Lenny Karpman

October 2010 Update

Will commented on my description of the fine food at Fusion in Grécia. “Sounds wonderful, especially the whole fish. I’ll have to see how it compares with my favorite rendition of the same dish at The Red Stripe Café in Puerto Viejo.”  Well, Will, I wish you luck. My notes may be wrong, but I wrote that the once very popular café in Puerto Viejo closed at least a few years ago. If you have information to the contrary, please let us know.

The new Greek restaurant on the service road south of La Sabana is a welcome addition to the panoply of ethnic eateries. Thus far it hasn’t dazzled any of three diners who reported to me, but it is too early for me to judge. I’ll give it another month and try it.

Two blocks east on the same street sits the architecturally stunning Beso, with a striking collection of modern art. Its kitchen is currently in disarray to the frustration of the owner, clientele and amiable wait-staff. I’ll give it another few months and try it again.

Aya Sofia, another new Mediterranean restaurant has impressed a few diners. We are planning to try it soon. It is located in Barrio Escalante, 170 meters north of Bagelman’s.

Bobbie likes the improved cuisine at Patagonia in Escazú, 500 meters south of Multiplaza in Golden Plaza. “Try it again,” he suggests. We shall.

Janet loves the breakfasts and baked goods at Robin’s Kitchen in old Escazú, across the street and fifty meters west of the Beacon Hotel. Look for the sign that says “Coffee Shop”. Janet says that all five options are very tasty. Robin’s desserts, salads, quiche, eggplant and lasagna are all praiseworthy. I haven’t tasted her chicken curry yet, but her mocha pie seems to be everyone’s favorite. I ordered a piece and was not disappointed.  My favorites are her eggs Benedict and ginger cookies.

While on the subject of the Beacon and its gorgeous restaurant The Muse, two lovers of Jean Pierre’s food, confided that they would go there more often if he were to vary the menu a bit.

Two other couples agree that Avi’s cuisine at Gloria Metropolitan in Santa Ana is exceptional. As far as I know, Avi is the third Israeli chef in Costa Rica. The other two are Na’ama and David. She prepares fabulous food at Loveat, the vegetarian restaurant at the animal-friendly Lands of Love resort on the road between San Ramon and La Fortuna. She even offers vegan, gluten-free and Jewish-style options. David does the cooking at Sisso, Taste of Jerusalem in Florencia Mall in Escazú, south of Paco towards Guachipelen. His food is as authentic Israeli as any I have had in Latin America, with excellent falafel, shipood kabob, chicken shuwerma, hummus, eggplant and baklava. All the plates are less than C4000 and come with pita, salad and either fries or turmeric scented rice. Telephone 2288-4737.

Ron and Lee were disappointed in their evening meals at Café des Artistas. They described the food as “pedestrian”. Reviews are mixed. Carol and Nancy had positive lunch experiences. Two other friends were less complimentary. The consensus still raves about breakfasts and weekend brunches.

I have been blessed to have eaten at some of the world’s best restaurants including  Taillevent and Le Grand Véfour in Paris, Troisgros in Roanne, the French Laundry in Yountville, Daniel in New York City, Commander’s Palace in New Orleans, Charlie Trotter’s in Chicago, the original Masa’s in San Francisco and Steirereck in Vienna. When I encounter a new world class restaurant, I feel compelled to share, even if this one is in Medellin, Colombia.

Mystique is owned by fabulous young chef Juan Pablo Valencia Duque. Despite his youth (31 years old), he is a well-traveled, superbly-trained chef and choreographer of a kitchen that has the precision of a ballet. His studies have taken him to Paris, Croatia, Barcelona, Beijing, Miami, New York and Washington in a bevy of famous and award-winning restaurants. He considers Jordi Vallès from Barcelona his mentor. Vallès has worked with three leaders of the culinary revolution in Catalunia and nearby Basque country, Ms. Pedro Subijana - author teacher and creator of groundbreaking new recipes in her restaurant, Juan Mari Arzak – the scion of New Basque cuisine, and Ferrán Adrià -the most acclaimed molecular chef in the world. We let Juan Pablo choose our menu.

Cream of petit pois, arugula and asparagus soup topped with vanilla bean oil, some pecorino cheese and black sesame seeds; served in small demitasse cup with a piece of homemade brioche, toasted and served with a butter of carrot, pancetta and a sweet chili infused oil.

Ceviche of robalo (snook) marinated in mandarin lime juice for only four minutes, cut into perfect cubes with retained firm texture, combined with cilantro, red onion, sweet chile and smoked fresh corn kernels; topped with smoked corn foam and a dusting of cayenne; served in a martini glass on a Villery and Boche plate studded with red and peach colored flowers on a gold background.  The foam was warm and the ceviche was cold. I have never tasted better. The variety of textures and layers of flavor were amazing.

A very generous portion of foie gras served on a brioche round surrounded by porcini cream on the bottom of bowl; topped by  a reduction of demiglace with fig pieces that had been cooked in cognac and a half of a marinated fig, topped with a candied crisp leaf from a brussel sprout and fleur de sal. A palate cleanser of grape and cointreau sorbet followed.

The four of us (Juan and Nancy – Colombian ex-pats living in Costa Rica) shared four main plates, two of hamachi tataki and two of osso bucco. The yellow tail was topped with a vinaigrette of lime, lobster stock, tarragon and parsley. It was served with a small tureen of a mix of basmati rice and toasted white rice perfumed with orange blossom water and plated with roasted slices of baby artichoke hearts that looked like miniature soft-shell crabs.

The osso bucco was slow-cooked for fourteen hours, then placed in a hot oven for 20 minutes to crisp the top skin. The fat under the skin melted into sensuous liquid in my mouth. Served on a bed of caramelized onions decorated with baby brussel sprouts and carrot cubes cooked in ghee, the meat was butter-tender and deliciously flavored. The combination of textures and flavors were mouth-tingling.   

Dessert came in two parts: First a granita of yerba buena and cubes of rum-infused gelatin layered with mojito/lime foam in small glass ringed with sugar, and second, dried thin slices of apple wrapped to look like tiny ice cream cones and filled with a chocolate mousse.

We sat at the chef’s table and witnessed the plating of each dish by Chef Juan Pablo and 21 year-old sous chef  Sebastian. They clearly have the manual dexterity of neurosurgeons and the eyes of artists.

With a bottle of good Chilean red and a complimentary after-dinner drink, the tariff for the four of us came to $75 each, truly a great value for a memorable meal. We applauded the chef when he came to our table at end of three hours of gustatory orgasms.

The night before our meal, Chef Juan Pablo was chosen to cook a special banquet for President Santos. He was selected by the Culinary Academie de France to participate in the 2010 international competition, the Trophee Passion, where he will represent Columbia.  Mandatory course is a tubot souffle (a type of fish not available in Colombia).  He is allowed to bring three ingredients and so he is bringing Columbian coffee, raspberries from Bogota and Russian beluga caviar.  The competition will be held from October 9-12.

Are you going to put Medellin on your next itinerary? If so, book a table at Mystique.  You won’t be disappointed.  The address and phone are: Carrera 33 # 7 - 55, Medellin, Columbia; Phone:  (0)311 82 21
 

September 2010 Update

My gourmet friend Mij is not very familiar with Grécia. She asked to me to take her to Fusion for lunch, my recent great little find (thanks to Don and Sanny). Vicki went with us. We ordered fish, beef and chicken entrées and tasted from each others plates. All three were less than C5000. The jalapeño steak with flat noodles and a medley of baby vegetables was, according to Vicki, “the best meal I have had in all my years in Costa Rica.” The presentation was elegant – served on a piece of black slate and adorned with star fruit and a tiny cherry tomato cut like a flower. My whole grilled red snapper was served in similar fashion and prepared perfectly. Mij loved the juicy plump chicken breast she ordered. Because of the rich butter, cream and mushroom sauce, her plate needed sides. It was a shallow rectangle, equally artistic. We were all too full to try one of Andres’ exotic deserts. Mij plans to return without me now that she knows the way (from the Pan American highway, exit at the Grécia off ramp, straight into town, past the church up the hill, left at the second stop sign and it is on the right two and a half blocks later just past the butcher and motorcycle shop).

 

JR Ribs closed.

 

Another tiny diamond in the rough opened walking distance from my home in La Guácima. How lucky for me. La Milonga is on the main road through our town only a few hundred meters west of the minimalist town center in the direction of Los Reyes and the Butterfly Farm. The small front parking area is backed by a brightly colored mural. Chef Rodrigo studied to be an engineer but decided to follow his heart instead. He labored for months without salary in a fine restaurant in Cordova, Argentina, graduated to paid-staff status, and received a scholarship to the culinary institute. Needless to say, his steaks are the centerpiece of the menu. They arrive cooked exactly as ordered, well seasoned, generous portions and accompanied by a crisp salad with flavorful vinaigrette and baby roast potatoes napped in butter and rosemary. He also makes his own fettuccini, sweet or savory Argentinean empanadas and a few other interesting choices. I like the beef milanesa. He made cheesecake rounds artistically drizzled in his own blackberry sauce which was very good. His prices are mid-range, not cheap. I hope there is enough local wealth to support his fine efforts. Because he had been open for only a week and was still training kitchen assistants and wait-staff, I asked my friends to go in small groups. They invited us along. They didn’t listen. We were thirteen and occupied two thirds of all the seats. Remarkably, he and his staff performed flawlessly. Every one of our group was delighted, particularly when Bill picked up the total tab in honor of Myrna’s birthday. In a month or two, La Guácima will have its own entrance and exit on the pista to the beach. It will be just 20 minutes from Escazú, 15 minutes from Santa Ana and 10 minutes from Ciudad Colón. La Milonga will be very accessible to the masses. Currently he is open Thursday through Sunday.

