A few restaurant reviews and some misc stuff
Arrived Saturday night late and stayed in Rionegro to pick up my rental car on Sunday. Was waiting for my ride to the hotel within 20 minutes after the door opened, short line. Learned upon arrival that my luggage took a detour. Finally got it Sunday night.
Had a lunch invitation in Envigado at Restaurante Viejo John, right off the park. Very popular place with a long line waiting for a table. Fortunately, my hosts were already seated. Excellent comida tipica and prices seemed reasonable, although I never saw the check. If you like Colombian food, it's worth a visit.
Monday night was date night. Made the mistake of trying Denver Grill in La Strada. Not worth it. There's a small gas grill in the middle of each table. If you order a steak, you cook it yourself on the grill. So far, not bad, until the 2 ribeyes showed up. Steaks were less than a half inch thick. Convenient for quick grilling, but not worth the 110 k each price tag. Came with 1 small side dish. Food was good, just not much for the price.
Last night I visited La Mayoria in the hills above Envigado. It's a large place which is probably packed on the weekends, although not many people there on Tuesday. Friday through Sunday they have horse shows of various types at the restaurant. I chose what was described as a thick cut sirloin and got a thick cut sirloin that may have been the best steak I've had in Medellin. Service was good and good views. Long ride by taxi, but it's only 12 minutes away from where I'm staying.
Monday night exposed my date to the bar at the Mansion. Only 2 girls there when we arrived, 1 more came in a few minutes later. There were no other customers. Bartender was cute, as were 2 of the 3 girls. The third girl looked pretty rough. Stayed for 1 drink before heading to La Isla. When we left it was only the doorman, the bartender and 1 girl in the bar.
Arrived at La Isla before 10 pm, lots of girls, no customers. They now charge 100 k cover for a girl, 50 k for guys. I'm glad they weren't doing that last year when I took 3 girls. The club slowly filled with customers, although not a big crowd. Two guys were periodically making it rain, which drew almost all the girls. Almost all the customers were gringos. As for the girls, they came in all shapes and sizes. Quite a few with grossly over inflated (to me) tits and asses. Quite a few were all natural. There are always enough options to satisfy most tastes.
Can't help much with lodging, because I'm staying at an apartment in the hills above Envigado, which my hosts had available. I didn't want to stay here, but they insisted. It's free, stocked with plenty of food and wine, in a quiet location, and comfortable, but it's not exactly a convenient location. I've been grabbing breakfast or lunch with friends and have a family barbecue to attend tomorrow night. Leaving on Saturday night on the last flight out.