On our last stop before returning from our Costa Rican surf trip, we stayed at Hotel Grano de Oro in San Jose. The hotel is a converted Victorian mansion and its restaurant is considered one of San Jose's finest. The restaurant is comprised of a dining room and a garden courtyard; we sat in the former. The clientele was mainly middle-aged and well dressed; I was relieved that they let me dine in a sundress and flip flops.. Scanning the menu, there were so many items that I wanted: foie gras, duck pate, duck, lamb chops, a rabbit medley, scallops, fish.. what's a girl to do??
My dining companion and I decided on an appetizer and an entree each. We ordered a bottle of Bodega del Fin del Mundo, an Argentinean pinot noir from Patagonia. I'm typically a white wine drinker but the pinot noir was light and smooth, with a hint of spice.
The waiter came around with bread and herb butter: I got the twist which was fresh and warm. Over the course of dinner, I devoured 3 of these.
He got the Beef Tenderloin with asparagus and garden vegetables. It was served with 3 sauces (cocoa, bernaise and peppercorn). We tried each of the three and the peppercorn was the winner. The cocoa was also interesting and unique. Both entrees came with a side of mash potatoes which were creamy and buttery.
The bill came with two chocolate truffles. I almost fell off my seat when I saw that our check came up to 73,400 colones (which converts to $126). This already includes tax and a 10% tip (of course we added another 10% tip to the bill). I was so pleasantly surprised as a similar dinner in LA would have cost us at least that amount per person, often times more. Most definitely a great deal for an excellent dinner.
Hotel Grano de Oro
Calle 30, Avenida 2 y 4,
San Jose, Costa Rica
(506) 2255-3322
http://www.hotelgranodeoro.com/
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