Fine Dining Experience...

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Acira

Silver
Sep 20, 2009
2,510
115
0
www.blazingfuries.com
Went this evening to check out Casa 21. As the owners are Belgian, I couldn't resist to have a real Belgian dinner this time.

I started with the Carpaccio of beef (yes not really Belgian I know), main meal a good steak with Bearnaise sauce and French Fries and a nice salad at the side and ended with a delicious chocolat mousse made as it should with real good Belgian chocolat. I asked for the steak to be bleu and as it should be by Belgian measurements, the steak was bleu and delicious.
A Pinot Gris went very well with this dinner and the amaretto's on the rocks closed the evening off.

Casa 21 is a modern restaurant that hit it right by mixing modern with exotic furniture, dimmed lights in the garden to give a nice warm feeling to it, quiet and stylish music which all added to an excellent and cozy dining experience. Excellent food, staff is very friendly and efficient and owners make a lot of time free for their customers. Will be back for their famous Tuna Tartar which was not on the menu tonight.

Acira
 
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LTSteve

Gold
Jul 9, 2010
5,449
23
38
Take her overnight to Las Terrenas and go to either Chez Sandro's or Tres Caravelles. These two restaurants are probably the best in LT. Drinks, wine and a great meal, coffee and dessert will cost you about $40-50usd per person. Outstanding food, as good as you would get in the States.

LTSteve
 
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Kantana

New member
Mar 25, 2012
53
0
0
joannadee said:
Go to Casa 21 in Sosua !!
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I just discovered a new restaurant in Sosua called Midtown restaurant & bar, right in Don Antonio's hotel on Calle Dr. Rosen. The menu is international, serving French, Italian, Canadian, and American cuisines. It is very affordable, and nestled in the hotel garden with beautiful flowers, palm trees, a pool and also well decorated. The ambience is spectacular. Great for outdoor dining. The Canadian owner Allan, is one hell of a guy, and has a lot of food experience including his mama's recipes!!! jajajaja.
 
Castellamonte

Castellamonte

Bronze
Mar 3, 2005
1,764
50
48
Cabrera
www.villa-castellamonte.com
I've been to Casa 21 several times. It and Restaurante 736 in Cabarete are the ones who convinced me to start The Chef's Table in Cabrera. It's very relaxing and enjoyable to enter someone's home and have them cook for you...just for you...not for a mass of tourists stumbling drunk off the streets...but for you personally. Casa 21 is definitely worth visiting many, many times.

Alas, I believe Restaurate 736 is pretty much gone (or soon will be). Half of the creators are back in Italy and the other (the original Onno) is headed to France. Too bad, as it was a stellar place for exquisite meals provided by extremely accommodating hosts. I'm heading to Italy this summer to see them and hopefully Onno as well.

The Chef's Table has been quiet for several months because we only serve when we are otherwise unoccupied. This is a particularly busy year so if we open for the locals it will be brief, believe me.

Anyhow, go to Casa 21...you will be very, very pleasantly surprised. It's quite good, dependable and creative (even if it has some Canadian recipes).
 
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LindseyKaufman

Silver
Aug 21, 2007
3,070
2,044
113
Try the Infiniti Blu Restaurant. It is being run by Alexandra, former manager of the City Market and owner of Marua Mai. The Infiniti Blu Restaurant doesn't have a sign up yet- just opened- but it is on the far left of the front commercial building. The menu is unique for the North Coast. It has a Mediterranean flavor with fish specialties such as fresh Atlantic cod in creamy leak sauce, blue trout with fresh dill sauce, and sea scallops in champaign saffron sauce. There are a variety of kebabs, imported steak, and stuffed chicken breast with goat cheese and spinach. Plus, lots of interesting Mediterranean-style appetizers. The decor is clean, fresh, and nice.

Also, next to the restaurant, the new bar is also open. That decor is very contemporary, with colored lighting.

The prices are along the lines of the other better restaurants on the North Coast, so don't think you are going for a 150 peso Dominican meal.

I don't have any personal interest, except that I live in Infiniti Blu, wish the restaurant would succeed, and know that more quality restaurants options on the North Coast will help improve the entire area.

Lindsey
 
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LindseyKaufman

Silver
Aug 21, 2007
3,070
2,044
113
Just have to add that Alexandra's lobster bisque is the best I ever had. It was served to me with an extra small bowl of lobster to put in! I am told that she won an award for it in a competition in Santo Domingo. If you go to the restaurant, it is a must try!!!

Lindsey
 
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CFA123

Silver
May 29, 2004
3,512
413
83
Lindsey,
I had dinner and breakfast from the Infiniti Blue restaurant this week. Dinner at the main restaurant, breakfast beachfront.
Five of us had dinner with varying appetizers of hummus, sushi, and the lobster bisque (me) and entrees including burgers, spinach stuffed chicken breast served over linguine, kabobs, steak filet. Presentation was excellent, everyone satisfied, and prices reasonable.
Timing of the meal service was excellent. It is clear that the intent is to provide good service with proper utensils swapped out during the meal, attentive waiters, pouring of drinks, etc.

