Tag Archives: travel

Bonjour, Cannes!

13 Tuesday Aug 2013

Posted by in france, restaurants, travel

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Pain au chocolat

To kick off my transition back into the corporate world, I spent my second week on the job in the south of France. For work, you guys, seriously. And it was one intense week, hence my lack of photo-worthy meals as I subsisted mostly on quickly inhaled Orangina and pain au chocolat for five days. Not that I’m complaining, as I happen to love orange soda and flakey buttery bread stuffed with chocolate. But every time I hustled from our apartment to the Palais des Festivals, the sight of people leisurely sipping rosé and chatting over decadent cheese plates was an effective reminder that I was not even remotely on vacation.

Beaches in Cannes

Still, working long hours in the French Riviera doesn’t suck. And I did squeeze in a handful of square meals with my lovely new co-workers. The filet de boeuf (a seared filet mignon) at Pastis was cooked to absolute perfection, and needed no adornment. And dinner at Le Bâoli was nothing short of an experience, complete with a flaming bar and two-foot tall mojitos. You know, simplement parce que.

To paraphrase the words of one of my esteemed colleagues: “Au revoir Cannes, vous êtes complétement fou!“

The End of the Road in Ecuador

20 Monday May 2013

Posted by in ecuador, travel

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Last Sunset in Ecuador

Well folks, this is it. The conclusion of our three-month journey in South America. But let’s not get all sentimental and corny, shall we? I’d rather drown my complicated emotions in food porn.

As Brendan was kind enough to detail for you, our arrival in Ecuador was full of red tape and long waits, but we were rewarded with empty beaches and endless seafood. For the foreign tourist, prices in Ecuador are worthy of a double-take, particularly outside of popular tourist destinations like Salinas and Montañita. With the plethora of cheap beachfront restaurants in Crucita, we couldn’t leave town without sampling the local fare.

Let’s start with the cangrejo encocado, a gorgeous array of crabs swimming in a coconut cream sauce. Encocado would literally translate to “coconutted” and if that was a word in English, it’d be an accurate description. In coastal Ecuador, you can get just about any type of seafood encocado, from fish to shrimp to lobster. These guys were delicious, and worth the elbow grease required to free their sweet meat from the shell.

Cangrejo Encocado

Ahhh, the sopa de mariscos. I’ve sampled plenty of seafood soups in the past, and the savory pot of sea creatures served to us in Crucita put those scrawny soup bowls to shame. I’d be hard-pressed to name a type of seafood that did not make an appearance in this ocean of goodness.

Sopa de Mariscos

And yes, of course, there was more fried fish. It was red snapper, I couldn’t help myself! And it was served with arroz de mariscos and patacones. I’m a woman who knows what she likes.

Fried Red Snapper

After dropping Brendan and Colleen off at the airport in Guayaquil so they could get back to the jobs and responsibilities they love so well (boooo!), we headed back to the coast and split a week between the craziness of Montañita and the tranquility of Ayampe a bit further north. Highlights included sunbathing next to cows on the beach, Gaspar giving a goat a pound, and catching the first few days of the International Surfing Association’s World Masters Championship.

Montañita CollageThen it was off to Quito, where the proverbial mierda hit the fan as we attempted to make final preparations for our departure. I suspect the inefficiency, suddenly changing laws, and double-crossing were South America’s way of reminding us why we were heading back to the homeland in the first place. Like a shrewd mother, “I’m not mad, I’m just disappointed,” and my love is unconditional. At least we got in one good day’s worth of sightseeing! The churches in Quito are a sight to behold.

Basilica Voto Nacional

And so it ends. What a truly amazing and humbling experience. I’ve learned so much. I’ve changed so much. To steal the words of writer Mary Anne Radmacher, “I am not the same having seen the moon shine on the other side of the world.” And I’m ever so grateful. Now, the adventure continues in New York.

Last View of Ecuador from the Plane

Chau, amor. Hasta pronto. 

Guest Post: Brendan O’Brien’s Take on Ecuador & Epic Fish Tacos

06 Monday May 2013

Posted by in ecuador, travel

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Cross-continental moves deserve their own special place in hell. While I’m busy apartment hunting, job hunting, and generally tearing my hair out, Brendan O’Brien has stepped in to pick up the slack and regale you with tales of our  adventures in Ecuador and the delicious fish tacos he and Colleen whipped up during a power outage. Skills. Thanks Obi! 

