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
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