www.CostaRicaTicas.com

I dined there Saturday night.
Location: I have heard comments about its location and cost to get there. Actually, from the gulch it's all of $3.80 taxi ride.
Service: was excellent
Ambiance is very nice with a definite upscale Tico crowd. No gringos with floral beach shirts, shorts and flip flops and funny hats.
The interesting thing I noticed is that on Sat. night at 8:30, at best 25% full. Very easy to get a table while at my favorite steak house was full to capacity.
Food: Excellent and ample. The outside skirt steak was great. Other cuts were good but not as good. Sweetbreads good. Appetizers good, desert just okay. The onion & chile condiment, free was outstanding.
Negatives: Meat dishes were all seasoned with way too much salt. I like salt, so it was way too much.
Cost was on the very high side compared to competition. I believe that is why the lack of customers.
Example: a grey goose on the rocks 3,577 colones. At La Esquina 1,600 colones. I estimate the total bill was probably a good 35% high. Donde Carlos is very good, about 10% less than USA, and no problems with getting a table. A very quiet venue so no problem holding a conversation.
If I go again, I would just tell them to hold all the salt.

Its a great place, and I've been going for years - better than La Esquina, and only a short cab ride away.

The service has always been very professional, and the food good - but they suffer from the problem of most steak places in CR - very expensive, and the beef only fair (weird, but when I go I have the hearts of palm salad, and the beef and fish carpacio.....)

If you pay cash, there is a CRT discount of 10%, 5% if you pay by CC - they want to see your CRT card.

They have a well layed out floor plan, and a really nice place - I've NEVER seen it anywhere close to full - I suspect they do a mostly Tico business and frankly, the place is expensive.

(I HATE going to places in CR and paying USA prices - you pretty much do that in Donde Carlos, plus the beef in places like Mortons, Capital Grill, etc is much better. Still, if you want a good experience, its a place to try).