tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58459802307331958772024-03-13T17:29:37.623-07:00The Travelling Vegan Food BlogI'm just a regular vegan guy with a passion for travel and good food, sharing my culinary experiences from my travels. Ethanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14509163527761921258noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5845980230733195877.post-49655382519928057642013-01-12T11:25:00.003-08:002013-01-12T11:25:58.657-08:00PURA VIDA! Costa Rica is a Paradise for Vegans<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Eight years ago, I travelled to Costa Rica with my husband. I had a medical conference there (at the lovely Marriott in Los Suenos, just outside Jaco) and then we travelled down to Manuel Antonio. We had a fabulous time doing the Arenal volcano day-trip, rainforest canopy zipline tour, and much more. The trip was amazing, though it has been somewhat mared in my memory because, two days after we returned home, my first companion animal I ever had (my beloved dog <a href="https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150483322917239&set=a.405766862238.177953.750562238&type=3&theater" target="_blank">Blackie</a>) passed away just shy of his 17th birthday from complications of congestive heart failure. I have had this awful feeling about going back over the past two year. I know, I know... totally illogical, supersticious and irrational. Still, terrifying. And over the past 8 years, we've had a few sick dogs and each time, the thought of leaving them for a few days while we went to Costa Rica has been unsettling. Then throw in the factor that, eight years ago, we were not vegan. Honestly, besides the amazing pineapple, I don't remember eating a lot the fresh fruits and vegetables. Like many omnivores, we did the surf-n'-turf, Mahi-Mahi and great seafood specials. So I've been wondering how, as vegans, my husband and I would be able to manage remote locations outside San Jose as strict vegans? I'm happy to say <u>it was easy</u>.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We had just five days for a getaway so we decided to skip San Jose on this trip (my husband's second and my third to Costa Rica) and head to the coasts. We knew that we wanted to get back to Manuel Antonio, but we wanted to check out another part of the country that was new to us and we decided on Montezuma at the southern tip of the Nicoya Peninsula. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Thankfully, we live only a 15 minute drive from Newark Liberty International Airport and they have a direct flight to San Jose with United. Having driven the windy roads to the coast before, I know all too well that they are treacherous and make for quite nauseating driving. So we opted to fly. There are two major carriers domestically within Costa Rica that do multiple flights daily all over the country in small propeller planes; <a href="http://www.natureair.com/" target="_blank">Nature Air</a> and <a href="http://www.flysansa.com/" target="_blank">Sansa</a>. The advantage of Sansa is that they are right there at the International Airport in San Jose whereas Nature Air is a short 15-20 minute (and approx $20-25 taxi ride) to the domestic airport at Pavas. Given that Sansa's fares were about $20-$30/head more expensive than Nature Air's, it's kind of a wash on price. We like Nature Air as the cabins in the planes are MUCH larger and their safety record is better than Sansa's. So, we took off from Newark at 7:30 AM and in 5 hours, we were in the heart of Central America! We hopped a cab to the domestic airport. Unfortunately, our flight leaving to Tambor was delayed an hour. So we decided to go upstairs to the cafeteria style restaurant at the airport to see if there was anything that might hold us over as "lunch":</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj34xgcUm6Vn9gHjuSUw0wNpHnfykx77Tt_Z4IYDuaBKMl6x7zMKRoIakC_FrBeLzI2kC6xEtpLFDdJbrzacMyatJH8CchJzFaA9ElI9-4gYUFsZ-eE2wHvQcfR_mX-StUM8GnyZxko8C0/s1600/IMG_6094.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj34xgcUm6Vn9gHjuSUw0wNpHnfykx77Tt_Z4IYDuaBKMl6x7zMKRoIakC_FrBeLzI2kC6xEtpLFDdJbrzacMyatJH8CchJzFaA9ElI9-4gYUFsZ-eE2wHvQcfR_mX-StUM8GnyZxko8C0/s400/IMG_6094.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We made our way to the counter and I had a nice discussion with the lady who was serving the food, making sure certain things were fried in oil, not butter, etc... and VOILA! A vegan lunch was prepared with some black beans, rice and fried plantains. In a pinch, a great, filling meal. I decided to top it off with Guanabana Nectar. (I have no idea why they don't sell Guanabana in the US. Translated, it's often referred to as "Sour Sop". Perhaps that less than flattering translation is the reason? I don't know... Honestly, it's the best juice, nectar of any I've ever had anywhere. Hands down.)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoZvLxrxoyqrCssfbm_-gDpyx8nPJ3U3496__WoAQ781kF6zQQd4beQaffNOosKJ98ksyEaAJBzGzLo5FH7QCeodvI5tj67bCL7Qfr-6AFkAN7NV58DIaYtXouQhjvEbaiStTYSxW1jCc/s1600/IMG_6091.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoZvLxrxoyqrCssfbm_-gDpyx8nPJ3U3496__WoAQ781kF6zQQd4beQaffNOosKJ98ksyEaAJBzGzLo5FH7QCeodvI5tj67bCL7Qfr-6AFkAN7NV58DIaYtXouQhjvEbaiStTYSxW1jCc/s400/IMG_6091.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">After lunch were boarded our short 30 minute flight to the Tambor "airport". Yeah, it's not so much an airport as it is a paved strip out in the middle of the jungle! But as soon as we got off the plane and grabbed out bags, our driver was waiting to take us to the resort in Montezuma.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Along the way, we stopped many times to look at the many different birds and animals we saw. It was very rural and quite bucolic. We saw many of the "Buddha Cows" and each seemed to have a lovely symbiotic relationship with it's own local bird:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRKhFccJCOE44JFZ5Fwh0sbWleSwvhsuzy7IVyGRhmrKgs_ClLiP7MziymmY6PSJT5bxdR1vdjHYPZNEnv3woavQg6q476MaysrG4mvfVB-QwZSKb_xBnd8MFKOacfe60ybgu60cp3UEE/s1600/IMG_6108.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRKhFccJCOE44JFZ5Fwh0sbWleSwvhsuzy7IVyGRhmrKgs_ClLiP7MziymmY6PSJT5bxdR1vdjHYPZNEnv3woavQg6q476MaysrG4mvfVB-QwZSKb_xBnd8MFKOacfe60ybgu60cp3UEE/s640/IMG_6108.JPG" width="588" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We made our way through the tiny town of Montezuma with it's mostly tourist-oriented cheap hotels, restaurants and tons of barefooted locals selling their wares on the street to the <a href="http://www.ylangylangbeachresort.com/" target="_blank">Ylang Ylang Beach Resort.</a> We chose Ylang Ylang because it's an eco resort that proudly <a href="http://www.ylangylangbeachresort.com/restaurant/vegan-menu.html" target="_blank">serves fully vegan cuisine</a>, in addition to non-vegan food. We arrived about an hour an a half before sunset so we dropped our things in the room and ran off to the beach;</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiflV4hHSM_IDyePdnTQ6ThAoPa6XOOxGRW42QPYkfz2Vc5uqQdrK7Xx97YABkpxCORrXS81cNwb6n_rt-nlqbQXRuITxoP2zuwJ8-5XiSmm3GU-OF9nJqyzQAADQi5kQ_AaFk4BqwvH4Q/s1600/IMG_6119.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="326" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiflV4hHSM_IDyePdnTQ6ThAoPa6XOOxGRW42QPYkfz2Vc5uqQdrK7Xx97YABkpxCORrXS81cNwb6n_rt-nlqbQXRuITxoP2zuwJ8-5XiSmm3GU-OF9nJqyzQAADQi5kQ_AaFk4BqwvH4Q/s640/IMG_6119.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Powdery white and tan sand with volcanic rocks and boulders dotting the shoreline, there were some powerful waves in the warm, clear blue waters.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We unpacked, showered and changed for dinner, excited to delve into the vegan menu for dinner. We started with the Namaste Rolls, which were "Oriental style rice paper rolls stuffed with avocado, lettuce and vegetables served with a toasted sesame oil dressing." They were spectacular- probably our favorite item on all of their menus!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-oukP1TVCXnojtKWYTkw6ZfFg4Wg5Lm5odJT1bNi3sHmGRBGLQln-2igL8VsxaqF_CUD0544cbtiZO7Y_aqrkeTcIFPGu6T9C132R1p1XevUp2s34mwi0f210ufhYJZqwxwVzrgufbjY/s1600/IMG_6110.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-oukP1TVCXnojtKWYTkw6ZfFg4Wg5Lm5odJT1bNi3sHmGRBGLQln-2igL8VsxaqF_CUD0544cbtiZO7Y_aqrkeTcIFPGu6T9C132R1p1XevUp2s34mwi0f210ufhYJZqwxwVzrgufbjY/s400/IMG_6110.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We also started with the Palm Heart Paradise Platter, which was sliced hearts of palm, tomatos and an avocado fan served with a fresh basil lime pesto:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7XzDqngfON7Y3wW0QOmkZyupEvz7H67BoY0tgq1GRbcVlroK6dDqszhD7UVzWRponZClxGb6ZmEgigOFuAAvhcCUOUHQQR5ATkvPmy53IPmKljVceSVd1dGJzUf6isvSA-fFbgo4a63Y/s1600/IMG_6111.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="323" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7XzDqngfON7Y3wW0QOmkZyupEvz7H67BoY0tgq1GRbcVlroK6dDqszhD7UVzWRponZClxGb6ZmEgigOFuAAvhcCUOUHQQR5ATkvPmy53IPmKljVceSVd1dGJzUf6isvSA-fFbgo4a63Y/s400/IMG_6111.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This, too, was tremendous! We were immediately struck how simple these dishes were and how the flavor combinations are really all about highlighting the natural flavors of the fruits and veggies, not covering them in lots of sauces and such. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">For the main course, My husband ordered the baked Thai Teriyaki tofu which was served over rice and vegetables:</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR7Pj9XynzKABdHdMP_TNyJ2YpBqnvawcBPhe6EsDKbZxKlkjLtgPZgCMm3VgRHntg9A6l99e1Ex1z3av-OOxGID54LWRHfJkErXqFJ3HhyGrwkDKz3nUDJD11eUwqWCbc1mn-jSD4Nx4/s1600/IMG_6112.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="484" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR7Pj9XynzKABdHdMP_TNyJ2YpBqnvawcBPhe6EsDKbZxKlkjLtgPZgCMm3VgRHntg9A6l99e1Ex1z3av-OOxGID54LWRHfJkErXqFJ3HhyGrwkDKz3nUDJD11eUwqWCbc1mn-jSD4Nx4/s640/IMG_6112.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I opted for the Savoury Ylang-Ylang Curry which was mixed veggies (cut into "balls) with tofu in a coconut curry sauce. They use their own home-grown coconuts for the milk and you can really taste the freshness and strong coconutty flavor:</span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSks2QaaVlWrZCrBtxYkd3z-lbXMdbr9pPg36GtrM-ybi-zBmsCZ5osJDnKU5xnXV93AYLekIw4LHj2Nzt6v2rcc9HHu2ZH4gWUSF-KsDJnTcvUzEqnZiON1aA4jtbC4efp9hkeHIUWvs/s1600/IMG_6113.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="484" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSks2QaaVlWrZCrBtxYkd3z-lbXMdbr9pPg36GtrM-ybi-zBmsCZ5osJDnKU5xnXV93AYLekIw4LHj2Nzt6v2rcc9HHu2ZH4gWUSF-KsDJnTcvUzEqnZiON1aA4jtbC4efp9hkeHIUWvs/s640/IMG_6113.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In all dishes on the property, they used a soft, silken tofu. I imagine this is because soft silken is what's available. I'm not a huge fan of it when served as "cooked tofu" but we were in the wilderness and the fact that there was <i>anything </i>like tofu, was an enormous treat.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We both really enjoyed our dinners. We were exhausted and stuffed and skipped dessert. We walked the grounds a bit before heading back to the room and going to bed.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We woke up with the sun the next morning, around 5:30 AM. Really, this was sleeping in for us, as 5:30 AM was 6:30 AM EST, and we normally wake up just before 5 AM. But when in Costa Rica, we've found that so much of your day is spend out of doors, in nature, that you effortlessly and naturally synchronize to the cycle of the sun. We stepped out of our beachfront room:</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFOsxsfzT1pZukxK-Ej3KWYe64UAljT2v2UeaLHBbjnfavVgrVNuKpOHwx3Jn1vNdPUTqaSW4zuO9zEJGALN63PdWV6spjAXZNDArEVRkvP7zRo_K1YA0bNpV74zx_10e9NmuVLbH79kA/s1600/IMG_6114.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="476" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFOsxsfzT1pZukxK-Ej3KWYe64UAljT2v2UeaLHBbjnfavVgrVNuKpOHwx3Jn1vNdPUTqaSW4zuO9zEJGALN63PdWV6spjAXZNDArEVRkvP7zRo_K1YA0bNpV74zx_10e9NmuVLbH79kA/s640/IMG_6114.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">walked across the terrace where there are chairs for viewing the ocean through the Palm Trees:</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRKoaiDQvOvS65dLwfxEs4J4fbETVxVNAxRTw9hqDmZZR6bUy7zemPc9pnUaHzfolkMpCdvw0XzNAdx8FnfM18pcDIbFi46rOO5_KtvppqffuwW-LmFdPkBpFaLoHZEA0K9xspBkXJ9bY/s1600/IMG_6115.