Cartagena's Food Scene Takes Spotlight for Foodies
1. Choice Tables - For Foodies, Cartagena Is Now on the Map - NYTimes.com
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CENTRAL AND SOUTH AMERICA > COLOMBIA > CARTAGENA
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Scott Dalton for The New York Times
The restaurant 8-18, with a menu that is Colombian by way of Spain.
By DANIELLE PERGAMENT
Published: October 26, 2008
RECOMMEND
GREAT food cities tend to have a few things in common — a history
SIGN IN TO
steeped in culinary arts, a bounty of exceptional ingredients and a RECOMMEND
handful of cocky young chefs at the helm. A history of cocaine trade, SIGN IN TO E-MAIL
drug violence and rotting neighborhoods don’t usually make the list. OR SAVE THIS
PRINT
Cartagena Travel Guide
But recently, the Colombian port SINGLE PAGE
Where to Stay
town of Cartagena has become an REPRINTS
Where to Eat
unlikely food destination, attracting SHARE
What to Do
the kind of culinary travelers who SHARE
Go to the Cartagena Travel Guide »
spend their vacations in Rome and
Multimedia Paris. And what they find is a city far
file:///E|/Designs%20etc/Website/Media/26choice.html[28/06/2009 01:37:01 p.m.]
2. Choice Tables - For Foodies, Cartagena Is Now on the Map - NYTimes.com
more exotic, but no less adroit at
catering to sophisticated palates —
200-year-old Spanish colonial
mansions refurbished with crisp
interiors, trendy bistros that elevate plantains to haute Advertise on NYTimes.com
fare, and theatrical rooms buzzing with dignitaries in
Slide Show BOOK FLIGHTS
starched collars and Windsor knots sipping minty rum
Cartagena’s New Food Scene
drinks. FLIGHT HOTEL PACKAGES
CAR CRUISE ACTIVITIES
“Colombian food has been hiding,” said Felipe Arboleda, Leaving from: Going to:
the boyish, perpetually smiling former chef at Palma, one Cartagena
of the city’s white-hot restaurants. “Colombians hide their Departing: Returning:
identities when they travel because people think we’re all 7/19/2009 11 AM
11 AM 7/21/2009 11 AM
11 AM
drug dealers. People ask if I have a cocaine plantation or if
Adults: Seniors: Children:
Map I am related to Pablo Escobar. So our cuisine hasn’t left 2
2 0
0 0
0 Search for flights
Cartagena, Colombia the country.”
Inside the borders, it’s a different story. While the rest of MOST POPULAR - TRAVEL
the world was looking the other way, Cartagena cultivated E-MAILED BLOGGED
its own taste. Menus are sprinkled with bright vegetables and pungent spices, like cumin
1. Frugal Paris
and coriander. With the Caribbean warming its shores, fish is abundant and the house 2. Practical Traveler: The Soaring Cost of Car Rentals
specialty is always freshly caught something, rubbed with the fiery flavors so celebrated 3. 36 Hours in Cork, Ireland
in this corner of the world. 4. Explorer: Ottoman Whispers in a Secret Corner of
Greece
Occasionally, the chef may give a nod to French or Italian cooking, but tamarillo 5. Heads Up: New Day for Shanghai Nights
ratatouille, grilled squid and homemade coconut broth are never far away. “This country 6. Bites: Restaurant Review: Outerlands in San
is not just about drugs,” Mr. Arboleda said. “Soon, it will be about the food. You’ll see.” Francisco
7. Frugal Traveler: Travel Web Sites: A Click-On
La Vitrola Showdown
8. Personal Journeys: Campari? Crostini? Step Into My
) is the Umbrian Estate
To exhaust the metaphor, La Vitrola (Calle de Baloco No. 2-01; 57-5-66...
