Desert adventure

Driving that long hot ride from Guerro Negro to San Felipe, we didn’t know what an exciting evening we had ahead. As is usual, we stopped around 4:00 or 5:00 p.m. to start looking for a place for the night. Haukur found something nice and he booked it.

As it turns out, the restaurant of the hotel is the home of the Fettuccine Alfredo. Now, that may not be particularly exciting to you, but I was thrilled. Born in Sicily, Alfredo Belinghieri Conti’s “Alfredo’s” originated in Mexico City where from 1959 to 1994 his fame drew in eclectic and paparazzi-worthy guests from around the world - in particular - Hollywood celebrities like Marilyn Monroe, Frank Sinatra, Charlton Heston, Tony Curtis, Nat King Cole and countless others.

In 1988, Alfredo opened the Las Palmas Hotel in San Felipe where the creamy, nutmeg-tinged Alfredo sauce was born. Alfredo and his wife are no longer alive, but the hotel and restaurant are in the competent and loving hands of their daughter Chef Palma Bellinghieri Anbar. I had the honour of meeting her. How fun it would have been to sit down with Palma and hear her stories of what is was like to grow up in a truly star-studded family.Read more