Changing Venues

 All

 As we move into semi-retirement, one of our commitments is to return to travel blogging about stuff we do and see.

 But since we set up this blog, the technology has moved on .. .and so will we.  Starting today, we will be blogging Paul & Katy's Excellent Adventures on Substack.  Please come over there: https://paulandkatysexcellentadventures.substack.com/.  And Subscribe 

 See you at the other site

Paul & Katy

30th Wedding Anniversay -- Hatteras NC July 2023

 It's been a while since I've blogged about travel or food.  With the advent of covid it just didn't seem worthwhile and we did so little.  But now that I have some free time, it's good to get back to it. And last  year was travel with a vengeance.  Let's start with the most significant -- our 30th wedding anniversary.

To celebrate we went back to our favorite family venue -- Hatteras, NC.  There we renewed our vows among family and friends.   Nothing terribly momentous happened, save that Katy got 75 penguins as a birthday gift.  But it was far and away the most special event of the year.

Unconventional Dinner (4 Stars)

 Spending time in DC is always an opportunity to go out and eat interesting food.  We went to the Unconventional Diner last nigh (1207 9th St. NW, a part of the Washington Convention Center) and the trip was well worthwhile.

We started with a round of drinks.  The "Heard it through the Grapevine," pisco sour was truly exceptional.  They made it with passionfruit and simple syrup and it really was smooooth.  OTOH, the Licia Albarinio wine we had was just fair -- not as much tang and taste as some other Albarinio's we've had in the past, so when we go back (and we will!) we'll try a different bottle.

And  yes, we will go back because the food was magnificent.  We were there with friends Nancy and Jocelyn and so we had a chance to taste a bunch of stuff.  Our starters were stars -- the corn bread (that's it in the photo) came with a habanero spiced butter that was simply stunning.  We also had the cauliflower salad with spicy tahini sauce and the shitake mushroom roll with salad wrap.  My personal favorite was the crab fritters with red peppers and jalepeno and a calming remoulade.

The main courses were just as interesting.  Katy had a sweet potato curry with coconut rice and a falafel protein.  Nancy had the same thing with shrimp.  Jocelyn had the vegan Mexi-Cali "Chili" with squash, kale and avacado.  The side of lebneh was as good a lebneh as I've ever tasted.

I had the Peking Duck confit.  It came with bao bao rolls and a homemade hoisin that was ... really different.  Most hoisin is cloying and too sweet.  This one was much less so, and it was great -- it let the duck taste shine through.

We had outdoor seating that was fine and pleasant -- a bit too close to the street for my taste, but those are the sorts of compromises you have to make these days, and it was well worth it.  We will, as I said, go back.

Cranes (4 Stars)

 After nearly 18 months of the pandemic, it was good to return to the idea of eating out, traveling, posting on this travel blog, and reviewing good restaurants.   This past weekend, we were delighted to be able to dine out a a new-ish place in downtown DC called Cranes.   It won a Michelin Bib Gourmand last year.

Cranes styles itself as a Spanish Kaiseki, by which they mean that it serves a mix of Spanish tapas and Japanese sushi style food and drink.  To give you a feel, Katy ordered an Albarino white wine to drink, and Paul started with a jumaji-style sake.  

The interior of the restaurant looked magnificent, since we didn't yet quite choose to eat indoors, we sat outdoors.  Even the outdoor seating was good quality.  We were delightfully surprised to get real silverware and a real menu, not plastic and the QR code.  

For our meal we chose to try to mix styles as much as we could.  Katy chose to start with an Iberico Ham platter with a tomato salsa (pictured above).  If you love Iberico (as we do) this was just perfect. She followed up this quintessentially Japanese main course of an Hamachi crudo of sashimi-style fish with bits of roe and avacado.  Together we shared a really fun plate of thin-sliced zucchini with a hazelnuts and pesto (and some cheese sauce on the side, for Paul.

Paul in turn started with two braised bao buns with short ribs in them and a spicy/sweet Japanese mayonnaise spread. He followed that with a very small cup of cherry gazpacho that had a wonderful manchego panna cotta at the bottom and two half cherries floating in the nicely chilled soup.  But for Paul the star of the evening was an Unagi paella -- yes, you heard that right.  Take the Japanese style cooked eal add some fresh snap peas and a jalapeño aoli and marry that all to a traditional rice paella and you get ... something really different and delicious.  That's a picture of it to the left.