9. Taking The Kids: In Puerto Rico, a Rain Forest Full of
culinary kingpin of Cartagena. Part jazz club, part lounge, part highly touted restaurant, Easy Adventure
La Vitrola channels old Havana — whirring ceiling fans, swaying palm fronds, slatted 10. American Journeys | Mad River Valley, Vt.: Ski
window shutters that throw the light just so. Put another way, best of luck getting a Country Abounding in Off-Season Charms
table.
Go to Complete List »
Surprisingly, when I called this summer, I was able to get a reservation for 9 p.m. the
next day. But even more surprisingly, my friends and I were turned away when we
arrived: no more tables. The manager, sweating and apologizing profusely, insisted that
we come back later for cake and Champagne — on the house.
So two hours later, after dinner at a bland bistro nearby, dessert was served: gooey
chocolate cake, crisp buttery cookies and cold Veuve Clicquot, all paid for by the
manager’s conscience. Meanwhile, a six-person jazz band was warming up, drunk and
happy patrons were pushing tables aside, and the house mojitos, true to their purpose,
made friends and dancers of everyone — neighbors, dignitaries, tourists and staff Coping with annoying co-
members alike — until early morning. workers
ALSO IN JOBS »
It wasn’t until the next day that I tasted the food (go for lunch when it’s less crowded).
Find your next job
The menu is built around seafood — with a kick. Normally, I’m suspicious of fish High demand for skilled labor
file:///E|/Designs%20etc/Website/Media/26choice.html[28/06/2009 01:37:01 p.m.]
3. Choice Tables - For Foodies, Cartagena Is Now on the Map - NYTimes.com
camouflaged in spices, but the red snapper à la diabla with feverishly hot chili sauce, was
so fresh I could still taste the salt water.
Having lunch with three other people has the bonus of tasting half the menu: grilled
salmon rubbed with tangy lemon and lime zest; seared tuna sweetened with mango
chutney and honey; sea bass amped up with jalapeño and zucchini salsa; and warm
ravioli in a light tomato broth with chunks of fresh lobster meat inside. Lunch came to
about 30,000 Colombian pesos a person, about $12, at 2,335 pesos to the dollar.
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We washed down the entire cast of “Finding Nemo” with a pitcher of icy white sangria
with coarse slices of green apples bobbing inside. By the time we were handed the
dessert menu, we had come full circle. It would have been easy to spend the rest of the
trip at La Vitrola, but it was time to move on.
Palma
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CENTRAL AND SOUTH AMERICA > COLOMBIA > CARTAGENA
Great Getaways - Travel Deals by
CHOICE TABLES E-Mail
For Foodies, Cartagena Is Now on the Map Sign up for travel offers from NYTimes.com's
premier advertisers.
Scott Dalton for The New York Times
The restaurant 8-18, with a menu that is Colombian by way of Spain.
By DANIELLE PERGAMENT
Published: October 26, 2008
RECOMMEND
GREAT food cities tend to have a few things in common — a history
SIGN IN TO
steeped in culinary arts, a bounty of exceptional ingredients and a RECOMMEND
handful of cocky young chefs at the helm. A history of cocaine trade, SIGN IN TO E-MAIL
drug violence and rotting neighborhoods don’t usually make the list. OR SAVE THIS
PRINT
Cartagena Travel Guide
But recently, the Colombian port SINGLE PAGE
Where to Stay
town of Cartagena has become an REPRINTS
Where to Eat
unlikely food destination, attracting SHARE
What to Do
the kind of culinary travelers who SHARE
Go to the Cartagena Travel Guide »
spend their vacations in Rome and
Multimedia Paris. And what they find is a city far
file:///E|/Designs%20etc/Website/Media/26choice.html[28/06/2009 01:37:01 p.m.]](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/newyorktimesforfoodiescartagena-090812174729-phpapp01/85/New-York-Times-For-Foodies-Cartagena-1-320.jpg)
![Choice Tables - For Foodies, Cartagena Is Now on the Map - NYTimes.com
more exotic, but no less adroit at
catering to sophisticated palates —
200-year-old Spanish colonial
mansions refurbished with crisp
interiors, trendy bistros that elevate plantains to haute Advertise on NYTimes.com
fare, and theatrical rooms buzzing with dignitaries in
Slide Show BOOK FLIGHTS
starched collars and Windsor knots sipping minty rum
Cartagena’s New Food Scene
drinks. FLIGHT HOTEL PACKAGES
CAR CRUISE ACTIVITIES
“Colombian food has been hiding,” said Felipe Arboleda, Leaving from: Going to:
the boyish, perpetually smiling former chef at Palma, one Cartagena
of the city’s white-hot restaurants. “Colombians hide their Departing: Returning:
identities when they travel because people think we’re all 7/19/2009 11 AM
11 AM 7/21/2009 11 AM
11 AM
drug dealers. People ask if I have a cocaine plantation or if
Adults: Seniors: Children:
Map I am related to Pablo Escobar. So our cuisine hasn’t left 2
2 0
0 0
0 Search for flights
Cartagena, Colombia the country.”
