Tue quality of the food, the ambiance, and the excellent service are still there. Even though it is not as full as when it was inaugurated, it is a highly recommended destination if you want to feel for 3 hours as if you are in a Parisian bistro.
Salvador
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Monday, February 28, 2011
El Mercado (substantially diminished in quality)
Yesterday, we went for lunch to El Mercado (Unanue 203 Miraflores). It is a shame, but it has substantially come down in quality. It is full of tourists and lacks the energy of before. The dishes lacked inspiration. We shared the Tempura de Langostinos y Calamares as a starter: a great disappointment. Illuminata's Tuna was dry and the vegetables very greasy and full of butter. Mi Ceviche a la Parrilla was hard to eat because it was served on a tiny skillet and the fish was not fresh. Finally, the Camomile was served on a minuscule cup and we had to return it. The check arrived on a very dirty envelope.
Our previous experiences at El Mercado were extraordinary because of the attention to detail. It is critical for Rafael Osterling (the Chef) to take a good look at the place to put order again, because when the cat is not there, the mice play.... Rafael, don't risk your prestige in this way.
Salvador e Illuminata
Our previous experiences at El Mercado were extraordinary because of the attention to detail. It is critical for Rafael Osterling (the Chef) to take a good look at the place to put order again, because when the cat is not there, the mice play.... Rafael, don't risk your prestige in this way.
Salvador e Illuminata
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Rafael
Without a question, this continues to be the top restaurant in Lima. The food, service, and ambiance do not have comparison. The wine list has improved, and the selection of french and spanish wines is now much better. The Maracuya Martini and the Prado Rey Crianza 2005 were stupendous. It is so nice to be back!
Salvador
Salvador
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Wine Tasting, Argentine Wines, Las Palmas
The 2011 Tasting of Argentine wines in Playa Las Palmas (Asia) was well organized, but as is often the case with these massive tastings, very soon it was full of semi-drunk people looking for abundant free wine. Unfortunately, the great majority of wine was made up of cheap, over-concentrated Malbecs that do not reflect the real quality that Argentine wines can offer. It was necessary to search or ask for the good bottles to be opened, among which we found the Escorihuela Gascon Don Miguel 2006 (90 points), Andeluna Merlot 2009 (88), Andeluna Reserva Cabernet 2005 (89), and a white wine: Colome Torrontes 2010.
If the purpose of these tastings is to promote Argentine wine then, precisely, they should open the best bottles so that people walk away with a better sense of what Argentina has to offer.
Salvador
If the purpose of these tastings is to promote Argentine wine then, precisely, they should open the best bottles so that people walk away with a better sense of what Argentina has to offer.
Salvador
Friday, January 14, 2011
Severn Inn, Annapolis
Lunch at the Severn Inn in Annapolis (1993 Baltimore Annapolis Blvd. Annapolis, MD 21409) was excellent. The view is one of the best because it is on the water and you can see the entire town. The food was very good, fresh, with excellent seafood and a good wine list by the glass. There are no tourists. Recommended.
Salvador
Salvador
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Cataluña and Barcelona November 2010
We were in London and Cataluña, including Barcelona, on november 13 - 27, 2010. We have separated the trip in two entries ("London November 2010" and "Cataluña and Barcelona November 2010").
We visited numerous medieval towns in Cataluña, where we discovered the extraordinary wines of the Empuria Apellation, among which the best are those of Castillo de Perelada. We also did the Dali triangle (Figueres, Cadaques and Port Lligat, and Gala´s Castle at Pubol), without a doubt, a trip that all Dali lovers must do at least once in their lives.
We stayed at the Hotel Perelada Wine Spa & Golf (c/Rocabert s/n, Perelada), a good hotel, with large rooms and perfectly well located to explore the region. Its restaurant is quite good and reflects the extraordinary Catalan cuisine, consider by many the best in the world.
We had lunch at the Restaurante Mas Pau (1 Michelin Star, Carrt. Figueres, Olot, Avinyonet), a gastronomic delight with experimental flavors based on sea and land fruits, with an eclectic decoration in a remodeled XVI century farm house.
In Barcelona, we stayed at the Hotel Colon (Avenida Catedral 7, Barcelona), which although has only 4 stars, it provides large and clean rooms and is perfectly located across the Cathedral. Across the square is the fantastic Taverna del Bisbe (Avinguda Catedral, 6-8), where it is possible to enjoy breakfasts, lunch and dinners of excellent quality and at very reasonable prices.
