Lenny Karpman

JUNE 2012 UPDATE

Angela asked if I have three wives. No. Only one but she has five names: Joan when I married her, Juanita for Ticos who have trouble with Joan, Gita in her Yogic community, Noni to the grandkids and miel (honey) at home. What’s-her-name and I spent nearly all of May in Eastern Europe. While reviewing the net to plan our trip, I happened on a handful of sites that ranked restaurants here. Some of the rankings reflect the nature of the guide more than actual quality. For those outside San Jose/Escazu/Santa Ana, I have added the restaurant locations when they are first mentioned. Here are the top ten picks from six different sites with just a few editorial changes for restaurants that I know have departed:

 

First Choice of the six sites: Park Café, Cerutti, Park Café, Grano de Oro, Koki Beach (Puerto Viejo), Park Cafe

Second Choice: Tin Jo, Andiamo’la, Grano de Oro, Colbert (Vara Blanca), Dragonfly (Tamarindo), Da Marco (Guachipelin)

Third: Grano de Oro, Jade Luna (Puerto Jimenez), Bacchus, El Gran Escape (Quepos), Grano de Oro, Bacchus

Fourth: Le Chandelier, Doris Metropolitan, Restaurante, Coral Reef (Cahuita), Ginger (Playa Hermosa), Ginger a second time, Matsuri

Fifth: Pecora Nera (Cocles), Arte Y Gusto, Sabor Español (Monteverde), Mar Y Sol (Playa Flamingo), Gingerbread (Nuevo Arenal), Novillo Alegre

Sixth: Ginger, Tin Jo, Café Milagro (Quepos), Dragonfly, La Luna de Valencia (San Pedro de Valencia), La Esquina de Buenos Aires, Andiamo’la

Seventh: Citrus (Ojochal), Bacchus, E’s (Puerto Viejo), Lola’s (Playa Avellanas), Grano de Oro, Lo Spago

Eighth: Cerutti, Bacchus, Veronica’s Place (Puerto Viejo), Nectar (Santa Teresa), Grano de Oro, Machu Picchu

Ninth: Doris Metropolitan, Sash, Como en Casa (Alajuela), Playa de Los Artistas (Montezuma), Seasons by Shlomi (Tamarindo), Tutti Li

Tenth:  Jurgens, Donde Carlos, Jalepeños Central (Alajuela), Sofia (Monteverde), Sofia, Chancay

In alphabetical order, a few deserving honorable mentions not on any of the lists:  Banco de Mariscos (Santa Barbara), Belle D’Italia, Casa China, Chalito’s (Las Vueltas), Chef Oriental (Moravia), Chez Cristophe, D’Amalfi, Mekong, Mil y Una Noches (Alajuela), Rancho de Laly, Saga, Sisso, Sushi Kai

A tear in the eye and a fond farewell to MYA and chef Ali. MYA was one of my favorites right up there with Park Café, Tin Jo and Grano de Oro.

An addendum to the May update – we managed two visits to Mekong before leaving on our trip. On our first visit, the Thai green curry was great as was the Banh Xeo. On our second visit to this classy new restaurant on Avenida Escazu, four of us sampled pad Thai; fried rice with asparagus, bok choy, shrimp and pork; red curry with potato and steak cubes; crispy Vietnamese spring rolls with lettuce, mint, cilantro and purple basil; and rice cakes with pork. All but the last dish were exemplary. The rice cakes were dry. Our friends shared chocolate bread pudding and loved it.

Simon, the creative food-loving owner of Saga, walked in and went to the computer. Yes, Mekong is his as well and the amazing bread pudding filled with chocolate and served with crème Anglais is a creation of his wife Evelyn, the pastry magician behind Saga’s fabulous desserts.  

On a final note, David asked me if Villa Bonita, near the U.S. Embassy, is still a good place to get dim sum.  Sadly, I can no longer recommend this restaurant.

MAY 2012 UPDATE

There weren’t many restaurants open during Semana Santa.  An “aha” moment struck me years ago while driving through southern France during All Saints weekend. Similarly, all the fancy restaurants were closed for the holiday. The local unpretentious hotel dining rooms along our route stayed open for their guests and served great food. Haute cuisine? Hardly. It was peasant food. Coq au vin, boeuf bourguignon, Alsatian choucroute, blanquette de veau, andouillettes, cassoulet, onion soup encroute, Vichyssoise and bouillabaisse are all basic low-cost carb platters, stews and soups.They were the hearty affordable meals of farmers, fishermen and laborers.

 

Among the Tico equivalents are gallo pinto, casados, sopa negra, arroz con pollo, empanadas, chifrijo, mondongo and olla de carne. They usually cost less than $4. We may describe them in detail at a future date. If you want to sample similar basic blue-collar food from other cultures here in Costa Rica, for 1500 to 4000 colones per meal consider these:

 

Arepas   In San Jose, Costa Rica, Derek Marin has an arepa and juice bar emporium called Caracas. He makes a dozen different Venezuelan arepas.

Argentine empanadas  To my palate, Argentinean empanadas are more flavorful than the local varieties. Furthermore, they are typically made with a wheat flour rather than corn dough and baked rather than fried. Argenta in Escazu and Donde El Che in east San Jose offer them that way. Personally I prefer fried empanadas at Gauchada across from the southwest corner of La Sabana.

Beef chow fun and eggrolls  Most Chinese restaurants that serve this wide noodle dish call it sa-ho-fan here. In Montecillos near Alajuela, Restaurante Fuente de Fortuna serves huge bargain platters of tasty sa ho fan seco con lomito. Their very large eggrolls aren’t fancy, but they are flavorful and wonderfully crispy without grease. The dipping sauce also has nice ginger flavor.

Buffalo wings  Many places make reasonable facsimiles of American buffalo wings. Among them is Wakky’s on the old road from Santa Ana to Escazu.

Cannoli   You can try them at Tutti Li in Plaza Itskazu. Not bad.

Causa  These delightful potato layered treats are on the menus of all Peruvian restaurants and are well prepared with few exceptions. The small Peruvian restaurant in Belen serves poor causas.  Chancay in Itskatzu serves my favorite.

Chaufa  Another bargain basement belly-filler from Peru is the Peruvian version of Chinese fried rice.  It differs from most Tico renditions in that it usually contains some red pepper and garlic. Try it anywhere there is a Peruvian cook, like Chalitos in Las Vueltas.

Chili dogs  Jalapeños Central in Alajuela floats my boat for chili dogs. Norman’s chili was voted most popular by the attendees at the annual Atenas chili cookoff.

Crepes  There are many similar creperies. I have no personal favorite, but my wife likes Oui, Oui La Crepe adjacent to Libreria International in Multiplaza

Flautas  These Mexican fried rolled tortillas are common but I love them only if they are more filling than tortilla, on the large size and very crispy. My favorites are the al pastor flautas at Maria Bonita in Santa Ana. They are large, crisp, filled with pork and pineapple and served with three different spicy salsas made by Jamilet, the wife of owner Julio Cesar from Veracruz. The Nica cook, Marisol, does a nice very job.

Grits  No, I’m not going to tell you where you van find hot links on savory grits or baked cheese and garlic casseroles, but you can get simple quick grits at Denny’s as a breakfast side or as an economical breakfast hot cereal equivalent.

Gumbo  I haven’t been to Playas del Coco for a few years, but the gumbo there at Louisiana Bar and Grill used to be good. Herny’s also served it at their old location. I don’t know if it made the menu at their new hot spot in Escazu.

Jook  Probably the number one breakfast comfort food in the world because of its popularity in Asia, jook or congee is hot rice gruel flavored with all kinds of additives. I prefer it with pork and thousand-year-old egg at Villa Bonita near the US embassy or Casa China in East San Jose

Pad Thai  Cassius serves up huge portions of tasty pad Thai, the number one noodle dish in Thailand, at Banzai in Mall Florencia in Escazu. It is also on the menu at Mekong on Avenida Escazu. I haven’t tried it there yet.

Pupusas You can get these favorites from El Salvador and Honduras in many weekend markets hot off the grill. I used to stop at the pupusaria on the main road through Atenas before the new pista to the coast opened. I prefer to have mypupusa split open like a Venezuelan arepa or Mediterranean pita pocket and have the slaw layered atop a mélange of all three traditional fillings – pork, cheese and beans.

Weisswurst and bratwurst  Too bad the German restaurant and sausage maker in Puriscal closed. Thus far, the best I can do is to buy them at Tom Tom in Escazu and prepare them at home.

 

Still looking:

B’steeya  I love Moroccan filo pie filled with eggs, almonds, chicken and cinnamon. I haven’t found it here. When I heard that the new and popular Arte Y Gusto served tajines along with its Southern France standards, I went to see what other Moroccan offerings  it had there on a Saturday a half hour after advertised opening time, but alas it was closed.

Borscht  Local beets are marvelous but nobody seems to be interested in making Jewish beet borscht with green onions, cucumber, boiled potato and sour cream except yours truly at home.

Corn-beef hash  Bill Hill, the former owner of Café des Artistas, and I are both lovers of good corn-beef hash. He promised to put it on his menu if he ever found a reliable source of corn beef here. Two owners later, it appeared on the menu. I could hardly wait, but I felt like the toddler whose sticky lollypop fell in the sandbox. The meat was not corn beef, the potatoes were soggy and the flavorings were way off.  I hear that Time Out Tavern makes great hash with the left over corn beef for the week after St. Patrick’s Day.

Fresh sauerkraut  I haven’t found any of the yummy crunchy stuff from barrels or from plastic bags in the chilled cases of any markets.

Hot links   Not here yet and probably won’t be.

Italian sausage  So simple – ground pork, fennel seed, red chili flakes, oregano and salt. I have tried a dozen Italian restaurants and markets without success. Only the frozen Johnsonville brand in the supermarkets comes close and at a price.

Moussaka  Oh for a decent Greek restaurant here. Ringle, the new Escazu resort and spa offers Greek salads and some Mediterranean mezzes in lovely surroundings, but not it doesn’t qualify as a Greek restaurant.

Pastrami  When we travel, we always share at least one pastrami sandwich piled several inches high on fresh rye bread with a kosher pickle.

Pot pies  Nostalgia food for me, my mother made them from scratch to recycle leftovers. Cheapo potpies browned in a toaster oven filled the bill during college and med school. I often fed them to my kids for quicky lunches. The half dozen I have eaten here are lamentable.

Rouladen  Still looking for that German restaurant. Hamburgo in Barrio Dent had been decent but became very inconsistent when the owner was away.

Smoked white fish  Living between two coasts, you’d think….. Wrong.

Thai curry  With the local aversion to hot spices, all the curries I have sampled seem woefully bland. Tin Jo does the best job with a very nice hot sauce with a mule’s kick served on the side. I hear that Mekong makes good curries. I plan to try it soon.

 

APRIL 2012 UPDATE

Traditionally, March had been the time for transformations. In previous years winter winds usually abated in early March and the interval before the spring rains sent me into my pool to escape midday heat more often than any other season. With hard fairways, less thick rough and no gale-force winds to battle, the golf course became shorter and easier. This year the winds haven’t obeyed the calendar. Three weeks into the month the winds howl. There is more dust in the air than I can ever remember. I have to water my fragile bonsais at least once a day. The only transformation I see is in the restaurant scene.

 

Tacobar has begun serving breakfasts as promised. They are super and they rotate a different one each day to be their $3 special. No more gallo-pinto mornings at the local soda for me. The early rush is still less than hordes that descend for lunch. The 7 to 11 AM crowd is happy eating ample platters of French toast, pancakes, crispy tortilla-wrapped omelets and the like with fresh fruit on the side.

