The most trending art place in the city, La Cometa Gallery, was the perfect venue for this special occasion. The red carpet was rolled out, and guests were treated to delicious cocktails as they mingled and networked with each other. The atmosphere was electric, and the anticipation for the Q&A session with Ricardo was palpable.

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.