 

The baker at Ka-Kau in Centro Comercial, Escazù is a very talented German pastry maker. His snail-shell shaped sticky cinnamon rolls are the best I have ever had. I tasted one of his rich brownies and a fruit tart, both quite good. They offer lunch combos as well. When he discovers a source for rye flour, he will offer crusty bread as well.

 

What was Hotel Villa Antigua and before that Tex-Mex on the street behind the church in Santa Ana, is now a fabulous restaurant perfect for a gastronomic splurge. Doris Metropolitan is a tastefully decorated steak house with the finest aged Guanacaste beef from their own ranch. Minimum aging time is 21 days. They have a butcher shop near the front entrance, an elaborate wine display to the right and the restaurant to the left. The steaks may be the best in Costa Rica, but that is not the whole story. First to appear on our table were home-baked focaccia and sesame-crusted bread with coin-shaped dollops of garlic butter, herb butter, paprika butter, parsley-mint puree and olive oil dotted with balsamic vinegar, the consistency of honey. The vinegar had been reduced to intensify its marvelous flavor and to give it a honey consistency. Chef Avi, one of three Israeli owners, already had garnered my attention and respect. We had two perfect appetizers: 1) a “Doris salad” of rich sun-dried tomatoes, black olives, arugula, Roquefort cheese, stringless celery spears, almonds and walnuts dressed nicely and 2) fire-roasted eggplant and an extraordinary homemade tahini done with a mix of three fragrant oils, smoky and sumptuous. Both appetizers were large enough to have served a couple. Yes, the steaks are well seasoned, seared to point, juicy and tender and very large. They are served in cast iron skillets. What came with them were half a grilled tomato covered with a minuscule dice of fresh garlic, a charred half of a sweet onion and creamy mashed potatoes. The wait staff merits mention. For two weeks before the restaurant opened, they learned about every ingredient and preparation technique, and they tasted every dish. They are justifiably proud of their ability to assist diners. Jason, our delightful waiter, recommends the butcher cut, three hundred grams of the single best cut of beef (C 14900). It is obvious he loves the food and is proud to be part of the team. When another diner ordered a porterhouse, we could hear the buzz of the saw removing it from the aged side of beef.

Other appetizers that I intend to try in the future include lamb kebabs, veal carpaccio and tongue in caramelized beets. We may never make it to the fabulous-sounding dessert menu. A diner at the next table loved her crumble of marscapone and fresh strawberries. Wine and liquor choices abound. FIVE STARS. 2282-2221. Check their website for special events – www.dorismetropolitan.com

August 2010 Update

The pista to Caldera reopened for a few days and we ate paella at Costa del Sol. It was tasty and redolent with seafood, chicken pieces and chunks of fish. Two of us took home enough for a third leftover portion. At C14000 for two, it did not seem overpriced with half a lobster each, lots of small shrimp, baby clams and octopus pieces. Our third diner had lenguado on my recommendation, in a butter-lime sauce. She loved the flavor, but her piece didn’t have the perfect texture that mine had had the time before. I suggest that you try it when the waiter can reassure you that it is the same day’s catch or out of the live tank. Their coconut flan was unusually fine.

 

Two more converts now consider Trattoria Bell’Italia their favorite Italian Restaurant and a mention that the only couple who didn’t like it may be impossible to please on occasion. “I sat near her once at a Wine Club event at a fabulous restaurant and she sent her salad back to the kitchen three times” quoth anon.

 

Tony Alaimo’s third restaurant reincarnation is on the Santa Ana Radial, just behind Scotia Bank. Its name is Tres Scalini. Tony, as you may recall, presided over the popular Ponte Vecchio, then went to Peoria, Illinois for a few years. He returned in 2003  to open the popular Il Retorno in Casa Italia. When his lease wasn’t renewed he moved from the east end of the Central Valley to the west side. His new restaurant is nicely appointed. The wait staff are quite professional. His same lengthy menu contains an entire page of veal choices. Portions are generous, plates attractive and prices well below other venues like Bacchus, Di Bartolo and Cerutti. He still manages to leave the kitchen periodically to greet his guests in his chef’s jacket and multicolored pants. When we went on a week night, there were about twenty diners enjoying their food.

 

Really good hot dogs are a rarity in Costa Rica. Marvin from New York tried dozens of different ones and suggested that the huge steamed all meat ones at Price Smart were the best, unless you buy Hebrew National or Nathan’s at Auto Mercado or Little Israel and grill them at home. I agree with him.

 

Café Des Artistas is drawing raves from old customers who feel that the new chef/owner Chris Reeves has raised the quality of the American fare.

 

Want to know how to make vegan and vegetarian food delicious? Radha at the Sat Yoga Institute gives five-hour cooking classes for about $80 quarterly. The recipes my wife has learned to prepare there are fabulous. For information contact Radha's Kitchen at 2288-3294.

 

Marsha and Tom travel from San Jose to Jacó frequently in the company of a Tico couple who live on their block. They asked for a recommendation for lunch along the way which  had at least a few Tico dishes and some upscale options. I steered them to Tropical in Orotina next to the gas station in the center of town, a block and a half north of the market plaza They loved the festive tipico environment, the food and the prices. There were about thirty local people eating lunch there on a weekday. All four enjoyed their hearty basic food. Marsha particularly praised the white sauce on her chicken cordon blue. Tom’s lengua en salsa was “butter tender.” C2700 casados, pastas, fajitas and ceviches seemed to be the most popular large plates flowing out of the kitchen when we were there. They have a well stocked bar. Rogelio, the proprietor, is muy amable.  Telephone number: 2428-7755.

 

Adios to Pasta y Vino in Belen. Your chicken parmigiana and tomato sauce were very nice. I hope chef Martin Allen finds a place for his talents.

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JULY 2010 UPDATE

Bear with me on my new favorite tiny gem. It is Fusion in Grecia. The chef, Andrés Pineda, is very talented, creative and artistic. He studied for several years at the Costa Rican Culinary Institute. His presentations are lovely and mélanges of flavors are very well balanced. He is young and charming. The prices are remarkably low for the quality of the ingredients and effort in preparation. The pluses outweigh the minuses, but the minuses need be mentioned. There are only four tables of four in this tiny space. Since everything is cooked to order, you must be willing to wait as long as an hour to be served. The chairs are hard. Parking is limited to space for three cars. Four of us had main courses, drinks and desserts for a total of 28000 C including a generous tip. We had  chicken breast in mushroom sauce, pork kabobs, barbecued pork ribs and a scrumptious vegetarian Mexican dish. The first three were served on beds of fetuccini alongside pan-grilled baby zucchini, eggplant, red peppers, cauliflower and onions adorned with curly sprigs of snow pea plants. Dessert was roasted kiwi, cored and filled with other fruits, ice cream and chocolate sauce. Be sure to look at the lovely collection of art on the walls. Directions: As you enter Grecia from the Pan American Highway, go past the church, past the stop sign atop the hill and take the next left. Go straight past the next stop sign and it is on the right just past the butcher and motorcycle shops. Phone:  2444-0170.

 

A few months ago, I described a lunch we had at Leda in Caldera. Since then, two readers have chided me for mentioning what they considered only the second best seafood restaurant on the same block. The best, according to the contributors, is Costa Del Sol, a hotel and restaurant three hundred meters farther south on the same side of the same street. In 1988, I spent a lovely month on the Dalmatian Coast of former Yugoslavia and loved how the Croats prepared seafood. Back in San Francisco, two of my favorite seafood chefs were also Croatian. Their specialty was sole meunière, in a simple butter, parsley and lemon sauce. “Willy” Vinko Lastro, the owner and original chef at Costa del Sol, is Croatian. His wife is from Spain.. Lenguado is the local sole-sized half kilo member of the flounder family. It has never been a Costa Rican favorite,  like the inexplicably tasteless tilapia. The lenguado here is plentiful and inexpensive. Very large members of the flounder family in the 6-8 kilo range are not very good in tropical waters, but lenguado are delicious, white, flakey, moist and tasty when fresh. They tend to soften and get watery when frozen. At Costa del Sol, the lenguado meunière was fresh and cooked perfectly. Served with fries and a simple salad, it cost 3500 C. The restaurant also has a reputation for outstanding paella Valenciana 14000 C for two, loaded with seafood including lobster, clams, calamari and shrimp. When the Caldera pista reopens, we are going to try it.  Phone:  2634-4008

 

L’Ile De France opened to happy crowds of its long-time faithful clientele and many new comers in its new location on architecturally rich Avenida Escazú. Amidst dark textured walls, lovely cushioned chairs and banquettes and a back-lighted onyx bar, Jean Claude Fromont resumes his tried and true French classics that reigned supreme at the Hotel Bergerac in the past. Kudos to the management team for the seamless transformation and the fixed price luncheon options. The options include two of three courses or all three – appetizer, main dish and dessert for much less than the ala carte dinner costs.

