Creativity and Talent
Unite at the Restaurant
In very few years, Costa Rica became a
country with a wide variety of
restaurants. Between the delicious Italian
food and the French chefs’ creativity, you
can discover the specific nature of Peruvian
food, Indian originality, Japanese structure,
Chinese classicism, Brazilian and
Argentinean harmony, Spanish rusticity,
Lebanese cheerfulness, and much, much
more...
Now there is a new type of restaurants
that claims “fusion” food, with relative
success, as it is difficult to have both the
talent and creativity to invent new recipes.
Once successful fusion is reached, the next
difficulty is to keep a high quality level
throughout the years.
Costa Rica is discovering a multitude of
new tastes, and even the big hotels are, little
by little, modifying their “international
cuisine” traditional menus for original topics
inspired in “fusion” food.
“Paseo” selected various creations that can
be tasted in the different restaurants in the
country. This first selection also allows us to
present different new talents who use many
of the best products in the country.
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However, more than any picture of the
chef’s suggestion, the most attractive option is to taste it to get your own opinion. We ask all our readers to write giving us your recommendations about places that we should visit.
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Salmon carpaccio. The (Atlantic)
salmon thin slices are delicately bathed in a
light olive oil wave, soy sauce with pepper,
salt and ginger. Just like stars in heaven,
some capers accompany a comet made with
“ruccula” salad, but with a slightly less bitter
taste. This is a creation of Chef Regis Molina
(Baccus, Santa Ana). |
ZAR Risotto: a typical Italian dish, but quite difficult to prepare. Chefs William
Araya and Guillermo Barahona (Valle Azul,
Escazu) cook it in low heat with chicken
stock, and it requires between 20 and 25
minutes. Once the rice is “al dente”, salmon
(“flambé” with vodka) is added. Little by little, 30 grs of basil are added, as well as the whipping cream, salt, pepper, olive oil.
Before serving, salmon caviar is added.
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L’Ancora sea bass. Ciro, the charming
owner of l’Ancora, is always in his kitchen
with the obsession of giving his clients the
best fresh fish and excellent sea food in the
capital city. These sea bass fillets are
garnished with Italian dry tomatoes and a
tasty white wine sauce with orange and
lemon, cipollina, parsley, and a touch of
olive oil and seasoning.
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Duo of lamb and duck with
“Darphum” potato and “Pleurotte” fungi
thousand-layers. The typical touch of French
chef of the Villa Caletas gourmet restaurant.
The thousand-layers with delicious potatoes
is an extreme delicacy. The lamb and the
“magret” duck are served with French
chestnuts and a sauce scented with truffle
juice,” says Chef Vincent Boutinaud.
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Marsala tenderloin. An example of
Peruvian “fusion” cuisine with a very tender
tenderloin, cooked with sesame seeds. This
fusion dish was prepared by Marco Antonio
Gapza (La Divina Comida, Escazu), who
wants to soon open another restaurant in
Guanacaste, accompanied by a reduction of
Marsala wine and extra-virgin olive oil,
cinnamon and rosemary. It is served with
chick pea hummus.
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Orange and peach sponges with vanilla minced
mango. An exquisite composition of fruits, some in
sponge, and another one minced, and a small pear
slightly cooked with red wine and orange flower. It all
comes with a three-colored “dacquoise” sauce with
chocolate “gavache” (sauce), and a mysterious wasabi
mustard (wasabi is a seasoning widely used for the
preparation of Japanese sushi and sashimi). This is a
creation of Chef Vincent Boutinaud (Villa Caletas).
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Strawberry thousandlayers.
These cookie thousandlayers
are prepared with a
ricotta and mascarpone cream.
The strawberries are scented
with port (Bacchus, Santa Ana). |
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Crepes stuffed with Cognac and Grand
Marnier “flambée” strawberries. A piece of butter in
the frying pan and two tablespoons of white sugar.
Heat the frying pan and cook the strawberries at
low heat. Let simmer a little and pour the Grand
Marnier. In another frying pan, with the crepes,
pour the Cognac, before joining both in the dish to
serve. Be very careful with the flames... (Valle Azul,
San Antonio de Escazu). |
 
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