit, the book by Charles Portis it appears. Rooster Cogburn apparently had once owned a restaurant named as such. The owner liked the name and used it. It appears to be an odd choice for a seafood restaurant though. The restaurant has been in business for over 35 years the waiter told us.
We both had fish of course. I had grilled catch of the day and Daniela had a garlic, peppers and peas presentation called la vasca. She also had a scallop cocktail before the main course. We each had a bottle of Pilsen Callao as well. The food was very good. I had mine with rice and she with steamed potatoes. We did not eat dessert there however. After we finished we walked around La Punta to La Mirador Cafe. Yes that is where we got married. We had coffees. She a cappuccino and me a cafe Americano. I had a bowl of ice cream that was a scoop of coconut ice cream over chocolate ice cream. She had a chocolate cake. We took our time and relaxed for a little while.
From there we walked back to the square in La Punta and caught another combi to Colonial. This is not far from Daniela's house. The driver was a bit nuts, even washing his hair with a bottle of water halfway through the ride. This one seemed to be making more stops than the first one. Also they were racing their rival van that worked for the same company. In any event we got to the house safely. Daniela's mom and her aunt were finishing decorating the cake. I made some suggestions then went for a walk with her mom and Forest while Daniela was on the phone with Donna about work. Her mom bought some celery and some tuna for making some mini tuna salad sandwiches. When we got back I helped decorate the cake a little then Daniela finished and we had to go out to buy food to prepare for the party (I had been designated cook).
We first tried to go to the Makro across the street which is a lot like a BJs or Sam's Club. There was nothing there too thrilling so we instead caught a taxi to Minka which is a huge shopping center area that includes all sorts of stores including a series of butchers (yes, full chickens and ducks, heads, feet and all hanging at the booths). We decided I would make barbecue chicken legs so we bought a baker's dozen of legs and then found a shop that sold ketchup and tabasco. I also bought a bottle of Coca Cola. This did take quite a while but we got back before anyone else had shown up. I started cooking right away. I started the chicken in the oven to make sure it was properly cooked. I put it at a lower temperature and only seasoned it with salt and pepper (pepper is not a common spice here). While they were roasting I started the sauce which as you may have guessed was ketchup based. I used the cola along with some sugar to add sweetness and color. I also added some salt and pepper and a clove of garlic and a little cumin. I added the Coke in 4 installments so that it wouldn't flood the ketchup. I let it reduce down to the right consistency while we were waiting for Edwin to show up with the charcoal for the grill. When he got in we started the fire and when it was hot enough I used a celery brush to apply the sauce to the legs which were cooked through from the oven and finished them off on the grill with the barbecue sauce. I had to do them in two batches for the size of the cooking area of the grill.
Daniela's mom had cooked some rice and when the chicken was done we plated the dishes. By this point everyone had arrived: Daniela's cousin Diana (Kemoly), Edwin, Donna, Daniela's mom, aunt, brother (Lucho), Yanina, Ale and her husband Manuel and their son Sebastian (not sure the Spanish spelling sorry). Along with Daniela and myself it was 11 of us to eat (the kid was a bit of a terror and kept hitting everyone, especially Forest (the dog) who barked at him and almost bit him once so a lot of the rest of the night was spent keeping the two apart. They had two types of pisco cocktails, one with passion fruit and one with strawberries. They had 3 bottles of wine and eventually a few bottles of Pilsen Callao as well. The food was apparently a hit and everyone ate it and said they liked it. Donna took a second piece and someone took the last extra piece that Daniela had wanted somewhere along the way. We had some dancing including the Alcatraz dance where the couple are supposed to light handkerchiefs tide to the other's backside on fire while the dancer tries to avoid being lit on fire. We had many toasts along the way. After the food was finished we had the cake. We only ate the top layer. It was very good cake. Orange flavored with nuts and fruits in it aside from the decoration. Slowly everyone started to leave. Ale and Manuel had to leave first because of Sebastian. Then Daniela's aunt. Then we walked Kemoly and Yanina to find a taxi. We probably left the house at about 2:30am (I had passed out on Daniela's shoulder while she was talking to Donna and Edwin) and got back to the apartment around 3. I passed out almost immediately.
Today's pictures are located here.
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