You’re probably asking yourself, “Who’s this guy?” Don’t worry about it. My wife and I are the “couple of friends” Katrina and Gaspar were waiting for in Lima because they were too scared to sacrifice a guinea pig on their own. That little sucker had the most delicious skin.

After departing Los Órganos in Peru, we found ourselves stuck crossing the border into Ecuador for between 4 and 5 hours in sweltering heat. Upon being released to frolic in their country, we immediately purchased beer, deli meats, cheeses, bread and mustard and proceeded to have a picnic in the parking lot of a supermarket. Feeling ultra-classy and well fed, we continued northwest for another 10 hours until we landed in a town called Manta, at a hostel in the part of town where clean rooms are few and prostitutes are many.

Weary bones rested, the next morning we drove the few miles left to our next bungalow in Crucita, a small fishing village with gorgeous beaches, glassy waves and fish tacos.

Crucita, unlike many of the other towns we visited, is not centered around a main plaza. No, no. This is a fishing village and the strand along the beach is the only place to be. As you head along the strand, one side of the road is occupied by restaurants with seafood so delicious it felt criminal to pay Ecuadorian prices, and on the other side is a straight 10 foot drop to the beach with neither guard rail nor inch to spare. All along that beach are wooden pavilions with thatch roofs, filled with long sturdy wooden tables (so sturdy that the tide actually comes up and washes over them every day, so at least I knew they were clean). As the boats are dragged up onto the beach, the day’s catch is unloaded directly into these pavilions where they are butchered, bagged and sold within minutes. This gringo decided that fish tacos were in order. Sadly they were sold out for the day and we were informed that 8am is the absolute latest you should arrive if you expect there to be any fish left.

The following morning, Gaspar and I rose early and arrived back at the fish market promptly at 8:15. Out of the dozens of tables where fish were to be butchered, there was only one left with any fish. A fellow was hacking heads and fins into pieces I assumed would be used for bait and to his left was a pile of filets stacked two feet high. It looked at first to be Red Snapper, a favorite of my wife’s, but when we asked what kind it was we were told “dorado,” a name we had never heard before. I expected more from my dark-skinned translator. For shame, Gaspar. We purchased four pounds of this fresh meat for a grand total of $15 and took a final glance at the heads to see if we could identify it later on Google. The Google machine quickly returned results of Mahi-Mahi. Bless you, Ecuador, bless you.

This is likely the part where I am supposed to go into details about ingredients and such, but I have never been a fan of cookbooks and measuring cups and have always preferred grabbing whatever is at arm’s-length and eyeballing a measurement. So let’s allow some pictures do their 1,000 words things.

The preparations.

The preparations. The beans bubbling away in the top right photo included chunks of fresh coconut – the very coconut whose cold agua is being enjoyed in a photo below. Waste not, want not.

Photo of the spread, taken in the pitch black bungalow during a power outage. You don't need to see, to eat.

Photo of the spread, taken in the pitch black bungalow during a power outage. You don’t need to see to eat.

Fish Tacos

The delicious final product.

Other highlights of Crucita included my first time drinking Coconut Water straight from the Coconut.

Coco Helado

And this…

Crucita Ecuador Pool View

 

A Taste of the Tropics in Northern Perú

25 Thursday Apr 2013

Posted by in los órganos, peru, travel

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Sunset in Chicama, home of the world's longest left-breaking wave.

Sunset in Chicama, home of the world’s longest left-breaking wave.

As we drove north from Lima, the dry desert roads gave way to lush palms and fields of banana trees, and a more relaxed vibe set in. After a brief stop in Chicama for the surfistas, we spent five days in Los Órganos, a small town just south of popular surf getaway Máncora. While Los Órganos hadn’t originally been the planned destination, like most of our last-minute changes it turned out to be an excellent decision. Together with our friends who had joined us in Lima, we were able to rent two bungalows with an amazing ocean view. And because it was the off-season, the area was quiet and peaceful and we truly had the beach to ourselves.

