Where to eat in Costa Rica: Doris Metropolitan - A great steak house!

Doris Metropolitan – an EXCELLENT Steak restaurant.

Our comments are “SOLO GOOD” – try this place, it doesn’t get better. I don’t think there is a better steak restaurant in Costa Rica. Big words but true. Go to the web page and their description under the Restaurant tab is “spot on”.

Location. North East corner behind the Catholic Church of Santa Ana, San Jose Costa Rica. For those who have been in Costa Rica before or know the area this used to be a Tex Mex restaurant that got a little too tired and old. The place has been nicely remodeled and modern.

Web Site - http://dorismetropolitan.com/

Telephone - +(506) 2282-2221

Schedule – every day from 12:00pm to 11:00pm

GPS Coordinates: 9 55’59.48’’ N, 84 10’48.19’’W

Service – Excellent. Personal attention, positive attitude, experts at serving beef.

Food – This is Tico (Costa Rican) beef, dry aged perfectly. Your first thought after tasking your favorite cut might be that this beef was imported. Its not but the apparent attention to quality is clear with succulent flavors, cooked to order perfectly.

Our first order was an appetizer of Osso Bucco. Although prepared a little differently than what I’m familiar with in other restaurants serving the same the flavor was great. The bone was stuffed with a raisin based sauce, something that seemed to be fat (probably a little too much) and miscellaneous other flavorings. It was great although could be considered a little fatty unless you like Oso Bucco.

The breads are a specialty with the restaurant as everything is made on-site. As it was the first item brought it was easy to eat all the bread a little too fast. A balsamic reduction and olive oil dip just added to the experience. The sour dough was included in the bread plate and although I have had better in other countries this was the best sour dough we’ve had in Costa Rica. In fact, it seems almost impossible to find any kind of sour dough bread in the country.

We ordered a Rib Eye and a Lomito. Both were prepared perfectly. In fact, I went back a few days later for lunch and had the same cut of beef. The rib eye was made medium rare. Although the waiter recommended medium I insisted on medium rare. I wasn’t wrong. In Costa Rica steak has a tendency to be overcooked so I felt it was better to under cook and I could always send it back. Overcooked and your stuck. The Lomito was served slightly cool. After catching the waiter’s attention they quickly removed the steak and brought back a super hot iron skillet where the beef was placed to reheat without cooking the inside more than necessary. It was perfect and a perfect way of reheating the steak.

A friend ordered a “lamb” burger for lunch a few days later and he had nothing but good words and said it was an excellent flavor.

Price – The prices are a little expensive but you have to ignore this part of the experience because whatever the price, it was worth it!!! Two people with three “glasses” of house wine ended up at $59,000 or about $116.00

Ambiance – Quite, air-conditioned, comfortable seats, good size tables, modern appearance, a nice size bar in the middle, the kitchen is in the front of the restaurant as you enter the building and overall very nice. The aging room is available to view.

General – I’ve tried this restaurant twice and I’m sure I’ll be back many more times in the future. I really miss this type of eating experience where quality is a priority, service is great, and the food doesn’t get better.

Final Note – We’ll be back.