After an extended sojourn in Colombia, I headed back to Ecuador via the Pan-American Highway, crossing the border at Tulcan. The relief was immediate. My first impression was the lack of police with automatic weapons. Yes, in Colombia the police and military presence have brought a sense of stability to much of the populace but it comes with a price, including constant road, baggage and vehicle checks. For the tourist, it's a drag.
 
The other draggy thing about that gorgeous country north of the border is the food. In the large cities everything is available. In smaller towns and cities what is offered is a variation of the national dish, "Bandeja Paisa."  This is fried ground beef, fried pork cutlet with crispy rind, fried chorizo, fried banana, avocado, rice and beans and optional fried egg. Did I mention that most of the food comes fried?
 
In Tulcan, we found ourselves at Hotel Unicornio, whose restaurant turned out to have not only excellent service but wonderful Chinese food…probably the best I’ve had in Ecuador. Luckily this set the tone for our leisurely journey through Ecuador and the happy discoveries of great restaurants with delicious food and unexpected delights. Okay, you sticklers. Ecuador is not known for its cuisine but I am here to tell you how thrilled I am with freshness and variety of what has been offered.
 
In Otavalo we discovered the Hotel Ali Shungu. The restaurant is in a delightful setting and the food was remarkably good.
 
I will not elaborate on the Quito food scene other than to say that everything is available there…from $1.50 almuerzos to gourmet cuisine. Oh, all right, I will mention one of my faves in La Mariscal because it is set back from the road, between two buildings and could be missed. Fried Bananas is a little gem, offering wonderful soups, pastas, steaks, chicken and organic salads at reasonable prices.  It is at 21-251 JL Mera, near Ventimilla.
 
Now the coast. All the seafood I’ve had has been outstanding in its freshness and flavor. It’s like you can’t go wrong. I’ve stopped asking what the “catch of the day” is, because it is often a fish I’m not familiar with. “Guayaba”? I thought that was a fruit! It is all so fresh it doesn’t even smell like fish, always a good sign. What is called “corvina” here is what North Americans call sea bass; no matter what you call it, it has great texture and flavor.  The corvina served in the mountains, by the way, is something else. If you’re in a fishing village and don’t know where to go I would suggest picking the busiest place. Locals know what’s good (most of the time).
 
I’ve heard people say that Ecuador’s ceviche is the best. I tend to agree because it is simple, fresh and tasty. Mexican ceviche is mostly “cooked” in lime juice. In Ecuador, the fish and shrimp Ceviche is mainly flash cooked in boiling water and then marinated in lime juice with salt, tomato, cilantro, onion and chopped green pepper. If you’re having ceviche mixto, then the octopus and squid are cooked beforehand.
 
If you find yourself in the laid-back surfing beach of Canoa and looking for something different, do go to Amalur, owned by a Spanish woman from Bilbao. The food is Spanish/Basque, freshly prepared (aka “Slow Food”) and deliciously authentic, with lots of olive oil and garlic. The restaurant overlooks the football field, two or three blocks from the beach. Her “pimientos asados” were the best I’ve had…oven roasted and marinated in oil and garlic. The other star of Canoa is Café Flor, which is located 200 meters from the main beach drag and is signposted and easy to find. The menu is international and includes a pretty good pizza and marinated veggie salad as well as the usual pasta suspects, fish, chicken and meat, all deliciously prepared.
 
When you're in Puerto Lopez, don't miss Bellitalia. It's run by an Italian couple in a charming setting two or three sign-posted blocks away from the beach. It is only open for dinner, from 6 p.m. Their “Pasta al Tonno” was…actually better than mine…in a gooey tomato and tuna sauce that was slightly picante. Yum! And, to be fair, Patacon Pisa’o is a Colombian restaurant, serving its namesake, a large thin patacon (fried plantain) with delicious toppings, like a fresh shrimp salad. Of course Arepas (corn pancakes) are also available, topped with shredded beef, chicken or beans, served with real Colombian coffee. It is on the paved walking street, set at right angle to the beach.
 
Heading down the coast to Montañita, the surfer capital of Ecuador, and therefore full of stuff that surfers like…shakes, juices, cocktails, pizzas, pancakes, pasta, seafood, outrageous desserts, and of course, beer. There’s brick-oven baked pizza at Pizza Marea, which is on one of those streets running at right angles to the beach (to one side of that huge full block hotel). Their “Aji” (hot sauce) is simply aji chile baked in the pizza oven and ground. Outstanding! At Happy Donkey they specialize in dishes made with Swordfish (pez espalda) as well as doing a damned good steak.
 
And then there’s Tiki Limbo Hotel and Restaurant on the busy street running parallel to the ocean. It has an eclectic menu that includes dishes like Indonesian Nasi Goreng, Arabic dishes, like falafel, shawarma and hummus; pad thai noodles and shrimp curry (see photo). Portions are large and the food is delicious. The most popular place in town is Hola Ola, and deservedly so. It is also the only place in town that is open around 8.30 a.m. for a good cup of coffee.
 
It is hard to describe exactly where Machu Picchu is located, so ask around (on the corner near Charo’s). They have a $3.50 lunch menu posted outside and I thought I’d try it…baked fish, etc. Well, I almost fell off my chair when I realized the corvina was covered in a shellfish reduction that was superb. The chef is from Dominica and trained in Florida. They also have the best mojitos this side of Havana.
 
There’s a lot more good food (and booze) available in the Montañita area.  Treat yourself to some wonderful seafood, sit back with a cocktail, and enjoy the sunset.

Photo captions: sunset at Montanita and dinner at Tiki Limbo.