As Buenos Aires is a city in the ‘new world’ : it has a been build according to an architectural plan. It has a grid structure that is ever present, numbers jump per 100 each block, all very organised. Only here and there something went wrong and thus gave birth to a kind of alleys, little streets that are just 2 or 3 blocks long. They seem to be hidden and not many people notice them. Originaly they were not considered grand enough to live in and usually the less well off lived here. Later they became the place to be for artists.
One of these hidden alleys is Pasaje Bollini, between French and Pachego Melo, hidden in Recoleta. I had been there once, at night, but had absolutely no idea how to find it back although it is only a few blocks from my house. Once you enter the street you feel as if you are in another world. It is quiet (no passing traffic), the houses are small as well as the sidewalks, the street is made of old fashioned cobblestones. You could imagine you are in a street in a small town in the South of France, but you are in fact in the center of the metropolitan of Buenos Aires.
In Pasaje Bollini, there is a place that is called “La Dama de Bollini”. This is a small, cosy, and old fashioned bar restaurant where artists and musicians seem to gather. The menu is limited but the food is good. Although the service is slow, nobody cares, because no one wants to leave soon anyway. Every night there is some kind of a live performance. A tango show, tango lessons, a jazz band, or even folklore. The place is so small and packed that you feel as if the band is playing for you personally. You have the impression that the owner himself, La dama’s son Lionel Bollini, is cooking only your meal and only for you.
We’e tried it on a saturday (Jazz), but will definitely try the other nights out too as well.
La Dama de Bollini, Pasaje Bollini 2281 (between French and Pachego Melo)
The Feel Good Way 