www.CostaRicaTicas.com

This place is great, and staff recognize the CRT discount with a smile.
It's on the same block as Tin Jo, and I went there after a memorable
sex session at Idem, which is just down the street.

I had the house specialty, vacio, which was just as good as when I had
it at a relatively expensive place in the Microcenter in Buenos Aires.
Vacio is a thin strip of steak (flank, I think), and it is just bursting
with juicy beef flavor. It came on a plate with tasty potatoes and salad.
For dessert, I had what was on the menu as an appetizer: a
traditional cream soup with squash and corn. Good Argentinian wine
was available in the 375 ml bottle, and I had an Argentinian cordial with
my coffee. The overall price was $28.

Service was good. The place was frequented by classy people
who knew how to have a good time in a restaurant.

_________________
Same river, new water

I guess I wasn't there the same night you were. I agree with your assessment though. The food is great there. Had the provaletta for an appetizer and a filet for dinner. It was the best steak I had in CR. (SL has a good one also)

One thing I should point out is you only get the discount for yourself. We had 4 of us at dinner and 2 of the guys forgot their cards so only 2 of us got the discount. Not a big deal but something people should be aware of.

CG,
This place is one of faves, even though I just couldn't make it there this trip. But I've been there numerous times, and the discount is always applied to my whole check. The last time, I was there with another CRT and 2 girls. Only I showed my card and the whole check was discounted. But I picked up the bill, we didn't split it, maybe that's the only time they discount the whole bill.

Did you guys split the bill? If so, then I guess they would want each person to have a card, that seems reasonable enough.

BTW, my favorite dish there is the tenderloin (lomito) in mushroom sauce. The tenderloin in pepper sauce is good too but a bit too spicy for my taste.

I couldn't remember the name before so I said filet but the lomito is what I had.

I think we had them split the check. The policy seems reasonable to me also and we didn't argue about it. It ended up costing us about $20 each total which to me is very reasonable. We went there and then "worked off" dinner at Idem. Not a bad way to spend a night.

PS: Since it seems to be a popular concern here today, the banos are very nice as well.

They must have changed their policy on this. When we originally had this CRT discount, I would get the discount for me and my girl, and once a group of 4 of us and not CRTers. They only saw MY card. For sure other restaurants like Donde Carlos and La Ancora in our program will discount the WHOLE bill for a group. Guess I'll stick with my favorite steak place, Donde Carlos. YMMV

I've voiced already I love this place.. try the Garlic Chicken Excellent as well....

Note we had the same thing happen... 4 of us but we asked for separate checks as two of us had a bottle of wine each & the others drank soda... & yes they applied the discount to each person who had their card 3....

They told me straight out one check one card no problem... which is good that they are enforcing the VIP policy as you must have your card.. it maintains the integrity of the discounts that way......

Still a a great place & hidden gem, and walking distance to Idem is always a bonus... I never miss the place.

_________________
The Boss of All Bosses!!! Hey I'm a drunk alcoholics go to meetings!

Thanks for the clarification Capo. As is the custom in Latin America, one check that you can split up later if you want. That is how you get the discount for all in the group. Separate check requests are very rare in this culture...and it seems to take most servers forever to do separate bills anyways. They dont remember who had what...and cant add in their heads very well. Just my experience...

Was there again with friends a few days ago. Food still rock.

A friend had their corvina/sea bass, and it was quite good. Steaks great as usual.


Never let me down so far.

FYI-- If you want a great sea bass, try the restaurant in the Colonial Casino. Get the "Sea Bass Colonial". The best seafood dish I have ever had.

But be careful there, they have 2 menus (and prices). A Tico menu and a Gringo menu, and accordingly, Tico and Gringo prices. Unfortunately, not being aware of this beforehand, we ended up paying about $30 each.

Had some great spaghetti at the Buenos Aires steak house yesterday.

Zebra

I ate here twice,Great steaks.

Its a small quite place near Idem,tin jo about a block away.
I had the Pepper steak once and the Mushroom steaks both were great.

I was in Buenos Aires last year and being in here reminded me of it with the tango Opera music playing

I also had the empandas not quite the same as Artentina.

Toledoguy, you're killing me with your description of the food. I just ate Mexican and am stuffed but it still sounds delicious. I will mos def go there next time in SJO.

"and it is just bursting with juicy beef flavor. It came on a plate with tasty potatoes and salad. "

For the second day in a row, I have tried to eat at this place. Today I arrived at 11:35 am for lunch, and was hopeful when I saw the front door open. I walk in, only to be told that they don't open for another 10 minutes, and I was motioned to leave. Yesterday, I arrived at approximately 5 pm for dinner, and the place was closed. In all fairness, this place does indeed have great food, and I recommend it for that. However, in my opinion, two things should be changed:

1. The hours they are open for business.

2. The old guy behind the cash register [supposedly the owner's father]
is a real asshole. He's got to be San Jose's version of Seinfeld's
"Soup Nazi." This guy needs to go no-matter-what.

Zebra

Never had a problem with "the old guy". Seeing as how everyone really enjoys their food and he is the owners father I would think he will be there as long as he wants

On a more serious issue that Zebra raised it seems to be a very common thing in Costa Rica for a restaurant to close between lunch and dinner hour. I know of at least 4 or 5 restaurants in Escazu that do that. Most reopen at 6:00 PM but a few like El Novillo Alegre do not reopen until 7:00 PM. Then there is a place like Donde Alcides (Pork Chop Hill) which closes at 8:00 PM during the week.

Always a good idea to call ahead if you have never been to that restaurant before.

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

I had the vacio (house specialty skirt steak) again on Friday night,
after a fine session at Bar Idem. It was great -- you just can't
get a juicier beef flavor. The service here is the best I have
experienced in San Jose, and the wines face up to the great meat
well. I like the Argentinian music and all the junk on the walls. I
appreciate the service after all the lousy service I got today at the
Hotel Amon restaurant and at the Del Rey.

The only minor problem with Esquina is that the place was packed on a
Friday evening at 8. They gave me a chair and a beer in front of
the bar, and I was content waiting for 20 minutes while reading
a paper. If you are going in a group, you should call for
reservations on a weekend night in peak season. It is worth it.

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Same river, new water