Seasonal, regional cooking doesn’t get much closer to the source than this. Many of the restaurant’s ingredients are harvested from the property’s kitchen gardens and the surrounding Carolinian forest. Chef Jason Bangerter’s terroir-driven cuisine isn’t dogmatic though, and B.C. sablefish is more than happy to partner with a velouté of the restaurant’s own cauliflower and lemongrass. Classically rooted cooking transforms even the humblest vegetables into items of desire. Sauces and soups in particular are beautifully judged. The dining room is all pressed linens, polished crystal and benevolent professionalism. The drama’s on the plate. A mosskissed planter arrives billowing dry ice smoke;, a warm, savoury broth is poured from a handhewn carafe sporting a bouquet of herbs, branches and aromatic pines. A single spear of asparagus sits on a plate that echoes its colour, squid ink-died mayonnaise and a few carefully placed herbs the only accompaniment. Menus change several times a year, subtler changes may occur weekly, but the truffle soup is almost always available. Dense with puréed mushrooms and truffle oil topped with truffle foam, it makes a strong case for culinary maximalism. Wine pairings are exceptionally well executed.
Photos: JONATHAN BIELASKI
