chile heats up

Radar

COMMENT CARD

Dear Concierge.

Can we take a moment? Because lately ourarrangement has been feeling a bit stale.Positively outdated, even. When we asked you tosuggest a great local spot for dinner, we didn'tmean your hotei's "signature fine-dining outlet"or the white{inen relic you've probably beenrecommending for a decade. We meant whereyou would go for a casual night out. Do you stillread the local papers? Maybe start skimming theblogs, too. We even know a concierge who startedhis ownblog!

The point is, we're here to actually get to knowyour town, andyou're our advance scou.t. Weshouldn't have to tellyou about that great newgallery downtown or the cool cocktail joint thatjust opened. It's okay to have a folder of harmlessstandbys. But trust us: we can handle somethingoffbeat and authentic, like that great Indonesianspot your colleague in Amsterdam sent us to.

Indeed, many ofyour brethren go above andbeyond, like the London concierge who selecteda gift at Harrod's for our friend's wedding, or theguyin Tokyo who mapped out a complicatedtrainjourney for us. So please, don'tjust feedus the same rote script. Wouldn't a littlecreativity make yourjob more interesting?

Respectfully,

"-f *t- ,lw l*l

6 MIISEIiMS Yo{r DtDN'T K

WERE SMITHSONIANS

On Sept. zg, morethan t,4oo U.S. museumswill offer

free admission as part of a program hosted by the venerable

Washington, D.C., institution (visit smithsonian.com

for tickets), including these fficial Smithsonian Afiliates.

ChileHeats[IpWatch out, B.A.-santiago is South Amel'rca's

new culinary capital. Our tip sheet.

t:ffi

AmericanTextileHistory

llluseumLowell,

Massachusetts

Itl*lr

.r|::Fa%.

BisbeeMining&HistoricalMuseum

Bisbee, Arizona

C=)r-

NationalMuseum

l

of Dentistry IBahimore

,

l*&:*-**&fry* i

i

CAFAirpower i

Museum I

I\idland,Texas I

WisconsinMaritimeMuseum

ilIanitowoc,Wisconsin

;,:-*iit;:,:,.

BuffaloBillHistorical

CenterCody,Wyoming

SNACKSHead to the buzzy Barrio ltalianeighborhood for an espressoand Chocolat6n (a wickedlyrich chocolate cake) at CafdEmporio Da Noi (7776 Avdo.

Ito li o ; cof ee mp ori o d o n oi.cl).

For pizzas and generous

charcuterie platters, wait it outat the scene-y Ciudadano (4OO

S emi na ri o; ciu do do norestouro nt,c[ $$) where reservations are atough score. The local music spotCaf6 Bar Cinco Minutos (451

Avda. Sonto lsobel; cincominutos.cl) offers a small but standoutmenu, including a gloriously oozysteak-and-cheese sandwich-often called the city's best.

DINNER

At Sukalde (3457 NuevoCostonero; suko/de.cL ggg) El

Bulli alum Matias Polomo focuseson unsung regional ingredientssuch as Patagonian mushrooms.Osadia (3677 Nuevo Costonero;

o s o di o restora n.cl; $t$) puts artf ul

spins on such classic dishesas chupe de joibo, a buttery crabpudding. For gussied-up Chileanbarbecue, check out TierraNoble (3872 Nuevo Costonera;

ti erro noble.cl; $$$) wheregrilled foie gras shares the stage

with Easter lsland tuna.

DRINKS

Pisco has acquired a posh new

identity. Ultra-premium takeson the Chilean and Peruvian

botanical spirit are the drawat the sleek Mestizo (4O5O Avdo.

B i ce nte n o r i o ; m e sti zo re sto u r o nt.

cl) and Tramonto Terrace & Bar(3736 Nuevo Costonero;

noivitacura.cl), on a minimalistrooftop pool deck.

-CONNIE MCCABE

4A SEPTEMBER 2O12 TRAVEL+LEISURE

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