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You may or may not know this: Guatemala is divided politically in Departamentos which are the equivalent of States or Provinces in other parts of the world. La Antigua Guatemala is the capital for the Departamento de Sacatepéquez. I share this fact with you so you can have an idea of the relevance of La Antigua Guatemala.

Nevertheless, I still consider La Antigua Guatemala no more than an enchanting little town with a 10×10-block grid. So small, in fact, that if it wasn’t for the fact that La Antigua Guatemala also happens to be the tourism capital for Central America it wouldn’t as cosmopolitan as it actually is. Take a culinary tour through some of the cosmopolitan gastronomic options available in La Antigua Guatemala.

Sushi, for instance, happens to be very popular. I know of three or four sushi bars in La Antigua Guatemala. The sushi bars that I know by name are Akai Sushi, Nokiate and Ubi’s Sushi; this last one being my favorite one and where I took the photo above. Also, I consider the sushi bars in Antigua Guatemala to be much more authentic than the sushi restaurants found in Guatemala City.

What other cosmopolitan gastronomic option available in Antigua Guatemala do you think I should visit and profile?

Arturo and I found a great place to have some of the best hamburgers in La Antigua Guatemala at La Esquina (The Corner). La Esquina is located on the corner, one block south from Parque Central. The hamburgers are huge and the meat is charbroiled. Furthermore, they have a large patio and awesome music playing all the time. I profiled La Esquina’s Oriental Chicken with Coconut Curry as part of the Antigua Cosmopolitan series last year; do you remember it?

What are you having for lunch today?

You know La Antigua Guatemala is a cosmopolitan town the moment Baltika beer specials are found in the local supermarket. That’s right Baltika No. 7 beer is on special 2×1 for Q12.95/$1.65 at La Bodegona. It’s time to stock up on Russian beer supplies since with all this rain you’ll never know if it’s the end of the world as we know it.

This is the second time Baltika beer appears in AntiguaDailyPhoto, when was the first time and what was the post about?

Last week Jonathan Gold from LA Weekly and Evan Kleinman host of KCRW’s Good Food program did a review of La Cevicheria, a Guatemalan owned ceviche restaurant in Los Angeles. In the podcast Jonathan declared the Guatemalan ceviche the best of all ceviches and was surprised since, in his opinion, Guatemala does not posses a ceviche tradition.

Huh? That’s exactly what I thought!

I am certain now that the only dishes that you can find everywhere you go in Guatemala are Ceviche and Chow Mein. That, in my humble opinion, should be enough to declare them Authentic National dishes, don’t you think so?

Right after listening to the podcast I decided to create the Ceviche category to collect all the different articles I have published about the ceviche. Guatemala does indeed have a strong ceviche tradition and that’s why ceviche stands, trucks and restaurants are one of the most often food offerings.

Guatemalans love ceviche so much that now one is begining to find Mexican and Peruvian ceviche trucks and restaurants as part of the ceviche options. There are at least three places, that I know of, where one can find Peruvian style ceviche in La Antigua Guatemala and Ubi’s Sushi version of ceviche is pretty darn good. Ubi’s ceviche is very Peruvian although the presentation looks more like a Thai seafood salad (another of my favorites).

I take this opportunity to thank our loyal and long-time reader Santiago for forwarding me a copy of his Peruvian recipe, which I now prepared at home in a regular basis.

Below you can listen to 3:20 minute review of La Cevicheria by Jonathan Gold of KCRW’s Good Food.

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In my never-ending quest to bring you the cosmopolitan dining options available in La Antigua Guatemala. Ubi’s Sushi, managed by chef Jeremías, is the new sushi venue in Antigua Guatemala. I have tweeted a few photos from Ubi’s Sushi, including their delicious ceviche.

Also, like all the new places I am profiling here, I also created a Foursquare venue so that the address, phone number and map is available to you in case you want to check it out for yourself [without inviting me ].

