Author: dancozzi

Gjelina NYC: Good Food, Great Cocktails, and a Genuinely Good Use of Your Chase Sapphire Reserve Dining Credit

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Gjelina, NoHo, NYC.

In June 2026, Fleming and I visited Gjelina to use our Chase Sapphire Reserve dining credit ($150) which was expiring on June 30th. We won Off-Broadway lottery tickets to see Cecily Strong in What Happened Was at the Audible Minetta Lane Theatre, a thirteen minute walk away from Gjelina. Overall we had a great experience and would dine at the restaurant in the future, even without the credit, if win the area.

This post reviews Gjelina and also how to use the Chase Sapphire Reserve dining credit.

The Buttermilk Panna Cotta with Candied Basil and Sea Salt was a highlight.

The Buttermilk Panna Cotta with Candied Basil and Sea Salt at Gjelina was a highlight of the evening.

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Money Changing in Argentina: The “Unofficial” Blue Rate

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If you are thinking of traveling to Argentina, you should research the status of their currency, the Argentine Peso, and the Blue Rate.

What is the Blue Rate you may ask?  It is the black market value of the Argentine Peso.  The Argentine government artificially sets their currency.  This results in an official exchange rate of $1 US to 8-9 Argentine Pesos.  This is the rate you will get using credit card, withdrawing from the ATM and at places run or monitored by the national government.

However, this rate does not reflect the true value of the Argentine Peso. There is a “black market” rate, the Blue Rate, which is currently about $1 US to 12.5 Argentine Pesos.  This is a huge difference. When exchanging $100 US, the difference is enough to pay for dinner and a bottle of wine at a mid-range restaurant.  Definitely makes your money go further and decreases the cost of the trip significantly.

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