The two lunches at the Circulo del Liceo (Rambla 65) were very memorable because of the architecture and decoration of this typical building from the Modernist days, and with an elevator of wood, velvet, stained glass and bronze, which is in itself a trip back to the Belle Epoque. Service was impecable.
Finally, dinner at Restaurante Silvestre (Santalo, 101) was a bit disappointing because despite being a restaurant en vogue (it was full), the service was impersonal and plates that did not make justice to the huge possibilities that this region provides given its products and wines which are among the best in the world.
Salvador and Illuminata
We visited numerous medieval towns in Cataluña, where we discovered the extraordinary wines of the Empuria Apellation, among which the best are those of Castillo de Perelada. We also did the Dali triangle (Figueres, Cadaques and Port Lligat, and Gala´s Castle at Pubol), without a doubt, a trip that all Dali lovers must do at least once in their lives.
We stayed at the Hotel Perelada Wine Spa & Golf (c/Rocabert s/n, Perelada), a good hotel, with large rooms and perfectly well located to explore the region. Its restaurant is quite good and reflects the extraordinary Catalan cuisine, consider by many the best in the world.
We had lunch at the Restaurante Mas Pau (1 Michelin Star, Carrt. Figueres, Olot, Avinyonet), a gastronomic delight with experimental flavors based on sea and land fruits, with an eclectic decoration in a remodeled XVI century farm house.
In Barcelona, we stayed at the Hotel Colon (Avenida Catedral 7, Barcelona), which although has only 4 stars, it provides large and clean rooms and is perfectly located across the Cathedral. Across the square is the fantastic Taverna del Bisbe (Avinguda Catedral, 6-8), where it is possible to enjoy breakfasts, lunch and dinners of excellent quality and at very reasonable prices.
The two lunches at the Circulo del Liceo (Rambla 65) were very memorable because of the architecture and decoration of this typical building from the Modernist days, and with an elevator of wood, velvet, stained glass and bronze, which is in itself a trip back to the Belle Epoque. Service was impecable.
Finally, dinner at Restaurante Silvestre (Santalo, 101) was a bit disappointing because despite being a restaurant en vogue (it was full), the service was impersonal and plates that did not make justice to the huge possibilities that this region provides given its products and wines which are among the best in the world.
Salvador and Illuminata
London November 2010
We were in London and Catalunya, including Barcelona, on november 13 - 27, 2010. We have separated the trip in two entries ("London November 2010" and "Cataluña and Barcelona November 2010").
In London, we stayed at the St. James Hotel and Club (7-8 Park Place, Saint James), very well located in Saint James. The rooms are small but well equiped.
Nearby is the Richoux (172 Picadilly), a good bistro recommended for a quick dinner or for breakfast. Also nearby is the venerable "Fortnum and Mason," with its wonderful selection of pastries, chocolates, and coffees.
Lunch at the East India Club was very traditional and with an impecable service.
Dinner at the Reform Club (104 Pall Mall) brought us back to Victorian times, with its spectacular Main Hall with pink marble and dark hardwoods. The food is classic and fairly simple but it has improved a lot. Without a doubt, the best is the wine list, with a good selection of properly aged treasures at surprisingly low prices.
London continues to be very expensive, but at the same time very stimulating because all it has to offer. We visited the fantastic retrospecive of Canaleto at the National Gallery, a pleasure for the selection and presentation.
Salvador and Illuminata
In London, we stayed at the St. James Hotel and Club (7-8 Park Place, Saint James), very well located in Saint James. The rooms are small but well equiped.
Nearby is the Richoux (172 Picadilly), a good bistro recommended for a quick dinner or for breakfast. Also nearby is the venerable "Fortnum and Mason," with its wonderful selection of pastries, chocolates, and coffees.
Lunch at the East India Club was very traditional and with an impecable service.
Dinner at the Reform Club (104 Pall Mall) brought us back to Victorian times, with its spectacular Main Hall with pink marble and dark hardwoods. The food is classic and fairly simple but it has improved a lot. Without a doubt, the best is the wine list, with a good selection of properly aged treasures at surprisingly low prices.
London continues to be very expensive, but at the same time very stimulating because all it has to offer. We visited the fantastic retrospecive of Canaleto at the National Gallery, a pleasure for the selection and presentation.
Salvador and Illuminata
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