Aquí en Santa Fe is the location for the next story in Café Chronicles. I went there in part because it was a place that I had visited in 1996 or so when I first lived in Bogotá, and I figured it was time I went back. From what I can tell, the restaurant was started in 1986. I don’t know what was there before that time, but the building seems to go back to around the colonial period, which is odd considering its location. Most of the buildings in the Chapinero section of Seventh Avenue are much newer, but this one seems to have retained a charm that is lacking in newer architecture.
Inside the restaurant, there are smallish cozy rooms. The white stucco of the exterior is continued inside, accentuated by heavy dark wood. It is a warm, inviting atmosphere.
The service, like pretty much all service in Colombia, was outstanding, and the food was very good. I do recommend going for the arepas, though I would also say that one must try arepas in different parts of the country because you can find some very different styles and flavors. If anyone wants to back me financially, I’d be happy to do an arepa tour of Colombia.
Another thing that grabbed my attention at the restaurant were the photos on the wall over my table. There were photos of Bogotá from the early twentieth century, and that’s what inspired me to imagine a pre-Hemingway, pre-Fitzgerald, pre-Gertrude Stein version of myself looking for writer companionship.
I’ve always had this fantasy of being a part of groups like that. I also figure there may be contemporary generations of writers that hang around in bars and the like, but they just refuse to invite me. That may be why I’m a café nomad. I continue to look for them, but they are always one step ahead of me.
Henry James Morello 