BOGOTA REVIEW: About.com by Wendy Zarganis

Guide Rating - ****
The Bottom Line
Bogota's is the perfect Latin American escape. The food, drinks and ambiance instantly take your day-to-day cares away in a mojito minute.
Pros: Warm ambiance and vibe
Outstanding and original pan Latin cuisine
Excellent signature drinks
Attentive waiters
Cons: Nothing when I went

Park Slope: For nearly a year, owners George Constantinou and Farid Ali detailed their sometimes arduous experience of starting Bogota in a blog that left readers hungrily anticipating the Latin restaurant's opening. You can still read about happenings at Bogota but it's much more fun to just go. Bogota's menu is a savory mix of the traditional regional dishes gleaned from Constantinou's Costa Rican and Ali's Columbian backgrounds fused with Nuevo Latin cuisine.

Entrees to try include the house specials Bogota’s Arroz Con Pollo ($12) made of shredded chicken mixed with yellow rice, carrots, red peppers, cilantro and scallions and the popular Bandeja Paisa ($16) grilled steak, chicharron, arepa, rice and beans, fried egg, maduros and avocado. For those prefering the less-exotic, steak and chicken grace the menu as well.

Constantinou, former manager of Night of the Cookers in Fort Greene, has an artistic background as well and his creativity is reflected in the warm decor complete with photos of various Latin American scenes.

Our waiters were attentive and had a Che Guevarra-sexy, artist vibe. In fact, the brilliant mural overlooking the patio was created by members of Bogota's staff. The drinks with colorful names like the Besito and The Escobar were strong enough to take the edge off of a day spent trekking through the jungles of South America or in our case the sweltering subways of Brooklyn. If you need an escape from your New York life, it's time to take a trip to Bogota.

Bogota's Blog