The TUCAN HOTEL,
Uvita de Osa, Costa Rica
Uvita de Osa, Costa Rica
An acquaintance from 34 years ago in San Francisco, Patty Russell, is here after
finding my web-site and inviting herself down to visit. We've done the Over-Night to
Panama Run, beach and river forays, a double-date dinner at EXOTICA in Ojochal
(excellent!) with neighbors Dave and Linda, lunch at La Cascada and a variety of my
normal everyday life activities including party all night, sleep all day; another day in
the jungle type stuff. Next week we will do a night-time crocodile tour by boat on The
Sierpe River and other activities yet to be disclosed. She showed up four days earlier
than planned..for a grand total of 12..days. Said she wanted to relax.
finding my web-site and inviting herself down to visit. We've done the Over-Night to
Panama Run, beach and river forays, a double-date dinner at EXOTICA in Ojochal
(excellent!) with neighbors Dave and Linda, lunch at La Cascada and a variety of my
normal everyday life activities including party all night, sleep all day; another day in
the jungle type stuff. Next week we will do a night-time crocodile tour by boat on The
Sierpe River and other activities yet to be disclosed. She showed up four days earlier
than planned..for a grand total of 12..days. Said she wanted to relax.
Last night La Fogata wasn't delivering pizza like they should, which is a constant
irritation when you are in the mood for pizza delivered, and for some reason or other,
they aren't at that particular time, for no particularly good reason. SO..we went to
The Tucan Hotel for dinner. It was 7 PM and it seemed likely dinner would be being
served. It was, and the options were there on a blackboard as we walked in.
Fettuccine with Squid, Baked Sea Bass, and one other item which I've now forgotten
were on the menu, all for 3,800 colones, or about $6.75 US.
It was Saturday Night and the place was comfortably full at the dinner tables, the bar
and surrounding expanses. It's a colorful place with good vibes and tropical motif
that plays host to many travelers from around the world and a fun place on the
weekends for music, drinks and friends to visit.
The bartender greeted us enthusiastically and ushered us to "table E" as he called it.
Drinks soon followed via the bartender but the waiter was oblivious to our arrival,
along with much of the over-all proceedings it seemed when he brought us a plate of
uninteresting doughy bread that should have been delivered to the table next to us.
We didn't realize this until we had eaten half of it out of boredom and anxious
anticipation of being acknowledged and having our orders taken. Soon he arrived
with two plates of food for us. UMm.."We haven't ordered yet", I pointed out, and he
plopped them down on the table next door, which led me to realize the bread
probably belonged to them too. We handed it over..somewhat decimated and
partially devoured.
After the waiter once again attempted to deliver someone else's food to us I was
wondering if our Rasta-Looking Waiter had smoked a bit too much Ganja. Finally,
the cook herself came out and took our orders. We both went for the Baked Sea
Bass. It arrived shortly there-after. The plate consisted of a small, square, tin foil
package with a square of Sea Bass floating inside a nice broth of juicy herbs and
spices. Very tasty! It would have been difficult, however, to find some bread small
enough to have made a fish sandwich with it. On the plate next to it was a salad
consisting of lettuce and three wedges of tomato, and nothing else. No rice, no
potatoes, no veggies..nada. The salad didn't even have any dressing on it and there
was no salt or pepper on the table. The Sea Bass went down in a few bites and I
stared at the salad, unable to bring myself to eat any of it. Desert was now
mandatory and consisted of a plate of vanilla ice cream with fruit wedges and a
drizzle of chocolate sauce artistically, and somewhat stingily dripped around the plate.
I liked the desert, except for the pineapple chunks taken from the center of the
pineapple which tends to be the part people usually don't eat, where I come from
anyhow. The rest with the papaya and ice cream was good, but barely enough to
make me feel as if I'd eaten a real meal.
Throughout the dinner proceedings, the bartender, though quite busy, never let our
glasses go empty and did so with cheerful exuberance. Halfway through the meal I
fully expected to see, at any moment, Patty's face firmly planted in her plate. Once
again, she was blotto. After sticking around for a few hours enjoying the great
blues/rock the local melange of musicians was cranking out, I paid the bill. The cook,
a recent transplant from Limon, CR, short-changed me by about three dollars from a
twenty dollar bill. After I coaxed her into correcting it she got no tip, but the bartender
got a fiver from me.
There were many people I knew there and my old pal Noah left with us to go party at
La Cascada, here in Uvita, where the band playing, Cuarto Paralelo, was a shitload
of fun with their punkish grunge angst rock music from San Jose.
irritation when you are in the mood for pizza delivered, and for some reason or other,
they aren't at that particular time, for no particularly good reason. SO..we went to
The Tucan Hotel for dinner. It was 7 PM and it seemed likely dinner would be being
served. It was, and the options were there on a blackboard as we walked in.
Fettuccine with Squid, Baked Sea Bass, and one other item which I've now forgotten
were on the menu, all for 3,800 colones, or about $6.75 US.
It was Saturday Night and the place was comfortably full at the dinner tables, the bar
and surrounding expanses. It's a colorful place with good vibes and tropical motif
that plays host to many travelers from around the world and a fun place on the
weekends for music, drinks and friends to visit.
The bartender greeted us enthusiastically and ushered us to "table E" as he called it.
Drinks soon followed via the bartender but the waiter was oblivious to our arrival,
along with much of the over-all proceedings it seemed when he brought us a plate of
uninteresting doughy bread that should have been delivered to the table next to us.
