It has been a while since I last wrote on this blog. Work and responsibilities have taken up much of my time, and the situation and circumstances in Venezuela have been chaotic. Working has become the highest priority in order to maintain a healthy and stable life. I apologize for having been absent.

This time, I want to tell you a little about my experience at Maranello, one of the most iconic restaurants in the city of Barquisimeto. I visited the location inside Río Lama Shopping Center, specifically on Avenida Lara.

My visit to this restaurant was for a celebration. That day, I defended my graduate thesis as part of the requirements for my master's degree. After many bureaucratic obstacles, I was finally able to defend it, two years after completing all of my coursework.

The restaurant had only a few customers. We arrived shortly after 3:00 p.m., Venezuela time, after finishing my thesis defense. For the first time, my mother attended the defense of one of my academic projects. She will be staying in the country this year before returning to Chile. My brother, my uncle, my mother, and I went to the restaurant together.

The service was brief and modest. It wasn't particularly attentive, although I can't really complain. Lately, I have had some dreadful experiences at restaurants around the city. To start, we ordered carpaccio and beers, while my mother had a juice and I ordered a traditional Cuban mojito—I am not drinking beer at the moment.

The waitress brought the carpaccio to our table quite promptly. I thought it was fair that it didn't take long. While we were enjoying the appetizer and having our drinks, we decided what each of us would order. My mother and I chose the same dish: risotto with osso buco. The waitress took our order, and we continued eating and talking about my thesis defense.

The carpaccio was not perfect. However, I would highlight its freshness. I particularly enjoyed that it was served with casabe. I thought this was a nice touch, as it provided a pleasant balance to the appetizer. The Cuban mojito was delicious and refreshing. Temperatures in Barquisimeto have been extremely high over the past few months.

Fifteen minutes after placing our order, the waitress brought each of our dishes. My brother ordered a grilled cut of beef, while my uncle had linguine. I didn't take pictures of their dishes because I felt it would have been intrusive.

I really liked the presentation of the risotto with the osso buco. The dish was delicious and had a well-balanced flavor. The red sauce was particularly tasty. However, my mother mentioned that she found the risotto rice slightly firm. This could be considered a drawback, but I don't necessarily see it that way. In the end, we enjoyed our meal and returned home.

By the way, the bill for the four dishes and the drinks came to a little over $90, or the equivalent in HBD. I consider that a reasonable price, especially considering that it is one of the best restaurants in the city. With affection,Neruel. See you in the next post.

Original content by @neruel. All rights reserved ©, 2026. Images: Samsung Galaxy A54. English translation and grammar correction: ChatGPT – DeepL – LanguageTool.

SPANISH VERSION (click here!)

Ha sido un tiempo desde que no escribo en este blog. El trabajo y las responsabilidades han mermado mi tiempo; la situación y el contexto de Venezuela son caóticos. Trabajar es la mayor prioridad para mantener una vida saludable y adecuada. Disculpen mi abandono.

En esta ocasión quiero contarles un poco sobre mi experiencia en Maranello. Este es uno de los restaurantes más emblemáticos de la ciudad de Barquisimeto. Fui a la sucursal ubicada en el centro comercial Río Lama, específicamente en la Avenida Lara.

Mi visita a este restaurante se debió a temas de celebración. Ese día defendí mi trabajo especial de grado para optar al grado de magíster. Luego de muchas trabas burocráticas, por fin pude defender luego de dos años de terminar la carga académica.

El restaurante tenía pocos comensales. Llegamos después de las 3:00 p.m., hora Venezuela, luego de culminar la defensa de trabajo de grado. Por primera vez, mi madre estaba en la defensa de uno de mis trabajos. Ella estará en el país por este año hasta retornar nuevamente a Chile. Al restaurante fuimos mi hermano, mi tío, mi mamá y yo.

La atención fue breve y modesta. No tan direccional; tampoco me quejo, últimamente he tenido experiencias tétricas en restaurantes de la ciudad. Ordenamos de entrada carpacho, cervezas, un jugo para mi mamá y para mí un mojito cubano tradicional (no estoy tomando cerveza).

El carpacho lo colocó la mesera a la brevedad en la mesa. Me pareció justo que no tardara mucho tiempo. Mientras comíamos la entrada y tomábamos algo de alcohol, decidimos los platos que comeríamos cada uno. Mi mamá y yo pedimos lo mismo: Un risotto con osobuco. La mesera tomó la orden y seguimos comiendo y conversando sobre la defensa del trabajo.

El carpacho no estaba perfecto. Sin embargo, destaco la frescura. Me gustó su acompañamiento con casabe. Esto me pareció favorable; le dio un equilibrio al platillo de entrada. El mojito cubano estaba delicioso y refrescante. En Barquisimeto las temperaturas han sido muy altas los últimos meses.

Pasados 15 minutos de ordenar, la mesera trajo cada uno de nuestros platillos. Mi hermano ordenó un corte de carne roja a la plancha, mi tío unos linguinis (No tomé fotografía de sus platos; lo sentí como una intromisión).

Me gustó la presentación del risotto con el osobuco. El plato estaba delicioso y tenía un sabor equilibrado. La salsa roja estaba riquísima. Sin embargo, mi mamá me comentó que sintió un poco duro el arroz del risotto. Podría considerarse un punto desfavorable, pero no lo veo de ese modo. Al final disfrutamos la comida y regresamos a casa.

Por cierto, la cuenta de los 4 platillos y las bebidas dio un poco más de 90 dólares o su equivalente en HBD. Algo que considero moderado, ya que es uno de los mejores restaurantes de la ciudad. Con cariño, Neruel, nos vemos en una próxima publicación.

Contenido original de @neruel. Todos los derechos reservados ©, 2026. Imágenes: Samsung Galaxy A54. Traducción al inglés y corrección gramatical: Chatgpt - DeepL - Languagetool.