There is something supernatural not only about Vancouver’s food scene but the nature that is around us in the Pacific Northwest. To have chefs embrace it to levels such as what I experienced at Le Vieux Pin Winery’s 10th Anniversary Dinner is all the more amazing. To pair it with locally made wines not only of gorgeous quality but made with natural winemaking practices? Well, I’m in awe.
The evening started of with plating that would define the Pacific Northwest natural aesthetic for the evening. Le Vieux Pin’s Vaila Rosé, a gorgeous bone dry rosé that I reviewed earlier this spring was paired with this and the wildberry gazpacho that followed.
Ladyfern was employed in the wildberry gazpacho. Though not very edible uncooked, it melded well with berries in this unique Pacific Northwestern manifestation of a Spanish summer classic.
Having spent some summers growing up on the rivers that meander down and around the border between Manitoba and Ontario, sturgeon was the forté of the old-timer Finnish fishermen who would haul them in from the depths. Since then, sturgeons haven’t been in my life much. So it was a delight to see what Chef Jefeerson Alvarez had done with sturgeon marrow, which I must say was not at all fishy (at all!) and made for a delightfully fresh salad, with herbaciousness provided by sea asparagus and false lilly.
The morels, which can most easily be found in areas ravaged by forest fire, were a challenge for the foraging team, but a trusty, secret location came in handy to gather enough of this elusive funghi. The morels were magical – the highlight of the night for me – not only due to their smokiness and meatiness but also because they paired oh-so-well with the Le Vieux Pin Syrah Cuvée Violette.
Chef Alavarez was the man behind the kitchen magic, and Chef Robin Kort captained the foraging expeditions throughout the Vancouver area, from Tsawwassen to the north shore.
The evening was capped with a cheese honeycomb, which was a new experience for me. Soft and silky, accompanied by elderberry and what appeared to be a delicate late spring lichen.