Los Organos Collage

Like many towns in Perú, Los Órganos is organized around a main plaza where people congregate to socialize, shop, and eat. We visited the plaza daily, hitting the crowded market to find something to grill for dinner, or spending the afternoon at one of the many restaurants surrounding the square. The food options had changed along with the landscape, becoming decidedly more tropical. As I’ve previously noted, I’m bananas for plantains (you see what I did there?) and it wasn’t until northern Perú that they began to consistently turn up on our plates. Eating patacones for breakfast was a welcome indulgence. Patacones (also known as tostónes in some regions) are made from green plantains that are sliced, fried, pounded flat, fried again (!!!) until crisp and golden brown, and served with a healthy dose of salt.

Patacones

And while we’d been happily scarfing down seafood since Chile, everything tastes better with fried yuca and sweet plantains on the side. In addition to the trusty standby of  whole fried fish, we tried out a yummy tortilla de mariscos. For my fellow gringos who may be confused, we’re not talking about a tortilla wrap of the corn or flour variety. In much of Spain and South America, a tortilla is a thick, hearty omelette with potatoes and onions. And in this case, mussels, calamari and shrimp as well.

Fried Fish & Plantains

Tortilla de Mariscos en Perú

I think it’s safe to say that our month in Perú has been my favorite part of our journey. The country has so much to offer it’s hard to believe I once associated it with Machu Picchu and not much else…though I can’t complain if that’s where the tourists were flocking while I was strolling the empty beaches, thank you very much. Perú is packed full of mouth-watering flavors, eye-opening culture, and warm, friendly people. I can’t wait to come back. And next time, even if I flock to Machu Picchu with the rest of ’em, I’ll make time for plenty of additional stops.

My Lima Love Affair

18 Thursday Apr 2013

Posted by in lima, peru, restaurants, travel

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It’s official. I absolutely love Lima, Perú.

Miraflores, Lima, Perú

Views along the Malecón in Lima’s Miraflores neighborhood

I must admit that before arriving in Lima, I did not have high expectations. Because countries like Argentina, Chile and Uruguay enjoy a relatively lower poverty rate than their South American neighbors, I’d assumed that their major cities (Buenos Aires, Santiago, Montevideo) would be the most modern, well-maintained, and safest. Wrong. In fact, I’m going to go ahead and make a potentially controversial statement. And I say this with love and respect in my heart for my previous home, but…Lima blows Buenos Aires out of the water.

El Centro Histórico, Lima, Perú

Lima’s Centro Histórico

I know, I know, every city has good and bad neighborhoods, and 10 days in Lima is not enough to make a proper assessment. Especially since most of our time was spent in the upscale Miraflores neighborhood and the Centro Histórico. But if I compare those neighborhoods with ritzy Recoleta and historic Congreso in Buenos Aires, for example, the contrast is stark. Strolling through Miraflores and El Centro, the streets are clean, buildings are well-maintained, there’s no graffiti in sight, bright green manicured parks are plentiful, the Malecón offers impressive sweeping ocean views, and perhaps most exciting, the sidewalks are not a danger zone full of broken tiles peppered with dog poop. Yes, in Lima, people actually pick up after their dogs! C’mon porteños, everybody’s doin’ it!

But the cuisine is where Lima really outshines its neighbors to the south. Options are seemingly endless and global, representing flavors from all over the world. Japanese, Chinese, Persian, Indian, Colombian, Mexican, and Peruvian restaurants bump up against each other throughout the city. It was delicious agony trying to decide where to eat. These are good problems to have.

Dinner at Edo Sushi Bar (Berlin 601) was so incredible I never paused to take a photo. But if you have the chance, order one of the paquetes and let the sushi chefs decide what to give you. Some of the best, most creative sushi I’ve ever tried.

La Lucha Sanguchería Criolla (multiple locations) does a bustling lunch and dinner business, and it’s worth fighting the crowds for a seat. Sandwiches are stacked with thick slices of mouthwatering wood-roasted pork, turkey, chicken, country ham, or asado de res and topped with options like avocado, hard-boiled eggs, pickled onions and pico de gallo. The fries are made from huayro potatoes, which are typically dry and very absorptive, and result in a thick, crispy and flavorful french fry. They also offer a variety of fresh, exotic juices and batidos like my personal favorite, the lúcuma milkshake.

Stop by Café Café (Mártir Olaya 250) for delicious 2 x 1 drinks like the maracuyá sour, a cocktail made from passionfruit juice and pisco. We couldn’t resist the conchitas a la parmesana, scallops in a half shell drenched in white wine and melted parmesan cheese.

