San José

Manolo’s Restaurante (Av Central between Calle Central & 2, . 506/ 221-2041, $). Under the awning and through the portal to Manolo’s place we go. This well-known hangout has a fast-food eatery on the ground floor that spills out onto the pedestrian part of Av Central with tables under a short awning. It’s open 24 hours and has fair prices. The restaurant seating continues upstairs on two floors. The décor is heavy, with natural wood insets and tile work. The open kitchen with a charcoal grill serves up good Costa Rican dishes. Try their churro, a deep-fried pastry filled with a sweet condensed filling that is a like a milky butterscotch. It’s high in fat and calories, but delicious!

Lubnan Lebanese Restaurant (Paseo Colon, between Calle 22 & 24, across from the Mercedes dealership, . 506/257-6071, $$). For vegetarians and lovers of Middle Eastern food, the Lubnan is the only place in town with Lebanese cuisine. Their appealing décor in a storefront restaurant makes clever use of low-cost burlap and cork – à la 1960s. They offer very generous servings of delicious Middle Eastern food. Look for the John Cleese look-alike waiter wearing a traditional fez. Try the platter of hummus (chick peas), baba ghanouj (eggplant with garlic), labne (strained yogurt), and a huge falafel with lettuce and tomato wrapped in a thick pita. Say hello from us to Mario, the convivial host and owner.

Fellini Restaurant (Av 4a at Calle 36 in the west end, . 506/222-3520, $$). Long before there was a Latino “La Vida Loca,” there was an Italian “La Dolce Vita,” or sweet life, epitomized by a sultry Anita Ekberg and mocked by Italian film director Frederico Fellini. This restaurant borrows his name and decorates its walls with posters and pictures from the heyday of the Italian film industry in the 1960s and 70s.With linen tablecloths and formal crystal, Fellini’s offers a romantic meal (120 different dishes) inside a fascinating converted home from the 1920s. On the corner of the small Mata Redonda Park.

Chelles Bar & Soda (Av Central walkway at Calle 9, open 24 hours, $). This favorite spot of local Ticos, at the end of the pedestrian walkway, is equally appealing to tourists. Despite the heavy traffic on the corner, the dining area is clean and neat, with red chairs, a white tile floor and hardwood walls. The food is cheap – try their generous Cuban sandwich. If you’re looking for more, or a bit of greenery, try the Restaurant Mariscar next door. It has a large, open garden dining level past the bar. The menu is varied but, as the name implies, they specialize in seafood. Spoons (Av Central walkway, as half-block east of the Plaza, plus various locations, $).With a name like Spoons, this place sounds like it should be an ice cream parlor, but it is actually a popular eat-in restaurant chain (also offering takeout). Sit in the dining area and fill out your order on a pre-printed form. If you’re not sure what things are, the helpful waiters will happily explain. They serve a varied menu (three meals a day), as well as bakery sweets and excellent coffee.

El Balcon de Europa (Calle 9 near Av Central walkway, . 506/221- 4841, $$). This is the oldest restaurant in town – and certainly the most ambient. It opened as an Italian eatery in 1909, and has been in Italian hands until a few years ago when a Costa Rican family bought it. It has an Old World atmosphere with wood paneling on the walls. Glass plate photos of San José hang, along with framed inspirational quotations such as “Truth is the child of time,” portraits of Costa Rican presidents and postcards from todo el mundo. Green-and-white linen tablecloths and a wooden plank table stacked with Italian cheeses add flavor to the inviting dining room. We always eat here and we have never been disappointed (although the chef’s rendition of Italian “gravy” is not ours!). The house wine is very pleasing. Waiter Carlos has been serving here since 1952. Triego Miel (Calle 3 & Av Central, next to Cine Omni and opposite Lehmann’s bookstore, $). This pleasing large bakery has a tiny eating area, where you can breakfast, lunch or dinner on delicious pastries and sandwiches, both sweet and savory. Good coffee.

Aya Sofya (Av Central & Calle 21, . 506/221-7185, ayasofiacr@yahoo. com, $). Though the Turkish community numbers in San José can be counted on two hands, Mehmet Onuralp opened a traditional Turkish café. It’s popular with people who enjoy ethnic foods. Aya Sofya is set in a one-story colonial building on a corner. Its interior is bright and modern, with large windows on two sides and handwoven Turkish rugs on the walls. The café has a large menu in Spanish and Turkish. Not fluent in either? Ask for the Turkish/English menu. Lunch and dinner specials.

Doner kebap is a gyro, pide is thick homemade pita bread. There is homemade yogurt, and a glass of strong tea after your meal is on the house. Or have a sweet cup of Turkish coffee made in their samovar. Don’t stir it, let the coffee grinds settle. Non-smoking. Open from 11 am to 10:30 pm.

