Posted 2015 -05 -09 by AGF
As my time in Bogota winds down tonight I needed more than a plate of meat for dinner, I wanted a true traditional Colombian dinner. So on this night I went to one of Bogota’s best restaurants, Aracataca Colombian Steakhouse, one of the top steakhouses in the city and true Colombian cuisine.
As always ‘table for one’ or ‘mesa para uno.’ I will never know why they put someone eating alone in the dead center of the restaurant but once the wine started flowing I was just fine. Tonight I would also be educated in the cuisine of this country. The food varies regionally, and it is influenced by Indigenous Chibcha as well as Spanish, African, Arab and some Asian influence. What is also interesting of the country’s cuisine, you can not find all dishes and recipes in all of its cities. So tonight I was the mercy of the steakhouse and the menu they had done me just fine.
For my first course I had Solito Ajiaquito, a Colombian style potato soup. It is made with chicken, three kinds of potatoes, corn and a herb called guascas. Guscas real name is Galinsoga Parviflora, it is a herb plant in the daisy family. It was one of those moments when you don’t really know the ingredients and in some cases it might be food you don’t usually but it is prepared in such a way that it takes those foods to an entirely different level.
For dinner I had the Colombian equivalent of a New York sirloin, the Churrasco. Cooked to utter perfection the steak was heaven, and the flavor was amazing as a man who loves his steak, who ever cooked my steak has a new fan, along with my steak I had white rice and potato chips. I will return without question and those who visit Bogotá – GO!!!! This place easily rivals the top steak houses anywhere in the US.
As stuffed as I was I couldn’t leave without desert. And tonight I would finish this perfect meal with Panna Cotta. It is an Italian dessert made by blending thick cream, egg white and honey and after having it, I now have a new favorite dessert. Finally there was no way I could visit and not have any Colombian Coffee, and it was the final piece of an absolutely perfect dinner.