Andrés Carne de Res: a different dining and clubbing experience

When we learned we were having dinner in Andrés Carne de Res, I was quite excited, having viewed their unique website. But the website (or the great reviews) was not enough to prepare us for this bar/restaurant. I cannot even remember when hubby and I last went to a club--definitely not in the last 7 years. Andrés Carne de Res was more than a club or a restaurant. It was a castle of an artist’s junkshop!

We went to the Chia location about 40 minutes away from Bogotá. The host was agitated that we had brought kids along. We thought that the restaurant converted into a club at about 10pm (by which time we would have been done with dinner and could take the kids back to our apartment). But at 9pm, the party was already on! So, we got the kids registered and they were given wristbands for identification (Bogotá is a stickler for ID’s!).

The interiors were just amazing! Junk items from bottle caps to tin cans transformed into wonderful, colorful art were too much for our eyes to devour. The lights, shaped like hearts, delighted my little girls. There were cows in tutus, water craftily packaged in milk bottles, and forks holding up sauce bottles hanging from the ceiling.--awesome details if you ever got your eyes to focus on one thing.

The menu was a giant book filled with delicious, though on the expensive side, dishes. Our group started with Mixto de Acompañamientos (mixed appetizers) which included arepa (traditional South American bread made of corn), potatoes and yummy baked plantain (variety of banana)  with cheese and guava jelly. Then, we shared a Filete de Trucha (trout fillet) and an order of Tres para Dos (mixed grilled meat). Our grilled meat platter consisted of tenderloin, rump steak and chicken breast. These went perfectly well with my Club Colombia Roja beer. Our bill came in a tin box complete with a magnifying glass and a flashlight—in case you started to doubt your eyes with too many zeroes (at that time, the exchange rate was 1US$=1,700 pesos).




a different way of presenting bottled water

 


our appetizer platter

 


our mixed grilled meats

 

What club experience would be complete without dancing? So, with our wide-brimmed woven hats, we set off for the dance floor for some merengue. And, who was to say that this was not a place for kids? My girls had a blast—even if it was just to watch mommy and daddy, and grandma and grandpa dance!

It was great to party in Colombia. Our hips did not lie!

Side trips in Boyacá: Chiquinquirá, El Infiernito and Ráquira

Basilica de la Virgen de Chiquinquira

On our way to the wedding in Villa de Leyva in Boyacá, we passed by what is considered the religious capital of Colombia—Chiquinquirá. It is the home of the Basilica de la Virgen de Chiquinquirá where the miraculous painting of the Virgin of the Rosary resides. This painting from the mid 1500’s was made on woven cloth using pigments from soil and flowers. Left unattended, it was ruined. After over 20 years, it was rediscovered and later on found to have restored itself. The shabby painting was transformed with no more holes or tears practically overnight. In the 1800’s Pope Pius VII declared the Virgin of Chiquinquirá the patroness of Colombia. And, in 1986, Pope John Paul II also came to pray in this basilica. When we saw the painting, it was still quite faded, but we were still able to see the image. It was awesome to have seen this miraculous painting!

Miraculous painting of the Virgin Mary

A coffee cart at the plaza

The kids played at the lovely plaza outside the basilica before we headed to El Infiernito (“little hell”), just on the outskirts of Villa de Leyva. It was called such by the Spanish conquistadors who believed it was the site of diabolical worship of the Muisca (indigenous people of Colombia). It was interesting to note that the Muisca were such an advanced culture that the alignment of the standing stones seemed to have been used to anticipate solstices and equinoxes, and determine what time of the year it was to help them with harvest. While the kids found the stones interesting, they were quite ready to move on to the next attraction. The adults, in the meantime, had quite a good laugh taking juvenile photos of the phallic structures.

Another town we visited (but this time, after the wedding) was Ráquira. Literally translated as “City of Pots,” it is the home of wonderful pottery and hand-woven products. We entered store after store to marvel at the vast variety of pottery and souvenirs. Hubby and I regretted that we couldn’t bring home some beautiful crafts as they were too heavy or bulky to lug home. The vendors did try to appeal to tourists of all backgrounds, because along with the traditional Andean pottery, one can find the somewhat lewd ones as well (which I will no longer even try to describe).

Pottery at Ráquira

We had a wonderful Sunday lunch at the Restaurante Cazuelaz Boyacenses beside the plaza. The interiors were quite interesting with various pottery, vintage appliances and even giant insects on the ceiling. The kids had ajiaco (Colombian potato soup with chicken and corn wherein you add avocado, rice and sour cream) while hubby and I shared a churrasco (grilled beef). The beef was quite bland without the absolutely yummy chimichurri sauce. We drenched our thirst with local fruit juices of lulo (like a small orange) and mora (Andean blackberry). Ahhhhh. A perfect shopping trip capped by a wonderful lunch.

having some ajiaco

Lulo and Mora