Cru Chefs Roam World

[jamiemaw]

From the maelstrom of press releases this week, I thought I'd post this one as I know there are a lot of Cru fans in our forum:

NEW AT CRU

Inspired by their recent trips abroad, Chef Dana Reinhardt and Sous-chef Guy Leggat have made some exciting upgrades to the Cru dinner menu.

Dana did a whirlwind culinary tour of New Zealand, then worked with Michael Noble at Catch restaurant in Calgary. Last month, Guy worked with the Michelin-starred Gordon Ramsay in London, England.

The recent menu changes reflect the summer season as well as the excitement and experience gained by Dana and Guy in their travels.

Have a look at the new menu at Cru

Cru Restaurant

1459 West Broadway, Vancouver, V6H 1H6

Phone 604-677-4111

[merlin]

Had to chuckle when I saw the post Jamie.

My immediate reaction as a result of an outstanding evening a month or so ago at Cru and a very poor meal during my one visit upstairs to Catch [other meals at the Oyster Bar have been better] was that Catch can use the assistance.

[jamiemaw]

an outstanding eveing a month or so ago at Cru and a very poor meal during my one visit upstairs to Catch

Mmmm. Cru's Control, no doubt.

[Kayaksoup]

I just came back from a fabulous meal at Cru (my first) to find this thread. I have never eaten at a place like this, although I enjoy preparing and reading about wonderful food. I don't know the "right" words to describe what I tasted and experienced, so please bear with me.

I have to share this meal that we had tonight. We went out to celebrate 2 years of not smoking, and we went to a place that my boss reccomended. Bear in mind that we don't really eat out at higher end restaurants on a regular basis.

Our restaurant of choice was Cru . We went with the small plates menu and asked our server to just bring us whatever wine went with what we were eating. The special was Seared Foi Gras with an Okanagan Cherry and Caramelised Onion Sauce. My SO chose that plus the Lamb Duo and the Seared Scallops. I chose Tuna Tartare and Wild Mushrooms on Crostini. The server brought us an Alsacian(sp) Pinot Blanc to go with the Scallops, Foie Gras and Tuna Tartare. The first thing that blew me away was the wine pairing. We had three distinctly different dishes with the same wine and it was amazing the way the flavour changed with each dish. With the Foie Gras, the sweetness of the wine came to the front. With my tuna, the acidity was the first thing that I noticed. and with the scallops, it took on a whole new dimension, with a buttery soft flavour. The food itself was an experience. I almost cried at the first "course". I have never eaten ANYTHING that tastes like those three dishes.

Next up was the Wild Mushrooms and the Lamb Duo. I was given an Italian red of some description. I was too overwhelmed at this point to even catch the name. My SO got an Australian Shiraz. Again, excellent wine pairing. My mushrooms had a sweet flavour that balanced perfectly with my wine and judging from the look of sheer delight on my SO's face, he was experiencing the same thing.

We decided to finish off the meal with the cheese plate, opting for all four cheeses. The Server (he now warrants captilisation) brought us a Tawny port (Taylor Fladgate) to accompany. O my God. The blue was a BC cheese, a firm, sharp blue which was even better with the quince paste. My favourites were an English Goat cheddar, reasonably sharp, and a Taleggio from Lombardy, Italy. The Taleggio was a semi-soft cheese with a mild, almost nutty flavour. We could not even finish the cheese plate, so The Server offered to wrap it to go. we get to enjoy it all again tomorrow!!

Thank you for listening to my babbling. It really was the best meal I have EVER eaten and I had to share my joy with someone.....

[jayhay]

Thank you for sharing Kyaksoup.

Not to worry, you chose the "right" words to describe your meal. Happy you enjoyed your evening at Cru....when we dined there, we did too!

[stovetop]

Yes;

Thanks for for sharing Kyaksoup.

steve

[M'd]

This travelling about to gain exposure to other's techniques and ideas seems like a great way to network, learn and motivate.

Maybe some of our province's up and coming wine makers should take simular steps to expand their respective bases of knowledge.

-just a thought.....

M'd

[jus]

i agree with m'd that it would greatly benefit our region if some of our up and coming winemakers were to get out there and roam periodically to enhance their knowledge bases. as well, to network and show the rest of the world that our wines are to be taken seriously. we are lucky to live in such a beautiful, diverse place such as b.c.. i feel this also lends itself to a "wait for them to come to us" approach/ attitude. lucky us. we have a good product with lots of potential to offer the rest of the world @ this point... a little more refinement and experience will undoubtebly bring our wines to prominence internationally ; to match the par that has been set by our regional cuisine.

cru is an excellent example of this progression, food and wine! i look forward to sampling the new cru menu in the very near future.

let's do this b.c.!

jus