Beatrice Fresh Pastas, La Paz Bolivia

When trekking anywhere on the planet there are challenges. Using a guidebook helps to meet many, however, there are sweet spots that even fastidious research will miss. I find for best information, no matter where you are, ask a local.

In this case, I'll serve as your local guide brimming with tasty insider information directly applicable to lunchtime satisfaction... After many years of living and eating in La Paz, a few spots really shine and a constant favorite for lunch is Beatrice Fresh Pastas. Chef Marco Schiapparoli from Milano, Italia spends his mornings making a variety of artisanal pastas and fresh sauces for a daily crowd of appreciative neighbours. The menu is short (13 pastas - 13 Sauces). The focus is on quality. Even with a classic list of renown pastas (Lasagna, Agnolotti, Ravioli, Cannelloni, Cappalletti, Tagliatelle) there are still surprises. One that I order often is the Coca Pasta. Powdered coca leaves are added to wheat flour when making the dough; served with a flavorful from scratch Pomodoro (Tomato) Sauce or a Llama Bolognesa and the result is like no other. The restaurant is easy to find located facing the Sopocachi Market just outside of the downtown area. Not to be missed! And the prices will not dent even a trekker's budget.

Beatrice Fresh Pasta - Open Lunch & Dinner. Closed Only Tuesdays.
The Wine list is well thought out and priced fairly.
Calle Guachalla, Edificio Nicol, Sopocachi, La Paz Boliva


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Azapa, Chile

The Olives of Azapa, Chile are pungent and luscious. The oil they provide is truly a godsend on any salad expressly when balanced with fresh lime juice and completed with a pinch of Salt & Pepper. To travel in the Atacama desert: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atacama, you´d think there is nothing present save the beauty of the open exhausted expanse. So very wrong! There is an olive that begs you to pause and redefine the concept of time-savour. Here you are encouraged catch your breath and claim the joys of appreciating your life. Please, stop and smell the olives and the perfume of Azapa Olive Oil. Your mouth and eyes will water when you do.

Once on the trail of Pisco Sour there is no shirking duty ´til the investigation comes to a natural close. Not to throw onesself into the company of Brother Cadfael, C. Auguste Dupin, Hercule Poirot, Miss Marple, Philip Marlowe, Sam Spade, Sherlock Holmes or our dear Watson. No, not at all. My comment is more that once the trail is warm and you happen to be on the South American coast that grows the grape and where is produced the clear brandy called Pisco, it is only natural to follow where curiousity leads. If that trail is littered with glass after glass of a spent favorite cocktail, multiple locations, two countries, so be it. Pictured here, Pisco Sour, Azapa Inn, Azapa Valley Northern Chile.