As I pack my bags here in gray New York City for my trip home for Thanksgiving, it’s hard to imagine that to the day, two years ago, I was in sunny Argentina, sopping up the rays, and wafting in the scents of the freshly blooming Jacarandas. Sigh.

Naturally, I’m gravitating towards anything Buenos Aires this week, and what better to capture the spirit of the city than a look at the nascent secret restaurant scene (where have I hard of this concept before ?).

From Almacen Secreto, with its regional courses and homemade wine, to vegetarian-friendly Casa Felix where the menu changes daily depending on the whim of the 35-year-old chef (one day’s fare included delicate nut and Peruvian black mint soup to sea bass marinated in deep red Bolivian achiote seasoning), new ones are popping up every day and discovered through word-of-mouth.

If you’re looking for some ideas, check out Time Out or this list (21 at last count) over at Saltshaker.com. And if you go, just be nice and wait to submit your story to me for a few months until it starts to warm up around here. Deal?