 

Mushroom and Nuts is nestled in tiny Plaza Trejos in Escazú along with a fish place, a sushi restaurant, a pharmacy and a bakery. It is on the road heading west from Tony Roma’s past Hypermas, on the left side opposite the turn that leads to EPA and the pista. Parking can be a little tight, particularly at lunch time. Most of the cars are headed for Mushrooms and Nuts because of very nice executive specials at great prices in a clean indoor / outdoor setting with efficient and gracious service. The owners, Allen and his partner Rocia speak English as does one of the waiters. Business people from buildings across the way love the food and convenience. Leave it to Mij, to have made another quality discovery, albeit on her four-footed cane. My two lunches there were each 2900 C including tip and tax for three courses and a fruit drink. I had a salad of mixed tiny crisp greens in mild vinaigrette followed by linguini in a creamy mushroom sauce and a dessert of white chocolate cream with a fresh large mug of pineapple juice. On the second visit I chose a cup of garbanzo and pork soup, chicken curry with rice and a pair of fried banana fritters and a hazelnut pastry. Everything was reasonably well prepared and presented. They are open from 8am to 7:30pm.Monday – Wednesday, 8am to 9pm Thursday thru Saturday. Closed Sunday. 2288-9044.

 

 

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2010 JUNE UPDATE

Sorry friends. I passed along some information that was wrong. When David raved about the lunch special of corvina for less than 2000 C at Time Out, I hadn’t checked it out. Indeed Time Out has some very nice hot lunchtime specials, usually for about 4000-6000C, a fine assortment of sandwiches, thick rich flavorful chili and even poutine for you Eastern Canadians. They like to serve fish as fresh as possible, so they only serve it once a week, on Fridays. Their fish and chips are quite popular, for about $10. All their Friday offerings from the sea are about the same price except salmon which is more. For those of you who don’t know this friendly ex-pat hangout / sports bar, as you head up the hill past the Costa Rica Country Club in Escazù, it is a few blocks farther up on the left. There is a sign that reads This is the Place.

 

While on the subject of fish, there is a new sign in front of the Fish Market on the road from the Forum to Santa Ana, next to Lo Spago. It reads Concept C. Inside, it is still the same Fish Market with an array of fresh fish to take home or have prepared nicely for on-site dining. The menu hasn’t changed. Recently I had five plump mussels served in a light tasty tomato sauce for 3400 C. Delicious.

 

White Tuna in Itskatzú, disappointed three of four of us on a recent Saturday night. I felt badly for calling it Blue Tuna in a recent blog and hoped to make amends with a positive review. It wasn’t to be. Two of us ordered congrejo, a flakey, firm whitefish with marvelous flavor when fresh. Ours was wet, mushy and bland as if it had been frozen and thawed at least a few times. I ordered it al Diablo and my hot sauce tasted like plain Tabasco from the bottle. We sampled another diner’s trout and found it bland and overcooked. The wisest of our four ordered corvina. Two of us had soft drinks, two had tap water with ice. The price for just the four dishes and two beverages was 33,500 C. From 6-8PM on that Saturday, there was only one other patron in restaurant.

 

Since I recommended Trattoria Bell’Italia, I have had four other comments – three raves and a major disappointment. The score card with 7/8 is overwhelmingly on the side of the raves. Ray and his wife shared an antipasto that neither liked and missed typical trattoria soft lights and homey kitchen aromas.  Pedro is one of the seven who loved it, but he has four ravenous teenagers who could run up a huge bill at any upscale locale. He asked for an inexpensive Asian alternative and I recommended Restaurante Fuente de Fortuna in Montecillos. The six of them had huge portions of basic Cantonese and Tico food for less than 15000 C. Not gourmet fare, but enjoyed by all. Can’t beat the prices.

 

The wine club experience at JR Ribs was positive.

 

I have heard about a new German restaurant in Heredia that makes great bread, but my informant couldn’t supply its name or location. Help me, please.

 

Flavor, the new restaurant in Belén that replaced the steak house that replaced the vegetarian restaurant a block east of PeKiss, is owned by nice people from the Dominican Republic. Their menu contains a few items from their Caribbean island home. The empanadas are very nice – chicken, pork, egg, garlic, onion, red peppers and raisins well seasoned. I ordered sancocho. It was not bad but it was much more like Costa Rican olla de carne than Caribbean robust stew. The restaurant is lovely and staff very friendly. We plan to go back and try other Dominican specialties.

 

Also in Belén, Eclectico has hooked four of my friends who are Colombian ex-pats. One of the owners of the restaurant is from Colombia, and they apparently have special events that feature Colombian cuisine. I’ll have to ask to be included on their Colombian newsletter mailing list.

 

Sky reports from Tamarindo that El Coconut remains his favorite restaurant. It is among my favorite seafood venues in the country. It is only open for dinner. Lazy Wave is again a very popular eclectic upscale restaurant after a period when it became more bar than restaurant. La Laguna de Cocodrillo, once very expensive, now offers much more moderately priced specials. Sky likes Nogui’s Sunset Café for typical cuisine at fair prices, right on the beach. We talked at Gen Ki in the food court on Avenida Escazù, adjacent to CIMA Hospital. His mother and my wife were both on the mend. His mom and my wife were discharged the next day. He tells me that there are now five sushi places in Tamarindo.

 

Sushi Kai did re-open as planned in mid April in Via Lindora.

May 2010 Update

T.S. Eliot wrote that “April is the cruelest month, followed by depraved May."

I love the end of April and early May when the dusty winds have abated and new rains freshen the air and inspire all things that grow to explode with splendor and color. The farmers’ markets draw me to them anew as each new fruit and vegetable appear like debutantes at a first ball.

 

But April has been cruel to many restaurants this year. My favorite German restaurant in Atenas, Haedel’s Restaurant Alemania, is gone. I hope Kristen and Siegfried find another niche here in Costa Rica. Que lastima. Also departed are O’Conner’s Irish Pub and its Irish stew from Via Lindora, Tequila Joe’s from the same site, Santa Ana’s only Caribbean restaurant, the Chinese fast food place next to Tandoori Palace on the Santa Ana Radial, Huaraches in La Garita, R & G Steakhouse in Belén, the once-exciting La Casita Inn in Santa Ana, the Brazillian meats on skewers in Plaza Itskatzú, La Mia Caffe and Spoon in Florencia Mall and so many more. And my favorite new sushi bar, Sushi Kai, is closed until mid April, according to a sign on the door. I hope it reopens as promised. Three of the four remaining restaurants that share the Via Lindora shopping center with Sushi Kai are advertising 30-35% discounts, presumably as credit card perks.

 

Ristorante Pasta E Vino in San Antonio de Belén is a winner. The chef, Martín Allen, worked in Northern Italy for two years and mastered unpretentious comfort food. His basic tomato pasta sauce is the richest and heartiest I have eaten in Costa Rica. When was the last time you had tasty fluffy meatballs? At the suggestion of the chef, I had meatballs with my perfectly seasoned penne arrabiata. They were fine. The calzone that my wife tried had a thin crispy crust that inflated like a balloon, prosciutto, gorgonzola and mozzarella cheeses and crimini mushrooms inside and a drizzle of the luscious red-wine enhanced tomato sauce over the top. Chef Martín dressed her plate and the rest of ours with simple minty basil leaves. Gus and Kay raved about their spaghetti with meatballs and sausage. They likened the sauce to Gus’s Italian grandmother’s. The only minor flaw I detected was that the sausage lacked fennel seed and crushed red pepper. But, on that score, so does the so-called Italian sausage throughout Meso-America. Decent garlic bread and outstanding panna cotta fresca completed our meal. The servings are large, the servers are very attentive and the walls are covered with Italian-theme murals. The prices are mid-range. There are 76 menu items to choose from and a full bar. Martín offered us complimentary lemoncello before we left. Ristorante Pasta E Vino is open Tuesday through Sunday for lunch and dinner. Hours: 11-3 & 6-10 on weekdays and 11- 10 on weekends. 2239-5153. It is a large former Costa Rican restaurant and nightclub with ample street parking. From the main one-way road through the center of Belén that heads west, turn right past the church at Chayfer and head north for one block. Voila. We and our two friends will surely return often. I hope enough other people do as well to make the restaurant successful. I would hate to see it fail.

 

In my mailbox:

             

Sam, an aficionado whose palate I respect, took issue with my plug for Afang Palace. He had Peking-style ribs for c4500 and jasmine tea in the branch in Santa Ana. The ribs were “too salty”, the side of lettuce and tomato was not dressed, neither salad dressing, nor rice came to the table and the brown “Peking sauce” was bland. Because the tax and tip were not included in the menu price (the law requires the inclusive price to appear), his bill for lunch came to c7100 in a place that I had suggested as medium priced. Mea culpa Sam.

