Taganga Restaurante Country
The brightly colored table covers and healthy plants at Taganga Restaurante Country invited us to come in. On the way to La Casa de Felipe from Taganga’s beach, the friendly smile of our hostess reassured us as did the menu which features locally grown produce, chicken, meat, and fresh-caught fish. She told us the restaurant uses purified water (the norm, actually) and that she was also the cook! Her family ate their dinner at the café and other travelers who sat down had obviously eaten there before.
Dinners were wholesome and tasty, accompanied by fresh-made juices. Each dish was cooked to order and, as far as we observed, cooked with an emphasis on fresh, whole ingredients. Every entrée we ordered was very flavorful and the combination featured fresh vegetables; potatoes, rice, or pasta; and a protein such as chicken or fish. ¡Sabrosísimo! (Very tasty.) And well priced.
While it is tempting to eat in cafes and restaurants that serve a menu that is fairly Westernized, featuring perhaps pasta and pizza, my husband and I enjoy eating in places where there are few if any tourists or places that are owned and operated by local personnel. That way, we sample the local dishes and spices and also have an opportunity to converse with owners and restaurant personnel. Often, we speak with travelers who eat only at the restaurants in large, corporate hotels and who miss all the fun of local cuisine.
Tantalizing entry…Woe to those who have too much trepidation to try local cuisine! I appreciate that you emphasize the wonderful food you enjoyed, but also that you slipped in descriptions of what signifies a most likely safe eating establishment. In future travels, I will be looking for these myself. Unrelated: I sort of wish we had an inverse exclamation point in English punctuation.