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| Everything Chocolate © Casa Cortés P.R. |
(or how to spend a few delightful hours
in a great new place in town)
San Juan -- Casa Cortés, the courteous house, is welcoming in more than one way.
A visit to its third floor will introduce you to a magnificent collection of Caribbean art that its owner, Ignacio Cortés-Gelpi, president of his family-owned chocolate manufacturing company, decided to share with the whole world.
Seeing so much wonderful art might leave you a little exhausted (though pleasurably so) and perhaps in need of some sustenance for which the remedy is close at hand. In fact, all you
have to do is go down the stairs to the first floor and step into the
perfect place for a pick me up of the most gratifying kind: a bar
entirely devoted to chocolate. Spirits are welcome too.
This ChocoBar, the only one of its kind in Puerto Rico, is
more than a casual restaurant to enjoy all manner of chocolate and
chocolate infused food or concoction.
In keeping with Mr. Cortés' love of art, he and his wife Elaine hired
one of Puerto Rico's most stylish architects, Evelio Pina, to design
the restaurant and transform it into the truly eye grabbing, hip space
that it is.
Colorful and airy, the restaurant is awash with bright colors, photo
montages on the walls, intriguing decorative pieces that Cortes
commissioned from different artists and a marble topped bar that
is a fitting resting area for any glass holding elixirs of the chocolate
or alcoholic kind. At the entrance, two magnificent armchairs keep
company with a sculpture of a silver cacao tree bearing large gold
pods of chocolate treasure.
Every detail resonates with charm. One wall is entirely covered with
hundreds of old, silver-colored chocolate molds that create a most
intriguing textural effect. In the back of the restaurant, a small
open room celebrates another type of pleasure: reading. Years
ago, the chocolate company used to distribute small story books.
The memory of those little books still remains in the minds of
many people, including an elderly woman who wrote to the
company to thank it for introducing her to the joy of literature.
A large size replica of that letter is now reproduced on one wall.
For those curious about the art of chocolate making, two large
screens run a 20-minute video about the amazing process from
beginning to end.
The menu at ChocoBar ranges from soups and salads, panini
sandwiches and tapas to desserts and sweets. Selections for morning
breakfast include churros, chocolate-filled croissants, chocolate
pancakes in addition to less sweet-toothed choices such as
scrambled eggs and oatmeal. Prices are moderate.
Whether to rest from an art expedition, while away a bit of leisure
time while drinking hot chocolate in wonderful surroundings, or
find a comfy nook to write or browse the internet on your computer,
ChocoBar invites one to visit and linger.
CHOCOBAR, 210 San Francisco Street old San Juan
787.722.0499 Tue-Sun 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
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| Photography by Denise Blasor When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world. -- John Muir |
KIRK'S ORIGINAL COCO CASTILE
This hypoallergenic skin care bar made with all natural coconut oil is
a really pleasant bar of soap to use. It does not irritate and is very
mild on the skin. According to its manufacturer, Kirk's Natural LLC, it
contains no animal by products nor synthetic detergents like sodium
lauryl sulfate. Its ingredients are: coconut soap, water, vegetable
glycerin, coconut oil, and natural fragrance. Price per bar: $1.69.
Available at Supermax stores in section for baby products.
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| Courtesy of Juliette Blasor Your silence was effortless and windless, like the silence of clouds or plants. All silence is the recognition of a mystery. -- Vladimir Nabokov |
A Night at the Theater
Los Angeles: "Wild in
Wichita" is back in town
and this is the chance for
those who missed it the
last time around to enjoy
this prize-winning Latino
comedy about love
among the young at heart.
In the play, written by
Lina Gallegos, an
elegant Puerto Rican
woman and an irreverent
Mexican caballero find
themselves together as
the only Latinos in a
nursing home in
Wichita, Kansas. Sparks
fly and well, the rest is a
love story that is sweet
yet feisty.
The play opens tonight, Oct. 11, at The los Angeles Theatre Center
in a production directed by Denise Blasor who stars along with Sal
Lopez, Crissy Guerrero and Alberto de Diego. Through Nov. 3.
For a list of performances, check thelatc.org website.
Los Angeles Theatre Center
512 South Spring St. 213.489.0994
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| Photography by Denise Blasor |
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