Casa Santo Domingo, Dining in History

There are some sites in the world that convey a unique sense of history. The city of Antigua is one of those places.
Casa Santo Domingo, Dining in History
Casa Santo Domingo Hotel and Restaurant is built around the ruins of a convent destroyed in the 1773 earthquake that devastated Antigua, Guatemala. (Myriam Moran copyright 2013)
By
5/29/2013
Updated:
5/29/2013

There are some sites in the world that convey a unique sense of history. The city of Antigua is one of those places. In the shadow of the Volcan de Agua, the Water Volcano, Antigua is nestled in the Panchoy Valley, about 45 minutes southwest of the capitol of Guatemala City. It is cool and airy. Unlike the capitol, Antigua is free from traffic jams and exhaust pollution. It is where the Spaniard Pedro de Alvarado transferred his administrative center, the General Captaincy of Guatemala, in 1541. Antigua has been declared a place of Cultural Patrimony of Humankind by UNESCO.

Dominican fathers under Friar Domingo de Betanzos built the first church in Antigua. The Dominican order received land grants to found a convent. They built the San Alejo Hospital and College of Santo Tomas that became the University of San Carlos of Guatemala. A church with bell towers, thick stone walls and steeples, with naves and chapels, was completed around 1666. Spanish masters were commissioned to create oil paintings and sculptures in wood and stone. Gold and silver adorned the altar with one monstrance that weighed over a hundred pounds.

Santo Domingo became the largest convent in Guatemala, complete with an ornate fountain. The convent was located on Calle Oriente in the heart of Antigua. Crypts and underground chambers were used for burials of important citizens and Dominican friars.

A disastrous earthquake in 1717 severely damaged the church and convent. It was rebuilt by the Dominicans and the buildings enlarged. Another earthquake in 1773 destroyed both the church and convent. They were never rebuilt. The colonial capitol was relocated.

After Guatemalan independence in 1821, the land where the convent once stood, then in ruins, was sold to private individuals. In 1989, the plots were purchased by Casa Santo Domingo project. The goal of these entrepreneurs was to rescue what remained of the convent and excavate the ruins. An agreement was reached with the National Council for the Protection of Antigua, to excavate and preserve the 17th century architecture.

Today the site houses a 128-room five star luxury hotel with a magnificent swimming pool that has been sculpted within the convent walls. Plantings bring the gardens into focus among restored walls. There are subterranean passages that have been excavated by archaeologists to expose burial crypts.

Casa Santo Domingo has preserved Spanish colonial art in various museums on the property. Some of the museums are located in underground catacombs. They add atmosphere and a sense of history to the extraordinary displays of oil paintings, silver and gold crowns, scepters, pre-Columbian art and archaeological displays. Casa Santo Domingo’s 83 piece silver display rivals any museum in the world in exquisite artisanship and beauty. Wood carvings of the XVI century are polychromed and offer insight into the advanced state of colonial art under Spanish rule.

Dining in Casa Santo Domingo’s restaurant is the experience of a lifetime. At evening candles are lit. Subdued singing of nuns wafts through the hall. The dining room is set inside thick stone walls that once formed the convent. There are no windows, rather openings in the walls give out to a patio with plantings and the garden beyond.

Wood fires burn to ward off chill winds that come down from the mountains at evening. The décor is in keeping with the original structure, its ruined walls excavated from the rubble but not altered. Our table was set in the niche of a four-foot thick stone wall. The table was prepared with a candle in a tall wrought iron holder. Candles burned in holders set in the wall that framed us. It was an intimate setting. Square, hand hammered copper plates adorned each place setting. They held dishes as they arrived at table.

Casa Santo Domingo’s restaurant is supervised by Executive Chef Mario Enrique Campollo Sarti, recipient of the gold Medal of France’s Culinary Academy as well as the Bocuse d’Or from France in 2012. His Chef de Cuisine is Raphael Girod. Victor Hugo is Sous-Chef.

Chef Hugo came to the table to recommend favorites. Trained at Guatemala’s ITCP, Chef Hugo underwent long years of schooling required to become a chef. ITCP training includes 160 ways to make salads, bread making, cake making and cooking skills. When a graduate chef finishes three years formal training the chef must serve a three month apprenticeship. A final test of skills is then required at one of Guatemala’s fine hotels.

Victor Hugo took us behind the scenes, through low and narrow archways, into the modern kitchen. Hair nets were required in the spotless kitchen as Chef Victor Hugo and his cooks and salad chefs prepared dinner. Our first server Manuel Simon brought Ensalada des Camarones to start with. We ordered this shrimp salad along with tuna sashimi and red bean salad.

The chef d’oevres that came out of the kitchen were indeed works of art. Four cooked shrimp were served on an avocado bed atop sliced watermelon. A delicious lemon foam, fine sliced cucumbers and palm opened on the palate with different tastes as each flavor was uncovered from the dish.

The Enasalda de Frijoles Colorados with avocados had a Dijon mustard dressing that brought out the taste of garden ripe organic tomatoes with the beans. The sashimi tuna was fresh caught in Guatemala’s Pacific Ocean. Wasabi mingled with orange vinaigrette to meld avocados, arugula and tomatoes in the salad with the raw fish.

The starters were perfectly served by waiter Manuel Simon on linen cloths that had a soft underlining with carefully placed silver. Each plate was adorned with artistry that added to the taste sensation. They encompassed all the tastes of Guatemala, spicy and sweet at the same time, together and apart.

A basket of small bread boules came hot to the table with fresh butter. Waiter Carlos Cojolon served our main courses. Victor Hugo prepared a variety of meats as well as a Wok of noodles with shrimp. Each Plato Fuerte, or main course, was artfully presented and tasty.

The Wok was cooked in coconut milk with curry. Mushrooms, carrots and chili peppers melded with honeyed noodles and soy butter that added special flavor to the shrimp. The Wok can be ordered with chicken instead of shrimp.

The meat duo included grilled filet mignon and short rib in two separate portions. Small potatoes, mushrooms, and ratatouille decorated the plate. The meat was garnished with a red wine reduction. The portions were ample, the short rib succulent after long cooking and preparation. The meat was so tender it fell away with the fork. The fillet of beef had a wonderful taste.

The Plato Chapin from the grill was served with two large steak portions. Tender and juicy, perfectly prepared with a garnished plate of black beans, guacamole, jasmine rice and fried plantains.

Desserts include house made ice creams and sorbets. The chocolate degustacion with caramelized nuts, whipped cream and chocolate swirls around cake filled with warm chocolate was a taste sensation. The Torreja de Pan Brioche included cream, caramel ice cream and honey. The Pate a Choux consisted of a flaky pastry ball. A delicious vanilla cream greeted the palate surrounded by berry sorbet.

Excellent cappuccinos rounded out the meal. The coffee was served in elegant white china cups and offered an excellent end to a perfect dining experience.

Prices are very reasonable by American standards. Starters run from 40 to 115 Quetzals, $5 to $14 US. Main courses run about 100 to 165 Quetzals, $11 to $20 and desserts are about $5.50.

Leave time to visit the Casa Santo Domingo museums and gardens. Stay in grand luxury of their hotel. Do not miss candlelight dinner in the restaurant. It is an adventure as well as an amazing taste sensation that will live in memory as one of most beautiful restaurants in the world.

Contact information: Casa Santo Domingo Calle Oriente 28, Antigua, Guatemala telephone 502- 7820-1220 FAX 502-7820-1221. Visit their website at  www.casasantodomingo.com.gt or write them at [email protected].

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