I have been intending to write about La Parrilla de Hector (formerly Mama Cuchara) for several weeks but I have a problem. Each time I go there I have so much fun I forget to ask my questions and to take notes. 
Finally, I have my act together ... at least as far as telling you about La Parrilla, anyway.
La Parrilla is tucked away in a small cluster of tourist cabins just off the Pan American highway, southwest of Cuenca. The restaurant is attractively decorated, has a welcoming atmosphere and has an authentic Argentinian feel (it's Argentinian-owned, in fact). For families with children, there’s a playground just outside the front door.
At first glance, the menu is a bit of a shock. The first thing that caught my eye were the grills priced at an eye-popping (remember, we’re in Cuenca) $24. On
reading the fine print, however, I realized that this is the price for four people (ah, time to relax and order a drink). There are various individual cuts of meat, including Argentina's favorite, "Bife de Chorizo", which has nothing to do with sausage and is a thick cut sirloin-type with an edge of fat. The meat is served in assorted cut pieces and the parrilla includes "chinchulines,” for adventurous eaters only.
There are also chicken dishes and a plate with grilled veggies. The veggie grills were not available, however, on a recent visit so you might want to check ahead if you don’t eat meat or chicken.
My major complaint about Parrilla is that service and the availability of menu items can be spotty. This is specially true on weekends when the crowds are heavy. I have been at Parrilla’s when they have served marinated veggies, compliments of the house. I have been there when they served grilled potatoes strewn with crispy back bacon. I have also been there when you're lucky to get served. I have been there when the service is impeccable.
For now, I'll label the short-comings "growing pains" and assume that these will be sorted out in due time. La Parrilla de Hector is worth a try as the quality of what is served is usually excellent. Also, I get tired of the same-old same-old always served at La Herradura and La Parrillada near Remigio Crespo. Whereas the quality there is good, it is always the same. Hector goes for a variety of different cuts and anything that reminds me of Argentina gets my vote!
By the way, Parrilla has a fantastic chocolate mousse-type dessert with ice cream.
Parrilla occasionally has live music...an excellent acoustic guitarist and singer one night, interrupted by the best Mariachi group I've seen outside of Guadalajara...and occasional live groups on weekends.
Open for lunch and dinner seven days.
Located on Panamericana Sur, 300 meters from the road to Banos de Cuenca. Phone 084-890-159 and 402-4178.
IF YOU'RE A BEER AFICIONADO, check out Cuenca’s micro brewery, La Compania, at the corner of Borrero and Vasquez.
My German friends tell me it's the best beer in town. They have changed their yeast and made other major improvements. They also have good bar food. According to owners Pedro Molina and Juan Carlos Ordonez, it's only the second micro brewery in Ecuador. The other is in Quito. However, if you're adventurous, give it a try.
The bar name, La Compania, plays with double meanings and religious connotations (Franciscan monks, after all, are considered the brewers who turned grog into something reasonably drinkable) and the beer labels bear witness to the Biblical theme.
Immaculate is a prim and proper light brew, its 4.5% alcoholic content suitable for even the most puckered-up Calvinist. Missionary and Santa Cruz, on the other hand, pack a 6.5% hell and brimstone punch.
La Compania also plans to produce seasonal beers based on visions vouchsafed the owners.