Napa Valley - Terra

Terra is hidden in a brick faced building off a back road in St. Helena (Napa Valley), with warm lights eminating from the arched windows. It is a cozy single room with no more than 15 tables, with the simple and rustic decor of a small, gourmet B&B. The meal began with two appetizers; a hamachi tartare on rice cakes wrapped in seaweed and lobster ravioli. The delicate tartare melts in your mouth and is complemented perfectly by the crunch and texture of the rice cakes. The subtle and refreshing tastes of this appertizer was a great start to the evening. I then took a bite of warm, freshly-made lobster ravioli. The creamy sauce made me want to savor every bite (and then lick the sauce off the plate), and the pasta was perfectly cooked.

For the main course, I had broiled, sake-marinated Alaskan black cod and shrimp dumplings in a shiso broth. The cod was light and delicate. The handmade dumplings and shiso broth gave the entire meal a soothing warm soup feel to it. The shiso had a great soy flavor, which enhanced the flavors of the fish and the dumplings without overpowering them.

My companion had lamb chops on a bed of tomatoes and corn and carrots in a light tomato broth. The lamb was extremely tender, and we later learned that fresh lamb is a specialty of the region that is widely available in Napa and environs. Although the lamb was exactly medium rare, it seemed to have absorbed a bit too much of the broth, giving the entire dish a slight "deconstructed stew" feel. The dish was solid but not spectacular, and my companion identified the appetizers, not the entree, as the clear highlights of his meal.

Every bite of this meal was delicious. If you visit Napa Valley, do not leave without stopping by this place. Everything was very good or better, although the variability from "good" to "amazing" suggests tapping the staff for recommendations might be well worth your while if you find yourself at Terra.

Picturesque Pizza in Costa Rica

Imagine this....

Driving around late afternoon along the coast after a day of surfing and playing in ocean, starving for a quick bite on your way back to Hotel Luna Azul. Five minutes north of the hotel, you come across a small sign pointing down a path into the woods that say "Pizzeria". You have a flashback to 5th grade, and you recall Robert Frost's poem, "The Road Not Taken", and you decide to make a quick left turn down the path. Your four-wheel-drive vehicle barely fits on the "road", and you slowly descend down a narrow windy path. Fifteen minutes later, you start to worry that you this was a bad idea, but you push on since you don't know how to turn around. The sun is starting to set so you begin to ponder the feasibility of leaving in reverse. All of a sudden there is a clearing and you see two people hopping back onto their ATVs and realize there *is* something here. The pizzeria is in a hut on top of a cliff overlooking the ocean.

Now, this fares 20x better than pizza hut ;) but for the standard New Yorker it may not beat your all time best pizza. But this thin crust pizza is solid, and the view alone makes the pizza and the beer seem like some of the world's best. If you have time and energy you can take the 30mins walk down the cliff side to the beach to watch the sunset, but I suggest sitting at one of the tree stump tables, munching on the thin crust pizza and sipping a nice cold beer while watching the sun set over the cliffs and bright blue ocean. A truly serene and peaceful moment. This place is a (well) hidden gem, and definitely worth the effort if you're in the area around sundown.

Hotel Luna Azul, Costa Rica

Over the hills and far away, to Luna Azul we go.

Hotel Luna Azul is located off the Pacific coast, nestled in the Ostional Wildlife Refuge on the Nicoya Peninsula. This remote and cozy location is run by two Swiss owners, a zoologist and a homeopathic doctor. However, unbeknownst to most, one the owners is an amazing chef. Using the local markets and freshly caught ingredients, he provides a menu for breakfast, lunch and dinner- but only for the lucky guests staying in one of the property's 7 bungalows. The bungalows offer open showers and wide open terraces with total privacy, which open up to the surrounding nature preserve. You can watch howler monkeys climb from tree to tree, right ouside your room!

Each day started with a fresh breakfast with made-to-order eggs, accompanied by freshly cut local fruit and yogurt. After a day lounging in the sun by the serene pool, lunch consisted of made to order sandwiches and salads with freshly picked vegetables. When the urge to explore strikes, you can spend the day driving up and down the coast, visiting the gorgeous beaches of the Pacific coast. For these excursions, Luna Azul's excellent sandwiches are available to go. No matter where the day's travels take you, you would be well served to rush back to watch the sunset from the pool deck, with one of the most perfect margaritas in hand. An intimate dinner is served on the ajoining porch, with a new menu every night.

One night's fare consisted of a delicious dish of sauteed garlic shrimp over a bed of lightly buttered linguini, a perfect complement to a hard day of surfing. A meat option is available most nights. Although the chef prides himself in finding excellent meat by Costa Rican standards, choosy carnivores will find the local grass-fed beef falls somewhat short of American steakhouse standards. I'd stick to the seafood, which is as fresh as you'll ever find. On the other hand, if meat is a must, this was still some of the best we encountered in Costa Rica!

For our last meal, we were able to dine with the owners family as they arrived on our last nite, with a traditional Costa Rican dish, the Casado. The Casado was a dish that looked like a sampler plate, consisting of fresh sauteed vegetables, salad, rice, beans, perfectly cooked fish, braised chicken, and fried plantains. Although the menu for the human patrons is ever-changing, the myriad geckos that patrol the roof of the patio area feast on insects nightly, keeping the dining area almost entirely bug-free!

The perfect remote getaway..... without breaking the bank.