cambucci porto cupecoy

Cambucci is a nice addition to the courtyard of Porto Cupecoy
You may recognize Rodolfo who his the front of the house who greets you with a wonderful smile and does all the serving
The owner of the restaurant searched the island and gathered a seasoned staff to ensure a great restaurant
Rodolfo was at Moulin Foo for about 15 years
Not sure where the bartender was recruited from but my wife awarded her passionfruit mojito the best drink of the vacation
I was assisted in my choice to a craft cocktail similar to a gin sour with the addition of raspberry, it was garnished with a basket held to the glass with the tiniest clothspin
it was smooth and really easy to down

The menu has a south american influence especially in the first courses
we shared an order of tostones (mashed / fried plantains patty topped with a tasty shredded pork
shrimp topped the order of arepas made of ground corn meal

entrees included a properly cooked, sliced tuna with mashed potatoes, side salad and pickled vegetables
My seafood dish included grouper, shrimp, calamari and mussels served over black beans and additional vegetables on the side

as good as the entrees were, we had plenty to be wrapped up for the next days lunch

we had nice conversation and learned the chef is the brother of the chef from La Hibiscus which was previously reviewed
the chef came out later and was interested in our thoughts, we explained that although a bit pricey, the food was excellent but the service was not upto the level of food

he explained how he assembled his staff trying to "borrow" the best of the best
he mentioned he was going to Miami and wrote down a couple of recommended restaurants searching for new menu ideas

the owner stopped by and was very welcoming as well

next we received a delicious chocolate mousse dessert (I was full but it disappeared) and two shaken limoncello shots (bring some more)

Cambucci is cash only and on the return list

only negative side note, bill is presented with 15% service charge and the 15, 18, and 20% tip amounts
we left additional cash as all was very good but certainly not the full tip amount

a touchy subject which I do not agree with
with my catering business, service is included and when asked, i say service is included but if you wish to leave additional the staff is very happy
I also mention that tips are never expected but always appreciated
I am also very fortunate to have an extremely welcoming staff that works hard

OK, I am a bit confused--they wanted 15-20%, on top of the 15% 'service charge'?? I'm not down with that. And the 'service' wasn't very good?

That was my recollection, Carol, and it left a sour taste in my mouth after a lovely meal.

OK, will wait for mahokid to post again, but to me, that just takes a place OFF the list, doesn't matter how good the food is.

Service was very, very good but not at the chef's brothers restaurant

service was added to check

at bottom of check was the American norm of how much 15%, 18% and 20 % would be

no one asked for a tip, but if you did not review the bill may only see the suggested tip at the bottom

Yeh, I dislike that feeling

mahokid--thanks. I will mark it off my list to try.

Deception at its best. Off my list just for that.

Oh, c'mon, people. Crossing a wonderful restaurant off your list just because they show suggested tip at bottom of bill in addition to charging a service charge? You are intelligent adults who can read a bill. You are depriving yourselves of a wonderful meal, and for what? I didn't like their practice, but it's not going to stop me from going there again. To each his own, I guess.

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I get the recommendations for tipping. We Americans understand the art of tipping, the Europeans not so much. What crosses this restaurant off my list is the cash only thing and the higher prices that goes with that. If we are paying in cash, shouldn't the prices be slightly lower??? Cocktails sounded interesting enough for us to stop by for that and an app. Thanks Mahokid for sharing this information! 47 and a wake up!!!

While I do not like the suggested tip line, I agree that it will not stop my return

If I can contact the chef, I'm sure he might consider removing the line

He is very conscientious of his entire restaurant

This!

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Deception, pure and simple. Not interested in patronizing a place that practices deception, in the hopes that they snag in people who are on vacation and probably have been drinking. Too many honest restaurants to deal with one that practices deception.

I agree 100%.

Good luck.