Carolinas Dinner in Tamarindo: A Late Remembrance

One of the finest meals I have ever eaten was in Tamarindo, Costa Rica on the group's final night before returning home. We went to the finest restaurant in Tamarindo, Carolinas. Trusting the house, and our inimitable host and the owner of the restaurant, we delighted through an incredible tasting menu. The notes I have are from a dog-eared print of the menu with somewhat unclear scrawl for each wine pairing—I apologize for the lack of clarity in identifying the wines. And so I offer, as faithfully as I can, that menu:

Smoked salmon over rosti served with a sour cream wasabi sauce and salad bouquet
Rincon Famoso Blanco (Chenin Blanc and Chardonnay), Argentina

Tomato cream soup
Macabeo Chardonnay, Paredes, Spain

Fettucine with fresh tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, olives and black mussels
Rosso d'Umbria Beccoditalco (?) Italy

Grilled beef tenderloin with a champagne mustard sauce served with au gratin potatoes and vegetables
Vistamar Grand Reserva Syrah-Cabernet Sauvignon 2005, Maipo, Chile

Banana fritters with vanilla ice cream and hot chocolate sauce
Reserva Privado Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc de Concha y Toro, Maule Valle, Chile

Digestif: Marc d'Adoracion, Propiete de Monsieur Auguste Moreau a Beaune
I have no idea what this stuff was—a brandy or cognac of some sort? The bottle was incredibly old. At this point in the evening, all the other customers had left and the owner, Carolina, was talking and laughing with us, so pleased that young tourists were truly interested in her food and wine and story. She brought out the Marc as a treat, I think, and offered us Scotch, as well.

And, when we left, we were delighted once more to receive a bottle of wine from Carolina as thanks for our great enjoyment of their hospitality. (Take a lesson, United States!) Hey... where did that bottle of wine go? I believe it is in Seattle, and I will do my best to find it before I leave.