Restaurant Review- Chimborazo

For my birthday, my roommates and I went to an Ecuadorian Restaurant called Chimborazo. This was a wonderful little glimpse into the food I will be eating abroad, and overall a great experience at a charming restaurant. The name Chimborazo comes from a volcano in Ecuador, the highest point of the center of the earth.

Mt. Chimborazo. From tourismplacesworld.blogspot.com

Located in Minneapolis, this restaurant was not a bustling Mexican food joint, but a small building attached to the owner's home. I couldn't quite decide if the dim lighting and un-american wall paneling was intentional to contribute to the ambiance, or if it was genuinely simple. Either way, I absolutely loved this authentic place. We sat  in an intimate corner by the window which was adorned with multicolored, thick cloth that looked as if it came straight from South America. On the walls there were simple 4 by 6 pictures of people and places in Ecuador. The kitchen was right behind the bar, so I was able to peak in there through the half wall, which was quite fun.

The owner of the restaurant is also the chef, and he grew up in the Ecuadorian Highlands. I was a little disappointed that our waitress wasn't Hispanic, but her excellent performance quickly made up for that setback. And according to my severely under trained ears, she seemed to pronounce everything correctly. Maybe it was just the magic of the place, but I might say that she was the best server I have ever had. (Although Kayla from Bakers Square will always be my favorite). This waitress gave excellent suggestions and descriptions (multiple times) of the unique foods. As my roommates and I are still embarrassingly young and inexperienced, we struggled heavily with figuring out how to split the bill and factor in the tip. (I of course  had a coupon as well to add complexity). She was unbelievably patient with all of this, and overall quite helpful.

The food was so much more different than anything I had ever tasted, but I'm no expert on food so I won't get into this too much. The best part was the variety, there were so many new things on my plate to try. I had some rice in the form of a patty with an extremely delicious egg on top of it (these are two staples in my poor diet now, so it was comforting to remember they are staples everywhere), una ensalada, some chorizo (sausage), and my new favorite food...llapingachos. This was some patty with mashed potatoes, cheese, spices, and heaven all mixed into one. I wish I could be more descriptive, but I know I won't do them justice. All I can do is suggest that you take me to either Chimborazo or another Ecuadorian restaurant in the cities to try them yourself.

This is taken right from Chimborazo's website. The llapingachos are in the upper left hand  picture, front and center.
I also had the pink soda, straight from Ecuador! 

My only regret from this experience is that I didn't put myself out there more to get to know this great place. I wish I had gone up to the chef and thanked him in my broken Spanish. I wish I had walked over to the kitchen to observe and not just peered across the room. Hopefully this will be a learning experience so once I am in Ecuador and Peru, I will be a little more inclined to live in the moment and take advantage of every opportunity I see. Seize the day, life is far too precious and short.