We finished up with an order of churros (more than enough to share) and two dipping sauces, a black sesame chocolate and a miso caramel.  Yum.

In short, this was a return to the type of "foodie" dining that we love.  Service was prompt and attentive but not overly so.  Pricing was reasonable (though a bit high) -- we did all that plus 2 more glasses of wine (the sancere and the pinot noir ) plus tip for around $240.  Not an everyday place -- but we definitely will go back. 

Lapazul Boutique Hotel -- Dominical, Costa Rica

It has, naturally, be a long while since we've written on this travel blog.  There isn't much to a travel blog when the whole world is shut down and there is no travel.

It is, therefore, a real joy to return to these pages and also a real joy to be able to tell you about a wonderful place we visited this weekend -- the Lapazul Boutique Hotel (https://www.lapazul.com/) just outside of Dominical on the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica.  Beginning this month, the government here permitted some hotels to open up, mostly for internal tourism, at 50% capacity.  We took the opportunity to go to Lapazul, a retreat that was recommend by a friend of ours, George, who had gone in November when they opened (talk about bad timing for an opening).

First things first -- in this time of Covid-19, we felt safe. The hotel has only 10 rooms and only 3 were occupied.  Everything was deeply and frequently cleaned, the staff wore masks all the time, and the guests were all practicing social distancing.  Nothing is, of course, guaranteed -- but we felt as though we were safe and sound.

The venue itself is magnificent.    It sits in the hills about 500 meters up and about 2 kilometers from the coast.  To get there you have to climb a rough road, but the trip is worth it and the views are all stunning, as are the west facing sunsets.

The hotel itself is very modern in style with fine wood furnishings, an infinity pool and all of the amenities  you would expect -- lush beach towels, comfy lounges and "fancy" soaps.  

But what we liked best about the venue was that it was hidden away in the rain forest so we were close to nature. Birds galore (including toucans and eagles) as well as tree frogs serenading you into the evening.

The staff (and most notably the manager Esteban) were a joy to meet and talk to and tended to our every need.  Since our need was mostly to be left alone and sit and escape, they were happy to do that for us.

The visit came with breakfast and dinner included -- and the food was truly special.  Some of the best we've had in Costa Rica for sure.  We are told the chef used to work at a hotel in San Jose and it shows.  In particular, we would call out -- at breakfast, the home made granola and the gallo pinto; at dinner the ceviche appetizer and the medallion of beef which was probably the most tender we've ever had in Costa Rica.

We didn't explore the area that much, because we didn't want to, but the next time we'll head down to the beach in Dominical and watch the surfers for sure.  Or maybe plan a day hike.  This time around it was pure relaxation, and we got what we wanted.

The best way to put it is this -- we'll be going back.  Once the virus restrictions are finally removed, our hope would be to return with visiting friends to show them this special gem of a place.  5 stars for sure.

A Joyful Evening

We had so much fun last night.   It was simple fun, but it was pure and life is good.

Here in Atenas, we have a restaurant called La Terraza.  It's run by two local guys, Wilber and Omer.  They are nice enough and trying really hard to be a part of the community.  And we've been there often enough that they know us by name.  [Katy is a hard name to say in Spanish -- and the only Katy that these guys know is the singer Katy Perry -- so every time we come in they shout out "hola Katy Perry."]  So far, they haven't quite been making a go of it, but they are working at it. 

Another thing we have here in Atenas is a local band called Flashback.  These are all retired musicians who've moved here from the States (or in one case Holland) where they were very good.  The drummer played on a couple of Michael Jackson's albums.  The keyboardist was a session musician in Nashville.  And so on. 

Their audience is the local Atenas retired Gringo crowd.  They play oldies, like "Peacful Easy Feeling" and more recent stuff like "All About the Bass."  And they play really well.  The crowd is filled with people of a certain age who still like to dance -- but also prefer their concert to start at 5 PM on a Saturday (like it did last night) so that they can be home and in bed by 9 PM.

And that's the joy of it.  Last night Flashback played at La Terraza.  The owners had a great night and made a mint.  The band played and we danced and danced and danced.  Drank wine and had pizza.  Ran into a half-dozen of our neighbors and said "hi" to those we hadn't seen in a while and ... just listened to great rock and roll, with the entire crowd signing along. 

Was it great art?  Nah.  Was it the best food we've ever had?  Totally not.  But in truth it was one of the most enjoyable evenings we've had in a long while.  Music, dancing, drinking, food, and friends.  What more can you ask for.  Life is good.

