Maria's Alemania Bakery

I met Shelley and Brian for lunch today. I had suggested Maria's Alemania, on Hermano Miguel and Sucre, because I had read on adventureyes.blogspot.com that they had shrimp quiche and light and flaky empanadas. This bakery is known for its bread but they also have a very pleasant patio in the back where you can have lunch. We were there at noon and the sun was directly overhead and brutal so it’s probably better to get there around 1PM when the sun has moved enough so that half of the tables are in the shade.

I had not intended to write about the food so I didn’t take any pictures of it. I did, however, take pictures of the setting because the sun shining on the scallop-textured walls made them glow and they looked gorgeous. Then I thought I might as well mention the food if I’m going to post pictures of the walls!


I had so been looking forward to the quiche. Now that I’ve been here close to two months I feel like I’m going through a bad case of food withdrawal because, living in New York, I can eat a huge range of fantastic cuisine from pretty much any country in the world. As much as I adore Ecuadorean soups (really some of the best soups I’ve ever tasted) I would kill for some authentic Chinese food (dim sum, I miss you terribly!) or a nice cheese plate.

So you can imagine my disappointment when neither the shrimp quiche nor the beef empanadas were available. Brian and I split the lone shrimp empanada that was there and I ordered the lasagna. The empanada was wonderful, light and flaky and lovely. Other empanadas I have eaten in Ecuador have been tasty but the dough dense and heavy. The lasagna, on the other hand, was not as successful. It did not have any ricotta at all and it had peas and carrots--not what I had hoped for. There are enough Italian restaurants in Cuenca that it’s probably a better idea to eat lasagna elsewhere. Brian and Shelley had the beef crepe (a large crepe rolled around a beef filling) and the vegetarian empanada and rated them quite good. Shelley also had a slice of the Hawaiian pizza and thought it was fine but I would guess that this is not the best place for pizza.

We also bought some pastries to take home. I got a slice of a chocolate and nut cake because it looked amazing. I’ve been nibbling at it for the last hour or so and I still can’t make up my mind what I think of it. It is extremely dense--a layer of cookie dough at the bottom, topped with a thick layer of a nut and fruit compote (figs?) and the whole thing is covered with a hard chocolate coating. And yet it is dry and not particularly tempting--the fact that it's been sitting next to me for over an hour and half of it is still there? Not a good sign. I shall continue my search for a scrumptious chocolate pastry.

The Local High School

This is the local public high school, which I pass every time I walk to the centro. Colegio Benigno Malo was founded in 1858; however, its present location was built in 1924. It was the first coed high school in Cuenca and it's one of Cuenca’s largest buildings, as well as one of its most beautiful landmarks. Its alumni include several prominent politicians and writers, among them the president of the National Assembly.

It’s located on Fray Solano and Daniel Cordova and attended by close to 2000 students, which is over capacity. It is not in good repair and a couple of years ago its students went on strike demanding improvement in both its physical and academic infrastructure. Imagine, high schoolers demanding a more rigorous education! It does my heart good.


It is a truly grand structure, in spite of the broken panes in many of its windows and the graffiti defacing some of its walls. Like many beautiful buildings in Cuenca, it is a monument to the faded glory of days gone by.

Sakura Restaurant

I ran into Jason and Donna on my way to lunch at Sakura, a Japanese/sushi restaurant (2451 3 de Noviembre). They had not eaten at this restaurant so I promised them I’d write about it in the blog--this is for you guys!


It’s hard not to use my past experience eating at Japanese restaurants in New York as a baseline for comparison, because that’s what I know. Given that disclaimer, I thought the atmosphere was pleasing, with elements of authenticity, such as the sushi bar. The greenery and cloth banners hanging by the large window provided soothing decorative touches. We were the only customers at that time and service was excellent. However, I can't say what it would be like when crowded.

