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Fans of Costa Rican chef José López, formerly of Essentia restaurant at the Corteza Amarilla hotel on the road to Ciudad Colón, will be happy to hear he is now at Essentia Restaurant and Lounge in the western suburb of Escazú. Having studied in the United States and at the Cordon Bleu in Paris, López's claim to fame is cuisine combining distinctive flavors from Latin America, the Mediterranean and the Pacific Rim, and he has brought this fine fusion to his new location.
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Bread crumb tuna with Japanese ponzu sauce. |
Keely Kernan | Tico Times
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Replacing the former Bistango in the La Paco commercial center, the new Essentia is still a large, breezy spot with French doors that open onto a veranda, for those who fancy al fresco dining. The decor has changed, with more subdued lighting and two large screens behind the well-stocked bar showing a variety of surrealist images.
Six of us arrived for dinner on a recent evening. As we sipped our drinks and munched on delicious, flat bread sticks accompanied by herb butter, we noted that among López's fusion inspirations were traditional appetizers and main courses such as Caesar salad, beef and salmon carpaccio and several different cuts of steak.
For starters, our party was delighted to find fresh oysters were available. These delicious, medium-sized bivalves were plump and sweet, farmed off the Nicoya Peninsula by Demian Geneau's “Product c” seafood distribution company (TT, Jan. 9).
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Escazú Chic: Replacing the former Bistango in Escazú's La Paco commercial center, the new Essentia has subdued lighting and sleek décor. |
Keely Kernan | Tico Times
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Those of us who didn't fancy oysters ordered the tasty beef, basil and nut samosas, served with a spicy dipping sauce, and the miso soup with noodles, wakame, shiitake mushrooms and tofu. I was delighted that Armenian owner Mike Badalian had included one of his country's specialties and immediately ordered the rolls stuffed with lamb, feta cheese and herbs, accompanied by tzatziki sauce. They were very good indeed, but the hit of the evening was the Saigon spring rolls stuffed with mushrooms, spinach and bean sprouts and served with a Vietnamese ginger dipping sauce. Prices, including 13 percent tax, ranged from ₡ 3,930 to ₡ 4,255 ($6.70 to $ 7.30), ₡ 6,780 (about $12) for half a dozen oysters.
Of our main courses, the Thai shrimp curry with undercooked jasmine rice was not spicy enough for the true curry lover among us, but the others had no complaints. The Moroccan chicken breast with couscous, mini vegetables, capers, honey and paprika butter was deemed the best a diner had tasted outside of Morocco, where she used to live. Our salad eater was happy with her chicken salad, served with a baked apple, goat cheese and honey dressing. The above dishes were priced from ₡ 5,660 to ₡ 10,945 (about $10 to $19), with the shrimp curry at the top end. Appetizers and main courses were all artistically presented, and credit must be given to López for stimulating the diners' palates before they took the first bite.
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Grilled tenderloin with porcini mushroom sauce. |
Keely Kernan | Tico Times
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Only two of us sampled the desserts, a chocolate cake with ice cream (₡3,500/$6) and the budín brulé (₡3,000/$5.10), a dense Costa Rican favorite not to be confused with crème brûlée – but the hard caramelized crust was the real McCoy.
The restaurant has an excellent wine selection, though we ordered the house wine by the glass, a quite palatable Chilean Root: 1 cabernet sauvignon (₡4,485 / $7.70).
Our waiter gave us good service but was inclined to be overly keen and hover too closely. He whipped the plates away as soon as a diner took her last mouthful, which made us feel we were being hurried. Being a slow eater, I find it particularly uncomfortable when I'm the only one left eating and the table has been cleared. I wish more restaurants would train their waitstaff to be aware of this and leave well enough alone until all diners at a table have finished the course.
Dining out can be an expensive pastime, particularly in Escazú; Essentia is definitely pricey, but no more so than many of its competitors.
The restaurant offers a small lunch menu from noon to 4 p.m., including sandwiches, hamburgers, a couple of salads and two pasta dishes. Prices range from ₡3,310 to ₡5,965 ($5.70 to $10).
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