El Remanso -- Oso Wildlife

We just got back from El Remanso, a rainforest wildlife preserve down on the Oso peninsula.  We flew down on a 12-seat puddle jumper from San Jose to Puerto Jimenez.  PJ is a tiny airport with one runway, no tower and a tiny tiny little store that is the "terminal."   After that its an hour drive on dirt roads and across at least two rivers with no bridge to the resort.

The resort is like a magic castle inside a jungle.  Cut out of the forest, they have their own water, electricity and fine dining.  Throw in good accomodations (some of the newer buildings have their own plunge pool) and a decent wine list and it would be a nice place to stay just on the merits.  But the height of value, of course, is being in the rain forest.  We took three hikes -- a night time hike to see evening animals; an early morning birding exhibition and a mid-morning hunt for birds, insects and monkeys.  Pretty successful all around.  Here's a gallery of pictures:

 Sunset at the lodge, over the Pacific Ocean

The red-eyed tree frog -- national frog of Costa Rica.

Scorpion at night.  Turns out they shine under UV light and are easy to see.

 Scarlet Macaw

Keel billed Toucan

Horned (?) owl.  He was reluctant to be photographed.

The white-tailed plant hopper.  Believe it or not, this is a  bug.  The tail is grown so that it looks like it is infected with fungus.  And that, in turn, stops the birds from eating it.

 Spider monkey

 Red crested wood pecker -- Woody!

 Howler monkey.  Huge noise for a small animal.  Woke us up at 430 AM every day.

 Tiger heron.  So named because of the stripes.

Scarlet taniger

 Anteater (of course), hanging out by the side of the road for his portrait.  And below is the world's tiniest air terminal at Puerto Jimenez

Everything You Need To Know About Atenas

We live half the year in a small town in Costa Rica -- Atenas.

We love it.  It's tranquil and off the beaten path.  We have one good restaurant, one good pizzeria, a nice supermarket and a quiet town square where the kids hang out at night to "snog" because they can't do it at their parent's house.  And that's about it.  No movie theater, no haute cuisine -- just a small town, a lot like Costa Rica must have been like 50 years ago.

And the sunsets are to die for.  This one is not the one from two nights ago -- it was better.  I just didn't get a picture.

So, what's it like to live in small town Costa Rica?  Here's a story from today that pretty much captures the town in a nutshell.

Yesterday, we ran out of gas in the tank for our grill.  So I put the tank in the car and drove into town to the one, and only, gas supplier.  In the past, when I've gone, they've done an exchange for me -- take my tank and give me a different full one.  Not this time though -- they didn't have one to exchange.  So they told me that I could leave the tank and it would be back the next day.   To identify me, they asked me my name and I told them Pablo (since "Rosenzweig" is a mouthful even for native German speakers!).  They took my phone number and said they call when it was ready.

The next day (today) … no call.  I waited for a while and then went into town for other stuff.  On a whim, I stopped at the gas store.  As I walked in the woman behind the desk looked up, gave me a big smile and said "Hola Don Pablo" and told me that the tank was read.  I paid my $17 (9000 colones) and left.

And that captures the town.  It's a place where they know your name and they don't need a receipt or anything -- just a smile and a "hello" when you come in.  But it is also a town where they tell you that they'll call you when its ready and then …. just don't.  Life here is slow and easy and if you can get used to the way people operate it's delightful.  Pura Vida.

Ziplining in Costa Rica

Twice in the past couple of weeks we've gone up to Lands of Love -- oddly, an Israeli-run resort on the slopes of Arenal volcano.  Katy's gone ziplining twice (once with niece Olivia and once with Mike, Deb and Kyle Kunzer).  Paul only went once (he was a bit afraid the first time and took a pass).  Both days ended with truly excellent meals at the restaurant -- Israeli falafel, hummus, tahini, and pita.  Here are some photos to prove we really did it:

Convivial -- 3 Stars

We had the pleasure of dining last night at Convivial -- a relatively new (2 year old) restaurant in the Shaw neighborhood.  It was the second time we had gone and the first time for our friends Bob & Lisa.

The experience was good enough that it was worth reporting.  I start with the end -- Katy is lactose intolerant and none of the deserts on the menu were lactose-free.  So ... the chef made her a desert.   It was a vacheron (sp?) with berries and it was made from scratch just for her.  I liked my key lime pie better but the effort that went into creating a single desert for someone who needed it was so remarkable that even if the rest of the food had been "blah" I would have fallen in love.

