Don Rufino — Restaurant in La Fortuna

My wife and I wanted to try a tasting menu while on vacation, and found Don Rufino as the place to go to. We went in not knowing what to expect. Let me say this now, this is a must-try for anyone visiting.

First thing to note about this dining experience: it was not the typical tasting menu experience that we are used to. Most diners, from what we could tell, order from the a la carte menu, thus, there was a ton of hustle and bustle of wait staff moving around, and the volume was lively and loud. This was all perfectly fine, as our waiter made the experience feel personable and individualized to us, thus, kudos to him for the excellent service (I think the gentleman's name was Andre). When asked if we wanted to do a wine pairing, standard or a higher quality one, we opted for the standard (at $35/person, this was a steal!). After choosing the wine pairing, our gastronomic journey into the northern part of Costa Rica began.

The first couple of courses, a bread and butter and the charcoal tinted corn bizcocho, got things started on the right foot. Things kicked into a higher gear with the seafood toast, a fresh course magnified by the accompanying wine that put the seafood flavors at the forefront. What followed next was both a delicious and culturally rooted dish, the Palm heart Maleku mafuriseca. Our waiter walked us through the thought behind the dish, and explained the preparation of it comes from a technique used by an indigenous group in the area. Not only did the presentation pay homage to that, but the balance of buttery flavors from the snook and freshness of the bijagua leaves was excellent. There were also contrasting textures of crunch and tenderness that made the dish enjoyable to eat.

A strawberry sorbet came next and worked as a palette cleanser. When the waiter mentioned there was cardamom garnishing the sorbet, it made me worried as it can be off-putting if not moderated. In this case, it was added thoughtfully and made for a great transition to the star of the dinner, the char-grilled loin. The meat was some of the best I've had, as it was unbelievably tender and seasoned to perfection. The accompanying mushrooms prepared in lime complemented the seasoning with the citrus. To the sides were bernaise sauce and a jus with mustard seed, both enhancing the flavors of the meat. Surprisingly, the yuca that came with it tasted fantastic, the best yuca I have had. I have found it to be fibrous and bland in the past, yet, not in this case, the complete opposite in fact. As for the grand finale, a dessert dish composed of a Golden sweet potato churro, ayote ice cream, and a curt tart, was a sublime homage to the local ingredients. It helped that the last wine paired with this course was a sweet and refreshing rosé to end the night on delightful note.

I cannot praise Don Rufino's tasting menu enough. They served my wife and I a tasteful, thoughtful, and most importantly, local tour of flavors that took us on a joyful and yummy ride. This is the place that we will remember the most when we leave, as it was the best meal we had...

Don Rufinos is definitely the place to go for a nice birthday dinner. It has a great steak selection and appears to be more of a steakhouse. I brought my husband here for his birthday while we were in La Fortuna. It is very lovely. They have a wonderful wine selection with wines from Argentina, Chile, and Italy. They have a very extensive menu as well. My husband and I shared everything and ordered two sides and 2 mains. We got the bone marrow and the meatballs as starters. The bone marrow was delicious. It was huge first of all. The cows out here have healthy bones. It came prepared with a creamy sauce and some fresh herbs and came with grilled bread. Omg it was good. A very good plate for sharing, eaten alone it could be filling. The meatballs were also tasty the server mentioned that they might be a little spicy but they were not. They just had a little bit of black pepper. I typically don't eat spicy food as I'm Nicaraguan and ticos don't really eat spicy either so I could see how someone would think that. It came with crispy prosciutto and pickled onions. The meatballs had a very good flavor. It came with 4 meatballs. For entrees we ordered the short rib ravioli and the grandmother's chicken. The ravioli were huge. It came with 5 large overfilled ravioli which was nice. And the short rib was on the inside. They were on a bed of white sauce and herbs. They were a little on the salty side but very flavorful. The chicken was the star of the whole show. It came prepared in a banana leaf wrapped like a gift in a clay pot. The server opened it for us and inside was a pretty large portion of chicken. I believe a half chicken. It was in a sauce made of coffee, chocolate, and nutmeg. It reminded me of the hens we make for Nicaraguan Christmas. The chicken was so tender and falling apart. I could have eaten a whole chicken in that sauce. It came with a side of steamed veggies. I would have loved some rice to pair with it but nonetheless it was amazing. The server was really nice and had great wine recommendations. I also ordered a mint lemonade that was made to order and ended up ordering a second it was that good. Also not to be missed the break and butter that came complimentary before the meal was divine. This place is worth checking out 100% if you're in La Fortuna. Def try the chicken...

I would like to give out a 3.5 stars if we did not end up in the hospital 2 hours after having dinner.

We ordered the beef ribs, risotto, ribeye, and sea bass and they taste like your average fine dining restaurant: a nicely decorated place with nice furnitures and fancy menu. After tasting the magical“gastronomy” you can’t really say they are bad but you probably won’t visit again that price. You start wondering where the cost comes from? Is it the chandelier? The wooden tables? The waxed bar countertops? I would forget about it and continue with my life, probably won’t even post anything like I never do, if we did not end up in the hospital.

With dizziness and nausea, we woke up on the bed and started wondering what happened to us. 4 episodes and 4 throw ups later, the medical staff on the ambulance told us it was food poisoning. How are you so sure it was them? You may ask. You might be right, that 1,200 colones bottled water that every supermarket sells could truly be the cause, with the same probability of their food really tasted good.

While on a 90min IV, I felt chills ripple through my spine, yes, even colder than the raw steak we were served, as cold as the Winter Vortex in the Midwest a few years ago, but not as cold as the medical bills. Damn, I thought being uninsured in the States was expensive. Now I finally understand where the fine dining cost comes from - the all-inclusive La Fortuna experience from dinner table to hospital bed.

3 days later, I’m consuming 2 packs of cough drops per hour and calling every Monteverde tours to try to get a refund. Can’t wait for my colleges to ask me how Costa Rica is. “Pura Vida! Except don’t visit Don Rufino in...