As I mentioned in my post yesterday, last week was an especially boozy one. It all started with the Wines of Portugal tasting at Victor Restaurant on Monday, and on Tuesday evening we were invited to partake in the 7-Course Visa Infinite Dinner at Auberge du Pommier. I was so excited to attend this event – first, the wines being featured were from my hometown of Bordeaux; and second, who doesn’t love Auberge du Pommier? Everything is executed so perfectly and I actually had not yet had the pleasure of trying the new Executive Chef Marc St. Jacques’ culinary skills.
Sadly, the evening started with a terrible experience with Uber and so we arrived at the dinner one hour late… not impressed. That said, once we arrived, I was in pure heaven (as you will see in the vlog). The Oliver and Bonacini team were all there to greet us very graciously after our late arrival, and sat us at a table with some lovely food writers from Swallow Food and Chatelaine Magazine. Needless to say, we were all anticipating the first course.
Starting off with probably one of my favourite dishes, we were served a chilled lobster salad with tasting apple, celery remoulade, roasted walnuts and late harvest apple vinegar. Delectable. To me, it was a unique take on the Waldorf salad – but with lobster. The wine was a lovely Chateau Haut-Grelot from Bordeaux and matched perfectly, as did all the wines at every course thereafter.
MC and French Wine Ambassador Nick Hamilton, alongside well-known sommelier Will Predhomme, were our wine directors for the evening and educated us on where the wines were from, the tasting notes, and how they paired with each course. The dinner was seamlessly executed as both guided us through each course with perfect timing. I most enjoyed the 4th course of Cumbrae Farms beef, roasted foie gras, traditional garnish, hot mustard, and dashi bouillon. It was outstanding; the smokiness from the dashi had our entire table perplexed and debating about where the smoke was coming from. I was convinced there was some bacon in there somewhere… Alas, when Chef St. Jacques came by the table we discovered it was actually from the dashi. Totally innovative and delicious.
I have given you a taste of what we tried and to see the rest you must watch the vlog – trust me, it’s worth it if only to see the beauty of each dish. Well done Auberge du Pommier – Visa Infinite members are very, very lucky!
For more information about upcoming Visa Infinite events, please visit www.VisaInfinite.ca