Before me sat an empty plate, practically licked clean, where once rested a fine piece of steak, sausage, slices of grilled potato, freshly-made artisan bread with herbs and Parmesan, chimichurri(a sauce for meat made with parsley, garlic, vinegar, vegi oil), grilled tomato topped with a tomachurri(like chimichurri with the addition of tomato), and grilled red pepper. The décor of Don Carbon lent to its funky chill vibe with decorative picture frames and random artsy objects lining the walls and hanging from the ceiling. The middle of the restaurant showcased a reproduced tree: an actual tree trunk, uprooted and planted with branches fashioned from the twigs and branches of other trees.

In my post-binge state I was seriously considering the hammock slung from a nearby beam while from the stereo emerged Anthony K’s melodic chant from some Chili Peppers song. I sipped on a glass of red while the surf crashed beyond the restaurant’s radiance of light. Engulfing the empty beach, the nights sole source of shelter seemed to be that made from within Don Carbon. DC’s separation from the mad crazy party town of Montanita isn’t much, just five minutes by foot, though it feels worlds away both in space and in spirit from Montanita.

DC’s menu strikes out at you with its layout, the mural of the giant hand and all-seeing eye dressing its cover. You have the feeling going through it that the same care which inked the drawings works into the flavor of the dishes. Don Carbon’s artisan feel can both be measured in the care and preparation of it’s good food and the organic atmosphere it creates. Things here are quite simple. A mixed parrillada like I described above. Also featured are an array of sandwiches, burgers and pizzas. What separates the selection from any burger or pizza joint, is, of course, the care in the preparation and the quality of ingredients. From my vantage, I watched the chef throwing fresh-made dough for a pizza. The bread as well for the burgers is fresh- made. All the ingredients and salsas are prepared fresh and with equal care and attention. The proof? It’s in the pudding. People are beginning to talk and the reports are equal—Don Carbon is putting out some of the best food available now in Montanita.

I knew from the moment I sat and sunk my feet into the sandy floor and took in the interior of Don Carbon that there was a story behind this place. So after my meal I had a sit with the owner, Marcelo Silva, to get his story and the story of his restaurant. Silva, a 37 year old transplant from Montevideo, Uruguay took his first culinary chits in restaurants around Miami when he was 19. After working far and wide, Marcelo finally settled into Guayaquil where he opened his first Don Carbon, located in a popular gastro-district of Guayaquil known as Urdessa. Much acclaim went out for restaurant which caught the attention of hostal owner, Diego Gozenbach, whose hostal, Kundalini occupies some of the most prime property on Montanita’s beachfront. Thus begun the partnership of Don Carbon and Kundalini hostal last November, and the second locale of Don Carbon opened here in Montanita..

What I first sensed of Silva was his passion for talking of his vision—his exuberance that one could only describe as youthful. What quickly became the theme of our chat was Silva’s vision for what Montanita had become and could be again When the pueblo was still a fringe backpacker town, back when the planet was still a lonely place, travelers sought out little enclaves such as Montanita. Now it has gone the way as most you-should-have-visited-10-years-ago places. Montanita is like most place that I have passed through with wayward organic roots. Places like Byron Bay, Australia; Itacare, Brazil; Kho Phan Nang, Thailand: all those places that just got too overrun and touristic. With the influx of money and the prospect of increased tourism, construction takes off rampantly without consideration for the roots which originally drew in travelers. Some kind of original magic is inevitably lost.

With so many bars and trinket shops already cemented in place, it is true: you can never get back what was lost. But Marcelo believes, and I agree with him, that you can try to work on the bearings that the tourism in a place is taking. Montanita is at a crossroads now. It still has a lot of its rustic, beachy, and surfy roots, but as I talk to many people throughout the country, its rep has been tarnished. Sex and drugs seems to have propelled the town in the last few runaway years of the unforgiving chase of tourist dollars.

Now I will admit that I enjoy a good party. Montanita would be dull without it. But balances must be maintained or consequences will be felt. So what could be the other direction for this town? Well if the level has gone down, then look up. I have found that in tourism you get what you offer. If you offer tat then you get tit. If you offer something a bit more upscale—well then the scales begin to tip in the other direction. If you want sex tourists, build titty bars. If you want backpackers, offer $2 a night hostals and $1 sticks of street meat.

But if you want to see things move upscale start offering something above the mark. Start with cuisine. Offering a good organic, community focused alternative has been the lack in Montanita’s food chain. This gap could be filled by Marcelo and Don Carbon. Already he is offering good cuisine and in the future hopes to have an all organic menu. Throw in the setting and reasonable prices, you get a great combo. We talked long about supporting a local community of organic farmers. We talked of training locals to produce organic foods for local consumption; using the restaurant to benefit the community, not just the owners wallet.

Now I’ll admit that one restaurant wont’ tip the scale in terms of offering a remedy for Montanita’s tourism woes. But it offers a possibility and I think the world feeds on models. If you see something put into action, then you realize the world is only destined to what we make of it. Inevitability is just the lazy man’s assessment as he flicks ashes from the vantage of his hammock. Already in Montanita, here and there, there are little pockets of style emerging to defy its tarnished rep. And I think this sort of place could use to continue turning over stones. Perhaps we will see a new style and approach to Montanita land development. Perhaps we will see the offer of a more holistic alternative—drawing in the upscale client who would demand such services.

And so here-in lies Silva’s artistic vision, and one not shared by him alone in the community. And I was drawn again to the mural with its all-seeing eye, signifying the artist’s vision. It’s a push to create that separates things average from things great. Look for good things in the future from Marcelo and Don Carbon. A new bakery and cafe. Outdoor film screenings of independent movies on the beach. And an organic, locally supplied menu.

Come see for yourself : two location

Montanita, on the beach at Kundalini Hostal, 5 minutes on foot north from town.

Guayaquil: 128 and Diagonal in Urdesa Cental next to Plaza Triangulo

Example price per meal:

Food

$10 parrillada

$6.50/11.50 Pizza(pers./med)

$5–$9 Sandwich

Drinks:

$4-5 cocktail

$2.50—3.50 beer

$ 4cup of wine

For more on Montanita check out these articles on  hotels and restaurants.

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• Cambridge CELTA Course in Montanita
• Guay a kill ya. A strait shooters guide to Ecuador’s other city, Part 2
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