| Tom Cannavan's wine-pages.com |
Canada |
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Each evening I faithfully wrote up the day's eating on my laptop, with details of menus, wines and prices. One of the great 'disasters' of my computing life so far is that this file of information was somehow overwritten before I got home, with no back-up to rely on. I still thought my impressions of the places I visited would be worth recording, even though the reviews are not as detailed as I would normally like. I did take menus from a few places, which explains why some of the reviews have a little more flesh on their bones!
Ontario urban
Toronto: Sassafraz, 100 Cumberland Ave. Tel: (416) 964 2222
I had lunch twice in Sassafraz, one-week apart. It's a terrific people-watching spot in the posh shopping district of Yorkville, with pavement tables and a smart dining room. On both occasions I had their house burger: ground
Angus tenderloin beef with molasses braised onions and nicely mature cheddar cheese, served with sweet mustard butter and a large bowl of chunky fries. This is a hip and trendy place not losing sight of really good quality
food. A top spot for lunch or brunch. Open every day, 11:30 - 02:00.
Toronto: Scaramouche, 1 Benvenuto Place. Tel : (416) 961 8011
A real institution, Scaramouche is rather hidden away in the ground floor of an apartment building (we took a taxi) and has been one of the city's top spots for 25 years. It is in a slightly elevated position offering
fantastic views of the skyline, and is an extremely good, if rather middle-aged and middle-class dining experience. The food is solidly European haute cuisine in style, and there is a fantastic wine list at approachable prices. Relaxed
and confident in style, an evening here is pretty expensive at around $100 (£50) a head for dinner, and whilst it is far from cutting edge, it does what it does really well.
Toronto: Ruth's Chris, 145 Richmond Street W. Tel: (416) 955 1455
Ruth's Chris is a chain of steak houses across North America, which might bear some resemblance to the UK Aberdeen Steak House formula, but that resemblance is entirely superficial. The steak here is not cheap, but it is
absolutely prime beef, matured for extra flavour, and prepared and served immaculately. I had a classic three courses of Caesar salad (excellent), fillet steak with fries and onion rings (irresistible) and cheesecake. I was surprised
at the quality of the wine list, with lots of local wines (we drank the white and red wines from Stratus in Ontario) and reasonable mark-ups. A meal like this in Ruth's will run to around $100 a head (£50) without wine.
Niagara-on-the-Lake: Stone Road Grill, Garrison Plaza, corner of Mary and Mississauga. Tel: (905) 468 3474
Niagara: Dine On the Twenty, Jordan Village. Tel: (905) 562 3581
Niagara-on-the-Lake is a picture postcard village in the heart of the Niagara wine region, on the shores of Lake Ontario. The other dining choices here are on Queen Street at the village's centre, but Stone Road Grill is well worth searching
out for some of the best food in town, served in a very unpretentious setting. Beware also that it has no external signage, but ask and you will find it. We had a daily special of a selection of three different Canadian oysters, served
with a brilliant salsa, then I had a saffron Linguini, the hand-made pasta filled with sautéed prawns, confit tomato and basil that was deliciously flavoursome. For dessert, cloudberry crème brûlée with walnut
cookies was as good as it sounds, and espresso was top notch. The wine list is great, with an ever changing "reserve selection", and a good by the glass range. Highly recommended and only about $40 a head (£20) excluding wine.
insider tip: right opposite Stone Road Grill is one of Canada's best bakeries where pastry chef Catherine O'Donnell turns out impeccable cakes, pastries and chocolates, plus there's a small sit-in coffee area. Open for breakfast.
Niagara-on-the-lake: Escabèche. Tel: (888) 669 5566
Within the upmarket Prince of Wales hotel, Escabèche offers European-influenced fine dining in a pretty room with picture windows to one the world's most picturesque main streets. The food here is very good,
and as much of the produce as possible is sourced locally, including the scallops and slow-braised pork belly in my unusual starter, served on a bed of black beans and cabbage. For my main course I ordered a pan-roasted fillet of
cod, and though I can't recall the accompaniments, it was a really well cooked piece of fish. Sommelier Fred Gamula is encyclopaedic in his knowledge of local wines, and provides very helpful advice. I stayed in this hotel too,
and breakfasts are delicious - especially the French toast, cut as thick as a bible and piled high with strawberry compote. Around $100 per person, excluding wine.