Parmesan Scallops from Cafe Cafe

And you can’t leave Lima without trying anticuchos, a popular street food consisting of chunks of beef heart marinated in garlic, cumin and pepper, skewered, and grilled over a hot fire. Let this serve as proof that it really was the face that turned me off with the guinea pig, mmkay? As you might imagine, anticuchos are super rich and flavorful, a little salty for my taste but still delicious.

A mixed grill of anticuchos, chorizo, and steak.

A mixed grill of anticuchos, chorizo, and steak.

This is by no means an exhaustive list of all the great flavors and restaurants that Lima has to offer. (Check out my previous Lima post for some additional tips). Most regrettably, we lost track of time and flaked on making reservations for any of Gastón Acurio‘s world-renowned restaurants, which I’m pretty sure makes us foodie failures. Given the fly-by-the-seat-of-our-pants nature of this trip, I’ve forgotten the importance of planning ahead for a popular restaurant reservation. Ain’t nobody got time for that.

Luckily, you don’t need to go to Lima to try some kick ass Peruvian cuisine, and I plan to check out Acurio’s famous cooking at La Mar Cebichería (locations in NYC and San Francisco). For my Chicago friends, keep an eye out for T’anta, set to open this summer.

A Whole New World of Flavor in the Peruvian Andes

01 Monday Apr 2013

Posted by in peru, restaurants, travel

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Hola Perú!

Hola Perú! Qué linda que sos!

Holy crap, you guys. It’s a good thing I’m not actually paid to blog on a regular basis, cause I would be fired and/or broker than broke.

More than a month has passed since we crossed into Perú and it’s been sensory overload: so much to see, so much to hear, so much to taste. After a steady diet of un-spiced and under-salted foods in Argentina, it was like an explosion of flavor topped off with lots of pisco sours. In other words: me gustó. MUCHO.

The Peruvian welcoming committee: fields of alpacas.

The Peruvian welcoming committee: fields of alpacas.

After leaving Chile, we drove through the Andes to Puno, a quaint and very traditional town on the shores of Lake Titicaca, the highest navigable lake in the world. I share this little nugget of information with you not to give you an edge in your next game of Trivial Pursuit (you’re welcome), but so that you can appreciate that going from sea level to 4,000 meters meant a bad case of soroche (altitude sickness). We’re excellent planner-aheaders. It took us a few days to feel human again.

As soon as we could, we visited the famous Uros Islands, floating man-made islands constructed of reeds and inhabited by pre-Incan indigenous groups that maintain a simple, provincial lifestyle. We then began roaming the streets to join in the colorful festivities for the close of the Virgen de la Candeleria festival, watching native dance troupes in traditional garb and spectacular costumes flooding the dusty plazas accompanied by drums and pan pipes, paying homage to Puno’s patron saint.

Puno Collage

When our stomachs had forgiven us for the rapid ascent, we ventured into a small corner restaurant specializing in local delicacies with a menu that was prepared daily (on the rare days they were open) and sold til they ran out. We found that our Spanish skills did nothing for us when it came to deciphering the handful of dishes on the menu, so we asked the waitress for her recommendation and crossed our fingers. We were rewarded handsomely. We waged a silent war over the last bites of the savory adobo arequipeño, a spicy pork stew made with plenty of peppers and chicha de jora, a fermented corn beer. Sadly, the photos I took in the dim restaurant with my sub-par camera make the dish look less than appealing, so stock photo it is until I figure out how to duplicate the recipe on my own.

Photo courtesy of RecetasGratis.net

Photo of Adobo Arequipeño courtesy of RecetasGratis.net

While we’d planned to head to the Sacred Valley, Cusco, and Machu Picchu, a kidnapping warning issued by the U.S. Embassy put a damper on those plans. Driving through remote mountain roads in a foreign car with US plates and a pile of luggage and surfboards on top isn’t exactly helpful if you’d like to keep a low profile. Better safe than…kidnapped? So instead we headed to Arequipa, where we stayed at the delightfully isolated El Lago Estelar hotel and felt sorry for ourselves for a few hours for missing out on one of the wonders of the world. By the time we had dinner, we were over it. The hotel restaurant was stellar. Peruvians love to boast about the breadth of their country’s food “specialties” with good reason. There are so many! Each region has something truly special to offer, and El Lago Estelar did Arequipa proud. To give you an idea of how good, we extended our stay just to keep eating. Not ashamed.