And the rest of the food was NOT at all "blah."  We started with a nibble -- traditional latkes (potato pancakes) in small bite sized pieces, topped with vinegared celery root and cured lamb.  Tiny bites of perfection.  Small appetizer plates were next -- my burrata was sublime and the dijonaised leeks (that's them in the picture) that Katy had were just wonderful, but I think the winner was Bob's fish sticks (yes, fish sticks) made from snakehead fish.  Talk about turning a silks purse (snakehead are an invasive species) into a sow's ear.  Though I will speak highly as well of the roasted cauliflower that Lisa had -- light on the palate.

Main courses were just a fantastic.  Katy's trout literally melted in your mouth.  My lamb merguez was wonderfully fresh and spicy on a bed of hummus.  Lisa's guinea fowl was cooked to perfection but Bob "won" again with fried chicken (yes, fried chicken) prepared as coq a vin style.  To top it off, we had the Tablas Creek, "Patelin de Tablas" off the wine list to make a really wonderful meal complete.

We want very much to go back when the weather is nice -- the outdoor patio looks great for summer.  And the vibe of the place was just right -- young folks from the Shaw neighborhood, but the noise level was not too high.  We give it 3 stars.

A Sonoma Adventure

We've been to lots of places in California to drink wine.  We've done wineries in Santa Barbara, Paso Robles, San Luis Obispo, and Napa.  Somehow along the way we had just missed Sonoma -- and it was time to change all that.






The trip did not start off terribly well.  Indeed, it was a misery.  The 90 mile or so trip from SFO to Sonoma took us 3 1/2 hours.  Traffic across the Golden Gate and up 101 was insanely bad.  Adding to our unhappiness, when we arrived at our B&B (Auberge on the Vineyards) we were ... displeased.  Both of us thought the room smelled as though some animal had come in to piss inside.  Not a great end to a long day.  [To be fair, however, to the Auberge, it had great views and our breakfasts were very fine -- but that didn't quite make up for the accommodations -- we slept with the windows open for a reason.


Happily, the rest of the trip was much better.  The wine and the food were interesting and different.  Herewith a report.

Let's start with the wine.  To understand Sonoma you have to know that it is really a great deal larger and more diverse in climate than Napa.  We stayed in Cloverdale at the far north end, and the distance south to Santa Rosa at the bottom is more or less 45 miles.  Lots of micro climates around.  By way of example, Knights Valley, in the south, gets fog up from the Bay every morning -- the wines there are fuller and more fruity because of the water content.  Similarly, Alexander Valley in the north is a big wide valley with a flat floor -- again creating richer, wetter wines.  By contrast on the west side of 101 over the ridge is Dry Valley -- and as the name suggests it is much hotter and drier and the wines are hence more concentrated -- the fruits get sharper (think blackberry instead of cherry). 

The other big difference from Napa is that, at least in our perception, Sonoma is a lot less corporate.  Many more small vineyards with oddities of style.  Many fewer of the very large wine tasting rooms where the people are herded along like cattle.  Much more attention to detail in the wine making (at least that is our sense).  But also a LOT harder to wrap your hands around -- in two days we barely scratched the surface because the wine making is so diffuse and spread out physically and so varied stylistically.

We began our first day in Sky Pine Vineyards – which styles itself as the highest (in altitude!!) Bordeaux blending vineyard in the Alexander Valley.  The owners, Tim and Kandy, are a hoot.  Tim is a lawyer who has no filter – he will say just about anything that crosses his mind – including, for example, trash talking other vineyards in the area.  They served us a vertical of Cab Franc (2010, 11, 13 and 14) that really showed how variable the wines could be season to season based on weather, etc.  We found the 2013 particularly rich and well-rounded with a bit more depth than the other years.  All, however, were quite good and who could dislike a wine whose name is “BobDog” (after their dog … yes, named Bob).

Our next stop was a bit disappointing.  The J.K Rickards vineyard was nice enough and the tasting room was professional if a bit antiseptic.  The wines, however, were only so-so.  We did find two that were worth mentioning --- a 2014 Zinfandel that had nice fruit and notes of chocolate; and the 2014 Petite Syrah that was inky rich in color and taste – and had the distinction of being made with a  wild yeast.  Overall, nice to stop at but no miracles.