             

Juan liked the new incarnation of Cafetal, the former cluster of cabins on top of the grade west on the old road to Orotina. It has reappeared near the Central Market in Atenas.

             

Don, who ran a B&B, cooked aplenty and still bakes fabulous loaves and his wife Sanny, a great cook and teacher of Chinese culinary arts, raved about Fusion, a small restaurant with only four tables in Grécia.

             

Doug loves the food, service and ambience at La Esqina de Buenas Aires in San Jose.

             

Juancito was fond of Marco’s Italian Restaurant and purveyor of real Italian Ices in Santa Ana Mall. Alas my friend, it too has closed.

             

Two friends who adore the executive lunches at The Muse at the Hotel Beacon in Escazú, fear for Jean Pierre because they were the only patrons twice on weekdays last month. I share their adoration and hope that business picks up. The restaurant is a beauty and his food is superb.

             

Adrian, who shares my love for chef Giannoni’s food at Pecora Nera in Playa Cocles on the southern Caribbean coast, reports that the former Tico restaurant at the head of the small road to the restaurant, now belongs to Giannoni and houses a less grand and less expensive option to enjoy his fine Italian cooking.

             

Along the same stretch of coastline, Fabio loved his seafood at Cha Cha Cha in Cahuita and Doug praised his fish dish at Maxi’s in Manzanillo.

David, who loves corvina and bargains, thinks that the c2000 fish plate at Time Out in Escazú can’t be beat. Many of us lovers of quality hot dogs are excited about the high quality product he plans to bring to market soon. We’ll keep you posted.

Blue Tuna is a brand new seafood restaurant in Plaza Itscatzú. Joan and I had an appetizer combination for two for five times the price of David’s favorite corvina bargain. The calamari rings and succulent corvina fingers had nice Panko crusts and went very well with honey mustard and tartar sauces. The fish cakes were dry. We shall try it again in another few months.

Another Saisaki has opened, this time in the shopping center between Constru Plaza and Saint Mary School on the road that goes north from the pista's Guachipelin/Lindora exit. They offer menu items from Japan, the Philippines and Korea.

William Hill, the congenial owner of Café Des Artistas in Escazú, has sold his restaurant and moved back to the states. Watson is still there, manning the dining room. Good luck to new owner Chris who is in the process of changing the menu.

 

             

April 2010 Update

Capital Grill at the White House Hotel atop Escazú’s highest point has a new Thursday night special: delicious slab of tender prime roast beef without the rib, served with a baked potato for $12.95 – truly a bargain compared to the high end menu prices. 2288-6362. They even offer shuttles up the mountain for groups. Thanks Richard for the raves. The setting and service are first class.

 

Thanks to both Nancys, Nancy W. and Nancy R. for touting Trattoria Bell’Italia. Juan, Nancy R.’s husband wrote  “Here is a new trattoria that might interest you enough to merit a visit. Trattoria Bell’Italia. NW corner of Paco Mall in Escazu. Opposite BAC bank. Opened September 2009. Peruvian Chef Regis Molina -- formerly of Bacchus -- teamed up with one of the former owners of this restaurant (Bacchus) to invest in this trattoria. Regis lived for a short time in Torino, Italy and is a graduate of the Peruvian branch of Cordon Bleu Paris. He came to Costa Rica ten years ago to work at the Bohemia restaurant for two years. At Bell’Ítalia, pasta is freshly made every day. Their menu offers five types of salad and three hot entrees, all moderately priced. There are over a dozen main dishes to choose from. Nancy particularly liked the ravioli zucca primavera. The ambiance is young and informal and there is plenty of parking available.

 

I loved Molina’s cooking at Bohemia in Barrio Dent and at Bacchus. As for the parking, evenings are OK. Lunch time can be a hassle. Yes Juan and both Nancys, it is worth a trip or three.

 

The new chef at Bacchus is superb. Roberto, perhaps the most knowledgeable food maven I know in Costa Rica, considers his food exceptionally refined.

 

Ever since Maria and Robert transformed Tin Jo into Pan-Asian excellence set among antiques and art in culturally distinct dining rooms, I have considered Tin Jo head and shoulders above its competition. Gan-Bei in Momentum Lindora, has emerged as the number two entrant in the upper echelon Pan-Asian category with excellent Thai coconut milk and basil seafood soup, delicious sweet and spicy Indian curry made with chicken, black mushrooms and slivers of asparagus, Peking duck salad, lettuce wraps, mu-shu chicken, Mongolian strip loin, Korean barbecued ribs, spicy Szechuan beef and green tea infused mahi-mahi. The presentations are quite nice and portions very large. An appetizer and main course will fill a couple and send them home with leftovers. The room is comfortable, elegant in its simplicity and service very attentive. The chef, Edward Florian, has trained in the kitchen of perhaps the world’s most acclaimed chef, Ferrán Adriá. The prices are not out of line for the location, serving sizes, quality of ingredients and delicious flavors. 2203-2323.

 

Rice and Beans, the little eatery a few doors away, is closed.

 

The dime-a-dozen Tico-style Chinese restaurants that serve rolls and butter with the food are cheap, filling, unimaginative and hardly Chinese. I am pleased when new more authentic Chinese eateries fill the gap between the pricey and elegant top of the liners and the bargain basement Tico facsimiles. Afang Palace fills the bill. Two new locations offer inexpensive well prepared food easily recognizable to blue-collar Ticos, but with flavors that reflect Canton more than Alajuela. One is in Santa Ana on the radial across from HSBC (2282-3748). The other is in Escazú, half a block east of AYA (2228-2784). The hot and sour soup and Singapore-style chow mein are very nice. The décor is simple, premises spotless and service attentive. They offer take-out and delivery.

 

Tis the season for extraordinary mangoes and melons.

 

MARCH 2010 UPDATE

Just back from California. Euphoric! The scary new lesion on my chest x-ray is not cancer. Joan and I also got to catch up on oysters, sourdough loaves, Thai food, Vietnamese pho, Northern Chinese seafood and Neapolitan treats. Subsequently, I’ll have to defer restaurant news until the April update. A perfect window for shameless self-promotion (just click on the image of my new book below ):

 

 

2010 FEBRUARY UPDATE

Bruce and Joan really liked Eclectico – food , service and atmosphere in Belen

Joanna and Doug had a great lunch at Kalú in Barrio Amon.

The Wanderland writers loved their corvina in a butter-garlic sauce at Azucar y Canela in La Guácima and the pupusas at the pupuseria on the main road in Atenas.

Paul liked the shoestring onion rings at Brad’s.

Mary and Bob had wonderful Thai curry at Plinio south of Quepos.

La Ribera Mall has been a graveyard for restaurants in the past. Among my long-gone favorites are La Brasserie, Ichi-Ban, Sensu and Power Chicken. Now there are newcomers Trattoria Da Alberto with an extensive Italian menu, Riconcito Savadoreño for pupusas, Hot Chicken and carry-overs Garibaldi for simple Mexican food, Verde Tajibo with nice salads and sandwiches, Steak and Barbecue and Manú Pizza.

Among them in the food court is a gem – Puerto Perú, a seafood and grill owned by Peruano Franco and his wife the chef. Gita loved her corvina rellena de camarones with tasty potatoes. I had perfectly tender calamari rings with crispy coating and plan to try their dry lamb in the future. Also on the menu are classical causa limeña, papas ala huancaina, parijuela, chupa de mariscos, anticuchos and a medley of steaks, kebobs and seafood dishes. The chairs are comfortable and surroundings much nicer than most food court excursions. I hope they do well. I find myself near Belen often enough to become a regular.

An unknown caller left me a phone mail extolling Casa Inka in Alajuela. It apparently is a makeover of Inta Raymi, which offered decent Peruvian food at bargain prices.

The Wine Club dined well at the Muse at the end of January.

After Bangkok closed, Lemongrass was the only purely Thai restaurant in the Central Valley.  It is now closed. A waiter who worked in both places is now at Gán-Béi, the lovely comfortable Asian restaurant where La Mar used to be in Momentum, adjacent to Crèpe Suzette. Mij, broken femur, pins and all, has been there in her wheel-chair often enough to have tasted seven dishes. She was pleased with all of them and I have a world of respect for her tastes. Unfortunately, family concerns have had me in California for most of February and I’m heading back there in a week, so I won’t be sampling their lemongrass and coconut milk soup, chicken skewers or fragrant fish dishes for a while.

JANUARY 2010 UPDATE

Happy New Year.

