Lightning, Ladies, Lomo & Ricardo

Have been at a loss for words of late with no real interesting photos to share either, at least not publicly. That would be for a real blog that as of now, I'm not prepared to keep. So I was going to briefly comment on yesterday - the third lightening storm we've had in almost a week, ripping through with torrential rains and the loudest of loud thunder - thunder that sounds more like a back lot sound studio re-creation than actual thunder, like how the timpani drum sounds so real during an orchestra performance, making one question the difference between actual real thunder and make believe or movie thunder in Dolby 5.1 surround.

The lomo (tenderloin steak) on the other hand - Oh My God - never ceases to amaze me. So rare, so juicy and just soo damn bloody good, are these steaks. I actually don't eat a ton of meat, or even a lot, but there comes a time when you get that hankerin' for a fat-boy piece of meat and man, they do not screw around with their steaks down here. Ethan got back from a month in Peru and we went out last night for his first real meal (not including Fanta) in the same time period. Man was it incredible, the lomos.

Most might know by now a thing or two about Argentine beef, but for those that don't, a few simple facts.

• Argentine beef comes from natural, range feed cattle on mostly organic diets of straight-up pampa grass.
• This means excellent flavor WITHOUT the fancy overnight marinades as there is simply no reason to mask the taste of the actual meat.
  
• An asado here, or BBQ, is really about the art of preparing, building and maintaining the fire in the grill. Just add salt and cook. That's it. No reason to ruin an already incredible steak.
• Al punto or jugoso? Cooked just right or bloody - those are your choices. But beware, al punto is still red, dripping and juicy, juicy, juicy!
  

Oh... the pictures. Yeah, made it to another 'hot model party', as Tommy pitched it last week. A year end bash for the girl in the white t-shirt. And that's Ricardo Piñero, owner of the top modeling agency here in Argentina. I spent the day at his cat compound last summer in Punta, broke and homeless. Speaking of broke, there's Broke Ass Stuart of SF/LP fame (above in cap).

And of course, least we forget about Tommy, the original porteño. Actually, also wanted to give a shout out to the eNano Peruano tuerto, pictured below, who is now alive, well-enough and kicking himself, screaming (at least he was in the back of the ambulance coming down the Andean mountains in Peru. Welcome back...