If you’re vegetarian or would like to try some tasty vegetarian dishes, Ubi’s Sushi is the place to go; try their miso soup and a vegetarian roll.

On the other hand, if you just want to try a few different options of sushi, sashimi, jemaki, etc., try their Titanic Mix, which is good enough for two people.

Bon appetite my friends!

Today’s a good day to have a carpaccio at Hector’s restaurant in La Antigua Guatemala, don’t you agree?

Even though Héctor’s restaurant does not even have a sign, most locals, including foreign residents, know about this incredible bistro. Like I said before, Héctor’s French-influenced cosmopolitan cuisine is considered by many as Antigua Guatemala’s best kept ‘secret’.

Make sure you also try Hector’s roasted tomatoes, basil and cheese! and the delicious quiche.
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This has to be the best quiche anywhere. Although it is made from eggs, it could be considered a vegetarian dish, right?

Even though Héctor’s restaurant does not have a sign that might point you to where his place is at, most locals, including foreigners, know about this fabulous venue. His French-influenced cosmopolitan cuisine is considered by many Antigua Guatemala’s best kept secret.

Make sure you also try Hector’s roasted tomatoes, basil and cheese!
(more…)

Here’s another cosmopolitan vegetarian menu option from Quesos y Vinos, one of the oldest Italian restaurants in La Antigua Guatemala. They serve homemade pastas and pizzas cooked inside a wood-burning brick oven. I enjoy meeting people for lunch at Quesos y Vino’s patio dining area.

If you are looking for great tasting and fulfilling vegetarian pizza, make sure you stop at this venue.

We continue our International Cuisine tour with a sampler of vegetarian food from India. As I said yesterday, here’s additional proof of how cosmopolitan Antigua Guatemala has become. This Indian Vegetarian sampler can be had at Masala, the terrace restaurant of La Sala, which will change its name to La Sala Masala.

I bet you didn’t think all these international cuisine options were available in Antigua Guatemala, right?

Well, I have created the category Vegetarian under Food and Drinks to help those who do not eat meat find the restaurants with vegetarian menus. Let me what do you think of this category.

I continue my quest of showing you how cosmopolitan La Antigua Guatemala has really become. Today’s entry was listed as Oriental chicken with coconut curry and rice. To me it tasted very much like Tom Kha Gai but without the hot chili.

Guess where I had this wonderful meal!

Recently, in Living La Vida Digital in Antigua Guatemala, I mentioned how cosmopolitan La Antigua Guatemala really is while showing a Philly cheese steak sandwich, French-style vegetable chips and German-style coleslaw. Well, today, I continue showing our Cosmopolitan Antigua Guatemala with a lunch that included Russian beer Baltika 9, shorma kebab pita sandwich, with three curry sauces. A lunch like the above can set you back Q50/$6.25. You can have this lunch at Toko restaurant near 6a calle poniete and 6a avenida sur (see it at Foursquare). That’s right, Antigua Guatemala also does Foursquare.

Do you think cosmopolitan is a good adjective for Antigua Guatemala?

I found the juxtaposition of cutting edge telecommunication technology and colonial lifestyle and architecture so fascinating and that’s why I have covered it in the following articles:

• The Young Maya Geeks
• iPhone 3G on Sale in La Antigua Guatemala
• Internet Access in Every Corner of Guatemala
• iPhone Twitter Updates from Guatemala and
• Fully Apple Equipped for La Antigua Guatemala

Today’s picture is mostly focus on living la vida digital that is feasible in La Antigua Guatemala. The photograph depicts some of the elements that are present in a geek lunch that can be had in Silicon Valley, London, Singapore, Tokyo or La Antigua Guatemala. Also, the photo above shows the cosmopolitan aspects of La Antigua Guatemala: a Philly cheese steak sandwich, French-style vegetable chips, German-style coleslaw, Wired magazine [tnx querida amiga, you know who you are], authentic coffee from Antigua Guatemala, a smartphone from Finland, all in a French bistro on Calle del Arco. Life is good!

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