Casa Alonso
Nouvelle Cuisine in Downtown Cuenca

Casa Alonso, the restaurant inside Mansión Alcázar Hotel, is a quiet oasis in an oftentimes noisy city. An oasis where you can enjoy a fine meal, fine wine, and a fine atmosphere.

The Setting

This delightful restaurant has two dining areas. One is inside the restored colonial building.

The other, shown in the image on the right, is in a glass-in gazebo, surrounded by garden greenery.

Each area has its own ambience. The gazebo is perfect for larger dinners, where everyone can see each other in the large open space. The lighting here is more subdued.

The main, but smaller, dining area uses mirrored dividers to create more intimate settings while at the same time making the room seem bigger than it is. The lighting here is brighter, but not intrusive.

Comfortable chairs, beautiful wall paintings and a huge bouquet of roses have you thinking that you're in a country inn somewhere in Europe.

The Food

Clayton Carnes, the chef of Casa Alonso (click here to read an interview with him), has created a menu full of the flavors of Ecuador.

These include rabbit, duck and sea bass, quinoa, mango and tree tomato (tomate de árbol). No more of the heavy European sauces that he inherited from the previous chef.

If he's in the kitchen when you visit, you'll likely meet Clayton, originally from the US. He enjoys coming out to ask his guests how they'd like their meal prepared.

"There's something here for everyone," he told us. "No one else has the plates, and I'm very proud of this new menu—it's fresh, exotic, with new flavors that come from everything fresh and wonderful that Ecuador has to offer."

Our first visit after Clayton introduced his new menu, Lulie enjoyed sesame-crusted sea bass on a bed of mango and corn. Delicious! Jeff had the filet of chicken, while our dining companion enjoyed the Steak Mansión Alcázar, a thick filet mignon.

There's also a large selection of desserts (Jeff's specialty). He recommends the Studio de Chocolate. Or how about a coffee cream tart with an orange and balsamic sauce with cappuccino-flavored artesanal ice cream?

Wines

You have a wide choice of wines at Casa Alonso. Most are from Chile, although there are wines from Argentina and Europe as well.

Prices and Payment Options

Clayton's new menu has brought lower prices to fine dining in Cuenca.

"I'm looking to offer more enjoyable food that people can really take time to enjoy. And the price range makes it affordable for anyone to come in for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

"So far we have had a great response to the menu, from Quito to New South Wales, and that's because we serve the best food possible."

Our first visit to Casa Alonso, when Clayton still had the old menu, came with a bill close to $60, including two glasses of wine and one dessert.

On our latest visit, three of us ate for less than $40. Admittedly, we had no wine or dessert this time. With wine and dessert for two, you'll likely pay $40 to $50, including the 12% tax and 10% service charge, unless you go for one of the more expensive meals, such as the duck.

Payment options include cash, credit card, and billing your meal to your room account if you're staying at the hotel.

Location and Hours

You'll find Casa Alonso deep inside Mansión Alcázar, located at Bolívar 12-55 between Tarqui and Juan Montalvo, just a short walk from Cuenca's Parque Calderón. The phone number is 07-2823889 if you'd like to make reservations.

The restaurant is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It closes at 11 p.m. nightly.

The hotel's web site is www.mansionalcazar.com. On the home page, you'll find one of Clayton's recipes.

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