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="484" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRKoaiDQvOvS65dLwfxEs4J4fbETVxVNAxRTw9hqDmZZR6bUy7zemPc9pnUaHzfolkMpCdvw0XzNAdx8FnfM18pcDIbFi46rOO5_KtvppqffuwW-LmFdPkBpFaLoHZEA0K9xspBkXJ9bY/s640/IMG_6115.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Down the short walkway to the beach, passing the hammocks that are so nicely set up to be right at the beach's edge, but in the shade:</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHItjpG3QU4J_xaTq8tptnwdUJv7lwetjfQ6u566hfJ04EcLPTu-bi5mbEgdFRrloVeUVNlSAOndT1NcN_9k1DpwytwZVwWuinOjuBTq1L-k4PyoGoiGb3VB5g2J26tHNp8S7UcP5sFLY/s1600/IMG_6116.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="484" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHItjpG3QU4J_xaTq8tptnwdUJv7lwetjfQ6u566hfJ04EcLPTu-bi5mbEgdFRrloVeUVNlSAOndT1NcN_9k1DpwytwZVwWuinOjuBTq1L-k4PyoGoiGb3VB5g2J26tHNp8S7UcP5sFLY/s640/IMG_6116.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">...and out onto the beach. My husband, <a href="http://www.michaelsuchman.com/" target="_blank">the photographer</a>, was inspired and taking lots of morning-light photos. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAOlZDerd-ib6N3bvXbKqYr5ZFDirPZzwWSoMhiUR_Fra3Sp78efB_whUZGu7VfMmsye37oGYU3NVqI72sem-Pq5YIFWDWmmXU2U9XRlfs0CGVzukmheLOkoH5jhu_ZfoS9Q3N0dqm5-c/s1600/IMG_6118.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAOlZDerd-ib6N3bvXbKqYr5ZFDirPZzwWSoMhiUR_Fra3Sp78efB_whUZGu7VfMmsye37oGYU3NVqI72sem-Pq5YIFWDWmmXU2U9XRlfs0CGVzukmheLOkoH5jhu_ZfoS9Q3N0dqm5-c/s640/IMG_6118.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It's amazing how the beach, the jungle and all of the surroundings change throughout the day based on the light and which direction it's coming from.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I let him be and I climbed into the hammock, just enjoying the sounds, smells and sights of the rainforest at the edge of the beach, waking up to a new day. I immediately felt calm, centered and that I was back to my True Self, living out of doors as a vital <i>part</i> of the nature that surrounded me. It felt like coming home. I was, again, at peace.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI-Ca_hl7dvfKUIK3SwT9BxPxKfL1DUyFAmBXTKFBJtzpx5yQpWXEn190Xvw4STfLvZCyJRIM-Kcv33Er0iWYR-b0JhFZSUVOZJQm29x1dt9Vs8BQN5ii1LksuwKsNdmSh9bsgs_oQ130/s1600/IMG_6117.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="484" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI-Ca_hl7dvfKUIK3SwT9BxPxKfL1DUyFAmBXTKFBJtzpx5yQpWXEn190Xvw4STfLvZCyJRIM-Kcv33Er0iWYR-b0JhFZSUVOZJQm29x1dt9Vs8BQN5ii1LksuwKsNdmSh9bsgs_oQ130/s640/IMG_6117.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">After a while, we both realized we were quite hungry and made our way over the main restaurant for breakfast. Sitting out under the palm trees on the terrace, looking out at the sun that was now well risen over the ocean-- it was priceless.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWyNDhQeM8ogJRJ_fTJwtbKkceIlTMahyphenhyphenYMIfbmIzcXrv6805c8zxd0_jsRdpLjdHzZwdx8fnep7O5xppwU9qFLw_xNLzAI4o86UAk1aXx3VyWpgkBY1OTMQWq9BNa1oPtjstX7qjKiJ8/s1600/IMG_6121.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="481" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWyNDhQeM8ogJRJ_fTJwtbKkceIlTMahyphenhyphenYMIfbmIzcXrv6805c8zxd0_jsRdpLjdHzZwdx8fnep7O5xppwU9qFLw_xNLzAI4o86UAk1aXx3VyWpgkBY1OTMQWq9BNa1oPtjstX7qjKiJ8/s640/IMG_6121.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Breakfast started with fresh Costa Rican coffee-- some of my favorite in the world! Naturally, since this was a vegan-friendly resort, they had soymilk for my coffee. My husband had his usual morning glass of water and treated himself to freshly squeezed orange juice, and I opted for a glass of fresh, locally sourced Tamarind juice which was just perfect. For our mains, we ordered the "Tipico"....</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFqn3xIlueCKOx06_0KNxpNn278gHStquOlS6NQ0aaKeZYH8MTf7xKsiZNjEyYKJc7jEyZYNTey2c34sEWigWU-A46EWPzz9lpg5ex-UegCp34-gTFZP8NqtYzR6JxBR8L_NME94V_LFE/s1600/IMG_6122.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFqn3xIlueCKOx06_0KNxpNn278gHStquOlS6NQ0aaKeZYH8MTf7xKsiZNjEyYKJc7jEyZYNTey2c34sEWigWU-A46EWPzz9lpg5ex-UegCp34-gTFZP8NqtYzR6JxBR8L_NME94V_LFE/s640/IMG_6122.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The "Tipico", which is a "<i>Typical Costa Rican Breakfast including Rice and Beans, Fried or Scrambled Eggs, Tortillas, Cheese and Fried Plantano Strips</i>" sounded delicious--- minus the cheese and eggs. The kitchen staff was all too happy to mix and match from other items on the menu, so we had them hold the eggs and cheese and, instead, sub in the tofu breakfast scramble. This was filling and delightful:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu0UZGNzer_WPi9XQFeSWA_9xD71DSz3dxIG5T2h7PZ946QdYkpf5SfEQkCkY032swf0TXay50ZaY93nrqPC7WduSwOtGwiTJSeBkcYgkYsSLxuiKTyH_mjMkAdbVk7K2toJ_jGmz5Svc/s1600/IMG_6123.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="490" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu0UZGNzer_WPi9XQFeSWA_9xD71DSz3dxIG5T2h7PZ946QdYkpf5SfEQkCkY032swf0TXay50ZaY93nrqPC7WduSwOtGwiTJSeBkcYgkYsSLxuiKTyH_mjMkAdbVk7K2toJ_jGmz5Svc/s640/IMG_6123.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">As with dinner the night before, we noticed that there were not many oils or sauces, allowing the foods' natural flavors to be highlighted.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We spend the morning hiking to nearby beaches, exploring the landscape and hunting for shade because, MAN! That sun was brutally hot!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">When we came back to the resort for lunch, we relaxed in the shade, my husband enjoying the ocean view:</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlRt1HjstiKIwYvwO_tuLEFv1mjO6qL4s0tyJg8HDu_c5YtwwaRAVmuzGjX8bH77c06AyjbXzJX3G-wn10iQ_bFz18tKUvDRCodhnSAWVWw1SqyP_AEUJg_-ww2K31q4RPqeZhb0rI5gU/s1600/IMG_6125.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlRt1HjstiKIwYvwO_tuLEFv1mjO6qL4s0tyJg8HDu_c5YtwwaRAVmuzGjX8bH77c06AyjbXzJX3G-wn10iQ_bFz18tKUvDRCodhnSAWVWw1SqyP_AEUJg_-ww2K31q4RPqeZhb0rI5gU/s320/IMG_6125.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">While I had a glass of freshly squeeze Maracuya (Passion fruit) Juice. Amazing stuff!</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTOwhnIydc3Ok3xdzqsNlh8oxcHKHBL5GP9R-vHSss_RFa7D5wn9SIhjEQfTbpSW5EzreDh8VCQpU75oGAzF1S2mhzCSxVaon-9ZspeUK6R4w4Z5kEw_UE8yK4yf8aI87-kUz6T9fzk7Q/s1600/IMG_6126.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTOwhnIydc3Ok3xdzqsNlh8oxcHKHBL5GP9R-vHSss_RFa7D5wn9SIhjEQfTbpSW5EzreDh8VCQpU75oGAzF1S2mhzCSxVaon-9ZspeUK6R4w4Z5kEw_UE8yK4yf8aI87-kUz6T9fzk7Q/s320/IMG_6126.JPG" width="312" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We decided to split everything for lunch. We started with the Latino Nachos were were basically black bean nachos with pico de gallo and guacamole, piled really high. Obviously, we had them hold the cheese:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3eyvtUf0tgDj6zZ6lIOq93pDiKuXD3Eag9GNmLphXsSOgF4cS-J8nuS8vJSh3etr7vJFcAwOQVD6kG9t4aUMjzzPL0d94l4qq_xwLopLCO-qpcwJxAfDN80z0g0MVoGeqVmZpzQCfoRw/s1600/IMG_6128.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="504" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3eyvtUf0tgDj6zZ6lIOq93pDiKuXD3Eag9GNmLphXsSOgF4cS-J8nuS8vJSh3etr7vJFcAwOQVD6kG9t4aUMjzzPL0d94l4qq_xwLopLCO-qpcwJxAfDN80z0g0MVoGeqVmZpzQCfoRw/s640/IMG_6128.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I also tried the gazpacho to start which was light, fresh and had a fair amount of balsamic in it, hence the color change:</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxL9hn_LlRm3jzS6GOh7eGRY276WYcQtPwIGzMIGC_SBQmEZWKDTLztx7m8lOoWmNV8h_xNYosp321Cum8d9Bh0HKWUDLuNLmg3nMoZDYWHvtpLyYJPN49oaVPn8kMVcEI3OY2A58gGJQ/s1600/IMG_6127.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxL9hn_LlRm3jzS6GOh7eGRY276WYcQtPwIGzMIGC_SBQmEZWKDTLztx7m8lOoWmNV8h_xNYosp321Cum8d9Bh0HKWUDLuNLmg3nMoZDYWHvtpLyYJPN49oaVPn8kMVcEI3OY2A58gGJQ/s640/IMG_6127.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">For the main course, my husband ordered the casado with tofu which came with a side salad topped with pico de gallo:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQPtoomWrv50aN-jrbUGeFf0I5puxranOLslm8OvtTgvTzUc7xf8lUbJ2vvg61lPkWblVRYRYw-U4ZmFCHecNdrlAYQOuGoaeR4xm4cy-Fkw2kHD2QxvfBAq6v-RiRobkTTjxFMM3FwwU/s1600/IMG_6130.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="396" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQPtoomWrv50aN-jrbUGeFf0I5puxranOLslm8OvtTgvTzUc7xf8lUbJ2vvg61lPkWblVRYRYw-U4ZmFCHecNdrlAYQOuGoaeR4xm4cy-Fkw2kHD2QxvfBAq6v-RiRobkTTjxFMM3FwwU/s640/IMG_6130.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I ordered the avocado wrap with fresh veggies in a spinach flour tortilla:</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOZ8fpatCGEkpkb1HXwkagRU_OseEGvFogREvPhgbHEhh3DfCcW361yJfYHG5ridyqqZHSv_1UpUoAJ6iJQpepqzEuPpB_Hycs4kWURK3kUjkZKc8tZHZOd-LWIwht7FkYP98LmNMRX9Q/s1600/IMG_6129.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="506" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOZ8fpatCGEkpkb1HXwkagRU_OseEGvFogREvPhgbHEhh3DfCcW361yJfYHG5ridyqqZHSv_1UpUoAJ6iJQpepqzEuPpB_Hycs4kWURK3kUjkZKc8tZHZOd-LWIwht7FkYP98LmNMRX9Q/s640/IMG_6129.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Now, you may be noticing a trend; There's a lot of avocado in everything we've been eating! YES! Let me tell you, I didn't notice this in either of my prior two trips to Costa Rica (and how I didn't, I'll never know) but the avocados in Costa Rica are light, sweet, fluffy and creamy. I've never tasted such wonderful avocados anywhere else in my life!</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Lunch was amazing. We ate too much, as is often our complaint to one another after a great meal, so we decided to take on the waves at high tide that afternoon and it was a workout! But the ocean was warm, the sun was shining and it was a perfect afternoon at the beach:</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhuzPjkW0U8eV8xvSFyxUuGEZfLM2lWTyUhIH5_TmXw5dQkvdwEJp8aDTT1KN3gHMPTHCxxKACK_BGBT9ZDqRCd7n6_jAPou8jnF-NTehonheTOTElIUBkyQfg8cJkFuetT3r2mAP03no/s1600/IMG_6135.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhuzPjkW0U8eV8xvSFyxUuGEZfLM2lWTyUhIH5_TmXw5dQkvdwEJp8aDTT1KN3gHMPTHCxxKACK_BGBT9ZDqRCd7n6_jAPou8jnF-NTehonheTOTElIUBkyQfg8cJkFuetT3r2mAP03no/s320/IMG_6135.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMH7XWL3UNfNsflmY219iVDNcgyB1UWKn2_OgQfkD0hD__ap2Hr70L8wF6vaLEqgdPq0WZKTaoNU1Omv0MsDp26n2bSsPos_fgHS8P9ZmhYLjNED9thwEBj6agDDFD4kdLKUk7T1lk_ZE/s1600/IMG_6136.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMH7XWL3UNfNsflmY219iVDNcgyB1UWKn2_OgQfkD0hD__ap2Hr70L8wF6vaLEqgdPq0WZKTaoNU1Omv0MsDp26n2bSsPos_fgHS8P9ZmhYLjNED9thwEBj6agDDFD4kdLKUk7T1lk_ZE/s320/IMG_6136.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmvfRNeTpUmyzSz14ZGp3axPV5XMv8ygrfyDyKdrjyWeNMOso_c1EWPBkqTU-gJWnSxA7bJoDSyWFN3cf4AHlFyLjRxS_6qTAJYSLHokSB4zcC62QX7lzrLy7KzlkG_-ymoUBa3kR1wgQ/s1600/IMG_6137.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmvfRNeTpUmyzSz14ZGp3axPV5XMv8ygrfyDyKdrjyWeNMOso_c1EWPBkqTU-gJWnSxA7bJoDSyWFN3cf4AHlFyLjRxS_6qTAJYSLHokSB4zcC62QX7lzrLy7KzlkG_-ymoUBa3kR1wgQ/s320/IMG_6137.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I don't tan like my husband does. Basically, I can get a sunburn just <i>thinking</i> about the sun. So we went into the shaded pool area for some shade time.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHr0PIERXBhHE65zey-H5YD_UfhbcGes8B9ls50XzOG8B74thoG_1th1SqtznsfQTUkAy9wcN0UaEbn3Ok-RlRQZzhg4CWbHKNWzpq2wxgyg7QfDa-XxRvejhQn-uRtNROuSj48aafAzk/s1600/IMG_6132.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="484" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHr0PIERXBhHE65zey-H5YD_UfhbcGes8B9ls50XzOG8B74thoG_1th1SqtznsfQTUkAy9wcN0UaEbn3Ok-RlRQZzhg4CWbHKNWzpq2wxgyg7QfDa-XxRvejhQn-uRtNROuSj48aafAzk/s640/IMG_6132.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It was so much fun, watching the Geckos run about, all the large ants and bugs crawling on the large plants nearby. We even saw a local stray dog come running by and try to <i>eat</i> a Gecko. But the sneaky little Gecko <u>ran clear across the surface of the pool</u> much to the chagrin of the dog. There were lots of other exotic, rare birds and land animals and, of course, we saw monkeys, too! The property is so deeply nestled into the jungle at the coast that the wildlife is overwhelmingly present.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">That night, we had cocktails on the beach at sunset, then went back to the room to shower and change and it was time for dinner.