Well, I did it again. I invited myself to someone’s house for dinner. Conveniently, this person’s house is a Bed & Breakfast. And their dining room is a restaurant. Finally! I get it right!!!
Really right: this was the best meal we’ve had in Costa Rica. The Pura Vida Hotel is owned by Berni and Nhi (knee). Berni is the man in the photo next to Xavier who is now bald. Sigh. What is it with guys and shaving their heads? The woman next to me is Loretta, a frequent visitor and an instant friend. She was sitting at the table next to us but we couldn’t stop talking so she moved over to sit with us.
Nhi, meanwhile, was in the kitchen working magic. She also gets it really right. From soup to nuts, dinner was superb. The bread was so so good: that heavy warm sourdough you get in really good restaurants. Served with real buddah, of course. Xavier had a lovely merlot. All the glasses were sparkly. The first course was teriyaki chicken wings with an arugula and parsley salad. Delish.
The main course was trout with capers, such a good combo. The trout was fresh and perfectly cooked, very tender. With those skinny green beans… they must have a name besides skinny green beans… and brown rice on the side. Presentation was simple and appealing, dishes were interesting, colorful and not matched – I love that. X says my favorite color is confusing.
Desert was a sweet, chewy coconut bar and a scoop of vanilla ice cream with toasted coconut on top. And fresh El Rey coffee. Which is why I’m typing here at 11:43pm. Normal bedtime was at least an hour ago. Last night, I fell asleep during Boston Legal which should be a crime. Denny Crane and Alan Shore and Shirley Schmidt are ever so interesting and funny. If you are over 50 and not watching Boston Legal, well, you will just have to be arrested.
Coffee also decreases my already itty bitty attention span.
After our scrumptious dinner, Berni, showed us around. It was dark, so we couldn’t see the landscaping, but the grounds are lush and sprawling. The rooms are delightfully appointed, GREAT PILLOWS, fluffy comforters, local art covers the walls. We could be very comfy there. In fact, I was tempted to crawl right in… but I’d had too much coffee.
If I was coming to Costa Rica for a visit, I’d definitely stay at the Pura Vida Hotel with Berni and Nhi. You couldn’t go wrong.
You have a choice. We shave our heads, or we do that swoop things with three strands of long hair splayed across our heads that we pretend is a hair-do… you know, the same three strands that in a high wind… never mind, you’ve got the picture.
You paint a very accurate picture…. eeeeooooo.
hi, i’m sure you can relate to my situation in other ways simply by living in costa rica and dealing with daily life here.
as magical and fun as it could be, this country could be sooooooo frustrating that i want to yell at eveyrone is site, but then i think of other countries and remember they experience the same stuff only on other levels, and usually much harder and expensiver levels.
but thanks for your kind words,
ciao for now
just want to know if renting a car from sj is it safe to drive in Oct. to Cahuita and to Parismina ? weather and roads, what about theft thank you for any one help.We rented and did the pacific side in dec/jan(with grown kids)now we want to to the Atlantic side.And maybe go up to Nicaragua?Any one drive that ??
I would drive it, no problem. You might want to join the yahoo group “costa rica living” – several people on there have driven to nica and can give good details on the drive and border crossing.