Travels with Brownie: Hamburguesas El Corral

As some of our longtime readers know, I don't eat beef. Haven't in a long time. Just not a big fan. But when you travel to a beef-loving country like Colombia you need to make some exceptions. Especially when you're near one of the many outposts of their beloved local burger chain, El Corral...

In addition to the traditional Corral, a quarter pounder with lettuce, tomato and onion, the chain offers up an array of combinations from their mozzarella and marinara topped "Corral Italiana" to their onion ring capped, BBQ-sauced "Corral Texana," but it was the "Corral Costeña" that caught my attention. Inspired by the Caribbean coastal portion of Colombian, this baby was topped with plantain chips, suero (an addictive cross between yogurt and sour cream) and queso costeño. The suero and queso costeño double punch gave the burger a sharp and tangy kick. Add in the crunch from the plantain chips and this is definitely a winning combo. As a bonus, suero dregs make excellent fry dip.

In terms of taste and freshness, this was several steps above your standard fast food burger. Pretty darn good for an airport food court. This same flavor combo is available, along with dozens of more exotic options, in Bogotá proper, at El Corral Gourmet, an upscale, Ruby Tuesday-esque, sitdown version of El Corral where you can order your burger to your precise degree of doneness. True burger fans will want to make the trip to the Gourmet spot for max-burger enjoyment, but if you're waiting for a flight, don't discount the regular old El Corral, there's a reason this is one of the most popular hamburger spots in the country.


Now I need to seek out some suero in the city...