By Claudienne Peterson

~ Salsa lessons, new meals, and the best place to have coffee ~

Thinking of a spot to have lunch on a gorgeous afternoon? Ernest & Fidel is an excellent option. Take the opportunity to sit down indoors or outdoors with the gorgeous surroundings of Port Cupecoy, the home of Ernest & Fidel.

The coffees are delicious and the atmosphere is so comfy and inviting. Everything here is tailored to your needs and liking. I had the opportunity to recently sit down and have lunch – it was my first time having lunch at Ernest & Fidel – and what a pleasurable experience it was!

I am not really a coffee expert, but I enjoyed every single cup, from the regular hot stuff to the yummy frozen Frappuccinos, and I must say, I am a new fan. When it comes to coffee, the establishment respects the measurement for each type of coffee. The added value it has is that staffers take the time to ask each and every customer: "How do you like your coffee?" They care, which is much appreciated and evidently apparent as they took the #1 spot in the Daily Herald's "Best of" survey for 2011's "Best Place to have Coffee."

After some coffee, I was served a beautiful plate of the day's special: an appetizer called Bomba de Papa (potato bomb) which is a deep fried ball made up of mozzarella surrounded by flavoured mashed potato. I have so much to say about these little balls. They are awesome! The mashed potato has a slight flavouring, perfectly accompanying the delicious mozzarella cheese. They are so addictive; I could gobble up a whole plate of them.

Next was a beautifully presented traditional Chilean dish called Arroz Tapado (covered rice) consisting of three layers: the first was a bed of white rice, topped with a tasty, rich stewed beef, topped with another bed of rice and garnished with stewed vegetables and patacons (green plantain) served with a fresh side of salad and a dressing of Capers in Olive Oil (which is nice for dipping and scooping with the patacons). There's a little history behind the name of this dish called "Covered Rice." It is a "humble" dish says Ernest & Fidel owner Felipe, that's how the working class men took this simple meal to their jobs in the field; it had to be "covered" to take anywhere.

This dish and many other traditional Latin dishes served at Ernest & Fidel have a story behind their names, such as Peru's "Anti Cuchos" (kebabs of beef or chicken) or Cuba's "Ropa Vieja" (shredded beef with white rice, sweet plantain and salad). Ernest & Fidel's menu goes to the roots of each country of its Latin American dishes. The story of Cuba's "Ropa Vieja" goes that the servants of the high class would secretly take the leftovers from the master's table and hide those leftovers in the master's dirty laundry they took home to wash.

It's pretty cool that the owner has such a passion for the food and seeks the background behind each dish. "Traditional Latin meals are also known to be high in carbs. Back in the day, people needed the energy for hard labour," says Felipe, so Fidel and Castro have also re-worked these dishes for today's more health-conscious eater; it's the traditional "working class" food presented up a notch.

Ernest & Fidel's Chef Claudio Rojas hails from Argentina and left his home to travel the whole of Latin America on motorcycle, this is quite similar to the story of Che Guevara who travelled South America on motorcycle and later met Fidel Castro in Mexico. Each country they stopped at, Claudio and his girlfriend would stay a while and would work in a restaurant, which was great, as Claudio already had the experience of having a family background in restaurants. It took five to six years for them to get around the whole of Latin America and, with each country, he learned the traditional food. All this experience Claudio has brought with him to Ernest & Fidel!

Salsa!

New to Ernest & Fidel is its "Salsa Basics for Everyone" every Saturday. This is a fun and easy way to follow salsa classes with no experience required. The aim is that people feel their bodies and feel the music. It's just the basics and all about having fun. Tickets are sold at Ernest & Fidel at $20 per person, and include a free drink: the awesome mojitos and sangrias are highly recommended, but it can be pretty much anything you fancy. The class starts at 5:00pm and goes on till 6:00pm.

Ernest & Fidel is located in the fabulous Porto Cupecoy. For more info, please call 546-4848.

Visit the fabulous website at www.ernestandfidelcafe.com

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