As I mentioned in my last post, my Valentine's Day dinner plans were to eat at
Seed Bistro. Despite the restaurant being open for several months now, this was the first time I had the pleasure of dining there. Chef Eric Lechasseur had a beautiful menu planned for the evening and it did not disappoint.
After being escorted to our table, our server presented us with the menu for the evening so that we could follow along for the six course culinary adventure. When I informed our server that I do not eat soy, she let Eric know and he immediately came over to ask if I would like a small plate of risotto instead of the edamame ravioli for course four. Yes, please!
Shortly after, Jacques and I were warmly greeted by Chef Eric's lovely wife, Sanae Suzuki, who was sitting at the bar, enjoying her own dinner while her valentine was working hard to make everyone's belly full and satisfied. We'd only been here five minutes by now and we were already feeling so well taken care of. We knew we were in for a wonderful evening.
First course came and it was Chef Eric's famous faux gras, which I have heard plenty about, but had yet to try. I was a little scared of something that is named after force fed goose liver, but it was presented so beautifully that I was able to get past that fear. My, oh, my, I know now why this dish is raved about. The contrast of the blackberry preserves was perfect with the hint of truffle from the pate. I loved it. You do not find dishes with truffle often enough on restaurant menus.
Next up, was a delicious squash soup, which I had a feeling I would love from the moment I saw the menu. Why? Well, to be honest, I haven't met a squash soup that I didn't love. Based on the grainy quality of the puree, my guess is that it was kabocha, one of my favorites.
Course three was salad. This course didn't do too much for me, but I'm also not that into salad. It did however, inspire me to want to grill some endive at home. I really liked the subtle touches of flavor that were brought out by a simple act of grilling.
Fourth course was my special plate of roasted butternut squash risotto. I want to come back soon and get the full version of this dish before it's off the menu for the season! Yum. It was so perfectly creamy with the wonderful hint of sweetness from the channelization of the butternut. Jacques had the edamame ravioli as intended and really enjoyed it.
Fifth course was a seitan stew served with twice baked potato fries. The seitan was so amazingly light and soft that I had to ask Eric what his secret was to getting such a wonderful texture since the seitan I make at home is always much denser. This course blew Jacques' mind and induced a comment of "how did he get this taste without meat?!" So I guess the dish is omnivore approved.
At this point, I shared with Eric that Jacques is also French Canadian and the two of them started chatting away in Quebecois. It was a beautiful bonding moment.
Finally, with barely any space left in our stomachs, we were presented with dessert. A trifecta of sweets, including the hugest strawberry I've ever seen covered with a rich dark chocolate, house made strawberry sorbet and a chocolate and green tea powder covered truffle.
We asked for help with the wheel barrow to roll us out the door and declared that we would be coming back soon.
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| Jacques and Chef Eric bond over their Quebecois heritage. |
All in all, it is wonderful to have a gourmet vegan restaurant so close to home on the west side, and even more special to be treated like family when you walk in.
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