Niagara-on-the-lake: Ristorante Giardino. Tel: (905) 468-3263
Another restaurant within a hotel, at the other end of Queen Street from Escabèche. The dining room here is modern and minimalist, but the food is pretty solid traditional Italian, done competently. That word sums up my salad Caprese,
with good local tomatoes, which I followed with Osso Buco, braised in Guinness (okay, that's not very Italian) and served with garlicky fried potatoes. Around $70 per person excluding wine.
Niagara-on-the-lake: Fans Court, 135 Queen Street. Tel: (905) 468 4511
Tucked into a little alley just off the main street of the village, Fans Court was recommended by several people for good, inexpensive Chinese food, which is basically what it delivered. There was nothing revelatory here, but
it was all freshly made and tasty, with friendly and efficient family-run service. Inexpensive at around $25 excluding drinks.
Niagara Falls: Wolfgang Puck Café, 6300 Fallsview. Tel: (905) 354 5000
Though the falls themselves are tremendously impressive, the town of Niagara Falls has become a mini-Las Vegas over the years, with Casino buffets, cheap diners and fast food dominating the streets. A branch of the
Wolfgang Puck chain therefore is a haven of grown-up and rather good food in a bit of a gastronomic wasteland. The café is large, bright and airy, and was disappointingly quiet on my lunch visit given that the
downmarket diner across the street was heaving. I enjoyed and excellent Caesar salad, with Romaine lettuce hearts, focaccia croutons and plentiful shavings of Parmesan. With dessert and a glass of Sauvignon Blanc, the bill for
two came in under $60.
Kingsville: The Vintage Goose, 24 Main Street West. Tel: (519) 733 6900
For visiting the wineries of Lake Erie North Shore and Pelee Island, Kingsville is the biggest town and a very good base. The Vintage Goose occupies a lovely historic old building downtown, and serves good food drawn from
eclectic sources, where dim sum and Creole ingredients mix with French and Italian cuisine. I remember some very tasty pork tenderloin here, wrapped in Prosciutto and glazed with Chianti. Moderate, at around $50 excluding wine.
Ontario wine country
| This restaurant forms part of the Cave Springs Wine Cellars in the village of Jordan, with the lovely Inn On the Twenty guest house just across the road. I had a tasting dinner here with winemaker Tom Pennachetti, and liked it so much
I returned for lunch on my own a week later. The large dining room has a wall of windows overlooking vineyards and is serving up some serious cuisine. I started with smoked salmon and Dungeness crab, served on a little
cloud of crème fresh topped with caviar, and |
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Niagara: Vineland Estate, 3620 Moyer Road. Tel: (905) 562 7088
Another winery where my lunch with the winemaker inspired a return visit. The secret here is to reserve a table on the terrace; a stunning spot with views over the vines, then lake Ontario, then Toronto in the distance. There are two menus
on offer: Prix Fixe at a modest $35, or $55 with wine, and the 'Creative' menu at $70 ( or $100 with wine), which is the one I enjoyed on both occasions. I'm a sucker for gazpacho, and this version was vivid and delicious, served
ice cold with a scoop of olive sorbet on top, and with some plump langoustine at the bottom of the bowl. My main course Prosciutto-roasted chicken was moist and tasty, served on a truffle risotto infused with sage from the
kitchen garden. Vineland has a wonderful selection of old estate Rieslings available by the glass and bottle too, rounding off a fine destination.
Niagara: Hillebrand Winery, 1249 Stone Road. Tel: (905) 468 7123
Vancouver: Rain City Grill, 1193 Denman Street. Tel: (604) 685 7337
A restaurant I also visited twice, but each time under my own steam. Housed in the heart of the winery, with views to the barrel cellar on one side, and the vines on the other, Hillebrand's restaurant is a smart, chic and beautiful spot.
My most memorable dishes (each drunk with a wine by the glass suggested on the menu) included fresh mussels steamed with sparkling wine and served with rocket, hazelnut and rosemary salad and goat's cheese grilled crostini, and
a wonderfully simple but delicious dish of vanilla-scented saffron lobster risotto, studded with chunks of white lobster meat. Puddings are also extremely good here, memorably a Niagara peach tart tatin served with praline ice cream. Hillebrand
is moderate to expensive, at around $80 excluding wine.
