Le Cellier

Interior

The inside of this restaurant is made up to look like a wine cellar. Lots of dark wood is used. Keep an eye out for the details in the room, as there are many. For instance, the candle holders are in the shape of maple leafs, and maple leaves are used as a recurring theme throughout the restaurant.

Experiences

15 January 2007

I went to Le Cellier for lunch, as that was the only reservation I could get the day before. According to the hostess reservations are being done as far as one hundred days in advance. One hint she gave me was to check once I got back at the hotel to see if there had been any cancellations that I could squeeze in, particularly since I was a single eater and it wouldn't be all that hard to squeeze me in.

I found the wait staff to be very friendly, and they push this friendliness. It almost becomes a bit uncomfortable just how friendly they get, as if they have whipmasters in the background looking to make sure that they are always friendly all the time. Wait staff that are not directly attending your table or area were inquisitive. When I mentioned the words "Prince Edward Island" a passing waitress piped up and informed me that she was from there.

During my meal, a small girl behind me started to choke on something. A tense moment occurred because her mother was quite frantic, exclaiming that she had no idea how to perform the Heimlich maneuver. Everything ended well, however, after a small pounding on the girls back dislodged whatever was choking her.

Anyway, on to the meal... I had the following:

• Mission Hill Reserve Icewine, 2004
• Prince Edward Island Mussels
  • This is served in a chowder style with smoked bacon and potatoes. It is very creamy and the potatoes add a nice starchy taste. The mussels were beautifully done, soft and tender with no hint of rubberiness that can occur. The taste of the mussels is initially overpowered by the cream and potatoes, but is brought out later. The shallots in the dish maintained their crispness thoughout the dish. After the mussels have all been eaten, there is only chowder left. It is slightly bacony, but a wonderful candidate to use the bread sticks to sop up the remainder.
  • The ice wine that I had with this meal went very well with the mussels. The sweetness of the wine complimented the saltiness very well.

• 10oz New York Strip with Sauteed Leeks, Frisee, and Roasted Yukon Potatoes finished with Veal Demi-Glaze
  • The potatoes in this dish had crispy skins, but this softened very quickly and turned a bit rubbery. Taste was quite fine, however.
  • The steak was done perfectly, not too much salt, and they followed my instructions of being between rare and medium rare. You want juices flowing out of the meat, not blood.

• Breadsticks (three types)
  • Pretzel sticks from the Ontario region
    • The pretzel crust was soft and warm, and the salt was a nice offset
  • Multigrain from the central plains
    • This was a hearty breadstick with a slight woody taste to it
  • Sourdough from the Yukon region