I am delighted to report two great additions to Cuenca’s expanding restaurant and night club repertoire: Bapu on Calle Larga and Zoe on Calle Borrero.

For those of you familiar with Great India on Calle Juan Mera in Quito, you'll be happy to know that you can now get the same Indian food fix in Cuenca. The owner of Bapu, Rakesh Patel, saw how popular the Quito restaurant had become and spirited the chefs to Cuenca. Patel was born in Inida but has spent most of his life in Cuenca. 

The restaurant is on two floors, the upper floor decorated in true Bollywood style -- shiny cloth, shiny beads, and floor seating with many puffy pillows and harem draped curtains. Belly dancing allowed.

The cuisine is Punjabi (northern Indian) with equal amounts of vegetarian and chicken dishes.  One can truly order anything "picante" without breaking into a sweat or ordering an extinguiser  Perhaps with more foreigners going there, they'll amp up the heat. For now, I would say all dishes are "mild".

The prices have increased since they opened and the service gone down.  All non-vegetarian dishes are made with chicken. There are juices, shakes, Lassi (yogurt and fruit), beer and wine (if you're lucky).  The main dishes are served with rice or Naan, which is a flat fried bread (recommended). There are some higher priced (and untried) dishes, like Chicken Tandoori and a couple of "Chef's Surprise Dishes", for about $6. 

Open for lunch and dinner.

A second very pleasant surpise is Zoe, located in a nicely renovated historic building on Calle Borrero between Sucre and Cordova. The creation of three young, U.S.-trained owners, Zoe’s has a fabulous menu and lovely ambience (see caveat below).

I originally recommended the Chicken Cordon Bleu with albahaca (basil) but they are no longer using the basil and although tasty is somewhat "ordinary."  My chicken dish of choice is now Chicken Madera...in a madera wine sauce (surprise!) and comes with two sides of your choice. Speaking of sides, don’t miss the buttery, garlicky, potato puree: Entree total, $6.50 plus tax.  

Other excellent choices at Zoe include the Bambu de Marisco, a seafood medley in a rich, creamy sauce; Salmon with a vinaigrette sauce; Lomo Salteado; Chicken in Madeira sauce and coob (yes, coob) salad. The coob is listed on the menu as coming with blue cheese, but there was none in sight or forthcoming when I inquired, so ask before placing your order. These dinners are all cooked to perfection, not something one can always say in Cuenca.

There is a separate coffee menu and desserts are fresh daily. The cheesecake is excellent. There's a separate cocktail menu with drinks starting at $3.25. There is no wine list as yet but the bar has plenty of good Chilean and Argentinean labels.

I do have a couple of complaints (you don’t get Sumana without a bitch or two, you know). Complaint number one: either the chairs are too short or the tables are too high! Complaint number two: please chill the white wine before serving!  

Last word: Zoe’s is great place for a meal and a drink. You’ll be charmed by the architectural detailing on both floors (there’s a bar on each, by the way) but the food is the clincher. The owners are doing a fabulous job and are committed to succeeding.

Zoe opens at 5 pm daily. On Thursdays through Saturdays, the live music cranks up after 9:30 pm. Calle Borrero, 7-61, between Sucre and Cordova. Phone: 284-1005; (cell) 08-723-3882.