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV0HoSqRf7iXQXnx1VRNjGPHPqFXmaDiwbK7qCg-FDUBnvV26NXYrIffufwSiaYa1qmvNXfPW_I9HaqkIWlFM3ZeDdqbp7S2ebAagWMGGJcQy2GY2hPHN-nxuFEutXSh5pOK3qxCSNvOQ/s1600/IMG_6138.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="484" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV0HoSqRf7iXQXnx1VRNjGPHPqFXmaDiwbK7qCg-FDUBnvV26NXYrIffufwSiaYa1qmvNXfPW_I9HaqkIWlFM3ZeDdqbp7S2ebAagWMGGJcQy2GY2hPHN-nxuFEutXSh5pOK3qxCSNvOQ/s640/IMG_6138.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">My husband <i>needed</i> the namaste rolls again, that's how great they were! He also wanted to stick with what he knew he liked, so he repeated to the thai teriyaki tofu, again. I opted to order something different, so I went with the hearts of palm maki roll. I have to say, this was disappointing. I was expecting rice in the roll, but there was none. It was just a few tiny shreds of hearts of palm with some raw veggies wrapped in seaweed with a peanut soy dipping sauce:</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7yOVTE31b5E48tQDMzkKklAI7Uo7zap4JJFt8R40kQR5uoTP2jhmksTtLs65lVAqr_yaoZeVIJldjJ134P5n9nlFj2uilZjxTgv8omXwPuyOsp1qtbNRri6C4miNHzjUD5yYovmqFICk/s1600/IMG_6139.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="442" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7yOVTE31b5E48tQDMzkKklAI7Uo7zap4JJFt8R40kQR5uoTP2jhmksTtLs65lVAqr_yaoZeVIJldjJ134P5n9nlFj2uilZjxTgv8omXwPuyOsp1qtbNRri6C4miNHzjUD5yYovmqFICk/s640/IMG_6139.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> However, they <i>more than</i> made up for that "miss" with the main that I ordered; The Asian Rice Noodles Alla Coconut Creme. I asked them to throw some tofu in and they gladly did. The creamy coconut ginger sauce was to die for! Amazing food:</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjqsrnjOo5TnEKMH6MG6Yj_85Ujo0ruoBipTSEM3ynn-OFos9UK-u2ZXYIsMxTLbLdUs8RZmin_huIN4nNeiMg6CBLlmb40vBBPTyfqQ-fxULXZIg5aYy9n9d_sUj39Qdi1af7PW-J3FQ/s1600/IMG_6141.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="454" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjqsrnjOo5TnEKMH6MG6Yj_85Ujo0ruoBipTSEM3ynn-OFos9UK-u2ZXYIsMxTLbLdUs8RZmin_huIN4nNeiMg6CBLlmb40vBBPTyfqQ-fxULXZIg5aYy9n9d_sUj39Qdi1af7PW-J3FQ/s640/IMG_6141.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The resort only ever has 2 vegan desserts listed, so we decided to order them both. The "Decadent Chocolate Banana Mousse" was very rich and creamy. The cacao was a bit too strong for my palate and left an undesirable bitter aftertaste, but it was cool, refreshing and enjoyable, nonetheless.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_8MCGA9tC3LhCMnyE1EW6bh11iauWCLe5J7KwG3DyeTCIcpFUmqJf-3pxsp2vStflF6CcZCxLUsGLyFsy3xAfHSvj4bn9_4Ix20s4AqNprigC_cE7Fjx71F8n8NZ3zFPfeZH6qF8LpIc/s1600/IMG_6144.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_8MCGA9tC3LhCMnyE1EW6bh11iauWCLe5J7KwG3DyeTCIcpFUmqJf-3pxsp2vStflF6CcZCxLUsGLyFsy3xAfHSvj4bn9_4Ix20s4AqNprigC_cE7Fjx71F8n8NZ3zFPfeZH6qF8LpIc/s640/IMG_6144.JPG" width="488" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We were disappointed to see that the second dessert, the "Trio of Truffles" was, essentially, the same exact mousse (but a bit sloppily) rolled into balls and coated in cocoa powder, shredded coconut and chopped mint, respectively:</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWDMwW1zRn12n4yHLjnobnCHE7gWOW1S9oT9ra-Ab8isjRUXFTn0zh1ilw2nopG_bD_5YQNrK9cvcQJWEjp-fYaDU6aj_HJwXp7dqCNhSSfS06dB4M8xfnO5u9DqsS14BtBj9191tCCDk/s1600/IMG_6142.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="542" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWDMwW1zRn12n4yHLjnobnCHE7gWOW1S9oT9ra-Ab8isjRUXFTn0zh1ilw2nopG_bD_5YQNrK9cvcQJWEjp-fYaDU6aj_HJwXp7dqCNhSSfS06dB4M8xfnO5u9DqsS14BtBj9191tCCDk/s640/IMG_6142.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Oh well. In truth, we were full and knew we were over-eating so we didn't finish them. We wanted to make sure we didn't leave the next day without having tried the desserts and now we can say we did.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The next morning, after breakfast, we strolled the property once more, taking in the amazing rainforest that enveloped us, just a few meters from the coastline:</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc0MKPEC0lNu5ERf9H721uQ2TJBTWW1JwFotqaqEg4cl1cOcqzFOl08QqZpj6XHR1xFuRzLzgQJrj505zI6hF8PP1sFTILZuT2BrHfdZDGBDpOQYKeWBkDEHwaQjzuqZK5aWpwMj6xcRM/s1600/IMG_6146.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc0MKPEC0lNu5ERf9H721uQ2TJBTWW1JwFotqaqEg4cl1cOcqzFOl08QqZpj6XHR1xFuRzLzgQJrj505zI6hF8PP1sFTILZuT2BrHfdZDGBDpOQYKeWBkDEHwaQjzuqZK5aWpwMj6xcRM/s320/IMG_6146.JPG" width="242" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiS3xrV6LUluHL-FUELCLgHXhpSmRhsEMWS9sBkG2FTVxZn-qPGXu8WT03B2jPiN1fz0MsCSp2x8vIpvIApm00ENfCLbOGOrHa4YqWNmKBp_FojF7LzoIYbC2lveem-z_gyqcXlGauaUE/s1600/IMG_6145.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiS3xrV6LUluHL-FUELCLgHXhpSmRhsEMWS9sBkG2FTVxZn-qPGXu8WT03B2jPiN1fz0MsCSp2x8vIpvIApm00ENfCLbOGOrHa4YqWNmKBp_FojF7LzoIYbC2lveem-z_gyqcXlGauaUE/s320/IMG_6145.JPG" width="242" /></a></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We packed our bags and it was time to leave for Manuel Antonio. We had a lovely time at Ylang Ylang and we look forward to our next visit with them.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I won't get into the particulars of our hectic water taxi trip from Montezuma to Jaco with connection land transfer to Manuel Antonio. Suffice it to say it was a modified shit-storm and we'll leave it at that. I suggest flying and that's exactly what we'll do if we ever need to make that kind of transfer again. SILVER LINING: I got these fun 2 pictures (okay, one is not a picture as much as a screen shot) from being out in the open gulf of water that separates the mainland of Costa Rica's Pacific coast from the Nicoya Peninsula:</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9LLlvfXaXKb7pEkoliyz0HuDVQ0DaxBbmw3VrnMd1jiJV5epX-IFwx3kkCbVWuWJGVc7FrdbRCuSfmUW-Nu5_APR7tCPTz4kxq_McooCuQdP80XIWPUopGJGN3CHTMyC4rqivjzVW_x0/s1600/IMG_6155.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="484" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9LLlvfXaXKb7pEkoliyz0HuDVQ0DaxBbmw3VrnMd1jiJV5epX-IFwx3kkCbVWuWJGVc7FrdbRCuSfmUW-Nu5_APR7tCPTz4kxq_McooCuQdP80XIWPUopGJGN3CHTMyC4rqivjzVW_x0/s640/IMG_6155.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtj9WdpBE_74VG6-uO-o01YIbhqIcRTpC1xjVZO9_7YNLAhwe7j-7cmc4ihI960hW8SR0ivh3h1jNlqGlZO9UF6-VISemkb5AR6oSKhnkgO7LAlLjGwEbEoDIGIamCgmfdKAtAPgB8n-k/s1600/IMG_6151.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtj9WdpBE_74VG6-uO-o01YIbhqIcRTpC1xjVZO9_7YNLAhwe7j-7cmc4ihI960hW8SR0ivh3h1jNlqGlZO9UF6-VISemkb5AR6oSKhnkgO7LAlLjGwEbEoDIGIamCgmfdKAtAPgB8n-k/s640/IMG_6151.PNG" width="360" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We finally made it to our second destination; Manuel Antonio! We stayed at <a href="http://www.sicomono.com/" target="_blank">Hotel Si Como No</a>, which is an Eco Resort at the top of the cliff perched above the beach at Manuel Antonio. It was recommended by many people as a "vegan-friendly" hotel option, including the staff at Ylang Ylang. We had stopped into their gift shop and had dinner there one night 8 years ago and were impressed with the property. I had promised myself back then that, if we ever came back and if we could afford it, we would stay at Si Como No. So we did. That said, we found it to be less vegan friendly than even some of the restaurants in town. Vegetarian-friendly? Absolutely. Vegan-Friendly? "...what's a vegan?"</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">After getting situated in our room, which was lovely, we went to the poolside bar, The Rico Tico. We ordered a lunch of cocktails (because I needed something to take the edge off the stressful water-taxi trip) and started with appetizers. We had the fried yucca with local spices. It was served with refried black beans but we had to ask for it "sin natilla"-- without sour cream:</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioTZGUWT0QUOjoeN4MOh2zJz7c8jI-q1bK3txZam6m2qKR9llUh0L09j5u6osG7NVvEBN2KprzAlY4px64x49l1O3KlLuOaypPbO6msBnHuT1xuY-Jp_SjsITLJULIb4R0dNxaouJkniM/s1600/IMG_6156.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="516" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioTZGUWT0QUOjoeN4MOh2zJz7c8jI-q1bK3txZam6m2qKR9llUh0L09j5u6osG7NVvEBN2KprzAlY4px64x49l1O3KlLuOaypPbO6msBnHuT1xuY-Jp_SjsITLJULIb4R0dNxaouJkniM/s640/IMG_6156.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We also had the patacones; the thick, green sweet plantains, fried twice. They were served with a delicious pico de gallo in and more of the black beans (again, ask for it without sour cream) in cute little tortilla cups:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBtGfxFk7a3r5NNzvnzM-rTM1-gGd6CZD_tUyFD4kAG7p8chPLYoDwCG-J9yaOM9Dr2xbaq4ePJSMMsCCi5wZ9hE9MaHDc15m-nW0xYI055UWGmzzEd0kN97d7VQAq4YXJ9X4s9pKIvbY/s1600/IMG_6157.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="458" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBtGfxFk7a3r5NNzvnzM-rTM1-gGd6CZD_tUyFD4kAG7p8chPLYoDwCG-J9yaOM9Dr2xbaq4ePJSMMsCCi5wZ9hE9MaHDc15m-nW0xYI055UWGmzzEd0kN97d7VQAq4YXJ9X4s9pKIvbY/s640/IMG_6157.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I was still famished so I polished off a vegetarian burrito -- hold the sour cream and cheese. They filled it with grilled veggies like eggplant and zucchini and used the same refried black beans, and then pressed/grilled the burrito. It was like a pannin burrito. DELISH!</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHmFcHnyxZF2WRA-63kiW2e1Xwii6yogjUMXj7_rdhhOjBc4nWhvNNRd8MWGDoJCx-LzwuvCh7XhzuMczJe1F6Q536U7GZJg7D98lcUmei8rZ6sp0OddGC1Qnc9BQxsSkAzhyphenhyphenaiFnzkCM/s1600/IMG_6158.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="440" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHmFcHnyxZF2WRA-63kiW2e1Xwii6yogjUMXj7_rdhhOjBc4nWhvNNRd8MWGDoJCx-LzwuvCh7XhzuMczJe1F6Q536U7GZJg7D98lcUmei8rZ6sp0OddGC1Qnc9BQxsSkAzhyphenhyphenaiFnzkCM/s640/IMG_6158.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We then took the hotel shuttle down to the beach, enjoyed the surf and sand and watched the sunset. I got a shave-ice from the older man who was selling them from his wooden cart:</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9myNwaP78kGm-EGRD1_ZEiBKG_Kd2CtsZ8M1V2iOtiJLriHSYVvFl3u08JLM2JoVUXwAmE1KH4Vj5GhkwgsDrT82HAL8BeNhLcaIAQGi9MRG169xonD4AwXODUJHGy6DeVlv7FT_SFmE/s1600/IMG_6178.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9myNwaP78kGm-EGRD1_ZEiBKG_Kd2CtsZ8M1V2iOtiJLriHSYVvFl3u08JLM2JoVUXwAmE1KH4Vj5GhkwgsDrT82HAL8BeNhLcaIAQGi9MRG169xonD4AwXODUJHGy6DeVlv7FT_SFmE/s640/IMG_6178.JPG" width="484" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">A quick note; Be careful when ordering these. Regardless of flavor, they finish them off with <a href="http://www.elmejornido.com/en/nestle-la-lechera/products/la-lechera-dulce-de-leche" target="_blank">Nestle Lechera</a> which is <u style="font-weight: bold;">most definitely NOT vegan</u>. I told him to leave it off and he was only too happy to do that for us.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This might be a good time to add a note about the food at this resort and the challenges we were clearly facing; I had emailed the hotel in advance, explaining that as vegans, we'd like to have an alternate source of protein other than what was on their <a href="http://www.sicomono.com/facilities/dining-bars" target="_blank">menus on their website</a> and I wondered if tofu might be available. Apparently, tofu is hard to come by in those parts, and the Operations Manager, Dennys Quiros, wrote back to me saying that</span> "<span style="background-color: white; color: #1f497d; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14.399999618530273px;">Our F&B manager will have available lentils & chick peas while you at the hotel. Just contact me as soon as you arrive if any details required." </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I had also specified that I wanted to make sure that there was a non-dairy milk available as I like milk in my morning coffee and my husband like milk with his cereals. I was taken aback when, at the restaurant for lunch, I asked ab</span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">out the milk situation and they told me the resort had none. However, they suggested two "supermarkets" each 4 km away that I could go to and find some. This was really irritating. I mean, this is a 5 Star resort- one of the most exclusive and expensive properties in the whole area-- and <i>they obviously know</i> where to get soymilk and are telling guests to go shopping?!? REALLY?? Well, it was a bit of a hassle, but I contacted a local market and they had no soymilk but they had soymilk powder that was vegan, so I had it delivered for $6 (that was the price of delivery and the powder). At least I knew that we'd be set with a vegan milk alternative in the morning.