Culinary Dinner Date - The Willow on Wascana

It's been two months since I last posted. We've had two other dinner dates since then as well! Sometimes I get bad at this whole "blog once every two weeks or so" thing. Anyways, the dinner date I am about to post about is probably the best one we've had, and might be the one compare all others too. Seriously that good.

On with the show!*Note that the writing style is different. I'm trying something new.*

There’s that moment, when you’re going out for supper with friends, and you just know in your gut that it`s going to be a one-of-a-kind experience. My friends and I had been anticipating going to The Willow for the last month. With a perusal of the menu a couple weeks before and the assurance of a reservation a week in advance, the four of us were amply prepared for what was to be one of the most deliciously food-laden nights of our monthly Culinary Dinner Dates.

Drinks in our glasses and mouths watering, we got right into it. We were first treated to a gift from the chef: pan-seared pickled beef tongue mixed with peppers and topped with a mint leaf. Nervous about never having tried beef tongue before, I was coaxed into eating it. The tongue was very fork tender with the peppers adding some chew. It was all brought together by the sweetness of the mint, and I am not so nervous about beef tongue anymore!

Our appetizer, The Ploughman’s Board, was a shared assortment of meat, cheese, bread and pickled morsels accompanied by candied spiced pecans, blueberries, and fresh preserves. Our favourite off the Ploughman’s Board were the pecans, as they were an unexpected sweet touch among the otherwise staple selections.

Individual starters at the table included a savoury, bowl of nirvana that is The Willow’s Land Chowder. Welcoming chunks of potato and greens bathed in a creamy soup of leek and topped with a done-to-perfection piece of braised pork belly. The bread from the Ploughman’s Board was superb with the chowder when dipped in it. 

The Hot Off The Press starter consisted of an apple sage pressed pork belly topped with a genius bacon fat poached egg. It actually tasted like bacon, and sparked a debate about whether or not duck fat would work as well as bacon fat. 

Our last, but not least, starter at the table was a very light and crispy Summer Beet Salad. Tender beets mixed with micro greens were void of the usual earthy taste which can be hard on the palate. They were complemented well with aged shaved Chevre cheese and interesting apple miso vinaigrette that tasted more like chamomile and vanilla than apple and miso.

After a refill of drinks and a silverware change, we received the entrées – and they did not disappoint. The Taste of Italy chicken had a very natural lemon flavor and was paired with grilled polenta, carrots and a black olive tapenade. At first the polenta was bland, until paired with the olive tapenade; only then did it make up for its lack of oomph. 

The Beef Steak dish had perfectly cooked medium-rare meat with bold flavours. Slightly under done potatoes were made alright by the spinach salad and the nice surprise of blueberries and blue cheese.

The Chef’s Offering of the night was bacon and blue cheese-stuffed chicken breast, the filling of which can only be described as a maple creamy cheese delight. A nicely textured smoked cheddar smashed potato and tender greens supplemented the chicken.

However, despite all the delectable entrées at the table, the one everyone wished they had ordered was the Tea Time duck breast. Describing it as purely magnificent when combined with the sour cherry sauce is by no means an understatement. Along with the duck was a kohlrabi and apple concoction that had a gritty texture which was odd on the tongue, but once started was hard to stop eating.

Even though we were all immensely full, we still wanted to, and did, order dessert. Now, there are only five desserts on the menu at The Willow, so what did we do? We ordered them all. And it was by far the best decision we had made all night.

The Angel Eyes caramel macchiato angel food cake was the first to arrive, and the first to be devoured. It was soft and moist. The coffee banana caramel was being wiped off the plate in an effort to not be missed. Topped with fresh peach slices and cinnamon whipped cream, it was the favourite dessert of the five.

The Peaches And Cream cobbler was warm and topped with red wine ice cream and the same cinnamon whipped cream. There were plums in the cobbler with the peaches which added a nice, welcomed depth to the dish. 

Smokey The Cheesecake was a close-second favourite of the boys. The smoked blueberry and coconut combination was a delightfully unexpected one. With the word ‘smokey’ in the name, you’d have expected the cheesecake to be heavy, but it was quite light and very flavourful.

The Chocolate Rootbeer Float had a very strong taste, which could be discouraging to some – it was to me – but the rest of table seemed to really enjoy the drink, and the brownies in it.

Finally, the Ice Cream Sandwich was an adorably stacked dessert with a browned marshmallow on top of ice cream placed between two coconut and chocolate brownies. The sweet ice cream was incredible when taken in with the super soft brownies.

The whole meal can be described as blindingly good. By the time the evening had come to an end, we had been there for three hours. A relaxed night of some of the finest dining I've ever experienced is something we wish we could do over and over, week after week. But alas, until our next Culinary Dinner Date, we’ll be dreaming of this night again and again.