Adios to Cassava and Mangiamo. I had pleasant dining experiences at both. Guy, the innovative pleasant owner of Mangiamo put a lounge, restaurant and classic sushi bar into the same space in Via Lindora, adjacent to his La Pizza. Tomo, the chef, hails originally from Tokyo and has an artistic touch worthy of his origins. I had chirashi sushi, a platter of sushi rice adorned beautifully with perfect slices of fresh fish and shellfish, pink caviar, sweet omelet (tamago yaki), sliced cucumber and shiso leaf. The price was competitive. On my second visit, I had katsu don, breaded pork cutlet and sweet onions on rice with a traditional brown sauce. Their lunch and dinner offerings are also attractively plated and good quality. I recognized a fellow returnee who loves the tempura-fried  ice cream. It is my new favorite sushi bar. 2282-0246 

Also new to Via Lindora, that futuristic complex on the Santa Ana radial with a miniature golf course, are El Novillo Allegre and La Tasca. Both moved a few hundred meters north from their previous location. All three join Inka Grill, La Pizza, an Irish pub, a Mexican restaurant, a movie theater, Universal and a handful of other venues. 

A few months ago I listed my favorite dozen restaurants in the Central Valley. There is yet another newcomer that can not be denied. The Muse is a gorgeous place in the Beacon Hotel a block from of old Escazú’s central park. You can park in the hotel garage. The charming and talented chef, Jean Pierre, creates outstanding fare. We had three course executive lunches there for about $10 apiece. Joan had chicken breast stuffed with blue cheese and I had a fabulous perfectly cooked sea bass fillet dapped in a mushroom sauce that made want to lick my plate. The sides and dessert were fine. We came back at night to celebrate my birthday. The ceiling spots had been focused to illuminate the white orchids on each table creating a romantic vision. We had his gourmet tasting menu for c30,000 and it was a true bargain. A comparable meal in New York or San Francisco could have been twice or three times the price. We started with a tender fresh sea scallop barely cooked through bathed in honey and truffle oil – a combination which I never would have guessed could work so well. The second course consisted of a trio of sea bass in a leek-Dijon mustard sauce, seared tuna with reduced balsamic vinegar and a large prawn individually flavored and flawless. The third course paired a black peppercorn medium rare beef tenderloin and pink juicy lamb chop with crisp baby green beans. Last, but surely not least, we were served a giant colorful spun sugar sculpture with a variety of shapes surrounded by luscious strawberries dipped in white and milk chocolate. It was more a Dali than a Renoir but was fun to disassemble. The service was impeccable. The ala carte menu includes appetizers of oysters, caviar, duck pâté with pistachios, soups and salads: and entrées of New York, rib-eye and tenderloin steaks; salmon, prawns, corvine, tuna, black octopus and shrimp risotto, rack of lamb, green curried chicken and pork tenderloin with apples and pineapple. 

To make room in the top dozen for The Muse, we have had to demote La Casita. It can still be great, but it has become inconsistent according some of its formerly most ardent devotees.  

“I loved it” comments came after the following meals:

Richard and Nancy – dinner at Muse,

Joan and Bruno – Park Cafe

Rachael – Peking duck at Lotus,

Kyle and Melissa – dim sum at Via Bonita

Juanita and Len – lunch at Saga

Bob -  empanadas at La Gauchada

Grace and Carl – lunch at Colbert 

Disappointed:

Applebees (2)

La Casita (2)

My favorite soda, Soda Isabel in La Guácima, has reopened. Isabel reluctantly ended her brief retirement when the fried chicken chain renting her restaurant closed. 

2009 December Update

On Friday the 13^th of November, Joan and I went to Atenas for the farmers’ market and lunch. We headed to Jan’s baked goods in the white tent at the market. I love her husband's macadamia-cinnamon rolls. I have enjoyed her pecan and apple pies at Women’s Club events in the past, but both were gone by the time we arrived. Two weeks later she brought a deliciously tart apple pie to a Bloom’s event for my wife to bring me.

 

Bless you Nicole for the lunch tip. The German restaurant on the northeast corner of the town square is every bit as good as you promised. Indeed, Haedel’s Restaurant Alemana serves by far the best German food I have eaten in Costa Rica, as good as what we ate in Paraguay and Argentina. Joan had schnitzel and roasted potatoes with caramelized onions, rosemary, caraway and crisp pieces of Westphalia ham. The cucumber, tomato and slaw salad was respectable. I had two thick loin slices of smoked pork in a red wine reduction with a pair of dumplings, a small salad and delicious braised caraway white cabbage. Both portions were so enormous that we took home a single portion of apple strudel to eat much later and enough leftovers for Saturday lunch. Both dishes were C 4900, or about $8.85, remarkably affordable considering the price of imported authenticity. Other dinner plates for the same price include sauerbraten, goulasch and a variety of schnitzels. They also make their own fabulous sausages, salamis, liverwurst and other pâtés. Needless to say, we stocked up. I particularly liked the spicy sausage and salami. Kristen and Siegfried are from Frankfort. They are both delightful. He does the cooking. At about 3:18 that afternoon, I took my first bite of the strudel and the room shook. Was it the 5.1 quake or the strudel? They are open for breakfast from 8 to 11, lunch from 11-2 and dinner from 5-8, Wednesday through Sunday and they cater. 2446-0810. We plan to return often.

 

Fred told me about Zum Schinken Peter, a new German deli with a few tables that serves nice sausage, hot dog and meat sandwiches on round rolls and sells wurst, franks, salami, pâté soft pretzels and rye loaves to go. It is on the one way road west in Santa Ana on the north side of the street about three or four blocks before Cruz Roja.

 

The Wine Club held its end of October event at Sergio’s, a new restaurant four blocks west of La Sabana, off the road that goes towards the American Embassy, on the side street right next door to Scotia Bank, across from Cemaco. The response of the members was so positive that our Potted Plants lunch group went there two weeks later. The décor is lovely. The koi pond in the middle is a give away that the owners are Chinese. Although the menu is predominantly typical upscale international with steaks, lamb, seafood, chicken and pork dishes, they do offer steamed or fried Chinese dumplings and eggrolls as appetizers and a single classic Chinese main course that is one of my all-time favorites, mapo tofu. At lunchtime, there are two menus. The smaller one offers quality dishes at about half the price of the dinner menu, many less than C 4000 including a glass of wine, and a single special off the main menu that offers soup, main course , dessert and beverage for C 4500. To my delight, ma-po tofu was the dish of the day. I had tasty beef vegetable soup, outstanding mapo tofu seasoned to perfection, white rice, coconut cake and a drink of tangy cas for about $8. My compatriots enjoyed their fish, shrimp, chicken and beef dishes as well. The service was efficient and attentive.

 

Jairo touted Casa 76, an unpretentious jewel of a pizza and pasta place in Ciudad Colon. The pizza is crispy thin-crusted and quite tasty. My pasta dish was done nicely. The prices are reasonable and service friendly. As you head into Ciudad Colon, you are forced to turn right at the gas station as the road changes from two-way to one-way. If you were allowed to turn left, you would find the restaurant just a block away. Since you can’t, you need turn right for a block, left for two blocks, left again for two blocks and left for the third time to get there.

 

Saga is going to join L’Ile de France on Avenida Escazú after the first of the year. The elegant and expensive La Laguna del Cocodrilo Bistro has re-opened, scaled down, in Tamarindo.

 

A group of Canadian ex-pat friends go to the Old West Steak House in Santa Ana nearly every week and chastised me for not being more complimentary about the food. It is hearty, decently prepared, unpretentious fare. The chef had previously turned around the kitchen at Rock ‘n Roll Bar & Grill only to have it close for legal reasons that had nothing to do with the improved food.

 

In January, I’ll tell you all about the Muse, a four-star addition to our list of fine restaurants and a find in Guanacaste.

Feliz Navidad. Merry Christmas, Chag Sameach. Happy New Year

November Update 2009

Just a kilometer up the road toward Poas past the Hotel Orchidia in the northwest corner of Alajuela is Asclepios, an elegant new spa. Higia is the name of its restaurant. Always on the lookout for decent Greek food, I turned into the drive and headed for the Corinthian columns with great anticipation. Alas, the menu was inviting but devoid of anything Greek.

My cousin Joshua and I stayed for lunch. The cuisine is healthy spa food with no red meat and nothing fried. I had a juicy, tasty, poached chicken breast with basil pesto and a medley of baby corn ears, purple onion slices, sweet red pepper strips and pine nuts. It was nice. He had grilled rare tuna dressed in sweet sake and soy sauce accompanied by green beans and mushrooms. It too was well prepared and tasty. Other options included a host of vegetarian offerings, salads, soups and veggie burgers plus a large selection of desserts, wine and smoothies.

The décor is modern and lovely, if a bit too hospital-white. The touches of pale pastels, orchids and lovely blown glass work well. The al fresco option at poolside has a pretty view. The spa is named for Apollo’s son Asclepios, the Greek god of medicine who supposedly had the power to restore the dead to life. Higia, his daughter, was the goddess of health, cleanliness and hygiene. 2433-1668. My search for Greek cuisine continues.

 

Joel no longer serves breakfast at Colbert and he is closed on Thursdays. His fine French country restaurant is 400 meters west of the Vara Blanca gas station. Phone:  2482-2776. He has an amazing collection of photos from the quake that devastated his neighborhood. All he lost was the fireplace in the middle of the dining room. He tells me that he has added some new exciting dishes to his splendid menu. His French bread is the country’s best.

