Page 117 - WINE DINE AND TRAVEL SPRING 2023 SPECIAL CRUISE EDTION
P. 117
thick slices of perfectly grilled ribeye. “We do not repeat our menu. When we com-
“Vamos a comer ahora Pola,” Maldonado said, plete a cycle here, it is done – you will never have
raising his glass to the prime beef he’d just sliced. that dish again.”
We toasted Pola and dug in. Perfection. Urko opened in 2015. Last year it moved into
its current home – a place that exudes family am-
Heavenly guidance biance. The restaurant seats only about 20
guests, only four nights a week – Tuesdays
through Fridays. Other times it’s simply the Mal-
“Ecuador has more biodiversity per square donado family home. Seating is in an open-air
kilometer than any place else in the world,” said garden – under a tin roof. (Rainy season here
Urko owner/chef Daniel Maldonado. He makes runs September through May.) Thick alpaca blan-
the most of that diversity – kets, draped over the backs
both bio- and cultural. of chairs, keep diners comfy
At Urko, the menu on chllly nights.
changes four times a year, The exquisite food pro-
based on what’s available vides a whole other level of
seasonally and on the an- comfort and warmth.
cient Incan concept of
Our “Koya” (September
“raymis” – the quarterly cel-
through December) tasting
ebration of the sun’s actual menu started with an explo-
passage through the sky and
sion of flavors: a fresh Gala-
its impact on everything
pagos oyster accented with
from agriculture to mood.
passionfruit and chives.
“Here we want to learn Then came perfectly
from everybody,” Maldon- roasted pumpkin topped
ado explained. “We inte- with macadamias and a rose
grate producers, artisans geranium broth. There was
and communities in the cre- paiche from the Amazon,
ative process, always show- beef from the highlands (on a bed of onion puree
ing respect to the natural cycles of the Earth. topped with crisped kale, mustard seed and pine
WINEDINEANDTRAVEL.COM 117
