La Pecora Nera

Finding decent Italian food in Costa Rica is comparable to my sister’s quest to find an ocelot while visiting here. It can be done but it is fairly difficult  (if craving great ravioli see blog on Dragon Fly Bar and Grill). Our first night in Puerto Viejo our lovely hostess recommended an Italian restaurant called La Pecora Nera (translation: the black sheep).  Many times I have been recommended great Italian places here and none of them have been above par, so with skepticism I set out to find Pecora Nera. Set back from the one main road in Puerto Viejo, it is a fairly large bamboo open air restaurant filled with beautiful wooden tables and giant wooden chairs that make you feel very regal. At the gated entrance we were greeted by extremely large geese and by the chef/owner of the place. Due to our tardy arrival (9:30pm) the chef told us that the kitchen was open but some things were not available to order. He rattled off a bunch of items were and as our attention spans at this hour were short, we let the chef bring us one appetizer and two entrees of his choice. The meal started with an amuse bouche of flatbreads and crostini served with a herb aioli. Our appetizer was a shrimp carpaccio served on thinly sliced star fruit with tomatoes, garlic and oregano and then drizzled in balsamic vinegar, olive oil and a sweet citrus juice. This was by far my favorite part of the meal. The chef brought out a pizza with fresh arugula, tomatoes, parmesan and prosciutto and it tasted great. Its not the best pizza I’ve had in Costa Rica (the search still continues) but I will never turn down this traditional flavor combo. Our second entrée was goat cheese ravioli in a homemade marinara sauce. Usually goat cheese served in any dish is a favorite of mine but unfortunately the marinara sauce was over salted and took away from the delicate homemade raviolis. This was a disappointment but I could see the well meant intentions of the chef (chefs have bad days too). Try La Pecora Nera if in the neighborhood and make sure to order the shrimp carpaccio.