 

Mil Y Una Noche, A Thousand and One Nights, is the very nice Persian restaurant in Hotel Casa Antigua. The eleven-room hotel sits among the car rental places just 800 meters up the road from Juan Santa Maria Airport. The front looks more like an Alpine hunting lodge than a hotel. Henry did the renovations himself. Many friends including Sid, Janet and Betty love the place and would be regulars if it were open for lunch. Good news! As soon as the roadwork out front is completed, Henry and Debbie plan to open for lunch.  Ah, tasty lamb and kabobs during daylight hours. A nice change.

 

Grand View Restaurant is aptly named. The dining room commands a breathtaking panoramic view of the Central Valley from its perch above Escazú. Originally the column-clad ante-bellum southern look-alike was called Tara. Then it became The White House. Its latest transformation has reclaimed its “Gone With the Wind” roots. It is now Hotel Grand Tara run by the successful folks from the Beacon Hotel. The kitchen, headed by executive chef Randall Mendoza, offers up international fare and is open to the public for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Gone however is the Friday-night prime-rib and baked potato special. The volume of diners has dwindled to too few to support it. The restaurant offers a Sunday brunch buffet and lunch, highlighting a rotating theme featuring food of Spain, Italy, France and Mexico.  The bar promotes a two-for-one happy hour Monday through Friday from 5 to 7:30 p.m. The dining room looks the same. The menu is similar and the prices remain on the high side. We were the only diners on a weekday from 12:30 to 1:30 PM. The food was not too bad considering how challenging it must be to try to maintain freshness and quality without much turnover. Side dishes of vegetables and potatoes were clearly reheated from another day. Perhaps it is different during high season. Currently, I don't think it is worth the cost while a positive transformation is waiting to happen. The waiter was superb.

 

Carpe Diem Lounge and Restaurant used to be the upscale, refined Restaurante Cerutti, serving elegant Italian cuisine and many fine wines. The décor has been streamlined and it now has a modern lounge attached to the front of the house designed more for cocktails,bocas and less expensive plates. It has a separate menu that is clearly trendier.  But for you dedicated patrons who loved what the restaurant had been, the owners and chef have not changed. Nor have the intimate small dining rooms. You can still order the same magnificent dishes including eggplant Parmgiano in white sauce, my favorite Cesar salad anywhere, leg of lamb, superb mushroom risotto (with the new addition of oxtail morsels), octopus carpaccio and more. The prices are still among the steepest among the competition, but the value is there particularly when you consider the wonderful home-baked yeasty bread, refreshing palate-cleansing sorbets between courses and shortbread cookies at the end of the meal.  The exquisite cuisine and genteel service by charming Sergio in understated elegant dining rooms is a worthy treat!

 

Eclectico  has also been transformed. The classy restaurant in a landmark old house used to serve fairly pricey quality food on white tablecloths with crystal and fresh-cut flowers. The amiable Colombian owners occasionally held events accentuated by Colombian fare. It is now Eureka, a busy bar serving a panoply of Tico bocas, pizza, wraps, Buffalo wings, chips and dips, Peruvian causas and the core hot dishes featuring steaks, chicken and seafood that were popular before the change over.  Now they come at much more affordable prices. The glamor is gone but the parking lot is full for the first time in years. The original chef is still there. He is Peruvian. Marcos, the new owner is doing a nice job catering to a less affluent younger clientele.

 

Big Bill’s Place was just a superb barbecue destination that a friend described as “so minimalistic that I drove by twice before I saw the restaurant in the lot behind the cyclone fence.” Now it is more. First let me introduce you to Bill, a six-foot six-inch charming man with a smile that never ends, who came here on a fishing trip as a teen and never stopped yearning to live here. A realtor in Florida who catered as an avocation, he combined his love of cooking and his desire to return and brought us my favorite smoked ribs, slow-cooked brisket, pulled pork, southern beans and remarkably sweet corn in the country. The new transformative addition is a seafood component. The owner of Banco de Mariscos in Santa Barbara added Eduardo, an accomplished chef and the makings of Sabor de la Leña to Bill’s inauspicious site just east of the Mormon Temple in Belen. Now when you crave good barbecue, but someone else in the party wants camarones al ajillo or fillet de corvina, you can all go to Big Bill’s. The seafood menu is remarkably cheap and very tasty.

 

MARCH 2012 UPDATE

How about an Asian trifecta? Here are three choices that have the following features in common: they are relatively new, their chefs are real food lovers who take pride in their dishes, prices are reasonable, seasoning is authentic and the staff treats customers with pride and joy rather than with drudgery and tedium. Banzai is the name of a jewel of a new restaurant. It is warm, cozy, affordable and serves nicely prepared pan-Asian food with authentic seasoning. Tucked into the far left corner of Plaza Florencia (home of Bagelman’s and Sisso) 150 meters down the road toward Guachipelin from Paco Centro Comercial and BAC in Escazu, it is well worth a visit. Cassius is a Tico attorney who lived in Texas and California and went to culinary school in Argentina. His father, a fight fan, decided to name him after the winner of the Clay-Liston fight. Had Clay lost, his name would have been Sonny. He has learned to prepare quality food in the styles of China, Japan, Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand. He loves doing the cooking. He and his wife are two of the three owners. William, the third partner owner, is Colombian and makes gorgeous sushi. Both men are charming and often visit diners from behind the sushi bar or from in the kitchen when time permits. On my first visit, I had five gyoza (Japanese steamed dumplings) filled with tasty ground pork and ginger, sprinkled with black and white sesame seeds and accompanied by excellent homemade dipping sauce of sesame oil, soy sauce, garlic and ground peanuts. Next I had a very nicely flavored large order of chicken pad Thai. I had to take most of it home. My wife ate the rest that evening and called it the best pad Thai she has eaten in Costa Rica. It lacked the hot little red incendiary Thai chili peppers not available here. Even if they were, they would have to be omitted in a restaurant in Tico land. When I asked for hot sauce, the waiter brought me a bottle of my favorite sweet hot liquid, Sriracha sauce, a staple in much of Southeast Asia. The appetizer and single main course might well have served two people for about C6000. Joan asked that we eat at Banzai soon after tasting the pad Thai. Two days later we shared a nice California roll. The plate was decorated with starbursts of kiwi and maracuya sauces. She also ordered breaded pork on rice with vegetables (tori katsu). It came with excellent homemade teriyaki sauce. She asked for and received some traditional tonkatsu sauce. It tasted identical to the sauce we brought back from Tokyo eighteen months ago. I asked the name of the brand. To my amazement, it also was homemade by Cassius. Her pork was perfect. My favorite Asian noodle dish is called sing chow chow mai fun, Singapore style curried rice noodles, mai fun on Banzi’s menu. It was remarkable. I ordered it with the spicier of two kinds of curry. It had sweet Chinese sausage (lop cheong), shrimp, roast pork, chicken and minced vegetables tossed with the moist, perfectly cooked rice noodles. It was as good as any I have eaten outside of Asia and far better than its Tico competition. The menu offers tremendous variety. Appetizers including gyoza, spring rolls, panko fried squid, satays, edamame, and Japanese miso soup, suimono soup and spicy Chinese wantan soup all in the $2.50 to $5 range. Sushi, sashimi and eight piece makisushi rolls fill two columns of an entire page of the menu. There are more than thirty $8-$10 main courses including pad Thai, Singapore style mai fun, boiled Japanese udon noodles, fried Japanese soba noodles, five kinds of teppanyaki, Indonesia aromatic wok-fries rice, Japanese donburi rice bowl dishes of panko pork or breaded chicken and more. Only a few shrimp and salmon dishes cost a little more. Add to all of the above a children’s menu and four creative desserts. BYOB. 2289-7733

Restaurante Kimoshi is a tiny seven-table simple gem in San Antonio de Belén that also has been open about five months. Its young amiable Tico chef Eder learned his trade working at Matsuri for four years, and he learned it well. His protégé, Dixon and he turn out a surprising variety of dishes in his small space, well prepared, authentically seasoned, attractively presented and at lower prices than most Japanese restaurants. You can sense their joy in delivering appreciated food. They have won over a Tico neighborhood, which was reticent at first, then warmed to a new cuisine. Business is growing rapidly. You can choose among tempuras, teriyakis, donburi rice bowls, bento boxes, fried rice plates, soups, sushi and sashimi. On my first visit, I had a bento box that included marlin jerky in sweet sake and soy, seven pieces of sushi, rice and warm vegetables plus miso soup and a salad for C4000. I was pleased. On my second visit, I had pork and egg over a rice bowl with a very flavorful tonkatsu sauce. Joan had a different bento box that featured three similar and one different component. Hers included panko coated chicken strips that went into the same sauce. We shared banana tempura with ice cream and dabs of strawberry and chocolate sauces. If you approach Belen from the Santa Ana Radial, turn right at Panasonic corner, right again at the Y past Pollos del Monte and you will see the restaurant on the right side of the street in a few blocks after the stop light before you get to PeKiss or the town center. The sign says “SUSHI” in big letters. It is open 11 to 3 and 6 to 9 Monday thru Friday and 11 to 9 on Saturday. 2589-1912

For our Valentine’s Day special meal à deux, Joan picked Pho, a favorite of mine as well. What had been a crepe and ice cream parlor named Sweet morphed into the one and only Vietnamese restaurant I know of in Costa Rica. The transformation is now complete. The charming young couple who took over ownership when the original owner left the country have done a marvelous job. Agnieszka is the greeter, server and designer of the beautifully appointed small dining room. Don does the cooking and is always looking for ways to improve the authenticity of flavors and expand choices. He is off to a great start. Yes, I have given the restaurant a “recommend” review in the past, but it has been improved so much by this handsome couple that it is well worth a second mention. And they serve nice breakfasts and offer crepes, which you might consider for dessert. You can visit them on Facebook (facebook.com/phocostarica) or go there on the Santa Ana Radial behind Scotia Bank next to Tre Scalini. They are open from 9AM to 9PM weekdays , 11-9 Saturday and 11 -5 on Sunday.

FEBRUARY 2012 UPDATE

With Valentine’s Day approaching (February 14th), here are three questions that might need answering:

Are any foods actually aphrodisiacs?

Which “loving” foods should grace your menu if you prepare your own Valentine’s Day meal?

What are some of the most romantic restaurants in Costa Rica to take her/him to?

APHRODISIACS: Remember that the primary human sexual organ is the brain. Aphrodisiacs are those things physical or mental, real or imagined, that heighten sexual desire, excitement, performance, energy, sustainability or pleasure.  Let’s categorize them.

1) Chemical Stimulants. Caffeine in coffee, tea and chocolate increase heart rate, awareness and metabolism, but only in moderation. If you need medicine for nasal allergies or an untimely head cold, avoid a remedy that contains only antihistamine without the pep-restoring pseudo-ephedrine component or you may fall asleep before dessert.

2) Genital look-alikes. Know your partner. If he or she is repulsed by the “boorishness” of genital facsimiles, skip to number three. If the contrary is true, consider asparagus, bananas, carrots, ginseng, oysters, scoops of ice cream or melon adorned with crystal ginger, strawberry or chocolate covered coffee bean nipples.

3) Heat producers. For some, warm skin and moisture, even to the extreme of a glistening wet body dripping with perspiration, can be extremely sensual. Eating hot spicy foods, wasabi (Japanese horse radish), hot mustard, ginger, curry, chilies and pepper do the trick.

4) Relaxers. A back rub, a massage, a little alcohol and even chocolate can reduce inhibitions. Playful is better than serious.

5) Sweet smells. Scented candles and flowers and understated perfumes or colognes are nice. Vanilla is very sexy as are scented body oils, perfect for gentle application. Truffles have a musky aroma, which some women find exciting.

