Dearlove.ca » Food

Dinner at Beckta

The Dearlove — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 01:23:25 +0000

When I left the orchestra last year, the musicians graciously provided me with a gift certificate to Beckta, one of Ottawa’s leading restaurants. Given my well-documented fondness for procrastination and delayed gratification, it should come as no surprise that it took me eleven months to finally make a dinner reservation.

I was incredibly excited about Beckta, and also a little nervous. I’ve heard nothing but raves about the place over the past few years, and people urged me to do the five-course tasting menu with the wine pairing. While I aspire to be a foodie and indulge in fearless eating, I did worry that some of the courses would be a little adventurous for me (i.e. braised pig’s feet).

In any event, B and I did the brave thing and put our evening in the capable hands of chef Michael Moffatt. We weren’t disappointed – it was quite simply the finest meal I’ve ever had. I even committed the entire meal to memory, just for all you actual foodies who might be interested in such things.

Amuse
A spoonful of braised oxtail with apricot and olive tapenade

First Course
Alaskan wild sockeye salmon sashimi style, with grilled asparagus, goat cheese, pine nuts, and sweet lemon cucumber sorbet
Riesling “Off Dry” Cattail Creek, VQA Niagara 2006

Second Course
Fried BC spot prawn, ricotta-ramp-shrimp agnelotti, lobster consommé with chili oil
Chardonnay, Parducci, Mendocino 2006

Third Course
Pork belly confit, wilted sorrel, mushroom and spring pea ragout, sweet sherry reduction
Gamay Noir “Estate” 13th Street, VQA Four Mile Creek 2006

Intermezzo
Pomegranate-orange sorbet with elderflower water

Fourth Course
Alberta beef tenderloin, roasted sunchokes, spring onion and rhubarb sauté, fava beans, Asian BBQ sauce
Shiraz “Omrah” Plantagenet, Margaret River 2004

Dessert
Bittersweet chocolate tart with walnut paté sucrée and maple meringue, white chocolate and roasted walnut ice cream, maple rum sauce
Banyuls “Cirera” Domaine Madeloc 2005

Amuse
Strawberry blondie with mango coconut purée

Yes, that’s a lot of food (and a lot of wine). The pork belly was a meal in itself. The pork had been braised, cured, and smoked before being prepared confit-style. It was rich, decadent, and had a strong pig flavour. While I probably wouldn’t order it as a main course, I would gladly eat it if it was served to me again.

It was my first experience with a tasting menu, and I loved it. There was this mix of excitement and trepidation every time a dish arrived, and I appreciated having a knowledgeable sommelier choosing wines that paired well with each course. I also can’t say enough about the service – the whole staff is extremely professional and attentive.

Four hours and $300 later, we staggered out of the restaurant and grabbed a cab home. It’s a lot of money to spend on dinner, but then I started thinking about all the times we’ve dropped $50 or $60 for a crappy meal at a chain restaurant. I would gladly give up five of those mediocre experiences for one amazing experience. Sorry, Montana’s – I’m going upscale.

PS If you’re a foodie and want to read more comprehensive descriptions of Beckta’s tasting menus, you can check out Craig’s posts at mydinnertable.com – just click here and here.

West Coast Eats

The Dearlove — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 22:27:00 +0000

Over the years, I have significantly expanded my gastronomic comfort zone (and expanded my waistline at the same time). Once upon a time I’d worry about whether there would be things on the menu that I’d like, but now I feel pretty comfortable in most social settings.

My old fears came back on Sunday night when Eric, former board member, took us out for dinner in Victoria. We ended up at the Deep Cove Chalet, a former tea house on the coast that has a great reputation on the island as a destination restaurant. As I perused the subtantial menu, Eric decided that the chef should make us whatever he wanted for dinner. Not wanting to upset our host, I meekly agreed.

The first course was a huge chunk of cold foie gras with toast points. I know that for many people, foie gras is a decadent treat that is meant to be savoured and enjoyed. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get past the mental image of a poor goose with a tube stuck down its throat in a sadistic attempt to fatten the liver. I managed to choke down about half of the slab with the help of many sips of water.

I had barely recovered from the first course when the next challenge arrived – a big bowl of chanterelle mushrooms. I have never been a fungus fan, so the tangled mass of ‘shrooms was a real test. The small piece of black cod that accompanied it was quite good, though.

By the time the main course arrived, it was around 9:30 pm, which felt like 12:30 am for me. A big hunk of beef wellington is not exactly the type of light late-night snack I had in mind, but it was quite tasty. The dessert was old-school – a meringue nest with two scoops of ice cream and a gravy boat of warm chocolate sauce. They pretty much had to roll me out of the restaurant.

Last night my colleague and I went to Vij’s in Vancouver, a restaurant The New York Times called “Easily among the best Indian restaurants in the world”. It was a total change from the previous night – contemporary, hip, with a touch of the exotic. The servers looked like they were plucked from fashion magazines, and they stopped by several times to offer us tempting morsels of pakoras and madras frites.

