Tag Archives: gourmet

If You’re Ever in Cartagena…

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Last night Greg and I were very excited about dinner. He’s traveling with me in Colombia, where I am on business. We’ve made a side trip to Cartagena, and he took the time to research the best restaurants and pick  out one that he was confident we would love—Carmen’s, in the gorgeous Hotel Ananda. Click on any photo to see it larger and view the full description, or to view a slideshow.

Inside the Hotel Ananda
Inside the Hotel Ananda
Inside the Hotel Ananda
Inside the Hotel Ananda
Inside Carmen’s restaurant
Inside Carmen’s restaurant

The meal so did not disappoint! We paid for a 7-course tasting menu with wine (about US$80 per person now with the low valuation of the Colombian peso), and received TEN courses and SEVEN wines.

1. Free welcome course: Shrimp in eggshell with squid ink and lobster reduction, micro-greens.
2. Free course 2: Mushroom stuffed with house-smoked salmon, spiced tortilla with pork.
3. Course 1: Corbina a la plancha with black olives and beet-root sauce and derramán seeds from Japan. Served with Chilean daub blanc.
4. Course 2: Crab Duo: pan-seared crab cake with panko-breaded crispy crab claws, served over three sauces: coconut vadouvan, plantain and wasabi mayo, and Peruvian sweet potato and mandarin orange purée. To-die-for mandarin sauce over the top. Served with a Chilean Rosé.
5. Course 3: Pato: Duck breast confit and house-made magret chorizo croquets, over a pureé of Andean potato and native Colombian blackberry sauce, duck and black truffle jus. Served with a Chilean Chardonnay.
6. Course 4: Red Snapper: Pan seared Caribbean snapper crusted with fermented pineapple and cachaça (Brazilian sugar cane spirit), served in a coconut yellow curry sauce with lychee chimichurri on top. Colombian coastal yams and black tempura bananas. Served with an Italian Verdicchio.
7. Course 5: Black Fish: Corbina sautéed in black olive oil, suero costeño, and served with ricotta- and mango-stuffed raviolis with sweet chile and ginger romesco, and two mango sauces: fresh and preserved, with jicama on top. Again with Chardonnay.
8. Course 6: Pork Two Ways: Chicharrón of pork belly cooked 12 hours and a 2-hour milk-braised pork tenderloin glazed in tamarind and palm sugar, served over sweet potato reduction and spiced pork gravy, with garlicky green beans and carrot straws. Served with a Chilean merlot. Large for the last item; would have been better smaller or sliced up.
a. Chocolate Turrón: Colombian chocolate, chocolate soil, coconut and lime sorbet, served with foam of Amazonian copoazú (Amazonian super fruit). b. Corozos and Cream: Chilled corozo (seed or nut of the oil palm) soup, ice milk, angelfood cake sealed with pulverized sugar, lychee purée and spearmint.
c. Tropical: Brazil nut crumble, açai and lychee caviar, mandarin orange and lemon grass sorbet, and arazá (Amazonian guava) foam. Served with a Roman Muscat.
10. Free dessert: Hand-rolled chocolate bonbon with macadamia nut and a slice of rum-caramelized pineapple.

The restaurant is based in Medellín and owned by Diego Angel, a former video game entrepreneur. Executive Chefs and proprietors Carmen Angel and Rob Pevitts are graduates of the Cordon Bleu San Francisco. The chef here in Cartagena, Jaime Galindo, is an incredible talent! He does not have a culinary arts degree but, rather, has learned on-the-job and through sheer raw talent or the don de cocinar. Having worked with chefs with degrees from the top cooking schools in the world, Greg was very impressed by the passion and talent that Jaime demonstrated.

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Chef Jaime Galindo – Job well done!

His brother Yonatan is the sous-chef. Not one course was less than spectacular, and we only felt one wine pairing was less than ideal: the rosé with the crab. The wine was just so acidic and overwhelmed the flavor of the food.

Kudos, Jaime and staff!!! The kitchen is small, and open to the diners. Everyone working there was nose down and focused on making every plate perfect. The restaurant serves not only the tasting menu that we had but a full a la carte menu and creative cocktails as well. In addition, front-of-the-house service was impeccable thanks to our terrific waiter, Juan Carlos, who took special care to ensure his Spanish-language explanations of the food and wine made sense to Greg and me.

Farm to Table 2016—Unbelievably Better than the First!

©08.DSC_0308The Farm to Table is absolutely the best food event of the year, IMHO. Ok, Delfos’ Cuerpo Gourmet is really cool, too, and it involves performance art as well as good food in a great setting. But nothing beats great food and awesome friends in the fresh air and sunshine on a nice cool day! FTT took place on Sunday, 20 minutes north of Mazatlán, at Chuy Lizárraga’s organic farm in El Recreo. The farm is just off the highway, at kilometer 21 heading north on the toll road towards Culiacán. All 150 or so of us absolutely had a MARVELOUS time!