6) Touch and taste exciters. Try to touch with fingers, lips and tongue as lightly as possible and very slowly. You’ll be amazed how less is much more. Patience. Dab on and lick off small amounts of butterscotch pudding, flan, chocolate mousse etc., a little warm or at room temperature. Feed each other grapes or berries by hand one at a time. Eat melting ice cream with a warm sauce without utensils. Lick off each other’s fingers or lips.

7) Rare exotics and animal parts. Beluga caviar, royal honey, shark fin, rhino horn, antler velvet, turtle eggs and fugu have been called “aphrodisiacs” forever, primarily because of their rarity. They are not true aphrodisiacs! Please don’t contribute to the horrible practice of endangering species because of false mythology.

8)  Fertility symbols. Seeds and eggs ring the fertility bell. Caviar, quail eggs and even giant ostrich eggs have folkloric power. Foods high in zinc (pine nuts, oysters) are thought to improve sperm counts in some instances.

DINNER AT HOME:  Show that you care. Display a loving mindset. Let mood music, the scent of flowers and flickering candlelight reflect your wishes. Avoid critical comments, vestiges of past anger or shared information about death and disease, all of which can undo the magic instantly.

Appeal to all of the senses. Appearance is important. How about cooking in only an apron, sweet smelling skin and minty fresh breath? Mint is a supposed aphrodisiac and bitter breath extinguishes all fervor. Have a flute of champagne poured, perhaps with a vanilla bean standing in it to add to the aromatic delight. A little champagne (or wine or any alcohol) diminishes inhibition, but too much diminishes desire, performance and the ability to stay awake.

Oysters on the half shell over ice with a dash of lime juice or a drop of rice vinegar are my ambrosia. If you aren’t very good at opening them and choose to go to a restaurant to have them opened for you, change out of your apron first. There are no demonstrable libido enhancing chemicals in oysters that aren’t common to a large number of other seafood’s, but the gentle aroma, taste of the sea, silky smooth texture, milky essence and genital appearance all caress the sexual mind. Choose the foods based on your knowledge of your partner.

Sample Menu: For dinner a deux, (all purported aphrodisiacs are highlighted in italics) consider oysters dressed with a wine-cilantro-wasabi sauce, a salad of arugula, avocado, mushroom, camembert and figs in a honey - ginger vinaigrette topped with shaved truffles and toasted pine nuts, a main course of seared sea scallops, asparagus spears and parsley roasted potatoes. For dessert, poached pears with chocolate sauce, followed by marzipan (almonds are seeds and have a lust-inducing aroma) in suggestive shapes of your choosing and anise cookies with a demitasse of Arabic coffee (with cardamom). Consider Champagne with a vanilla bean first and a little Port or Sauterne after, avoiding the depressing effect of excess alcohol. Bottoms up!

SOME ROMANTIC RESTAURANTS: Alphabetical listing of my personal choices: Bacchus, Citrus, Doris Metropolitan, El Grano de Oro, Ginger, Jurgen’s, Kalu, La Focaccia Di Martino, La Luz,, Le Chandelier, MYA, Nectar, Park Café, Saga, Sunspot Grill, Sushi Kai, he Muse, Xandari.

The other day I stopped at Sushi Kai for a quick lunch. Tomo greeted me warmly per usual and William presented me with a fusion appetizer I had never tasted before called Tunacho. Despite a name that conjures up an image of Tex-Mex glop, this perfectly prepared thin crispy wafer was topped with soft as silk chopped raw tuna dressed in rich brown sauce spackled in shaved greens and dusted with white sesame seeds.  The sauce was just piquant enough to tingle taste buds. Contrasting textures, layered flavors and visual titillation combined to make a perfect appetizer for Valentine’s day. They also serve oysters on the half shell.

 

Cerutti isn’t included because it has closed.

JANUARY 2012 UPDATE - HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Do you have a Tico palate for foods that tend to be a little bland, sweet and salty or do you favor more robust and spicy food?

 

Al Fresco

Los Adobes was a favorite about eight years ago for consistently good food, reasonable prices, easy access and good music on weekends. The loyal clientele filled the parking lot half a block west of the Panasonic corner where San Rafael and Belen come together. Alas, the prices rose, consistency faded and people stopped coming. About two months ago, two adventurous young women bought the place, lowered the prices back to old standards, brought in a good Nica chef and restored consistency. The style of Al Fresco is Tico. Tender slices of tongue in a mild sweet tomato sauce is a classic and among my favorites. Friday night is karaoke and Saturday night live music. We tried four of the thirty bocas and enjoyed them. The 2500C platos del dia are huge. The bar is well stocked and Genie (co-owner Eugenia Fernandez) is an English-fluent charmer. 229-2857. You can check out Al Fresco Bar and Restaurant on Facebook.

 

Shawarma El Badawi

For those of you who haven’t traveled from the airport toward Heredia recently, the new wide smoothly paved road will please you. About 600 meters before you reach Walmart, in San Francisco de Heredia La Palma, a large red and white awning with a green cedar on it, on the left side of the road, announces Shawarma El Badawi, an unadorned small Lebanese restaurant with only five small tables and five counter stools. The family is from Beirut and the food reminds me of basic authentic home cooking rather than fancy refined Mediterranean restaurant cuisine. I had chewy pieces of lamb with the citrus tang of what I guess was either sumac or a blend of sumac, thyme and garlic called za’ahtar. The nuggets of meat were caramelized dark and tasted like decades old reminiscences from the Bekaa Valley. The hummus and tahini were fine but my favorite mini-side was dense yogurt laced with enough crushed raw garlic to make your taste buds shout. It was not toned down to suit Tico palates.  I loved it. We also ordered the mixed shawarmas of chicken and beef, which were nicely seasoned and eated with warm pita.  Phone:   2261-4061.  You can find this restaurant on Facebook, too.

 

Barbato’s

Sheldon and Ruthie from Ohio visit Costa Rica every winter for dental work and an escape from Midwestern weather. They stay in an apartment in Sabana sur and love a restaurant called Barbato’s. Ruthie admonished me for omitting it from all my “favorite” lists. She particularly liked that the small café was cute, clean, friendly, reasonably priced and the service was prompt and efficient.  "The take out menu is huge, perfect for when Shelly and I want to eat in.” The restaurant is a block west of the Contraloria and a half block south next to Bambu and the fabulous home-made ice cream place, Chelato. We tried it and everything Ruthie claimed was true. Unfortunately, the cuisine was seasoned perfectly for Tico tastes. It lacked the Italian zest one would expect from Neapolitan owners. The fettucini was homemade and quite good but the Bologna-style meat sauce was under-seasoned tomato liquid and bland ground beef, standard for Costa Rican Italian. The Alfredo sauce was a little better. Small soup and salad first courses were not memorable. The garlic bread came warm but had the texture of Wonder Bread, not like anything you might find in Napoli. The menu offers mostly pasta and pizza. It is easy to see why Barbato’s is popular, but I’ll pass. 2220-2148

 

Tacobar

The sign shows a fish skeleton and advertises killer fish tacos. The flagship restaurant of what is destined to a chain of four or five locations within two years is in Jaco. In five years it has emerged as the most popular place in Jaco for all three meals, tacos galore and much more. We were thwarted the last time we went to Jaco by very long lines, but now we need only go to location number 2 in Santa Ana on the radial between Cruz Roja and the Pista del Sol, across the road from Mas X Menos. Just follow the crowd. In less than a month Tacobar has achieved remarkable popularity. The three partners, Gringo Jeff, Latino Jose and Israeli Itai have come up with a killer template that goes 180 degrees against old Tico tradition.  Everything is distinctively well seasoned. The four kinds of fish exclude tilapia and corvina, no gallo pinto or beans on the menu and the tortillas are flour, not corn. Snapper, wahoo, mahi mahi and tuna are the fresh fish choices (I have enjoyed them all!) along with shrimp and squid. They can be prepared grilled or crispy fried with herbs, coconut or hot spices. A single large taco is about $6 with an all-you-can-eat salad bar and choice of more than a dozen sauces. The menu on the wall is extensive and offers appetizers, main courses and desserts as well as tacos. By mid January they will be offering their imaginative breakfasts with rotating $3 daily breakfast specials starting at 7:30 AM. Until then, their hours are 11 to 10 seven days a week. Phone:   8723-8603

 

Note: Alquimia has reopened. The small road immediately adjacent to the south wall of Tacobar leads to the new lovely Alquimia location with a revised red meat-free menu, sushi, vegetarian dishes, wraps, fish and chicken dishes. Phone:  2282-2641

 

 

December 2011 Update

 

It has been a year since I first wrote about MYA in Plaza Obalisco in Escazú. When pressed to pick a  restaurant in all of Costa Rica as my favorite, I have to choose two, MYA in Escazú and Park Café in San Jose. Unfortunately MYA no longer serves lunch. On the subject of favorites, let me list a number of mine to end 2011:

Argentinean  ---  La Esquina de Buenos Aires, San Jose

Bagels --- Bagelman, chain

Bakery --- Christophe, Escazú

Barbecue --- Big Bill’s, NE corner next to Mormon temple in Belen (ribs, brisket, pulled pork and sausage)

Best steak bargain --- Baby beef at Kianti, Belen

Burger for $5 ---  Bonanza, across the pista from the Forum

Café --- Kalu, Barrio Amon, San Jose

Cheesecake --- Big Apple Cheesecake, Heredia

Chicharrones --- Oviedo, La Guacima

Churros --- Food Court in Mall Cariari

Costa Rican bargain --- Huge bocas at Rancho de Laly, Santa Ana

Costa Rican dinners --- Chalito’s, Las Vueltas (weekends)

Desserts --- Saga, Escazú

French --- Le Chandelier, San Pedro

Hot dog --- Price Smart, Escazú

Indian --- Taj Mahal, Santa Ana

Italian --- Romantic dinner --- Da Marco, Piedades--- Saturday lunch with music--- La Focaccia, Cariari --- Regular lunch, --- D’amalfi, Escazú --- Café/Deli, Il Torino, Escazú

Lamb … Aya Sofia, Barrio Escalante, San Jose

Pita, Falafel, Shwarma --- Sisso, Escazú

Pizza ---La Fabricca, chain

Prime rib --- Tara Grand, Escazú

Pupusas --- Santa Ana Sunday Market

Roast chicken --- Pollos Del Monte, Belen; Costipollos, San Rafael de Alajuela (weekends)

Short Ribs --- Bufalo Grill, Santa Ana

Sizzling Chinese platters --- Chef Oriental, Moravia

Sports Bar --- Time Out Tavern, Escazu

Steamed pork buns and dim sum --- Casa China, San Jose

Steakhouse  --- Doris Metropolitan, Santa Ana

Tapas --- Ginger, Playa Hermosa

Vegetarian, Vegan, Gluten-free --- Oasis Cafe in Escazú and Restaurant at Lands in Love Resort 32 km north of San Ramon on La Fortuna road.

(The vegetarian restaurant Alquimia across the pista from the Forum has closed. Rumor has it that they plan to reopen somewhere else.)

Please resolve for the New Year to share your favorite dishes, restaurants and locations with me so I can try them and report on the winners.

Happy Holidays.

 

November 2011 Update

Floyd owns a company in Ohio and is considering an event at the International Convention Center in Real Cariari Mall. He asked about onsite food, nearby upscale options and bargain dining in the area.  So here goes.

Along the side of the mall that faces the Pan American Highway, there is “Gourmet Alley,” a cluster of restaurants including Ichiban – Japanese fusion, PersaMex – Mediterranean and Mexican, Rosti Pollo – a Costa Rica roast chicken chain with lunchtime buffet, Pan E Vino – an Italian pizza and pasta chain, an American bar and, across the parking lot, McDonalds. Inside the mall there is a food court as well. For early risers, the breakfast options are the cafeteria in the supermarket and McDonalds.