</span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We were exhausted from the day's travels so we decided to stay at the Rico Tico for dinner. </span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Indeed, they had the chickpeas and lentils, but my husband wasn't having it. He was full from lunch and wanted something lighter. We started dinner splitting the bruschetta but we had them make it on pita bread as the regular white bread made throughout much of the country has added eggs, cream and butter to it. The vegan pita was a great compliment to the fresh flavors from the tomatos:</span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWIKqTL1UniXvZ7fC_rk8Uc2dCRXUxgXIpvnGe2HuXSjCXU7DDKyMI9HDNzFgvPDRQTGZ4pDUNrgjpW8FEEyamLKdt-ACvOLqQiKCFNuhLg7aNfVZWbq9wpFvelA9XWTZNrVO-qWzzZWs/s1600/IMG_6163.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="484" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWIKqTL1UniXvZ7fC_rk8Uc2dCRXUxgXIpvnGe2HuXSjCXU7DDKyMI9HDNzFgvPDRQTGZ4pDUNrgjpW8FEEyamLKdt-ACvOLqQiKCFNuhLg7aNfVZWbq9wpFvelA9XWTZNrVO-qWzzZWs/s640/IMG_6163.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I wanted to try the gazpacho. The waiter, Carlos, told me that the resort usually makes it with raw egg in it so, if I wanted it again, to be sure to ask them to make the puree for me without egg, which he graciously did:</span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOR-KH-1oBqAndzW560U2wr2VP-Wf57dljsa1X0Lz2xXY9zjE0090kt8OTfWxg0f0ja10G99cZ0EwlDL-3TzR4yvN4KgI5iwWWL3yclC3a6OsSF8FV9mSTa41GuayxyDOIUAP1ClLv2dc/s1600/IMG_6164.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOR-KH-1oBqAndzW560U2wr2VP-Wf57dljsa1X0Lz2xXY9zjE0090kt8OTfWxg0f0ja10G99cZ0EwlDL-3TzR4yvN4KgI5iwWWL3yclC3a6OsSF8FV9mSTa41GuayxyDOIUAP1ClLv2dc/s400/IMG_6164.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The flavor was good but they served it <i>WARM! </i>I'm sorry, but in my world, gazpacho is a chilled soup. Otherwise, it's called tomato soup. That was very disappointing, from a 5-star resort.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I opted to let the chef do whatever she wanted with the garbanzos and she made a delicious "stew" of garbanzos, tomatoes, garlic, squash, zucchini, potatoes and celery. She served it with jasmine rice. It was divine!</span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTmCq1ehVXSeW5ivhRxGtmbir0xNEUocbVv3KJCAwhiShkSFA7ZRV7XTZUvwQcl9ztNBAKLBK0oQ0dpr7uT7lCI_IPc3qNsBQCdJ82xSTBhmci7lusUF7IGaiYuF4o9dUysijP39-_WKo/s1600/IMG_6166.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="484" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTmCq1ehVXSeW5ivhRxGtmbir0xNEUocbVv3KJCAwhiShkSFA7ZRV7XTZUvwQcl9ztNBAKLBK0oQ0dpr7uT7lCI_IPc3qNsBQCdJ82xSTBhmci7lusUF7IGaiYuF4o9dUysijP39-_WKo/s640/IMG_6166.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">My husband thought he had played it safe with the spaghetti pomodoro. Think again. There was no real "sauce" and it was quite watery. He was less than thrilled. Though it was good to know that all pasta used was free of egg:</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcGDBE3dod-8UgPaqjaf7poCYBn88cYfK7kfwLZrw0gD5MZ1UdZxP7B-74yI21VL1MOQehYekHs4xStAscfcbBbR3ylnTz13BZswzy9bXDpWi9XSmBra3Awf7YnZgnPnoTZzL24urR2xs/s1600/IMG_6165.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcGDBE3dod-8UgPaqjaf7poCYBn88cYfK7kfwLZrw0gD5MZ1UdZxP7B-74yI21VL1MOQehYekHs4xStAscfcbBbR3ylnTz13BZswzy9bXDpWi9XSmBra3Awf7YnZgnPnoTZzL24urR2xs/s320/IMG_6165.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Again, we passed out early that night, shortly after dinner. The travels and all of that sun just took it out of us.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">When we woke the next morning, we were excited to see the big breakfast buffet. Sadly, there were so many items that <i>could have been made vegan</i> that weren't. Like the breads. What we ended up having was fresh fruit, potato hash-brown patties, rice and beans with fried plantains:</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrtQVzD5pFJ4gbR85-Pa1Z1CEsk5xOm9_wz40QGy8Ed8WGyHtcQ_wrB7T1etnvL5gbQAdFRqnifp9htPjjzWFfi0QQxxAm2Kdhgxw-jTLlUOJX6BC2PjMs_jbXnZpBirzZIHN39mCa4pg/s1600/IMG_6168.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="536" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrtQVzD5pFJ4gbR85-Pa1Z1CEsk5xOm9_wz40QGy8Ed8WGyHtcQ_wrB7T1etnvL5gbQAdFRqnifp9htPjjzWFfi0QQxxAm2Kdhgxw-jTLlUOJX6BC2PjMs_jbXnZpBirzZIHN39mCa4pg/s640/IMG_6168.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It was quite filling, especially with the coffee and fresh juice. Also, I was really, really pleased that, even though I brought my soy milk powder, I didn't need to use it. The operations manager at the Rico Tico went into town and picked up a quart of Silk. That was really nice and restored my faith in the service this hotel should have shown from the get-go.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">When we did a repeat on lunch that day, I knew the 24-hr-black-bean-fest was getting to me and I was sure it was getting to my husband. I did a little local research and heard about a "new" restaurant called NGO. We decided to give NGO a go for dinner.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It was a short walk from the hotel in the heart of the town at the top of the hill. We met the owners, Kong and Susan. Susan is a Tico from Central Costa Rica and Kong is Vietnamese American. They met and married in the US and moved (back for Susan) to Costa Rica from their home in Clearwater, Florida just two years ago and opened NGO 1 year ago. We arrived for dinner at 7:15 PM on a Sunday night and there were already 1 couple and a family of 3 adults and 3 kids ahead of us. There was also a couple waiting for take out ahead of us. The restaurant is tiny and really not so much of an eat-in joint; There's one table for two inside and one table for four outside on the street. And I mean, <i>on the street</i>. No sidewalks, really:</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY3lP8vRjCB4t9xJ3CEXaYzWcBIHlh21kO7NNYXDAgaXEejLAkK1bdrcEJxNBskwNU0zWk-VAQ41zAAkM-gaIi6PpDrnvAd22cEVk2qt_7KBK399yvCpR_9jyBrOv3qE_AdsnnS4nGgTk/s1600/IMG_6196.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="442" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY3lP8vRjCB4t9xJ3CEXaYzWcBIHlh21kO7NNYXDAgaXEejLAkK1bdrcEJxNBskwNU0zWk-VAQ41zAAkM-gaIi6PpDrnvAd22cEVk2qt_7KBK399yvCpR_9jyBrOv3qE_AdsnnS4nGgTk/s640/IMG_6196.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It was a hot and humid night in the jungle and the restaurant was <i>brutally</i> hot. There was no cross ventilation, so we made the choice to take the food to go. It doesn't make a difference because, eat-in or take out, they serve everything is styrofoam containers. That was a bit upsetting, especially for such an ecologically focused country. Also disappointing was that they were slow that night so we ended up waiting for nearly an hour for our food to arrive. Ngo is by NO MEANS a vegan restaurant, but the owners were really willing to work with us to leave out all manner of animal flesh and eggs to make vegan food for us and we appreciated that. In fact, when watching Kong prepare the Wok, I saw him thoroughly wash out and dry the Wok and utensils before cooking our meal.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We started with the vegetarian spring rolls, with the meat left out. They were served with a peanut dipping sauce and were really tasty:</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWerR8khOO-6ej0toA3vd4JyDEmnwPKbkSo5QO8sysL37ytyHUWfPQL8bXd6KHFCjQc8vcDMnWb70CADqwTDJHP36eeKESVOSYyrOloUcvYKCFgyGsDdHzyKbjkZaXRTetGU2IogBZwTk/s1600/IMG_6200.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="530" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWerR8khOO-6ej0toA3vd4JyDEmnwPKbkSo5QO8sysL37ytyHUWfPQL8bXd6KHFCjQc8vcDMnWb70CADqwTDJHP36eeKESVOSYyrOloUcvYKCFgyGsDdHzyKbjkZaXRTetGU2IogBZwTk/s640/IMG_6200.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
For the main, my husband ordered the Chop Suey. I like the flavor but agreed with his assessment that it was doused in <i>way too much oil</i>! Far too greasy for these two New Yorkers. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvPlJziJbCedIqKrM7nZ4dUw3yjBS-TELF_Gn1ilV-tvGXHUF23qr7pPMX1oIeTzi9Nk2aZUhjOTgLUkL5KlSR3d7eEEAdOpSfcCQBfwq0TRmFTLRM-iyfGofGkLq7a-xydtDeREP7alM/s1600/IMG_6201.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="520" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvPlJziJbCedIqKrM7nZ4dUw3yjBS-TELF_Gn1ilV-tvGXHUF23qr7pPMX1oIeTzi9Nk2aZUhjOTgLUkL5KlSR3d7eEEAdOpSfcCQBfwq0TRmFTLRM-iyfGofGkLq7a-xydtDeREP7alM/s640/IMG_6201.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
I ordered the "Arroz Chino"- Chinese fried rice. Also, egg and meat left out, and it was filling and tasty, though a bit too oily, as well.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeViQZLbbxiBrrWbijooGYhsVa5Qlg6tdcyWX_ANAAqjDVOR4jb_PiEsWgbmv5fpYeJHUk2P10Rs6aTDIBsCacqhRNzrTTw9CHIHAj6ROxqEZ8xJyC50saTvDZLkoQhrMUAzV9iDvX5Oo/s1600/IMG_6202.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="484" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeViQZLbbxiBrrWbijooGYhsVa5Qlg6tdcyWX_ANAAqjDVOR4jb_PiEsWgbmv5fpYeJHUk2P10Rs6aTDIBsCacqhRNzrTTw9CHIHAj6ROxqEZ8xJyC50saTvDZLkoQhrMUAzV9iDvX5Oo/s640/IMG_6202.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We both really enjoyed meeting Kong and Susan and appreciated their willingness to work with us to make vegan food. We also appreciated that they comped us the spring rolls, since they were slammed in the kitchen that night and dinner took over an hour to make. We're both still not completely sure why they were slammed with just two small and one medium sized party ahead of us at peak dinner time, but we appreciated the experience, nonetheless. Susan invited us to come back to try one of her famous smoothies the next day but, we found out; Her secret ingredient in all of the fruit flavored smoothies is evaporated milk. So be careful about that if you go there, vegans.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In the hour of waiting, I explored the neighboring establishments. There was a sushi spot up the road that had plenty of vegan sushi options. I also went to the SUPER JOSETH, the local market: </span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI7zzI9GPSN1acX3kvNrrmn1WNFYv9n1WJVZvL0oQoyBYT0yIQNUDHmGKCElZn0KjuWOjPJjNJOWEp4VJ9bQrhyphenhyphensb8ygJguo3h0RvBCDNLlIA38WwpevtwV0D8zYlvd-p7Ll6UHquqITQ/s1600/IMG_6199.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="452" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI7zzI9GPSN1acX3kvNrrmn1WNFYv9n1WJVZvL0oQoyBYT0yIQNUDHmGKCElZn0KjuWOjPJjNJOWEp4VJ9bQrhyphenhyphensb8ygJguo3h0RvBCDNLlIA38WwpevtwV0D8zYlvd-p7Ll6UHquqITQ/s640/IMG_6199.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
This is as big a supermarket as you'll find in the rural parts of Costa Rica, and it really had everything one needs. Fruits, veggies, breads (that were vegan) peanut butter, jelly and instant soups (some were vegan). Lots of chips and snack foods that were also vegan. This was very encouraging to see as was this: </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA_4dAPsZ5RMuupKxEUh3S38AqEp43SkqBdIz_FXb-oWdkFmrogP0RzXR6dzKSGO3lkgIlDnGf6ASz7_3wysQVvhCYGmOWSIbJzZe65yDaPJ1BZFDmVmApbKsJ8EklvN3tVHzEcHJBMe0/s1600/IMG_6198.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA_4dAPsZ5RMuupKxEUh3S38AqEp43SkqBdIz_FXb-oWdkFmrogP0RzXR6dzKSGO3lkgIlDnGf6ASz7_3wysQVvhCYGmOWSIbJzZe65yDaPJ1BZFDmVmApbKsJ8EklvN3tVHzEcHJBMe0/s400/IMG_6198.JPG" width="286" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
