The next day, after the Isla de Los Hielos hike, we stopped in to Rio Pingo for a light lunch. The stout beer we split was expensive (~$8 USD) but really good, with a pleasant smokiness. Eric got a ham sandwich and potatoes (the red seasoning was spicy!) and my salmon ceviche was enormous (and very tasty)!
After our experience the night before, we decided to eat at our hotel on Friday night. Recent reviews didn’t speak well of the buffet-style dinner but when we checked in, the menu we were shown was a la carte. Whatever changes were made, they were good ones. We arrived for the 8pm seating and were promptly given a seat in the window with views of rain clouds coming in over the valley. Eric ordered the Errazuriz Chardonnay and the lamb ravioli with artichoke and sun-dried tomatoes (really good, hearty). I opted for the Errazuriz Syrah (hotel was out of Carmenere) and the guanaco loin (venison like, quite lean) with cranberry wine sauce. I asked for extra sauce as what was on the plate was not sufficient for the size of the loin. My meat was cooked perfectly but the stew accompaniment was just OK, not much flavor.
For dessert we split a small three pie taster which was great, especially the lemon and passion fruit. Overall, great service and pace of the meal, so much better than our experience the night before.