Gingerbread Restaurant, possibly the best place to dine in Costa Rica
October 3, 9:53 PMDallas Living Abroad ExaminerLynn Farris
Gingerbread Restaurant lit at night. Photo courtesy of Gingerbread Restaurant.
Most people come to the Arenal area to see the spectacular active volcano, to soak in the thermal waters, to windsurf Lake Arenal and enjoy the wide variety of entertainment nature has to offer. They must also now add dining to that list of things to do. The 2009 Lonely Planet guide book to Costa Rica has called Gingerbread Restaurant "arguably the best restaurant in northwestern Costa Rica (if not the entire country)." To those of us who live here, we know it is the finest place to dine in Costa Rica.
The Gingerbread Restaurant is located on the Lake Road, in Nuevo Arenal, northwest of the tourist area of La Fortuna. The head chef and owner, Eyal Ben-Manachem has an incredible passion for life and for food that makes dining here a memorable occasion. He believes food is to be shared and enjoyed. Eyal is originally from Israel and worked in a catering company there. He followed his enjoyment of food and rugby to the U.S. where he ended up in Chicago and enrolled in Kendall College, earning a culinary degree. He returned to Israel and then in 2003, he fell in love with Costa Rica, making it his home.
Here he creates what he calls an International fusion of French, Mediterranean and California cuisine, using only the freshest local ingredients. The menu changes nightly depending on what is good at the market. His specialties often include hand selected fresh local beef and pork. With the Costa Rica location, he also often showcases, fresh tuna, mahi mahi, red snapper, sea bass, jumbo shrimp, calamari and occasionally octopus.
I had the opportunity to dine there recently with friends. They had brought with them a special bottle of wine for us to share at dinner and Eyal was quite gracious in opening the wine and serving it to us without a cork fee. However, Gingerbread offers a wide selection of fine wine, spirits and both national and imported beers.
We all shared his amazing mushroom appetizer, and a caprese salad which was incredible. I’ll confess, I have shared his mushrooms and caprese salad every time I have dined here. These are two of his specialties and I strongly recommend them.
Our friends raved about his blackened tuna salad. The dressing allowed the salad to shine, but added a fascinating blend of sweet and spicy flavors. Her husband had the Mexican Pork, although he had planned to have prime rib, which wasn’t available that night. Despite his disappointment at having to make a substitution, he was blown away by the tenderness of the pork and the flavors. On our way home that evening, he was still wondering how anyone could make pork that tender.
Vegetarian Fettuccine. Photo by Donald Farris.
My husband and I are vegetarians, which often test the skills of fine chefs. Eyal made us a vegetarian fettuccini with feta cheese, green beans, carrots, sun dried tomatoes, peppers and fresh herbs in a very light sauce. As a vegetarian, I have certainly had my share of vegetarian pasta dishes; this was by far the best I have ever eaten. While Gingerbread may not advertise it, this is the place to come if you are a vegetarian.
Eyal is also known for his desserts featuring rich dark chocolate and fresh fruits. Unfortunately we were all too full to even entertain dessert.
Gingerbread also has a boutique hotel attached to it. With his spirit of creativity, it is not surprising that each room features the work of local artists. One room features a jungle motif with fantastic murals, another is a butterfly room and a third, the honeymoon room, offers a cupid motif. Eyal has supported local artists and not only is their art displayed here, you can purchase some of it as well.
While this certainly is not the least expensive place to dine, most people consider it quite reasonable for a dinner of this quality. Because portions are large and sharing is encouraged, if you come with friends, you can partake in a number of courses fairly economically. Make reservations before coming and bring cash. Credit cards are not accepted here.