Highlights were the Tacu Tacu, an Afro-Peruvian staple that brings together cooked beans and rice into a soft dough, fried to a crisp and in this case served with a thinly pounded milanesa-style steak, plantains and a fried egg.

Tacu Tacu

And the rocoto relleno, a spicy red rocoto pepper – not to be confused with a bell pepper lest you want to burn your face off – stuffed with savory spiced beef and served with a gratin of thinly sliced potatoes and cheese.

Rocoto Relleno

Again I promise you, with better lighting and a half-decent camera, these would look as mouth-wateringly delicious as they tasted. Trust me?

Because I’m so woefully behind and can appreciate the short attention span of the modern blog reader (with the exception of my die-hard fans, a.k.a. my family – hi y’all, love you!) I’ll be sharing highlights from our leisurely trip up the coast of Peru soon. With much improved photos! I find the strength of that coastal sun is good for more than just wrinkle enhancement.

Eating (and Drinking) Our Way Through Chile

21 Thursday Feb 2013

Posted by in antofagasta, chile, san pedro de atacama, travel

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La Portada in Antofagasta, Chile

La Portada in Antofagasta, Chile

After arriving in Chile, we worked our way up the coast from Bahía Inglesa to Arica, on the border of Peru. Because we spent so much of our time here camping on the beach, I haven’t done a great job of chronicling our comidas. I’ve been too busy wondering if I will ever get all of the sand off of my person and possessions. (Answer: no, never).

But there have been good eats. Lots of good eats. These are the highlights.

Fried Reineta with Ensalada Chilena

In Juan Lopez, a small beach town just north of Antofagasta and its iconic Portada, we crowded into a roadside stall to devour delicious fried fish with sides of rice and ensalada chilena, a basic salad of sliced tomatoes, white onions, and chopped parsley. The fish, reineta, was a mild white variety fried in a light cumin seasoning. We thoroughly approved.

Clockwise from top left: Laguna Miscanti with Miñiques Volcano in the background; Gaspar in the crystal clear water at the Puritama Hot Springs; floating in Laguna Cejar, a lake in the Atacama salt flat with a high salt concentration; Las Tres Marias in the Valley of the Moon

Atacama highlights clockwise from top left: Laguna Miscanti with Miñiques Volcano in the background; Gaspar in the crystal clear water at the Puritama Hot Springs; me bobbing around in Laguna Cejar, a lake in the Atacama salt flat with a salt concentration that rivals the Dead Sea; and finally the eerie moonscape surrounding Las Tres Marias in the Valley of the Moon

Then we took an inland detour to hit San Pedro de Atacama, a pueblo in the Atacama desert that is surrounded by natural wonders including fields full of bubbling geysers, enormous salt flats, hot springs, and a better view of the stars than I ever imagined possible. In between bouts of grilling and sandwich-making, we hit the pedestrian street Calle Caracoles for dinner and had an excellent goat cheese and tomato appetizer served simmering in olive oil with garlic, onions and thyme from Casa de Piedra.

Goat Cheese & Tomato

Because I’m a big fat fan of big fat sandwiches, I had to try one of the most common sammies being hawked by the corner shops and street vendors: the churrasco completo, loaded with thinly sliced beef, cheese, tomato, mayo, avocado, and chucrut (basically sauerkraut). It’s greasy, it’s messy, it’s everything I demand from a big fat sandwich. Well done, Chilenos!

Chilean Churrasco Sandwich

I definitely embrace the Chilean love of avocado. In addition to being eaten by the slice, puré de palta (pureed avocado) is a go-to condiment that lines the sandwich counters in pump canisters alongside ketchup and mayo, gracing hot dogs, hamburgers and fries alike. I’m pretty sure that when I reflect on Chilean cuisine in the future, the two foodstuffs that will forever come to mind are avocado and mayonnaise. On everything.

And of course, no meal would be complete without trying some new vinos. We discovered carménère, a member of the cabernet family that used to be produced exclusively in Bordeaux, France but now Chile boasts the world’s largest area planted with the variety. It’s a medium-bodied, deep crimson wine often used for blending, but in its pure form has a cherry-like, fruity flavor with spicy undertones that we found really appealing. Salud!

Image from Ciudad Restaurant

Casillero del Diablo carménere image from Ciudad Restaurant

Today we’re heading into Peru, where I’m looking forward to drowning in pisco and ceviche and hopefully avoiding any more bouts of altitude sickness. As I learned in San Pedro de Atacama, 4,500 meters above sea level can make a tummy feel no bueno. Wish me luck!

