Chile-- and all its foods

Chile is an amazing country, both in geographical explorations as well as a phenomenal producer of new world wines and culinary experiences. With desert to the north, patagonia to the south, wine country of mendoza to its east and ocean to its west, the combination of south american flavors, seafood and flare all make for a fantastic experience.

Juan Valdez cafe, Starbuck's south american cousin offers your coffee basics, WiFi and quiches. With a loungey atmosphere and open space, its easy to sit out and enjoy the day.

A nearby restuarant, Coco Loco, located in the Bosque de Norte section of Santiago had a number of specialties that included lobster, king crab, mussels, calamari as well as basic chicken.


To start, some appetizers of salmon ceviche with mahi chunks in a lemony vinagrette. The salmon was freshly prepared, mixed with raw onions and a side of corn.

a seabass baked in a king crab cream sauce was a strong plate that looked like the crab exploded all over. Grilled eggplant was in here somewhere (left picture). The seabass steam prepared with arroz verde (rice with lots of cilantro) (right picture above)


Returning to the W to sample the cocktails list, the refreshingly modern and clean interior had walls of wines available for selection, pisco sours served both the chilean way and peruvian way as well as standard W bites that included sliders.

With 100's of cabernets and specialty carmenere's (not to be missed). A fantastic grape variety no longer available anywhere else except for chile. Its basically akin to a blend of a syrah and a pinot noir, powerful and complex, but mild and spicy. Coming in dark red colors, from opulent crimsons to plum hues, a fantastic find. The largest winery Concha y Torra is only the tip of the icebery, with mainly smaller wineries producing fantastic wines. The ones from Santa Rita vineyards were exceptionally good, both on the palate and the wallet! Surprisingly, the Chileans are mixing it up with non traditional blends. Some of the sauvignon wines, which wasn't them to be near quality, were surprisingly amazing. Move over Marlborough region in New Zealand, there will be some competition for the new world whites. Also surprisingly, was the Chardonnays. Upfront, not one for a buttery wine and do not favor or fancy the Chardonnay's of California or elsewhere. In Chile however, the Chardonnay's were not buttery at all, but rather crisp and peary. Almost something between a pinot grigio and a sauvignon blanc.

Getting back to the dishes. A cocktail of mariscos was much needed. At a nearby bistro, cooked mussels were mixed with corn kernels, clams, salmon and pinchas (a mixture of ham, cheese, olives, and carrots in a vinegary spice). Here's to a carb free snack! ok so the Austral beer in the back does not count ..lol..
but perched outside near the sidewalk on a summer day to people watch or engage in stimulating conversations, can't get any better.

Walking the streets of Santiago, there are many watering holes all over. People just enjoy their time, sitting and drinking and eating of course. Empanadas  and pisco sour stands are everywhere! You can have them 99 ways, served with meat or without, with cheese or just about any way you want:

the classic pisco sour: a sweet and sour mix of pisco a bit of lemon, sugar and egg white drippings.. yes there's protein in there.





Exploring the bellavista neighborhoods, food stops were everywhere. Ordering a grilled special brought out a baby cow, pig and chicken in a dish: the meat was grilled to perfection, though slightly overgrilled for that charred taste. Whole potatoes, thrown into the oven and then baked in the meats juices. They went a little crazy with the sausages. However, the chicken tasted gamey and real.




For one of dinners, headed out to an established restaurant in the area that was been in existence for the past 40 years:

Out came the calamari rings for starters, sauted in a tomato broth with capers, onions, garlic and pepper:
the corvina came out in a capered butter sauce, cooked to an consistency that melted with your knife:

On one surprising morning, looking for breakfast bites, we entered a restaurant in Vina Del Mar that looked very quaint and typical. To our surprise, out come some baked clams with cheese and wine based sauce:
although tasty and good, not exactly what you expect for a breakfast bite!

Next to the Del Mar hotel, (and yes they have one in Vina Del Mar), was a fabulous corner spot overlooking the beach with an outdoor seating area. The tilapia was seared to perfection, encrusted with lemon, garlic, capers and tomatoes.

This was perfectly paired with a Clava Sauvignon blanc bottle. Overlooking the beach, feeling the warm rays of the sun and enjoying the day was a truly rewarding way to have this dish, especially after the morning clams!








Lobster and king crab are basically staples. Cold water lobster, prepared with clarified butter and steamed to a juicy hot mess you have no problems digging your hands into was always a treat. This lobster, was split in half and soaked in a garlic butter, sprinkled with chives and lemon. This baby was about 1.5 lbs, and filled two people! Tender succulent lobster meat.











                                                                                                                                                                                     Crab fondue was a new dish. King crab was baked with layers of cheese in a pot, baked to a smoldering and served with bread:


this little bowl probably packed enough calories to have you take a side of lipitor, but it was delicious! The best baked crab fondue dish tasted so far.









Having sampled plenty of seafood, and definitely enjoying it, some of the meat and lamb specialties needed a sampling. Cabrito, whole sheep cooked over an open flame in an outside pit to smokify the tender meat was rewarding after a sailing adventure around the fjords in Patagonia:









what's lamb without a little carpaccio:

nice big piece of king crab served with scallops and brown rice. Buttery capery and lemony sauce to soak up the flavor.

Baked clams with scallops and cheese served with a linguine fettuccine with putanesca, plenty of olives, olive oil, and tomato.

Let's not forget the sauted calamari rings in hot chile oil. These were amazing... and wish more places would stop deep frying the calamari!

The last portion of the trip was exploring wine country. Santa Rita was an amazing vineyard with a small boutique hotel called Casa Real. This place, used to be a mansion in the 1800's and was reconverted into a hotel with only 16 rooms! Ultra exclusive and about an hour south of Santiago, you literally felt like you were transported out of the metropolis and into the countryside. The service was exceptional. Beautiful lush grounds, adorned with gardens and trails, trees as old as 200 years or so, all created a picturesque environment. As gorgeous as the property was, the food was fabulous. All meals were paired with select wines, to your heart's content!

The seabass, grilled and preapared with a langostina cream sauce sprinkled with thyme, and served with fresh broccoli and fingerling potatoes was divine.









The pork loin was prepared with a cherry sauce and beautifully presented with zucchini, squash and carrots wrapped in little bundles. Rich, flavorful and amazing.









The tasting experience was beyond descriptions. Definitely have brought back some cooking tips, ideas and flavors to play with.