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Recoletto - San Antonio


jkgourmet

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After reading reviews on this forum, I was not expecting much from Recoletto, but since it is within walking distance of our rental, we stopped in to have a look and a glass of wine.

---- Again, see below. Forum board not accepting my posts for some reason. However, we liked this place so much, I wanted to keep trying and finally got it to post.

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You didn't eat?

I seem to be having difficulty getting my VERY positive review of Recoletto to post on here. Wonder why?

Anyway, in short, great wine list, well priced ($140 pesos for a bottle of L.A. Cetto cab, and several other good choices below $180 pesos.) Margarita's MADE FROM SCRATCH that were terrific. Nice atmosphere made better by Noe, who evidently has a regular Friday night gig here (early evening).

Ordered the grilled provolone as a starter, recommended by another diner. Crunchy on the outside, melty on the inside, a few marinated red peppers as garnish. Pretty presentation, Delicious and unusual.

Husband had flap steak, as recommended by the waiter. Prepared perfectly as ordered, medium rare, juicy and tender. Baked potato was a nice surprise.

I ordered the 3 mushroom linguine (also available as a starter without the linguine.) A little baslamic and garlic, and big meaty chunks of mushrooms. Hearty, rich and wonderful.

Service on both visits was excellent - friendly, professional and efficient. I'd rate this place on an equal basis with Tango, though the menu is not quite the same. Way better than our unhappy experience at Hacienda Ajijic. I know there have been some negative reviews about Recoletta, but I would hope that you'd give it a try. This place deserves your consideration.

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I heard that it has changed hands since the negative reviews .......

That may very well explain why we found it to be so different than we expected. And another good reason to give it try.

PS - I know that many feel Tango is noisy and that parking is difficult. Neither of these are issues with Recoletta.

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Thanks for the thoughtful review. How were their prices, Jeanette, for the food?

Very comparable to Tango (at least, for dinner). Again, we have not tried lunch, where they have a $50-$60 peso special. What we had was equal in quality to Tango, but since we've only eaten once at Recoletto, I would have to say that we'll keep you updated as we continue to visit with them.

It was our greatest surprise of this trip (the worst being our meal at Hacienda Ajijic).

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Thanks for the thoughtful review. How were their prices, Jeanette, for the food?

Very comparable to Tango (at least, for dinner). Again, we have not tried lunch, where they have a $50-$60 peso special. What we had was equal in quality to Tango, but since we've only eaten once at Recoletto, I would have to say that we'll keep you updated as we continue to visit with them.

It was our greatest surprise of this trip (the worst being our meal at Hacienda Ajijic).

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Most of the bad reviews for Recoletta (recently) were generated when they started the lunch menu in April. The service was unfortunately very slow and poor. At that time they really didn't seem to be prepared for the lunchtime "crowd". Also, the lunch menu was nothing special. We have not been back for lunch. But at the same time, we gave them a second chance for dinner and we were very pleased with the menu, service and prices. It was literally "night and day".

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I wonder how long this place will stay in business as we were just talking about it the other day, the most cars we see at a time is 4.

We haven't gone back and probably won't.

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I have eaten there twice with a group for lunch. Both times they were out of several of the lunch specials and we were the first people there. Probably won't go back because we couldn't get what we wanted on the lunch menu. We had to order one of the few remaining specials.

The traveler

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Another very good dinner at Recoletto last night. NOTE I said dinner, not lunch. We did glance at the lunch menu last night, and found that the choices seemed, well, not so interesting. Between the lunch selections and the negative comments on this forum about lunch, we will be taking our lunch business to Tango (or elsewhere).

That said, dinner is still very good. Service, as we have always experienced, was excellent. Another margarita, this one on the rocks, showed again that this place makes a great example of a real margarita. The Mediterranean arugula salad we originally chose was not available, but the waiter suggested the warm endive salad with cherry tomatoes, feta cheese and a balsamic vinaigrette. Large serving, easily enough for two, and considering the price and scarcity of Belgium endive, quite a good deal at $60 pesos. Lots of high quality feta cheese - stronger flavored than we are used to in the states, but saltier. Some of the endive was cut in pieces and lightly sauteed, others left whole and raw. Again, a surprise hit for husband, who normally doesn't get excited about salad. (Though we've had some real winners in several restaurants here, which has been an unexpected pleasure.)

Husband ordered skirt steak (arrechara), knowing that this can be a tough piece of meat to cook properly (decades ago, he was a butcher with his own shop, so he knows his beef). Arrived exactly as ordered, and he enjoyed the mashed potatoes on the side (though he would have preferred a baked potato or fries if it had been offered to him). I enjoyed the pasta so much during our last visit that I figured I'd have another one - this time the linguine with asparagus sauce. Though not as amazing as the three mushroom I had the last time, this was another rich sauce, white and creamy with some cheese (Parmesan?) and small thin sticks of asparagus. The asparagus was cooked perfectly, as was the pasta (which I STILL suspect is fresh pasta, not dried). A nice change of pace, and lighter than many other pasta sauces I've had.

Concho a Toro Cab at about $150-ish was a good choice. Added bonus: They offer to cool it down a bit here. This is one of the few (only?) restaurant in Lakeside where the red wine is served at the proper temperature.

I noticed on the menu that they have rack of lamb for $275 pesos. As lamb is one of my favorites, I inquired as to whether it was a full or half rack. The waiter ran back to the kitchen and brought it out to show me in it's cryovac wrapping. It IS a full rack, 8-9 ribs, and looked meaty - very much like the ones I buy at Costco (rarely - very special occasions, as the price is about $10-12 per pound). So, while $275 pesos is steep for an entree, this would easily serve two, and considering the price of lamb, is (by our US standards) a bargain. And with the way the steaks have been prepared as ordered, I'm confident that the lamb would be prepared the way that I want it - rare - instead of the ruined grey shoe leather that too many restaurants call lamb.

(Does Tango have rack of lamb on its menu? Anyone ever had it?)

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  • 2 weeks later...

Went to Recoleta last night for dinner around 8 pm. Were two other tables there; one additional couple on its way out as we entered. A warm bread basket came to the table as the drinks were ordered, along with a trio of butter, chimichurri, and a salsa. We ordered the provoleta cheese to share as an appetizer. It was very crunchy on the top and very dry throughout, not at all melted. It seemed as if the cheese had been out at room temperature for a very long time. (I enjoy Tango's more, and I'm not a huge fan of Tango's meat texture, although I do enjoy the restaurant and other menu choices.) Spouse had the vacio ($120), ordered med-well. It came rare, but we returned it and it came back as ordered and was a very large portion although we ordered the smaller one (400 gr). It was enough for two so we had leftovers to take home. On Jeannette's reommendation I had the 3 mushroom fettucine which was absolutely delicious, the pasta barely al dente (not overcooked like in many restaurants) and $60. I'd order it again in a heartbeat. It's a very pretty dining room (minus the creepy wall art) with linen tablecloths and napkins. We'll go back again for dinner.

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