Places and things I recommend

Private Tango Lessons
Ramiro Rosenvasser and Luciana Brillantino (they speak English!)
ramirorosenvasser@gmail.com
lulabrillantino@hotmail.com

Ramiro and Luciana were so nice. They came to my hostel to teach, so that I didn't have to try to find them. They tailored the lesson to my ability, not the other way around. Bonus: both of them very pleasing to the eye.

Restaurants

• Janio Malbria 1805, corner of Costa Rica, Palermo Viejo. Has an outdoor patio, one of the few without umbrellas, important for us stupid americans who want to eat and bask in the hot afternoon sun at the same time. Inside is big, pretty, and spins nice music. Inexpensive midweek "menu del dia," three courses for about 30 pesos.
• Gran Bar Danzon Libertad 1161, Centro. Delicious. Pretty. Make a reservation. Same owner as Bar Uriate, and Sucre, which was highly recommended to me by the porteno in the seat next to me on the ride down.
• El Palacio de la Papa Frita three locations. Basic food at a good price. Marcelo's favorite. The potatoes are puffy. Craziness.
• Desnivel Defensa 855, San Telmo. Bad service. Casual atmosphere. Great meat at a ridiculously low price.

Online Restaurant Guide to Buenos Aires: Oleoguide

Tango Shoes (more I found at this address)
The street called Suipacha has a block it calls the "Tango Street". The strange thing about buying tango shoes is that many of them are either made to order, so when you walk in, first they ask you your size and bring you what they've got. They might not have it, and they might not be able to get it. A couple of places quoted me US$50 to ship to the US, but that's 1/2 the cost of the shoe. If you have limited time in BA, shop early.

• Centro Artesanal del Tango, - Suipacha 256 -- 4326-5377
• Darcos, Suipacha
• Flabella, Suipacha 263
• Scarpe Mahara, Suipacha 332. Small selection, not so unique or elegant, but maybe better for beginner or older dancer.
• Comme il Faut, Arenales 1239 #3M. Hands down, the best looking and most unique shoes. Called the "Manolo Blahniks" of tango shoes. Start here, buy something. Everything else is inferior.
• Bailarin Porteno - Suipacha 251
• Tango Brujo, Esmeralda 754. Pretty store. Carries copies of the tango city guide.
• Victorio, Montevideo 224

Shoe Stores

• Angls, Arenales 1602 (Centro)
• Paruolo, Honduras 4785 (Palermo)
• Pepe Cantero, Costa Rica 4522 (Palermo)
• Viviana Valdez, Talcahuano 1184. Nicest people. Got a cute little pair of handmade, tan leather kitten heels with brown scalloped trim here.
• Josefina Ferroni, Armenia 1471
• Lola Narsh, Arenales 1130

Clothing Stores

• Fiorini Wichimachki, Gurruchaga 1532 (Palermo). Cutest little dresses, lots of reverse stitching.
• Complot (various stores) Punky, but in a good way. Very cheap.
  
• Del Plata Leather, Suipacha 909 (centro). Nice people, not pushy at all. Made my gorgeous leather pants in a day. Lots of unexpected and pretty colors. cuerosdelplata@yahoo.com.ar
• Maria Aversa, El Salvador 4580 (Palermo)
• Del Plata Cueros, Suipacha 909, Microcentro. Leather!!
  

Yarn
There are about three blocks filled with yarn stores. Mostly wools and acrylics. Yarns are priced to sell by the kilo, mostly, so start thinking metric, if you don't already. I wish I remember the cross street to start at. Anyway, there's a "Scalabrini Ortiz" subte stop, and it's not too far of a walk.

• Milana, Scalabrini Ortiz 1062 (My favorite.)
• Moussa, Scalabrini Ortiz 973
• Arte Natural, Scalabrini Ortiz 1019. Not a yarn store, actually. They make and sell buttons, closures, toggles, etc. cut from wood.