www.CostaRicaTicas.com

I did a search, and I was surprised that I could not find the Del Mar
in the subject title of any recent post. In contrast, there was a lot
of discussion about the poor service at the Del Rey across the street.

Even thought the two places are owned by the same people, and even
though a lot of the food at the Del Rey is carried across the street
from the Del Mar covered in plastic, it is remarkable how different
the two places are.

I find the service at the Del Mar to be attentive, polite, friendly --
it is a little oasis of kindness surrounded by the horrible waitress
service at the Key Largo and the worse waitress service at the
Del Rey. The guys in their whites at the Del Mar treat you right,
consistently, whether at 4:00 A. M. or 11:00 A. M.

I usually have the corvina there, but today I had Thanksgiving dinner. It
was just great. You could taste the real egg and the anchovies in
the Caesar salad. The pumpkin soup at the start and the pumpkin pie
at the end were terrifically flavored. The turkey was moist, and all
the fixings were great.

The prices were less than those at the News Cafe, where I had
Thanksgiving dinner twice in the past few years. But most importantly,
the food was great. The last thing I will say is that I love the colonial
decor of this place. Today I ate looking out at the rose garden
and watching some kind of dance in Parque Morazon. A real treat
after a great session at Zona Blue. Pura vida indeed.

_________________
Same river, new water

I like the DEL MAR. What did they charge for the Thanksgiving dinner? Was it a typical American dinner with all the usual stuff? Was it buffet style?

It was 12,000 colones, including dessert. Yes, it was a typical
American Thanksgiving dinner with mashed potatoes, stuffing (really
interesting flavors), sweet potatoes, green beans, cauliflour, and
broccoli (the vegetables were sauteed perfectly by someone who
knew what he was doing), turkey gravy, Caesar salad, the soup,
pie, and more white and dark meat turkey than I could eat (and
I tend to eat too much). And most importantly, people are nice
to you in there, as opposed to the Del Rey.

I just have to take a poke at the Del Rey. I had a capuccino, and
service was ridiculously slow. After I finished it, I sat there admiring
the scenery for at least 20 minutes, and the unsmiling waitress
failed to return my change until I finally had to complain.

_________________
Same river, new water

They served the turkey with a sprig of fresh rosemary, so for every
mouthful of turkey I added a needle of rosemary. It was really good.

And, no, it was not buffet style. Personally I don't like buffet style
except for breakfast.

_________________
Same river, new water

Sounds good......I'll remember that if I happen to be in CR at Thanksgiving.

Yo Toledo,

Asute observations on the service between these two properties. Yes they are owned and operated by the same entity. And yes all of the food served at the Del Rey comes via the Del Mar. So you ask why the difference in quality of service? Simply put MANAGEMENT or lack there of.
The Del Mar has on site management(Hartley) who is actively involved in the service and quality of food coming out of the kitchen at that restaurant.
The Del Rey in my observations is run by the inmates(bartenders,cocktail waitress's). I have never once in 6 trips this past year observed a floor manager ever address a situation at the DR. Guess that occupancy rate hovering around 90+% and a bar revenue guestimated at 5 million with a pour cost less than 15% just doesn't warrant any type of management on the floor.

Genious actually when you think about it Just another reason I only visit the DR to meet friends and spend as little as possible with these operators. As long as the sheep continue to frequent this place and pay for a weak jigger of alcohol I'd say they have the perfect recipe for financial success

I had an excellent hamburger at this restaurant my last trip. Great food and great service. Ended up eating there 3 times total this last trip. Worth every penny. The only issue was a salad that my favorita picked out. Some kind of seafood salad. Ended up being 8,000 clones. I reminded her of the food cost in the bedroom and she gave me a 2 hour session with bbbj for $60. I like this restaurant. And I really like Dominicanas.

Is he the guy who ran the food service side of the Presidente?

Yes, Hartley apparently ran the Presidente F&B dept. (pre hola B cookies) a few years back.

I spent some time with him in Oct., at the Del Mar one afternoon, picking his brain on the SJ restaurant scene. He is very knowledgable in many areas and was a valuable resource in my search for information.

Between us I 'd rather take a chance on a DR hooker for a novia than attempt a food concept in CR

His approach with the staff is friendly, firm and constantly in training His staff at Del Mar is Service Oriented, Del Rey is what's in it for me now!