Medellin 2013 #4 (Fincas)

After a week or so of city life I decided to explore an area on the other side of the mountains. The countryside of Antioquia is where many families in Medellin have a vacation house or “finca”.

The ones I saw from the highway came in all economic strata. Some are very humble and others like fine homes. The area around Rio Negro is where I made my first foray outside the city limits. The route my private car and driver took did not go past many farms. I saw mostly fincas and some ranches with horses and cows. The cows seemed more the dairy type than the beef type.

The countryside was stunning with green hills and mountainsides shaded by trees I did not recognize. I hope to learn more about the plant life found here in my future trips.

We also quickly passed a new hospital. Did not get the best picture of it but from the outside looked modern and most likely a 200 bed facility.

Many stretches of highway had family restaurants with various themes. Similar to rest stops with gift shops, eateries and kids play areas. Parilla (grilled meats) and Antioquian food (local cuisine) predominated what I saw. Exploring on a Saturday many of them were doing brisk business. One of these I was able to find recommendations on due to the fact it was featured on “No Reservations”, a food show with Anthony Bourdain. I watch the show so needless to say if Anthony stopped by to partake I certainly was going to give it a go. I was not disappointed in “Queareparaenamorarte”.

The name Queareparaenamorarte roughly translates into, "what do I have to do to make you love me?". It has an open kitchen setup with rural themed furnishing, very rancho feeling to the place.

As I walked in, the food being prepared emitted an wonderous aroma and like a Greek siren of old, the smell was inescapable. My mouth was watering before I even sat down. This does happen more than I would care to admit. I may have a problem.

Anyway, after seeing the grill I ordered the mega parilla plate and it was incredible.

Beef, chicken, chorizo, chicharrons and a type of blood sausage was accompanied by potatoes and of course arepas.

The empanadas plate was the appetizer and was delicious with four different salsas. I hope to return one day but with so many interesting places to fill up my belly it could take awhile.

To add to this entry I decided to describe a plate that would I believe be mildly equivalent to our hungry-man breakfast. That loaded plate a farmer might devour before the start of his long day in the fields. The plate is called "bandeja paisa". Its origins come from the mountain regions of Antioquia and is consumed by the locals day and night. I've been told it was once considered to become the official Colombian dish but politics got in the way. I have had it several times now and it is a meal. I am seldom hungry for the rest of the day after consuming one. This thing is a Lipitor buster but ohhh so delicious. Incredibly, I found that some locations have a variety of this plate that comes with additional meats. Don't even want to try that one.