Día de Enamorados

Now that is what I call a box of chocolates!

Who says you can't find romance at the ends of the earth? I certainly did! Last night was the Valentine's date any girl would dream of. My pololo (the Chilean word for boyfriend) picked me up with the world's largest box of chocolates from various countries on the globe. The inside of the box had a map describing where each chocolate is from: Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Colombia...

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm

After sharing some champagne and a few chocolates, we headed out to hit the town. Our first stop was the W Hotel for rooftop drinks. I enjoyed a fabulous Peartini while Eric sipped on yet another unsatisfying Bloody Mary. They really cannot figure out a good Bloody Mary in Chile, even at the finest establishments! If someone went into the tomato-juice export business, they would make a killing!

Peartini at the W

From the W, we hopped in a cab to Providencia to dine at Astrid & Gastón, a restaurant that I have been dying to go to since I got to Chile. It definitely lived up to the reputation. Of course, in line with my love for Peruvian food, it is Peruvian. I was curious about the story of the restaurant so I looked up the history online. I took the liberty of translating it to share the romantic story in the spirit of Valentine's Day.

Eric and I at the W Hotel

Astrid y Gastón are a married couple of chefs with a common history. He had left law and she medicine when they met after following their passion for the kitchen and destiny brought them together in Paris where they both began their lives as chefs. The Peruvian (Gastón) eventually convinced the blonde German to go back with him to Peru to build a restaurant, a family, a life and a love story.

Crispy coconut shrimp in sweet potato puree

Crispy piglet with a causa and Peruvian egg roll

They have locations now in Lima (the original), Santiago, Buenos Aires, Quito, Bogotá, Madrid, and Caracas. I want to go to all of them! We started the meal with Camarones Crocantes and fabulous wine. The best thing about the wine in Chile (aside from how amazing it tastes) is the price. Eric let me order the most expensive bottle on the menu which was only approximately $40 US.

Pesto congro eel atop a bed of bucattini pasta

The mains were even better than our starter. I had congor eel swimming in sauce that could have been made in heaven. My handsome date dined on piglet (don't tell Eyore). We moved out to the upstairs patio to finish our wine and a fabulous night at the end of the meal. The evening turned out to be a date that will be very hard to replicate!

His and her's wine