Restaurante Pollo Campesino (Av 2 & Calle 7, $-$$). Forget the Colonel, the best roasted chicken in the world is slow-roasted over a smoky, coffee-root wood fire. It’s tough to walk past this small storefront and not succumb to your innermost need: food. The air is redolent of roasting meat, a golden aura coming from the wood fire. Great for take-out.

Rosti Pollo (various locations, $-$$). For sit-down dining, especially if you’re ordering their wood-roasted chicken, Rosti Pollo is a good choice. They offer much more than their mouth-watering chicken specialty on the menu, with a good selection of traditional Costa Rican desserts, such as tres leches. A friendly ambiance, pretty good food and very good service.

The eatery in Escazú is almost upscale.

La Esquina del Café (Av 9 & Calle 3 bis in Barrio Amón, . 506/258- 2983, www.habitat.co.cr/corner, $-$$) is the most pleasant coffeehouse in town. The doorway faces the corner and inside is a gift shop and backroom dining area with bubbling water fountains. Tico menu – a good lunch value – and they grind and roast coffee in-house. Weekend evenings (open daily, 8 am-9 pm), sometimes with live music.

El Oasis (Av 7 between Calles 3 & 5, . 506/255-0448, fax 222-3950, www.hotelsantotomas.com, $$). El Oasis is set in the garden courtyard patio of Hotel Santo Tomás. It serves Tico and international cuisine as soft music plays in the background.

COFFEE PRIMER

La Carpintera Hill coffee offers an exquisite balance between body, aroma and acidity. It’s grown on a hillside at 1,200-1,400 meters/3,947-4,605 feet in the Tres Rios zone of the Central Valley. The combination of fertile soil and year-round pleasant climate here produces a high quality coffee. Harvest: November through February.

From the Tarrazú zone of the Talamanca mountains, come Café Atarazu coffee beans, grown at an altitude of 1,200-1,750 meters/3,947-5,757 feet in an area known as Los Santos. When ground, they produce a coffee with a very rich body, pleasant aroma and excellent acidity. Harvest: November to February. Café el Gran Vito is grown in Coto Brus, a remote southern area colonized by Italian immigrants in 1941. Surrounded by mountains and forests at 800-1,200 meters/2,632-3,947 feet, their coffee bean is light and delicate, yet has a strong taste. Harvest: October thru December.

The beautiful, peaceful province of Heredia is home to the oldest coffee plantations in Costa Rica. Cafe Zurquí is grown close to the Volcano Range on the slopes of Zurquí Hill at an elevation of 1,200-1,500 meters/3,947-4,605 feet. The beans are high in acidity and very aromatic. Harvest: November thru February. The lush, fertile green Reventazón River Basin, near Cachí, is where the rich Café Ujarraci beans grow. Nurtured by the pleasant Atlantic climate and rich soil, the beans have unique qualities much prized by Europeans, Americans and Japanese alike. Harvest: October through December.

Valle de General is the fastest-growing agriculture area in Costa Rica. It has an average daily temperature of 24°C, which means the coffee bushes flourish. Café Buenavista delivers a full-bodied, pleasantly acidic brew with a delightful aroma. Harvest: October through December.

Vishnu Restaurant (various locations: Av 1, Calle 1&3; Av 6, Calle 7& 9; Calle 1, Av 4: and Calle 14, Av Central & 2, $-$$) is an appealing vegetarian restaurant chain that sometimes lines table dividers with fresh fruit. Opens early and closes at 9 pm. Draws a crowd at lunch and dinner. Tin Jo (Calle 11, Av 6 & 8, .506/221-7605, $$-$$$). In 1972, the Tin Jo, (the name means “The Best”) restaurant opened to little fanfare – after all, there is a plethora of Chinese restaurants in San José. But by 1989 it had lived up to its name when a reader’s poll in La Nacion called it the “Best Chinese Restaurant in Costa Rica.” Originally set up in an old house that belonged to a colorful Tico character named Cucu Arieta – a money lender and the first person in Costa Rica to be kidnapped for ransom – in 1988 it expanded into the building next door, now decorated in a variegated Asian style. The delicious and diverse menu features dishes from China, Japan (including sushi), Thailand, Indonesia, India, Cambodia, the Philippines and Malaysia. The owner, Maria, who has an MBA from UCLA, and her German-born husband, Robert, met while working in refugee camps in Thailand and spent time all over Southeast Asia developing an appreciation for the food. Attentive wait staff, double damask linens and fresh flowers on the tables. This is one of San José’s best restaurants, but with entrée prices averaging under US $10, it is not one of the most expensive. Treat yourself.

Café Mundo (Av 9, Calle 15, Barrio Otoya, . 506/222-6190, $$$) could be called “Tico yuppie” for its international nouveau cuisine, but it resists becoming too upscale and manages to maintain a bohemian ambiance and clientele. It’s at once a hangout, gourmet restaurant and lively bar. Housed in a colonial mansion, Café Mundo meets all our criteria for a special night out, or just a quick bite and a drink. Put on your mock turtleneck and mingle with San José’s eclectic elite.