OP
Last night at Buccano's was amazing but you're probably going to be disappointed with my report. I originally had a reservation for 1 at 6:30, but got a call from old friends who had just arrived on the island and wanted to meet up for dinner. Funnily enough, they had tried to get a reservation at Buccano's, too, but there was nothing available before 9:30 which is too late for old friends to start catching up. I called the restaurant to see if I could get my table for 1 changed to a 3 - no problemo. So, report may be fuzzy and get a thing a bit wrong here and there, because my attention was far less on the restaurant and food than talking with friends I haven't seen in 7 years! But here are my impressions.
Arriving at the beach club you immediately get a sense this place has class. The signs, decor, and styling all have an elegant tropical look to them. Walking into an immaculately clean lobby, I was greeted by staff who said the hostess would be back momentarily. I took the time to peruse the gift shop which had some interesting items like hand-painted re-usable totes for groceries and such (canvas bags I think?) and some nice paintings, along with the usual jewelry, figurines, and such you find in these places. Suddenly my friends were there and the reunion began. The hostess came along shortly and took us upstairs where she asked if we'd like to sit outside or in. My friends who are both fluent in Spanish (one a native speaker) talked to them briefly about the mosquito situation and the hostess recommended we stay inside, so that's what we did.
The inside of the restaurant is gorgeous. Large stone pillars are accentuated by dark hardwood tables and a long wall of glass to look through to the ocean and enjoy the sunset. There is tasteful art everywhere. This is high end dining and the restaurant would be A List in any major metropolis in the U.S.
For my descriptions on food please realize this is all from memory, and if you've been following along with my trip reports you've seen me comment that it is unreliable at best - especially tonight since I was basking in the glow of catching up with my friends. So please forgive any minor discrepancies. The soul and feel of the dishes will still be captured as best I can.
For an appetizer we had something called firecrackers which were roasted cauliflower with a mild red habanero sauce on them. It was extremely tasty and not overly fiery at all, with just enough zing to let you know it was there. They also gave us some small bread appetizers in tiny muffin cups that I barely glanced at, but I think it was some type of poppy seed bread with a cheese drizzle on top? Not sure on that one, but it was delicious.
Their list of wines by the glass looked fleshed out, but I always go straight for the cabs. They had a cabernet merlot blend that looked tasty. My friend had the straight cab and said it was a bit sweet (not to my liking) so it turned out I made a good choice. The wine was excellent. I had two glasses that night and got back from dinner way late, so that's why you didn't get this report until today.
For dinner I selected one of the specials, a Queen Snapper served over a bed of some delicious potatoes in a slightly spicy creme sauce, and roasted string beans. The snapper was melt in your mouth perfect on the inside, and the skin crisped with perfect military precision. The entire dish went down very easy and each bite was fantastic. I wish I could have paid more attention to it to give you more details, but we were long lost in swapping stories at that point.
One of my friends had a plate of four vegan Jackfruit tacos which he thought were wonderful, so that's an option if you're shying away from meat. They certainly looked good!
All told, an appetizer, dinner for 3, and 2 drinks each came out to about 2500 pesos. That is an absolute steal for the quality of the food, the ambiance and decor of the restaurant, and the level of service we received. I have now seen why this place is so highly regarded. They've earned that reputation.
Arriving at the beach club you immediately get a sense this place has class. The signs, decor, and styling all have an elegant tropical look to them. Walking into an immaculately clean lobby, I was greeted by staff who said the hostess would be back momentarily. I took the time to peruse the gift shop which had some interesting items like hand-painted re-usable totes for groceries and such (canvas bags I think?) and some nice paintings, along with the usual jewelry, figurines, and such you find in these places. Suddenly my friends were there and the reunion began. The hostess came along shortly and took us upstairs where she asked if we'd like to sit outside or in. My friends who are both fluent in Spanish (one a native speaker) talked to them briefly about the mosquito situation and the hostess recommended we stay inside, so that's what we did.
The inside of the restaurant is gorgeous. Large stone pillars are accentuated by dark hardwood tables and a long wall of glass to look through to the ocean and enjoy the sunset. There is tasteful art everywhere. This is high end dining and the restaurant would be A List in any major metropolis in the U.S.
For my descriptions on food please realize this is all from memory, and if you've been following along with my trip reports you've seen me comment that it is unreliable at best - especially tonight since I was basking in the glow of catching up with my friends. So please forgive any minor discrepancies. The soul and feel of the dishes will still be captured as best I can.
For an appetizer we had something called firecrackers which were roasted cauliflower with a mild red habanero sauce on them. It was extremely tasty and not overly fiery at all, with just enough zing to let you know it was there. They also gave us some small bread appetizers in tiny muffin cups that I barely glanced at, but I think it was some type of poppy seed bread with a cheese drizzle on top? Not sure on that one, but it was delicious.
Their list of wines by the glass looked fleshed out, but I always go straight for the cabs. They had a cabernet merlot blend that looked tasty. My friend had the straight cab and said it was a bit sweet (not to my liking) so it turned out I made a good choice. The wine was excellent. I had two glasses that night and got back from dinner way late, so that's why you didn't get this report until today.
For dinner I selected one of the specials, a Queen Snapper served over a bed of some delicious potatoes in a slightly spicy creme sauce, and roasted string beans. The snapper was melt in your mouth perfect on the inside, and the skin crisped with perfect military precision. The entire dish went down very easy and each bite was fantastic. I wish I could have paid more attention to it to give you more details, but we were long lost in swapping stories at that point.
One of my friends had a plate of four vegan Jackfruit tacos which he thought were wonderful, so that's an option if you're shying away from meat. They certainly looked good!
All told, an appetizer, dinner for 3, and 2 drinks each came out to about 2500 pesos. That is an absolute steal for the quality of the food, the ambiance and decor of the restaurant, and the level of service we received. I have now seen why this place is so highly regarded. They've earned that reputation.
