The Corner Colmado – With Delivery

The “colmado” is a thing there in the Dominican Republic. It’s like a corner drugstore or a bodega… basically, what you need, or want, you can get at your local colmado. They deliver. The important thing is that they deliver beer. Really cold, icy, beer. “Bien fria” is the phrase for an icy cold beer. That’s easy Spanish. So, if you find yourself at an Airbnb or some other place here, get the number of your local colmado, and learn the phrase “bien fria” so that you can get your beers delivered. The colmado will deliver anything they have to your home. Even a single egg.

sm2_RAGnEBaotENYvaUtsxLzF41-z7plZ3_1Puf_1kszttpJkCC-2s-CQ8nnuTLVi-oSqCRMSKF8FtqKZT4ZpB6_Fje3X8qIobPF_lBFFh7XhYjVdayZ8E-AKab7zBcolpLqUIONmDVK1AlwENN7NmyPm8SesCN6OjIpb1LJXiFOvgJ8wmqVcoei_TThere are colmados on every street, which is hard to tell from my blurry photos out of the car…

For the Dominicans, this is their local pub, bar, local watering hole, hangout, a place where they go after work, on the weekends, to get a “bien fria” and chill. Maybe followed by some dancing. Not your stuffy organized “dahnce” but just the pop-up impromptu salsa that happens because your feel it in your feet, your arms, your soul. The music is in your DNA. And it wants to get down and express itself.

The Dominicans will turn any place into a party, from their local gas station, barber shop, corner store, and so on — into a place to chill with beer and dancing. Not just their colmado.

t02RXp57vYKJqZveiRDjrUZTxwuvrk1EvelAyuhgGFZA3MOJSgONYVedAF0ze8g1ImNFLVcrs5ihVjOI3b_TVH9eD5xRRZ_ZNM_3_NUVwM7fI0Ob3KoGaI8POg6QkbBXUxubLolT6soLqKGYYzSLVm11TVtgVphIKGGzKHVFE0uM4VB_jC3NWtZTJSThis may be a class thing… not sure, but I don’t think that the “upper” class hang out at their local colmado… but I could be wrong.

