Tuesday, July 23, 2013

A Taste of Canada. Eden at The Rimrock Resort (Banff, Canada)

I really wanted to get some foie gras while I was in Canada, and a quick search landed me at Eden Restaurant at The Rimrock Resort in Banff. This is white tablecloth service rarely seen in Los Angeles. We got a table by the window with a view of the mountains. Dinner starts with the server bringing the champagne cart.

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IMG_5804I wanted to indulge but didn't want to spend too much so I opted for the cheapest one, a Chandon Rose. I don't know if they normally refill your champagne, but they refilled mine all night long. Apparently since we were the last table on a Sunday night, they figured they might as well finish off the bottle they opened for my order! Lucky!

Our first amuse bouche was a fried duck confit served on a pine log.
Fried Duck Confit
The bread basket was served with Hay smoked butter, whipped olive oil w aged balsamic, goat's milk butter. The most interesting of the bread was the Flax seed bread.
Bread
More amuse bouche: Alaskan king crab and confit beef tongue. I loved the confit beef tongue.
Amuse
First course: Juniper smoked sturgeon on top of rock coho white salmon, Bloody Caesar sorbet
Smoked Sturgeon

"Saskatchewan Grains": Wild puffer rice, barley, Saskatoon berry
Grains
It doesn't sound like much on the menu but I loved this dish! It was very interesting with a lot going on in both flavor and texture combination, brought together by a light, subtle broth.

The foie gras that comes with the tasting menu is a pate but I really wanted a seared lobe, so I substituted it for the Seared Quebec Foie Gras with yuzu, pineapple, nasturtium, and tangerine
Foie Gras
The foie gras itself was good although not the highest quality I've had. Still, it satisfied the craving.

Since I'm having foie gras for the first time in a while, I had to get a proper wine pairing for it: a 2005 Sauternes. Heaven.
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Before proceeding with our meat course, a lovely palate cleanser of Rhubarb sorbet, carbonated grapes, honey foam.
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Elk tenderloin with Poutine. The poutine is made with local cheese curds from Alberta, and greens from Vital Green Farm.
Elk
The elk was excellent and very tender. The poutine was a fun accompaniment, a refined and slightly lighter version of the traditional dish.

The cheese course consisted of Le Cendrillon which apparently won best cheese in world in 2008, 2009 at competition in Canary Islands, Spain, and Bleu Benedictin served with beet chips.
Cheese
Le Cendrillon is indeed very good and I can see how it won the competitions.

My friend didn't want a cheese course so they substituted it for another dessert, composed of Mango soufflé, mango gelee, and lime cheesecake.
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The dessert that comes with the Taste of Canada menu is their take of the "Nanaimo Bar". Here, it is made with Hazelnut praline base, vanilla mascarpone, and served with pumpkin ice cream, 
Nanaimo Bars

The petit fours are served around a glass bowl that was to be filled with frozen nitrogen and tea, creating an aromatic smoke. There was Pine nut butter tart with candied violet, and Saskatoon berry filled beignets
Petit Four

I didn't partake but they do have another cart of digestifs. Ports, aged rums, cognacs, and the like. So fancy.
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For a tour of Canada's local meats, produce, and flavors in an upscale setting with impeccable service, Eden Restaurant is the place to go in Banff.
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Eden
The Rimrock Resort Hotel
300 Mountain Ave
Banff, AB T1L, Canada
(403) 762-1865
http://www.banffeden.com/
Eden on Urbanspoon

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