www.CostaRicaTicas.com

Restaurante Donde Alcides and Mirador Ram Luna

This is a restaurant review/excursion report. It concludes at a restaurant for low-income diners who appreciate quality and QUANTITY without much regard for ambience. The place is called Restaurante Donde Alcides, and I stumbled upon it in October of 2005. The excursion began as a trip to Mirador Ram Luna Restaurant in the mountains outside of the small town of Asseri. Mirador Ram Luna has a beautiful view of San Jose, and is highly rated by reviewers. I first visited MRL last March on cultural night (which occurs every Wednesday). On cultural night, a buffet dinner is served, dancers wearing colorful costumes perform traditional Tico dances, and tour buses bring scores of gringos who pay $50 each for the experience.

Last March, I asked a girlfriend where she wanted me to take her for her birthday, and she requested Mirador Ram Luna on cultural night. She had lived in San Jose for many years, but could never afford to go there. She was thrilled by the experience. The next day, she called her friends from my hotel room to boast about it. Personally, I was not too impressed: the buffet dinner was only slightly better than average; we were elbow-to-elbow with many tourists; and were seated next to a group from a bible college in Texas. I wanted to return to MRL on a regular night when it was not overrun by tourists, and I could order from the main menu.

I needed transportation, so I called my favorite taxi driver, Rafael. Rafi is a trip all by himself, a colorful character right out of central casting. Rafi is 58 years old, and while he has been married to the same woman for over 25 years, he has 14 Ch*ldren by 7 different women. His youngest Ch*ld is 2-years old and the mother is 25. In the USA, we would call his behavior disgraceful, but in CR it is muy, muy macho.

Rafi used to hang at Hotel Park, and he is the taxi driver of choice for many working girls. If you are looking for a particular girl, there is a good chance he can tell you where to find her, or even take you to her house or deliver a message. The girls like him because he doesn’t over-charge and makes sure they get home safely. Many taxi drivers charge girls ¢2000 late at night, and refuse to go far into dangerous barrios. They drop the girls off many blocks from home. Rafi charges regular rates, drives the girls all the way home, and ******* them to their door if necessary to make they get home safely. When I want to take an excursion out of town, he charges me about $10 per hour. (I posted his photo titled “Rafael.”).

Rafi picked us up in the late afternoon, and we took off for the mountains. When we arrived at Mirador Ram Luna, we discovered it was closed on Monday. Rafi said, “I know a good place further up the hill. It’s not a tourist place, but the food is good and cheap.” I said, “Okay.” We continued up the hill for 5 or 6 kilometers, and pulled up at a little place called DONDE ALCIDES. This place was on the side of the road that did not have a view. I said, “Rafi, I refer a place with a better view.” He said, “The food here is very good, and cheap.” My date urged me, “Let’s eat here.”

Rafi usually waits outside in the taxi while my date and me dine. I was a little apprehensive about this place, and thought I would feel better with some extra muscle watching my back. I said, “Rafael, mi amigo, I’m going to treat you to dinner.” The 3 of us went inside. It was still early and we were the only customers. The menu offered “Chuletas Mediano, Chuletas Grande, and Chuletas Extra-grande.” We chose the middle road and ordered the “Chuletas Grande.” We also ordered one large ensalada mixta, 3 papas casadas, one coke, and a bottle of wine.

When the chuletas arrived, I could not believe my eyes. I thought ‘chuletas’ were little pork chops. These were not little pork chops. They were single cuts of pork that must have come from the hind quarter of HOGZILLA. Without exaggeration, each cut of pork was at least 12 by 9 inches—and thick. Each single cut of pork had to weigh 2 and one-half to 3 pounds. I was just glad I did not order the Grande-extra. (I posted a photo titled “Donde Alcides.”).

I attacked my chuleta with gusto. It had been marinated in BBQ sauce, then grilled, and was very tender and tasty. I had to unbuckle my jeans. I ate until I started getting dizzy, and felt like I would fall out on the floor in an arteriosclerotic coma. I could not eat anymore. None of us cleaned our plates. The 3 of us had to ask for take-home bags. I put my chuleta in the mini-fridge at Presidente, and worked on it for lunch the next 2 days. I had some left over the third day, but I was afraid to eat 3-day old pork—so I tossed it.

So, in summary, if you want to really pork-out at a non-touristy spot, try RESTAURANTE DONDE ALCIDES in the mountains above Asseri. When you pass Mirador Ram Luna, just keep on going up the same mountain road and you will see it on the right side.

By the way, the total bill for 3 of us was ¢11,000 ($23).

Also, I didn’t understand the name Donde Alcides. I knew ‘donde’ meant ‘where,’ but I didn’t understand ‘Alcides.” My girlfriend explained that ‘Alcides’ was the name of the owner, and if someone should ask me, “Donde quieres comer?,” my response could be “Donde Alcides.”

Donde Alcides is one of my favorite places to go. The name recently changed from "Centro Turistico Tarbaca" but many of us who have been going there for years simply refer to it as...

PORKCHOP HILL

_________________
NON ILLEGITIMI CARBORUNDUM

DG

What my understanding is that Alchides owns a very large pig farm in the area and opened this restaurant for Ticos who wanted to taste the fresh meat from the family farm. It is truly a local treat and the pork ribs and steak are some of the best you'll find in CR. The ambiance is nothing special...but you'll definitely eat well and feel like one of the locals.

Amen...

been to both.. Ram Luna view next to none, especially at night.
Don Gordo's Porkchop Hill... well ate all I could there and took rest back to apartment. Breakfast for next 3 days with eggs.!!


pidd