On the other side of the highway, there are a number of upscale options. CoMi is a new entrant that advertises California cuisine and actually has a chef who apprenticed in the Napa Valley. Forget about a second coming of Thomas Keller or Alice Waters. The fare is traditional American comfort food as likely to be found in Kansas as California. It is well prepared and tastefully presented by an attentive very professional wait-staff in a nicely appointed dining room. Still the dishes include mac and cheese, albeit with cheddar and a panko crust; a house special hamburger with a fried egg on top; fish and chips; barbecued pork ribs; crisply fried but chewy calamari rings crosshatched with thin lines of pesto and aioli; fish tacos and surf and turf. Brownies or very tasty apple pie topped with vanilla ice cream drizzled with caramel top the dessert list. Appetizers and desserts cost about $10-12 and main courses, $15-30. The house hamburger is $15. The bar area is comfortable. CoMi is located where Antonio’s used to be, 100 meters south of the Ramada Herradura Hotel on the frontage road. Closed Mondays. 2239-1613.

On the subject of hamburgers, two friends like the $12 burgers at Buffalo Grill and Henry’s better than the $15 one at CoMi.

For any of Floyd's crowd who prefer basic food at bargain prices, drive west for five minutes into San Antonio de Belen.  half a block west of the soccer field is La Piazza, a no frills pizzeria with one table for four inside and two out front.  Thin crust pies come in more than a dozen combinations.  A "small" is 3000 colones or $6, is large enough to feed two people and comes with ice tea.  On the parallel block to the north across from Pali, El Dorado services good ceviche, many fresh fish options and even a fair paella at prices well below most seafood restaurants.  It is very popular with locals.  Adjacent to it is a typical Costan Rican roast chicken restaurant, Pollos Asaditica, with bargain casados (lunch combination plates) and popular onion rings.

The Doubletree Hotel has a poolside restaurant and two bars, but I haven't tried them since the Hilton took over.  The Ramada Herradura offers two upscale restaurants, Topicala for Latin fusion cuisine and Sakura, a longtime Japanese fixture.

Apologies for misreporting that Café des Artistas was closed.

Brad’s is closed.

Sweet (see last month’s blog) in Boulevard Lindora behind Scotias Bank, plans to change its name to Pho Café to emphasize its nice Vietnamese cuisine. I had a French omelet there for breakfast and was delighted that it was fluffy, not Costa Rica overcooked, and well seasoned. 

Sisso in Florencia mall (see June Blog) is packing in the lunchtime crowds. Their home-baked pita is amazing.

 

October 2011 Update

 

Joan and I are well into our ninth year here in paradise. We visit the States for family affairs and occasional medical imperatives, but less often than in years past. When we do go, I always plan to eat more than my share of the cuisines we don’t get here – quality Greek, Indian, German, Thai, Vietnamese, Korean and regional Chinese plus lobster and steamed clams when we go to New England.

In August and early September we flew to Seattle and drove more than four thousand miles looping through British Columbia, Southeast Alaska, parts of the Yukon and back. We found ample Greek, Indian and German eateries all along the way, even in fairly small communities. The Asian options in Seattle, Vancouver and Richmond, B.C. were astounding. In a single food court in Richmond, diners chose from Thai, Japanese, Vietnamese, Guangzhou, Hainan and Chiu Chow regional  Chinese stalls. The fresh halibut in Prince Rupert and dungeness crab in Juneau rocked. We tried birch syrup and donut white peaches for the first time and avoided poutine judiciously.

Back home I began again to search anew for Asian alternatives. First stop, Hibachi. Since about a year ago, the Korean owners of Benihana in Sabana Norte replaced it with Hibachi and began advertising Japanese and Korean food. Other Korean options have disappointed me in the past. The flavors have been diluted down for Tico palates. I had heard that the Japanese portion of the menu was good, albeit a little pricey. The Korean menu offers more than most of the competition. I was impressed and ordered be-bim-bop, the quintessential rice dish of Korea. At worst, it has been lackluster plates of white rice with a little shaved beef and a few veggies.  At Habachi, it was authentic and delicious – a superheated stone bowl that formed a thin crisp crust on the edge of the rice touching the bowl, the appropriate colorful additions of beef , carrot, cabbage and spinach under a fried egg on top and a generous helping of dark rust-colored hot sauce gochu-jang and tasty kimchi alongside. The kimchi may have been a little less hot than its typical Korean cousin, but the balance of red pepper, garlic and fermentation hit the spot. From the Japanese menu, Joan enjoyed her miso shiru, California roll and tempura-fried banana triangles with ice cream. As an added bonus, I got a 40% discount when I paid with my BCR card. Hours Monday through Friday: 11 to 3 and 6 to 11, Saturday: 12 to 4 and 6 to 11, Sunday 1 to 10. Telephone:  2296-0071. Location: Sabana Norte, 100 meters west of ICE .

Food in China consists of at least a dozen distinctly different cuisines and the composite is undoubtedly the most magnificent in the world. My second favorite Asian cuisine is Vietnamese because it combines aromatic and spicy parts of Thai food with many Chinese techniques and ingredients and French touches always served to be visually appealing and to contrast flavors, colors and textures. I heard of a gelato, coffee, crepe and pastry shop that served a few Vietnamese dishes, but a lukewarm review by a sophisticated food writer whom I greatly respect left me disappointed. After our trip, I missed it so, that I tried Sweet, expecting little. What a pleasant surprise.  Pho is eaten for breakfast by most Vietnamese, particularly in Hanoi, but also can be served for lunch or dinner. It is a meal in a bowl that is nutritious, visually appealing, and wonderfully aromatic. There is considerable variation, but basic pho is made in the following fashion: neck bones, knuckles, and/or oxtails are simmered in large pots of water for several hours with cinnamon, star anise, shallots, garlic, and white pepper. The broth is strained and skimmed of all fat so that no globules are visible on its shiny surface. It is ladled over a large helping of cooked white thin rice noodles. Thin slices of beef brisket, tenderloin, and tendon are traditionally added, but you can request pork, chicken, or seafood instead. The bowl is accompanied by a plate of fresh bean sprouts, Asian purple basil, cilantro, lime wedges, mint and thinly sliced dark green chili peppers. It was close enough to satisfy. Pho is pronounced  FAH, like a New Yorker saying FUR or FAR without sounding the R. The goi cuan, pronounced GAH KOON, is a nearly transparent roll of thin pliable rice wrapper around a filling of rice noodles, pork, shrimp and greens. Missing from the classic combination were mint and basil leaves. The Hoisin dipping sauce complimented the rolls well and the dish was satisfying. Cha gio, fried Vietnamese spring rolls are pronounced JA YO. These crispy little bundles are a treat. They also contain rice noodles, pork and greens. Their classic dipping sauce is called nuoc cham and is made from water, sugar, white vinegar, lime juice, shredded carrot and nuoc mam, fermented fish sauce. Bun means rice noodle. Bun cha gio is a classic lunch in a bowl. This four-layered dish has a crisp cold salad of cucumber, sprouts, scallions, cilantro and shredded carrots on the bottom covered by a layer of cold thin bun noodles. The top solid layer is made of cha gio logs and shaved pork. Technically it should include Bo, the word for pork, on the menu. The fourth layer is the same as the dipping sauce for spring rolls, nuoc chom. Many diners simply pour it over the top. There are nine different Vietnamese choices on the menu. We also shared an order of nicely charcoal-grilled pork pieces called thit nuong. Beverages include a host of well-executed fruit combo smoothies, classic Vietnamese coffee dripped into sweet condensed milk and a new marvelous combination for me, iced puree of cucumber and lime juice. With a decadent dessert crepe (one of eight choices) who could ask for more? The batter tasted just like my mother’s. The prices are rock-bottom. Except for the pho and bun cha gio (C4500), every other dish cost between C1500 and 2500. Monday through Friday they also serve six different breakfast specials in the same price range beginning at 7:30 AM. They open at 11 on weekends, close at 9 PM everyday. Location: behind Scotia Bank, in Boulevard Lindora, the smaller mall next to Momentum on the Santa Ana Radial. Phone:  2203-6969.  

Café De Las Artistas is closed, I assume for a makeover by its new owners who have a barbecue restaurant in South Florida.

Also gone is Tilapia Park near Turrucares where kids used to catch tilapia and have them prepared in the poolside restaurant for lunch. My grandchildren will be heartbroken.

 

September 2011 Update

This truncated blog is being posted as Joan and I are returning from vacation in BC, the Yukon and Southeastern Alaska where we spent the last three weeks watching grizzlies and black bears eat salmon, stone sheep descend from the mountains to look for food from passing motorists, moose stare blankly from marshes and caribou cross our path in large numbers. Add sightings of wolves, foxes, beavers, porcupines, three kinds of deer, eagles, owls, bison, porpoises and orcas and we were happy travelers despite about five hours in the car each day.  Tomorrow it will be warm weather and gallo pinto time. Pura vida!

Susan lived in Mexico and is always on the lookout for good Mexican food and friendly Mexicanos. She told us about Mexico Lindo in San Isidro de General and their delicious mole while we were enjoying Norman’s charm and good food at Jalapeños Central in Alajuela.

Another small restaurant with some decent Mexican selections is Takitos Y Picantitos in La Guacima Centro across the street from Ferreteria Materiales Los Principes. It is a family run business with bright young Allison who runs the cash register while her mom cooks.  Their limited menu offers some samples of Mexican street and snack food mixed with a few Chinese offerings and Tico standards.

Only a few miles east, the road from La Guacima enters San Rafael de Alajuela. At a T intersection there is an ATM and a small Mexican Restaurant run by two people from different parts of Mexico. The food at Fonda Cielito Lindo is simply prepared, authentic and inexpensive. Choices include sopa Azteca, tacos, tortas, burritos, flautas, gringas, churrasco, alambres, quesadillas, nachos, chilaquiles and more. I like having simple huevos rancheros there in the morning. A grilled pair of tortillas topped with a pair of fried eggs and warm green chili sauce comes with refritos on the side. Nothing fancy – simple and tasty. Most of the menu items cost C1800 and all the others except for the steak cost only a little more.  They open at 8 am and close at 7 pm Monday thru Thursday, and at 8 pm on Fridays and Saturdays. They are closed on Sunday. 2438-3723. They are located about halfway from the La Guacima exit on the new pista and the Panasonic corner where the Santa Ana Radial reaches Belen.

For another Mexican option, try Puriscal. As you enter the town on the main road from Ciudad Colon look for the street that runs in front of the old earthquake-damaged church. It is a one way. Where it crosses the main road, turn right. El Burrito Enchilao is down the hill a block and a half on the left side. The prices are about a third more than Fonda Cielito Lindo, but the portions are large and the seasoning is very nice and spicier than most places in Costa Rica. 2416-0201

Turnabout is fair play. Vickie Skinner has often posted parts or all of my blogs on her site, with my blessings. This piece of news is from her Facebook post. The prime rib dinners at the White House atop Escazu are back, but the hotel is now completely remodeled, its new name is the Tara Grand and roast beef night is still a bargain but it is now on Friday night rather than Tuesday.

 

AUGUST 2011 UPDATE

It's time for a bargain basement update.

 Thanks to Ron and Gail for the tip about paella at Banco de Marina in Ciruelas, Alajuela. “Paella for two” costs about C9000 and is so large that the take home uneaten portion after two huge plates-full is enough for at least four more generous servings – it's tasty and redolent with shrimp, clams, octopus, pork and chicken. My wife has an aversion to peas and loves that this rendition is pea-free.

Hal is a fast food junkie. He touts the cole slaw and biscuits at KFC and Popeye’s. Yes we did try them and have the chutzpa to admit it. KFC’s biscuits and slaw were fine, but the slaw was a little too sweet for me. Popeye’s was a little less sweet. Both biscuits were great. I prefer the “Louisiana” spicier flavor of Popeye’s chicken over the Colonel’s. Popeye’s cocktail sauce served with fried shrimp actually has an appealing balance of horseradish and tomato. The only negative was an order of fried fish, so cardboard dry that I suspect freezer burn.

