I grew up on fried bologna sandwiches, and Zander grew up on soft shell crabs. I'm overjoyed every time I tweak my recipe and taste my homemade red sauce, and Zander feels the same way as a first course is set before him at a new restaurant from an esteemed chef. When it comes to food, he and I come from different worlds. We're both "foodies" in our own right - he's more adventurous than me and loves anything straight from the sea, and I appreciate classics and southern comforts upped to the next level with fresh, local ingredients. We got the best of both words - well-known favorites with a twist and cultured offerings - with an added bonus of exquisite preparation - at the renowned Trius Winery brunch.
Niagara on the Lake is a short 20-30 minute drive from Niagara Falls, Canada. It's a gorgeous old town with a main street lined with boutiques and gathering places. From the town center it's an easy walk to the lake, where baby blue water stretches into the horizon. I wandered into a boutique clothing store and left with two dresses. I get more compliments on those dresses than just about anything else I own. It's a nice reminder to shop local and not to solely rely on my staple of J Crew.
I read a few places before our trip to Niagara Falls that Niagara on the Lake has been voted Canada's most beautiful town. It attracts retirees with enough money to buy old houses and keep them functioning like new. It's also known for its wineries. With more than 30 within and on the periphery of the town, it's one of Canada's premiere wine destinations.
When I started mapping out a wine-tasting route for Zan and me, I stumbled upon Trius Winery's farmer's market brunch. Not the wine tasting. The brunch. Everywhere I looked, I saw reviews and comments and blog posts and articles about the quality of this spectacular brunch with a wine pairing. Zan took one look at the prix fixe menu, with several options available for each of the three courses, and just like that, we had a reservation.
We were seated outside on a covered patio overlooking a fountain and endless rows of grape vines. Our server greeted us warmly and poured us welcome, complimentary glasses of Trius's sparkling rose. We could have ended the experience right there, and I would have left happy. I've never had a drier, crisper, more refreshing sparkling wine - and a rose at that! I left with two bottles and wish I had purchased even more.
As we, okay I, gushed over the wine, a food runner set a basket of homemade breads and red wine-infused butter in front of us. She quickly but calmly and thoroughly explained each of the varieties of bread and the butter. Her explanations were one of my favorite parts of the experience.
For our first course, Zander chose salmon and crab rillette served with Niagara cherries and house made Focaccia bread. It was paired with a late harvest Vidal wine. I chose the crisp romaine hearts with smoked bacon with a creamy parmesan dressin wrapped in prosciutto and served over lentil du puy with a hen's egg. I was served an off-dry Gewurztraminer with the salad. Can I just say that I'm writing this at 10:15pm, and I'm salivating thinking of this salad. It is, hands down, one of the most delectable courses - and by far the best salad - I have ever had in my life. A later blog post will be my attempt to recreate it.
Our second and main courses blew us away, as well. Zander opted for the Bradford Bay capon with fresh Ontario mozzarella served alongside an Ontario mushroom and sweet pea quiche with smoked bacon and apple and raisin dressing. I'd never tried capon, and I thoroughly enjoyed it - it was light but filling, tender, and tasted like the end of summer. His dish paired perfectly with a Sauvignon Blanc. Knowing that we'd be wine tasting after all the wine we were already drinking, I went for the heartiest option - a ribeye burger slider and Icewine pulled pork slider, both with maple peameal bacon, blue haze cheese, and spring cabbage slaw. It came with hand cut truffle fries and house ketchup, and those fries were gone faster than it took me to type this sentence. They are that incredible. Trius's medium-bodied, dry Cabernet Sauvignon complemented the rich red meat perfectly.
For dessert, I went with a homemade ice cream bar served with local fruits and a Reisling Icewine. I have never developed a taste for Port or other dessert wines... but I enjoyed the Icewine. The bitterness of the dark chocolate cut through some of the sweetness of the wine. It was delicious and indulgent. Zander devoured a peach and caramel laced dessert paired with a Cabernot Sauvignon Icewine. I found the Cab Sauv Icewine infinitely sweeter than the Reisling variety.
After brunch, we strolled stuffed to the gills into the tasting room to try the wines we hadn't already. The winery is one of the larger ones in the area, with multiple buildings, an ample tasting room, and vines that extend for ages.
The Chef at Trius Winery knows what he's doing. He has created a brunch with local flavor, stylized touches, and food so versatile it'll make a couple who comes from different food worlds wonder if maybe they didn't, after all.
if you go...
farmer's market brunch menu (changes seasonally)
cost: $50/$75 with wine pairing
A decade ago, this valley's future looked as unlimited as its vine-studded horizon. New wineries were sprouting almost as fast as vineyards were expanding. The yuppie generation had selected
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