www.CostaRicaTicas.com

Having been petitioned by admins of this board to check out their new sponsor, Rincon Del Gaucho, my wife and I headed over there for dinner tonight with another friend of ours. The restaurant is located at the beginning of Los Yoses…about a 5 minute taxi ride from Gringo Gulch. Take avenida 10 to the end, go right 100 Mts, then left 50. It’s brightly lit on the left hand side in the middle of a very quiet neighborhood.

As we entered the restaurant, we immediately had the sense that this was a classy place. Menus were available outside the entrance before you even came in. The Kitchen has a window right near the main entrance where owner/executive chef Fabian Difilippo tracks all the customers coming in and out. We took a table in the front room next to the kitchen (I like to be close to the kitchen to smell the aromas and sometimes catch a glimpse of how things are going back there), but on an after dinner tour of the place we found 3 different levels, the bar and rear seating are downstairs and quiet. Then upstairs there are 4 different rooms for seating, private parties etc…and there is an open air section in the back upstairs where you can enjoy dining under the stars or have a private party if your are so inclined.

Fabian came out personally to greet us and ALL the customers upon arrival…a true classy touch. He is Argentinean, but trained in Las Vegas and elsewhere. As we were later to find out, he truly learned some tricks in the kitchen. We picked a bottle of Shiraz from the small but adequately varied wine list…and then settled into deciding what we should try this first visit. Alex our waiter is from Chile, speaks very good English, and he was very helpful with recommendations. My wife chose the Lemon Chicken grilled Argentinean style (she’s on a diet) while our friend and I ordered steaks (what else in an Argentinean grill place?). He ordered the huge flank steak while I splurged on a fine cut of Filet Mignon. Both steaks were about the finest we’ve had in our search for fine steaks in Costa Rica. Fabian told us they raise their own Argentinean beef imported to their farm here in Costa Rica. We could definitely taste the difference…no steak knives needed here. While dinners come with choice of potato and fresh sautéed vegetables, my friend and I were granted the special request of pasta a la pesto with tomatoes and other extra ingredients while my wife had…salad (she’s so disciplined). We all were getting stuffed but very happy with our experience. Just when I didn’t think I would be able to have a desert, Alex brings out the complimentary plateno (banana) flambéed covered with an exotic cherry/pineapple and something else sauce that was just out of this world. While I forced my wife and friend to have a bit…I ended up devouring the whole plate meant for the 3 of us. Addictive stuff.

And when bill time came…we were pleasantly surprised to find our three entrees, appetizers, and bottle of wine with the 15% CRT VIP discount they gave my friend, came out to around $45 with tip. We gave Alex a generous extra tip as he never missed a lick from beginning to end on this night of epicurean delight. We may have to make this restaurant a weekly habit…if I don’t sneak in there again tomorrow for some more banana flambé…

Really would like to thank the Admin's of this board for turning me onto this place as I'm a steak eater and this is bar the best expierience I've had since living here. Nice to get the 15% off as well Even though they paid
A Don't miss dining expierience!