With Deb in bed, and sleeping. I finally had time for lunch. The Alta is really a great restaurant, with a boutique hotel in front. While the hotel is very nice, the restaurant has spoiled us. While I was eating, the owner, Michael stopped by.
Michael is an American who move to Costa Rica and built a great little hotel. On our last visit, he took a real interest in helping us. He asked about Deb and was concerned about her being so sick. He told me to ask the kitchen for anything that might make her feel better. "Challenge the chef," he said.
As Deb felt better, she got her appetite back, and I passed on Michael's good wishes and his suggestion to challenge the chef.
Deb got this distant look in her eye, and said, "Chicken pot pie. That would be just the thing to cure me."
Now, personally, I think that a chef should be challenged with something exotic. But she really wanted something comforting and easy to chew. So I walked down to the restaurant and talked with one of the waiters.
How do you explain chicken pot pie to a Costa Rican? I don't know if they have pot pie. And when I explained that it was chicken, potatoes, carrots in gravy in a pie crust, I could see him doubting that he understood me. Pies are sweet desserts, chicken and gravy aren't dessert food. Then he told me that he had to check with the chef. When he came back, he still looked doubtful, but he said it would take some time.
"Can we have it by 7:00 pm?"
"Oh yes, no problem."
He delivered our supper with a bit of a flourish and set up our meal on the veranda table.
Chicken pot pie, at the Alta is a ceramic ramekin with puff pastry top, chicken simmered perfectly in potatoes and carrots. A gravy boat comes along to give you enough of the gravy so you don't have to worry if the gravy was soaked up by the pie.
Deb was well satisfied with her supper, and even looked a little better after eating it.
Score one for our side.
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