 My favorite Asian market is Sony in San Jose. Lovely Carolina, the daughter of the owners recommended Wong’s for dim sum. She was absolutely right when she said, “Their dishes are as good as anybody’s and their prices are a lot cheaper.” They are located at the base of the hill on Avenida One on the eastside of downtown San Jose just across the street from the arcade of artisan crafts and souvenir stalls that run between Paseo Colon and First Avenue. The sidewalk face of Wong’s is a little scruffy but the interior is clean and functional. We were there on a busy Saturday late morning and the dining room was full of smiling Asian faces. To my delight, servers wheeled carts loaded with steamer baskets and small plates among the diners. That’s the style in Honk Kong, Shanghai and my favorite places in San Francisco. We selected so many of their thirty different offerings for just the two of us that the surface of our large table disappeared beneath them. The steamed cha siu bao were perfect. The usual har gow, siu mai, fan gor, shrimp and scallion dumplings, noodle rolls, tiny spareribs, sesame balls and chicken feet were wonderful. Yes I actually do love chicken feet and their portion was huge and far tastier than the simple soy sauce version. It included just the right amount of five-spice. The hot sauce on the table was indeed hot. It was authentic – mashed chili peppers, fermented black beans and oil, not the usual commercial bottled stuff. When we waddled out smiling an hour and a half later, we got change from a ten-thousand-colon bill. There has been some talk that the government might try to appropriate the property. I hope they don’t.  

Ruth asked why I, a former cardiologist, never offer healthier alternatives to standard dishes. Her email coincided with this recipe from my past medical affiliate, Northern California Kaiser Permanente:  

Serves 6    Ingredients for a healthier hamburger:

1½ pounds ground turkey or beef (or a mixture of both)

10 ounces baby spinach leaves

zest of one lemon

3 garlic cloves, minced

½ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Fire up the grill. Sauté the spinach in olive oil until it wilts. In a large bowl, mix the turkey or beef, spinach, lemon zest, garlic, salt, and pepper. You can make healthier quarter pounders using a half-cup measuring cup to get an equal amount per burger and flattening them on waxed paper. Grill the burgers until done. Serve them on whole-grain buns.

Nutrition Information Per Serving (does not include bun or additional toppings):
Calories: 183
Fat: 10 g
Saturated fat: 3 g
Trans fat: 0 g
Cholesterol: 90 mg
Carbohydrate: 2 g
Fiber: 1 g
Sodium: 338 mg
Protein: 21 gm

If you want an even better nutritional profile, I suggest you substitute non-fat pan spray for the olive oil and serve the burger wrapped in a leaf of ice-burg lettuce rather than on a bun. Add unsweetened pickles or pickle relish and mustard instead of cheese, mayonnaise or catsup. If you choose all or part beef for the patty, look for the lower fat variety. If firing up the grill is a problem, use a non-stick skillet with the above-mentioned spray. Buen provecho.

 

JULY 2011 UPDATE

Outstanding chefs are precious commodities. At times one performs admirably but the restaurant doesn`t survive because of prices, location or an unsustainable business plan. So it seemed when master chef Giuseppe Galuppo lost his kitchen at Antonio's in Plaza Lindora. Fortunately for us, he has reemerged at D'amalfi in Centro Comercial Plaza Atlantis in Escazu, up the hill from Scotia Bank. The tastefully appointed restaurant with al fresco seating out front opened six months ago and has seen its popularity increase steadily despite the number of good Italian restaurants in the area. Chef Galuppo has a staff of four cooks and a kitchen that turns out attractive, creative, very nicely seasoned food at prices that seem reasonable and are below the more expensive of his competitors. Gita and Sandy have been having lunch there for a few months on the days that they paint together. Both have high food standards and both are fans. So too are the thirty-three members of the Wine Club who descended in force at the end of May. The service is polished, professional and attentive. My favorites on the menu are linguini with clams and mussels in a sauce that is light and deliciously reflective of the sea; eggplant Parmesan with paper thin slices and a perfect balance of texture and taste; Cesar salad with enough anchovy in the dressing to achieve authenticity; and caprese salad made with buffalo mozzarella. Telephone 2228-6270.  They open at noon every day and close at 9 p.m. on Sunday, at 11 p.m. on Saturday and at 10 p.m. the other five days.

The owners of the Beacon Hotel bought the White House and are doing a large room renovation. In the meantime, the restaurant and Thursday night prime rib special remains intact. Café de Las Artistas has changed hands. The owners of Sonny's Barbecue in South Florida bought it.

It is easy enough to make authentic tasting Italian sausage. All you do is season ground pork or a mixture of pork and beef with salt, red chili pepper flakes and fennel seeds. Still, I can’t buy any other than frozen packages from the States. We had lunch at Il Padrino a few weeks ago and I noticed Italian sausage calzone on the menu. I badgered the poor waitress about my desire for real Italian sausage before ordering. She assured me that I would get the real stuff. Alas, it was typical Tico ground sausage meat seasoned with a little oregano, salt and pepper and the calzone pastry was under-done. Even the “Italian sausage” at Tom Tom in Escazu just past  Sorretto`s Market and Zum Shinckenpeter in its new digs across the parking lot from HSBC on the Santa Ana or Lindora Radial disappoint. Both make decent German-style sausage.

La Ribera shopping center in Belen has witnessed the demise of a number of restaurants in the past decade including two French, two Japanese, an Italian, a coffee and pastry shop, a chicken place that served paella and a pupuseria. If memory serves me correctly, about two years ago there were three Japanese venues, Sensu, Ichiban and a lounge run by Ichiban two doors away. Only the lounge location survived. In its current incarnation of about a year and a half, it has been Novoa Living Sushi. I hope it prospers long term because it deserves to. I believe that the young woman who owned Ichiban and the lounge still owns it. The imaginative menu design and recipes of original chef Jorge Ortiz have been preserved. Roger, the young chef on the premises does a fine job. His tempura is outstanding. I found no fault with sushi, sashimi or bento boxes. His presentations are artistic. Ingredients were fresh. The prices are a little lower than the competition, the venue pristine and service excellent. 2560-8020. Monday and Thursday from 12:00 m.d. to 3:00 p.m. and from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Friday & Saturday from 12 m.d. to 11 p.m. Sunday from 12 m.d. to 10:00 p.m.

In the little strip mall on the road in Santa Ana that runs from the Pista del Sol to Cruz Roja, Bufalo Grill and Market shares the limited parking with Product C and Lo Spago. The meat is all from Asian water buffalos by way of Guatemala, raised in Guanacaste. The lean flavorful steaks, chops and burgers have only half the saturated fat and cholesterol as cows. Like all other grass fed lean meat, it isn’t as juicy or tender as corn fed American beef.  If that is a problem for you, try the very well prepared burgers or the short ribs. The ribs I ate were fall-off-the-bone tender short ribs, smoked  and flavored perfectly with a spice rub and sprayed with tamarind sauce. They were so good that my mostly-vegetarian wife took about half a dozen bites. The order was quite large with enough leftover for a generous sandwich the next day. I chose an ear of corn and a baked potato as my two sides. Both were fine. Joan had a large salad of fresh greens, toasted pecans, buffalo mozzarella and pears bathed in grape oil, honey, rice vinegar dressing. Rosemary flat bread came to the table in a basket. With one beverage, the bill came to C11000. The setting is simple and tasteful. They carry Chilean, Argentinean and Italian wines.  Their market sells a variety of buffalo meats including the same lean short ribs for C4100 per kilo. The owner, Luis Gomez from Venezuela, is most pleasant. The menu is quite varied and most imaginative. Four salads, two soups and a bevy of appetizers complement the usual variety of cuts of beef one finds in the upscale steak house at comparable cost. The appetizers, sandwiches and side dishes carry Italian/Mediterranean overtones, but even include a Philly steak sandwich. It is seven ounces of juicy buffalo meat, sliced ​​into julienne strips, which are grilled, topped with melted cheddar cheese and caramelized onions served with rustic potatoes or French fries. The desserts sounded interesting as well.  Telephone:  2282-4122.  Open Mon-Thurs. 12 m.d. to 3 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.  Friday-Saturday 12:00 m.d. to 10:00 p.m. and Sunday 12:00 m.d. to 9:00 p.m.

JUNE 2011 UPDATE

My friend Guillermo Castro has a fledgling business called Know How Costa Rica (www.knowhowcostarica.com), and he does know how to help ex-pats circumvent tramites. He took me to a back street I could never have found on my own in a difficult neighborhood of San Jose to get a form I needed to renew my driver`s license after my cedula number had been changed. It took less than two hours. He also told me about a great place for Sunday brunch. New Day Café & Bookstore is in Ciudad Colón. I am indebted to him on both accounts. The immaculate tastefully decorated little restaurant attached to a 4000-volume mostly English language bookstore is a jewel. Monday through Thursday it stays open from 8 A.M. to 6 P.M., Fridays 8 – 2 and Sunday 10-2. We had very good eggs Benedict with crisp hash browns and fresh orange juice for only C3000 each. The rest of the menu includes omelets, waffles, gallo pinto, wraps, hamburgers, sandwiches, salad, soup, spaghetti, batidos and hot plates, all very reasonably priced. Check out the pastries at the counter. Yes the food, service, décor and bookstore are very nice, but the star attraction is Angela Haggerty, the delightful owner. She is thoughtful, knowledgeable, bright and interesting. 2249-2874. As you enter Ciudad Colon from the east, the main street becomes one way the wrong way. Go right when you are forced to do so, then take the first left, parallel to the main street, then left again on Third Street across the main street plus one more block. Turn right. The restaurant is half way up the block on the left side of the street.

Sisso, “A Taste of Jerusalem” is moving to a larger location across the way in Florencia Mall, Escazú. In the spot previously occupied by Spoon, Sisso will have more seating and a grand pizza oven to bake their own pita, flatbreads, baguettes and Middle Eastern pizzas. In addition to a new line of homemade baked goods, they are going to offer lamb kabobs and lamb chops plus a breakfast menu. They should be in the new place by early June. I am really excited about having shakshuka, a cast iron skillet on a wooden board with two fried eggs sitting in a sauce of red pepper, tomato, onion, garlic and spices. The last time I had it was in Tunis about a decade ago. It is far superior to huevos rancheros. Incidentally, their falafel and hummus are great. 

Burt from Oregon is coming to Santa Ana when his young teenagers finish school in early June. He and his wife have been here before. He asked for a recommendation for a steak house close by, not as formal or pricey as Doris Metropolitan or as rustic and rowdy as bar-oriented Old West. He asks for a place with enough class for his wife to enjoy, surroundings suitable for his boys, good food and prices that won`t necessitate a second mortgage. Touting the right steak house for someone is daunting. Many people insist on corn-fed American beef because it so tender, albeit with less flavor and only twice the price. Others like good cuts of local beef aged enough to be less tough than butcher shop fresh cuts from grass-fed animals. I told Burt to try Bonanza in Mall Santa Ana directly across the new Pista Del Sol from the Forum.

It is a huge improvement over the sports bar that used to be there. The look is rustic with great attention to detail. Dark wood, somber tile, red brick, vaulted ceiling hung with huge fans, cushioned chairs with the letter “B” embossed on the backs, place mats with maps of the Ponderosa Ranch above Lake Tahoe at each place, bales of hay, straw hats, a wagon wheel, a slide show of all the Cartwrights and their horses and mood music including the theme from the Bonanza TVshow all combine to set the mood for steak. My favorite cut is local rib eye. It is well seasoned, reasonably tender for Costa Rican beef, nicely presented and properly cooked. I always suggest that gringos who want their meat medium-rare order it “medium” in Costa Rica to get it pink and juicy but not purple. My steak was large enough for a leftover sandwich portion at home. It came with real mashed potatoes with a few small welcomed lumps and a large green salad dressed in mild vinaigrette accented with a bit of Dijon. The bill came to C7700 including everything but I added an extra tip for very attentive service. 2282-5504. Open from noon to midnight every day but Monday.

