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.
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