My husband and I finally got to La Beaujena last month.  We loved the hospitality and the simple, yet cozy decor.  We also enjoyed the leisurely pace of the meal as we ordered seven dishes and a lovely Gewurztraminer.  In the end it was too much food for us and will likely order the five course “surprize” meal next time.

Amuse Bouche:  Black truffle and foie gras on puff pastry pillows with mushroom and bleu cheese pate on walnut ginger crisps. The truffle and foie gras were sautéed lightly in olive oil and served simply, one atop the other. The ginger walnut crisps presented a nice compliment to the bleu cheese in the pate.

Soup Course:  Asparagus Shrimp Soup with baby bella mushrooms. First step was simmering pounds of asparagus and then liquefying with an immersion blender. The mushroom and shrimp gave it texture and rounded out the flavours.

Pasta Course:  Red bean meat balls with a spicy tomato sauce on linguine. Crumbled bacon, mashed red beans and bread crumbs combined to form one of the tastiest little meat balls ever. The sauce contained serrano chilies and tomatoes to form a fiery accompaniment.

First Meat Course:  Duck leg comfit, roasted turnips, shallots and sour cheery sauce.  Roasting the meat in duck fat for several hours makes it tender and juicy.  The sour cherry sauce beautifully balanced the fat.

Second Meat Couse:  Braised pork tenderloin with apples, pears and parmesan risotto balls. The rissoto balls turned out to be the star of this dish even though the pork was unusually tender and juicy.

Salad Course:  Orzo salad with cucumber and orange. Cleansed the palate exactly as it was intended to.

Dessert:  Lemon cream cheesecake tart with raspberry sauce.

Have you been to Winnipeg’s La Beaujena’s yet?

Kath’s quote: “One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.”-Virginia Woolf

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