First, an explanation of the name. Tiestos are the clay platters on which food is cooked and served. This is not a novel idea, of course, as cooking on clay (barro in Spanish) is an ancient tradition, practiced in many cultures. Just think about it. Would you rather eat off earthenware or, say, stainless steel?  Or, to put in another way, would you rather eat with your fingers or with knives and forks? But I digress.

Tiesto owner and chef, Juan Carlos Solano, is a personable and highly animated chap who offers, what I would call, a participatory dining experience. The man is a whirling dervish and seems to be everywhere.  He's cooking on his tiestos, chatting to you about food, offering you a taste of what's to come, showing you his new garnishes, inviting you to the cooking area to see the cuts of meat, etc.  I love it! 

And talking about garnishes, don't you love it when you go to a restaurant and are immediately served, say, marinated eggplant, chimichurri, fruit chutney, chilis, marinated onions and other garnishes? You can test it on bread before you lather it over your entree.

Juan Carlos describes his style as "traditional Cuencano and fusion.”  He explains: “When I was in chef school everyone said I should focus on Italian or French food. I decided I didn’t want to do this – I wanted to prove Ecuadorian food could be just as good if it’s prepared with imagination,” He adds: “I admit that I borrow from other traditions, especially Argentinean and Brazilian, but the ingredients and most recipes are Ecuadorian…”

Before opening Tiestos, Juan Carlos was chef at Parrilla de Hector and, unfortunately, borrowed their example of pricing menu items for groups of four ...although one can, of course, order for two.  Examples of the dishes and prices for chicken (serving four) at $28 are: chicken with a red pepper, onion, garlic and cilantro sauce; chicken with mushrooms and bacon; or chicken in a curry sauce with macadamias. 

Then there are a variety of meat dishes too, including lomo fino a la crema y tomate, $32 for four, and Festival de Carnes at $36. The quality of the meat was first class and the "crema" that the lomo was cooked and served in was a delicious reduction to which cream was added.  We also tried the pescado in a salsa de mariscos. That night the pescado was a huge and wonderfully cooked swordfish in a delicious sauce.

There are pastas on the menu as well, which I did not try (with all the wonderful Italian restaurants in town, I can get my pasta fix elsewhere). The desserts are delightful, served on artistically decorated plates -- by Juan Carlos, of course.  The Chocolate Temptation at $3 served four.

In addition to regular menu items, Juan Carlos will tell you about special dishes when they come available. On our visit he mentioned lamb chops and described something outrageous he plans to prepare when he has time: a bacon-lined mould into which he adds lobster and lomo fino, cooks and then inverts onto a tiesto. This is truly a man who refuses to be confined by a menu!

Wine, beer and cocktails are available and, if you're lucky, you'll be offered some homemade liqueur with your coffee after your meal.

Tiestos is open for lunch Tuesday through Sunday from 12 noon to 3.30 p.m. and for dinner Tuesday through Saturday from 6.30 p.m. to midnight. Located at 7-34 Juan Jaramillo at Borrero. Tel. 283-5310 and 087-233-063.

Restaurant notes:  Stein Haus, the new German restaurant just across Rio Tomebamba in New Town (see review, Sept. 9), is making Thursday night, “game night.” Stephen and Peter invite you to join the 5-dice action in an incendiary game of “Hindenburg." The brothers also want us to pass along the word that they will be adding duck l’orange to their November menu.

Photo captions: Chef Juan Carlos; Juan Carlos' desserts are works of art.