Our final night in Vancouver, British Columbia, as well as out last
night of a month-long journey was indeed the perfect choice and oh so
traditional, yet oh so, local.
The PEAR TREE (www.peartreerestaurant.net) is about 10 minutes (with
no traffic) from downtown Vancouver in the first eastern suburb of
Burnaby.
It has been run by the delightful husband and wife team of Scott &
Stephanie Jaeger for well over a decade and has become an intimate
institution. The small well appointed dining room holds only about
twelve tables and it is quiet and relaxed with top notch service. It
was indeed a welcome change after several meals in quite noisy
circumstances.
Samuel perused the drink menu and chose the FIREBOLT made from Coke,
Lime & Grenadine declaring it tasted like a Coke as we enjoyed a
divine bottle of SILKSCARF Unoaked Chardonnay from BC's now-well-loved-
by-us Okanagan Valley which had huge melon overtones (think casaba) as
well as rich peachy flavors. You really get so much fruit when the
wine is unoaked in these northern climes.
Warm house baked brioche bread was a treat, as was the tasty butter.
Samuel started with a super CAESAR salad and now loves Romaine while
Will had a tasty Local PRAWN CAPPUCCINO which was a light bisque with
foam with a Dashi Custard of BC Prawns. My Orange Caramelized SCALLOPS
with Double Smoked BACON RISOTTO was indeed rich, but of top quality
and perfectly cooked to boot; a perfect pairing with the chardonnay as
well.
Wine number two was the same vineyard SILKSCARF, but their 2008 SHIRAZ/
Viognier which was a soft Syrah and a perfect blend for out meat
entrees.
My Twice Cooked "Berkshire" PORK BELLY had virtually NO fat and was
crispy, crunchy divine. It came with SPOT PRAWN & TOMATO Cassoulet
made from the tiniest of flageolet beans with a dollop of eggplant
caviar.
Will had the Braised "Peace River" LAMB SHANK which was boneless with
seared SCALLOPS & Roasted Pear RISOTTO--again the cooking here uses
the best of local ingredients in a classic style, yet with great flair
and taste.
Samuel chose the Slow Poached "Maple Hills" CHICKEN BREAST & BRAISED
LEG but insisted no mushrooms (honchu--we asked to have these on the
side for us!) and the sauce on the side which was a light Blanquette
which he chose not to use. A yummy POTATO ROSTI occupied the center of
the plate and Stephanie even brought over some tasty "chicken
chips" (think shrimp chips from a Chinese restaurant, but with chicken
instead). She also brought out an extra veggie pate of Sauteed PEA
SHOOTS which I know Samuel loves, but he would have none of--we ate
them all.
Dessert here was a treat and I could not resist. Will had the Fresh
LEMON TART with Sour Cream Sorbet and I had a light yet fruit-filled
BC FRUIT SOUP with fresh Pavlova (Meringue cap) and Strawberry/rhubarb
sorbet. The soup was loaded with black currents, blackberries,
raspberries, cherries, strawberries and I think blueberries....a real
treat. Samuel chose the PEAR SORBET and was so enthralled asked for
seconds.
I mentioned to Stephanie that I often like cheese, but did not want to
indulge and also chose the Fruit Soup as it was so local and the
cheeses were French. She whisked out a plate with "frill-curled" TETE
DE MOINS, fruit crisps and fresh pear slices in a mini-cheese course,
and I was in heaven.
Dinner was completed with creamy/crispy HAZELNUT MACAROONS and we
headed back to our hotel fully knowing that we had indeed saved the
best for last on this long journey. On the way out we had the
pleasure of meeting Chef Scott, a participant in the world famous
Bocuse d'Or competition in 2007 as well as a winner of oh so many
awards in BC and Canada for his expertise in the kitchen. He is a
quiet, unassuming guy and it shows in his quiet, unassuming
restaurant; a gem of a find not to be missed.
