Lunch - Botijas, Grecia, Costa Rica

 Last Sunday, our choice of restaurant for lunch was Botijas in Grecia. They have a cool logo:

I can’t find a clear translation of the name. But no matter - it’s the food and service that counts. And they are a ten on both counts!

Again, as per usual in Costa Rica, the entrance to the restaurant is unassuming. They have a Covid-19 hand washing station and all staff were wearing masks, as - of course - were we. 

We were greeted by the chef (I think), who introduced himself and showed us around the eating areas. The restaurant stretches quite a way to the back, with lots of seating. We chose a table at the rear. The decor is funky - lots of colour, mismatched chairs and tables, interesting photographs on the walls. We spied Anthony Bourdain featured in a couple of pictures.

After being seated, we were given our menus and glasses of ice water with lime slices. I already knew what I wanted to order because I had perused the menu online beforehand. First order of business - red wine sangria!

The portions were generous as you can see.

They grow their own herbs and greens in flats and several times I saw cooks coming out to snip off pieces for a meal they were preparing.

Lance ordered the pechuga de pollo al curry New Delhi style:

I had a taste of Lance’s curry and it was very tasty. It came with an additional separate sauce surrounded by sesame seeds.

And for me it was the Seis Dos, Hong Kong style:

Presentations were beautiful. Both meals were delicious. Look at the kumquats with basil leaves inserted in them! My protein was pork. At the bottom of the stack were flat rice noodles, then bok choy and other greens, the pork and then crispy rice noodles. 

This is our new favourite restaurant. Highly recommend that you give it a try. 

Click on images to enlarge.

Eyes on Costa Rica and Weather Records - October 2021 / Covid-19 Update

During October, visits to this blog were received from the following 16 countries:

The total number of countries and non-independent jurisdictions from which visits have been received remains at 133. Of this number, 13 are non-independent jurisdictions such as the Cayman Islands, Hong Kong, Puerto Rico, etc.

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The following is a summary of weather for the month in the area where we live:

The total rainfall in October was marginally lower than that in October 2018 and 2019, and roughly only half of that in October 2020.

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Covid-19 Update

The following table updates information which appeared in my blog entry posted on October 10, 2021:

Since my last post, the death rates in Costa Rica and the United States have risen (by 0.06 and 0.2 percentage points respectively). Conversely, that in Canada has dropped by 0.02 percentage points.

If you want to see how some other country is doing in comparison to those listed, then visit the website of Worldometer. Numbers for populations, reported cases and reported deaths can be obtained from that site. All that is then needed is some simple math to calculate the percentage death rate for the other country and the death rate in that country compared to Costa Rica.

If you want more comprehensive and up-to-date information and statistics on the situation in Costa Rica, including various locales in Costa Rica, then the La Nacion newspaper is a good source. If you do not understand Spanish, then you will need a web browser (Google Chrome, Safari, etc.) which is set to translate to your language of choice from Spanish.

 

Click on images to enlarge.

Lunch - Vuelta al Mundo

It was Lance’s turn to select a place to eat lunch this weekend and he chose Vuelta al Mundo (Around the World). We stumbled by chance on this hostel/restaurant several months ago. We were walking across from the Grecia park and saw a menu sign displayed on the street. It was impressive. We had no idea there was a hostel with a restaurant at this location.

As is usual in Costa Rica, you can’t judge a book by its cover. Upon entering, we walked through a large area and then out into a garden area with lots of tables for seating. Service is very attentive. Since we had already looked at their menu online, we knew what we wanted to order.

Here is the menu:

Drinks: Lance ordered a Belgium beer and I asked for a mojito. He said the beer was really good, especially since it has a 6.6% alcohol content, which is more than a Canadian (5%) or an American beer (4%)! My mojito was refreshing, with fresh mint and lime.

Lance’s beer glass matched his beer bottle:

We ordered a selection of four Argentinian empanadas - two chorizo and two ham, cheese and mushroom - to go (para llevar):

For our lunch, Lance selected the tempura with shrimp and vegetables and I ordered the green curry with fish. Both orders came with jasmine rice. My curry was excellent - loaded with vegetables and fish in a coconut sauce. As is usual in Costa Rica, restaurant food portions are large and we asked to have quite a bit of the tempura wrapped up to go.

As an added bonus, there is a resident cat! He/She came over to us for a pat several times. This cat has the most beautiful coloration:

There were some Octoberfest food and drink offerings which we didn’t know about beforehand and the choices looked yummy also:

The outdoor (but covered) eating area was decorated for Halloween:

Some photos of the hostel/restaurant:

If you check out the menu, you will see they offer dishes from “around the world”, including Canadian Quebec poutine! 

We highly recommend this restaurant and will be going back to try out more of their menu selections. 

