Underwhelming Caldo de Patas — expected more

I was looking forward to Caldo de Patas here based on the reputation. The reality was disappointing. The fresh and citrusy character that makes this dish special was muted — either from shortcuts with culantro or from scaling up production at the expense of quality.

Ecuador's position on the equator gives it extraordinary biodiversity of ingredients from coast, highlands, and Amazon. The a Quito mercado central setting I was hoping for wasn't quite there either. canelazo hot cinnamon drink was available but not suggested appropriately. I've had much better versions elsewhere. Two stars because the dish concept is sound; the execution let it down.