Saturday in Atenas

We needed to buy some things in Atenas today so decided to go into town and have breakfast at Cafe Cultura. I've mentioned this newly opened restaurant before in this blog and urge everyone to try it out.

We like to eat in the restaurant's walled backyard. They have tables with umbrellas set up on the grass and  the ambience is so nice. We both ordered the eggs Benedict with smoked salmon and fresh fruit - it's always good. Lance ordered one of their coffee drinks - you can't go wrong with them. I usually order a fresh fruit drink and this time chose one that is supposed to be good for the circulation.

Then off we went to Vargas, the Atenas hardware store. We had decided to buy a fruit picking basket and a long, telescoping pole to attach to the basket. Our mango tree is huge and we can't reach a lot of the mangoes that need picking without some help. The basket and pole work really well and I also used them to pick oranges from our orange tree. The Vargas folks are really helpful - they always make an effort to find what we are looking for.  Today our helper asked if we were Canadians so I guess we have an accent.

We also bought some fruit and vegetables from the street vendors - always a great deal and it's fun to practice Spanish this way.

My fruit basket and pole.

The pole when it is telescoped out - this was actually a subject of some amusement  as I got some wink winks from the hardware guys and ... well, I didn't understand all of what they said.

Quatro avocados - one mil (2 CAD)

Eleven tomatoes - one mil (2 CAD)

Tres strawberry baskets - one mil (2 CAD)

Cafe Cultura, Atenas

Cafe Cultura is a newly opened restaurant, situated on the east side of the park or, to put it another way, if you were standing in the park facing the church, the restaurant is on the left.

Six of us had lunch there today and I highly recommend this restaurant. They serve breakfast, too, which is a big attraction for me. Lots of menu choices. They have an extensive list of smoothies, teas and coffee drinks.

The inside of the restaurant is very nicely decorated. We decided to eat outside in the large walled courtyard at the back. It was so nice sitting at our table, shaded by trees with a good breeze blowing. I had no idea that all this quiet outdoor space exists behind the shop facades on this street. You really have to just walk into businesses to find out what is going on, because often you cannot tell only by looking at the outside of the building.

Between us, we ordered a chicken Caesar salad, a Greek salad, lasagna with house salad, pasta with salmon and a Cuban sandwich. Everyone said their choices were very good, ditto with the smoothies. Mine was made with coconut water, watermelon and carrots. The plate presentations were very attractive. Oh - the lemon pie - try it, try it. One of our group said the pecan pie is really good also.

Our server liked to take all the food orders first, then the drink orders. I'm not sure if alcohol is served here.

This is a great place for a leisurely meal. On the way out, the chef told us they are going to serve a brunch this Saturday - reservations are needed. Not only that, he said he can offer Thai food! He just needs to know ahead of time if it's something off the menu.

Well, I know what I want to do - get a group together and go for Thai food. They close at 7:30 pm but can stay open later if needed.

Here's the important info: owners: Marcial Rodrigues and Osmin Gonzalez. Phone number 2455-0081. Open Monday to Friday 9:00 am to 7:30 pm and the same for Saturday. Closed Sunday. They also do take-out and catering. Visa and Mastercard accepted.