Inside the borders, it’s a different story. While the rest of MOST POPULAR - TRAVEL
the world was looking the other way, Cartagena cultivated E-MAILED BLOGGED
its own taste. Menus are sprinkled with bright vegetables and pungent spices, like cumin
1. Frugal Paris
and coriander. With the Caribbean warming its shores, fish is abundant and the house 2. Practical Traveler: The Soaring Cost of Car Rentals
specialty is always freshly caught something, rubbed with the fiery flavors so celebrated 3. 36 Hours in Cork, Ireland
in this corner of the world. 4. Explorer: Ottoman Whispers in a Secret Corner of
Greece
Occasionally, the chef may give a nod to French or Italian cooking, but tamarillo 5. Heads Up: New Day for Shanghai Nights
ratatouille, grilled squid and homemade coconut broth are never far away. “This country 6. Bites: Restaurant Review: Outerlands in San
is not just about drugs,” Mr. Arboleda said. “Soon, it will be about the food. You’ll see.” Francisco
7. Frugal Traveler: Travel Web Sites: A Click-On
La Vitrola Showdown
8. Personal Journeys: Campari? Crostini? Step Into My
) is the Umbrian Estate
To exhaust the metaphor, La Vitrola (Calle de Baloco No. 2-01; 57-5-66...
9. Taking The Kids: In Puerto Rico, a Rain Forest Full of
culinary kingpin of Cartagena. Part jazz club, part lounge, part highly touted restaurant, Easy Adventure
La Vitrola channels old Havana — whirring ceiling fans, swaying palm fronds, slatted 10. American Journeys | Mad River Valley, Vt.: Ski
window shutters that throw the light just so. Put another way, best of luck getting a Country Abounding in Off-Season Charms
table.
Go to Complete List »
Surprisingly, when I called this summer, I was able to get a reservation for 9 p.m. the
next day. But even more surprisingly, my friends and I were turned away when we
arrived: no more tables. The manager, sweating and apologizing profusely, insisted that
we come back later for cake and Champagne — on the house.
So two hours later, after dinner at a bland bistro nearby, dessert was served: gooey
chocolate cake, crisp buttery cookies and cold Veuve Clicquot, all paid for by the
manager’s conscience. Meanwhile, a six-person jazz band was warming up, drunk and
happy patrons were pushing tables aside, and the house mojitos, true to their purpose,
made friends and dancers of everyone — neighbors, dignitaries, tourists and staff Coping with annoying co-
members alike — until early morning. workers
ALSO IN JOBS »
It wasn’t until the next day that I tasted the food (go for lunch when it’s less crowded).
Find your next job
The menu is built around seafood — with a kick. Normally, I’m suspicious of fish High demand for skilled labor
file:///E|/Designs%20etc/Website/Media/26choice.html[28/06/2009 01:37:01 p.m.]](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)