Best darn Capirinha in the city of Hartford!!!

Late on a Friday night, catching up with my good friend that I haven't seen in years, we decided to visit a Columbian restaurant called La Fonda, since they have a great bar and we had a real craving for their empanadas. La Fonda is one of those places that instantly makes me feel welcomed. It has warm burgandy splashed walls, hanging lanterns, spanish music, friendly staff and always smells delicious. We sat at the corner of the bar and I could barely wait to order one of my favorites, a Capirinha which is a drink made with Cachaca, sugar and crushed limes. When made correctly, it is sweet and pungent and is not for the faint of heart. I was definately in luck because the bartender supersized my drink and made it just how I like it! Yay! And then our empanadas came. We ordered the chicken, although they have beef too. We dunked them into the spicy house made hot sauce and marveled at the fact that they were not as greasy as other ones we have tried. It was around this point that we were approached by an elderly gent who said that he couldn't resist telling us how lovely we were and kissed us both on our cheeks. Hmmm.

Anyway, back to the food. Besides the empanadas, I highly recommend trying their Arepa which is a cornmeal tortilla loaded up with fried plantains, tomatoes, avocados, and queso (white cheese). It is one of my favorite things to eat and if you are a meat eater, they have one with beef on it also. Tip for the uninitiated: A majority of the menu is in Spanish, but they do write the English translation underneath each item. Also the servers are mostly from Columbia, so if they don't speak English, don't get frusterated, just point at what you would like to try on the menu. It works every time. Next time you are in the South End of Hartford, give them a try.

http://www.lafondahartford.com/