Tuesday, 27 December 2011 15:22
Pernil with potatoes in El Hoyo. Photo courtesy of the restaurant.
In Chile we have various ways of dividing up the year, which "starts" with the school year and has its first break during winter vacation and again later, on the 18th of September for the independence celebrations; something that I wish would go on forever. After that, everyone thinks that the end of the year has arrived because it is only a few months away from Pascua -that's what we call Christmas in chile— and from there, the new years. Listo, chao 2011.
As the time between September and December flies by, and I refuse to believe that I have to wait another year till the next 18th, so, I have the tendency to go frequently to popular places with history; town restaurants, that have the odor of pernil and cooked potatoes. Yesterday (Monday 26, December) I went to El Hoyo, in one of the most mystic corners of Santiago, located in the great comuna of Estación Central.
"Chicha, Chancho, and Pipeño," reads the sign, providing the people with traditional drinks such as the Terremoto, the Chichón, or simply a good glass of wine since 1912. Clean, with good service and ABUNDANT selection, El Hoyo is not exactly the same as it was. As trends indicate, folklore became fashionable, the neighborhoods more peripheral, and, what was considered poor at one point has become cool -as in the case of Bellas Artes, which was known as La Chimba, a clear example. Places like La Piojera or El Hoyo, today playing hosting to a different crowd, are no exception. With an important flow of tourists and ritzy dinner guests, it gets better and better. Although the prices rise with the quality, it is worth it.
Although it surprised me that a plate of tongue accompanied by cooked potatoes costs almost $5,000 CLP -one would think that the popular food would have a popular price, right?- I should say that it was the best tongue that I have eaten in all of my life. The same goes for the peril and the arrollado (although it was a little dry, it doesn't matter to me if Anthony Bourdain doesn't think the same. Unfortunately, there were not any prietas (blood sausage). If there were, we would have definitely ordered them (You weren't thinking that I was eating all of this myself, were you?). With panera llena de marraquetas, little dishes of pebre, and a liter of cerveza before the main dishes, the service was very quick and attentive.
In conclusion, El Hoyo is a good place to have an abundant amount of exquisite typical food, though maybe not if you are looking for an uproar or a rowdy joint…though maybe we didn't find that because it was a Monday.
Details:
El Hoyo Restaurant
San Vicente 375, esquina Gorbea
Estación Central
Mondays through Fridays 11.00a.m. to 11.00p.m.
Saturdays 11.00 a.m. to 8.00 p.m.
T: (562) 689 03 39
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