www.CostaRicaTicas.com

First the good:

Esquina de Buenos Aires: Great beef, great service, nice bistro
atmosphere with old photos on the wall, mainly
Latin upper-middle-class diners around you
having a great time. I had the beef in pepper sauce (pimienta on the
menu). The menu said "medallones" = medallions of beef, but
I actually was served two nice round filets, not medallions. The sauce
was to die for; the house Argentinian red wine (375 ml) which I appreciate
as a single diner) was tasty. Very tasty potatoes and veggies. The
waiters really want you to enjoy yourself. Try one of the Argentinian cordials for
dessert. CRT discount administered with a smile.

Balcon de Europa: I love this place and try something different on
every trip. This time I had the sea bass Milanese, and it was just
perfect: lightly breaded to a beautiful tan color with both lemon and lime, and
very fresh. The mashed potatoes were served with sautéed basil and beet: great!
The sautéed veggies were also great. I just wish they had half-bottles of wine,
but I pigged out on a full bottle of the cuvee (the wines are just a little
pricey). For dessert I had a seafood cream soup that was listed as
an appetizer: reddish cream sauce with strong mussel flavor and mixed
seafood chunks – you have to like the strong mussel flavor, which I do. They
should get rid of the TV and the American rock music, but otherwise
I like the stuff on the walls and the year-around Christmas lights.
CRT discount administered with a smile.

Del Mar for 11:30 lunch: I had the place to myself and felt like royalty with two
waiters and a waitress being very attentive. I like the very high ceilings,
the shiny floors, the thick walls, the gardens outside, the fresh flower at
the table, the substantial silverware. I had a great caprese salad with
very fresh basil, tomato, and cheese. Then I had ceviche, which was
tasty with cilantro and citrus but which was not served with as much
juice as I am used to when I get it in the states or recently in Ecuador.
I try to figure out why more people don’t eat at this place. I guess
its proximity to the putas keeps the middle-class away, and most of the
mongers are not looking for cuisine and atmosphere. I always get
good food there, and you can get a great sandwich to go at 4:00 A.M
to take back to your hotel room. It beats the hell out of Chelles for
late night, and it is not very expensive.

Macchu Piccu: This has been a regular stop after touring the massage parlors
scattered around Avenida Colon. This time I goofed in ordering though:
I got a noodle dish with chunks of chewy beef and vegies. It was like Chinese
food, but not particularly tasty until I added the Peruvian hot sauce. I should
have stayed with the Peruvian food I have had in the past. But it was OK.

Don Wang: This was my last trip to this restaurant. The food was bland and
tasteless. And it is not cheap. I was in Chinatown in New York three weeks
ago, and I paid less for an absolute feast of the senses than I did for this
tasteless mish-mash. And that was New York. On reflection, I have never
had good Chinese food in Latin America. But I will try Tin Jo next time
after a session after Bar Idem.

News Café and room service at the Presidente: Bland food, typical of Costa
Rica. Lots of fried stuff. They don’t know what to do with vegetables.
I really miss the different kinds of fruit juices
they used to serve at breakfast. The orange juice is watery: why don’t they
squeeze fresh juice? They offered to make eggs, but I miss the omelette
guys. I like the Presidente a lot. They do a lot of business in their News
Café, so I guess they see no reason to hire someone who can cook. The
only use I have for this place is to have coffee, cappuccino, or an Imperial
while looking at the pretty chicas sneaking peeks at us gringos sitting
with hangovers on the porch.

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Same river, new water

Good detailed reviews Toledo...especially helpful with a lot of guys hitting town next week.

I sense you and I have similar tastes. Like Don Wangs, I think you will find Tin Jo very similar. A bit bland and pricey. Their atmosphere is nice, but I have also found service to be very spotty there. In general, never found very good asian good in San Jose in 3,5 yrs living there.

If you havent tried it yet, I would recommend Donde Carlos on avenida 10 as another Argentinian steak joint. Good atmosphere/service, and if you choose the right steak, some of the best in town. I am particular to the ARgentianian flank cut they have there. With the CRT discount, about the same as 4 esquinas price wise.