The surprise/winner of the day was a collective tasting room in Geyserville.  Geyserville is a small (two road) town off of 101.  Several dozen of the very small boutique wineries in the Alexander Valley have gotten together and started a place known as “Locals” (of course – what a perfect name) where they don’t charge a tasting fee and have an unusual variety of things to try.  If you can’t find something new here then you are far more sophisticated than we were. For us, the really odd discovery was the Sargentino grape – a rare Italian varietal (we were told) that was being cultivated by the Dernier-Hadal winery.  How do we know this?  Well, the person doing the pouring was Mr. Dernier – we had the pleasure of his hosted tasting of several of his varietals.  In addition to the Sargentino, his Petite Syrah was stellar – complex fruits with a certain sharpness that we found appealing.  And we also found a really fantastic Cabernet Sauvignon from Pendleton that we brought home with us.

One fun fact about Locals – they have a club.  They will send you two (or 6) randomly selected bottles from their dozen or so consortium members every quarter.  Our sons don’t know it yet, but their birthdays are coming early this year.

Sunday saw us go in a different direction – to the Dry Creek Valley.  Hoping to recreate the magic of the day before we stopped at a roadside collective tasting room known as “Family.”  Here we didn’t have vintner to chat with but we did have two servers and nobody else in the room for the entire time we were there.  Needless to say, they were happy to pour and keep on pouring and we spent a boozy 90 minutes with them. 

Happily, it wasn’t just about the alcohol – we found a couple of other small gems.  Again, none of these are available in DC, or frankly anywhere other than this one tasting club.  But they do ship .. .so … we ordered some.  Winners in this category – a 2015 Viognier from Philip Staley that had some wonderful fruit; and a 2014 Vino Tinto that mixed Grenache, Carinena, Mataro and Tempranillo), also from Staley; the 2014 Pinot Noir and the 2012 Merlot both from Mietz Cellars (HT: Steve V for the suggestion); and our favorite in the group, the meritage “Comet” from Dashe Cellars.  This last one had a particularly earthy tone to it that brought out much of the dry and dark side of the wine.

The other joy of the day was finding Thumbprint Cellars.  Once again, we lucked in and found the owner, Scott (that's him to the right), at home and he spent a long while pouring for us. Thumbprint has a tasting room in down town Healdsburg, but it has no grapes of its own.  Instead, Scott takes his grapes from other places, and just makes really really good wine.  His 2012 Petite Sirah uses grapes from Smith Ranch and came out of the bottle nearly black.  I tasted blueberry, cherry and a bit of dirt or dust.  We also loved the 2013 Carignane from Angeli Vineyards – berrys with a spice and floral riff that was wonderful.  Katy loved the 2014 Viognier and Paul was partial as well to the 2013 Cabernet Franc (which even had a whiff of sage to it, I think).  To all this add the story of the cellar and the name (an accident) and you get a great time with good wine and good company (and also live acoustic guitar music).

Our food experience was almost as good as the wine (if that is possible).  We began with a coffee shop – we took a long walk into Cloverdale each morning and found Plank – the artisanal coffee shop – waiting for us at the end.  Well brewed coffee with a barrista flair if that is what you want.

We had three very nice dinners while in town.  The first was at the Healdsburg SHED – essentially an organic food store with cooking gear and a kitchen.  It’s the type of place that a bouquet of fresh herbs and spices sits on the counter top and the kitchen staff picks from it to garnish as the plates get prepared.  The appetizers were great – Paul had an heirloom beet salad and Katy had roasted carrots with dates.  The mains were a little less perfect – Katy’s duck was just too dry.  But the wine list was pleasant and we had a nice glass.

Our second night was at Café Lucia also in Healdsburg.  Lucia is a Portuguese restaurant so, of course, we went in that direction.  There were several good, unusual Portuguese wines available in 3 oz pours (at least to us – we’d never heard of them) so we had fun trying out a bunch of new tastes with new vintners and grapes.  It was actually a welcome change from the heavier fruityier California wines we’d been drinking all day.  And Paul’s Linguisa sausage was …. Just perfect.

The star dinner, however, was at Willi’s Wine Bar (HT: Reg B).  We started with a flight of bubbly of which the Iron Horse Russian Cuvee was the best (crisp and fruity but with a “tang”).  We followed with tastes of the Malat Grunier Vetliner from Austria and the Black Kite Pinot Noir from California.  The Black Kite, in particular, stood up to the spice of the meal surprisingly well.  The two food highlights were a Curried Crab Taco and Lamb Tartare.  We had great seats outdoors and it was a great way to end the trip.

