The first thing to do when you arrive in Cuenca is to make reservations for yourself(s) at Joes' Secret Garden. Joes' is owned and operated by Joe and Josef. They have a huge (probably 4,000+ square feet) house where they live upstairs and the bottom floor, other than a kitchen and small bar area, is filled with tables (white tablecloths, linen napkins), and chairs. Full it seats around 120. The backyard is also quite large and houses a large, covered outdoor kitchen.
Every Saturday night the doors open at 5:00 to those with reservations, for a social hour. Ninety minutes actually because dinner is served at 6:30 or 6:45. The menu is different each week. This week was superb fried chicken, cole slaw (also quite excellent), mashed potatoes (very yummy) and cream gravy (wow good), and delicious biscuits. Oh, did I mention this is all-you-can-eat. Nattily uniformed and quite attentive wait staff keep the food, agua and alcohol flowing to your table. Guests are assigned to specific tables.
But I digress, the menu was completed with an absolutely decadent chocolate pudding cake, served hot with coffee.
In case I didn't mention, this meal was grand. Most of the diners are ex pats and it is a wonderful opportunity to meet folks and hears their stories and experiences. We found ourselves talking to a couple from California, and as we discussed baking challenges etc.,another friend joined the conversation and said 'oh these are the people I was telling you about who just moved into your building'. Turns out they live on the floor below us. Small world somedays.
Back to the meal. We got stuffed. It was so good we didn't want to stop eating. We had six glasses of a very good, dry vino blanco. And we gorged on food. Total bill $39.00. You read it right $39.00.
Tough life this.