Before I got here in December, my husband raved about a restaurant he went to with some colleagues where the chef could create whatever dish you wanted. Although that kind of restaurant sounds complicated to me, I was up for trying it. The restaurant is Yantar and is located in Los Palos Grandes. As the website mentions, the chefs are specialists in blending traditional Latin American dishes with Caribbean flavors. The decor is very nice – I would say that this it’s higher end, but I have no idea how many stars it has, if any.

For starters, we had a carrot puree with crushed pepper and olive oil,  compliments of the chef. It was very creamy and the toppings added a nice edge to what could otherwise have been a dull flavor.

For my entree, I had a seafood platter which was accompanied by pasta covered with a ginger sauce. Unfortunately, I’m not a fan of ginger and felt that it overpowered the pasta. The sauce in the middle was a reduced teriyaki sauce that I felt also had too much ginger.

My husband had a grilled tuna over a sweet potato puree. The tuna was very fresh and well prepared. The purée was creamy with a hint of lime. The butter sauce underneath was a rich and complemented the both the tuna and purée. If I liked tuna more, I would’ve like this dish a whole lot.

We didn’t have dessert this time, but I’ve tried their tiramisu and it was very good. Prior to dessert, they serve a pre-dessert which is a sort of rice pudding with coconut. I’m also not a fan of rice pudding, or coconut really, but I was able to enjoy eating it. Overall, my dining experience hasn’t been that great at Yantar mostly because I’m a picky eater. I do, however, recommend it to anyone who appreciates refined Caribbean/Latin American cuisine. Remember if you don’t see anything on the menu to your liking, the chefs take special requests.

You know the stereotype that Latin American women love to wear tight clothes?

Well, it’s alive and well in Caracas. The pair of pants in this picture here are actually considered loose in comparison to what I see women wear every day on the streets. Even women wearing professional suits look like they picked two sizes too small – and I mean I think they really do.

I was recently in Sabana Grande, which is considered a pretty large shopping district (similar to Lower Manhattan sans skyscrapers) in Caracas. I spotted a nice pair of pants and asked to try them on. I didn’t realize the sizes here run smaller and as soon as I got the pants on, I knew I needed the next size up. When I came out show my mom that they were too small, everyone else in the joint started saying they were perfect. I said, “Uuhh no, they’re too small – the material is tugging at the zipper.” The employees said “No, they’re supposed to be that way.” Right…

The men also wear fitting clothes; more so than the men in the States. However, living in South Florida for seven years, I got used to men dressing differently.

Considering that I wouldn’t wear pants as tight as this picture, I guess I’m a bit of an outcast. I think clothes should be trendy, but they should especially flatter the person wearing them. Extremely tight clothes do not flatter anyone most people. But of course, to each his/her own and I just have to get used to being out of fashion while I’m here.