The German Butcher – Santo Domingo

cyx-x2bmFSuPLKhvULzBVF0Z7e4aypsMdUNYLCfW2Cw0oktUK2GV3KlBKusza3lWdeUQPWgk66BszbDwsdIDUeZOu7cpfRM2f_cBm4P2onHmCCXUvujh2MbPfr43muE1ooKqDCiLDWiyzGdm2QB0QwVVXlvUJlAQA4W2aoB0XIG8W-CipxBshxR8AcThe larger than life Jamaican woman is the event. Sure, go for the ribs and potatoes too. Plus the German beer. But, mainly, it’s a good place to drink and carouse. Carolina, the Jamaican German who owns this place makes this one of those places where you feel welcome. (If you like fancy places, look away now.) 4IfY3rgceTBzv52wtBVsnyg1-JMDvIZU_hPoU63Yq_2YXCOoAIJvktbfLg5V6jTXmuyRxu3_-IFawD3rf61Sl8rx-9CVs6hsZOWfOvzReaKSGqj-TqI6CzznQ_zJLpii70LC7tvd3GXntrP23Z1ad4LZRKn7sC13vO39CYiVuGYEUuAY-nS-bzNo3kIt’s a self service sort of place, or rather, self order. There are various men and boys, like the baker’s son, who will deliver your food to you, but you order stuff inside. This is a place where the water is the most expensive item on the menu. A lunch plate for two of ribs and potatoes (split open like hot cross buns and soaked in chives and butter), with meatball thrown in, cost around 545 pesos ($10). The potatoes are golden mega-nuggets of comfort. dKyW3Z0F5ScYrVCE2B2_a2ZgPcuqOMqagSa4dCGyirfHzM23BSUxqVfX6ttvA2QKaROvBCtd90BnQL9Dvpish3l-W6e6HNqmpZZTDGmdabD6F7d3OEpxR4P3K_wPdEfCQbbKmzyBO27WjGYF5W0cIu0FJsYBrLJJPw3YjCeqpuXGfklwXNa2sDDDu1Carolina (great name for a lady who serves barbecue) serves grilled ribs, sausages, meatballs, and she sells them too. The addictive potatoes are the accompaniment, and when she remembers, there is sauerkraut. The only sauce is a sweet mustard, unless she remembers to make a chili sauce. When I asked for chili sauce, she brought me the tiniest chili peppers (they were under an inch in size) to chew on. I did. equF8p2QC-z4cMp90v8eGMDR2Dgrxo8KRz11pbiwraaeYdwW7z94B5Zwj4KH5bQSQDdKPi474sF8kryvDKXC-YxymlDezd6wq-u-vxxqdXzl50AHVa1yNfbfJQnhnILwYj9BsvJqGehy0KCTA6ATRcLqYboEw91fR-2AhaXSP1oWJRixdo7PyQwSOuThe location is on a street off the malecon (coast road): Calle Hermanas Mirabal, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. This place is easy to find on Google. Once you find the street, the restaurant is a few hundred yards up the street, next to another stall. The German place is quite large with a small beer garden feel. There are lots of fans and shade to keep you cool if the icy cold beer doesn’t. Inside, you order your food at the deli counter and the beers at the other corner. They will keep track on a chit and you pay when you leave. Not sure about credit cards as I paid cash. Inside, the German Baker had a table set up selling his breads. He sells pretzel bread and many other items.NVQSSpyyO7z3DETLop7Ubg-IgttbdQgqSj3oE7Xh_BItfsI35xfrtpER9AUHbdG7u2I1pYx3FSHS-4SMBFR21ZRoJZeixa8LEIz5ViokrvuRLEmX_XqGPA03Lhj2WTxaLtPtrCY5kAykAjrOm1kBjipFSKj1sr5pZVb3soqn2OROOoGHIZPq7syDMXYou can’t miss it as Carolina will be the LOUD large lady yelling and singing in Spanish, German, and English. She likes to talk dirty and flirt in a big way. If you get there before noon, she may be less racy. May. Be. She does thirsty work so we bought her many a beer and she sat with us, in between bursts of hugging, dancing, or yelling!G4O-1szHb3JClupnPexDTRYgR_SZbv1XTWS129bHm1un25vj4SecDzr8o1mjRhGgigITtTIIpJjIqQ3NL-ZcvgxXB8fFCt31VtdPxKEfueiIylnW8snOEhm6KcauhQ7Wrg07_fuC4Yg1EapsMPM7VgupIPjyf-OEBSPo9iyMKTDnd11-dNFd7Snv6mSometimes there is entertainment, other than Carolina, and that will bring about more carousing. Despite this place being “famous” — it doesn’t feel super touristy. Maybe because Anthony Bourdain hasn’t been here.gucL1lJ-qUxTveLWr4Nbitq16LLWqfQd9PwAh_DfamRlORCDVJCnp2-Vei98_2jb6M2vhzfKOPeDfqyUzUikXHvuxS9uYMVezbI_7T1dq6mJ4hYBdv78nWmUiKkvgLY18owc9MnLl0lRxXjrZcg3kINNb8XoSrHbBAnaG-FzjM5E9P7yPNMrcW_laoIf I lived here, I would probably be here every Saturday. EqHVIBHIwgvEEHOiBIeJuE72323iPlIEP3nw8hYxSKmbl-6Gg4LNYWT6IffXhm__tSe4A-NXmrUAkypUsDdF5jsvh6AaVZlD6a7MQaH9yBNGoeQvxyLyhvdlgU14t95ufZPmP2YXE2yHMqfQJC--iQaRtz__0zkEsUCjaZks5xY4u7ALbvoGksk0sE