589248 Mon Jan 19 23:10:05 -0800 2009 26 61 Austin 0 4340760 I'm dying for some gallo pinto! Mon Jan 19 23:10:05 -0800 2009 258862 sm34833 1 4362030 The closest thing I have found is the Fried Plantain Breakfast at the steeply declining El Sol y La Luna. You can buy Lizano in the states now. Tue Jan 27 09:49:30 -0800 2009 4340760 79200 El General 2 4362138 I was told that El Sol closed a while back. There is a Dominican restaurant up in Pfluegerville - can't remember the name. The food sort of reminds me of what I had on the Caribbean side of Costa Rica (I've actually only been to that side f the country). Tue Jan 27 10:13:48 -0800 2009 4362030 17648 rudeboy 3 4363435 El Sol y La Luna is moving to 6th and Red River, taking the place of the much failed Emo's Lounge. Tue Jan 27 15:39:05 -0800 2009 4362138 228602 topodrinko 3 4365330 Rudeboy, are you thinking of Cafe Mangu in Pflugerville? We went once with some friends who really liked it. My dish was blander than I'd expected and my husband wasn't wild about his food. Maybe we just ordered wrong, but we haven't hurried back. I did like the complimentary chimichurri with plantain chips before the meal. Our friends complained the chimichurri was too garlicky, but that was the most flavorful part of my meal. Wed Jan 28 08:23:17 -0800 2009 4362138 106053 stephanieh 4 4365473 Yep - that's it! I've been about four times for lunch, but not recently (it's sort of a far trip from work). I'd say most people in our group like the place really well, and for lunch, you get a great deal of food. I know it's hard to give them another shot after a bland meal, though, especially when your husband wasn't thrilled either! Wed Jan 28 09:00:51 -0800 2009 4365330 17648 rudeboy 5 4365656 Lunch sounds like a better deal. We went at dinner, but I wasn't super hungry, so I ordered off the app menu and got the Camarones al Ajillo. I thought the shrimp were overcooked and I'd expected more garlic flavor. Hubby ordered the Churrasco Argentina (skirt steak), and I tasted it and thought it was bland and tough. He didn't dislike it as much as I did. He did get quite a lot of food. I think he got to choose three sides, and his favorite was the salad, which was kind of slaw-like. I didn't try that, but I ate some of his yucca fries and they were ok. I think our experience suffered some from how much this place was built up by our friends. And the menu descriptions sounded so much more promising than the end result. So, it sticks out as a bigger disappointment because of what it could have been. We did share a really delicious Tres Leches for dessert. It was my first Tres Leches, so I'm not qualified to describe and compare. But, it could get me back in their door again sometime. As a side note, our friend's wife that so highly recommended this place ordered a special... a Mediterranean pasta. Mediterranean. Pasta. She picked at it and didn't seem to enjoy it much, but that's sort of how she eats most of her meals when we're out with them. I'm not sure how long it's been since you were there, but the lunch has gone up to $9.95, and I'm pretty sure it used to be $7.95. It's still a fair price if the food's good. Do you remember what you ordered? Their website wasn't easy to find, so here's a link to the menu... http://www.cafemanguaustin.com/images/menu/cafeManguMenu.pdf Wed Jan 28 09:52:15 -0800 2009 4365473 106053 stephanieh 1 4362231 I've never seen gallo pinto on the menu here in Austin, but I have seen Lizano sold at Fiesta and maybe once or twice at Central Market. Making your own is a snap once you have the Lizano - see here: http://blog.therealcostarica.com/2005/12/02/yum-gallo-pinto/. Now if someone were to open a restaurant here and sell gallo pinto, corvina, maduros, and Imperial beer to wash it down, we'd be there weekly! Tue Jan 27 10:34:39 -0800 2009 4340760 44292 addlepated 2 4365246 Speaking of which (I have the grandote bottle of Lizano in my cubbard), is there any place in town (or in the states mail order) where you can get Imperial? Wed Jan 28 08:05:30 -0800 2009 4362231 12615 amysuehere 3 4365784 I called all over the United States last year trying to find some for our 10th anniversary (we got married in Costa Rica and it was the tin anniversary - would have been so perfect). At least in 2008, there was no way to buy it in Texas, least of all Austin. You could try giving Whip In, Central Market, etc. a call again to see if things have changed. Imperial's distributor list is also online at http://www.beer.co.cr/Imperial%20Distributor%20List.pdf, so you might be able to call them and find out what retailers they sell to, then call the retailers and see if they'll ship here... it's sort of a daunting task. Wed Jan 28 10:21:33 -0800 2009 4365246 44292 addlepated 4 4366566 You can get it on Amazon.com...seriously. Wed Jan 28 13:23:42 -0800 2009 4365784 12615 