Oh my how time flies! Just five days ago we told you we were excited because our son and daughter in law were arriving Sunday evening for a short visit.
Well, it is now Friday morning and we sadly watched the two youngsters drive off in a taxi early today to head to the airport in Manta. They only had a week during their children’s school break to come and visit and, with two long travel days factored in, that left us with only four full days to try to give Jimmy and Brooke a taste of Ecuador.
We managed to fit in quite a few activities and took hundreds of photos which I am in the process of getting into some kind of order for a post. But, today we thought that we would do a quick post about a visit we made to Trattoria da Gabriele in Montecristi.
We have been to Montecristi many times to purchase furniture, shop, and visit the museum in that town. Montecristi is famous for being the original home of artisans who crafted the famous “Panama” woven hats. The small city still has hundreds of artisan workers and many shops selling all kinds of hand-made items.
Almost every time our friends hear that we have been to Montecristi they ask us if we went to the Italian restaurant, Trattoria da Gabiele there. We have never had the opportunity or time to do so in the past, but managed to fit in a lunch on Wednesday with Jimmy and Brooke and our taxi driver friend Roberth.
The setting and ambiance of the restaurant is unique located well outside of the downtown area on a high hill near a monastery.
The dining area has beautiful views of the valley below stretching out to the Pacific ocean.
(That is Brooke walking out to a view area located off the dining room.)
We do not think that Roberth had ever eaten Italian food and he was unsure what the items listed on the menu might be. I ordered meat ravioli and ordered a plate for Roberth too.
Mary got the lasagna fettucine.
And Jimmy and Brooke got salad with individual pizzas.
The prices were reasonable and there were many menu items to choose from. They make their own smoked ham and bacon at the restaurant and prepare the food with authentic Italian flair.
Roberth had a new experience and we enjoyed a fantastic meal! There was plenty of laughter and we took a couple of to-go boxes home to enjoy later that evening.
We recommend taking the detour up the mountain to the restaurant, “Trattoria da Gabriele” the next time you are in Montecristi!
Another fantastic place to eat here where…
Life is good in Ecuador!
A favorite place ….so many things to try…. and so tasty…. looking forward to my next trip there
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We had heard so many good things about the restauant that we had to try it. It was especially good going with family and Roberth!
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The pictures turned out great! You’re camera takes some amazing shots. Brooke and I really enjoyed that restaurant. Thank you for covering the tab and for being sooo generous. We feel greatly blessed to have had the chance to visit. We Love you and Mary so much.
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No, thank you for coming all this way to visit us. We had a fantastic time. We are glad to hear that your return trip is going well. Give our love to everyone there. Love you!
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Looks gorgeous
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I know that you would love it! The food was excellent and the view was to die for. We are so lucky to live in this area.
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Looks good, we enjoy our Italian restaurant, only one, in the pig eating Sierra!
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Does not matter if it is in England or Ecuador – Good Italian food is hard to beat!
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John and Mary (and your readers), I came across a link showing first hand photos of the devastation and aftermath of the earthquake. Please feel free to delete this post if I’m in error of posting this. https://www.gringotree.com/blog/disaster-relief-first-hand-observations-and-suggestions/
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No problem. There are lots of accounts out there. Thanks for the info.
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