A day of
sipping wine in the Twenty Bench region should end with some sustenance, why
not a lovely dinner at The Restaurant at Pearl Morissette? Although Pearl
Morissette is a winery, a low supply of wine means all tastings are cancelled
“for the foreseeable future”, which means to try their wines you need to visit
the restaurant.
One
option is to add the wine pairing ($60) to your meal. Having already sampled a
fair share already, I opted for two produced by the winery at dinner. To begin,
a glass of the 2016 Cuvée Roselana ($11 for 5oz), a vibrant red rosé that’s
just as fruity to match, in an aromatic but not sweet manner. Even their 2014
Cuvée Madeline ($10.50 for 3oz), a cabernet franc, had big bursts of cherry
notes that when combined with a savoury main calms down and mellows into a
lovely finish. Pearl Morissette makes vibrant and easy drinking wines.
The
meals are tasting menu only ($85 a person, inclusive of gratuities), which
changes daily. Located in the Niagara Escarpment, it’s no surprise the dinner
includes a lot of produce, showcasing the bounty from the local environment.
The first dish, a braised eggplant, covered with plum slices, fig leaves, and
basil is the sexiest eggplant I’ve ever seen (no emoji pun intended). While the
eggplant’s flesh looked white, the texture was soft and creamy accentuated with
bursts of floral, sweetness, and licorice (a flavour I’m not normally a fan of
but somehow works in the dish).
After all
the wine tasting, I was ecstatic to see the wedge of crusty sourdough bread, served
warm with a side of butter. Pearl Morissette mixes corn meal into the dough so
the bread has that sponginess of sourdough but a wonderful sweetness as
well.
A
palm-sized bean tartlet continues the meal. On the bottom, a creamy and tangy
chevre goat cheese topped with diced butter beans that adds a lovely crunch
against the thin buttery tart shell. Give me more!
A
scallop is lightly warmed and cubed amongst a Doe Hill pepper purée, which is
surprisingly flavourful... to the point that it covers the delicate scallop. Learning
more about the pepper, it’s described as very sweet. For me there was a slight
bitterness mixed with a rich capsicum flavour, which pairs nicely with the
sweet corn but less so with the seafood. Personally, I enjoyed the scallops
plain with flecks of marigold petals.
While I
don’t mind the scallop undercooked, the grilled hand-caught line cod was too
rare. The outer edges were fine, flaking away and cooked through, but the
thicker section had a slightly gummy texture and fishy essence – it needed
another minute on the grill. Maybe if the accompaniments were stronger the
fishy taste could be covered, but the tomato juice and razor clam broth were so
light that couldn’t mask the undercooked fish. The best part of the dish was
the freshly picked tomatoes, simply amazing. Oh, the bounty of Niagara!
While
the first half of the meal was light and summery, the following wild mushrooms
was a nice progression towards the main. I can see why the lobster mushroom
gets its name with the red outer skin and the inside being white. Moreover, it
even has a meaty texture and slight seafood essence. Along with black trumpet
mushrooms, they are tossed with a bread miso so the dish has an Asian flair with
a hint of smokiness.
I urge
the chefs to rethink the crumble topping in the mushrooms as it adds a grainy
texture to the dish, so it feels like you’re eating sandy fungi. Moreover, the
dish would have benefited from a grain (like barley or a parsnip/potato puree)
as it was too salty on its own. As a plus, it went wonderfully with the Cabernet
Franc, the earthiness tempering the cherry notes of the wine.
Two
pieces of roasted rib of beef ended the savoury courses. The Longhorn beef was
wonderfully flavourful and delicious. I felt guilty that it was so enjoyable; just moments before the dish arrive I watching two calves in the field,
nuzzling each other and play fighting. Even the vegetables were fantastic: pan
fried zucchini that had a lovely caramelized crust on the cut end and just
cooked through retaining a crunchy texture; and lightly pickled onions that
kept the meaty main bright.
The
first dessert acted as a palette cleanser, a rich strawberry sorbet with a
tart sweet grass sabayon that’s surprisingly light for something made with egg
yolks. It’s a dish with many tastes and textures as sitting on the bottom were
salted strawberry pieces dotted with herb oil.
A goat
cheesecake followed for a richer dessert, flavoured with blueberries that were
plump and sweet. A side of goat cheese verbena granite added a cool element.
After
the cheesecake, we thought the meal was over - at this point, we were satisfied
but not stuffed. Then two freshly baked shortbread arrive, still hot so the
butter is melted throughout creating a cookie with crunchy edges but a sinfully
soft centre, with peach preserve and spicebush giving it flavour. If it weren’t
rich enough, a side of butter is given – great for those who like a salty and
sweet combination.
Twenty
Bench is such a tranquil environment that you can’t help but be present and in
the moment. At Pearl Morissette there’s so much wildlife surrounding the winery:
the ducks in the pond kept us entertained – the baby ones diligently swimming
and so cute that it’s hard to look away. The elevated dining room with the
large windows creates such an airy environment that you almost feel like you’re
eating outdoors, with the benefit of central heating and cooling.
The two
hours just flew by, I couldn’t believe the meal came to an end. During late
August/early September, don’t be afraid of the cannon/gunshot sounds that
pierce through the air every few minutes. It’s simply compressed air used to
deter birds from eating the ripe grapes. I just don’t know about the
effectiveness of the machine, it certainly didn’t scare away the ducks, those
little fellows could swim forever.
