Don't waste your moola!!

I am a self admitted travel guide junky. I have read my Costa Rica tour books cover to cover at least twice. I fully admit to reading (and believing) Trip Advisor almost daily. I believe I am a pro at reading through the bullshit reviews and the people, like me, who mean what they say. When I decided to travel to the Carribean coast of Costa Rica you would not believe the tireless hours I spent researching restaurants, places to visit, what hotels to book, etc. My BF thinks I'm borderline crazy when I do this. Just picking a new restaurant to try requires a search for my online foodie recommendations and since my BF's motto in life is "live easy"he doesn't understand my need for strangers approval on the places I go. Two places that came highly recommended for our trip to Puerto Viejo was Maxi's and Soda Tamara. The first being the place to get lobster and the second being a place where the locals like to eat. My guide books hailed them as places to not miss while on the Caribbean. I went to both and I will have to disagree with them. 


Maxi's has a great ambiance and very reggae caribbean feel to it. Its on the beach at the end of the road in Manzanillo and I think its definitely something you should see while in the area but food wise it didn't impress me. From blogs and guidebooks, the lobster here was supposed to be unbelievable. I ordered it at a little over $30 and I wish I hadn't wasted my money. The presentation with the full lobster shell is impressive but the meat was overcooked and tough. The only thing I genuinely liked on it was the light curry with onion sauce it was smothered in. We also ordered the rondon soup (its whatever the chef can "run down" and it usually consists of a meat, fish, vegetable combo) and the flavor was there but there wasn't many edible pieces in it.  I felt like I was scavenging for food amongst bones but the spicy coconut flavor of the broth slightly made up for that. Maxi's was overpriced and not nearly as good as people say. I would have much rather had beers and just enjoyed the beach view and Bob Marley ambiance.


Soda Tamara is supposed to be a local hotspot and not only did I only see tourists in there but the prices weren't really the local prices I expected. I ordered arroz con camarones (rice and shrimp caribbean style is made with coconut milk and differs from the rest of Costa Rica) and my fellow friends ordered fish, beans and rice. The portions were great but the food was just so-so. Nothing that you HAVE to try while in the Caribbean. I'll stick to my local sodas on the Pacific coast where prices are great and the food is comforting. 


My guidebooks, online reviewers and foodies have let me down on these two places. I'd skip them on your next visit to Puerto Viejo. There is much better food to be had. (read future blog posts)

Koorigan Lodge

It says something about your lifestyle if you go on a trip, take a nap and in your dream you are tirelessly looking for a wifi connection. This is exactly what happened during our trip to the more remote area of Puerto Viejo, well Punta Uva to be exact. I have traveled quite a bit, probably a majority, of Costa Rica but I have never ventured to the Caribbean coast and upon my arrival to my B&B at the Koorigan Lodge and during my much needed siesta, I dreamed of what I could not find: WiFi. Coming from the generation that has a need to check Facebook and email every time we go anywhere, staying in a hotel without internet is kind of a struggle (sorry to my boyfriend who could not check to see if his fantasy team made it to the final round of the playoffs).  But Koorigan Lodge relieved this generational issue by the sheer beauty of the area. Who needs Facebook updates when I’ve got a jungle surrounding me?  The Koorigan Lodge is nestled among the giant trees and gorgeous vegetation of Punta Uva and the B&B owners, Ingrid and Erwan are amongst the kindest people we have met in our travels. They genuinely care about their guests. And better yet, they genuinely care to feed their guests. Breakfast always starts with fresh bread or chocolate croissants, yogurt and homemade granola, tea or coffee and a plate of fresh fruit. This is followed up with eggs of your preference and bacon or sausage. By the time lunch rolls around, you aren’t even hungry, even after we did a morning of hiking (in the rain). There are a ton of great places to stay while on the Caribbean coast but the Koorigan Lodge creates a true sense of home and a breakfast your mama would make. 

Dragonfly Bar & Grill

As a chef the first question people inevitably ask me is: What is your specialty? And I usually spout some answer about how I never had a job that focused me on what particular type of food and therefore my range of cooking is varied. But the real answer is that my specialty is and always has been: pasta. Even before culinary school took hold of me and my cooking I cooked pasta dishes like a pro. And this isn't me bragging (well maybe a little) because if you know me I rarely love what I cook but pasta has always had my heart and taste buds from an early age. I attribute this love of Italian carbs to my very first job as a babysitter at the young age of 11 (side note: who leaves their children with an 11-year-old?). I babysat for a family who used to live in Italy for four years and their mother made the most amazing pasta dishes and I quickly learned from her and haven't stopped making pasta and Italian dishes since. A creamy pasta dish with mushrooms with a side of a Shake Shack burger would probably be my last meal if I were on death row. And the place I would have create my heavenly mushroom pasta meal would be The Dragonfly in Tamarindo. Their combination of wild mushrooms, cream, a hint of sherry and perfectly al-dente raviolis filled with spinach and ricotta and then topped with parmesan is out-of-this-world delicious. I have been to this restaurant twice and ordered it both times and both times I have wanted to order a second helping. It is truly a dish made for me. To boot the other dishes my boyfriend and I have ordered are always presented with style and have flavor profiles that wow the senses. On our last venture to Dragonfly the BF ordered a special of sea bass with grilled fennel and a citrus sauce on top of a medley of couscous with a side of tzatziki and sautéed green olives. As always with Dragonfly, he was not disappointed. We also ordered a starter of corn and jalapeno fritters, which were good, but on the heavy side and probably not something I would order again. Dragonfly has not yet let me down and it is somewhere you should experience if staying near Tamarindo. This restaurant is considered a little more upscale (including the price) but if you're looking for a place for a great date night (hint, hint BF) or to wow the family, look no further! 

Website: http://www.dragonflybarandgrill.com/index.htm

*The online menu does not have the ravioli dish for some reason but as of a couple weeks ago it was on the restaurant menu