That's right! It was the last one on in the store and it was $8, but they had Silk Pure Almond chocolate milk and they had my powdered soymilk products too:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5NUMETQTJZV_2DGP2FfYlw1fd4CE6zmJIFuMD5oyVVqV_yh6RjtAG2yHp64rfZxYDwbyMaXq_aB6Oz7cpogEg9yQbH1qKdrC7pMahv4P2SxXWH8t5d6TSpogvw2amBpQmxk5guos0i1A/s1600/IMG_6197.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="324" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5NUMETQTJZV_2DGP2FfYlw1fd4CE6zmJIFuMD5oyVVqV_yh6RjtAG2yHp64rfZxYDwbyMaXq_aB6Oz7cpogEg9yQbH1qKdrC7pMahv4P2SxXWH8t5d6TSpogvw2amBpQmxk5guos0i1A/s640/IMG_6197.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This was great to know! I actually brought my Vanilla SoyaPac home. I still need to open it up and make some and let you know how it tastes!</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We spent our last day in Manuel Antonio at the resort adults-only pool which was lovely. Michael really enjoyed it: </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRxszPY_MtTJTpZwjj3cONbrtN36HsFv-Um2XAawEIIDUN7uuJv11yMwVtbVstfXmXGDuWXvmCWyN_X2PDOWeB7-OdvUE8m-SNSynOC2gYkaUx5m43mSLtlcd0GlJj8PcQofIpcUwDj3E/s1600/IMG_6184.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="484" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRxszPY_MtTJTpZwjj3cONbrtN36HsFv-Um2XAawEIIDUN7uuJv11yMwVtbVstfXmXGDuWXvmCWyN_X2PDOWeB7-OdvUE8m-SNSynOC2gYkaUx5m43mSLtlcd0GlJj8PcQofIpcUwDj3E/s640/IMG_6184.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Their "Two for one" drinks at happy hour was amusing. They insist on bring the TWO out at once! </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx1LaU5krQRtq2v00wkpcT-F7f5kFo5TqeIrWZ7FI64E9myUSiCB3rO52M_4RNFN2yXGKPGT6Ylmr5fX6FRIMQx218rAZDxYyyNK_r8TalDOLcv3rQOFUysmmr3ZqXHuxRK6t5x7-oivc/s1600/IMG_6227.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx1LaU5krQRtq2v00wkpcT-F7f5kFo5TqeIrWZ7FI64E9myUSiCB3rO52M_4RNFN2yXGKPGT6Ylmr5fX6FRIMQx218rAZDxYyyNK_r8TalDOLcv3rQOFUysmmr3ZqXHuxRK6t5x7-oivc/s640/IMG_6227.JPG" width="483" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
We also went to the Butterfly sanctuary and checked out the amazing butterflies:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7i2_fxIj5WfpA8pi9cJdvz97X_x7NZGBHbiXV_W1EvwQlwnfRCfgxELGrGh6nLJUeCzhSXWwwmb8-afTU2hF0qfU3XMWRUQdcNhPY19tPvWTzERo_DPij_CivH2viV0Hqse-w-Y5MR68/s1600/IMG_6210.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7i2_fxIj5WfpA8pi9cJdvz97X_x7NZGBHbiXV_W1EvwQlwnfRCfgxELGrGh6nLJUeCzhSXWwwmb8-afTU2hF0qfU3XMWRUQdcNhPY19tPvWTzERo_DPij_CivH2viV0Hqse-w-Y5MR68/s640/IMG_6210.JPG" width="446" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Apparently, we vegans smell sweeter than the pineapple and mango they have out for the butterflies, because this guy wouldn't leave me...</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyPI9oGbjex1fKN7Q_kug3hvej-mJC8P5RR-lapExyxwlx_3BMDVJC_IOoU2Q72t-lXSBAqrcUXn1oH-3TdJ7W7VdBz7ooRK08WNfTY-Szazcd5tc7bOVAtFO0zfwjER1dY2W1mp-PMeg/s1600/IMG_6208.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyPI9oGbjex1fKN7Q_kug3hvej-mJC8P5RR-lapExyxwlx_3BMDVJC_IOoU2Q72t-lXSBAqrcUXn1oH-3TdJ7W7VdBz7ooRK08WNfTY-Szazcd5tc7bOVAtFO0zfwjER1dY2W1mp-PMeg/s640/IMG_6208.JPG" width="612" /></a></div>
<br />
And even as I stood to walk around, he closed his wings and hitched a ride with me:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmzdv3H-IY6fRVlcU_r4E7Y7YGcTJ3wnCoNKcSl4bBD_G3yfK26hLmVfbE5MO3vNjti7SFX8D36FoznVZFV0FsrAnzEf3a3iAilPWOlK3nb3DIyfZkoDFLebvALOmyLQM_pldeU8F6cb4/s1600/IMG_6211.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmzdv3H-IY6fRVlcU_r4E7Y7YGcTJ3wnCoNKcSl4bBD_G3yfK26hLmVfbE5MO3vNjti7SFX8D36FoznVZFV0FsrAnzEf3a3iAilPWOlK3nb3DIyfZkoDFLebvALOmyLQM_pldeU8F6cb4/s640/IMG_6211.JPG" width="482" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Sunsets from at Manuel Antonio are some of the most beautiful I've seen anywhere in the world. They easily rival Hawaiian, Tahitian, Galapagos and Calfornia coast sunsets:</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNz7StXzuaoTyFYXrOtB-WjILA7Vy4nUgS_t_gv-baOYEiSnekL2_56_PJRukeZRBV4cIplLmZoe_-_7hb48sDJGdUZhB5TwZQpT-1pkCYZnU_oZn041cxR2K1zJDmBg1H4GxnmUgsd5M/s1600/IMG_6230.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNz7StXzuaoTyFYXrOtB-WjILA7Vy4nUgS_t_gv-baOYEiSnekL2_56_PJRukeZRBV4cIplLmZoe_-_7hb48sDJGdUZhB5TwZQpT-1pkCYZnU_oZn041cxR2K1zJDmBg1H4GxnmUgsd5M/s640/IMG_6230.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We spent our last night dinner down at the beach at a new (just 10 days open at the time) restaurant called Dragonfly Thai. We had been shopping for gifts at the various shops along the beach and my husband looked at the menu and shouted, "Hey hun! <i><b>THEY HAVE TOFU</b></i>!!!" We had such a great time, we both posted reviews on Trip Advisor, immediately. Here's mine:</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #2c2c2c; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Dragonfly is only 10 days old but it already has a head start against most other restaurants in Manuel Antonio. It is in the best location at the beach, it is modern, sleek, chic, and very open and airy. The wait staff were genuinely friendly and solicitous without being hovering or pushy. We went tonight for a later dinner but I could imagine what an amazing view of the sunset they have from the second floor across from the beach. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #2c2c2c; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggZ1yPlhyQwgdPHoKbLwo0SJaeW1phE9FeAFSCm5SQw9yOQiLQFOJ-7hSUOqOPoopmMJyalz3wNOAQa1182B83lcRzjtDaQ9sLbH-L8C1hcQ3cDe3u50B7eQKA58LqMyBRSXptC4cj9yM/s1600/IMG_6229.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggZ1yPlhyQwgdPHoKbLwo0SJaeW1phE9FeAFSCm5SQw9yOQiLQFOJ-7hSUOqOPoopmMJyalz3wNOAQa1182B83lcRzjtDaQ9sLbH-L8C1hcQ3cDe3u50B7eQKA58LqMyBRSXptC4cj9yM/s640/IMG_6229.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi50cmt2E0VbeY83O47p6ZKFcVd5oRlRhyQ_9Az1b0Px4tPC2o_He7hl8asPyTSheCCxixiBM4eLBaozht0vwYGx-fSCkRybEPGqsME8znbdUcDZFoAPtiuRVdil2okMn8_PSFPMcfTEYw/s1600/IMG_6238.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi50cmt2E0VbeY83O47p6ZKFcVd5oRlRhyQ_9Az1b0Px4tPC2o_He7hl8asPyTSheCCxixiBM4eLBaozht0vwYGx-fSCkRybEPGqsME8znbdUcDZFoAPtiuRVdil2okMn8_PSFPMcfTEYw/s640/IMG_6238.JPG" width="378" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGzk_77m2R-0GU-DWYdkaokEl-YKaSkh0bLz3G0WVVEgEhL0VCcQslgNFtnR4F9B6JeoHmb0lWRoR4MwWWJHeQkGAe-CmwbAdd3X5eQlFvPLaFQECHeDNSeYfxAUElnq7-SE32RjwytqI/s1600/IMG_6239.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="484" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGzk_77m2R-0GU-DWYdkaokEl-YKaSkh0bLz3G0WVVEgEhL0VCcQslgNFtnR4F9B6JeoHmb0lWRoR4MwWWJHeQkGAe-CmwbAdd3X5eQlFvPLaFQECHeDNSeYfxAUElnq7-SE32RjwytqI/s640/IMG_6239.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br style="background-color: white; color: #2c2c2c; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #2c2c2c; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Dragonfly is an especially key addition to the Manuel Antonio food scene for vegetarians and vegans. My husband and I are both vegan. We were recommended to stay at Hotel Si Como No, an eco-resort, as the food selections would be more accommodating of a plant-based meat free diet. While this is true, all the restaurants at the hotel as well as the other ones in Manuel Antonio that we tried, approach a vegan diet as one that is purely vegetables and grains with some beans. I had even emailed the hotel to ask them about the possibility of having tofu for some of our meals. They told me that they could not get tofu but they did have garbanzos and lentils. Wow this has been fine, you can imagine our ecstatic elation to see the menu of dragon fly across from the beach yesterday proudly declaring multiple options available as either "vegetarian" or "choice of chicken or tofu". Tofu?!?! In the rainforest?!? This was a very big deal for us and we know it will be for countless others who eat a strictly plant-based diet.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #2c2c2c; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #2c2c2c; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #2c2c2c; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">We started with the vegetarian spring rolls, which are actually vegan as there are no eggs or dairy in them. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #2c2c2c; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi39YySvAYJbO7I6hifbAyF1CmM7Vn15FM75qSOnEkQXZC-x4MBdapxd8EXqcr6DGF4H2_847DQfPVVndJObGYYjk1IBNX-yc42WHaUK5OfGHf4E2QL3Itx7w0cY20Vmqs3EnRa86T6JEc/s1600/IMG_6234.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi39YySvAYJbO7I6hifbAyF1CmM7Vn15FM75qSOnEkQXZC-x4MBdapxd8EXqcr6DGF4H2_847DQfPVVndJObGYYjk1IBNX-yc42WHaUK5OfGHf4E2QL3Itx7w0cY20Vmqs3EnRa86T6JEc/s640/IMG_6234.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #2c2c2c; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #2c2c2c; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">While they could have used a few more moments to drain before being served, the flavors worked really well with the three delicious dipping sauces. There was a savory flavor to the vegetables inside the roll that really made me wonder if it was just vegetables we were eating! But indeed, we were. The presentation was spectacular: served on a sushi boat, the rolls were diagonally split and presented askew with the dipping sauces in the back of the boat and a delightful shredded carrot lime garnish in front. Much like the decor in the restaurant, this presentation is as good as you would find in any Manhattan Thai restaurant.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #2c2c2c; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #2c2c2c; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #2c2c2c; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">For the main course, my husband got the sweet-and-sour tofu. Served with Jasmine rice, it was a sweet and sour medley of fresh vegetables pineapple and crispy tofu. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #2c2c2c; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDx6eK-w5G3gqTkgzJJaQlyJy6wPvBtfz77n3aDWjRZz46KpkP2HA62z5heLgch3JOwXSxDBa43lyp5UCSdxepXSNx3c_4rjEUcjYPGm5Sb2G6qNk7Gq93TqE_zm53AFCbKr66DGRubAw/s1600/IMG_6236.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="442" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDx6eK-w5G3gqTkgzJJaQlyJy6wPvBtfz77n3aDWjRZz46KpkP2HA62z5heLgch3JOwXSxDBa43lyp5UCSdxepXSNx3c_4rjEUcjYPGm5Sb2G6qNk7Gq93TqE_zm53AFCbKr66DGRubAw/s640/IMG_6236.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #2c2c2c; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #2c2c2c; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">I ordered the green curry with tofu. It was deliciously spicy with a great mix of green vegetables and a strong flavor of fresh bamboo shoots. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjliQv-KNKzaXGoZ5tngEB_abQFUissJpnCPc4E1nYyMEW2MJTmeAK3cdi3U2Fq4kHmpbNYEOmLaB0C29ZapdZ_ZbsGzkmLQVJHsa3AgROxIhGkV20GarN3EE6boCMG0lm_KGbtUO-uxmc/s1600/IMG_6237.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="548" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjliQv-KNKzaXGoZ5tngEB_abQFUissJpnCPc4E1nYyMEW2MJTmeAK3cdi3U2Fq4kHmpbNYEOmLaB0C29ZapdZ_ZbsGzkmLQVJHsa3AgROxIhGkV20GarN3EE6boCMG0lm_KGbtUO-uxmc/s640/IMG_6237.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br style="background-color: white; color: #2c2c2c; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #2c2c2c; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">We both really regretted having had too much to eat at the pool this afternoon as we were too full to order cocktails or other appetizers and items off the menu at Dragonfly. Though we go back home to the USA tomorrow, we are sure that whenever we come back Manuel Antonio, Dragonfly will still be here, perched atop the beachside and, by then, a longtime local favorite.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #2c2c2c; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><br /><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #2c2c2c; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Bitstream Vera Sans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">We can't wait to come back!</span></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And so we left the next morning and flew back to San Jose where we had hoped to find vegan options of some sort at the international airport. Sadly, there wasn't even rice and beans to be had as there was at Pavas, the national airport. I guess this is because it's mostly Australian, European and North American tourists who travel here and they tailor the offerings to "ham and cheese" or "turkey and cheese" sandwiches. I managed to find these coconut cookies that are vegan, and many of the Cafe Brit chocolates are vegan as well. We picked those up, an apple and a lot of plantain chips, nuts and a carton of Pringles and snacked the 4 1/2 hours home to New Jersey. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7lk2NNOq0g6te4gjV23lkKjpfDW_I_GbDL_w915m-4msRXRXo4ugQ6H5V42004pe20TfXLp3BIO61Hp-DHqRJJGr8DDaa4iqLrXsFpkberiJNkHmJzaI0Wd-co6d6NgYd9kmTbuQs_wE/s1600/IMG_6240.