D and I had both spent the day visiting our Moms.  I had plans that evening to attend a neighbourhood wine and cheese party.  In between though, D and I met for a quick supper and to watch the first period of the Jets game.

I have enjoyed lunch at The Grove Restaurant and Pub but never dinner.  We positioned ourselves side by side as couples sit in French cafes.  We were not feeling particularly romantic, we just both wanted a good vantage point of the TV screen.   The evening started with a couple of Rock Creek ciders and we had barely begun to quench our thirst when our dinner of appetizers arrived.  We were pleased with the kitchen’s timing.

The chevre and roasted pepper croquettes were milder than I imagined they would be.  I could taste a well blended bechamel but could not detect the sharpness of the goat cheese.  This was not because the pepperiness over powered the goat cheese (because the taste of a pequillo peppers is closer to a bell pepper than a chili pepper, despite their small size).

We really enjoyed the fish bites especially the haddock nuggets coated in panko flakes.  We prefer our salmon a wee bit rare and these were quite well cooked.  Happily, the accompanying curry sauce moistened the morsels for us.

The scallops were absolutely sublime!  Perfectly seared to our liking so that the surface was slightly crunchy but the inside was still almost translucent.  Topping the scallops was candied pork belly, and they were nestled upon caramelized apple & onion purée and a drizzle of lavender port syrup-oh my!

We met another Winnipeg Chef as they were leaving.  The sign of an exceptional restaurant is when other chefs choose to eat there.

Kath’s quote: “Scallops are expensive, so they should be treated with some class. But then, I suppose that every creature that gives his life for our table should be treated with class.”-Jeff Smith

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