Casa Bosque

At a bend in the river, a few kilometers north of San José de Maipo [1], Casa Bosque has the most extravagant decor of any Cajón del Maipo [2] restaurant—the twisted trunks of polished cypress that hold it up seem like something from Grimm’s most nightmarish tales or an early Disney misadventure.

Unfortunately, the putatively simple menu based on beef, plus a few chicken and pork dishes, falls short of what might, with more courtesy than accuracy, be called imaginative architecture. Most entrées are in the US$10–18 range. Still, Casa Bosque (Camino El Volcán 16829, tel. 02/8711570, www.casabosque.cl [3]) is worth seeing for the spectacle.