My favorite vegetarian restaurant in Costa Rica was Earthly Delights in Ciudad Colon. After it closed, chef/owner Marco Gonzales continued to star as chef for special events for corporations and private parties. He designed menus and acted as a consultant for new and changing restaurants. He wrote food columns and recipes for magazines, newspapers and for his flagship Delicias Terrícolas. The most recent feather in his cap is probably a Costa Rican first. He catered a very successful vegan wedding. Good job Marco! You can see photos at facebook.com/DeliciasTerricolas or reach him via ticochef.blogspot.com.

MAY 2011 UPDATE

 

Semana Santa has passed, our TEN houseguests have retreated to the states and the afternoon rains have returned. Our oranges and mandarins are gone. We still have dozens of mangos on the trees. Two papaya trees, dragonfruit boughs and a starfruit are nearing harvest time.

 

Our visitors hail from Virginia and Pennsylvania. Those who have been here before loved the post-earthquake additions to La Paz Waterfall Gardens and enjoyed lunch again at Colbert in Vara Blanca. (Side Note - Through the end of May, La Paz Waterfall Gardens is offering free entrance if you go to their Facebook page and click that you "Like" the page.  This can save you a bundle of money if you are going in a group.  Check it out.)

 

Together with the newbies, we went back a week later and eleven of us had very large well-prepared casados plus ten drinks and eight desserts for 44,000 colones including tip and tax at Freddo Fresas in Fraijanes. Lucas, the pastry chef, produced fine Napoleons and a variety of quality sweet breads. Grilled chicken, pork cutlets and corvina starred on plates of rice, red beans, maduras and salad. Charming Juan Carlos speaks English. 2482-2800.

 

Back in the Central Valley, they thought that the coffee-root-roasted chicken at Pollos Del Monte in Belen was “the very best ever.” They praised the onion rings and batidos as well. Seafood lunch at D` La Costa in El Roble for ten people received raves and the bill was only 30,000 colones. During their stay they had very nice seafood at El Pelicano in Herradura and fine dinners at Don Rufino in La Fortuna.

 

Good news for those of you who voted Casona de Laly the best Tico restaurant in the land. You don`t have to struggle with difficult parking on the small street in old Escazú any more. Rancho de Laly has its own parking lot for effortless access about 80 meters west of Cruz Roja in Santa Ana, on the north side of the road where Los Picantes used to be. The menu boasts 60 bocas all of which are larger than ordinary bocas and approach meal size in most cases. You`ll love the prices. They average 1700 colones and none exceed 2500. Jairo, a friend of mine, is a very good friend of Laly. He shared that several people have suggested that Laly raise his prices to match the competition. He steadfastly refuses, maintaining a modest markup over cost and delighting his clientele of appreciative unpretentious people. He also offers German, Mexican and Nicaraguan beer in addition to local brew. For those of us who bemoan the absence of decent Mexican food here, he has included about ten Mexican items among his sixty. The service is efficient and friendly. Tuesday – Sunday, 11 A.M. to 2A.M.  2203-4214

 

It has been a while since I have touted a restaurant in Alajuela despite the fact that I have a mailbox there and visit at least weekly. There are several good coffee shops and charismatic Norman`s nice Tex-Mex Jalapeños Central. Years ago, I enjoyed a slightly dingy Peruvian restaurant, which underwent a makeover and name change a year or two ago. Now it draws contented crowds of locals for lunch and dinner. Its name is Restaurante Chiwake. If you know the one way street that runs from central Alajuela and becomes two way at the intersection bounded by McDonald's, Taco Bell, a bank and a gas station, the restaurant is a block back up the one way street (unfortunately it runs in the opposite direction so you have to circle the block). If you like stuffed or layered potato dishes in authentic Peruvian style, you will enjoy the entire first page of the menu, which offers eight delectable choices all for about $4 or $5. My wife called the papa a la Huancaino as good as any she has ever had and proclaimed Chiwake her new favorite Peruvian Restaurant. My favorites include chicharron de pulpo and picante de mariscos.  

 

2011 April Update

 As a result of the confusion that I caused, very little consensus could be garnered from this list of restaurants that received a vote or more on the poll from two months ago. As I mentioned last month, Pecora Nera, Sunspot and Ginger received the most votes for best restaurant outside the Central Valley. Time Out Tavern was the most popular American restaurant in a runaway. Chez Cristoph was the most popular bakery and received a few breakfast votes. The Marriott Sunday Brunch in Belen was a winner. Machu Picchu came in first among Peruvian places. Casa China prevailed for dim sum and Taj Mahal for Indian food.

 more than one category = x, more than one vote in a category = z

Agua Azul  x   Bacchus x, z   Bistro at Hotel La Finisterra   Caballo Blanco          Cantarranas Tacos    Casa China z   Casa Luisa    Cha Cha Cha   Chancay  CitrusClub Aleman     Coconutz Bar & Eatery   Comida Para Sentir   Cristoph x, z   D’Costa   Flor de Loto   Giardino Tropicale   Gil’s Place   Ginger z   Gino’s      Grano de Oro  x, z            Il Panino   Inka Grill     Intercontinental Hotel    Jurgens     La Caueja La Luz   La Fabricca   L’Angullo Allegre x      Las Cebollinas   Lluna de Valencia  L’Oliva   Long Board BBQ      Machu Picchu z,x    Mata Limon   Marlin   Marriott in Belen  z    Miss Edith’s   Mono Azul x   Nibbana Beach Bar & Restaurant   Ocotal Beach Resort & Hotel   Panaderia Alemana   Paradissus Conchal x    Paraiso Tropical    Paso Real   Pato Loco Inn   Pecora Nera z   Pescado Loco   Pizza Hut    Plinio z   Robin’s Kitchen    Saga x    Sunspot x, z    Tacontento      Taj Mahal z     Time Out Tavern  z, x

 A friend left a tour book at our house that I had never seen before. It was loaded with information about dining along the south Pacific coast. My wife and I made a road trip to check out the facts. First stop – Restaurant at the Samoa Hotel in Golfito. Tasty congrio. -- not bad, but not a bargain. Next stop – straight up 3000 feet to San Vito – this “Italian town where Italian is still spoken” no longer seems to be Italian. We only heard Spanish spoken over two days. The pastas, pizzas and scaloppinis were pedestrian at best. Wilson Botanical Gardens had gorgeous vistas in and out of town in both directions (via Paseo Real and via Ciudad Neily) made the trip worthwhile. Heading back up the coast past Palmar Sur we overnighted at Lookout, a lovely reasonably priced hotel in Playa Tortuga with an excellent buffet style breakfast, 11 km south of Uvita, high on a hill with ocean vistas; toucans, parrots and trogons in the trees; spotless air-conditioned rooms and charming hosts from Germany, Brigid and Uwe. (2786-5074). They still have space for Easter Week as a result of a cancellation by a large group. The road up to hotel is directly across the highway from Ferreteria Ventanas de Osa.

Just a few minutes south, Ojochal is a small town on an unpaved road on the inland side of the highway. Remarkably, this little dusty valley is home to two fine restaurants and a French bakery. At the far end of the valley, Exotica is an unpretentious fusion restaurant with German owners and chefs. Vicki, their daughter, is the charismatic hostess. We shared our lunch of seared rare tuna and a sauce of coconut milk, ginger and a hint of sweet and piquant, which we guessed to be sriracha sauce, and a fabulous coquille St. Jacques called concha de la mar on the menu. They are open for lunch and dinner and are a favorite of an international potpourri of ex-pats. Vicki’s mom makes great desserts, but she has never made the profiteroles described in the misguided guide book. (2786-5050)

 The other restaurant, Citrus, not mentioned in the book, is a romantic, elegant, well-established dinner house perfect for a candlelight feast under vaulted ceilings or in the garden. It is also open for lunch. Service is impeccable. The Parisian owners have lived in the area for many years and were the original owners of Exotica. We shared a chicken breast stuffed with Spanish chiles marron, napped in gorgonzola and a seafood platter of lobster, shrimp and calamari. Both were exquisitely sauced. For dessert, we shared as tasty a mousse as I have ever had, of Belgian chocolate and brandy. It would have been perfect had the chef completely melted the sugar to eliminate the bit of grainy texture. Dinner at Citrus was twice the price of lunch at Exotica. Both were outstanding.

 Last stop before heading home was dusty beachside Dominical. The book also touted the restaurant at Hotel Domilocos as an elegant Italian restaurant. That information is correct insofar as the very nice restaurant does have pasta, risotto and pizza on the menu, but it is also the most popular tápas restaurant within hours in any direction. Choices range from garlic mushrooms to escargot to small towers of veggies and cheese. Steaks, fish and a panoply of desserts also grace the menu. Nothing costs more than C4800 and tápas begin at C1300. (2787-02440).

Gan Bei has been one of my favorites, but some diners said the head chef left and his replacement tends to season everything with Costa Rican (sweet) catsup. A second pair of sophisticated diners, one of whom used to live in Asia, said it wasn’t too bad, but down a peg from previous visits. 

Nichon closed.

 

 

 

 

 

                             

 

,

MARCH 2011 UPDATE



Thanks to all of you who weighed on my latest poll. I designed the questions so poorly that most of you thought I was only interested in restaurants outside the Central Valley. My intention was that just one category “favorite restaurant outside the Central Valley” addressed location. When I placed that item first, I created mass confusion. Mea culpa.

Nonetheless, the wisdom you all shared was very informative. Most of you respondents seldom dine outside the Central Valley. Those who do, sing the praises of quality restaurants I know like Pecora Nera in Playa Cocles on the southern Caribbean coast, Sunspot Grill in Quepos, Ginger in Playa Hermosa. Other one vote restaurants named outside the Central Valley were so numerous that I am going to have to do some investigating before I report back.

Jo Stewart is my favorite columnist in Costa Rica. She is also a friend and source of great dining tips. She touted Food, Inc. Café  – a tiny restaurant in Plaza Oeste, directly across the six-lane street from the American Embassy in Pavas. Joan and I love the food. The chef, Rodrigo, studied at the culinary arts and chef training school at Johnson and Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island, attended a French culinary institute and cooked in New York and New Jersey before returning home to Costa Rica three years ago. He is a charming man and a very talented chef. The menu is impressive for such a small venue. You can order breakfast all day and choose from Tuscan eggs Benedict with Hollandaise, crisp pancetta and hashbrowns for $9.50; an American medley of eggs, hashbrowns, toast, orange juice, pancetta and coffee for $7.50; gallo pinto; French toast or a continental breakfast. Add to that small or meal-size Caesar, Catalan or Greek salads; five pasta; very nice fish and chips served with tartar sauce and malt vinegar; a vegetarian delight of fried avocado served with spicy mango sauce and a house salad; five very large paninis; three fancy hot dog choices; and a bevy of homemade desserts including organic truffles. On our last visit, I had a surf and turf of five large crispy fried prawns atop a juicy pink, perfectly cooked pork tenderloin served with a tart mora sauce, rice, salad and a cantaloupe fresco for about $10.50. Pork tenderloin can’t be served rare. Too often it is cooked dry. Rodrigo managed to prepare it light pink and juicy. Bravo. It was nicely seasoned. Joan loved her fish and chips. I see why it got mentioned in the category of best new restaurants of the last year. It is eight months old and offers a variety of catering options. Hours: Mon. - Fri. 8—6. Sat., Sun. 10 – 4. Telephone:2296-4337. 

