Santa Lucia Culinary Institute

Description:

• When William Gutierrez arrived in the United States, he had only $20 in his pocket and a fine taste in coffee. He eventually set up the Santa Lucia coffee brand and became famous among the finest Washington restaurant chefs as the man who brought good coffee to the American palate. It was while showing those same chefs around his coffee plantation in Nicaragua that they came up with the idea of setting up an institute to train young Nicaraguans in the culinary arts. The result is this impeccable school and restaurant. The dining area includes a spacious patio with white canvas covering a wooden framed roof. Inside, conical steel lamps hang over slick, diner-style seating. Combined with the red walls and stylish furniture, this gives the venue a classy and modern style. On the menu, you'll find a great variety of international and local dishes, such as smoked salmon carpaccio, tortilla soup, and lobster cooked in lemon and wine.

• © Frommer's 2013

Awards:

Frommer's

•  Highly Recommended 2010