Tel: (506) 225-3980
Specialty: Gourmet French Cuisine.
Chefs: Owner Claudio Dubuis and Chef Kenneth Perez.
Recommended Dish: Long Island Duck with Maracuya (Passion Fruit) Sauce.
Prices: Dinner entrées range from U.S. $15 to $36, including sales and service taxes (23%).
Location: Los Yoses, eastern suburb of the capital city of San José
Directions for Taxi Driver: Del I.C.E. de San Pedro, 100 mts. oeste y 100 mts. sur.

Entering the stately Le Chandelier Restaurant is akin to being invited into the home of one of the country’s best gourmet chefs. An enticing aroma of opulence wafts from the kitchen, and beyond the entryway is a table with all shapes and sizes of fresh breads and aged cheeses. If you didn’t arrive with an appetite, you are sure to have acquired one by the time the Maitre, Luis Offer, seats you at your table.

The elegantly appointed rooms are dark and earthy, with portals in the walls filled with statues, wood carvings, ceramics, antique musical instruments and other unique treasures. Although deeply masculine, the decoration incorporates soft feminine touches here and there, such as the delicate white flowers and pink candles adorning each of the tables. Smoking and non-smoking areas are located in separate rooms within the restaurant.

For couples or groups who desire privacy, Le Chandelier offers three richly appointed private dining rooms, accommodating two to eight people. The restaurant also has a cocktail area and three large halls for special events.

Guests are immediately made to feel at home; they need do nothing but enjoy themselves as every detail of their dining experience is taken care of. Service is outstanding, insofar as one could not ask for better or more prompt attention. The muted ambiance is one of seriousness and respect for the experience of gourmet dining.

The tables are clothed in rich fabrics, elaborately set with silver platters, fine silverware and shiny crystal glassware. Trays of condiments and large wooden pepper grinders are available for those who wish to add a little extra spice to their meal.

Le Chandelier offers a wide variety of delectable dishes, prepared to perfection not just in taste but in appearance as well. Diners can choose from among an impressive menu of hot and cold starters, soups, seafood and meats, or select the complete, seven-course “Gourmet Menu,” which changes every few days, depending on the availability of seasonal and fresh foods.

A recent Gourmet Menu included Smoked Salmon with Baked Heart of Palm, Agnelotti with Shrimp in Pernod Sauce and Guaro (Costa Rican Liquor) Sherbet for appetizers, along with an entrée of your choice: Roasted Duck Breast with Black Olives and Remy Martin Sauce, Fresh Salmon with Vegetables Julianna, Tamarind Veal Filet, or the Venetian Tenderloin with Mushroom Risotto. The meal ends on a sweet note, with fruits and cheeses or a sampler platter covered with half a dozen different Le Chandelier desserts.

Each plate is a colorful and sensory work of art, decorated with carved fruits and greenery, delectable sauces, fresh herbs and aromatic spices.

Cold starters from the regular menu include the mouth-watering Spanish Ham and Manchego Cheese plate, or Heart of Palm, Salmon and Ham Hord’hoeuvre, or a home-style Ceasar Salad. Warm starters include traditional Italian Risotto with Shrimp, or Heart of Palm Strudel, with a puff pastry that melts in your mouth, or Fried French Camembert Cheese. If you’re in the mood for soup, there’s French Onion Soup with Camembert cheese, or Pejibaje Cream, a tasty soup made from peach palm fruits, or the Pumpkin Soup Gratinee.

Le Chandelier’s fish and seafood specialties include Grilled Salmon with Garden Vegetables in Parsley Sauce, Sea Bass and Salmon Paupiette in Pernod Sauce and Jumbo Shrimp in Creamy Dill Sauce. Meat specialties include the Long Island Duck with Pepper, Orange or Passion Fruit Sauce, Chicken Breast in Curry Sauce, Veal in Tamarind Sauce, and the 800-gram Chateaubriand tenderloin.

Guests can choose from among the finest European and American wines: Blanc de Blanc Sichel, Baron Rotschild Chardonnay, Chateauneuf du Pape Thorin, Cabernet Sauvignon Baron Philippe and Mouton Cadet from France; La Giustiniani Gavi Di Gavi, Chianti Gallo Neri y Sassi, and Brunelo Di Montalchino from Italy; and Marques De Caceres, Vega Sicilia Valbuena and Vina Ardanza Tinto from Spain.

The extensive wine list also includes Cabernet Sauvignon or Chardonnay Wente, Pinot Noire Robert Stemler, Beringer Napa Valley Chardonnay and Meridian Merlot and Cabernet from California; and Casillero del Diablo, Marques de Casa Concha, Don Melchor, Concha y Toro, Causino Macul and Amelia Reserva Especial from Chile.

For special celebrations, the finest champagnes are available: Freixenet Brut, Veuve Cliquot Ponsardin, Moet et Chandon Brut Imperial and Don Perignon.

Owner and Chef Claudio Dubuis, who studied Hotel and Restaurant Management in Switzerland, came to Costa Rica about 25 years ago with the intention of traveling and working here for a year. He fell in love, married and has been living in Costa Rica ever since.

Before this skilled chef founded his own restaurant 15 years ago, he cooked for several of the country’s renowned restaurants: Restaurant La Pacifica, in Guanacaste, and the Hotel Cariari restaurant and Chalet Suizo, in the Central Valley.

When he started Le Chandelier, it was a much smaller restaurant, located on Paseo Colon in the heart of San José. After only five years, its fame outgrew that location and prompted the transition to its present, more expansive, location in Los Yoses, east of San José.

The restaurant is open Monday through Saturday, for lunch, from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., and for dinner, from 6:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. It is closed on Sundays. Le Chandelier also offers catering services.

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