Farm to Table @ Savana Cafe

On a chilly November 1st evening, Savana Cafe hosted their first Farm to Table meal with local produce provided by Mariposa Farm and wines from Prince Edward County's Rosehall Run.

Tucked away in a Victorian home on Gilmour, we entered the Carribean-inspired restaurant to experience a very different meal prepared by Savana's chef of 1.5 years, Michael Radford, former sous chef at Ei8hteen.  We started the evening off with a fruity rum cocktail as the restaurant filled - a sell out.

First course:  Butternut squash soup with an  Allegreto cheese foam, served like a cappacino, dusted with a pepita cocoa nib sambal on top.  Amazingly complex flavours - and we were rewarded by the surprise of chunks of duck crackling with each spoon...  very hard not to lick the bowl clean!

The soup was paired with this oaky 2008 Chardonnay cuvee county that beautifully matched the intense flavours.  Donald gave this one 5 stars...

 

 Second course:  Scallop crudo nestled on a strip of laquered pork belly, with radish watermelon and tomatillo chunks.  Wow!  The scallops delicately firmed up by the lime marinade - with the salty pork to balance the acid.  And what's that on top?  Yes, foie gras snow....

 This was paired with a chardonnay musque - not an oak tree in sight - almost sauvignon-blanc-like - fresh and fruity. Donald's rating = 4


 Third course: Beef shortrib ravioli, with beets, bleu Benedictin cheese, beet veal jus, truffle oil and chives.  Unbelievable flavour, from the salty beefy ravioli to the tiny purple skinned turnip on top - loved the veggies in that beet jus...  This was paired with Rosehall Run's Cabernet Franc = Donald's least favourite = 3.

 Fourth course: On to the main (!!?!?!) course - duck 4-ways!  Sherry glazed duck breast, foie gras du canard, duck confit bathed in a salty delicious duck sauce.  The foie gras was served on a slice of heirloom corn bread, with greens, blue potatoes, fried plantain and apple balancing out the plate.

 A lovely pairing of Rosehall's 2008 Pinot Noir - we were all very very happy with this dish. And the wine : 4.

Fifth/dessert course: Any room left?  Dessert was a candied ginger cake, topped with sweetened creme fraiche, with malted milk ice cream, apple compote and pumpkin pudding.  Lots of tropical spice flavours here.

Rosehall Run's Dan Sullivan and Mariposa Farm's Ian Walker.  Spent lots of time with us talking wine and food in Ottawa.

 Ian and chef Michael Radford - looking forward to trying more of his creations.

Here we are before it all happened... we hope this is the first of more evenings like this!