British Columbia urban
| I enjoyed a truly sensational meal in this smart, contemporary restaurant on English Bay, a fun, five minute ferry ride across from Granville Island. I hit Rain City just in time for the last days of their autumn Heirloom tomato menu,
featuring five courses, including dessert, all made from fabulous locally-grown tomatoes. A Dungeness crab and tomato salad accompanied with a golden tomato soup preceded a wonderfully vibrant dish of seared sea scallops
with tomato confit (right). A main course of Bison striploin was |
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Kelowna: Bouchons, 1180 Sunset Drive. Tel: (250) 763 6595
Kelowna is the main town to the north of the Okanagan valley, and a great base for exploring the region. I confess to being a little tired and jet-lagged when eating here, but I recall the dining room as a very smart take on an upmarket French bistro, with lots of polished wood, lamps and mirrors, and sophisticated versions of French country cooking. I had a rabbit casserole here, authentically slow cooked with plenty of Dijon mustard, which was spot on. I'd like to have done this restaurant more justice, and would go back again like a shot. Moderately priced at around $50 excluding wine (serious list).
Okanagan wine country, B.C.
Cedar Creek Winery, 5445 Lakeshore Road. Tel: (250) 764 8866
Just south of Kelowna. Tom diBello at Cedar Creek makes some of the best wines in Canada, and they can be enjoyed with some really good food on the lovely terrace restaurant during the summer months. A
platter of marinated vegetables, seafood, local cheeses and charcuterie was a very nice grazing first course as the sun beat down on the vineyards one lunchtime, and the herb-crusted wild salmon that followed was very nicely cooked, and served with pungent aioli and a terrific salad with Asian influenced flavours. A lovely vineyard spot, and moderately priced at around $25 for two courses.
Quail's Gate Winery, 3303 Boucherie Road. Tel: (250) 769 4451
Not far from Kelowna. Judith Knight is one of Canada's most accomplished chefs and my meal here was superb. The restaurant has a lovely, broad patio overlooking Lake Okanagan, with overhead heaters to take the chill off
the night air. I luxuriated over an eight-course tasting menu here, which showed a really creative hand in the kitchen. Asian marinated Sockeye salmon was served lightly poached, with crispy noodles, braised bok choy and a mushroom
sauce, showing obvious Pacific Rim influences, but this ran seamlessly into a lovely rack of lamb, with succulent, yielding meat, accompanied by an eggplant tart. One dessert that really sticks in my memory is a dark chocolate and
Kaluhua truffle, with an iced almond and pecan nougat. We matched estate wines with each course, in a long, and very enjoyable evening of fine food and wine. Dinner without wine will cost around $80.
Mission Hill Winery Terrace, 1730 Mission Hill Road. Tel: (250) 768 6448
Not far from Kelowna. Mission Hill is an architecturally stunning winery set majestically above the Okanagan with a gorgeous terrace offering panoramic views. We ate the four-course tasting menu one lunchtime, with an estate wine matched against
each course ($89). To start with a Tempura of prawns and heirloom tomato salad was crisp, flavoursome and beautifully light, washed down with a glass of Pinot Blanc. An Acorn squash soup had been flaked with rainbow trout and
new potatoes to form a stew that was rich, yet not at all heavy. Braised lamb shanks, succulently falling off the bone, were served with a ragout of wild mushrooms and matched nicely to the 2003 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. Finally,
a tart tatin made from estate-grown pears was absolutely delicious, served with orange caramel, pecan ice cream and a glass of Riesling icewine. Not only is Mission Hill a must-see destination, this restaurant provided one of the
best meals and most spectacular settings of my trip.
Hillside Estate Winery, 1350 Naramata Road. Tel: (250) 493 6274
Close to Penticton. As an antidote to all that high-class dining, Hillside's rustic restaurant offers a very laid back approach and some terrific no-nonsense food in its Barrel Room bistro. Wild boar terrine was chunky and wholesome,
served with a black cherry chutney, which I followed with some linguine, which came with an Asian inspired ginger and chilli-spiked sauce.
Nk'Mip Cellars, 1400 Rancher Creek Road. Tel: (250) 495 2985
Near Osoyoos on the US border, Nk'Mip (pronounced 'Ink-a-meep') is the winery and cultural centre of a unique winery part-owned and run by the Osoyoos Indian band. The patio restaurant is terrific, with great views, live
aboriginal music, and a red-hot (in more senses than one) barbecue in the corner turning out copious platters of grilled bison and huge tiger prawns on foot-long skewers. Highly recommended.
Burrowing Owl Winery, Black Sage Road. Tel: (250) 498 0620
South of Oliver. Burrowing Owl is a very smart winery in the south of the valley that was just completing some guest cottages for rent at the time of my visit, so they take the hospitality side of their business very seriously.
Something about my dinner here just missed the mark, but I'm prepared to believe I was having as much of an off night as they were during a long, sometimes tiring trip. The food was ambitious and on the haute side of cuisine, and
the airy dining room was thoroughly pleasant, so I certainly wouldn't be put off dining there again if in the area.