Campfire Cooking: Hobo Pies

12 Tuesday Feb 2013

Posted by in argentina, breakfast and brunch, chile, desserts, entrees, recipes, travel

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Why is this road so empty?

The wide open road heading into Paso San Francisco.

We made our way through northern Argentina more quickly than expected. Since we’ve had the opportunity to explore Salta, Tucumán, and Mendoza on previous trips, we basically made a beeline from Brazil to the Chilean coast. We crossed into Chile via the little used Paso de San Francisco, which included more than 100 kilometers of unpaved, extremely bumpy and winding roads through the Andes…an adventure that explains why we had the road virtually to ourselves.

Emerging from Paso San Francisco into the Atacama Desert in Chile

Emerging from Paso San Francisco into the Atacama Desert in Chile

Now we’re slowly working our way up the coast of Chile, where many of the beaches are wide open for public use, fishing, and camping. Having the opportunity to pitch a tent on a peaceful beach with the waves breaking and the sky overflowing with brilliant stars is extra special. And after subsisting on a diet of yogurt, crackers, canned tuna and mouthfuls of desert dust for a few days on the road, we were ready for some tasty camp food.

Playa Cifuncho Camping

I was first introduced to hobo pies by my high school BFF during a camping trip in Assateague Island, Maryland – another spot I highly recommend for some quality beach camping. When she whipped out her hobo pie maker, I admit that I did not believe the hype. It’s basically a square, sandwich-sized pie iron and I prepared myself for the equivalent of grilled cheese. But after devouring deliciously crispy mini pepperoni pizzas pockets and polishing off a S’mores sammie oozing melted chocolate and marshmallows, I was thoroughly convinced that I needed a hobo pie maker, stat. (Thanks Suzie! I should have never doubted you).

Hobo Pies

There’s really no recipe needed for a delicious hobo pie and experimenting is half the fun. The basic requirements are the pie iron (which you can purchase at camping/outdoor stores or online), some non-stick cooking spray, sliced bread, and of course, a campfire. Just grease the pie iron with the cooking spray, make your sandwich with your ingredients of choice, lock it up and stick it in the fire. Cooking time varies depending on the strength of your fire, but I generally check within a minute or so in case I want to adjust the positioning to reduce the potential for burnt toast. Simple, right? And something about cooking on a campfire just makes everything taste better.

With the limited ingredient options that come with traveling through South America, we’ve played it somewhat safe thus far. Toasted ham and cheese with a slice of tomato is a good bet for a quick and easy breakfast or lunch. For dinner, turkey, cheese and tomato sauce with some freshly ground black pepper hits the spot.  But I dream of making delicious Reuben Hobo Pies, or pies stuffed with brie and strawberries, or maybe some peanut butter banana chocolate goodness….but that will have to wait til we’re back in the homeland.

Filling Up on Seafood in Florianópolis, Brazil

01 Friday Feb 2013

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Last week, we arrived in Florianópolis — Floripa, as it’s referred to locally. Located in the state of Santa Catarina in southern Brazil, Floripa includes one main island with a group of smaller islands, a continental portion, and a whopping 42 beaches. Helloooo paradise.

Florianópolis, Brazil

In between work calls and emails (a.k.a. reality) we spent seven glorious days exploring the picturesque coastline and sampling the local cuisine. Some of the beaches, like Lagoinha do Leste, are completely isolated and tucked away and suit our tastes perfectly. Others, particularly in the northern part of the island, are teeming with locals and tourists and plenty of eateries to ensure there’s no reason to leave the beach. We like that, too.

I was excited to finally try Brazilian feijão, a black bean stew and common side dish usually eaten over rice. It’s the basis of what many recognize as the country’s national dish, feijoada, which also includes salted pork and beef. And every meal (seriously….EVERY meal) was served with pirão, a traditional gruel made with fish stock and manioc flour. It was not a hit. The texture was odd for me, something like a congealed, tepid stew, and flavor-wise it was pretty bland. An acquired taste, perhaps?

Feijão (thumbs up!) and pirão (thumbs down)

feijão at the top (thumbs up) and pirão below (thumbs down)

But seafood is definitely the foodie focus in Floripa, with pages of every menu dedicated to various preparations of fish, oysters and shrimp. Lagoons all over the island are dotted with colorful fishing boats, and full of people tossing their fishing nets in the water.

