| rev:text
| - An amazing experience from beginning to end. A true delight, and a shining example of the way a five star, upscale, formal dining room should run.
I visited Canoe last night with a party of six. As we were dining with clients, a reservation had been made in advance for 6:30. We were seated right away at a large round table in the south-west corner of the restaurant, with excellent, picturesque views facing both south and west.
Our experience began with a visit from the sommelier, who was, as his title implies, a knowledgeable expert in wine. We settled on a bottle of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc (the one which he described as being more "mineraly"), and a California Cabernet Sauvignon. I wish I'd taken down the names of the wines, because I want to make sure I pick up a bottle of each the next time I'm at the LCBO. Both wines were divine.
Once we settled in with our beverages, the waiter arrived promptly to see how we were doing with our menus and to take our order. He took this opportunity to explain the "Tastes" menu, which we didn't partake in, and which I'm still not sure I understand. Nevertheless, I ordered the lamb, with mushroom soup to start.
Our appetizers arrived shortly afterward, and in grand style. A crew of cleverly dressed all descended upon our table at once to deliver the first round of goods. How lovely that everyone receives their food at exactly the same time. The presentation for the mushroom soup was wonderful and unexpected. First I received a nearly empty bowl with a medley of sautéed mushrooms and a spoonful of some sort of heavy, seasoned crème. Immediately behind the first server was a second, carrying a kettle, and she filled the remainder of the bowl with piping hot soup. Once the temperature settled to something that wouldn't burn my delicate tongue, I tasted a delicious mushroom soup, not like anything I've had before. It was very mushroom-y (as one would expect), and seemed to been in more of a both base vs a cream of mushroom soup.
So, for round two, the lamb. I had two small medallions of lamb, cooked to melt-in-your-mouth perfection, served over a medley of vegetables and lentils, and dollops of squash purée. The presentation was lovely, laid out in a straight line on a long rectangular plate. I think between our group, we ordered a good sampling of the menu, and everyone seemed very happy with their dishes. In particular, one who ordered the roast beef. She looked like she was in heaven.
Next, someone at our table ordered a taster of rum for us to share. At first, I was a little unsure about getting into spirits, thinking this meant trouble, but I was in for a treat. The restaurant had 15 year old El Dorado Special reserve rum from Guatemala. It smelled like vanilla and caramel and tasted smooth, and sweet. (PS. This is a secret item, not on the menu.)
Round four, dessert. By this point in time, I was already full, and quite frankly, I probably didn't need dessert, but, as I told my table mates, YOLO. I ordered the date crumble. It was really nice. I loved the hand-turned Orange iced cream. My neighbor ordered the butter tart which was also on my radar, and he said it was really good. Only one person didn't love dessert, and she had ordered the chocolate and peanut dessert, which was actually my runner up, so I'm glad I went with the date concoction.
Overall, a great evening was had, with great company and an excellent dining experience.
Thanks Canoe!
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