D r e a m B i g - - L i v e L a r g e

Saturday, September 12, 2009

Bogota - The Constant Dilemma: Where to Eat?

We have encountered a growing dilemma in Bogota which plagues us each night after the sun goes down:  Where to eat?  We are pretty comfortable out after dark so long as we stay within our neighborhood of La Candelaria.  Chicken is always the standard fallback and we did find one decent rotisserie.  One night we stumbled upon this great little middle eastern place with fantastic hummus and falafel.  Of course when we went to go back there a few days later, it was the night they were closed.  Quite random.  So where else?  One night we couldn't find food even if we paid double for it.  Everything was closed.  After our tempers had risen due to starvation (ok a bit dramatic) we found a little local place that was serving chinese food. The young waiters were deep in conversation, with each other and their friends who came in and out, and customers were not really on their radar.  Lucky for us, there were only 2 dishes to pick from - fried rice or fried noodles - so it was a quick order. 
In our search for food and beverage we did happen upon a unique spot -- I only wish I had had my camera so I could have documented it.  It was essentially a no name place that only opened at night.  You walked into a small bar like area - with a full bar, then through another door and you were in another room, no chairs, just green outdoor carpet on the floor, small little tables, and a chiminea in the corner.  If you walked a few more steps there was another similar room, although this one had a passionate latin american couple making out in one corner.  At the suggestion of the waiter we took a space on the floor near the chiminea diagonally from the "hot" couple.  Toasty warm by the fire, we tried a few of their speciality drinks and tried our best not to watch the romance in the corner.  After a short time some others joined our room and the area became a lot more lively.  Forgetting dinner, we ordered some dessert and sipped our drinks - happy at last.  What a great way to keep your overhead low - no furniture!