Aside from a ton of fruit (side note: I swear the bananas are sweeter) we averaged a meal a day, which may not sound like much until you lay eyes on the meals. We tried a few different versions of almoço platters, which included fried fish, feijão, pirão, fries, and a “salad” that was always some combination of beets, carrots and tomatoes. I really liked the anchova grelhada version. I had feared it was going to be a bunch of tiny salty anchovies of the packed-in-oil variety, but it was actually a gigantic, mild white fillet.

Anchova Grelhada

By far our most ambitious meal was the sequência de camarão, or “sequence of shrimp”. The name strikes me as both accurate and misleading at the same time. It is, indeed, a sequence; every time we thought the final dish had arrived, another one showed up. But it’s so much more than shrimp. There was crab, calamari, buñuelos de algas (fried balls of seaweed), a ton of different fish preparations, and of course, more  feijão, pirão, fries and salad. We were actually slightly horrified because it was so clearly more than two people could possible ingest, but we put a good hurtin’ on it.  The highlight for me was the peixe mole: chunks of fried fish topped with tiny shrimp in a savory red mole sauce.

Sequencia de Camarão

Thus far, our mission to detox from the Argentine diet of meat, empanadas and pizza has been a success! Albeit short-lived, as we’re crossing back into northern Argentina this week. It was fun while it lasted, Floripa.

Escaping to Casa Los Jazmines in Colonia, Uruguay

23 Wednesday Jan 2013

Posted by in travel, uruguay

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Casa Los Jazmines

Gaspar es un genio.

The man’s got a knack for finding amazing, tucked away places for us to stay. This is one of them. We’d spent a night at Casa Los Jazmines in the past and adored it. In his infinite wisdom, G made us a reservation to stay here our first night after leaving Buenos Aires, to help soothe my sorrow. It worked.

Casa Los Jazmines is in Colonia del Sacramento, a town in southwestern Uruguay on the Río de la Plata. It’s the oldest town in Uruguay, and I’ve always loved its quaint, historic charm. Some find it a bit too sleepy for their tastes, and as a destination it’s certainly no Miami Beach. But if enjoying nature and relaxation in a historic setting is your cup of tea, you’ll love it as much as we do.

Casa Los Jazmines Collage

The bed & breakfast is nestled in the rolling countryside about 9km outside of the city proper. Marcial, the owner, is living my dream. He has opened up his home to guests, cooks all the meals, and is an excellent and attentive host. The property is sprawling, with a pool, a garden, and acres of land dotted with horses and lemon trees. There are currently five rooms available to guests, each one in its own wing of the house, which gives you the illusion that this could practically be your own personal manse.

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My favorite part of the property is the main terrace, where we like to eat breakfast and dinner. Marcial will prepare your meal at a time of your choosing, and serve it wherever on the property you’d like. There’s a communal table in the dining area, where you can watch dinner come together in the large open kitchen. Or you also have the option of enjoying your meals on your room’s private terrace.

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Dinner is good, nothing too fancy. We started with wonderfully garlicky tomato bruschetta and a bottle of tannat, a Uruguayan red wine varietal. Two options are typically offered for dinner, so we ordered one of each: chicken breast fillets in a mustard sauce with sweet potatoes, and cuadril (rump steak) served with mashed BBQ sweet potatoes.

Casa Los Jazmines Food

Collapsing into the luxuriously soft bed is such a treat. And in the morning, just the sight of the breakfast setup makes me sigh with satisfaction. Moist homemade banana bread, fresh-squeezed orange juice, fresh fruit, and toast begging to be smothered in creamy dulce de leche.

Casa Los Jazmines Breakfast

Our two stays here have been short-lived, as a brief overnight treat to recover from/prepare for long road trips. For a longer stay there would be no shortage of options to keep you busy. Bicycles are available to guests looking to explore the countryside, check out a local winery, ride into town, or take a tour of Colonia. If relaxation’s more your style, massages and beauty treatments can be arranged poolside or in your room. True to their mantra, “Todo es posible.”

I need to take lessons from these guys.

CASA LOS JAZMINES – Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay

Check them out on TripAdvisor’s Traveler’s Choice 2013 list, where they were just selected as one of the Top 25 B&Bs and Inns in South America. And they’re pet-friendly!