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| Beckta Dining & Wine |
I don’t
like to think that I’m very special or above anyone else in life. It’s been a quirk of mine for a very long
time. When I became a team lead in high
tech and subsequently a supervisor and then a manager in the government, I was
very reluctant to have formal meetings with my direct reports often trying to
favour a less formal approach to meeting with them. I would very rarely speak in terms of “my
employees” or “yes he/she works for me” favouring the idea of we were all
colleagues rather than being in a superior / subordinate working dynamic.
This notion
often transcends my day-to-day life, particularly when eating at restaurants. I was never comfortable with the idea that I
was being “served” by a waiter and even more so when I’m referred to as “Sir”. Like at work, I am more attracted to a dining
experience whereby the evening is an engaging and unpretentious experience among
colleagues or better yet friends.
Dining at
Beckta really is that idea incarnate. Steve
Whittaker, the restaurant’s manager as well as frommager (more commonly
referred to a cheese sommelier) is Beckta’s front door. Once a reservation is made, Steve will send
an email or more often will call you personally to greet you and thank you for
your reservation and ask if you have any special requests. If you’ve elected to try the tasting menu, he
will ask if there are any dining restrictions as well.
Over the
years of dining at Beckta I’ve gotten to know several of the staff members, in
particular, Tristan (who sadly no longer works there) and more recently
CJ. CJ is hands down the very best at
what he does. From the moment you sit
down you feel like you’re reconnecting with an old friend you haven’t seen in
years and he really does make you feel like you’re the only person in the room. His broad smile, infectious friendly demeanour
and last but not least his intimate knowledge of the evening’s menu and wine
pairings are second to none. CJ and
Steve are the very embodiment of the experience I yearn for when going out for
dinner.
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| Souvenir Menu |
The décor
at Beckta is minimalism at its best.
From the natural wood tones, and warm paint colors with sparse artwork
to the simple place settings and white table linens with subdued background
music, Executive Chef Michael Moffatt and his team’s creations can take front
and center stage. Dining at Beckta is
intimate dining at its best regardless of how busy it is. One never gets the sense of a crowded room
full of boisterous conversations.
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| Dining Room |
Out of the
half dozen times I have had the pleasure of dining at Beckta, the most
memorable visit was the 8-course tasting menu with wine pairing. At $110 plus an additional $75 for the
optional wine pairing per person, this meal really is a once in a lifetime even
for the average diner. As I write this I
can practically hear the reader’s gasp in shock at the price however make no
mistake; if you enjoy fine dining and want to sample the cooking of one of
Canada’s top restaurants, it is well worth it.
I’ve eaten in more expensive New York City restaurants serving similar
tasting menus for nearly double the price and it wasn’t nearly as
enjoyable. The tasting menu at Beckta
is, as they say, pound for pound the best tasting menu dining experience for
your money you will ever have. If the
idea of consuming eight courses of food is too arduous, Beckta also serves a 5-course
tasting menus for $85 with an optional wine pairing for an additional $39. Diners can also enjoy an optional cheese
course for $16, where they will be treated to Steve’s impeccable taste and
knowledge in cheese and will likely sample some special in-house enhanced or
made chesses by Steve himself. If a la
carte dining is more to your liking, the average prices for appetizers are $17
and mains are $36.
The
evening’s adventure began with hamachi sashimi with a nori vinaigrette and
ponzu paired with Champagne Brut “Cuvé Saint Flavy” Georges Gardet, France N.V.
The hamachi (also known as Japanese
Yellowtail or amberjack) simply melted in your mouth and the nori (edible
seaweed) vinaigrette complimented the dish perfectly with the champagne capping
off this delectable play on sushi.
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| Hamachi Sashimi with Nori Vinaigrette and Ponzu |
Next up was
a rabbit rillette with a ramp paint and homemade mustard paired with a 2008
German Riesling Kabinette by Daniel Vollenweider named “Wolfer Goldgrube. The rillette was so light and fresh. I’ve never tasted ramps before. Ramps are a variety of wild leaks that have a
pervasive garlic flavor and strong onion odour and in Canada are considered a
rare delicacy as they are mostly found around South Carolina up through
Canada. The ramp pain really
complimented the rabbit and combined with the mustard and the sweetness of the Riesling
definitely left me wanting more of it.
