Touring Ecuador

Well, as I posted about a week ago, one of my best friends from college, M, came down to visit. She left on Thursday early in the morning on the 2nd American Airlines flight out of Quito. I was pretty sad to see her go. It was nice having M around here and taking a bit of time off of work. I must say that I definitely needed it...especially with the decision to delay one of our productions. I was feeling sort of lost as to what I could do between January and April before we started it up again. However, things are slowly working out again I think. I'm not going to Montreal. I'm going to New York and possibly San Francisco to do some networking in a few weeks. I think it is a good decision. It will also give me a chance to see other friends that I haven't seen for a while like N and J as well as a few of my film friends that are currently milling about NYC. I really wish I would be able to see D and S though. I miss them a lot too.
Anyhoo, until then, I thought it would be great to compile a list of the best places we visited with M while she was here in Ecuador. Some I've been to a few times, and some were a completely new experience even for me. So, here's my list!

(1) Inti Ñan Museo Solar (Inti Ñan Sun Museum): Located at exactly 0 degrees latitude, it is a small museum behind the big national Equator monument. Little tip for those who aren't familiar with this: Quito's equatorial monument is actually 200 meters to the south of the actual Equator so it's technically not the real middle of the world. Inti Ñan, the tiny museum behind the monument is. The museum itself is pretty neat though, especially for a $2 entry fee. You get to visit traditional homes from various ethnic groups from around the country as well as participate in a few really cool demonstrations of interesting effects on the equator (my personal favorites are the demonstrations of the Corolis Effect and then being able to balance an egg on a nail on the equator). There is even an old Quitu-Cara burial site that you can see. Tours are available in both English and Spanish and are included in the ticket price. After the tour you can get your passport stamped to prove that you've been to the equator. Photo tip: take one with a foot in each hemisphere!

(2) Strawberry Fields Forever (Bar): I actually have been here once before with Q. It is a tiny bar on Calama Street (really near Plaza Foch in Quito) that has pretty good music, good cocktails, and a nice atmosphere. It is decorated wall-to-wall with Beatles-inspired artwork, photographs of the band, and posters. My favorite thing about it is the renaming of classic drinks with Beatles lyrics. I always go for an Octopus's Garden (Mojito).

(3) La Boca del Lobo (Bar-Restaurante): Also located near Plaza Foch, La Boca del Lobo is a bar that I had never been into until about a week ago. I love love love their eclectic decor and their drinks are also pretty good. They are a little pricier than at Strawberry Fields, but I think it is well worth it. They also have food, which is good after a few of their classic Mojitos.

(4) Hotel Punta Blanca: Jama, Ecuador. I'm not a big beach vacation type. Mostly because my brother L (being 17) usually insists on going to beach towns where you run into everyone you thought you left behind in Quito. This often accounts for my staying in whatever apartment or hotel all day sitting in a hammock with a book and big sunglasses hiding from people and the sun. However, Punta Blanca turned out to be what I would consider to be beach paradise. It is a small resort about 14 km away from Jama, Manabí, Ecuador. It is secluded, has very nice rooms (with little balconies) and access to a semi-private near-virgin beach. The food is fantastic and the service is even better. Perfect for spending the day walking around the beach, reading a book on the terrace or catching up with your sleep in a hammock. It is also very reasonably priced too (at $45 a night per room). Cellphone reception isn't great (you have to go to the top of the hill for it), but I think that that added to the charm since one is able to spend some much-needed time to rest and concentrate on relaxing. Needless to say, those 3 days at Jama were near pure bliss.

(5) Hasta la Vuelta Señor (Restaurant): Quito, Ecuador. Located right in the heart of the historical city center inside the old Archbishop's Palace at Plaza de Independencia, this little restaurant offers up quality traditional food from Quito. M and I shared a really delicious and light pitcher of Sangría, and some Bonitísimas and each got a wonderfully delicious dish of Locro de Papa. We sat there chatting and enjoying the musicians playing in the central courtyard downstairs (the restaurant is on the third floor of the courtyard) for a good two hours before we decided that we should probably go and see the churches in the city center before they closed for the day. Nothing like traditional Ecuadorian food right in the city center.

(6) Mercado Artesanal Quito (Quito Artisan Market): One of my favorite places in the city. Everything is up for haggling, and every time I go, I want to buy everything I see. M and I had a really hard time not buying some beautiful coconut salsa dishes, acai and tagua photoframes, and hemp placemats that we saw in a stall. We had to remind ourselves that we unfortunately lack apartments of our own and just buying them to sit around in a dusty corner until we do seemed ridiculous. So we came up with the game "This goes in my Imaginary Apartment". In my case, a lot of the stuff in my imaginary apartment had been haggled for at this market (in my mind, I even have a beautiful aquamarine hammock in the living room)...

(7) Alquimia: It is a little artisan shop in Centro Comercial La Esquina in Cumbayá, Ecuador that has some very nice stuff that's similar to what you can find in the Artisan Market. I usually get gifts for people from this place. I also got the first real ring I ever owned (and liked for a long time until my mom finally figured out what kind of jewelery I like) from here. Unfortunately, it got lost at airport security at JFK shortly before my twentieth birthday (it was really upsetting). Anyhoo, they have really lovely and unique cufflinks for men, some cool pieces of jewelery, and a lot of stuff made out of coconut and bamboo for the house. My imaginary apartment has their bamboo spread knives on the table and their wood candle holder in my living room. :D

(8) The Magic Bean: Another awesome place near Plaza Foch in Quito. The Magic Bean is a restaurant and hostel. It has good coffee, a good environment, and a lot of great vegetarian options in terms of food. We only had coffee there this time, but I've had their wraps before. Well worth checking out.

