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| La
Fortuna - Costa Rica |
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Extraordinary - Society
June - 2008 |
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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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| The night air was semi-tropical but pleasant because
of a steady breeze coming off the Tilarán range of mountains
looming 1500 meters high and leading to Arenal, a stratovolcano that can
clearly be seen from the restaurant. The darkness was illuminated by subtle
indirect lighting in and around the restaurant and adjacent pool area but our
eyes were drawn decisively toward the
pyroclastic
display of fire and magma being systematically tossed out of the top of
Arenal’s crater. We were told that the boulders being ejected on that
night were ‘only’ the size of Volkswagen ‘Beetles’ causing
me to reflect on the incredible global reach of German engineering. Behind us
and artfully arranged were glorious Bird of Paradise plants resplendent in
tropical color with finger-like petals reaching up and out as if it were an
unfurled Chinese fan. The incredible sounds of the rainforest at dusk gave us
the feeling of splendid isolation in an enclave of luxury and comfort buoyed by
the anticipation of world-class cuisine in a neo-tropical environment. We had
been offered some good advice before we came here for our visit. “Be sure
to bring loose fitting comfortable clothes, you have to be relaxed and at ease
in this tropical environment”. Suggestion noted, we were well prepared and
fit in nicely with the other guests in this casually elegant atmosphere.
Executive
Chef Leopoldo Cortés, a gifted master of his trade who studied under
the tutelage of Spain’s Jean Marie Arzak and Great Britain’s Anton
Mosimann, directed our cuisine event for the evening. |
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| The mood at dinner was
one of profound relaxation punctuated by the rhythmic resonance of a live Latin
guitarra. Chef Cortés promised to dazzle us with his gastronomic
interpretations of his own culinary dreams. He began with a feathery-light
Fresh White Sea Bass Tartar perfumed with Cilantro as the opening act,
in which he demonstrated his keen natural sense of being able to work with the
tantalizingly delicate texture of sushi-grade fresh fish. The formula was
further enhanced with the addition of pungent and spicy cilantro oil to
accentuate and emphasize the Sea Bass. |
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| Los
Tucanes - Cuisine |
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| A Moët et Chandon Brut Imperial paired the
elegant appetizer well. The dry but classic mousse rolled over the palate all
the while preparing the taste buds for the subtle flavor of the Sea Bass and at
the same time working well to cut through the heady cilantro. A second course
of Warm Salad of Seawater Mussels with Saffron Aioli appeared shortly
thereafter as super-fresh mussel morsels sandwiched between thin crispy potato
wafers and topped with a crown of tender greens and sprouts. In order to
challenge the understated flavor profile of the mussels, Chef Cortés
suggested a white Bordeaux blend called Chateau de Rougerie “Entre Deux
Mer”. It proved to offer the right amount of round citrus to somehow
shore up this sublime combination. |
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| Los
Tucanes - Cuisine |
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Next, in keeping with
the theme of fresh local seafood in petite tapas-like portions, Chef
Cortés presented us with his Saltwater Shrimps and Salmon
Timbale. It was designed to be approachable and attractive with a dollop of
Sevruga caviar capping the sleek construction while being surrounded by pale
pinkish-orange dots of salmon roe. We relished the silky texture and the rich
clean taste of the salmon while carefully adding a few grains of roe with each
bite. Our tasting menu now included a well-designed pause in the form of
Sorbet of Golden Mango, to efficiently yet tastefully clean the palate
for the main course. The freshness of just picked, low-hanging fruit was
evident in the cool, extremely smooth sorbet. |
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| Our cuisine event had reached its apogee now with the
advent of the first main course of Finesse of Canadian Wild Duck on Mushroom
Risotto, a rather contrary menu choice since we were sitting in the middle
of a Costa Rican rainforest. Although this item obviously had to be imported,
that fact didn’t take away from the incredible fresh taste and expert
preparation seemingly engineered by a master of his trade. The entire
evening’s service was intentionally low profile and relaxed although we
were certain that a wealth of knowledge and experience was present during every
course in the personalized service of waiter Diego Kooper. Dining under these
circumstances was supported by top-notch table settings comprised of
Villeroy & Boch’s “New Wave Premium” dinnerware and
stemware as well as Bohéme silver-plated flatware from the
Italian manufacturer Mepra. |
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| A second entrée
was presented as Lamb Filet and Chop with a sweetened fresh Rosemary
Sauce, reminding us of the exquisite preparation and care needed to keep
the gamey flavor of lamb under control. Each of the two entrées was
offered with a wine pairing of a superb Grand Cru Classé of Chateau
Berliquet 2001, decantered in a graceful crystal bottle. It offered a
timeless and stylish combination of merlot, cabernet sauvignon and cabernet
franc in the perfect proportions leading to an opulent, rich structure with a
decidedly black current and vanilla nose. I couldn’t help savoring this
elegant wine even long after the entrées were finished. |
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| Los
Tucanes - Cuisine |
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| Our gastronomic journey had reached its finale with
the advent of Dessert Symphony, an assemblage of petit four-sized treats
surrounding a volcanic centerpiece that actively spewed colorful foam and smoke
over the rim of a martini glass ‘crater’. As we relished the
spectacle of a live ‘lava’ flow in front of our eyes tableside, a
bottle of Tabali Late Harvest Muscat, Limari Valley Chile 2005 was
offered as a pairing for this delicate dessert. We observed its delicate gold,
yellow color with a slight pink hint from the Pink Muscat grapes. It had an
intense aroma of fresh papaya, honey and floral hints while at the same time
sweet, luscious and very drinkable. At dinner’s end we commended
Executive
Chef Leopoldo Cortés and his team of professionals. My thoughts were
positive and confident that Los Tucanes can continue to live up to the
stringent criteria and regimen of a top-notch fine dining establishment in this
tropical outpost. |
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| Chef Cortés spent years developing his own
unique style loosely modeled after the alta cocina approach putting together
international ingredients with ingenuity and panache.
Chef
Cortés sees himself as a sort of guarantor of utilizing the
abundance of fresh local ingredients while applying Old World techniques. In
his own words he revealed to us the secret to his incredible love for what he
does: “To travel around the world, being in contact with other cultures,
is the key for the creation of new recipes,” he said. |
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“The food itself which was prepared with such
precision and parsimony while
presented so exquisitely that you could not
have asked for more.” ~ TB |
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by Edmund Buehrmann & Thorsten Buehrmann
Editor: Ingrid
Lemme
Editor-in-Chief: John Lomitola |
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| © 2008 ~ Seven Stars and Stripes,
Inc. |
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