La Loba, Mi Corazóne

(Blog post best enjoyed listening to this song, sitting in a cozy room, dimly lit only by lamps with sepia toned shades and preferably near a fireplace.)

On the corner of Esmerelda and Viamonte in the Retino district, is La Loba, a cafe with a cresent shaped exterior with glass walls and door cluttered with posters, which may or may not have been stuck to the doors for over a decade. As soon as you walk in the door, a wood carving of Romulus and Reamus sucking on the teat of the wolf is attached to the back wall and it beacons you to take your seat on a stool at the stainless steel counter that wraps around the entire room.



A portly man with a blue shirt and a wide smile greets you and politely inquires

"¿qué tienes mi amigo?"

"dos cafe con crema, por favor," for you and your friend.

The portly man with the wide smile, smiles at you again and this time you notice the small crevice between two of his front teeth. Then he makes his way around Romulus and Reamus and prepares one of his specialties. When he returns he sets down the most resplendent coffee drinks you've ever tasted in your life.





You look around the room and see old men sitting around sipping on cafe espresso and reading the paper. Many of them shooting the breeze with other old men sitting around sipping on cafe espresso. No one is in a hurry to do anything.

Sometimes when you finish, you order another one just because you can't bear to have the moment end.



The portly man will glance over to see if you are doing ok and if you lock eyes with him, he'll smile again and shoot a wink your way. If you're like me, you'll wink back.

When it's time to leave and get back to work you raise your hand and say

"La cuenta, por favor."

"Si, tres cinco"

You toss a couple bills and some loose change on the counter.

"Gracias mi amigo"

"Muchas gracias"

"Ciao!"

"Ciao!"



La Loba is my favorite place in Buenos Aires and I hope that one day I can go back there and have another cafe con crema from the portly man in the blue shirt.

Hasta lueago, Buenos Aires. Hasta lueago, La Loba.