 

Monique was praising Colbert to the north and L’Ile de France in the eastern end of San Jose, but was saddened that she couldn’t find French cuisine west of San Jose since La Brasserie closed. I suggested that she settle for classic Brittany-style crêpes at La Crêpe Suzette in Momentum (Centro Comercial Lindora , across from Auto Mercado on the Santa Ana radial). After all Suzanne, the owner, has a world of experience directly from the Marais in Paris.

Monique sent a joyous email! Suzanne has added French bistro food to her crêpe menu – coq au vin, duck a l’orange, boeuf bourguignon, pâté, escargot and cheese fondue. She is open every day from 9:30 am to 11 pm. Phone:  2582-1261. I tried the coq au vin. It was bathed in a rich merlot mushroom sauce and was tender and juicy. It came with sliced baby vegetables and noodles. Two days later, Joan and I shared a whole-wheat crêpe filled with emmenthaler cheese, homemade chicken and duck pâté served with cornichons and onion marmalade and six sizzling escargot. We mopped up all the garlic butter with French bread. Thanks for the tip, Monique. More French food is on the way west. Jean Claude and L’Ile de France are moving from Hotel Bergerac to Avenida Escazú next to CIMA Hospital in January.

 

Thanks to Richard who lives in Jacó, we sampled the sushi at "I Love Sushi" where the Pacific Coast highway intersects the Jacó turnoff. He touted the sushi as the best along the central coast. If you stick to the fresh local tuna, snapper, mahi-mahi, marlin and shrimp, you are likely to be pleased with rolls of eight pieces for $5-7. An added free attraction is the collection of Brazilian marmosets and tamarinds on the front deck. The décor is lovely. My only complaint is that the handsome wooden chairs are hard for fellow backside-challenged folk.

 

Sorry, Sam. I tried your favorite breaded and fried calamari at Steve and Lisa’s #1 and they were as tough as beef jerky. Joan enjoyed pinky shrimp in garlic butter. The baked potatoes and veggies were done well. The service was fine. The view off the back deck was delightful – blue water, nice gardens and a medley of birds. Sam, Harry and Sandy like the place a lot. Three visits in six years leave me wondering if I have a penchant for consistently ordering the wrong dishes. I have yet to sample a winner.

OCTOBER 2009 UPDATE

We were in Japan for more than half of September, so pardon the brevity of this update. Oh, what sushi, sashimi, pork cutlets and tempura.

 

Jamaica has re-opened. Sabores in La Guacima, one of the true bargain restaurants in all of Costa Rica, closed to my chagrin.

 

The old Azucar location in Santa Ana has changed again from Mana to Old West Grill. Large burgers, Philly streak sandwiches, several beef steak varieties, a 350 gram grilled pork-leg steak, hearty soups and salads are offered at reasonable prices – many main courses for less than $7. Frills and artistic presentations are totally lacking. Seats are uncushioned wooden benches except at the very busy bar. The fries are good. The meat is tasty. It has the look and feel of a place best suited to students and surfers who want to eat and drink, but don’t care to dine or sip. The place is spotless, yet manages to appear dingy. The bar business alone should keep it profitable.

 

Eclectico is drawing raves (see the previous two updates) from several different sources including some traditionally hard-to-please gourmands.

 

R&G steakhouse has replaced the nice vegetarian restaurant in Belen. The new owner is a charmer. Friends with food smarts liked what they ate there. On my first visit, an “aged tender rib-eye” turned out to be a flavorful but very tough churrasco. We returned twice more for their much ballyhooed breakfasts to find it closed both mornings. They will get another chance in the future, after they work out their early-going kinks.

 

High on our list to try before Christmas is El Tigre Vestido (The Tiger’s Coat). The restaurant located at Finca Rosa Blanca in Santa Barbara is named after a mural in the dining room depicting a tiger serving food. When it was a B&B, owner Teresa did the bulk of the cooking for guests only. It was very popular. Most of the food is grown on site. The rest is local and mostly organic like their coffee plantation. Tours are available. There is indoor and outdoor seating with great views over the entire valley. Teresa is very pleased with the culinary fusion artistry of her new chef Rodrigo. They have a faithful local following and plans to offer American-style Sunday breakfasts and Tico-style Sunday lunches in the future. For directions, call 2269-9392. If you get there before I do, pass along your comments.

 

Comments for November?  New discoveries? Closed doors? Keep them coming.

September 2009 Update

Eclectico is a new competitor for primo provider of outstanding international cuisine. The food is great, the atmosphere charming and the service precise and very attentive. The kitchen is a little slow, but the chef more than atones with well-seasoned fare, superb sauces, excellent ingredients and very nice presentations. The prices vary widely but are not out of line with comparable venues. On two visits, all eight of us thoroughly enjoyed our selections that included the following: sesame seed crusted tuna roll with soy and wasabi, sirloin steak, an eggplant lasagna appetizer, chicken breast with prosciutto and asparagus, tenderloin gorgonzola, pork rib chop with Dijon mustard sauce and rigatoni with smoked prosciutto, eggplant and mozzarella in a tasty white sauce. Every side of vegetables and potatoes was creative and superb. Our meals averaged a little over $25 apiece. As you head east from Panasonic corner towards Belén, take the left fork as you pass Pollos del Monte. The restaurant is on the left side of the road adjacent to the flags from the used car dealership, just before the turn to La Ribera shopping center. 2588-7575

Kalú did an ambitious Mothers’ Day party that re-established Camille Ratton as one of Costa Rica’s greatest chefs. Since her days as owner/chef of Bakea (it was located diagonally across the street from the current Kalú), she opened and closed a small bakery, patisserie, lunch place in Momentum Lindora. Home again in Barrio Amon (corner of 7th St. & 11th Ave.), she has a beautiful restaurant, gallery and attached boutique serving amazing food. We opted for a Kir Royal – champagne with crème de cassis for my wife and a glass of white house wine with my main course for me. Our holiday meal included a first course of cream soup of puréed roasted sweet red chili peppers with a dollop of eggplant caviar and a drizzle of aromatic oil. The alternate choice was an elegant salad of baby greens and arugula, caramelized pecans, goat cheese and balsamic vinaigrette. Joan, my wife, followed with poached chicken breast covered with a sauce made from sun-dried tomatoes. It was served with golden creamy polenta and crisp steamed vegetables. I had shrimp in coconut-milk curry on a bed of perfectly cooked Israeli couscous, fresh herbs, tiny mango cubes and a sprinkling of black sesame seeds served in a ceramic Moroccan tajine. We were so pleasantly sated that we almost opted to bypass coffee and dessert even though they were included. The waitress convinced us to stay. I have always loved Camille’s desserts. She was, after all, a graduate of Cordon Bleu in Paris, a subsequent faculty member and a pastry chef in the South of France. Still I was unprepared for the platters of ten exquisite mini-pastries for each of us that came to the table. Wow! The crème brulée was scented with basil, the cheesecake topped with dark cherries and the pear tartlet filled with marzipan. The price for this remarkable meal was C1250 each. The décor is stunning and service outstanding.

Time Out has reopened and the popular mostly gringo sports bar is booming once again. Wall-to-wall flat screen TVs serve as a backdrop for friendly service-oriented waitresses and huge plates of burgers, fries, sandwiches named after sports figures, mountainous salads, chili and soup bowls and a chalkboard full of daily hot specials. Prices range from C4000 to C6000. Time Out is about 0.4 kilometers up the hill on the left past the entrance to Costa Rica Country Club in Escazú. It has no visible name but is adjacent to a dental clinic sign.

I’ve included my current favorite dozen Central Valley restaurants. My choices are totally subjective and I welcome all of you to agree or disagree as you see fit. I’ll pass along your thoughts in the next few monthly updates. Welcome to newcomers Eclectico, Kalú, Saga and La Casita. La Casita is now open at 5PM Tuesday thru Friday and from noon on Saturday and Sunday. Anthony, the gracious and talented chef, is contemplating a name change to better reflect his English and Western European cuisine.

Bacchus, a perennial favorite, seems to have slipped a little in my humble opinion. It is still very good, but a bit less grand than before. If you disagree, let us hear about it. If I am in the minority, I shall be forced to recant. Di Bartolo has a talented chef and new elegant digs, but is disaffecting some of its most loyal clientele because of a perception that attitudes have become haughty, patronizing and even belligerent on occasion and prices have risen to uncomfortable levels. It would be a shame if these perceptions become ingrained reality and couldn’t be reversed. I hope the restaurant regains its top dozen status in the future.

Which among your favorites have I missed? Which of these twelve would you replace or exclude?

