I was in Copenhagen, Denmark, one day and decided to find an old fashioned butcher shop. Like with many of the old crafts and trades, a master butcher is harder and harder to find. I asked Google Maps to find me a butcher. I found one not too far from where I was staying but far away enough from the touristy part of central Copenhagen.
The shop was called “Slagter Jens” (sort of like being called John Butcher) and in I went. As I stood admiring the orderly rows of cold cuts, meats, and open faced sandwiches, out came the butcher. He was wearing a bowler hat and white lab coat. The hat is a sign of his trade as a butcher. He had been a butcher for forty years.
Outside his shop, I had seen a sign mentioning Finland. I asked him about this. He told me that he sold steak from JN Meats, a Danish beef producer. One of the products are three time award winning steak, “Sashi” from John Sashi Nielsen— and the cattle are raised in Finland. Once they are butchered, the meat is dry aged long enough for the meat to become tender and flavorful.
I bought one slice (I can’t recall exactly but I think it was about 300DKK for 200 grams or $45 for an 7 ounce steak). I had no fridge in my hotel room so I hung it outside my window. A few days later, I had a friend cook it for us. It was utterly divine. Tender, juicy, and tasty like beef.
Apparently, Wagyu beef is not entered into the world steak competition because the fattiness obscures the beefy flavor.
I am not posting a photo of the steak cooked because no photo does it justice. Rest assured, we all wanted more of it.
One day when I was in Parque Virrey, here in Bogota, there was a lady selling mini apple pies. Each pie costs 5,000 each ($1.70). The pies are delicious. The pie lady makes other flavors of pie including blackberry.
The following are some of the items that I have found hard to find, and where to find them:
Mexican food in Bogota? This is one of the most common questions I get. Americans (gringos) are obsessed with “Mexican food” and cry about how they miss Chipotle (an American fast food chain specializing in large burritos etc.). Well, too bad. Or take yourself to Gringo Cantina on Calle 80, 12A-29 (behind the Atlantis mall — or go south on Carrera 11, turn right on Calle 80, and it will be on your left.) The facade is painted in pale pink and blue with large letters that declare: NO MAMES.
This Mexican cantina that has been open for a month now and it doesn’t suck (This is a reference for those who speak Mexican slang). The owner is an Californian with some Colombian roots. He started La Xarcuteria but has sold that concept and no longer has a connection to it. This cantina is his third concept in Bogota. Way to go, entrepreneur!
The owner, Mike, came over to talk to us. His tacos, both corn and flour, are made in house. He is excited to be in Bogota for the start of its culinary revolution (and education). His dishes are small, refined, and fresh. The best dishes are the taco al pastor, the tongue taco (get over it, it’s delicious! Look up, as it is the first one shown in this posting) which he serves so it looks nothing like a tongue for the queasy. Make his day and ask for the taco al pastor without the pineapple (it is too sweet and overpowers the meat).
The sauces are interesting with one made from eggplant/aubergine. The warm tacos are served on warm Colombian pottery which helps keep the freshness. The cold smoked scallop dish was subtle and fresh for those who do not like tacos (and those that do). I would not order the shrimp salad again and the owner admits that this dish is only there to cater to local tastes. I liked the quesadillas with their crunchy fried exteriors and greasy, cheesy, and REAL steak inside (no ground beef, no shredded beef). I enjoyed when Mike and I commiserated about the difference between hard and crunchy as I told him that I like his chicharone/pork rind tostada (an open tortilla that is toasted). Ah, the thrills of foodie geeks!
Dishes came out at a heady speed and Mike left us to eat before coming back for a chat about flavor, sous vide, freshness, seafood, and where to eat in Bogota (so I have a few more to try!). He also kept sending out free dishes for us to try (full disclosure — although this didn’t influence my opinions — it just let me try even more of the menu).
This is a new place so let’s hope it does well. And, yes, he does make a chipotle sauce.
Also: I apologize for the blurriness (and awfulness — the one above which I took quickly as I waited for tacos — to show where the restaurant is situated) of some of the photos… it’s hard to aim and eat at the same time. But, I wanted to post this as soon as possible for the masses… all 37 of you, my readers…
