Gustu, Bolivia’smost ambitiousrestaurant, aimsto inspire a newpride in thecountry’s littleknowncuisine.ARTCREDIT76 <strong>AFAR</strong>COMJUNEIJULY
4FOODBOLIVIALA PAZThe capital of South America’s poorest countryseems an unlikely stop for globe-trotting food pilgrims.But Claus Meyer, co-owner of Copenhagen’sNoma restaurant, is set on changing that. In Aprilhe opened Gustu, a haute dining spot that will cookonly with ingredients grown or produced in Bolivia(restaurantgustu.com). For $135, diners can enjoy15 courses paired with Bolivian wines. Dishes mayinclude llama shoulder, poached in butter for 14 hours,and vicuña (similar to alpaca) jerky with hearts ofpalm, egg, and fried trout roe. The restaurant’s cookingschool will train 30 low-income students each year.MEXICOValle de GuadalupeIn Baja’s wine country,book a room at AdobeGuadalupe, a wineryand B&B (adobeguadalupe.com), or LaVilla del Valle (lavilladelvalle.com), home toVena Cava winery andCorazón de Tierrarestaurant. Don’t missthe beef cheek tacos atchef Javier Plascencia’sFinca Altozano (Km. 83,Carretera No. 3) or chefDrew Deckman’s beeftongue tiradito pairedwith a glass of chasselasat the Mogor-Badanwinery (deckmans.com).TCOLOMBIAThe Coffee TriangleA trip through the CoffeeTriangle, the coffeegrowingregion of centralColombia, takes youinto the small towns andwildlife-rich mountains ofthe Caldas, Quindío, andRisaralda departments.Base yourself at theHacienda Bambusa(hacienda bambusa.com),an eight-room, family-runhotel hidden among 445acres of orchids, palms,and banana and cacaofields. To book a tourof the region, contactBetty Jo Currie at(404) 254-5677.ARGENTINABuenos AiresYoung Argentine chefstrained in Europe’s topkitchens are returninghome to reinvent theirnational cuisine. DanteLiporace, the el Bulli–trained chef of Tarquino(tarquinorestaurante.com.ar), is one of theleaders of the movement,known as La NuevaCocina Argentina. Hisnine-dish tasting menu,La Secuencia de la Vaca,uses every part of thecow. In June, AntonioSoriano opens his anticipatedAstor ManduquePorteño bistro.5CULTUREECUADORQUITOQuito has some of the continent’s best examples of colonial art and architecture.Must-stops include the National Museum of Colonial Art and the GuayasamínMuseum, dedicated to contemporary artist Oswaldo Guayasamín. The ManuelaSáenz Museum, named for Simón Bolívar’s mistress, showcases the couple’s loveletters. Book a room at Casa Gangotena (casagangotena.com), a newly restoredhistoric mansion with a prime setting that overlooks Plaza San Francisco.COLOMBIABogotáYears of violence kept tourists away from this city, buttoday’s visitors discover a bohemian vibe and some 80museums. In the Candelaria district, the Botero Museumshows Fernando Botero’s distinctive portraits of rotundfigures, and the Gold Museum houses 30,000 piecesof pre-Hispanic gold. The Warehouse Art gallery exhibitsstreet art and other contemporary works. Designateda UNESCO City of Music in 2012, this year Bogotá willhold a series of festivals.OPPOSITEPAGESTEPHANGAMILLSCHEG/IBISTHISPAGEIANALLENPANAMAPanama CityThe anticipated Museumof Biodiversity, designedby Frank Gehry, opensthis year, and the PanamaCanal will soon doubleits capacity. To prepare,luxury hotels, such asthe Trump Ocean Club(trumpoceanclub.com)and Le Méridien (starwood.com), are croppingup. And in the historicCasco Viejo neighborhood,Spanish colonialbuildings are reopeningas restaurants, boutiques,and trendy hotels suchas Tántalo, home to thecity’s first rooftop bar(tantalohotel.com).CHILEValparaísoVisitors are reaping thebenefits of an ambitiousprogram to preservethis port city’s heritage.Last fall, the 23-roomPalacio Astoreca Hotel,and its destination restaurant,Alegre, openedin a Victorian mansion(hotelpalacioastoreca.com). The PalacioBaburizza, built in 1916,reopened last year as afine arts museum, andChilean architect EmilioMarin has transformed aformer prison into acultural center thatnow welcomes 170,000visitors per year.FINDTHEBESTUNDISCOVEREDBEACHESINLATINAMERICA afar.com/latinamericabeachesJUNEIJULY<strong>AFAR</strong>COM 77
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