Click on images to enlarge.

Lunch - Behind Closed Doors

Yesterday - Saturday - was our day for eating lunch at a new-to-us restaurant.

It was my turn to select a restaurant and my choice was Los Jardines Vivero y Café. This restaurant is next door to Super Rosvil El Liceo where I would be able to pick up a few groceries after lunch.

As is quite typical in Costa Rica, you cannot judge a “book by its cover”. This is what the entranceway to the restaurant looks like when it is closed (from their menu cover):

It’s just an unassuming brown wooden gate. You wouldn’t give it much more then a passing glance driving by. Once the gates are open, it is the most charming place.

Whoever designed and executed this restaurant is very creative. Tables are set out in nooks and crannies all over the place, mostly outdoors and with rain coverage such as umbrellas. Everywhere I looked I saw something whimsical and unexpected.

The staff are very friendly, welcoming and attentive. The restaurant opens at 11:30 am and I suggest getting there at that time, which is what we did. It started filling up fast closer to noon. 

We started with sangria:

We both ordered paninis. Lance chose ham and cheese:

And I chose mushrooms and pesto:

The yellow sauce is mustard and mayo and it’s for dipping the chips in which, by the way, are really good. Before our main courses arrived, we were presented with a plate of plantain chips with a warm bean dip on the side - gratis.

Neither of us could finish our paninis so we asked for para llevar (take away) and that will be our dinner tonight with a salad.

I know that Grecia expats meet here most Wednesdays for lunch. 

Highly recommend this restaurant. They require Covid-19 compliance - temperature measurement, hand washing and mask wearing. Masks can be removed when you sit down.

Click on images to enlarge.

Olga’s Place, San Ramón, and Pequeña Polonia, Atenas - Costa Rica

One activity we have always enjoyed doing is going out for breakfast or brunch. We’ve eaten at all of the restaurants that are open early for breakfast in the Grecia and surrounding area and had run out of places to eat at.

Lance came up with the great idea that we should start eating lunch at restaurants instead of breakfast - and our choices expanded enormously. So once a week each of us gets to choose where to have lunch.

First choice was Lance’s and he selected Olga’s Place in San Ramón, about a 35 minute drive from our house. I can recommend this restaurant - good food and fantastic views. We sat outside on a small covered patio. Our server was very nice and helpful. She suggested we have the red sangria and it was a good recommendation.

Menu photos:

My choice was the shrimp a la Diabla (and it was indeed spicy!):

Lance opted for pasta with jumbo shrimp:

Views from the restaurant:

We had occasion to drive to Atenas this past week - the town where we lived for six years when we first moved to Costa Rica. We had a craving for cabbage rolls and new reading material and the best place for both of these is Pequeña Polonia (Little Poland). This is the restaurant originally known as Kay’s Gringo Postres, owned by Kay and Tom Costello. It was one of the first restaurants we ate at in Atenas. There has always been a free lending library there and we’ve never run out of reading material in ten years.

The present owners are from Poland via Canada. Their menu reflects their background - the cabbage rolls are so good! I always order them with the dill sauce.

Take-away cabbage rolls with two salads (carrot and cucumber) and mashed potatoes:

More books to read:

Eyes on Costa Rica and Weather Records - September 2021 / Covid-19 Update

During September, visits to this blog were received from the following 12 countries:

The total number of countries and non-independent jurisdictions from which visits have been received remains at 133. Of this number, 13 are non-independent jurisdictions such as the Cayman Islands, Hong Kong, Puerto Rico, etc.

The level of interest in my video "Landing at Juan Santamaría Airport, Costa Rica" has spiked in the last few months. It was first posted to YouTube and to my blog on August 26, 2017. Between July 2019 and February 2021 the number of views has risen from over 4400 views to over 6400 views - or roughly 95 views per month. Since February 2021 until now the number of views has reason to over 8000 views - or roughly 200 views per month.

_____________________________________________

The following is a summary of weather for the month in the area where we live:

_____________________________________________

Covid-19 Update

The following table updates information which appeared in my blog entry posted on August 28, 2021:

Since my last post, the death rates in Canada and the United States have dropped by marginal amounts (0.10 and 0.04 percentage points respectively). That in Costa Rica is unchanged. 

If you want to see how some other country is doing in comparison to those listed, then visit the website of Worldometer. Numbers for populations, reported cases and reported deaths can be obtained from that site. All that is then needed is some simple math to calculate the percentage death rate for the other country and the death rate in that country compared to Costa Rica.

If you want more comprehensive and up-to-date information and statistics on the situation in Costa Rica, including various locales in Costa Rica, then the La Nacion newspaper is a good source. If you do not understand Spanish, then you will need a web browser (Google Chrome, Safari, etc.) which is set to translate to your language of choice from Spanish.