Fridays with Alexis

One Friday, gabbing over a pair of juicy burgers at Tio Pappy's, Alexis and I looked at each other and decided, we should do this EVERY Friday. And from there a tradition was born.  Since then Alexis and I have been taking Santiago by storm, testing out a new restaurant every week and playing food critics. Besides being a nifty little way to get to know more about our fair city, it was also a great way to wind down after a long work week, and catch up with one of my favorite ladies. So every Friday for the past 2 months I´ve been callin´ it a day at 8 p.m. when my last class finishes, and then callin´ up a taxi to head out into the night.
And now that the semester has come to a close, I can share with you the final round up. So without further ado, the Molexis (Molly and Alexis) Foodie Tour of Santiago!!

First up, Bené, an upscale restaurant lounge. 
The food is a bit underwhelming, but the service is good, and the atmosphere is great,  nice and chill with low lights, comfy couches in the back, groovy music and a large selection of fancy schmancy drinks and wine to keep you happy. 

We ordered the taquitos appetizer to share, and for the main course I chose a pesto pizza while Alexis went for steak with tostones. 

Second, Ristorante Trinacria.
This was a little Italian gem. We opted to sit outside and enjoy the perfect Santiago night air, but I regret not taking pictures of the interior which was decorated with funky art work in odd shapes and bright colors, adding a bit of magic to the place. Very cirque de soleil-esque. 

We were joined by the lovely Sydney on this particular night.

The menu consists of all different types of pastas and sauces, and you get to mix and match to create your favorite dish. 
I opted for the Gnocchi in Vino Rosso sauce and it was TOP NOTCH. I ate the whole thing up...hence there is no picture of the actual dish. 

Sydney went for a traditional spaghetti with tomato sauce and Alexis opted for the grilled salmon and salad. 

Take 1!

Take 2!

The dessert menu was too tempting not to try. Especially since one of the items listed was "Peach egg and chocolate sausage." What?! It had to be ordered. True to its word, we received part of a peach surrounded by whip cream and soft chocolate cookies resembling sliced sausage. 
We also ordered tiramisu, but it came out still a little frozen. 

Overall, it was a bit pricey (by Dominican standards), but the atmosphere was charming and the main courses were great. 

Our next stop: El Zócalo, a trendy little Mexican restaurant. 

We decided to sit inside since Alexis was all dolled up for a wedding later, but there is a fantastic outside patio that intersects with several other bars: very lively and a great place to people watch on a Friday night. 

Just take a look at that heartstopper: choriza and cheese dip with fresh fried tortilla chips. 

I ordered Gorditas with Chicken Molé filling. 

Alexis had a super scrumptious Pozole soup. I´d say you can´t really go wrong with anything you order here. 

Final Score: The food is delish and very authentic (the owners being from Mexico), the service is sub par, and the price is right. 

We also visited Sushi Ya and a little outdoor (literally, all the seats are located under a tent) Arabic place whose name I forget, although sadly I forgot my camera at home those two nights. Rookie mistake. Anyways, to break it down,  once I figured out that Sushi Ya delivered, they went onto my speed dial button. As far as sushi goes, its the best quality you´ll find in Santiago. (Having now burned through almost the entire menu, I can safely say, go for the yuyito roll and the elf roll, the specialty dishes are also good). As for the Arabian place, it was cute, but the portions were small and the food pricey. If you are looking for Middle Easter fare, I´d go for Shawarma King.

So there you have it folks, a tour of Santiago in food. But as with all things in life, it´s not where you are or where you go, but who you´re with that´s most important. I couldn´t have chose a better partner in crime..er...food ¡Que les aprovechen!