Don and Sanny took me to Fusion in Grecia last year. They report that the talented chef I praised has moved to Quepos. Their new favorite restaurant, Los Cerros, is in Naranjo. Is it worth a special trip? I think so. To get there on the Pan-American Highway, continue northwest past the Grecia exit six kilometers and exit toward Naranjo. As you reach the center of the town, you run into a traffic circle. Turn right as if you were heading into Sarchí. The restaurant is about three or four hundred meters down on the left side. Khaled Allaf is a talented chef and charming man. His Tica wife, psychologist Rosina, is also lovely and gracious. Khaled is originally from Amman, Jordan. After 23 years in the States, he came to his wife’s native land to live. Lucky for us. They call their cuisine international, and technically it is. While we were dining there recently, I noticed people eating typical Tico fried fish, Italian pasta, a steak covered in onions, and what looked like a burrito. I didn’t formally quiz them, but as I passed their tables, we exchanged very brief pleasantries. I heard Que rico! and Pura vida! in response to Ustedes le gusta esta comida? Four of us covered our table with wonderful Middle Eastern delights – hummus, falafel, tabooli, kefte, Lamb kabobs, beautiful elastic home-baked pita, coffees and a walnut filled fried pastry drizzled in simple syrup. We ordered too much food and gladly took home doggie bags. Still the total bill including the usual tip and tax plus an additional generous tip came to less than $15 per person. Were it located more centrally, I think Los Cerros might challenge Aya Sophia for Middle Eastern culinary supremacy.  Telephone: 2450-5074. They are open for lunch and dinner every day.

 

FEBRUARY 2011 UPDATE

Congratulations to Park Café, MYA, Doris Metropolitan, Bella Italia, L’Ile de France, Kianti, Tin Jo, Sushi Kai, Aya Sophia and La Esquina de Buenos Aires. I sent surveys or asked friends and acquaintances in the Central Valley to share the names their favorite restaurants. There were a few surprises.

Favorite restaurant of any kind: These were the top vote-getters in descending order with nine down to three votes each.

1)    Park Café

2)    Doris Metropolitan

3)    MYA

4)    El Grano de Oro

5)    La Esquina de Buenos Aires

6)    L’Ile de France

Others receiving a vote or two were Jurgens, Le Chandelier, Novillo Alegre, Saga, La Luz, Cerutti, Tin Jo, Bacchus, El Dorado, Kianti, Medalla de Oro, El Balcón de Mariscos, La Bastille, Time Out Tavern, Samurai and Fusion.

In the category of best new restaurants, MYA first, Doris Metropolitan and Bella Italia (tied for second) were the run-away winners with Fusion, Food Inc., Mushrooms & Nuts, and Product C the only other multiple vote-getters. Bambai Mongolian Grill and Eclectico received a vote each.

Bella Italia also topped the list of favorite Italian restaurants by a wide margin, followed by Da Marco, Cerutti, Bacchus, L’Olivo and Sale e Pepe. The last two were favored by people who craved consistency rather than flair. Single votes went to De Bartolo. Il Padrino, Pomadoro, L’Ancora, Family Pizza, Pizza Gino, Andiamo’la and El Balcón de Europa

L’Ile de France lapped the field of French restaurants. Only Colbert and Christophe received more than one vote.

The Costa Rican cuisine favorites varied but Kianti was the outright winner. Los Anonos and La Casona de Laly were tied for second. Others with one or two votes were Chalitos, Higueron Soda, La Cascada, Café Mundo, La Tiquisia, El Grano de Oro, Kai Café, El Tropezón, El Balcón de Mariscos, Soda Isabel and Soda Montealegre.

The new champion of steakhouses is Doris Metropolitan by a remarkably wide margin for a new restaurant. El Novillo Alegre, La Cascada and Donde Carlos clustered at three to four votes each. La Esquina de Buenos Aires and Lone Star received two votes each.

Among Pan-Asian entries, Tin Jo had a dozen votes, Taj Mahal a handful and Saisaki two.

Among Chinese restaurants, the balloting favored Chef Oriental, Tin Jo, Villa Bonita, Flor de Loto, Lotus, King’s Garden, Villa Rey and Medalla de Oro in that order.

None of the Japanese restaurants ran away from the pack. Only Sushi-Kai got four votes. Samurai, Sensu, Fuji, Sakura, Bambu and Saisaki got a vote or two each.

Aya Sophia emerged as the favorite Middle Eastern restaurant by a wide margin. Lubnan and Sash were the only other multiple vote getters. Nikklas, the Greek gyro restaurant and Beirut each got a single vote.

La Esquina de Buenos Aires is the most popular Argentinean restaurant and it even received a few votes for best restaurant of any kind and best steakhouse. El Novillo Alegre and Donde Carlos were tied for second, with Teruño and Patagonia fourth, but Patagonia is now closed.

The response was so animated that I think we can do the same for the following categories in the future:

1.  Best restaurant outside the Central Valley

2.  Best American, Peruvian, Mexican, Salvadoran, German, Spanish, vegetarian and others

3.  Best Dim Sum, pizza, seafood, buffet, Sunday brunch, bocas, breakfasts, burgers, pastries.

Revolving doors: Tzu Jan Vegetarian House plans to move to Sabana Sur next to Bambu around the end of the month. The Waffle Place which used to be downstairs, is now next to La Divina Comedia.

January 2011 Update

Happy New Year

How have I missed Tzu Jan Vegetarian House for the past nine months? Am I the only one here who loves the Taiwanese flavors of a sake-like rice wine called mijui, sesame oil and soy sauce in equal amounts as a sauce or marinade and wonderful steamed pot-stickers (xia lon pao)?  I also miss artistic Chinese vegetarian food made from soy, gluten and a host of starches to look and taste like pork ribs, succulent shrimp, crispy duck and beef sausage. Jose (his Spanish name), the waiter and proprietor is from Taipei. I can not pronounce much less spell his Mandarin name. His mother is the chef and creator of all the faux meats and standard vegetarian plates of her native land.  Their small restaurant is on the second floor at the back end of Golden Plaza in Escazù, opposite Auto Star, the same location as La Patagonia, Sol O Mio and the Waffle House. Most of their dishes cost from C3000 to C4000 and are generous enough to stand alone for lunch or dinner. For the purist, of their more than three dozen menu items, tze chao, chow mi fun and shi jin su tza ken are most typically Taiwanese. Open daily from 11am to 9pm. 2289-4695.

“Dear Dr. K,

My daughter lives in Alajuela and we visit her and the grand children every January. In your November update, you rekindled memories of a dirt-cheap seafood soda in Alajuela’s central market that you touted in a column once 4-5 years ago. We looked for it on our last visit and couldn’t find. Its name was Mariscos #1. The most expensive thing there was C1500 and their ceviche was unique and delicious. Is it still there? Can you help us find it?

Thanks, Rose, Daytona Fla.”  

Good news and thanks for the memory. Mariscos Numero Uno is still there. After a sign fell on someone’s head in the market, the municipality made everyone remove hanging signs. The most expensive items are now C1850. Marlin, short for Marleni, continues to run the tiny spot in the middle of the market as she has for thirty years. For her “unique” ceviche, she uses the firm flesh of her namesake fish, marlin. To the lime juice she adds ginger ale. I love the ceviche and the seafood cascada which contains enough Salsa Lizano to render it unique as well. The market occupies an entire block. If you enter in the middle of the side closest to the park, you’ll see a potato-chip maker just inside the entrance. From there, head down the nearest aisle toward the center of the market, away from the street about 15 meters. The small faded green soda on the left is Mariscos # 1 without a sign. They have jars of cinnamon-flavored horchata (rice drink), fruit juices and chan on the counter. Chan is a gelatinous drink with tiny black seeds in it. It goes well with seafood and supposedly cures upset stomachs and heals kidney ailments. I drink it because I like the flavor.

At the back end of Plaza Florencia, the Japanese restaurant has departed. An Italian deli named Guayoyo now occupies the spacious digs with charming outdoor seating adjacent to the marble fountains. They offer pizzas, pastries, specialty coffees, jars of antipasto ingredients, Italian cold cuts, boutique vinegars and imported wines. 2289-7006. They join neighbors Bagelman’s, Soda Tapia and the Israeli deli, Sisso, to make the little plaza in Escazú, just north of Paco on the road towards Piadades, a nice location for lunch or a snack.

Bill thinks the baby beef at Kianti, a block in from the Mormon Temple in Belen, is the best steak in the country. Janet likes the steak at Patagonia in Escazú. Will, Randi, Jane and George vote for Doris Metrpolitan in Santa Ana. Jaime prefers Donde Carlos in Barrio Escalante. Several people mention the Thursday night prime rib at The White House high above Escazú as their favorite beef dish. Often mentioned as well are their Idaho baked potatoes that come with it – a great improvement over the thin-skinned local variety. If only they would bake them without the aluminum-foil wrap and let the skin get crisp and crunchy. Sandy, Gita, Bruno and Joan join the ranks of those who love MYA in Escazù. They are planning to open Sundays and close Mondays, rather than the other way around. Ali will create a Sunday brunch menu as well. Tom likes Café de Balcon, a second floor German restaurant in Atenas. I can’t wait to try it.

Closed: Vaca Loca on the former site of Saga, Crepe Suzette in Momentum

Moved: Il Gourmet from Paco to Momentum

Gone: Jean Pierre has left The Muse

La Guácima is now more accessible than it has ever been. The new entrance and exit off the Pista del Sol is only about ten minutes west of Santa Ana. As you exit, go east (right turn if you are coming from San Jose, Escazù, Santa Ana or Ciudad Colon). As you approach the river that divides La Guácima from San Rafael, there is an imposing hexagonal structure of bamboo and wrap around glass windows. Its name is Nichon’s  there is a sign and a banner on its fence advertising Mediterranean food and executive lunches at C3200. Over the course of the next few months, the rustic large restaurant will morph into a dual location  - a sports bar with the usual chicken wings, fried shrimp and other bocas to go with cold beer on tap, and a sophisticated dining emporium offering a gourmet Mediterranean menu. The proprietor, Carmen, is a charming woman who has lived and cooked in France, Spain, Italy and North Africa. She will create specialties for groups herself – bouillabaisse, rabbit, lobster, duck, etc. The regular menu is prepared by her staff. The executive lunch is well worth the price which includes service, tax and a fresh fruit beverage. Recently we had a lightly vinaigrette-dressed crisp salad, perfectly seasoned succulent skate wings as well prepared as any I have ever tasted, served with a medley of julienned vegetables grilled through but still maintaining a bit of crunch, mashed potatoes, warm French bread, our fruit drinks and chocolate cake, nearly as rich and moist as a ganache. The lunch was well worth twice the price. Unfortunately the skate was a special predicated on a fresh catch. It is not on the regular menu which includes a host of appetizer salads, soups, mussels, and cheeses from C3500 to C5800. The main courses include tenderloins with Roquefort, porcini mushrooms in a red wine reduction or a wild mushroom sauce. All are C8600, all inclusive. The salmon, corvina, chicken and pasta options cost less. We went a second time with friends Kay and Gus. Once again we had three courses and a beverage for C3200 each. We all chose and enjoyed the same main course, a chicken dish similar to coq au vin, but made with white wine. They are currently open six days a week, 11-8 on Sundays, 11-11 Tuesday thru Thursday and 11 – midnight Friday and Saturday. 2438-6618.