(9) Chandani Tandoori: Until about a week ago, I operated under the assumption that there was simply no Indian food in Quito. I thought it was a real shame as I really enjoy it and miss it from eating a lot of it at tasty tuesdays at the college. Luckily, my friend G pointed out this tiny hole-in-the-wall restaurant for me. She said the food was really good and really cheap. I was a little skeptical about G's definition of good food by this point (after all, she is the one that said Zao was excellent...but she's also the one that took me to have one of the best meals of my life at Estragón) but M and I decided to give it a shot. G was right! The service is excellent and the food is even better (probably better than what I was used to in the US) and the bill came to a whopping $10.70 including taxes (this included 2 main dishes (chicken!), a Coca-cola Zero, a Fruit Lassi, and an extra order of Naan bread). Definitely going back sometime soon

(10) Café Mosaico: Best view in the city. Period. That alone should motivate anyone to go to Café Mosaico up near the Ichimbia park. The view of the whole city, with the city center and the colonial churches being front and center make a trip to the café well worth anyone's while. However, the café boasts more than a breathtaking view. They have an extensive selection of wine and cocktails (both world-known and local) and a pretty delicious-sounding menu. We just had cocktails when we went (M and I both had a Nutcracker and my dad had an Irish Coffee) but they were admittedly pretty fantastic. As for the menu itself, a lot of it looked like it was Greek food. There was a 1-lb Atlas Burger that intrigued us (but we all agreed we would never ever actually eat) and Dad saw them preparing sandwiches in the kitchen and resolved to go back sometime soon to try one. All in all, a great experience!

(11) Marcus Gourmet Restaurant: I had to include this one. I worked here when I was 15 as a waiter/barmaid/dishwasher/wherever I was needed. It was a great experience and continues to be since the people I worked with back then still work here now. The service is good, and the food is always good. They usually have a "student-created" menu during the academic year that goes for around $20 (the restaurant is attached to the Culinary School at USFQ) which changes every week. It is usually good, but I haven't had one in a long time because unfortunately when I go inevitably one of the dishes has some form of pork in it (I'm allergic to pork) and so I opt for something else. I always start off with the Crab Wontons which are served in a steamer with a few veggies and a really delicious sweet sauce. For my main course, I usually go for one of the fish dishes (the Salmon with Mirin sauce is mouthwatering, and the sesame-crusted Tuna is also always fantastic) but I have had their beef too (back when I could eat beef and not feel sick). They have excellent beef cuts and they season it quite simply (usually just some rock salt or chimichurri sauce) but it is sooo goood. If you like a good steak, this is definitely one of the best places to get one in Quito. The other is El Chacal o Los Trocos. They have a limited dessert selection but I've tried all of them and they're all good. I think one of the best is Chocolate, Chocolate, Chocolate which is a small scoop of dark chocolate mousse (that almost has the texture of pudding) with chocolate shavings on it. Wonderfully decadent (and not to be eaten without a glass of water I think) and delicious. Other great dishes here are Mario's Pasta served with huge tender prawns, the traditional Locro de Papas, and the Thai Salad. Also, the fries here are pretty much fried to perfection with a crispy golden outside crust.

(12) Los Cebiches de la Rumiñahui: The best Ecuadorian Cebiche chain in Ecuador. The shrimp cebiche goes for about $5.70 and comes with a side of Chifles, popcorn, and Tostado. Also good are the plantain empanadas, maduritos fritos, yucas fritas, arroz marinero, and their breaded shrimp or calamari. Plenty to choose from, and available pretty much in any neighborhood. The drawback is that they're usually swamped on weekends so expect your order to be ready about 30-min to an hour after ordering it. We got cebiche for the World Cup final match (sorry Spain, I was rooting for The Netherlands) and ordered it 2 min in...didn't arrive until halftime. But that's a special occasion. They usually are faster. The thing is, they are well worth the wait. Their portions are generous and their cebiche is the standard to which I hold all other cebiches up to (including my own).

(13) Cactus Café: One of my favorite haunts in Cumbayá. I tend to hang around here at least once a month. They serve up food that is both healthy and delicious (but also have the usual fast-food fare with a bit of a health twist). I love their juice bar selection and their wraps. I always order a J-Bay (Lime, Raspberry, and Passion Fruit juice) with a Tex Mex wrap (served with their mouth-watering pico de gallo on the side). Their smoothies are great too and my favorite is the Berry Blast which is more berries than ice-cream, which works for me! They have an extensive breakfast menu as well and they also have occasional live music shows on the weekends.

(14) Noé Sushi Bar: Reasonably priced (for about $7 per roll), but fresh and delicious gourmet sushi and Japanese-Ecuadorian fusion food. It is one of the places my family often goes to. We also tend to eat here on our birthdays (my brother and I have birthdays on consecutive days, which leads to a lot of "well, we'll take both of you out to eat to celebrate both your birthdays) since my brother never agrees with anything else I might want to try and I like Noé a lot anyways. Rolls that I like: Samurai de Salmón, Anguila Especial, and Rock n' Roll. Also worth trying: Spicy Tuna seaweed cone, Tuna Sashimi, Miso Soup, California Especial, and Kumbayá Roll. One thing I definitely recommend trying at least once is the Mount Fuji dessert. It is this HUGE mount of ice-cream and cake and I don't remember what else that is brought to your table, doused in vodka and then set on fire. This results in some sort of caramelized crust and ridiculously delicious and spectacular dessert. As for drinks, ask for a Guanábana-Mora Juice. It really is quite the combination!

Categories: Ecuador, foodie, M, Noe, Restaurant Review