First Night in Ushuaia
An out of this world restaurant in this magical bottom of the world town
04.01.2006

I am currently sitting in a restaurant called Kuar, with a window overlooking the Beagle Channel at the end of the world. Bienvenidos a Ushuaia in Tierra del Fuego!!! I am already thoroughly smitten with this town. Who would expect one of the most interesting restaurants I have ever set foot in to be here???...in this former penal colony known for its brightly colored buildings, penguins, and of course, its beloved association with Darwin?

The restaurant Kuar (Av. Perito Moreno 2232 for any future travelers reading this) is just slightly outside of town on a perch overlooking the Beagle Channel all its own. It costs 5 pesos to take a taxi here, but it feels like you are being charged admission for entering a new world. On the inside, Kuar looks a bit like a ski lodge, with walls made of field stones, and a nice wood bar. Only one side of the restaurant is all window, with worn wood beams framing each pane. Its dark out and pouring so all I can see is the waves of the Channel breaking at shore and an occasional pair of ducks swimming or flying by. They look a pale silvery yellow in the restaurants spotlights outside. The rain is coming down in staccato rhythms that seem to respond to the great music that is playing inside.

The view of the Beagle Channel is reason enough to come here, but I am also enchanted by the fact that there are no tables near this large window onto the bottom of the world. Instead there are stacked benches (that remind me of where I used to sit to watch Kusika dance performances in college) Only these are covered in comfy pillows and Argentinian blankets in vibrant geometric patterns. For my Dartmouth friends, picture Moosilauke but with a slightly more sophisticated Patagonian flavor. The place feels like a cozy lodge, a drive-in movie theatre (with mother nature as the film) and a mini cosmopolitan ampitheatre all wrapped into one. I did just order a warm spinach salad with scallops and a glass of malbec afterall! And you have to love a place where the one beer on tap is called Drake (yes, as in Sir Francis.)

Tomorrow I will see the Beagle Channel up close from the perspective of a canoe. For now though, this introduction to Darwin land will do just fine.