The shortcoming we all noticed was the main waiter. He was clearly not familiar with the menu, wasn't comfortable with us ordering by name of dish (wanted us to order by number - A03 or R08 for example. I felt like I was ordering a combo at McDonalds). He also couldn't answer basic questions about the dishes and had to go to the kitchen twice to get answers. It wasn't a matter of language as all of us speak Spanish, 3 natively. Oh, and they brought balsamic vinegar instead of soy sauce for the sushi. Ultimately the responsibility for putting him out there falls to Alex. Whether she will get him trained, replace him, or let him remain falls to her.
Overall good experience, with a few improvements could be great.

Breakfast was good. Nice variety from eggs to pancakes. The apple pancakes looked great that a friend ordered.

Also, plentiful fresh breads and butter served with both dinner and breakfast.
 
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LindseyKaufman

Silver
Aug 21, 2007
3,070
2,044
113
CFA123 said:
Lindsey,
I had dinner and breakfast from the Infiniti Blue restaurant this week. Dinner at the main restaurant, breakfast beachfront.
Five of us had dinner with varying appetizers of hummus, sushi, and the lobster bisque (me) and entrees including burgers, spinach stuffed chicken breast served over linguine, kabobs, steak filet. Presentation was excellent, everyone satisfied, and prices reasonable.
Timing of the meal service was excellent. It is clear that the intent is to provide good service with proper utensils swapped out during the meal, attentive waiters, pouring of drinks, etc.

The shortcoming we all noticed was the main waiter. He was clearly not familiar with the menu, wasn't comfortable with us ordering by name of dish (wanted us to order by number - A03 or R08 for example. I felt like I was ordering a combo at McDonalds). He also couldn't answer basic questions about the dishes and had to go to the kitchen twice to get answers. It wasn't a matter of language as all of us speak Spanish, 3 natively. Oh, and they brought balsamic vinegar instead of soy sauce for the sushi. Ultimately the responsibility for putting him out there falls to Alex. Whether she will get him trained, replace him, or let him remain falls to her.
Overall good experience, with a few improvements could be great.

Breakfast was good. Nice variety from eggs to pancakes. The apple pancakes looked great that a friend ordered.

Also, plentiful fresh breads and butter served with both dinner and breakfast.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the great feedback. I am copying and pasting your comments and forwarding them on to Alexandra and the owners. I, too, have experienced some of these mis-steps. Obviously, Alexandra does not want this to happen. I will ask Alex to either write a response here on dr1 or I will send you a PM with her response.

Maybe I jumped the gun writing what I did initially upon the restaurant's opening. As always, it takes time to properly train Dominican employees to work to this standard.

Next time you go, check out the bar.

Again, thanks for the feedback. It will be passed on.

Lindsey
 
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LindseyKaufman

Silver
Aug 21, 2007
3,070
2,044
113
As I thought, I heard from Alexandra already. I am not surprised by the response. Knowing Alexandra, she will work endless hours until she achieves the quality and outcome she wants. Here is what she said...


"thank you for posting your recommendations on DR1, it is appreciated! I appreciate the honest feedback of your friends (about the waiter and the balsamic vinegar....ouchh-that is really bad! Please let your friends know that I feel terrible about this incident. I am trying to take all orders myself until the staff gets more familiar with the menu, I am there from 8 am until 4 pm and then again from 6.30 pm until 11 pm (at the main resaurant)."
 
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eurodominican

New member
Nov 19, 2005
139
2
0
com
My wife’s brother, his wife and mother in law, all Dominicans living in Zaragoza ( Sp. ) visited us once in Amsterdam where we lived then. We decided to invite them to dine with us in one of the best Indonesian restaurants in The Netherlands and ordered a “rice table”. This rice table comes with about 25 different plates with fish, chicken, different kinds of meat, vegetables, shrimps, sate, etc. , spicy, less spicy or not at all. Very delicious!!
They looked at it and it took quit some persuasion to get them to try anything of this. After the first bite they absolutely decided not to try anything else anymore.

Even the chef came very upset to our table to ask if something was wrong as he was absolutely not used to receive so much first class food back into his kitchen.

My wife explained him that everything was perfect but that our guests were not used to this and excused us for this inconvenient.
After leaving this restaurant, we took them to a regular pizza joint and the loved it because they knew it also from back home.
 
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dv8

Gold
Sep 27, 2006
31,266
363
0
LindseyKaufman said:
As I thought, I heard from Alexandra already. I am not surprised by the response. Knowing Alexandra, she will work endless hours until she achieves the quality and outcome she wants. Here is what she said...
Click to expand...

this is what i appreciate about dr1. all comments, good or bad, recommendations and warnings. and i like even more when it gets to the owners and they actually respond. praise where praise due, bashing where bashing is deserved. dr1 at it's best.
 
Abuela

Abuela

Bronze
May 13, 2006
1,955
289
83
We had lunch at Infiniti Blu today and knowing Alexandra's high standards we were not disappointed. The choices and inventive preparations were a refreshing change. Kudos to the Diaz family on another excellent dining option.
 
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