amysuehere 5 4366750 Really? I didn't think they sold hooch! Now I did find one liquor store in California who sells a six pack for $6.99... plus $21.00 shipping to Texas. Ouch! http://www.hitimewine.net Anyone have any distributor friends nearby who wanna pick up a beer? :) Wed Jan 28 14:00:30 -0800 2009 4366566 44292 addlepated 6 4366835 Oops. I meant the Lizano, not the Imperial. Wed Jan 28 14:17:33 -0800 2009 4366750 12615 amysuehere 3 4368200 http://www.ticoshopping.com/ You can get it all there. Wed Jan 28 23:05:52 -0800 2009 4365246 261471 tico4real 4 4368635 $21 for a 12 pack plus shipping, yikes... Thu Jan 29 06:52:09 -0800 2009 4368200 12615 amysuehere 5 4374085 Imperial has sold distribution in the US for several states (Cali, AZ, PNW, and NE mainly), and it is distributed there. I inquired about purchasing the distribution rights for Texas last year and was told that they are basically under option and that they anticipated Imperial being available in Texas some time in the summer of 2009. This was right after going to a wedding in the Cayman Islands where it had just become available. I gorged myself for 4 days, especially since Stingray had gone out of business. Fri Jan 30 15:22:37 -0800 2009 4368635 79200 El General 6 4374378 *fingertip pyramid* Exxxxxxcellent. Fri Jan 30 17:36:52 -0800 2009 4374085 44292 addlepated 1 4407017 Alright , finally some people who love Costa Rican food. My wife is Rica and she cooks gallo pinto for me on the weekends along with platano macho or as it's called here plantane (green banana), with a touch of cinnamon. Anyway I get my beer pilsen and imperial from CA brought to me by my good friends in L.A. about every other month. Yes, there are no CR restuarants in Austin, what a shame, so it seems that I am blessed with the rich foods of CR and no one to share the comida de los ricos. Maybe we'll open a small taco stand like the people in Meixco do, oh that I mention she makes a mean ceviche de camaron not that tomato sauce kind they make here in Texas and Mexico. Pura Vida Juanillo Wed Feb 11 08:54:13 -0800 2009 4340760 265418 Juanillo 2 4407147 Oh, sure...rub it in... Wed Feb 11 09:24:40 -0800 2009 4407017 12615 amysuehere 3 4407798 no not ribbing it in, we've tried locateing a resturant close enought to the type of food we enjoy and from amarillo to san antonio and here in austin, we found nothing. So my wife told me about the recipes that where handed down from her grandmother when she was little and hey i love the food. Last year I got online here in ChowHound and notice people where interested in imperial beer (while I sat home having one) and have been trying to import some from CR. So, yes I'm thinking of opening a small shop here at home (Kyle) and see if I can make it a go. What do you think? Wed Feb 11 12:31:23 -0800 2009 4407147 265418 Juanillo 1 5117147 Imperial Beer is now at the HEB Plus! on Palm Valley in Round Rock for $6.99 per six pack. I can only assume this is not the only location in Austin that sells it. Life is a circle. I am going to the wedding of one of my CR buddies this weekend. I have courageously tested two randomly chosed six packs and lived to tell the tale. Now, if we can get Pilsen and two orders of Barba Roja's nachos . . . Tue Oct 20 09:26:03 -0700 2009 4340760 79200 El General 2 5117386 Excellent news - thanks for the update! Tue Oct 20 10:38:44 -0700 2009 5117147 44292 addlepated 2 5126659 My husband found a 6 pack of Imperial (bottled) at the HEB on Brodie today. Woo! Pura vida, y'all. Fri Oct 23 19:41:19 -0700 2009 5117147 44292 addlepated 3 5131174 Yeah, it also popped up at Grapevine about two months ago. Mon Oct 26 06:54:06 -0700 2009 5126659 12615 amysuehere 4 5153010 Kahuna's Tiki Bar & Grill (Parmer & McNeil) announced in it's enewsletter today that they just started carrying Imperial ($2 on Tuesdays) to go with its $3 Tiki Taco Tuesday. FYI. Dig their fish tacos, but will now try Imperial for the first time. Tue Nov 03 13:53:20 -0800 2009 5131174 274835 dc2austin 1 5153133 suprised nobody suggested going to costa del sol. its cheap and is essentially a central american taqueria. Tue Nov 03 14:27:06 -0800 2009 4340760 87844 ieathereforeiam 1 5161389 Having lived in Costa Rica for the last four years, I'm uncertain as to why you would seek out the local food, such as it is. All you need to do is boil black beans with virtually no seasoning, cook rice with virtually no seasoning and fry plantanos "maduros" in kitchen oil and you've got about 90% of the national flavor profile without having to pay much for it. Cook a protein product until it is virtually unrecognizable, throw on some tired iceberg lettuce and you've got the full "casada". Don't forget that "national treaure" Salsa Lizano... And oh, yeah, don't forget that "national treasure", Salsa Lizano... Fri Nov 06 11:25:49 -0800 2009 4340760 50037 jungleboy