Monday on the way back to the working world was magical.  We left very early (6 AM) with Plank coffee in our hands.  And Mr. Waze detoured us through the wetlands at the north of the bay to Vallejo and then across the Napa River and down south on the outer loop 660.  With fog rolling in and wildlife flying it was quite saddening to leave Sonoma behind.  We expect to go back though.

Living the Pura Vida

This winter is our first full winter in our new home in Atenas, Costa Rica.  The locals have a phrase for life in this part of paradise -- Pura Vida.  And that's what we have.  It's quiet here -- which is just what we need to get away from the chaos of Washington (especially this year).  But we've had plenty of visitors as well -- our friends Nancy and Rita and Jan and Sandra. Paul's brother Jim, and nephew Dustin.  Ahead are most of the Kunzer clan .... all of whom we get to share this slice of heaven with.

Here are a few pictures -- from Poas volcano, from La Paz waterfall park, from Jaco beach, our new cats, Luke & Leia, and a panorama of our home.  Enjoy:

 

Dinner at The Retreat

 We went to dinner last night with our good friends Jeanne & Bob who are down here in Atenas from Ohio on their annual winter visit (in case you can't guess, that's them in the middle photo).   Together we went last night to a place called "The Retreat" which is a spa, hotel, yoga retreat and restaurant all rolled into one.  It's been under new management for the past 11 months and this is the first time we've gone -- why we waited so long is a mystery!

The view, obviously, was magnificent.  That's the sunset over the Pacific Ocean in the top, with the

 sun reflection in the pool creating a fascinating vista.  At the bottom is the same view about 20 minutes later after they had thrown 3 glowing, floating balls into the pool to create more wah.  We have GOT to get us some of those for the house!

Dinner lived up to the vista.  The food is all organic and all "healthy," though not aggressively so.  No dairy; no real fat; etc.  We started with some bocas (which is Costa Rican for tapas) that included a great lentil ceviche. After that, we went on to the soups -- Paul had

a tomato & rosemary (!) soup, while Katy had a pureed broccoli.   The main course was sea bass with a great coconut sauce accompanied by freshly cooked chard.  Desert was a very small chocolate mousse that just was perfect -- all of it accompanied by a nice Argentine malbec.

To eat well in Costa Rica we usually have to go down to San Jose or Escazu.  Atenas, where we live, is not renowned for "fine dining" but the Retreat is different and special -- a very good restaurant less than 15 minutes from the house.  We'll be back (and Katy plans to try the spa for a facial soon too!).

Music at the Philharmonic

Last Friday we had the grand opportunity to go to New York City and listen to the Philharmonic.  As many of you know, Paul's father was a subscriber to the Philharmonic beginning in the 1950s.  When he got old, he passed the tickets on to Paul, and we get to go to a couple of concerts a year.  [The rest we sell at cost to friends -- if any of you are interested, let us know.]

This year we had the opportunity to go and hear one of the most magnificent concerts we've ever had a chance to listen to -- Tchaikovsky and Dvorak. 

The concert started with Lisa Batiashvili, playing Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto.  This is the concerto that is so hard that when Tchaikovsky created it the first violinist he asked to play it, Auer, said "no way ... that's impossible."  Well ... it isn't impossible but it is damn difficult.  We'd never heard it before -- either live or on a record -- and the loss was ours.  For 35 minutes Batiashvili played her heart out, with power, grace and beauty.  She eared the standing ovation and the 4 curtain calls she got, for sure.

After intermission, the orchestra played Dvorak's New World Symphony.  That we'd heard before, of course, but never like this -- live in New York by the orchestra that premiered the piece more than 100 years ago.  The power of the horns; the vibrancy of the timpani -- this was just about as pure a joy as you could imagine.  It seemed less "complex" than the violin concerto, but in some ways our familiarity made it purer and more fun.

Add to all this a pleasant train ride up and back and lunch with Paul's brother, Jim, on a beautiful sunny Fall day and it is hard to imagine that anything could be more perfect.  Sometimes we wonder if keeping the tickets is worth it.  On day's like last Friday we don't wonder ... but we marvel at our good fortune instead.

