Agave Azul, Santa Marta

Right in el Centro Historico of Santa Marta, on Calle 14, there is a gem of a Mexican restaurant: Agave Azul.  Run by a former NYC chef, Mike McMurdo, this restaurant displays all that is delicious and fresh with Mexican cooking.  The best part is that it is in Santa Marta, a town admittedly not known for its culinary achievements.  Of my ten days in Colombia, we ate at Agave Azul four times, which allowed us to sample the entire menu.  Not convinced?  Check out the reviews on Trip Advisor for yourself...

Barranquilla Carnival 2010

The Saturday of Carnival was unlike any experience I've had.  Early on in the day several of us donned our costumes for El Batalla de Flores, the main parade of the 5 day festival.  The theme of our group was "El Pechiche Cosmico".  Evan dressed as Captain Planet, Dave dressed as David Bowie, and I dressed as the Solar System.  It was 5 kilometers of dancing, amazing costumes, and carnival music.  Take a look!

Carnival Street Food!

Our first night in Barranquilla, Colombia for Carnival held many surprises.  Espuma (foam), arena (powder), and Colombian ron (rum) was everywhere.  In a matter of hours, Kim and I learned how to to rumba with the best of them.  And, after several hours of nonstop dancing, we all needed some sustenance.  Tony Bourdain has travelled the world and has eaten street food in several different cities.  I would venture to say that this street food fest took the cake.  Warning: if you have a weak stomach, watch for only a few minutes.  If you are a vegetarian or a vegan: skip this post. 

First Days in Santa Marta, Colombia

Before all the madness of Carnival in Barranquilla began, I had an itch to go surfing.  On an amazingly gorgeous day, Evan and I set out to Finca Casa Grande (just known as Casa Grande) on the aptly named "chicken bus" out of Santa Marta.  45 minutes later, we were there.  Casa Grande is the most accessible spot to surf on this part of the coast of Colombia. Costeno Surf Camp is right on the beach there and run by our friends- Ryan and Colm.  Unfortunately for us, the wind caused the waves to blow out- we spent most of our day paddling around and checking out the surrounding land.  We had dinner with some of the crew on the beachside restaurant Ben & Joseph's... Not a bad way to spend the day!

Discover Colombia!

Just about a year ago, I came down to Colombia to visit my friends Evan and Ryan, who were in the process of opening up a restaurant and a hostel in the middle of the city center of Santa Marta, Colombia. What started out as a cool idea for a vacation turned into a life-altering experience. The second I stepped foot on the land, I realized I was about to discover a completely different way of life. The people, the culture, and the natural beauty of the coast of Colombia are incomparable to anything I have seen or experienced before. Life is good here…and nobody will hesitate to tell you how good it is. Fast forward to today- I am here again. Last night at Evan & Ryan’s hostel, La Brisa Loca, I had beers with 5 others who were also repeat visitors to this gorgeous land. Over the course of the next week and a half, I want to share my experience with you- with the hopes that the next time you hear “Colombia”, you don’t think solely of Pablo Escobar or the FARC. Check it out for yourself- and don’t hesitate to ask any questions along the way!

The Way Forward

I'm sure you've heard it over the past couple of months... "It's a great time to buy real-estate. Prices have to come up from here. This is as bad as it can get." I've heard it over and over again with other financial assets as well--bonds, stocks, loans…the list goes on. Isn't that type of attitude, that sense of infallible certainty, what got us into the crisis in the first place? It's easy to play Monday morning quarterback and start phrases of recollections with, “well, if I only had purchased _x__at _x_ price, I wouldn’t have to work…” Fact is, when push came to shove and the chips were down, you didn’t, and chasing after what you didn’t do yesterday is no way to gain success tomorrow.

The way forward has to be embodied in new thought, with a new vigor for finding the next 'big thing.' Think of it as putting your fingers onto the pulse of a trend and finding it before it is strong enough for the rest of the world to see. If, as you start probing, you begin to hear a couple of layers of objection- all the better, as it’s safe to say you have ventured beyond the realms of the proven and into true entrepreneurial risk. In that space, true vision becomes less empirical and more about what you can see that others cannot. There are areas of the world that afford this opportunity- there are emerging markets doing so well that they are clawing their way to "developed country" status. There are industries, nascent in the current state, which do the same. Combining the two taps into a viable idea in an area where it can flourish- allowing for a great synergy in today's economy. 6.5 billion people are searching for that next big thing. We are in a position to give it to them...

Into the Tar Pit

In the second week of the year 2010, amidst all the buzz of modern humanity returning to the "Paleolithic Diet", my two favorite foodies and I ventured into the Tar Pit- Mark Peel and Jay Perrin's recently-opened restaurant on La Brea Avenue. From the moment one walks in the door, it is apparent a lot of thought has gone into its creation. Whether it be the stunning marble bar running along the left side of the supper club, featuring throw-back cocktails from expert mixologist Audrey Sanders (of Pegu Club, NYC), or the art-deco booths lining the outside of the box-shaped room, every detail is impeccably presented.

Dining with a group of three, we were able to try several Sanders' designed cocktails before being seated. The Gin Gin Mule (probably the most recommended drink from those who have beeen there), Lil Jig, and Jamaican Firefly were among our favorites. Though we made our reservation for 8:30, we weren't seated until around 9:00, which was fine for us as we were having a ball with our cocktails.

Upon being seated, however, it was apparent the servers came from the ilk of some of my favorite servers in LA, the waiters at Campanile. Our server was more than willing to share her recommendations, we looked forward to her visits to our table. Our appetizers: the Steak Tartare & Duck Sliders (pictured). Though I acknowledge that you can't go many places these days that don't have a steak tartare on the menu, I will go on record saying that chefs in LA should tatste the version from the Tar Pit- it was unlike any I have tried in years. The meat, cut up in cubes, tasted fresh and more importantly...it TASTED of something! The Duck Sliders, prepared with an orange gastrique, were out of this world. Enough said.

When ordering our main courses, our thought was to choose a variety of plates that would allow us to end the meal saying we had tried many of the main themes/components of the menu. Our choices: The Shaved Octopus Salad, Wild Boar Meatballs, Steak and Kidney Pie, Gnocchi with Escargots. The simple act of having to look at these pictures while writing this blog is causing my mouth to water. Though the picture of the baby octopus was taken in jest, I must talk a bit about this...

Save for when I am eating tako poke at a Japanese restaurant, I have not been many places where the chef has not cut the octoupus into little bite size pieces. I understand that this might not be the most appetizing look for the American diner, but for those who have the ability to overlook the asthetics of this funny little creature, order this salad and eat the baby octopus in one bite, the flavors are incredible.

If eating at the Tar Pit, go out on a limb and order at least one thing you have never eaten before. Another dish we dug was the gnocchi w/ escargots- where else can you find something like that in LA? The steak and kidney pie did not fall far behind. If there was one thing we could have done without, it was the wild boar meatballs, there was just not enough taste to differentiate them from any other type of meatballs.

Besides the meal, the Tar Pit has created an altogether astounding conglomeration of wines from around the world. And the best part- each bottle only costs $38. We ordered wine #311, a 2007 Duoro Tinto from Portugal. None of us had ever had a Portugese wine. A conversation with Chef Mark Peel as he was making his rounds revealed that Portugese wine was all the rage in the 70s.

All in all, a great evening. There is something to be said about a restaurant that takes risks and makes it taste good. Skip the caveman diet. Go to the Tar Pit.