The day didn’t start out so great. I was so excited to have our son, Danny, home from school for Farm to Table this year. We planned to go together—along with a large group of friends with kids his age—and it was to be a wonderful way to celebrate one last hurrah as a family before he left today. Alas, Danny got sick, and had to cancel out on Sunday morning. So, we all went and had a good time, while he stayed home alone on his last day, suffering. 😦

The day fortunately ended up wonderfully. Danny felt better this morning, and I yet again realized how very blessed we are with wonderful, talented, interesting friends. What an absolutely spectacular day we had! Thank you all for joining us! And for bringing your heartfelt smiles and laughter!

Tracey Grantham and Marianne Biasotti, beautiful and talented hostesses with the mostest
Cucumber-mint margarita made with Los Osuna
Bonus not even on the menu—dried peppers as a appetizer. Num!
The menu
Green ceviche
The earthen oven where the squash roasted all morning
Squash that was roasted in an earthen oven
Roasting peppers
Roasting tomato medley
Roasting portobellos and tomatoes
Chef Daniel Soto
Tray of roasted veggies
Roasted veggies
Closeup of roasted fennel…
Squash blossoms fresh picked at 11 am
Squash blossoms fresh picked at 11 am
“After” of the squash blossom on the risotto
The brewmeisters, Rogelio and Edvin
A glass of the Tres Islas micro-brew beer
Tres Islas micro-brew
A bottle of the Cab
Is there a better view? 😉
Food and wine in a field
Chef Luis Osuna
The fish course—OMG!
Chef Alistair
Chamorro
A tray of chamorro
Spiced date coffee dessert
Sarah Emerson, our mistress of ceremonies
Happy cooks!

The event featured seven food courses prepared on site by seven chefs—two from Culiacán and the rest from our own beloved port. In addition to the excellent cuisine, we had all-we-could-drink cucumber-mint margaritas, red and white wine, and Mazatlán’s own micro-brew, Tres Islas . So, what was on the menu, and who prepared it?

  1. Welcome cocktail—those cucumber-mint margaritas made with Mazatlán’s own Los Osuna—prepared by Chef Alistair Porteous, Water’s Edge
  2. Green ceviche—shrimp, mahi, avocado, cilantro, parsley, garlic, chilaca and anaheim chile pesto—by Chefs Gabriel Ocampo and Luis Vargas, FISH
  3. Tres Islas micro-brew—Belgian-style, amber color, light body, dry finish, notes of fruits and spices—by Brewmaster Edvin Jonsson
  4. Dual temperature salad—grilled eggplant and portobello, squash that had been roasted in the ground, tomato trilogy and sweet baby bell peppers with a cranberry, raspbery and balsamic vinaigrette—by Chef Daniel Soto, El Caprichito Mio
  5. Traditional risotto—on a bed of huitlachoche/corn truffles, with radish garnish, parmesan crust, and tempura zucchini blossoms—by Enrique Freyre, Raggio Cucina Casual
  6. My favorite: grilled sea bass—in a smoked tomatillo sauce topped with seafood gratin—by Chef Luis Osuna of Cayenna
  7. Greg’s favorite: chamorro/pork shoulder rib—braised with red wine, star anise, garlic, cumin and thyme—by Chef Alistair Porteous, Water’s Edge
  8. Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc from Chucaro, along with hibiscus tea
  9. Fresh fruit and cheese petit fours, plus incredible breads—by Susan Reynolds, Miel Fresh Baked Goods
  10. Dessert coffee—organic Chiapas espresso with a spiced date pure over vanilla ice cream, topped with toasted almonds and coconut—by Marianne Bisotti of Rico’s Café
The field/the view
Love the sunflowers!
Our group 😉
Yours truly
Gorgeous setting
Sax music
Birds in the field
Our group
Sunset was spectacular
Love the sunflowers!
Sunset was spectacular
Sunset was spectacular
Love the sunflowers!
My gorgeous friend Lilzy taking home a centerpiece
My beautiful friend Jeanett taking home a centerpiece

This was the second Farm to Table that’s been held, and I’m told it will now be an annual event. Thank goodness! We sat at long tables covered with white linen and decorated with sunflowers, in the middle of a green pepper field. We were entertained with saxophone music and a raffle, and were able to purchase the centerpieces to take home. The proceeds from a silent auction at the end, with LOADS of wonderful gift baskets, all went to Floreser.

Are you wondering who organized this event? Our thanks go to geniuses Alastair Porteous, Sarah Emerson and Chuy Lizárraga for the vision. Though, of course, execution is thanks to a huge team of talented and passionate people!

If you want to get one of the limited number of tickets for this event next year, get your name on a list with any of the participating chefs/restaurants now. BLESS YOU ALL who made this event happen!

PS: is your mouth watering? Want more? Read about the first FTT here.