Rose's Luxury

In 2015 a new restaurant opened on Capitol Hill -- Rose's Luxury.  Bon Appetit said it was the best new restaurant in the entire country. They don't take reservations, so the only way to get in is to stand in line and wait.  When they open the doors at 5 PM you can either sit right down, or ask to be put in the second seating and texted when the seats open up.

Katy and I went to Rose's once before on a day that Katy just happened to be wandering by.  Yesterday we went for the second time.  We figured that on a hot day in August the line would be shorter and we could get in.  We were right and it was worth the trip.

Like we did the first time, we chose to sit at the bar looking right into the kitchen.  Half of the fun of the day is just watching the team work.  There were more than 8 people squeezed into the kitchen working like clockwork.  Almost nothing in the way of haste or disarray.  That's Wendy, on of the lead chefs, in the center making one of our dishes.

Meanwhile, the food was just fantastic.  We've had one friend who didn't like it when they went, but everyone else we know has raved -- and so do we.  We started with a small plate of Pork Sausage, Habanero, Peanuts and Lychee that was just an awesome bang of flavor.  The Catfish came next with a great green tomato relish and a saffron aoli that was smooth to the taste.  The Bucatini in a sungold tomato sauce tasted fresh and smooth in a way that red sauce does not.  And the Brisket at the end -- well, it was as tender as we've ever eaten.  Paul loved it; Katy (who doesn't like brisket at all) was even moderately appreciative.  The homemade slaw and horseradish that it came with were as fresh as you could imagine.  And we finished off with a fresh coconut milk ice cream.

The most amazing thing though, was the price.  We bought a Vouvray Chenin Blanc bottle for $60.  Total price for the meal with tax was just $159.50.  Put another way, three small courses and a large family style meat plate, along with desert cost less than $100 -- and we got the view as well.

We'll be back -- and it is worth the trip if you can find the time.

A Costa Rica Update

Well, you’ve probably  seen many of the photos already, but it seems worthwhile to also do a short blog post on where we are with the grand Costa Rica adventure.

Overall, the answer  is “we are doing well.”  To be sure there are frustrations and delays, but in the long run we are well on the way to living our dream.

Let’s start with the house – construction is almost complete.  I was supposed to be finished by March 10, but there have been some delays, the most notable of which was a wait to clear customs (about which more below).  But it looks like we are now on schedule for early April.  The floor is mostly in; the tile is going up on the showers; the walls are getting painted; the roof is finished.  What lies ahead are the doors, appliances, furniture and such …  All of which takes time, but most of which looks pretty small next to the grand scale of the overall house.  One thing that doesn't need work, of course, is the sunset ....

As for customs – as Katy says if there is, in fact, a 7^th circle of hell, Costa Rican customs is part of it. Our goods arrived in Costa Rica on Jan 15.  When we left on Feb 29 they still had not been released.  Between slowness generally , a mistake by our shipper and overall bureaucracy we were royally screwed.  Our “favorite” (not!) part of the experience was actually having to go to the bonded warehouse and open every single one of the boxes to inventory what was inside.  We had an inventory of course – but we had to confirm exactly which box it was in and also declare that all of our used goods were …. Well, used ….  It was not pleasant at all.  As of the day we left we were going to finally pay the customs bill and have the goods moved out of the bonded warehouse to storage for our contractor to come collect.  All the door knobs; appliances and lights are waiting to go!  

On the other hand, much of what we are designing and building will give us great pleasure.  The picture below is the design for the gate to our house, for example.

Also, on the plus side, most of the rest of what we want to do is proceeding apace.  For example, we spent one full day at the immigration office (would you believe they have only a single office for the entire country??) going through the last steps to get our residency  permits.  We were approved – and if all goes well, the actual green cards (called Cedula, and not green) will arrive by mail later in March for our property manager to pick up.

And, of course, the major plus is simply that we love being in Costa Rica.  Everytime we go there, our blood pressure drops 10% just as we step off the plane.  Yes, it’s quiet and sometimes Paul misses the business of DC – but it is easy to go back and forth and, frankly , the weather is just perfect.  This year we enjoyed a bit more of the local culture, including going to a jazz concert in Escazu and the Atenas chili cook-off festival.  We also found a massage therapist to  use and Katy fell in love with a cat (sadly we can’t keep her!)

Current plan is to go back in April for a couple of weeks when the house is done and then to spend the whole month of July there putting it together, so that next winter we will really have our own home.  Wish us luck …