Culinary Adventures in Chile: Pan Amasado & Heart of Palm

January 4, 2011 (part V)

After our chilly dip in El Balneario Termal Baños Morales, we quickly got dressed and went to have some tea and coffee at one of the small guest houses in town. As we walked in, we quickly realized that the restaurant-bar advertised on the signage outside was actually the living room/dining room of the owner's house. Unsure of the standard procedure for being served in such an establishment, we inquired if food and drink were available for purchase, and they confirmed that they were.  However, there did not appear to be a menu, so we ordered the basics - tea and bread. The tea was nothing to write home about, but the bread, pan amasado (apparently "world famous" Chilean kneaded bread) was quite interesting. I would liken it to a homemade biscuit in America - very tasty. From our table inside, we observed a group of local men - los vaqueros - finishing of a box of wine and mused at the fact that they seemed to be getting quite drunk. Apparently we had stopped by the local hangout (and the only establishment in town with any patrons). 

The "residencia" where we had tea & pan amasado. Notice they are advertising Mote con Huesillo 

Diligently writing in my journal during our team break in Baños Morales

After our coffee/tea break, we began the longish trek back to Santiago. We again encountered large trucks hauling copper ore down the mountain on the rough gravel roads, which made passing quite the challenge as we contended with the large clouds of dust they were stirring up. As the road transitioned back to pavement, we found ourselves with a new appreciation of the wonders of modern engineering and infrastructure. Along the way, we stopped in the adorable rural town of San Jose de Maipo. We stopped for an ice cream on the lazy central square and took in the local scene. 

View of the road and mountains in El Cajon de Maipo (The Maipo Valley)

Church on the main square in San Jose de Maipo

Soon we were back on the busy streets of Santiago, navigating through La Florida neighborhood in Southern Santiago and then onto our hotel Provedencia, just as the street lights began to come on. By 9:15, we were pulling into our hotel parking garage; exhausted from a solid day of exploring and ready for a quick (and easy) meal. Oh, and a glass of WINE. 


Given that it was already 10:30pm by the time everyone had showered, we settled for dinner in the elegant hotel restaurant. I ordered a Thai salad, which turned out to be MUCH different than the American version and included: heart of palm (very Chilean and SO under-utilized in the American culinary tradition), avocado, tuna, and corn on a small bed of lettuce. We polished off the bottle of wine from Concha y toro winery and I fell asleep reviewing my pictures, camera in hand. /#solid_day.