How the World's Most Dangerous City Becomes Latin America's Hottest Culinary Paradise - Medellin Living

Medellin, Colombia: How the World’s Most Dangerous City Becomes Latin America’s Hottest Culinary Paradise

By KJ Mariño (staff@latinpost.com)

First Posted: Jan 14, 2016 06:00 AM EST

MIAMI BEACH, FL - FEBRUARY 21: A general view of atmosphere at the Bank of America Lifestyle Seminar - Tacos and Beer hosted by Todd Erickson and Evan Benn during the 2015 Food Network & Cooking Channel South Beach Wine & Food Festival presented by FOOD & WINE at The Ritz-Carlton, South Beach on February 21, 2015 in Miami Beach, Florida. (Photo : Getty Images/Jacqueline Romano)

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Medellin was once called as the world's most dangerous and most murderous city because it had been the fortress of one of world's most renowned criminals of all time, Pablo Escobar, who was killed in December 1993. It was also the epicenter of the global drug war. But today, the influence of the Medellin Cartel has been long forgotten and the city has risen as an epitome of the Colombian miracle.

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At present, the once desperately poor and exhausted city of Medellin has become much wealthier, safer and more fashionable city in Latin America. As a matter of fact, CNN cited the city as the region's hottest culinary destination. And since the new restaurants in the city are chef-owned and operated, their menus are often refreshed and innovated.
Due to the changes in Medellin, Chef Laura Londono of Ocio Restaurante, a former chef at three-Michelin-star L'Astrance in Paris and two-Michelin-star Il Rigoletto in Italy, decided to put up her own restaurant in the city in 2013.

"I realized that the city was changing and that people were becoming curious and interested in eating out and eating well," she said, as WDSU News quoted.
So, here are the top local restaurants in Medellin.
1. In Situ Restaurante
This fine dining restaurant is located at Medellin's Jardin Botanico. Among its bestsellers are its sirloin steak bathed in gooseberry chimichurri and its Musaenda salad, which comes with smoked salmon, fresh herbs and caramelized lychee.
2. Elcielo
Dubbed as Medellin's molecular gastronomy kitchen and ranked among the top 50 Best Restaurants in Latin America, Elcielo is known for its Amazon-inspired tree of life made from pan de yucca (cassava bread) and gold-dusted chocolate truffles filled with piña colada.
"Medellin definitely will be a gastronomic destination," Chef Juan Manual Barrientos, who has been named as the most innovative chef in the city, said. "We have a lot of things to offer."
3. Ocio Restaurante
This is an industrial-meets-contemporary restaurant in the city that is famous for its 12-hour roasted pork shank and its house specialty called codito pork in orange balsamic sauce and served with pastua potatoes, which are locally grown. Also a must-try in the restaurant is their alfajor banana tempura dessert with ricotta. And if you're up for some cold dessert, try their house-made caramel ice cream.
4. Carmen
This high-end restaurant offers its plantain-crusted fish of the day, which comes fresh from Bahia Solano and Nuqui on Colombia's Pacific coast. The dish is often served over coconut rice risotto with a baby banana and rum puree.
5. Hatoviejo Restaurante
This restaurant offer Colombia's traditional dish called bandeja paisa. This Colombian specialty is consists of beans, beef, chorizo, fried egg, fried plantain, pork rind, rice and avocado.