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7lk2NNOq0g6te4gjV23lkKjpfDW_I_GbDL_w915m-4msRXRXo4ugQ6H5V42004pe20TfXLp3BIO61Hp-DHqRJJGr8DDaa4iqLrXsFpkberiJNkHmJzaI0Wd-co6d6NgYd9kmTbuQs_wE/s640/IMG_6240.JPG" width="484" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In the end, I have to say that I regret having been so afraid to return to Costa Rica sooner. Our dogs were fine while we were gone-- even <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=2504804326931509526#editor/target=post;postID=4047085007962110408" target="_blank">Miss Phoebe</a>, who is getting on in her years and definitely had a lot of health issues this past year. Moreover, as vegans, there were plenty of options the filled us with healthy, nourishing meals. It made me realize that I still have a ways to go in undoing my first 38 years of thinking about food. I'm so American in my thinking-- "Where's the protein?" I think I've unconsciously replaced "meat, chicken, fish" in my former diet with "Tofu, Seitan and Tempeh" as my "mains". I need to be more focused on beans, nuts, and accepting that there really is plenty of protein in fruits and veggies. Not every meal needs a complex protein like tofu, tempeh or seitan. This was a great wake up call for me. I was never lacking for food. I was never <i>truly </i>hungry, other than my perpetual state of Jewish Hunger that I was raised with-- </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">"<i>Are you hungry</i>?" </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">"<i>Yeah, I could eat..</i>."</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This has invigorated and re-inspired me to take my blogging about travel and food more seriously. Travelling and vegan food as a form of activism are two core passions in my life and I'm glad to start this new year off with a great post about an amazing country filled with wonderful people living a peaceful life, <a href="http://www.insidecostarica.com/dailynews/2012/february/22/costarica12022203.htm" target="_blank">in harmony with the land they aggressively protect</a>. The pure life or, as they say in Costa Rica, "PURA VIDA!"</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Here's the best part of this whole thing: As I sit here, finishing this post, my husband (the amazing vegan chef who you should be <a href="https://twitter.com/SuchAVegan" target="_blank">following on Twitter</a> if you're not already) brought me up some lunch. He was inspired to try his own take on the Namaste Rolls we so enjoyed at Ylang Ylang. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">He added pressed, marinated, sliced tofu strips to his version and let me tell you-- <i>these are AMAZING</i>! Another great recipe from my favorite chef! This one definitely will be in the cookbook...</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqzwOG4CNE0x36TbWgHjK78tt6RnhSgfxuGUwV1dwwOXTLnu5AU9gQaOP57qeMseMl3IO3-GFzEvfuYWOpH1XISaBx0Gc31zw3qXjK0D6N2NUuvssfhupiJnRGML76v-HUc3peuv_8wR4/s1600/NamasteRolls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="484" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqzwOG4CNE0x36TbWgHjK78tt6RnhSgfxuGUwV1dwwOXTLnu5AU9gQaOP57qeMseMl3IO3-GFzEvfuYWOpH1XISaBx0Gc31zw3qXjK0D6N2NUuvssfhupiJnRGML76v-HUc3peuv_8wR4/s640/NamasteRolls.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">In the end, this is what travel is about for me; It's not just about escaping, though that's a fun part of it. It's about exposing yourself to new aspects of the amazing diversity that exists on our planet. It's about internalizing those experiences- the sounds, sights, smells and tastes- and bringing them home with you and carrying them with you, inside of you, as you move forward in your own journey in life. </span></div>
</div>
Ethanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14509163527761921258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5845980230733195877.post-88276913222381807702012-12-25T10:28:00.000-08:002012-12-26T03:50:12.107-08:00Vegans in Vegas<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">When my husband and I went to Las Vegas in March 2010 for his 39th birthday, I was vegan and he was not. It was torture. We struggled to find me basic food that was animal-free. From egg whites in veggie burgers to fish paste in asian food, it was a vegan's nightmare. Then, just a few weeks after returning home, Steve Wynn announced that he went vegan and that all of his properties were going to have extensive vegan menus. I thought, "Really?? Now that I'm back home??" Ugh! My next thought was, "I need to get back there, ASAP!" Well, it took nearly 2 years, but we went back this December and I have to say, <i>what a difference a few years make!</i> Vegas is more than vegan-friendly; It can be a paradise vacation for the vegan traveller.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We stayed at the Encore this time, the sister property to the Wynn. I really liked the property, the room was comfy and spacious. The room service menu has been updated since the current version of what is on their website. I mean, vegan pizza delivered to your room with fries at 1 AM? Yes, please! There's so much on the vegan menus at The Wynn and The Encore, it nearly makes you feel like you're part of the mainstream, again. Frankly, it was a bit disorienting. So, in no particular order, this was our experience at the various food venues at the Wynn and The Encore:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><u>Country Club</u></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><u><br /></u></b></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We had our first night dinner at Country Club and it was worth every dime. The service was impeccable. The vegan menu was extensive and we really, really enjoyed everything. our eyes were bigger than our stomachs, and we couldn't finish everything, but it was all divine.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I ordered ordered the mock crab cake and it was tremendous: </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib2pblNICKmJ5M4hltTDbEhamLggnDsxO-c3Zl-wPN1z6paBFXiB2VWUFA712T8vNyyJxHCV1tDBSTknD_Oz2ssgxNxBhxQ9lIJX_wGDTs_bjZg6nLXdzJq36j5DljQaliw5uCJUwjRi4/s1600/IMG_5915.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="201" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib2pblNICKmJ5M4hltTDbEhamLggnDsxO-c3Zl-wPN1z6paBFXiB2VWUFA712T8vNyyJxHCV1tDBSTknD_Oz2ssgxNxBhxQ9lIJX_wGDTs_bjZg6nLXdzJq36j5DljQaliw5uCJUwjRi4/s320/IMG_5915.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
My husband started with the filed greens salad with garlic-herb tomatoes and a sherry vinaigrette which was wonderful. I ordered a side of the yucca fries with chipotle aioli and garlic sauce-- they were tasty but, for me, the garlic was overpowering and the fries were overly fried:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSwT9GRNtSpJzJfSZqlMr59vboGO0NjS0ddGBL0bJe11tJjEpGnQu3G06J8JdAn91LaJ-aWKXhQaYFYCjcupDCjUmWiiUjzU9fztxe9qXzWAx4KG3PPYPGcs5nBQEIQhIddCERV24DrOg/s1600/IMG_5914.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSwT9GRNtSpJzJfSZqlMr59vboGO0NjS0ddGBL0bJe11tJjEpGnQu3G06J8JdAn91LaJ-aWKXhQaYFYCjcupDCjUmWiiUjzU9fztxe9qXzWAx4KG3PPYPGcs5nBQEIQhIddCERV24DrOg/s320/IMG_5914.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
For my main, I went with the Steak Salad. I used to love sliced steak over salad back when I was an unconscious eater, and I've missed that flavoring. The Country Club kitchen gets this right using well seasoned Gardein steak strips over a fresh mixed veggie salad. Their "blue cheese" was great and the friend onion rings on top were divine:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivburZ2oxtdlXU-aveI4wTrTQnGWBquaPUrf4Wea9hyphenhyphenV4kn5dtColTngQT8VpuxZFyfPJFr_ioFWhPJxCizKclAtW5gewTaztQIC8xHvwFKXcLXEF27f0-92nM5HRhQAAYG79l925a8u8/s1600/IMG_5913.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivburZ2oxtdlXU-aveI4wTrTQnGWBquaPUrf4Wea9hyphenhyphenV4kn5dtColTngQT8VpuxZFyfPJFr_ioFWhPJxCizKclAtW5gewTaztQIC8xHvwFKXcLXEF27f0-92nM5HRhQAAYG79l925a8u8/s320/IMG_5913.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Like many of the restaurants in The Wynn and The Encore, this was <i>not</i> a cheap meal, but it was well worth it. By far, Country Club was my favorite of all of the establishments at The Encore.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><u style="font-weight: bold;">Sinatra</u>:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Why would a vegan go to a steakhouse? Well, because it's in The Encore and they have a fully vegan menu, that's why! We saved Sinatra for our last night and, truth be told, we should have gone back to Country Club. Despite multiple positive recommendations about Sinatra, I hated it. I disliked just about everything in the entire experience of eating there. From the surly waiter to the uncomfortable chairs, this restaurant humors vegans to believe they actually have a seat at the table.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I started with the beet salad which was baby beets with citrus segments in a blood-orange vinaigrette. I was astonished when a small rectangular plate with exactly 7 thumb-sized, baby beets and a few slices of citrus came out. I mean, I know this is "high end" cuisine, but a salad should be a salad. This was a deconstructed mess. The beets were lovely, but I wish there were more of them. At $17 for a starter, I started off feeling ripped off.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">My husband started with the Cesar salad; Heavy on the garlic, low on the Cesar taste. He was quite disappointed and, having tasted it, I would agree he had reason to be.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">For our mains, we ordered the Gardein Chicken Entrees; I went with the Chicken Parm and my husband ordered the Chicken Marsala. One of the things that I like about Gardein chicken is that it's a thin, scallopini slice/cutlet. One of my pet peeves (even from back in my omnivore days) is restaurants that use <i>thick</i> cuts of chicken breast as a "cutlet". Ordering a Gardein cutlet, I didn't expect a thick (really, greater than 1 " thick) cut of chick'n. The sauce was salty and the mock cheese was revolting. It tasted gritty which makes me wonder what 10-year old soy-based cheese-alternative they're still using? My husband's Marsala was utterly inedible. There was so much salt in it (and that's a lot coming from me, given how much I love salted food) it caused him to cough when eating it. Neither of us got even a quarter of the way through our main courses and we weren't ready to test them out for dessert. In truth, we should have complained about the awful food, sent it back and tried the Couscous or the pasta instead, but we were disgusted, lost our appetites and really just wanted to get out of the restaurant. So we did, went up to our room and were both sick for 3 hours. Avoid Sinatra's at all costs.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><u>Wazuzu</u></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><u><br /></u></b></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We both really <i>wanted </i>to enjoy lunch at Wazuzu. Fun decor, modern pan-asian food and an impressive-looking vegan menu. We started with Dim Sum:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhezmmiEpYga3mw6VhQ-DEJ8URQKALuQZi3eoFPFJgy58EcW0QwRBNhoIRWImOR2-Q4BbhW-TIMO3KhusHNjNzVSwXdU9kPgjCOy-0ieVd-7D61Riw8of7MnE8v9QnUZ2DNlOo-93gRl0/s1600/DimSum.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhezmmiEpYga3mw6VhQ-DEJ8URQKALuQZi3eoFPFJgy58EcW0QwRBNhoIRWImOR2-Q4BbhW-TIMO3KhusHNjNzVSwXdU9kPgjCOy-0ieVd-7D61Riw8of7MnE8v9QnUZ2DNlOo-93gRl0/s400/DimSum.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It was a little bit lacking in depth of flavor-- a bit bland-- but it was nicely presented and very light.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">My husband had the crispy tofu with green beans in mushrooms. It was good, but a bit too oily. Also, there was a lack of flavor; It was as though they were deliberately not using much soy sauce or seasonings. Bland, is one thing asian food should never be.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWNfCYwbGe4O-3OrNP0Lj3V94atk7HCS_PHoT5uLM4jNk5m_lYqbqaZIaS-3XENRlg_j4ms7RAxb_PyyZ_8TtadRLDRqKC9IKcuuZ1KR8E6xLW6QySvsMvf3jnQHUrKhBkGzhyT5rBzbg/s1600/GreenBeans.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWNfCYwbGe4O-3OrNP0Lj3V94atk7HCS_PHoT5uLM4jNk5m_lYqbqaZIaS-3XENRlg_j4ms7RAxb_PyyZ_8TtadRLDRqKC9IKcuuZ1KR8E6xLW6QySvsMvf3jnQHUrKhBkGzhyT5rBzbg/s400/GreenBeans.