The menu is extensive, including sushi and sashimi, as well as other traditional main courses. We ordered the mixed tempura to share as an appetizer and while the coating wasn’t the light and airy texture that I would expect in tempura, it was fine, and not greasy, specially the vegetable pieces which were nice and crisp--the shrimp was a little mushy. We were both in the mood for sushi and both ordered the Light Combo, which included half a sushi roll, two pieces of sushi and one of sashimi for $7. A 12-piece assortment of sushi selected by the chef, is $12. For Ecuador, the prices are on the high end.

Unfortunately unagi (eel), which is my favorite, was not available that day—this was surprising as I think of eel as a Japanese staple. They were also out of a couple of the other choices we had made so we had to scramble to rethink our order. Apparently choices are limited on a daily basis, so it would make sense to ask what’s available before you decide.


Here’s a picture of part of my meal—unfortunately I didn’t remember to take it until I had already eaten the roll! While the sushi I had was tasty, the flavors were not crisp and clear. I found that, because the flavor of the ingredients in each sushi were indistinct, the 3 different sushi items tasted rather similar. The salmon sashimi, on the other hand was fresh, buttery, and delicious.

For dessert, I recommend the homemade green tea ice cream--I love that earthy taste and I was very happy to know that I can find it in Cuenca if a craving should strike. All in all, I can’t say Sakura serves the best sushi in town, as it’s the only sushi restaurant I’ve tried here. I would say that while not the best I’ve ever had, it does adequately satisfy the need for something different.

Smart Mouse

I went to take a look at the Cuzco and Otavalo artisan crafts sale that was held yesterday at Plaza El Farol as part of the April 12 celebrations. Nothing really stood out from items sold at any of the markets around town. However, one street seller, who I don’t think was an official vendor, caught my eye and I bought one of these walking mice. I was pleased by the ingenuity of its design and mechanics. It is a piece of packing foam cut and glued into the shape of a mouse, with a set of little cement wheels added. When the string on top of the mouse is pulled it winds up the crank and when the string is released, turns the wheels so it walks on its own.

You can also pull the string and use it as a sort of leash, since the wheels will turn as you pull the mouse by the string. This man had turned inexpensive industrial materials into whimsical artifacts, which he could then sell at a profit (a decent one, I hope). I was impressed.

Running for All

I was walking to meet some friends for breakfast this morning and on the way noticed a crowd of runners milling about and apparently waiting for a race to start. I was puzzled to see a real mix of people, anywhere from what looked like serious athletes to middle aged matrons with a few extra pounds, elderly men, stylish young women, and young kids--all dressed in running gear and clearly raring to go.


I took a few shots and then asked this guy what it was all about. He told me it was a 15 km (approx. 9.3 miles) race, organized by Jefferson Perez (an Olympic medal winner from Cuenca) and that it was considered a fairly prestigious event, with runners coming from all over South America and other parts of the world. I figured the serious athletes would probably be running in front but what impressed me was that, from the looks of some of the runners, anyone could participate. It didn’t look to me like they had to meet rigorous criteria to participate and I thought that was just great.


Here are some runners stretching (and a little beefcake).


Once I had walked away I saw this guy coming up the street clearly headed for the race site, skipping along like a little kid, but with big strong strides, as a way to warm up. He looked pretty focused but I have to admit he looked quite comical.


And here are a few runners who appear to belong to a team, an Ecuadorean team I presume, because of the giant Ecuadorean flag-colored hand.

Once I got to the restaurant we saw that the race was being broadcast on TV. I tell you, anyone who runs here has to have some really fit lungs. Between the high altitude and the hilly terrain those lungs will get as serious a workout as anyone could wish.

Here's a shot, taken from Hoy, a local newspaper, of Byron Piedra, a native Cuencano, as he nears the finish line to win the race. He was followed by Patrick Nthiwa, from Kenya and another Ecuadorean, Miguel Almache, in third place. For the women, Alene Amare from Ethiopia took first place, Diana Landy (Ecuador) second, and Julia Rivera (Peru) third.