Lenny’s Favorite Central Valley Delicious Dozen Restaurants
Alphabetically Listed:

1.  Cerutti,  Escazú  Phone:  2228-4611
2.  Da Marco, Piedades Phone:  2282-4193
3.  Eclectico, San Antonio de Belén  Phone:  2589-7575
4.  El Grano del Oro, San Jose Phone:  2255-3322
5.  Jürgens, San Jose Phone:  2283-2239
6.  Kalú, San Jose Phone:  2221-2081
7.  La Casita, Santa Ana Phone:  2203-4901
8.  Le Chandelier, San Pedro Phone:  2225-3980
9.  L’Ile de France, San Jose Phone: 2283-5812                             
10.Park Café, San Jose Phone: 2290-6324
11.Saga, Escazú Phone: 2289-6615
12.Tin Jo, San Jose  Phone:  2221-7605

Soda Isabel in La Guácima, my favorite soda anywhere, closed when the charming and talented owner/chef Isabel retired. She has rented the space to a fried chicken franchise. Happy days and many thanks, Isabel.

Hasta October.  L.

AUGUST 2009 UPDATE

Macy died peacefully at home without pain, a mere three weeks before his and Mij’s fiftieth wedding anniversary. We shall all miss his kindness, warm smile and fondness for gourmet cuisine. The two of them had been a fabulous source of restaurant knowledge for me. Hugs for Mij.

 

Laura is a New York food writer who found a reference to knishes in one of my publications. “I was under the mistaken impression that Latin American was devoid of this Ashkenazi delicacy... and would love to hear more. What flavor(s)? Baked or fried?” she wrote.  Panina at Little Israel in Escazú makes fine potato and feta cheese baked knishes. She also makes delicious gefilte fish that Macy loved. It is so smooth and light, that it is reminiscent of French quenelles.

 

The Wine Club dined at Cassava in Escazú, another of Mij and Macy’s favorites. Twenty-seven of us received very attentive, prompt service. The majority of the group had salmon in a nicely flavorful but not over-powering orange sauce. The fish was a little overdone but not dry. Mashed potatoes flecked with carrot and artfully seasoned with ginger seemed a worthy partner. Our boca was cream cheese and puréed sun-dried tomato with toasted baguette slices. Dessert was tiramisu or lemon poppy-seed cake. I enjoyed the latter. I toasted Macy’s memory silently with a hearty Chilean cabernet.

 

Mea culpa. In most of the world, “baby beef” is simply beef that is older than veal and younger than standard beef – so I described it in my book. Here in Costa Rica, it is a specific cut of beef that has nothing to do with the age of the cow. It is the heart of the sirloin. Thanks for the lesson to Bobby “Red.”  That explains why the baby beef at Kianti can be juicy and tasty. Yes, the Potted Plants went back for more and loved it once again.

 

Jamaica in La Guacima has closed.  So has Rock and Roll Bar and Restaurant in Santa Ana.

 

Playa Samara has a great new Italian restaurant called Gusto. The chef is from Northern Italy and his pasta putanesca is “the best I have ever eaten” according to Jean who has lived in Italy. Her family also enjoyed two fish dishes, one with a curry sauce and the other with an orange-flavored cream sauce. She, an artist/designer/architect, was impressed with the décor. Recently I enjoyed Sole Mio’s version of pasta putanesca. Nice job chef Julio.

 

My hunt for lamb hooked me up with gourmand Ray from Tres Rios. He found several lamb dishes on the menu of an exciting new restaurant called Brasero's Grill and Steak House. The owner and chef is Alberto Soto. Ray thought that the deep fried palmito in a sweet sauce with pineapple, onion, chile dulce and cilantro, palmito wrapped in ham and cheese in a sort of bechamel sauce and Alberto’s rendition of a Philly Cheese Sandwich which were “EXCELLENT.” Phone:  2278-5058 E-mail: goldendish@ice.co.cr

Directions:  Carrretera vieja a Tres Rios, 500 mtrs este del Colegio Saint Gregory.

 

A vegan friend complimented Tin Jo on a few hearty vegan curry dishes, an improvement over generic green salad offerings to vegans in most restaurants.

 

The Women’s Club auction is scheduled for September 8^th at the Aurola Holiday Inn in San Jose. Watch for details. They are trying to get some outstanding chefs to offer their food for bidding.

 

Buen provecho.

 

 

JULY 2009 UPDATE

Closed: Bangkok, Restaurante Lotus, Le Petit Paris

Winner of the best lamb straw poll – Lubnan on Paseo Colón. 2257-6071. Martha, Rick and Mauricio cast the deciding votes. For home use of lamb, the nod goes to Belca which also supplies Auto Mercado with New Zealand lamb. The key to Belca’s quality is careful attention to avoid inadvertent defrosting and refreezing along the way.

Best combination of view and food goes to Mirador Tiquicia, for well prepared and nicely served traditional Costa Rican fare and a breathtaking vista on top of the world, south and west of Escazú.  Giana, Robin, Rick and Vincent all love it, Vincent from inside the kitchen. 2288-5839.

With all the great Italian restaurants in Costa Rica, do you ever hanker for New York/Southern Italian robust food? Your wishes may be met by Bruno Esposito from Brooklyn and his new restaurant, Sole Mio, in the new center a few blocks south of Multiplaza in Escazú, across the street from Auto Plaza. The menu offers New York style pizza, pasta, garlic rolls, homemade ravioli, homemade Italian sausage pizza topping, garlic rolls and daily specials that feature veal and chicken. His family is from Naples, where pizza originated in the 19th century, created by a baker with the same last name – Esposito. 2288-1400.

The same small mall across from Auto Plaza is the home of two more restaurants, Patagonia and the Waffle Place. The owner of the Waffle Place spent two and a half years in Belgium and became addicted to Belgian waffles. He does for waffles what Suzanne does for crepes in Momentum – offers up a variety of sweet and savory options. He also serves paninis, soups in yummy bread bowls and an array of desserts.

Corteza Amarilla, the elegant and romantic restaurant in the inn and spa of the same name on the road to Ciudad Colon, has a new chef, Ivo Breghete from the states, who has been pleasing diners consistently at lunch and dinner. 2203-7503.

As for the mystery, a waiter told Mij that a new Greek restaurant is being built somewhere along Santa Ana Radial.

Cassava, a popular new restaurant in a house in the heart of old Escazú, serves everything from waffles to salads to steaks with great desserts. They are open 7am to 7pm and will stay open later when they get a liquor license.

Delfines Con AM has been acclaimed as the best and least expensive seafood restaurant in all of Costa Rica by very reliable Richard and Nancy W. In San Jose, find the hardware store El Pipolio on 3rd Avenue between streets 16 and 18 and go south for a block, then west for about ten yards to Plaza Gonzalez Viquez.  2223-6700 No credit cards.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest was a Little Theater triumph. After a Sunday performance, fourteen Women’s Club of Costa Rica members had a marvelous meal at Oriental Chef in Moravia. The restaurant assigned three waiters to the group and the service was flawless. The food was “delicious.” For an encore performance fundraiser on a Thursday evening, generous and charming as always, Maria and Robert, the owners of Tin Jo arranged a three course fixed price meal before and after the performance to supplement the effort. Not surprisingly, the diners were quite pleased.

Hilda and Theodore are now in their eighties. Years ago they hiked the mountain trails of Costa Rica, inhaling the sights and sounds of birds and exotic plants. They asked my advice about a place to stay where they might see exotic birds, stroll gardens and dine well for under $150 a night. I recommended Hotel Bougainvillea in Santo Domingo de Heredia, its ten acres of gardens and very nice restaurant, Los Vitrales. They were delighted on all counts “beyond our fondest wishes.” 2244-1414

Tannat is a robust red wine from Uruguay, rich in tannins, that ages well. It joins Chilean cabernet and Argentinean Malbec on the short list of my favorite South American reds.

Thanks to these gourmet scouts:
Mij and Macy S, Bill and Cathy M, Roberto R, Nancy and Richard W, Bill H, Pat and Willy P, Franz L, Giana W, Susan and Harry L, Norma L, Marco G, Rick, Don and Sany P, Jo S, Jaime J, Jorge S.

My wish list:
1)    A place that makes corned beef hash.
2)    A store that sells tannat
3)    A gourmet scout or two outside the Central Valley
4)    An agent and publisher for my latest book, “First You Boil a Chicken.”

JUNE 2009 UPDATE

In response to several queries about Kalú, yes it is open. The phone number is 2221-2081. It is on the diagonally opposite corner of 7th Street and 11th Avenue from the old Bakea in Barrio Amón. Thanks to Cate for getting the phone number for me and a piece of apple pie for her husband Bill.

The note I got about a new Greek restaurant in Santa Ana may have been a hoax. Neither I nor my Santa Ana friends have been able to uncover such a place. Gloria wondered if the note referred to Mare Nostrum in Tres Rios which serves Greek salad and Greek rabbit stew. We’ll have to check it out. If you have eaten there, let me know.

Thanks for the tips on Patagonia, the new small restaurant next door to La Fábbrica near Multiplaza. Roberto, Julie and Dale all raved independently. “Great Southern Argentine cuisine…Good service and reasonable prices… Fine steak…. Patagonian lamb chops.” Good scouts make for a strong team.

