Do go!

[LindseyKaufman]

Can’t believe I have lived here 17 years and never went to this place before. La Catalina Restaurant.

It is about 30 minutes from Puerto Plata and probably also 30 minutes from Sosua……in the middle of absolutely nowhere……except for a few huge, grand properties (hey, honey, let’s build a mansion in the middle of nowhere…) And it does look like it is in the process of lots of new house construction on a nice, but somewhat smaller scale.

However the restaurant……the menu…..the food……the service……were as good as I have ever had in this country. I enjoyed it so much I forgot to take photos . And the views are spectacular.

If you get a chance, go. My friend ordered salmon (served with two salmon steaks) and I had lamb chops. She drank a beer. I had a mojito. And chinola cheese cake and flan for dessert. The bill (for this lunch) cost about 8,000 pesos with the tip.

There is an antique car display and a sort of zoo with monkeys and various tropical birds, and ostriches and other animals…..also a large children’s play yard.

 

[Northern Coast Diver]

I've been going up to the yearly feria ganadera in El Cupey for many years now. La Catalina is a more recent addition.

 

[NALs]

Can’t believe I have lived here 17 years and never went to this place before. La Catalina Restaurant.

It is about 30 minutes from Puerto Plata and probably also 30 minutes from Sosua……in the middle of absolutely nowhere……except for a few huge, grand properties (hey, honey, let’s build a mansion in the middle of nowhere…) And it does look like it is in the process of lots of new house construction on a nice, but somewhat smaller scale.

However the restaurant……the menu…..the food……the service……were as good as I have ever had in this country. I enjoyed it so much I forgot to take photos . And the views are spectacular.

If you get a chance, go. My friend ordered salmon (served with two salmon steaks) and I had lamb chops. She drank a beer. I had a mojito. And chinola cheese cake and flan for dessert. The bill (for this lunch) cost about 8,000 pesos with the tip.

There is an antique car display and a sort of zoo with monkeys and various tropical birds, and ostriches and other animals…..also a large children’s play yard.

View attachment 9633

Pico Isabel de Torres is being cleared again? That mountain was reforested (though not with all the original species including one tree I can’t remember its name right now that was abundanton its slopes and is the reason Columbus named it Monte de Plata -the undersides of the leaves have a shine that from faraway looks lime dilverm, they were abundant on its slope and due to the wind made the mountain look as if it was made of silver from the Pinta and the Niña off the coast-) is supposedly protected. Not a tree can be cut and no cattle/goats/etc can graze on its slopes.

Speaking of deforested mountains, there is one visible from the highway to the right (heading to Maimón) near Costambar that is completely clean of trees. It looks like some of the deforested mountains in Haiti. It has been like that for years. What are they waiting for to reforest it?

——-

Nice review, Lindsey.

 

[LindseyKaufman]

NALS, you are amazing! Who needs World Book or Google when we have you on dr1!?!

 

[LindseyKaufman]

And must reply to myself…..NALS, are you a real person? Or are you AI? 🤔😁

 

[JD Jones]

Can’t believe I have lived here 17 years and never went to this place before. La Catalina Restaurant.

It is about 30 minutes from Puerto Plata and probably also 30 minutes from Sosua……in the middle of absolutely nowhere……except for a few huge, grand properties (hey, honey, let’s build a mansion in the middle of nowhere…) And it does look like it is in the process of lots of new house construction on a nice, but somewhat smaller scale.

However the restaurant……the menu…..the food……the service……were as good as I have ever had in this country. I enjoyed it so much I forgot to take photos . And the views are spectacular.

If you get a chance, go. My friend ordered salmon (served with two salmon steaks) and I had lamb chops. She drank a beer. I had a mojito. And chinola cheese cake and flan for dessert. The bill (for this lunch) cost about 8,000 pesos with the tip.

There is an antique car display and a sort of zoo with monkeys and various tropical birds, and ostriches and other animals…..also a large children’s play yard.

Rough life, eh Lindsey? If only people knew what they were missing.

Have you ever been up to Tim Hall's place? Camp David Ranch? El Cumbre?

OMG! I just realized where this is. That used to be the dirt road detour around Puerto Plata for years.

No wonder it looked so familiar!

 

[LindseyKaufman]

Yes I have been to Camp David but not
For years and years…. Maybe 10-13. I have a friend who went with a new partner and she said it was even better than before. It is an adventure for the future.

 

[josh2203]

Can’t believe I have lived here 17 years and never went to this place before. La Catalina Restaurant.

