Page 122 - WINE DINE AND TRAVEL SPRING 2023 SPECIAL CRUISE EDTION

thin-as-paper chicharon/peanut/cilantro Quito. Locals lovingly call them “huecas.” Most
cracker – all artistically encircled with a slen- are informal family-run shoestring operations –
der drizzle of crushed Andean blueberries. with no marketing except word of mouth. Ask
Dessert? It was Quique’s interpretation of locals for recommendations. Then, go ahead
cake and ice cream: lime-frosted dark-chocolate and ring the sidewalk doorbell, shout an order
bonbons served with white-chocolate/toasted- into the nearby speaker – and a few minutes
corn ice cream (it works!) with flourless dark- later your tamales or grilled cassava or fruit-
chocolate biscuit crumbles and cacao nibs. filled drink will be delivered with a smile.
Last but definitely not least, Ecuador is
More favorites known for producing the world’s finest choco-
late, so be sure to do a chocolate tasting – or
two or three.
Family fuels Restaurante San Ignacio in the
city’s Centro Historico. Mama Rosia runs the
kitchen, putting contemporary spins on tradi-
tional recipes handed down by her abuelita,
Rosa Viera. Ricardo Sanchez greets guests at
the door; son Juan Carlos explains the tasting
menu – and in laws do the baking. Housed in a
landmark 200-year-old building, the restaurant
has been a neighborhood favorite for a dozen
years. It wins awards for its food – and its pri-
vate label wines from Ecuador’s St. Helena
province.
The best baker in Quito may be Santiago
Cueva, owner/chef at Marcando El Camino. The
casual eatery may offer the best house-baked
sourdough bread on the planet. Use a fat hunk
to sop up the garlicky wonder of the restau-
rant’s fusion of sweetbreads with tiny button
mushrooms.
Don’t mistake Cosas Finas de la Florida for a
fast-food joint. This neighborhood institution
is where you’ll find some of the best pork
dished up in Quito. There’s almost always a
line, but it moves quickly. Snag a spot at an out-
door table and pig out.
Still hungry? Wander the historic heart of
the city’s old town and you’ll find a variety of
vendors. Buy a piping hot plate of chorizo y pa-
pas (sausage and potatoes) from women doing
the cooking at small sidewalk braziers.
In that same neighborhood, visit a range of
candy makers. We found one who roasted
peanuts, then coated them in a sugary new
shell.
Small neighborhood eateries proliferate in

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