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I ordered the Drunken Noodles which tofu and Thai basil, based on the server's recommendation that it was "the best item on the menu". </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGka81XpCuaR0PHiD0dNAhmy7oBkDW9_h9JJNZ4gM8040ar2rrcUtKSiTK0uzXo62c9lJ_bCmeW8JCxCpPwx_6h1Bb5LsGyNFORMuTPbpPVktA-8oGCFb-lGsJjGSLs2tATcC11d1NDfs/s1600/DrunkenNoodles.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGka81XpCuaR0PHiD0dNAhmy7oBkDW9_h9JJNZ4gM8040ar2rrcUtKSiTK0uzXo62c9lJ_bCmeW8JCxCpPwx_6h1Bb5LsGyNFORMuTPbpPVktA-8oGCFb-lGsJjGSLs2tATcC11d1NDfs/s400/DrunkenNoodles.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> I, too, was a bit disappointed. It was too oily and devoid of any flavor to be "drunken". The only think those noodles were drinking was canola oil... very sad. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We asked the woman next to us, who was vegetarian, how she liked her Pad Thai noodles and she had the same response; Oily and flavorless.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Too bad...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><u>Society Cafe</u></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><u><br /></u></b></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This is the place to have your vegan breakfast in Vegas! Wow! You will love this place...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Their tofu scramble, served on flat bread with a cashew cream and topped with spinach and tempeh bacon is one of the best breakfast items I've ever had.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd16-Zj2Tz-KXEknf1bS2twX0Wi6tRPFbzLQKn4Lr35MXx4BKgGV9jj5PfJR3BYQ1_6_-LdAJdFrBK4xb4wa5wGFd9Eq-6Iiz9u4JBsO8n-XtZkDzPVVX5rRY1Nov1sJPIcGgqyJAGKJU/s1600/IMG_5920.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd16-Zj2Tz-KXEknf1bS2twX0Wi6tRPFbzLQKn4Lr35MXx4BKgGV9jj5PfJR3BYQ1_6_-LdAJdFrBK4xb4wa5wGFd9Eq-6Iiz9u4JBsO8n-XtZkDzPVVX5rRY1Nov1sJPIcGgqyJAGKJU/s320/IMG_5920.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">My husband ordered the frosted flake crusted French Toast with bananas in an Almond milk batter:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMTlKHf-EwwgQxqhllpGPWdy4JZ4UJq9-Z3hY4lWJ5rJWl5XzzDRHwMF3Ya6iPKbtBALpZQN2__FogHGSRyTLuwBoY202YA8O05Mopau8fkxynFbecUXxEr497-jd7qtQqTmuyvMLZtQ0/s1600/frencj.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMTlKHf-EwwgQxqhllpGPWdy4JZ4UJq9-Z3hY4lWJ5rJWl5XzzDRHwMF3Ya6iPKbtBALpZQN2__FogHGSRyTLuwBoY202YA8O05Mopau8fkxynFbecUXxEr497-jd7qtQqTmuyvMLZtQ0/s320/frencj.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This was so utterly delicious and heavenly, I insisted we go back on our last day just so I could order this for myself! Breakfast at the Encore or the Wynn in sinfully delicious!</span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><u><br /></u></b></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><u>ZOOZACRACKERS Deli</u></b></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We dropped by Zoozacrackers Deli for the one vegan menu item; The Vegan Cheese Burger with fries and a chocolate milkshake. Why this took them 40 minutes to get to us, I'll never know. Apparently, neither did the wait staff. They were really confused when we went up to them 30 minutes into our wait, but I digress.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEPFzUJs5-lDRx6urJdszhPMrHCK33IipfATgIXiAeIxlhQVE5_-LTIbe4vyI9tj23N6OaMMoXzkjLIgEccmSUwvqVaaK19uDga-Aps2ciQ-b9xm5fW7z_CBeo3Ccw3OgT7wkwnI-BVyU/s1600/IMG_5926.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEPFzUJs5-lDRx6urJdszhPMrHCK33IipfATgIXiAeIxlhQVE5_-LTIbe4vyI9tj23N6OaMMoXzkjLIgEccmSUwvqVaaK19uDga-Aps2ciQ-b9xm5fW7z_CBeo3Ccw3OgT7wkwnI-BVyU/s320/IMG_5926.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This was just sad and disappointing. It was a simply Gardein meatless burger patty with some condiments on it and an unmelted (gritty) slice of soy-cheese. (What's up with the soy cheese at The Wynn/Encore?? Haven't they heard of Daiya?!??) The fries were good. I don't know what vegan burgers seem to intimidate omnivores... they're not hard to spruce up and, really, we vegans like all of the sauteed onions, guac, fake-bacon, etc... condiments you can pile on. This was sad. It needs work.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><u>Tableau</u></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><u><br /></u></b></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Let's say something nice about Tableau.... the location is pretty. That's about it. The waiter, after we ordered off the vegan menu, put down non-vegan bread items and BUTTER. There is a reason I mention this my fellow vegan travellers; Just because the restaurant had a vegan menu, doesn't mean that the wait staff or servers have ANY CLUE what that means. You have to stay vigilant. Some of the break items are NOT vegan. You should be asking for the vegan butter at every restaurant or, at least, confirming that what you've been served is vegan. Again, I digress.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I was disappointed with the beet salad at Sinatra's the night before so I decided that their lunch-entree beet salad would make up for it. Wow! Was I wrong... same deal, different restaurant. And when I mean small... take a look; </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCAZNh5I4NPokyx-heDhi8tQz47pw2QrN4VKeg0QjRmaMob-GPR35bbMs4grsdirPbkvbBU3v79oFAs_UrRCf41yn5iyD3hSqnZZY1oAH4uEl2RK44iY2vimEyYTZobWOoe5ENiClC9jY/s1600/IMG_5941.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCAZNh5I4NPokyx-heDhi8tQz47pw2QrN4VKeg0QjRmaMob-GPR35bbMs4grsdirPbkvbBU3v79oFAs_UrRCf41yn5iyD3hSqnZZY1oAH4uEl2RK44iY2vimEyYTZobWOoe5ENiClC9jY/s320/IMG_5941.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Four cubes of tofu (1/16th of a block). 8 half-pieces of baby beets. I was starving. I ordered a basket of fries because we were about to pack up, check out and travel for 8 hours home! This was not a place to eat a filling meal.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In all, it was a treat to be able to stay at a place with options that were available to us. We did have a good time. But, honestly, for the prices they charge, The Wynn and The Encore really need to step up their culinary game. Coming from big metropolitan cities like New York and LA, we expect vegan cuisine to be more like the meals at Country Club and Society Cafe, not the oily Wazuzu, salty Sinatra or teensy-tiny sized Tableau. </span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We also ventured out of the Wynn/Encore to <a href="http://www.sliceofvegaspizza.com/about">Slice of Vegas</a> in the Shops at The Mandalay Bay. Their <a href="http://www.sliceofvegaspizza.com/vegan_menu">Vegan Menu</a> is tremendous and it's hard to choose! My husband liked the meatless boneless chicken wings, to start. What's not to like with <a href="http://www.gardein.com/index.php">: </a>chicken? He ordered the savory BBQ Chicken Pizza to start and it was amaaaaaazing. My friend <a href="https://twitter.com/Autumnchild68">Akiko</a> ordered the faux pie, which is basically a vegan cheese pie with veggies. I went with the meatless meatball pizza and it was tremendous. Of course, I had to try the dessert; The Vegan Chocolate Cake;<span style="background-color: white;"> a c</span></span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">hocolate cake with a creamy vegan peanut butter frosting. </span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfCIFXsq6892CaGzs6imLy3bJHoPHYGRrlAG12nQZrwCk2pbDz5SzKR3NlKlq1UwN27YI6aLKzNAezxxMm7IOQD8ha_SZpULObfphUJtUmF-05XGCyAuO9_xEWUWyD49Hwsm5Ngg9CmJY/s1600/IMG_5922.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfCIFXsq6892CaGzs6imLy3bJHoPHYGRrlAG12nQZrwCk2pbDz5SzKR3NlKlq1UwN27YI6aLKzNAezxxMm7IOQD8ha_SZpULObfphUJtUmF-05XGCyAuO9_xEWUWyD49Hwsm5Ngg9CmJY/s320/IMG_5922.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Oh. My. Goodness!!! Delicious. This place was an amazing find and I was extra grateful that it was on the opposite end of the strip from where we were staying. Otherwise, I could have been there for lunch and dinner every day and would have gained another 10 lbs!</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><u>Pura Vida Bakery and Bystro</u></b></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I've debated for three weeks about posting this review. In the end, I can't pull these punches. We ultimately don't help the cause of promoting delicious vegan food by not calling out unprofessional and below par food establishments simply because they're vegan. That said....</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 15px;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We decided that, for a change, we were going to venture off The Strip and head out to a local spot for Sunday breakfast. Pura Vida Bystro and Bakery was the closest of the local options and seemed like a great idea for breakfast.</span></span></span><br />
<div style="color: #222222; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px;">
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="color: #222222; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px;">
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Round trip taxi fare from the hotel at the Northern Strip ran us $32 with a tip. I guess that's valid to include in consideration of the fact that the vegan breakfast food options at The Encore – which are spectacular and delicious – are still pretty pricey. </span></span></div>
<div style="color: #222222; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px;">
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="color: #222222; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px;">
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">When we arrived at <a href="http://www.puravidavegas.com/">Pura Vida</a>, the restaurant was half-full. The waitresses are lovely. Everyone was very friendly and solicitous. Our server was taking us through the menu item by item pointing out what seasonal fruits and vegetables were not in stock and what replacements were available. She casually mentioned in the middle of her presentation that, since everything is made to order, it'd be approximately 45 minutes until our order would be delivered to the table. We were taken aback. It was 10:00 AM on a Sunday- how could a restaurant that was only half full seriously take so long to make brunch? Admittedly, we were hungry, so this was a bit disappointing. Our waitress suggested that we order one of the appetizers on the menu if we were hungry and that way we could have something to snack on while we were waiting for our main meal. I have to say, I was quite taken aback by this. I came to the restaurant to eat because I was hungry. I am now told that I need to order more food to eat because the food that I want to order to eat will not be ready for close to an hour? Really?? It always strikes me as particularly odd and, frankly, completely unacceptable that a restaurant cannot perform its main function: To serve food in a reasonable period of time when at full capacity. Anything less than the ability to serve your customers in a reasonable time when at full capacity means that your operations are not streamlined. </span></span></div>
<div style="color: #222222; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px;">
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="color: #222222; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px;">
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">That said, we ordered appetizers. I decided to go with the chocolate hazelnut Bundt cake with chocolate sauce to accompany my coffee. </span></span></div>
<div style="color: #222222; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px;">
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 15px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSRvRlfcFQu8ILjbYKyvLqc4lF8nvXQM-lbwE62uW8U1DIk0o0Gcc9dqJwXPIi7Bws4FimeWCkLMM0UbN_CsKPMSupaUTi3948rM353pGZT9_qOdjABZk3TV1QZDFQ2h4u274Yc8c3sJw/s1600/IMG_5927.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSRvRlfcFQu8ILjbYKyvLqc4lF8nvXQM-lbwE62uW8U1DIk0o0Gcc9dqJwXPIi7Bws4FimeWCkLMM0UbN_CsKPMSupaUTi3948rM353pGZT9_qOdjABZk3TV1QZDFQ2h4u274Yc8c3sJw/s320/IMG_5927.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<br />
<div style="color: #222222; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px;">
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It was a very rich chocolate cake though I didn't really taste the hazelnut at all. It was very moist and I was told that this is because Chef Myra steams all of her pastry cakes. That makes sense to me, as it would probably be very dry otherwise.</span></span></div>
<div style="color: #222222; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px;">