December 2010 Update

Wow! We had a perfect meal in a lovely restaurant at a reasonable price and met the fabulous chef and vivacious hostess. MYA in Plaza Obalisco in Escazù has only been open for a few weeks, yet I got calls from three different people raving about it. The name is an anagram of the first names of the hostess and chef owners, Milena y Ali. Ali de Paz is an absolute charmer who exudes sparkle, warmth, expertise and passion for her food. The cuisine is playful, flavors and textures exquisitely balanced, ingredients superb, presentations artistic and combinations creative. Her concept is to use the best available components from the New World, from Alaska to Patagonia, add Caribbean and local tropical lushness and fuse the food cultures of the Americas with those of Asia and Europe. Born in Puerto Rico the daughter of a master baker, she ran a highly acclaimed restaurant in Gainesville, Florida for 27 years after graduating from the University of Florida with a pre-law degree and succeeding as a collegiate volleyball player despite her diminutive stature. Her sous chef Jeff came with her.

 

We started with two amazing appetizers. I love calamari and know to cook it for only seconds in boiling water to maintain its tenderness, but I never had it as tender as in the calamari ceviche. Scored in impeccable diamonds, five pieces came with a sweet sake and balsamic dipping sauce, a combination superior to the usual mirin-soy or soy-Asian vinegar dips. When I discovered Jamaican pepper sauce in a bottle forty years ago, I started to put it on everything. Ali’s seventeen ingredient home-made dark tangy sauce on her jerk shrimp is so superior to anything in a bottle that I may never be able to enjoy the commercial stuff again. Perfectly cooked fresh shrimp awash in the spicy sauce sat on ripe plantain disc adding sweet and soft counterbalances. Joan’s main course was an exotic looking vegetarian Napoleon stacked with corn arepas as good as Colombia’s finest, layered with eggplant, portobelo mushroom, zucchini, sweet red peppers, edam, ginger, garlic aoli, tamarind and balsamic jam. For contrasting crunch and visual flare, she decorated the top with fried yucca threads. What a medley of sweet, sour, salty and even umami. I had Tuna “Coco loco”, medium rare grilled tuna that had been marinated in ginger and lime. A cylindrical portion of soft calabaza fortified with slices of caramelized apple sat along side. I too had crisp yucca threads.We shared a dessert of a gorgeous lacy spun sugar and sesame brittle crèpe topped with fried wontons filled with decadent chocolate nut cream aside vanilla ice cream. Our bill was under 25,000 C. The service was impeccable. Milena and Ali designed the tasteful diningroom and upstairs bar in cream, black, brown and grey shades. Glorious modern art is spot-lighted on the two-story walls. They created the cubic dramatic light fixtures of metal and gauze that carry shoji lanterns to the next level. Ali seems destined to join the likes of Camille Ratton and Richard Neet in the select group of Costa Rica’s finest chefs. Closed Sundays. 2288-0569.

 

A charming couple sat next to me at a birthday party at Doris Metropolitan. They met when he was working and living in her native Japan decades ago. From a previous Wine Club dinner, I gained a world of respect for her opinions about food and restaurants. When she mentioned Bambu, her favorite sushi restaurant, I took notice and we went there for lunch the very next day. It is an unadorned hole-in-the-wall around the corner from Beso, off the main road along Sabana South (a block west of the Contraloria, turn at AM/PM and go about twenty meters). It’s on the right side two doors down from Dr. Brown’s Gourmet Hamburgers. Three tables were occupied by Japanese customers who were exchanging friendly banter with the husband and wife sushi makers and the waitress. What makes a trip to a Japanese restaurant/sushi bar memorable for me are impeccably fresh fish; a variety of species; contrasting colors, textures and tastes; authentic décor and artistic presentation of ingredients carved with the knife skills of a master artisan. Sadly, all were lacking. The attraction may be the charm of the hosts and family feel of a gathering place for ex-pat Japanese who possess a better knowledge than mine of what are the best choices for a given day. Or perhaps we came on the wrong day – a Saturday, when all three of the raw fish in my chirashi sushi  – salmon, red tuna and white tuna – lacked the firm texture, sheen and flavor of fresh catch. The white tuna in particular was soggy, soft and flavorless. When I have had albacore (white tuna) in the past, the chef seared the outside slightly to firm up the raw center. Even the avocado had brown age spots. My wife’s salmon teriyaki and California roll were OK. Bambu clearly has a draw for some sophisticated diners that escapes me. For those of you who have had a different experience there, pass it on to educate me and I will share it. 2290-1156.

 

Aya Sofia, one of antiquity’s great edifices, is in Istanbul. Previously it was a Christian Temple adorned with spectacular religious murals and mosaics, plastered over when it became a holy mosque, then restored when it turned into a museum. Its namesake restaurant in Barrio Escalante, 150 meters up the street north from Bagelman’s, may not be a UNESCO site, but the food is monumental. Mehmet Onurlap, the charming host and co-owner bubbles with justified pride in the Mediterranean cuisine that is true to Turkish standards and encompasses dishes reflecting Greek and Italian expertise in the kitchen as well (yes, the pasta is fresh).. I even saw an authentic dessert covered with stands of filo, kadayif, that I loved in Syria. You can see their basic menu on the website www.sofiamediterraneo.com, but there is an entire chalkboard of additional daily specials that virtually doubles the options. The air is filled with scents of rosemary, roasted lamb and cumin. The lamb is young and tender. Mehmet buys lambs from the Monge farm in Guanacaste, never larger than eleven kilos, perhaps the best lamb in Costa Rica. He and his chefs are passionate about their food. On a recent lunchtime visit, three of us were seated at the last available table next to old friends, gourmands Susan and David, who love the place and have eaten there about twice a month for two years. On their recommendation I tried the lamb and bulgar wheat grilled meatballs served with rosemary roasted potatoes and baby green beans cooked with sesame and soy. If it were closer to my home I, too, would be a happy regular. 2224-5050.

 

Norma Lenkowski, my favorite nonagenarian and the former grande dame of the Women’s Club of Costa Rica “out to lunch bunch” is at CIMA with a bleeding ulcer. Please, all you O Negative donors under 60, give her a pint. Speedy recovery, Darling.

 

I used to have Monday night dinner at Rock ‘n Roll Pollo with a group of Canadian and American ex-pats. The food improved greatly when the most amiable Elkin Flores became chef. When the management self-destructed the first time, Flores moved to Old West and the group happily followed. George Bradbury told me over Thanksgiving turkey at a friend’s home that Elkin is now the chef and manager of Brad’s in Momentum. For dessert, Kay’s pumpkin pie had a flakier crust than the one my wife made, but hers was quite good too. Kay’s husband, Tom Costello, is cooking up meals at Kay’s Kitchen in Atenas. He is as youthful and sweet an eighty-year-old as you may ever meet. He had a steakhouse in Rapid City, South Dakota decades ago.

 

May your Christmas, Hanukah, Kwanzaa  and New Year be happy.

 

November 2010 Update

Nikklas

“Lenny, the Greek restaurant in south Sabana (Nikklas) is actually a gyro-kebab type of place. It has the feel of a fast food place and the menu reflects that vibe (nice nonetheless). So do not expect full-Greek menu. Having said that, the gyros are quite good and their hummus is definitely one of the best in town.    Rodolfo Ulloa”

 

Thanks Rodolfo. Joan and I went there and agree with your assessment. During a week-day lunchtime, the place was packed. Service was rapid. All the ingredients were fresh. We had lamb and beef gyros with crispy French fries, a side of hummus and a piece of baklava. Everyone was pleasant. The diners around us were an animated and happy yuppie crowd. The menu is restricted to the gyros we enjoyed, pork leg wraps, vegetarian wraps, hamburgers, hummus, baklava and drinks. Phone:  2220-0913. Location:  Sabana South opposite the park, west of the Contraloria by about three or four blocks.

 

Ali Baba 

Samir’s Ali Baba restaurant on the main street in Puerto Viejo has a good reputation for quality Lebanese food and friendly service. Fran from Delaware recommended it to me and raved about Bread and Chocolate, also in Puerto Viejo, for “fabulous breakfasts and lunches”. 

When another Ali Baba opened it Itzkatzú, I had high expectations. However, it is not run or owned by Samir in Puerto Viejo.  My first visit was very disappointing. I am an unabashed lamb lover. The only lamb dish available that day was an appetizer of roasted lamb ribs. The waiter assured me that the order was large enough to satisfy the average diner. It was. The ribs were large for a lamb, tough as leather, and seasoned only with salt and so much sour-lime juice that any lamb flavor was totally hidden. I asked the pleasant waiter to ask the chef if indeed salt and lime juice were the only seasonings. They were.

My wife and I went a second time and the results were better. She had two appetizers, fatoush (a salad made with toasted pita bread) and lamb chawarma wraps. The fatoush was exactly as it was served to us in Syria –  lettuce, bits of cucumber, tomato, mint, lemon juice, olive oil and crunchy toasted bits of pita. She loved it. The chawarmas were only ok. Two large wraps were filled with lamb bits and pickles (standard dill slices - an odd choice), tomatoes and hummus. Both dishes cost about $10 each. I had roast lamb ($23); tender tasty pieces, well seasoned and surrounded by roasted carrots, tomatoes and zucchini with a mound of rice and lentil pilaf scented with cumin and turmeric. The waiters were very attentive, but we were the only diners at 12:30 on a Friday. The appetizers average C5000 and main courses about C10000. Portion sizes are large. Plating is moderately attractive.

 

  Lots of money and skill have gone into décor. The dining-room is well appointed in Middle Eastern design. The prices are beyond what most lunch-time workers can afford. If they can attract enough affluent patrons from the area, they may do well. Phone:  2588-0024

 

D’La Costa #2

A family of siblings has a successful restaurant in Santa Barbara, D’La Costa,  featuring seafood. I have never been there because Banco de Mariscos in the same town has been a longtime favorite of mine. When the second D'La Costa restaurant opened only a few miles from my home, I drove to El Roble to try it. It is everything one hopes for in a local eatery: the place is spotlessm though hardly fancy, service friendly, food well prepared, portions large and cost very low – so low in fact, that I doubt I could match cost and quality at home. Among my favorites are seafood spaghetti in a tasty white sauce with corvina, octopus, shrimp and conch (C3000) and corvina empanizada (C2450). My wife loves the corvina meuniere (C2600). As a true test of the capacity of the kitchen, we arrived in a party of eight on a fairly busy Friday night, were seated and attended to promptly. Our group enjoyed an assortment of drinks including a fancy fruit punch ($2), Chilean Frontera, ($3 per glass or $11 by the bottle), light and dark beer and an Absolut vodka tonic. All eight of us enjoyed our meals of shrimp, corvina, and spaghetti in seafood sauce. The menu offers seafood in about thirty different ways, plus modest choices of chicken, pork, steak, hamburgers and more than a dozen appetizers. They plan to offer desserts in the near future. They open at 11:30 every morning and close at 10 PM, 9 PM on Sunday. They have parking in front. The location is 200 meters west oh Hogar Crea in the town of El Roble, Alajuela. D’La Costa #3 is planned for Ciruelas by the end of the year.

 

Burton from California misses his favorite Chinese noodle dish, chow fun. He asked a lot; where can one find good noodles, tasty, large portions and inexpensive food. Good news, Burton. I am also a chow fun fan. Here, the dish goes by the name sa ho fan in many places. Restaurante Fuente de Fortuna in Montecillos near Alajuela fits all your requirements. My favorite sa ho fan is with strips of lomito. This is another high volume bargain eatery that I have mentioned in previous blos. The restaurant also offers non-Chinese standards. Their fried shrimp are legendary among local Tico friends for portion size and bargain price.

 

My wife adores our neighborhood bakery, Pan & Sabor, in La Guácima’s Mall Castillo. Their Italian loaves, cinnamon rolls, pizza, moist cakes – beautifully decorated and empanadas are indeed far batter than most. She asked that I applaud them and invite you to praise your local favorites. Praise, please.

 

Happy Thanksgiving.