I have a surprise for you for those of you who remember Luciano Tarabini’s glorious cooking back in the day of the old El Cazador Italiano Restaurant.
Now you can enjoy his eclectic and always innovative dishes in the newly opened El Cazador Italiano Fine Dining Club located in a private house in the centre of Antigua Guatemala.
Just a few weeks ago my wife and I enjoyed a special dinner Luciano himself prepared. Intimate yet informal, candlelit tables, in a central courtyard, plus a private dining room, and a lovely roof terrace bar with views of the volcanoes, the restaurant oozes class.
As El Cazador Italiano Fine Dining Club only opens on selected dates, you need to order in advance. I pre-ordered the Osso Buco as Luciano told me he was marinating it to enhance the flavour. My wife pre-ordered the Ravioli del Zucca. But let’s take a step back. Who doesn’t love a welcome drink? We were offered and of course accepted gladly the evening’s cocktail- A Garibaldi: Orange juice with plenty of Campari. It hit the spot!
For the next twenty minutes, we were treated to a selection of amuse-bouche to whet our appetites. Baked aubergine followed by a Parmesan stick with Prosciutto followed by a tartaleta topped with guacamole and shrimp followed by a huge plate of carpaccio Bresaola with arugula and parmesan. After the plentitude of the amuse-bouche, it was going to be a challenge to get through the Osso Buco! And indeed it was! Although it was the star of the show, half the Osso Buco with a side of Risotto Milanese made its way home to be enjoyed the following evening……..
We both pre-ordered Panna Cotta for dessert. Nicely wobbly and sitting in a moreish brandy snap basket with berries, it hit the mark! But before that, we were then served a creamy pre-dessert Baby Cannoncini.
I left the choice of wine to Luciano. He actually imports more than 130 wines from his native Italy. We sipped a 2015 Auritea Di Podernovo 100% Cabernet Franc- A revelation!
As Luciano reminded me, El Cazador Italiano Fine Dining Club is not for everyone. That’s true. But if you’re looking for an exceptional culinary experience here in Antigua Guatemala, then WhatsApp lovely Andrea on: +5024033-5557 and be part of El Cazador Italiano Fine Dining Club. Oh, and Luciano was at pain to tell me that groups of up to seventy people are welcome.
Menus change from month to month, but to give you an idea, below was the menu for April 2023.