It is about 30 minutes from Puerto Plata and probably also 30 minutes from Sosua……in the middle of absolutely nowhere……except for a few huge, grand properties (hey, honey, let’s build a mansion in the middle of nowhere…) And it does look like it is in the process of lots of new house construction on a nice, but somewhat smaller scale.

However the restaurant……the menu…..the food……the service……were as good as I have ever had in this country. I enjoyed it so much I forgot to take photos . And the views are spectacular.

If you get a chance, go. My friend ordered salmon (served with two salmon steaks) and I had lamb chops. She drank a beer. I had a mojito. And chinola cheese cake and flan for dessert. The bill (for this lunch) cost about 8,000 pesos with the tip.

There is an antique car display and a sort of zoo with monkeys and various tropical birds, and ostriches and other animals…..also a large children’s play yard.

We were about to go there about 4 years ago as my wife found a bunch of info and reviews online and we wanted to take the kids there, but we were a bit busy at that time so adding this to the to-do list next time we're in POP... Yes, she showed me photos of this zoo and there was a bunch of other stuff for kids too... It's indeed close to POP and the setting is not your fancy-shiny venue but rather the point is, exactly as you said, the food, the service, the wooden things and being kid-friendly. I like the tables, kind of those as in the fish restaurants in Maimon (leaving for Santiago from POP), where my wife would happily eat every day fresh fish if our wallets could take that...

 

[Seamonkey]

8000 pesos for lunch? ouch.

 

[LindseyKaufman]

Rough life, eh Lindsey? If only people knew what they were missing.

Have you ever been up to Tim Hall's place? Camp David Ranch? El Cumbre?

OMG! I just realized where this is. That used to be the dirt road detour around Puerto Plata for years.

No wonder it looked so familiar!

JD- never been to Tim Halls place. Of course been to La Cumbre! That is practically my back yard!

 

[SKY]

Camp David had the best view but the worst food. At least 20 years ago, can't say for now............Stayed there a lot though. Shooting range near to it was really good..........

 

[LindseyKaufman]

Camp David had the best view but the worst food. At least 20 years ago, can't say for now............Stayed there a lot though. Shooting range near to it was really good..........

Actually I heard the food is excellent lately. But I agree with you. When I went- many years ago- the food was no better than any place else, but at a much higher price.

 

[drstock]

JD- never been to Tim Halls place. Of course been to La Cumbre! That is practically my back yard!

I think JD is talking about the other La Cumbre, on the Ruta Turistica road going from the Montellano area to Santiago, not the one near you.

 

[Northern Coast Diver]

I think JD is talking about the other La Cumbre, on the Ruta Turistica road going from the Montellano area to Santiago, not the one near you.

In truth, I prefer the Cumbre near Lindsey. I love the views from the back deck of El Caffeto restaurant. On a nice day you can see all the way across the Cibao valley from Moca to La Vega.

 

[LindseyKaufman]

In truth, I prefer the Cumbre near Lindsey. I love the views from the back deck of El Caffeto restaurant. On a nice day you can see all the way across the Cibao valley from Moca to La Vega.

I haven’t been to El Caffeto for years. I tend to prefer El Molino. The food is better- although was not quite as good more recently. It must depend on what day you go and who is the cook.

So JD meant La Cumbre on the other road? What is the name of that place? No that I live
In Jamao I never use that road.

 

[Northern Coast Diver]

I haven’t been to El Caffeto for years. I tend to prefer El Molino. The food is better- although was not quite as good more recently. It must depend on what day you go and who is the cook.

So JD meant La Cumbre on the other road? What is the name of that place? No that I live
In Jamao I never use that road.

I don't know of any nice restaurants in La Cumbre on Hwy 25. There are a number of small bars w/ food kiosks on the way down from La Cumbre to Gurabo.

 

[JD Jones]

I haven’t been to El Caffeto for years. I tend to prefer El Molino. The food is better- although was not quite as good more recently. It must depend on what day you go and who is the cook.

So JD meant La Cumbre on the other road? What is the name of that place? No that I live
In Jamao I never use that road.

The one above El Molino is the one I'm talking about, but both have killer views.

 

[Northern Coast Diver]

The one above El Molino is the one I'm talking about, but both have killer views.

That is Caffeto

 

[JD Jones]

That is Caffeto

Thanks NCD, Somebody told me the hotel close by has closed already. Any info on that?

 

[Northern Coast Diver]

Thanks NCD, Somebody told me the hotel close by has closed already. Any info on that?

As El Caffeto is more of a place that people stop at, when they are passing by on the way to elsewhere, El Cumbre doesn't feel like a destination. Not surprised to hear that they didn't make a go of it.