Lenny Karpman

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.