The New York Times(September 9, 2012) recently ran an article talking about the locavore or "farm to table" movement coming to Costa Rica. What condescending muck! With a 12 month growing season for fruits and vegetables and being right on the Pacifico Ocean, Costa Rica was locavore before locavore was cool.
Our ocean view Pavilion restaurant at the Alma Del Pacifico Beach Hotel & Spa has been getting rave reviews on Trip Advisor and our chef just uses local ingredients. Aside from wine (we get many fine wines from South America) about the only exception to this on the menu is our imported angus beef for that staple of the American teenage tourist diet, the 1/2 pound hamburger. Our menu regularly features fresh yellow-fin tuna, red snapper, and mahi mahi. Our onsite garden provides fresh herbs & vegetables for our restaurant- you can't get more local than that!
C'mon down and chow down with us!
One night last week, Lolly & I found ourselves in Jaco looking for somewhere to grab dinner when I remembered reading about a new restaurant in town called Graffiti. Hidden in the Pacific Center (look for the KFC) at the north end of town, Graffiti Resto Cafe & Wine Bar is a tiny gem.
We entered the small restaurant and were immediately greeted by a very welcoming server who sat us at a table next to the window. The walls are covered in graffiti art and the radio was pumping a reggae version of Adele's "Set Fire to the Rain." We arrived on the early side and there were 4 or 5 other tables of diners already settled in.
The menu is a mixture of tropical dishes and Asian items (there is a small sushi menu). The menu is a bit tongue in cheek, with the main courses referred to as "Ghetto Gourmet." Our server happily explained the entire menu to us taking special care with the house specialty steak, rubbed with coffee and cacao. In the end, we both decided on fish dishes. Lolly tried the catch of the day, dorado (mahi mahi), encrusted with macadamia nuts and served with a miso sauce. This was a really lovely dish- all of the flavors complemented and none overwhelmed. The fish was also offered with your choice of 6 different sauces. I opted for a tuna special, a coconut encrusted filet of tuna seared with a Thai chili sauce. We also tried 2 of their martinis - a cucumber basil martini & a lemontini. Both were delicious. Entree prices range from $15 to $20 and martinis are all priced at $5.
All in all, we highly recommend this great new find for your next trip to Costa Rica!
Buen provecho!
Great News! Construction is already underway for the new beachfront bar & lounge at our Alma del Pacifico Hotel. With an opening planned for early November, this will be the perfect place to watch your Costa Rican sunset over the Pacific ocean. The bar has not yet been christened and we would love some input! Please comment below with your ideas for a name. Other improvements already underway at the hotel include new flat screen TVs which have been installed in all the guest villas, WiFi internet coverage throughout the hotel and a new conference room. Other plans anticipated over the next several months include opening the Pyramid Cafe with a special gourmet-to-go dinner menu for delivery to your condos. More details will be available shortly.
Alma del Pacifico is our luxury beachfront boutique hotel which has 20 private guest villas, beachfront restaurant & spa and was recently rated one of the top 10 hotels in Central & South America. Alma is located on the Central Pacific coast of Costa Rica, midway between the nightlife of Jaco Beach & the Manuel Antonio National Park, located in Quepos. Alma is also the top rated hotel in Esterillos by TripAdvisor, with a 4.5 star rating.
Del Pacifico condo owners & guests are welcome at both the restaurant, bar & spa at Alma and can arrange for signing privileges.
Contact us about special green season rates available at both the Del Pacifico condos and also the Alma hotel.