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| Rabbit Rillette with Ramp Paint and Mustdard |
Following
the rabbit we were served BC spot prawns with hiyashi wakame and togarashi
hollandaise paired with a Greek Assyrtico “Thalassitis” wine. This was a really interesting dish as it
paired Japanese cuisine with a Greek wine.
The flavour of the Japanese seaweed salad (hiyashi wakame) infused with
the hint of heat from the togarashi (Japanese for chili peppers) hollandaise
married perfectly with the dryness of the Assyrtico with a hint of sweetness.
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| BC Spot Prawns with Hiyashi Wakame and Togarashi Hollandaise |
Our palates
were then teased with a 7 grain risotto with snap peas, fresh goat cheese and
camelina oil that was paired with an exquisite 2008 Pinot Noir from Voss
Vineyards in Martinborough New Zealand.
The risotto was done to perfection and the creaminess of the home gave
the risotto even more richness in flavor and texture. The Pinot Noir was an excellent segue for our
palates as we prepared for the next dish.
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| 7 Grain Risotto with Snap Peas, Fresh Goat Cheese and Camelina Oil |
Speaking of
New Zealand, if one were to compare this expansive meal to a flight from Ottawa
to Martinborough New Zealand, right now we’d be flying over Hawaii…
The second
half of this journey began spatch-cockerel (young male rooster aged between 4
to 12 months) in a brandy cream jus with chanterelle mushrooms and white
asparagus paired with a 2007 Cabernet Franc from one of my favourite vineyards,
Stratus VQA from Niagara-on-the-Lake.
This was the first time I’ve ever tried rooster and I can honestly say I’ve
never eaten a tenderer piece of foul in my life. The mushrooms and asparagus were also cooked
to perfection and definitely enhanced the smoky pepper aromas from the Cabernet
Franc.
I have
never really been a big fan of lamb, however I was blown away with Chef Moffatt’s
“tagine” styled lamb in preserved lemon with grilled potatoes and truffle oil
that was paired with a glass of Tuscan Petra Quercegobbe (an Italian Merlot)
from 2006. The lamb simply melted in
your mouth. The most interesting thing I
noticed about this dish was the lack of the gamy bold flavor that has turned me
off of lamb in the past. This lamb was
succulent and ate like a top notch cut of filet mignon. The boldness of the Merlot was a welcomed
surprise and enhanced the steak like properties of the lamb without the strong
tannins that one would typically find in a robust tasting wine.
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| Lamb "Tagine" with Preserved Lemon, Grilled Potatoes and Truffle Oil |
After such a
savory assault on our senses, our palettes were “cleansed” with a trio of
sorbets (buttermilk, ginger and avocado) that were accompanied with some homemade
macaroons and yuzu (a strongly aromatic citrus fruit indigenous to East Asia,
most akin to a grapefruit).
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| Buttermilk, Ginger and Avocado Sorbets |
Last but
not least our journey ended with a chocolate sour cherry brownie with cognac
pudding and lavender “soil” that was paired with a medium bodied 2003 Tawny Port
from Delaforce in Portugal. The variety
of aromas and flavors that were experienced from this desert were sheer joy. There were even homemade marshmallows in the
shape of mushrooms that really made the presentation of the dish pure art.
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| Chocolate Sour Cherry Brownie with Cognac Pudding and Lavender Soil |
I cannot
say enough good things about my dining experiences at Beckta. I’ve had the pleasure of dining at Stephen
Beckta’s flagship restaurant several times and have enjoyed both the 5 and 8
course tasting menus along with items from his incredible a la carte menu. My favourite is by far their Quebec Magret
duck served with sun dried Cherry Gnocchi, Arugula, Summer Succotash,
Chanterelle Mushrooms and Fresh Cherry Cumberland Sauce.
If you want
to experience the very best in service, hospitality and fine dining that this
city has to offer, I would give Steve Whittaker at Beckta a call and make your
reservation today. Make sure you ask for
CJ and tell them I’ve sent you. I
promise you will be treated to a culinary adventure you won’t soon forget!
Beckta Dining & Wine
226 Nepean Street, Ottawa ON
