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| La
Fortuna - Costa Rica |
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Extraordinary - Society
November - 2009 |
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5
Stars & 6 Stripes
Overall - 'Cuisine & Service' |
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The
Ultimate Award:
Seven Stars and
Stripes® |
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| I spent virtually my entire life searching for
locations like this one, private yet accessible, up to date yet old world
quaint and romantic with an accent on sensuous. Although this pretty much sums
it up for Los Tucanes Restaurant, a special place to share your wild soul with
someone you love, you have to truly experience the deft handling of superb
cuisine and glorious atmosphere by being there. The restaurant is the culinary
focal point of the Tabacon Grand Spa Thermal Resort, set up in a rainforest
atmosphere and dominated by views of the towering Arenal volcano, which
performs nightly fire and lava shows as if on cue. Uwe Wagner, the GM of the
entire resort has a personal goal in his business life that is to bring
world-class, heart-healthy cuisine to the jungles of Costa Rica in an
eco-friendly way. For the job at hand, Mr. Wagner hired
F&B
Director Leopoldo Cortes who oversees the restaurant operation together
with Executive Chef Imade Budiana and Executive Chef de Cuisine Pravesh K.
Bhatnagar. |
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| They have come up with
a unique way of combining elements of Ayurveda, a healthy way of eating
developed in India, and classical cuisine. They feel that their menu at Los
Tucanes combined with the curative aspects of the Tabacon Grand Spa Thermal,
will allow healthy people to stay healthy and others with health challenges to
improve their overall wellbeing. I can’t think of a better way to spend
quality time with a loved one than to experience the total program of healthy
eating and restorative treatments, in this idyllic atmosphere. |
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| Los
Tucanes - Cuisine |
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| The menu at Los Tucanes is based on experiencing the
six tastes of sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter and astringent, which in turn
should always be included in a balanced Ayurvedic diet. An opening course of
Foie Gras Terrine with black truffle, caramelized apple and red fruit
sauce, one of the most extreme delicacies of French cuisine proved to be a
tantalizing prelude of things to come. The aromatic scent of earth and
mushrooms instantly radiated throughout the room originating from the small
amount of black truffles on the foie gras. This was followed by Tomato &
Saffron Consommé with Fresh Holy Basil further adhering to the
principles of Ayurveda by cooking with one of the most sacred and important
herbs in Hindu traditions, holy basil. As its flavor intensifies with cooking,
holy basil is thought to help the body cope with stress. |
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| Los
Tucanes - Cuisine |
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The next course of
Trout Filet with Scallop Mousse, almond, steamed asparagus and dill
sauce was a carefully arranged filet of trout placed over four asparagus
topping a bed of scallop mousse. In keeping with the Ayurvedic cooking
techniques, the spices are first sautéed in ghee, a clarified butter,
which brings out their intense flavors and therapeutic value. The wine pairing
was a creamy velvet Marques de Casa Concha 2007 Chardonnay, Concha y Toro,
Chile offering a refined abundance of white fruits and soft oak to go
perfectly with the exotic herbs and spices of Ayurveda. |
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| After an intermezzo of Rose Sorbet to cleanse
our palates, we were ready for the main course of Tandoor Smoked New Zealand
Lamb Chop, with mint Basmati rice and fenugreek tomato sauce. The lamb
chops are coated with a paste made of ginger, cumin, paprika, turmeric,
coriander, cayenne, garlic, lemon juice and oil after which they are placed
into a special ‘Tandoori’ oven that quickly cooks the meat at an
intense heat thereby sealing in the succulent juices and delivering that
awesome rose-colored pink throughout the chop. This was accompanied by a bottle
of Luigi Bosca Malbec Reserva, 2006 Argentina harvested from grapes
grown almost 1000 meters high in the Andes, presenting soft, sweet tannins
coupled with hot spice and berries enveloped in a deep oxblood red.
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| 2009 Los
Tucanes- Seven Stars and Stripers® - Award-Hand-Out |
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| Our evening wound down with a presentation of
Chocolate Petit Fours, a striking display of creativity and innovation,
along with dessert of Raspberry Tart with Rosemary Flavored Vanilla Ice
Cream. The savory rosemary worked better than I expected infused in the
vanilla ice cream, but the addition of the crisp mille-feuille puff pastry with
fresh raspberries could only be described as ‘heavenly’. Our overall
experience at Los Tucanes once again was fresh, original and very satisfying.
The food is consistent, creative and healthy and the service professional and
attentive. |
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by Edmund Buehrmann & Thorsten Buehrmann
Editor: Ingrid
Lemme
Editor-in-Chief: John Lomitola |
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| © 2009 ~ Seven Stars and Stripes,
Inc. |
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