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="color: #222222; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px;">
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">My husband ordered the chips and salsa. </span></span></div>
<div style="color: #222222; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px;">
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 15px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidjvNKHZudOBbCcuP7pUM13ceVMUPC3B6LsKIioVGzLagywCJJnibUKl7pXM6h5tCICj5qGTyVYAEF_UvuhjKlWNoM9wIzOi3PYnLTiWRNPg8jivZKyGWkMnvHxnPHesP1b78uLeZu-UE/s1600/IMG_5928.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidjvNKHZudOBbCcuP7pUM13ceVMUPC3B6LsKIioVGzLagywCJJnibUKl7pXM6h5tCICj5qGTyVYAEF_UvuhjKlWNoM9wIzOi3PYnLTiWRNPg8jivZKyGWkMnvHxnPHesP1b78uLeZu-UE/s320/IMG_5928.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<div style="color: #222222; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px;">
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="color: #222222; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px;">
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Being from the East Coast, we expect "salsa" to mean a red tomato sauce or perhaps a pico de gallo. Instead, it was a very hearty bean salsa. It was pretty tasty, and more like what we would call chili back home. The corn chips that were served with that were quite tasty.</span></span></div>
<div style="color: #222222; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px;">
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="color: #222222; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px;">
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">My coffee was interesting. There was no soy milk or almond milk available. They use a coconut milk-based creamer. I prefer a milk as it doesn't have all of the preservatives that are in the "creamers" but I needed a couple of coffee so badly I didn't care. Here's the really strange part: <i><u>The creamer was served in a tiny little paper cup</u></i>: the type that you would find in a hospital when the nurse hands you your pills. Maybe a tablespoon, at most. I find it strange that creamer wouldn't be served in a small creamer pitcher for the table allowing the customers to decide how much they'd like to have in their coffee. I found the rationing inhospitable.</span></span></div>
<div style="color: #222222; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px;">
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="color: #222222; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px;">
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">About 40 minutes into our dining experience, Chef Myra came out to the table. She is a lovely, high-energy and passionate person. It's very clear that she is incredibly dedicated to the idea of exposing everyone to plant-based vegan cuisine. She had seemed frazzled the entire morning. (Why? Well, I don't know but there was a lot of shrieking coming from the kitchen. Chef Myra was shouting at the servers and with the staff in the kitchen and they were shouting at her. At one point, we heard her telling one of the servers that the griddle had become too hot to make pancakes and that they would need to wait until it cooled down. The high-volume frenetic interaction between the kitchen staff and the waitstaff really added a sense of panic and confusion to the entire experience of dining in.)</span></span></div>
<div style="color: #222222; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px;">
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> </span></span></div>
<div style="color: #222222; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px;">
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Anyway, back to our interaction with Chef Myra. She said that she wanted to know which of our two entrees we would like to have served first, as there isn't enough room on her griddle to make both at the same time. "They will be about 5 to 7 minutes apart", she said. She then went on to blame her wait-staff for this confusion saying, "I didn't know if you wanted to order an intermezzo. I hate when they don't write these things down." An "intermezzo"? ?!? We were flabbergasted. Really?? We already ordered appetizers that we didn't want because you couldn't get the main stuff that we did want out in under 45 minutes. Now you want to know if we wanted intermezzo? SERIOUSLY?! WTF?!</span></span></div>
<div style="color: #222222; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px;">
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="color: #222222; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px;">
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The rationing continued when my husband's waffle arrived, only 4 minutes ahead of my breakfast. "Tha Waffle" was a typical sized waffle with a hint of cinnamon in the batter served topped with sliced bananas and drenched in maple syrup. </span></span></div>
<div style="color: #222222; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px;">
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 15px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhStOyYcAVVMXxOOIEucCuAI9vi0K7rikhyphenhyphenc16_y4wyDRmeIXQCuCJw_cyVg7gxhetKoj6IIl2CIstKBveCMFz4r_XSPHHEwWwdmTINBfTTenIg7KT5bPpcCghbxbF9pcQ6_Z-T49iLsgI/s1600/IMG_5929.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhStOyYcAVVMXxOOIEucCuAI9vi0K7rikhyphenhyphenc16_y4wyDRmeIXQCuCJw_cyVg7gxhetKoj6IIl2CIstKBveCMFz4r_XSPHHEwWwdmTINBfTTenIg7KT5bPpcCghbxbF9pcQ6_Z-T49iLsgI/s320/IMG_5929.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<div style="color: #222222; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px;">
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 15px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #222222; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px;">
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Again no maple syrup was brought to the table: The waffle was already pre-doused/ drowned in maple syrup. You can tell that the batter had a lovely flavor and aroma. Unfortunately it was overpowered by the flavor of the excessive maple syrup, and the texture of the waffle was changed instantaneously to that of a soggy pancake because of the drowning. This could've been easily avoided if they just brought a dry waffle to the table and allow the customer to put their own maple syrup on it.</span></span></div>
<div style="color: #222222; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px;">
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="color: #222222; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px;">
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">A few minutes later my entree, "The Wow Platter" arrived. The presentation was spectacular. A definite "Wow". </span></span></div>
<div style="color: #222222; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px;">
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 15px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisY8NGScRey8vlROAX_KZbWiDQpZejYJ2KX6HDgPVC7RqY0Q41GcRJVMrCyYqIjCnYubMd52T7Buw42RVO__aG8IsXbKjAEfKfZL4ivBOThZt8Kx8bkj4vIRnzyRvWDAKQ_vPpsQW9ROw/s1600/IMG_5930.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisY8NGScRey8vlROAX_KZbWiDQpZejYJ2KX6HDgPVC7RqY0Q41GcRJVMrCyYqIjCnYubMd52T7Buw42RVO__aG8IsXbKjAEfKfZL4ivBOThZt8Kx8bkj4vIRnzyRvWDAKQ_vPpsQW9ROw/s320/IMG_5930.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<div style="color: #222222; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px;">
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="color: #222222; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px;">
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="color: #222222; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px;">
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Sadly, that was the only spectacular thing about it. I could barely get through half of the platter, not really because there was so much food, but because it was vile. To be fair, it probably would have been a perfect size for a big hearty breakfast but for the fact that I had the chocolate cake to begin. Still, this platter shockingly disappointing. The tofu scramble was more a chunky type of blocks of tofu rather than actually "scrambled". I know that lots of people like this way of making a tofu scramble but it's just not my style. It was <b>covered in cumin</b> and pepper with <i>waaaaaaay too much</i> Daiya. The cheesy potatoes were also coated in the bean salsa that we had as an appetizer, also smothered with Daiya and cumin. The empanadas were really just more of the same. They were potato and yam-filled with the same cumin/pepper/bean-like flavorings. The cranberry chutney for the Empanada was actually quite a refreshing change from the homogeneous seasonings of the entire plate. I found myself gravitating towards the fresh raw cucumbers and sprouts on the platter as they offered a taste that was different (and far better) than anything else that I had had the entire time I was sitting at this table. I could hardly get through even half of this platter before I felt supremely nauseated and like I was doing my body harm by continuing to eat this food. </span></span></div>
<div style="color: #222222; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px;">
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="color: #222222; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px;">
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">When I insisted to the waitress that I was done, she asked me if I wanted to pack up the food. In truth, I normally would and would save it for meal later. The problem is, the food was disgusting and I would never serve this to anyone-- even my dog (who is vegan) for fear they'd feel as sick as I did from eating it. The waitress then <u><i>challenged me multiple times </i></u>as too different ways that I could bring this with me and take it home so as not to waste the food. I explained that we were staying at Hotel, that we didn't have a refrigerator with room to keep food in it, etc…. And, yet, <b>she pushed on! </b>She instructed me that I could keep this at room temperature safely for 24 hours, that I could have this later at lunch or even dinner tonight, and trying to find ways for me not to "waste the food". I took the high road, again, saying that we had plans for lunch and dinner and that we were leaving town tomorrow so that this really was not practical. What I wanted to say was, that food is best served to a trash can, leave me the F--- alone and get me my check so I can get out of this pit.</span></span></div>
<div style="color: #222222; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px;">
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="color: #222222; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px;">
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We sat at the table for 1 hour and 31 minutes from start to finish. For a $65 (including tip) meal, would have saved the $95 and over half the time staying at The Encore and enjoying their tofu scramble, French toast and pancakes which are far superior to the Pura Vida experience. </span></span></div>
<div style="color: #222222; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px;">
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="color: #222222; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px;">
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Please don't misunderstand me; I love small, local, independent vegan businesses. I bend over backwards to try and help support these kinds of businesses which I believe are on the front lines of vegan outreach and education: changing hearts and minds one meal at a time. That said, I would never recommend that anyone ever eat at Pura Vida when the delicious and, comparatively, less expensive options on The Strip exist at The Wynn and Encore. If you find yourself in a situation where you have no alternative other than to be forced to eat from this place, here's my advice: Order ahead of time before going to pick it up and eating it as a take out. </span></span></div>
<div style="color: #222222; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px;">
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="color: #222222; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px;">
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Better yet, skip the meal and go on a fast. </span></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span>Ethanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14509163527761921258noreply@blogger.com3