Gourmet scouts Richard and Nancy waxed eloquent about how wonderful the continental cuisine was at Las Casitas Inn in Santa Ana. Unfortunately they were closed when five of us went there on a Friday night. They had unexpected staffing problems. Nancy and Richard returned two days later and were wowed once again. I went there for lunch the following week and was similarly impressed. The restaurant is charming, if not ostentatiously elegant. There are only nine tables that look out onto a small garden. The “staff” appears to be the talented chef/proprietor Anthony Hobson Lyon from England and friendly and efficient local waiter, Jorge. If either of them are unavailable, Las Casitas has an understandable staffing problem. Take your time with the menu. Don’t give short shrift to the two pages of tapas. The variety for so small a kitchen is marvelous – melon with Serrano ham and strawberry coulis, mussels Parmesan, shrimp in garlic butter, homemade pâté or my favorite, Portobello mushroom grilled with ricotta cheese and drizzled in truffle oil. The executions were flawless and plating artistic. Main courses ran the gamut from steaks to fish, to chicken to pasta, all decent according to the scouts. The rack of lamb and steak drew the most praise. You can get there if you head south from Santa Ana’s main street at the corner where one way and two-way sections meet. At the stop sign where you turn left (west) to reach Bacchus, turn right (east) instead and go 500 meters, the last 100, a right fork with a prominent sign to the restaurant. They are open Wed. to Sun. Lunch from noon to 3. Dinner from 6 to midnight. Telephone: 2203-4901. Tapas average about $5 or $6 and main courses, $10-20.

So many of you responded with your favorite lamb venues, but no two of you agreed. Decision postponed. Mentioned were Lubnan, Sash, Beirut, Le Chandelier, Jurgens, Baalbeck, La Casita Inn and Patagonia. What’s your favorite?  Dale touted Muse, the restaurant at the Beacon Hotel.

I joined a fine group of Gringos that lunch together on Tuesdays. They call themselves  “ The Potted Plants.” We ate at Kianti in San Antonio de Belen, near the Mormon Temple.  I harbored a strong prejudice against local baby beef. Previously, I had found it dry and bland, in part due to the absence of marbleized fat. Bill who ate the apple pie from Kalú convinced me try Kianti’s baby beef. It was terrific – moist and flavorful. With a choice of two of five sides, it was less than $10 and the portion was large. The twelve of us were served promptly and efficiently. All the Potted Plants liked their meals, particularly the steaks and grilled corvina – a very large piece at an affordable price. The consensus was that the quality was very good for the moderate prices.

Rex is going to Los Sueňos with his parents. “Is it worth going to Jacó to have an American breakfast at Sunrise Café?”  he asks. “No” I answer. Popular with local Gringos, but huevos rancheros with no tortillas under the eggs, dry pancakes and mediocre omelets. Soda Kathia, to the right, outside the entrance to Los Sueňos, is a better choice. He also wondered about good corned beef hash. I wish I knew a place that served it. I would go, too.

May 2009 Addendum

Betty e-mailed me with a complaint. “Why did you recommend Sopra? Didn’t you taste the food?”  She and her husband didn’t like their Japanese selections. You are right Betty. I try not to judge a new restaurant in its first month, so the kitchen can work out the kinks. I thought that I only announced Sopra, but I see where the announcement may seem like an endorsement. Your e-mail moved me to try Sopra a little early.

 

Kay started with a vodka tonic. The Vodka was Smirnoff. The tonic must have come from an opened bottle and was completely flat. The waiter mixed her vodka from a shot glass and tonic from a small pitcher. It was so flat that she sent it back. A second shot glass and pitcher arrived. She tested the tonic and it too was flat. She asked for and got an unopened can of tonic. It bubbled beautifully when opened. She was originally billed for two vodka tonics and an additional can of tonic.

 

Gus ordered chicken fajita. His plate was covered mostly with soggy French fries. Joan’s enchilada turned out to be a quasi burrito burned black on the bottom and covered with a tomato sauce. She sent it back to the kitchen as inedible. It appeared on the check nonetheless. Her nachos were pedestrian. Kay order a mixed boca platter and most of the bocas were burned. I sent my sopa Azteca back to be micro-waved. It was only lukewarm. I had lengua en salsa that was tasty but undercooked and very tough. If and when I hear that the kitchen has been overhauled, I will try Sopra again and amend my negative impression, if it has improved.

 

Goodbye to Big Mike and his event dinners. He is back in the states for at least a few years. Thanks again for hosting book-signings for Jo Stuart and me. His B&B will reopen under new management. Good luck Carol and Robin.

 

Park Café is scheduled to re-open next Tuesday.

 

I need your help. A reader of this site mentioned a new Greek restaurant in Santa Ana. I can’t find it. Nor can I find an address, phone number or email for the new Kalú.

MAY 2009 UPDATE

The rumors were true. Antonio’s in Momentum is gone. Too bad. Other Momentum news – La Fábbrica, probably my favorite pizza-maker, is opening a few doors down from Brad’s Grill.

 News from Centro Lindora, Santa Ana (home of Mangiamo, Universal and miniature golf) – Inka Grill plans to move in next month. Sopra has opened alongside Universal and offers four menus - Costa Rican, Mexican, Mediterranean and Japanese, in a modern setting of black, grey and lime green.

 Time Out, the bar and eatery up the road from the Costa Rica Country Club where Bouzouki used to be, was remarkably popular even with no sign out front. It closed because of an explosion.

 La Gauchada, the small unassuming Argentine empanada house, along the western edge of  La Sabana, has grown. It incorporated the adjacent space,vacated by a Japanese restaurant.  My wife and I have just returned from Argentina, Uraguay and Paraguay. La Guachada serves authentic no-frills fare.

 Hans jokingly asked me to report back on the German food in Asunción. The oven-roasted pig’s knee charcroute, with warm sauerkraut and boiled potatoes, was very good at Munich Restaurant. Joan liked the apple strudel.

 Irene in California sent me a query about dining at Iguazu Falls. My recommendation is to try either of the local river fish, surubi or pacu. Both are huge and delicious. The surubi is akin to swordfish, although it is a little less dense and much more succulent.

 Jeff and Bethany from Texas raved about mahi mahi with Thai coconut-lime sauce and lobster served outside overlooking the Pacific at sunset at La Luna, adjacent to Playa Pelada, between Punta Nosara and Punta Guiones.

 We were away for the better part of the month, so the update is sparse.  Check the update in June for the skinny on Greek food in Santa Ana, the best lamb in the valley and a careful appraisal of Texturas – grand cuisine in the mold of Ferran Adriá’s  el Bulli (among the most acclaimed restaurants in the world) or more hype than consistency.

 Please add your opinions or questions on this site or email me at karpmanhal@aol.com. If you don’t put “Food” on the subject line, your message will die and be buried in my spam cemetery.

 Stephan’s opinion (email) is that Andiama Lá is as good, or better than my favorite Italian restaurants, Da Marco and Bacchus.

APRIL 2009 UPDATE

Adios to Machu Picchu on the pista in Santa Ana, to Delicias de La Mar in San Rafael, to Santa Ana Tex-Mex, to Restaurante Oriental in El Roble and to the La Ribera branch of Sensu (Garibaldi’s Mexican Restaurant and Catering Service is going to open there soon).

Happily, Antonio’s in Momentum Lindora is still open for business. In the same block, Brad’s has established itself as the happening sports bar for Gringos, Ticos and endangered Republicans. Their pulled pork sandwich is a blue ribbon winner. Around the corner, La Crepe Suzette continues to charm new customers.

I have always liked the structure of Santa Ana’s Tex Mex, but never particularly the food or service. AT LAST THERE IS A WINNER in that location. The restaurant at the Hotel Villa Antigua efficiently and pleasantly serves well prepared and presented Mexican food. Since the demise of Magic’s Motown, I have been looking for good Buffalo wings, and this restaurant has them, along with typical Mexican fare and beef, chicken, seafood and pork standards. 2283-6342

Another fine chef with a storied résumé has re-emerged. Roxana Grill, the long-time chef at popular and acclaimed Caruso in Barrio Escalante is doing her magic at Ristorante Italiano Mana. Bill, Myrna, Ken and Cath loved their meals, particularly the scallopini. Fran raved about the pasta with gorgonzola. The restaurant has replaced Azucar’s Santa Ana location. 2282-9210.

I was saddened when Mundo in Plaza Itskatzú closed. So was Iriam, so she asked former amiable chef owners Laura and Alex if wonderful fusion food like theirs was available anywhere else. They told her that Citrus Restaurante in Ojochal near Domincal was their favorite. It is now Iriam’s as well and we are headed there for a weekend of fishing and fine dining by the end of the month. 2786-5175

Speaking of fishing, a group of Gringo fisherman who come to Costa Rica once or twice a year for tournaments agree that their favorite fish restaurant is El Gran Escape in Quepos. 2777-0395

Quimbombo on Santa Ana’s main drag where the pupuseria used to be, serves nicely flavored Caribbean dishes at reasonable prices prepared by talented Cecelia Williams McKenzie. 2282-4852

I’m pleased to see that a Tico Times restaurant review agreed with our positive take on Oasis in Escazú. 8835-8992

Saisaki has opened its third restaurant north of La Fiesta casino.  If the chef/owner replicates his fine cuisine from his restaurants off Paseo Colon across from KFC and in Heredia, he should do very well.