Attention Carnivores

Dining experience here in Nicaragua has been a tad disappointing for us. Given the economic situation, most 'fine' dining places supposedly serving good food are outrageously expensive. We most of the time end up paying for the whole gamut between $ 60-80 between the 3 of us (before tax). Personal recommendations or endorsements based on personal experiences are highly valued specially within the expat circle - doctors, hospitals, restaurants, places to visit, hotels, etc. - for lack of knowledge (time to get to know) about the country of post. As far as dining places goes, we found out that service, availability and quality are not consistent (taste is not an issue here - just how many ways can you serve a Ribeye steak) and therefore have stopped recommending restaurants. We just say we've been there and see if you like it yourselves.

Steaks on sizzling plates (a la plancha) are common as Nicaragua also produce good quality beef, not comparable to Argentina or even Honduras but good. The way steaks are served here, including what they refer to as 'Ribeye' is thinner than elsewhere. So, 3/4 is mostly well done, medium rare would be your medium well - FYI.

T the viking and V have their moments when they really feel like having their good old fashioned 16 ouncers and I believe that we finally found THE place. Tucked within the residential area of Los Robles just behind Metro Centro is a restaurant called 'Restaurante de Don Candido' predominantly patronized by locals (probably one of their best kept secrets), where they serve the thickest and most tender Tenderloin and Ribeye we've ever ordered here. Their prices are very reasonable given the quality of their meat at between $18 - 22 (before tax). One of the few places I can take the flak for recommending as I believe it would be hard to go wrong with the kind of meat they have plus the excellent service where the waiters actually know what they are talking about. Here's how to get there but it's best to call for specific directions as it took us 15 minutes (while within the area) to find it:

Restaurante de Don Candido
Los Robles, del Chamán 75 vrs al Sur, Casa #53
Tel: 277-2485
Cel: 882-2266
Email: candidos@cablenet.com.ni

If you don't feel like going out, you can also get good quality meat from the German-Nicaragua owned Bavaria (incl imported cheese, sausages and cold cuts)....but everybody knows that....what I think most don't is that every now and then they also sell what is called 'Bife de Chorizo', steak (beef) with a good layer of fat - I'm not sure what it's called in English but I suspect it's Tenderloin. They sell it pre-cut in 2s for somewhere around $16 per pack. It was recommended by one of T's Danish colleagues, say, on a Wednesday evening and we ran to get it the following day. Good that we did as there were only 5 packs left....yes, we bought them all. As with all good imported things here in Nicaragua, you don't know when they're gonna have it again.

We had it for dinner that same evening served with wild rice with mushroom and Bearnaise sauce. Good meat like that is more a Vikings specialty than mine, so it was T who prepared it. It was excellent and turned out exactly the way I like my steak which is a feat as V prefers his medium well, mine medium rare and T's 3/4 (or tres-cuarto, as they say here). The supply we have right now will tide us over (our cravings) for the next 3 months at least, so Bavaria is always worth a visit.

Note: The wild rice can be bought in La Colonia for between $10-12 a pound (I don't remember exactly) and needs to be cooked or simmered after boiling for 5 minutes for almost an hour before it is ready. I love the wild rice for its consistency - kind of pops in your mouth when you chew on it. You may need to add condiments for taste like salt, pepper, bell pepper or mushrooms - the possibilities are endless. That night, we dined fine prepared by a dashing chef for a reasonable $15 meal each.....I was just lacking candles.