The food was very good, although I wasn’t totally sold on my beef side ribs. Heather had their signature lamb popsicles, and it was easily one of the tastiest dishes I’ve ever tried. We walked back to the hotel in the rain in a futile attempt to burn off some of the excess calories.

I have already started worrying about lunch on Thursday, as one of our hosts is taking us for dim sum. I’ve only tried it once, and that was 10 years ago, but I still have a vivid mental picture of a chicken foot emerging from a little dough ball. I hope they’ll have plenty of water on the table…

My New Favourite Food

The Dearlove — Tue, 15 May 2007 01:26:00 +0000

A few months ago I wrote about Chipnuts, a great food innovation that combined the goodness of potato chips and peanuts into one awesome snackfood.

Well, I have discovered another great peanut-based food. Peanut Butter & Co., an eatery in New York City that specializes in (you guessed it) peanut butter, has a line of gourmet peanut butter. So far, I’ve only tried one jar, but it’s amazing.

Dark Chocolate Dreams combines all-natural peanut butter with dark chocolate. What a great invention. I guess you could put it on bread or something, but I have just been scooping it out with a spoon and letting it melt on my tongue.

I can’t wait to try White Chocolate Wonderful and The Heat is On (PB + fiery spices). I wonder what it would taste like on Chipnuts…

The Wannabe Gourmet

The Dearlove — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 01:27:00 +0000

I am a wannabe foodie. I like reading about cooking – I just finished Anthony Bourdain’s Kitchen Confidential and A Cook’s Tour and started daydreaming about enrolling at the Cordon Bleu school. On Sunday mornings, I begin with the weekly restaurant review before reading the sports section. I like cooking and baking, and prepare most of the meals in the house. I prefer fresh ingredients and try to avoid pre-packaged meals at all costs.

However, I have a long way to go before becoming a real foodie. I don’t like mushrooms, organ meat, most kinds of cheese, and have never tried foie gras. I have a tendency to over-cook meat and fish and have poor knife technique. I have never eaten at Beckta, Susur, Whalebone, Baccarat, or the other leading restaurants, although I have had memorable lunches at Henri Burger, Social, the Urban Pear, and Les Fougeres (compliments of our generous legal counsel). I don’t watch the Food Network, and I couldn’t tell Rachel Ray from Emeril Lagasse.

I think of cooking as one of the few creative outlets I have. I don’t get to play much these days, I could never draw or paint, and I certainly don’t dance. There’s a unique pleasure that comes from making a good meal and sharing it with friends and family. I just wish I had a wider repertoire to draw from.

If you want to read a good food blog, check out My Dinner Table or The Amateur Gourmet. These guys are serious about food in a way that I will never be. Enjoy.

My New Favourite Food

The Dearlove — Sun, 31 Dec 2006 23:12:00 +0000

My brother Kyle introduced me to my new favourite food – salt and vinegar chip nuts. It’s a peanut coated in crispy potato-chip stuff, then dusted with salt and vinegar seasoning. It has the goodness of potato chips combined with the positive health benefits of peanuts – what’s not to like? I usually enjoy mine with a side of pork rinds, a litre of egg nog, and deep-fried Mars bars.Oh yeah, the diet officially starts on January 3rd (I need to give myself a couple of extra days to clear out my stash of chip nuts and chocolate).

The Rideau Club

The Dearlove — Tue, 12 Dec 2006 01:48:00 +0000

Faced with the prospect of hanging out with two infectious little boys the other night, Bronwen and I did what any responsible parents would do – we headed out for dinner with friends to the most exclusive private club in town.Founded in 1865, the Rideau Club has been the meeting place for Ottawa’s political, social, and business elite for generations (yes, they still let me in the door). While it once stood across the street from Parliament Hill, it is now located on the top floor of a downtown office building. It’s a little surreal stepping out of the elevator, through the elegant lobby, and into the richly decorated lounges and private rooms.Our friends Jim and Trish are members and invited us for dinner. Before sitting down to eat we took a brief tour of the Karsh room, which features about 20 large format portraits by legendary photographer Yousuf Karsh. The photographs are incredible, especially the iconic photos of Churchill and Sibelius.The food and service, as one might expect, were impeccable. I enjoyed the theatrics of the choreographed removal of the silver serving domes before the main course. The great food and wine were matched by engaging conversation – it’s rare these days that Bronwen and I get to enjoy a leisurely dinner with friends, and this was a reminder that we need to make more time for socializing.In case you’re wondering, the boys have mostly recovered and are back to school (whew).

Now THAT’S A Blog

The Dearlove — Thu, 09 Nov 2006 00:12:00 +0000

Some people take this blogging thing really seriously. One of the best entries I’ve ever seen is here. I can’t even begin to think about how much work it would be to put something like that together.No need to worry about this blog getting all fancy on ya. I’ll have to make do with sarcasm and jpeg’s.