{"id":14647,"date":"2018-07-31T15:30:30","date_gmt":"2018-07-31T22:30:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.pickydiners.com\/www\/?p=14647"},"modified":"2019-01-07T13:46:55","modified_gmt":"2019-01-07T21:46:55","slug":"recap-wine-pairing-dinner-black-sage-wines-water-street-cafe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pickydiners.com\/www\/recap-wine-pairing-dinner-black-sage-wines-water-street-cafe\/","title":{"rendered":"Recap: wine pairing dinner with Black Sage wines at Water Street Cafe"},"content":{"rendered":"

Water Street Cafe<\/a> has been around for 30 years and is widely considered an icon of Gastown. It was one of the 2 restaurants that I could remember from visiting Gastown when I moved to Vancouver 20 years ago. The other one was the Old Spaghetti Factory, which in my youth, seemed more affordable. But Water Street Cafe always looks so classy ever right across the street from the famous Steamed Clock of Gastown.<\/p>\n

After the original\u00a0owner at end of last year, the restaurant is now owned\u00a0by two industry veterans:\u00a0Eli<\/span>\u00a0Brennan and Chef Alan Tse, both are formerly of The Teahouse in Stanley Park with Brennan as General Manager and Tse as Chef.\u00a0 With the updated menu with modern twists on classic dishes, they also have started a series of events including collaborations with well known BC wineries. I had a chance to attend the most recent one of their Wine Makers dinner series with Black Sage Vinyard<\/a>. They offered Vancouver Gourmet Club<\/a> members a 2-for-1 deal. For a 5-course 6-wine dinner that originally cost $88 per person, this was too good to be missed.<\/p>\n

It was hosted at their beautiful private dining room on the 2nd floor, and the dinner event spanning 3 long tables seemed to be completely sold out.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Here is the full menu:<\/p>\n

WELCOME WINE\u00a0<\/u>
\nSTELLERS JAY BRUT<\/strong><\/p>\n

1ST COURSE
\n<\/em><\/u>BISON TARTAR<\/strong>
\npickled egg yolk, capers, tabasco, garlic mayo
\nPAIRED WITH:\u00a0<\/span>BLACK SAGE ZINFANDEL<\/strong><\/p>\n

2ND COURSE
\n<\/em><\/u>DUCK DUO<\/strong>
\nberry tea smoked duck breast, confit duck tart, pickled turnip
\nPAIRED WITH:\u00a0BLACK SAGE CABERNET FRANC<\/strong><\/p>\n

3RD COURSE
\n<\/em><\/u>ASSORTED CHEESE<\/strong>
\nlocal cheeses, house made bacon onion jam
\nPAIRED WITH:\u00a0BLACK SAGE MERLOT<\/strong><\/p>\n

4TH COURSE<\/em><\/u>
\nFENNEL SAUSAGE CANNELLONI<\/strong>
\nclassic Italian sausage, roasted fennel, plum tomato, cracked chillies
\nPAIRED WITH:\u00a0BLACK SAGE CABERNET SAUVIGNON<\/strong><\/p>\n

5TH COURSE
\n<\/em><\/u>FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE CAKE<\/strong>
\nblack cherry compote
\nPAIRED WITH:\u00a0BLACK SAGE PIPE (PORT STYLE)<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Wine<\/a>
Wine Makers Dinner with Water St. Cafe & Black Sage Vinyards<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Sat by one of the 3 long tables, we were welcomed with the Steller Jay’s Brut<\/strong>, some crisp and complex but also very refreshing bubbles. Also under the Sumac Ridge Group<\/a>,Steller\u2019s Jay<\/a> is a sister winery of Black Sage Vineyards specializing in sparkling wines.<\/p>\n

\"Steller<\/a>
Steller Jay’s Brut<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The first course was the Bison Tartare<\/strong>, served with pickled egg yolk, capers, tabasco, and garlic mayo. The richness of the bison and egg yolk, along\u00a0with the vibrant spices was complimented well by the Black Sage Zinfandel<\/strong> with an aroma of dark fruit. Often known as a Californian speciality, it’s hard to find Zinfandel grown in BC. This rare wine should go well with spiced meat dishes such as lamb or pork.<\/p>\n

\"Bison<\/a>
Bison Tartare<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Black<\/a>
Black Sage Zinfandel<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Duck Duo<\/strong> featured a piece of berry tea smoked duck breast and a couple confit duck tarts, although the tarts looked more like deep fried wontons. The dish\u00a0worked nicely with a medium body bred like the Black Sage Cabernet Franc<\/strong>. which is earthy and has a dry tea leaf flavour profile itself but also is pretty easy drinking.\u00a0 It’s one of the popular grapes grown in Okanagan.<\/p>\n

\"Duck<\/a>
Duck Duo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Black<\/a>
Black Sage Cabernet Franc<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Next, The Black Sage Merlot<\/strong> showed the big jammy quality and plum flavour, which is paired with the Assorted Cheese Plate<\/strong>. The light acidity in the wine complement the richness of the cheeses nicely.<\/p>\n

\"Assorted<\/a>
Assorted Cheese<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Black<\/a>
Black Sage Merlot\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I’m glad to see a pasta dish on the menu as Water St Cafe is known for their classic Italian dishes. The Fennel Sausage Cannelloni<\/strong> is filled with classic Italian sausage, topped with roasted fennel, plum tomato and cracked chillies, and it’s a triumph paired with one of the winery’s most popular: Black Sage Cabernet Sauvignon<\/strong>. The full-bodied red exhibited dark fruit and vanilla both on the nose and the palate, as well as a long lingering finish, a great match for the meat dishes with tomato sauce.<\/p>\n

\"Fennel<\/a>
Fennel Sausage Cannelloni<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Black<\/a>
Black Sage Cabernet Sauvignon<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For the dessert course, I enjoyed both of the\u00a0Flourless Chocolate Cake<\/strong> and the Black Sage Pipe<\/strong>, a port style wine.\u00a0 Both were simple, elegant and not overly sweet.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Final thoughts<\/h3>\n

The food was solid and the wine pairing was well-thought and commendable. For the price, the 5-course 6-wine dinner definitely held a great value. But the 2-for-1 deal just made it even\u00a0sweeter. To me, the progression of 5 red wines during the dinner was one of the best I have tasted from one single winery. And I’m looking forward to the next one!<\/p>\n

To find out more about Water Street Cafe’s events, visit\u00a0waterstreetcafe.ca<\/a><\/em>.\u00a0<\/em>To find out awesome deals, check out vangourmetclub.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

$$<\/p>\n

rating:\u00a0[wp-review id=”14647″]<\/p>\n

Water Street Cafe<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

300 Water St, Vancouver, BC V6B 1B6<\/em>
\n(604) 689-2832 or waterstreetcafe.ca<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n