www.CostaRicaTicas.com

I have been fortunate to have dined in some of the world's best restaurants, and of course some of the worst. before heading for the first time to San Jose, I eagerly checked out reviewers' opinions about food in Costa Rica, and most of the reviews were less than encouraging. "Plain, simple fare without much flavor," and "Overpriced for the quality" are two phrases that stuck in my mind.
I am quite certain now that none of the reviewers ever visited the excellent restaurant at Hotel Grano de Oro, located a block south of the Pizza Hut off Paseo Colon. I had the great pleasure of twice dining at this extraordinary restaurant, once for lunch and the second time for a late dinner.
Very pricey by San Jose standards but a marvelous value when compared to stateside restaurants of similar quality, the restaurant at Grano de Oro is headed by a French chef who truly knows his craft. Lunch for me was an excellent filet of sea bass, rolled in crushed macadamia nuts and served with a light, fresh orange sauce. My companions both enjoyed pechuga de pollo (chicken breast) prepared in coconut milk. Rich chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream and cafe con leche made for a memorable, shared dessert.
Our final dinner in Costa Rica was also enjoyed at this fine eatery. A bottle of excellent Chilean wine (sorry, can't remember the vintner) started the meal, and then it was on to filet mignon medallions stuffed with gorgonzola cheese and served with a sherry sauce for me, filet mignon prepared with fresh tomato juice and taragon butter for my lady friend. Dessert was a delicious copita of Cafe Rica, the national coffee liqueur, and cafe con leche.
Tony, our waiter has 24 years experience as a waiter on upscale cruise ships, and it showed. His English was nearly flawless, the service was both efficient and unintrusive, the food more than excellent.
The amazing thing is this: The lunch itself would have cost four times as much at the Bel Air Hotel in Los Angeles. The dinner, if available would have cost five times as much, perhaps more. Total for three people at lunch was around $42.00, and that included 10% service and tax, two alcoholic drinks, one non-alcoholic pina colada, coffee for three and shared dessert. The dinner worked out to around $62.50 including tax and tip. A word about tipping here: Yes, I understand that service is included in most (not all) Costa Rican restaurant checks, but this service was so above-par, even for San Jose, that we tipped quite generously in addition to the included tip.
About bringing your chica. Dress her up before taking her here. Not formal, but elegant evening casual attire is most certainly required, and her table manners (and yours, for that matter) should be well-developed. This is a class joint for classy people; the cool thing is that you don't have to be both wealthy and classy to enjoy this superb dining experience.

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Pura Vulva! Wandering through the dark, I am El Ciego.