"El Mesón de la Cava"

Elder y Hermana Hammon at El Mesón de la Cava

"El Mesón de la Cava"

Darrel L. Hammon

El Mesón de la Cava (the Table of the Cave) is a very unique Dominican Restaurant. It is inside of a cave in Santo Domingo. Eight missionary couples met at the La Casa near the Temple and climbed into two vans and a car. Then, we weaved through traffic, down Bolivar to Gomez and up Mirador to El Mesón de la Cava, overlooking the southern ocean front. We parked on the street and headed down the steps. Joanne and I and the Eickbushes stopped and took some pictures of each couple as we overlooked the restaurant. Once to the bottom, we discovered a panorama of beautiful flowers and trees. We were so engrossed in the beautiful of the outside dining area of the restaurant, we failed to see where everyone went. Soon, one of the caballeros beckoned us to follow him inside of the restaurant, which, in reality, is a cave or a series of different. We sauntered pass the young woman at the cashier’s desk and entered the true cave (la Cava). Wow! What an incredible sight. Pictures do not do it justice. We were seated quickly near one of the cave walls.

Outside El Mesón de la Cava

            While the food at the El Mesón de la Cava was a bit pricy per Dominican standards, which was within the medium to upper price range in the United States, it was delicious and tastefully arranged. Joanne had a type of beef steak with whipped yucca, a type of potato, and few vegetables scattered around this delicately ordered plate. The yucca reminded us of twice-baked potatoes and tasted very similarly. My snapper had been cooked in a delicious sauce and surrounded with saffron yellow rice. A few vegetables adorned the plate and completed the food ensemble.

Inside El Mesón de la Cava. Note: This picture is from their website

            The ambiance was incredible! Built in 1967, El Mesón de la Cava and has become one of the most distinguished restaurants in the Dominican Republic.  For millions of years, the oceans waves slammed against the limestone rocks, creating unique caves throughout. According to the history of the caves, the caves sheltered many people and things throughout the years. In fact, when they were constructing the restaurant, they discovered various artifacts belonging to some of these peoples, including the native Tainos, one of the first people who inhabited the Dominican Republic. El Mesón de la Cava now touts some of these artifacts as part of its ambiance for all to see and admire.

Check out their website for more pictures, history, and menu: http://www.elmesondelacava.com