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All that a man achieves and all that he fails to achieve is the direct result of his own thoughts...

I agree......difficult to find good Asian food in CR. Worst I had was at an "all you can eat" buffet, down the hill from the New York Bar, make a left on Central Avenida, up about 2 blocks on the left side of the street.
"All I could eat"......turned out to be not very much. It was awful.
Ridicuously cheap though.....like $3.00. I guess you get what you pay for.

On another note......Esquina de Buenos Aires also makes a great spaghetti; large portion and reasonably cheap.

Zebra

Fulusu was pretty good years ago, but changed management several times, with worse food each change and has new reopened as a gringo bar. I've been told that the place above the Mas X Menos on Calle 42 is pretty good. Has anybody tried it?

Name of the restaurant is King's Garden. I thought it was just okay. I think Villa Bonita & Isla Verde both in Pavas, near the embassy, and Villa
Rey in Escazu are all better. However you have to take that in context, I still have not found what I would consider good chinese food in CR.

Like Diogenes I will continue the search

_________________
Pura Vida
Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four
essential food groups:
alcohol, caffeine, sugar and fat.
Alex Levine

I must humbly disagree with the reviews of two of our most esteemed members. I have been a devotee of Asian foods for more than 50 years and I find San Jose to have a fine selection of restaurantes catering to this type of cuisine.

Toledoguy writes:



I was at Don Wang as the guest of the owner of my apartment complex, "The Sudamer Apartmentos." on Sunday afternoon. I found the food to be among the best I've eaten in New York, Chicago, and San Francisco. The place was packed with Chinese families. The Chinese do not attend Chinese restaurants which don't have good food.

The bland taste you mention may possibly be accounted for the fact that Asian food can be had with 5 degrees of spices. Most gringos are always served the lowest in spices unless they specifically request more spicier food. I guarantee had you ordered the #5 rating you would have needed a fire engine pumper to extinguish the fire in your mouth.

I do however that the prices are high. My host paid a bundle for our two meals including a bottle of fine wine.

TMan writes:



My favorita and I had dinner at Tin Jo the evening of Mother's Day. I had requested a reservation for the two table open air area and was told on the phone that it was unavailable. As we entered the maitre'd recognised me from two previous visits and immediately acknowledged my request for seating in the more intimate two table area.

I ate here 3-4 times last year and 4 times already this year. Each time I order something different and have never been disappointed in the quality of the food or the outstanding service.

As for price ! We both enjoyed a meal of camerones in a wonderful sauce, wine, and a dessert. My bill was less than 10,000 colones for the two of us. How much more reasonable can you get. A few days before I had a 3500c hamburger in the Del Rey dining section.

Like everything else......you pays your money and you takes you choice YMMV.......

El Lamero

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69 isn't just a number, it's a way of life

You will be disappointed by Tin Jo if you're looking for close to authentic Chinese food. Nice place for drinks, jack of all trade it is.

Villa Rey was sort of ok in terms of taste, but it is still not so much, as already mentioned, a typcial good authentic cousine restaurant. I was there in early July, service was great. The place was in fact quite cozy, at a nice corner. Ingredients were fresh, but overall cousine wise is still no match to the ones we have in San Francisco, New York, Vancouver, Toronto.

The best Chinese food I had in CR was at a restaurant called, Lotus, a few years ago, near Zapote, not far from the president's casa.

Their chinese brocolli, steamed fish were actually better than what I have eaten in Toronto. Fried noodles were the typical chinese type, not the usualy chop sui style or super crunchy snack type that are served everywhere in CR. They even had sea cucumber , off menu. Owner was a long haired Chinese senora. Soon after that they moved, and I heard they have actually relocated to Ezcazu, not sure if they kept the same name though.

There is this one, Phoenix, which has better Chinese food than Don Wong and Tin Jo. Located not far from Mall San Pedro. Talk to the owner and ask for the Chino Chino style comida, not Tico Chino style, you' shall have a better access to good Chinese food. Quite a lot of Chinese dine there. Then again, it is no Lotus .

To update, the Chinese restaurant I mentioned , Phoenix, has changed hand, and name as well. Present food and service quality unknown.