Dia Trece – FOOD! :-)

29 de Mayo, 2009

Today is Viernes, and hoy I have decided to talk about comida porque comida es importante.

Cada dia, nosotros tenemos frutas por desayuno y arroz y frijoles (rice and beans) por cena. I love la comida. I was originally worried that I would get sick of eating the same comida por diez semanas, but I absolutely love this stuff. Maybe that will change later, but at least for these first dos semanas, I am really enjoying the food.

But for lunches, I need to eat out because my family is technically not supposed to have to feed me. Unless I am specifically invited for lunch, I try to eat out so they don’t feel obligated to feed me.

There are a whole bunch of restaurants around San Joaquin de Flores.

So without further ado, I present The Restaurants of San Joaquin:

1. Café Café

Across the street from the school is “Café Café.” It has a lot of local dishes and kinda Mexican food. On their menu, the also have some pastas and fish. Their food is average quality for average price. We like that convenience of it being right across the street. If we are hungry and it is raining a lot, we’ll go over to Café Café and eat while we wait out the rain.

About halfway between the school and home there are two resturants: “Super Snacks” and “Pollo sus Amigos.”

2. Super Snacks

When you hear the name “Super Snacks,” you probably think of a snack stand that sells hot dogs and burgers. Maybe you imagine a small little street vender in the city. Well, believe it or not, but Super Snacks is one of the establishments of fine dining of San Joaquin. The atmosphere and professionalism is like a well lit, cleaner, Applebee’s with good music...or like an Olive Garden without the Mediterranean theme. As such, the food is a little more expensive...and (at least I think) sub par. I’ve been there twice and both times their food has been so-so. For the price they charge, it just isn’t worth it. The environment is wonderful, but the food ain’t my cup of tea.

3. Pollo sus Amigos

Right next door to Super Snacks is “Pollo sus Amigos”. Fried chicken is comparatively inexpensive here in Costa Rica and you can get good fried chicken for very reasonable rates. Pollo sus Amigos sells fried chicken. It’s menu is small, and reminds you of a fast food restaurant, but it is actually a sit down restaurant with a “Chili’s”-eske atmosphere. The music and pictures on the wall are a little obnoxious, but overall, it is a good price for fried chicken. It takes a little bit for your meal to be ready, but that is because everything is fresh. No chicken that has been waiting on a warmer for three hours, your chicken is hot, fresh, and newly fried with grease still dripping off the skin. Mmmm. Even though it is a good value, it still is a little pricy. You can get tortillas, fruit, soda, and two pieces of chicken for about $4 US dollars.

4. Chinese Restaurant

I always forget the name of this restaurant but I never forget where it is located. It is right by the Palí supermarcado, but I don’t remember it’s location because the location is something special or unusual. I remember the location because the food is so good ;-) In terms of quality food, this Chinese place is the best in town. Amazing comida. Extremely delicious. Mmmm...

...The downside is that is is pricy. An entrée costs about $7. For one person, that is quite a bit, but they give you so much food that two people can easily split one entrée which makes it actually very affordable if you split the costs. Just bring your own water because they overcharge for drinks. (Or just order water).

5. Loncho’s Pizzeria

This place is absolutely the BEST place in town to eat. Great food. Great prices. Great value. Incredible. They sell pizza, chicken, and hamburgers. All at very good prices. I haven’t had anything but the pizza though and the pizza is SO good I am not sure I ever need to try anything else. I love this restaurant and wouldn’t mind eating there every day...but I know I should have some variety to my diet. (Fruit for breakfast, pizza for lunch, and rice and beans for dinner probably isn’t the best idea). Oh well. It’s the best place in town though.

There are some other restaurants that I haven’t explored yet, but those are the main ones. There is also a bakery that sells bread at good prices and the grocery store has some good deals.

Ahh *happy sigh*....My tummy is happy here :-)

(Oh, and just so you know, Mom, I am eating greens.)

P.S. My weekend report isn’t quite finished being written yet. I will post it tomorrow along with my Monday blog.

Until mañana! Adios!