If your looking for an Italian restaurant with the “old school” feel and taste of Italy this is the place for you. A nice find in San Jose.
As we sat down, on the far side of the room at another table were other clients that could easily be overheard. It was clearly the raspy, rough, voice of the Godfather sitting in the room. Although with more attentiveness, the voice was right but the language was Spanish – the Godfather it was not. Coincidentally, it added a nice touch to our first visit.
Located in Pavas. Near the Sabana area. Take the Pavas road in front of the new National Stadium (the road where the Metropolitan Tower condominium is located or Channel 7 at the traffic signal) as if you are going to the U.S. Embassy and travel a few hundred meters from Sabana. Or, if you are coming from Escazu take the Pavas exit off of the auto pista and turn right. You will see it shortly after Cemaco. The sign is very obvious. Just in case you miss it or are looking for something else a Pizza Hut is located on the opposite side of the side street and is in front of the Citibank de Rohrmoser. Super easy to find.
GPS Coordinates – (if you know, post a comment with the coordinates)
Telephone - +(506) 2220-1614
Schedule – Monday through Saturday: 12:00pm to 10:00pm, Sunday 12:00pm to 8:00pm
Express Service – Available
Consistency Rating – N/A
Service – Prompt and attentive. In fact, one of the owners served us with the attention of an owner. Although there was only one waiter for approximately 17 tables the fact of the matter was it was sufficient. Our visit was made on a Monday evening the day of a national holiday in Costa Rica. The day was obviously not representative of a typical day. During the dinner there was probably 7 to 10 other tables occupied. None-the-less, the service was excellent. In the process I had dropped a fork on the floor and the waiter was no where around but within less than 30 seconds the waiter came with a clean fork to replace the one that had dropped. Apparently listening to the sounds of the room the waiter realized what had happened rather than having to be told to replace the fork he took the initiative. This type of reaction is unusual. We were offered a wine from Italy, Chile and Argentina after asking for a single glass of red wine. After a long review of the extensive menu we presented the waiter with three options, Lasagna (a good benchmark for comparing to other Italian restaurants in the San Jose area), Calzone, or a Chicken covered with a white wine reduction sauce. The waiter recommended the Calzone.
Food –The food was very good. I will visit again to begin developing a consistency rating. The menu is huge. There maybe too many items on the menu. If there was anything good to say about the menu after the first experience it would be that it is going to take many visits to get through all the possibilities. The web page provides the full menu for review. Another excellent idea was the menu was full of good color photos of selected items. In fact, if you came in hungry, the photos will make you even more hungry and I’m sure your “eyes will be bigger than your stomach”. The flavor of the Ravioli was good and extremely “pomodoroish”. Excellent if you like a lot of pomodoro sauce. The Calzone “Pooly” was excellent. The large calzone was selected. Next time I have calzone I’ll choose the small portion. The stuffing was full, the flavors mixed well and the grilled chicken was cooked perfectly and flavored the calzone just right. The bread was uniquely flakey as if the chief had baked it as a real homemade pie crust (which it was). The best I’ve had in Costa Rica. The edge was a little too thick. My intention was to not eat the thick crusty edge but even though I was completely full I had to keep going back to my plate, eating small pieces of the bread crust, covered with a small drops of balsamic vinegar. I was stuffed but still wanted more.
Price - Reasonable, not cheap not expensive. For two people, one glass of red wine, two glasses of lemonade, no desert, bruschetta, a large calzone “Pooly” (ham, mushrooms, and grilled chicken breast), and ravioli. The total was approximately C26,000 (about U.S. $ 50.00). The reality is that one portion split between two would have been sufficient. One of us had to take a small portion home and the other was delightfully full.
Ambiance – Classic Italian. Walking in the restaurant, the smells of Italian food started an excellent experience. Clear recognition of the name sake, The Godfather film, was identified throughout the restaurant with posters of famous clips from the movie. In fact, the front cover of the menu has an image of Marlon Brando as if that doesn’t give a clue as to the name sake. Clean, appearance, tables “dressed” with subtle Italian colors as the olive oil, chili sauce were covered in respectively green and red fabric and the table cloths included a black base with a white cloth on top. The lighting was sufficient with spots not too bright and shining so that the menu could be read easily. The temperature was perfect even though the outside temperature could probably be considered cold by Costa Rican standards. Two large split air conditioner units were in the room and I would presume are used when appropriate. Bathrooms were clean, stocked with soap, towels, and everything functioned well.
General –Close to everything, good food, good ambiance, good service – what else could we ask for?
Final Note –I’ll keep going back.
No comments:
Post a Comment