La Luna

Ivonne & Camila at La Luna.

Bread & Mozzarella.

Tasty Stuff.

Lauro did most of the ordering.

Calamari Salad

Carpaccio

Stuffed Ravioli

Tomato & Cheese Salad

Fried Calamari

Our Dinner Team: Camila, myself, Brent, Scott, Ivonne, Danilo, Ian, Lauro & Maricio.

Risotto

Tortellini

Spaghetti

Ravioli with Pumpkin

Serving the wine.

A kind of dessert pizza.

Ice cream with bananas and other good stuff.

Day Three

Bringing a little Spro Style to the morning calibration.



Scott and coffee guru Alirio Laguna.



A bit of fruit from the farmer with the cowboy hat.



Camila and the Bimbo Bear.



Diana & Dario Riveros ordering lunch.



The mixed pork glory lunch. Very good.



Grinding on the Twin Towers of Robur-E Power.



The Aeropress made a strong showing this year as an infusion device.



Juez-S-13: Hardcore.



Judges at the ready.



Colombians are riveted by the action.



Maria Luisa gets ready to begin.



I had to ascertain the ingredients of Maria Luisa's dropper bottles. A ginger infusion and water literally dripped off the exterior of an orange tree. No alcohol.



Danilo, Brent and Lauro watch intently.



Judges with "sixes" on their minds.



Jose Arreola doing what he does best: speaking to the media and spreading The Good Word.



Look at that crowd: this ain't the USBC.



The Finalists: Ever Bernal, Miguel Manrique, Blanca Bernal, Lina Zea, Oscar Trivino & Mauricio Romero.

San Isidro en Monserrate

Another 500 meters or so above Bogota.

High above the city of Bogota is Monserrate. A Catholic place overlooking the city with gorgeous views. Last year we came to Monserrate and it was amazing. Visit at night and it's breathtaking.

Luis Fernando was hosting us for a dinner at Restaurante San Isidro, a colonial looking building serving classic French with a Colombian twist. Nothing too modern in interpretation. More Old World and Old School. The service is very old world. Lots of waiters running about to take care of every need.


Our table of regulars.

As you ride the teleferico or cable car to the top of the mountain, you're treated to wondrous views of the city. Suddenly, all of Bogota is laid out at your feet and even the roof of the taller skyscraper in Bogota is way down below. Testament to the fact that no matter how far we've progressed, we still are not better than Mother Nature.

It's a relatively clear and moonlit night. Some clouds are scattered around the city below, making for a dramatic scene.


2009 Graffigna Malbec - still a bit green.

Our meal is good and decent. Classic French. It's tasty and filling. But enough about that - just enjoy.


Danilo: Happy.



Creme D'asperge Verde Au Crabe Bleue - crema de esparragos con jaiba y julianas de salmon ahumada.



Carre De Veau Aux Champignons - Carre de Ternera Parrillada en salsa champinones y vino blanco acompanado de fetuchinis.



Merou Gratine A La Moutarde De Maux - filete de mero gratinado con mostaza antigua, rebosado en salsa de vino, acompanado de pure y chips de arracacha.



Mont Blanc.



Crepe Suzette



Iglesia de Monserrate



Looking to the north.

Campeonato Day Two

One of our coordinators: Camila.



A Morning Americano.



Camila, Nathalia & Paola prepare for the day.



Judges Nathalie & Diana.



Tech Judges Ian and Danilo plot their scoring.



Juan Valdez's Mauricio Romero (the reigning champion) performs.



Judging Mauricio.



The serious competitor wears gloves during prep.



Judges geeking out on how fast they can start/stop the timer...



And end of day, waiting for Brent and Scott, plate of Tacos Carnitas.