We didn't realize this until we had eaten half of it out of boredom and anxious
anticipation of being acknowledged and having our orders taken. Soon he arrived
with two plates of food for us. UMm.."We haven't ordered yet", I pointed out, and he
plopped them down on the table next door, which led me to realize the bread
probably belonged to them too. We handed it over..somewhat decimated and
partially devoured.
After the waiter once again attempted to deliver someone else's food to us I was
wondering if our Rasta-Looking Waiter had smoked a bit too much Ganja. Finally,
the cook herself came out and took our orders. We both went for the Baked Sea
Bass. It arrived shortly there-after. The plate consisted of a small, square, tin foil
package with a square of Sea Bass floating inside a nice broth of juicy herbs and
spices. Very tasty! It would have been difficult, however, to find some bread small
enough to have made a fish sandwich with it. On the plate next to it was a salad
consisting of lettuce and three wedges of tomato, and nothing else. No rice, no
potatoes, no veggies..nada. The salad didn't even have any dressing on it and there
was no salt or pepper on the table. The Sea Bass went down in a few bites and I
stared at the salad, unable to bring myself to eat any of it. Desert was now
mandatory and consisted of a plate of vanilla ice cream with fruit wedges and a
drizzle of chocolate sauce artistically, and somewhat stingily dripped around the plate.
I liked the desert, except for the pineapple chunks taken from the center of the
pineapple which tends to be the part people usually don't eat, where I come from
anyhow. The rest with the papaya and ice cream was good, but barely enough to
make me feel as if I'd eaten a real meal.
Throughout the dinner proceedings, the bartender, though quite busy, never let our
glasses go empty and did so with cheerful exuberance. Halfway through the meal I
fully expected to see, at any moment, Patty's face firmly planted in her plate. Once
again, she was blotto. After sticking around for a few hours enjoying the great
blues/rock the local melange of musicians was cranking out, I paid the bill. The cook,
a recent transplant from Limon, CR, short-changed me by about three dollars from a
twenty dollar bill. After I coaxed her into correcting it she got no tip, but the bartender
got a fiver from me.
There were many people I knew there and my old pal Noah left with us to go party at
La Cascada, here in Uvita, where the band playing, Cuarto Paralelo, was a shitload
of fun with their punkish grunge angst rock music from San Jose.
I love The Tucan Hotel, and Tra, the owner, along with Lizabeth and company, but this
new cooking crew is not delivering a good dinner package judging from my onetime
experience. Once again, the Sea Bass was excellent, but ridiculously small with only a
salad of remarkable blandness and lack of salad-like ingredients to complete the meal.
At $6.75 it's not an expensive meal, but I would much rather pay a dollar or two more to
have some rice or whatever to fill me up some and perhaps they could sprinkle some cow
chips or any fucking thing on the salad to at least make it interesting.
new cooking crew is not delivering a good dinner package judging from my onetime
experience. Once again, the Sea Bass was excellent, but ridiculously small with only a
salad of remarkable blandness and lack of salad-like ingredients to complete the meal.
At $6.75 it's not an expensive meal, but I would much rather pay a dollar or two more to
have some rice or whatever to fill me up some and perhaps they could sprinkle some cow
chips or any fucking thing on the salad to at least make it interesting.
Jungle Journal, Thomas S. Daly, 2-21-2010
Food Review # 4..or so.
Tom..out.
Tra: owner, host, musician, bon vivant
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Jungle Journal Navigator
ALERT! It seems someone actually reads this! When going for dinner at The Tucan tonight
Lizbeth was there, in her element, kitchen at the ready, and no one to make her fine food for but
me, the author of yet another bad food review that happened to include her kitchen, although she
was not involved, personally, in the food or service which triggered my criticism.
Lizbeth was there, in her element, kitchen at the ready, and no one to make her fine food for but
me, the author of yet another bad food review that happened to include her kitchen, although she
was not involved, personally, in the food or service which triggered my criticism.
I was gratified just knowing someone would trouble themselves to read this tripe, and
hoped I could convince her of my largely literary intents, which in fact preclude my culinary
expertise, or pretense at being a "food expert". Fact is..it seemed I was due to write a
favorable food review for someone, somewhere and it may as well be there and then for
them..but perhaps put to paper at a later date.
hoped I could convince her of my largely literary intents, which in fact preclude my culinary
expertise, or pretense at being a "food expert". Fact is..it seemed I was due to write a
favorable food review for someone, somewhere and it may as well be there and then for
them..but perhaps put to paper at a later date.
That later date being soon..very soon. I will say this, "It's good when Lizbeth is cooking her
local Eye-Talian (that's trailer trash for Eetalian) fare and the price is too good to be true."
She and Carrie (the bartender) were fun conversationalists and I couldn't have asked for a
better meal at the bar.
local Eye-Talian (that's trailer trash for Eetalian) fare and the price is too good to be true."
She and Carrie (the bartender) were fun conversationalists and I couldn't have asked for a
better meal at the bar.
Monday, 10-19-2010
I enjoyed the pork scallopini in lemon and butter sauce, the veggies of
potatoes, eggplant, and olive oil, along with a very enjoyable salad which
consisted of more tasty little elements than I can itemise at this writing. All
were delicious and under-priced considering the expertise, heartfelt
experience delivered with love, from Italy, and enthusiasm she puts into her
food. I actually polished off my plate!
potatoes, eggplant, and olive oil, along with a very enjoyable salad which
consisted of more tasty little elements than I can itemise at this writing. All
were delicious and under-priced considering the expertise, heartfelt
experience delivered with love, from Italy, and enthusiasm she puts into her
food. I actually polished off my plate!