Popular in the more rural areas of its home country for 45 years, the El Rancherito restaurant brand is known for its comforting, traditional Colombian fare.
Alegria Colombian Kitchen by El Rancherito is the first endeavor outside Colombia for Grupo El Rancherito, which has nine restaurants in and around Medellin. The brand is successful in Colombia, but Miami manager David Alzate Cardona said coming to the United States, particularly Miami, required changes. “We want the essence of our restaurants in Colombia, but we want to enhance it,” he says. “Here, everybody is offering different things. We want to be on that same level. We have to give clients more.”
What this means is adding the intangibles that make Miami restaurants more of an entertainment magnet: A bar. Weekend brunch. Live music. “Generally Colombian restaurants are places to go eat and leave, and we want to enhance that experience that lets people enjoy our culture,” Cardona says. “We want to do what Peruvian and Mexican restaurants have done with their culinary industry.” The 4,900-square-foot restaurant, perched at the edge of Doral, has room for 180 diners, plus a stage for the music, which for now is scheduled Thursday through Saturday. There’s also a bakery window — a ventanita, if you will — that will be open all day for takeout coffee, pastries, sandwiches, empanadas, pandebono (Colombian cheese bread) and more.
The location, just west of the Palmetto and just north of 836, means easy access from many different neighborhoods of Miami. “You don’t have to go through the traffic jams in Doral,” Cardona says.
The menu will feature Colombian specialties, many of which are classics, says Manuela Montoya Alzate, the brand’s general manager in Colombia. Her favorite is the cazuela de frijoles, a bean soup. “Our beans in that dish are very special,” she says. “Colombian food is cozy food. If your grandmother cooks every day for you, that’s how you feel when you eat Colombian food.” Another specialty are the chicharrónes —”with a very crunchy skin, almost like a cookie,” Cardona says — as well as bandeja paisa, a traditional dish with beans, rice, arepa, chorizo, plantain, chicharrón, avocado and beef.
Alzate and Cardona both believe Miami is the perfect location for Alegria, due to its diversity, its Colombian population and its proximity to suppliers that can provide the ingredients needed for the menu. They also think local diners will delight in what they’ll find at the restaurant. “We want people to experience happiness,” Alzate says. “Alegria means joy. That’s a core value for the Colombian people.” ALEGRIA COLOMBIAN KITCHEN Where: 8391 NW 12th St., Miami
By Flic Media
