Alpenrausch

Back in November, I did the dumbass thing of not checking as to which location of Olympia Provisions we were supposed to visit.  Hence, we showed up at the one on SE Division instead of the one on SE Washington.  Turns out that this time around, I would be going back to SE Division, but not to dine at Olympia Provisions.  Rather, it is their new concept, the Swiss-themed Alpenrausch.  They have changed up the decor to reflect that and the menu has followed suit.  Mind you, there are still some classic Olympia Provisions influences lurking around.

As such, the Venison Tartare looked suspiciously like the beef tartare we had at Olympia Provisions.  Yes, the protein was different, but it was just as delicious as previous dish.  It came with the same butter-soaked grilled bread which was the perfect vessel for the well-seasoned venison.  Usually venison can be rather tough due to its leanness.  However, this one ate quite buttery and was probably influenced by the mix of egg yolk, horseradish, capers and shallots.  Super tasty!

We also had another OP staple with the Charcuterie Platter featuring Summer sausage, fioncchiona, pâté cubes, mortadella and saucisson.  This also came with pickles, grain mustard and crackers.   Since I've already had their famed charcuterie at Olympia Provisions at SE Washington last year, I knew this would be solid.  We really enjoyed the pâté cubes as they were aromatic and meaty.  Went well with the crackers.  Mortadella was delicate while the saucisson was firm with the usual salty nuttiness.

Something specific to Alpenraush was the Smoked Trout with rösti, chèvre and trout roe.  This was not an overly complex small plate, but it was still very delicious.  The smoked trout itself was so buttery soft and lightly smoky.  Combined with the rich chèvre and a bit of trout roe, there was a bit of smoked salmon and cream cheese vibes going on.  However, this was much more elevated.  Loved the crispy rösti as it was potatoey and well-seasoned while not overly greasy.

For me, I just love fries and I'd rather have some excellent fries over a lobster tail.  No joke!  So I got the French Fries with aioli.  Um, for $8.00, this was a crapload of fries.  But they were excellent fries though!  So very uniformly crispy and served piping hot.  These remained crispy even until the very end.  To top it off, they were perfectly salted and yep, the side of aioli provided that creamy garlickiness.

Now for the thing we were really here for!  The Fondue!  We ended up with the smaller one at $39.00 that serves 2-3 people because we ordered a lot of other dishes!  This fondue consisted of melted emmentaller & gruyère cheeses served with OP kasekrainer, bratwurst, cured meats, fruit, new potatoes, pickles, seasonal veggies and bread.  This was such a treat!  The fondue was so creamy and rich with the unmistakable flavour of the cheeses and white wine.  It coated each piece of meat, veggie, potato or bread beautifully.  We had lots of fun with this!

For some bigger dishes, we had the Schnitzel a la Holstein with pasture-raised pork, soft-boiled egg, anchovy, capers and lemon.  This was a large flattened piece of pork that was a touch dry.  The breading on the outside was crispy and nutty.  With a squeeze of the lemon wedge combined with the anchovy, we had some salty tangy and briny flavors going on.  Add in the silkiness of the runny egg yolk, this was full of textures as well.

The kids just love duck and we couldn't get out of there without ordering the Duck Breast with rösti and dried cherry jus.  The duck breast was prepared to medium where it was still juicy and moist.  It was seasoned enough that it could stand on its own but the sweet and tangy cherry jus was a perfect compliment.  As for the skin, it was fairly rendered and crispy.  Once, again, we found the same crispy rösti on the plate.

Our last main was the most surprising in the Chicory Wrapped Grilled Trout with späetzle, foraged mushrooms, brown butter and herbs.  Nothing could describe how flaky and moist the fish was after we cut into it.   So natural tasting and fresh.  I would say that this might be a bit mild for some people, but we enjoyed the simplicity of the fish.  The späetzle was nicely browned in butter being nutty and chewy.

For dessert, we shared the Pannacotta with tart cherries.  Texturally, this was more akin to a cheesecake rather than a pannacotta.  With that in mind, it was good in that manner.  It was thick and creamy while being lightly sweet.  The tart cherries made this sweet and tangy.  Overall, the meal at Alpenrausch was fantastic.  Food was prepared properly and the fondue was super fun.  Loved how this was a bit different than most other meals I've had.

*Partial food credit paid for this meal*

The Good:

- Something different

- Loved the fondue

- Has some OP classics

The Bad:

- Tables can be a bit small

Blue Heron

So our original plan was to eat at Monkey Business just past Spinreel ATV where we had a blast navigating the sand dunes.  Well, the place is closed on Tuesdays, so scratch that.  Next up was Front Street Provisioners...  Not open until 3:00pm.  Fine, look up a few more places and nope, they are just not open on Mondays and Tuesdays!  So we did the unthinkable.  Eat at a nearby random restaurant in Coos Bay.  Right on the main thoroughfare, Blue Heron Bistro was just that place.  Sporting eclectic decor and German cuisine, it seemed like an interesting enough spot for lunch.

As such, we went for some of the more well-known German dishes including the one that is actually Austrian in origin - Wiener Schntizel.  With medium-thick breading, the schnitzel was crunchy while pork tenderloin was not overwhelmed.  Even though it wasn't exactly juicy, the pork was still tender and not dried out.  We felt the sour cream mushroom gravy was probably a bit too tart, yet at the same time, it was flavourful and had a nice viscosity.  Sporting the same gravy, the Sauerbraten worked much better with it due to the inherent tanginess of the marinade.  The beef tenderloin was soft and tender and was aided by the ample amount of gravy.  On the side, the large helping of garlic mash was robust, yet smooth at the same time (some nice chunks in there too).

For myself, I had the Bratwurst with potato pancake, sauerkraut and a trio of mustards.  This was not a complex dish, but probably the best of the German offerings we tried.  The pork and veal sausage was nicely textured being tender and smooth with a rebound.  I loved the crunchy potato pancake topped with apple sauce and sour cream.  Even the sauerkraut was tasty where it was tangy with some pork hock bits.  Viv had the only non-German dish (Fish & Chips) and it was a miss in her books.  The fish was not particularly hot in the middle (although it was cooked through) and the batter was a bit greasy.  She liked how it was crunchy though.

We added a Clam Chowder partly because we were on the coast and isn't that what people eat when they are near water?  Yah, makes no sense, especially in a German restaurant.  Whatever the case, it wasn't bad being creamy and rich.  Lots of bacon in it which meant there was a salty smokiness to the chowder as well as a fatty silkiness.  The clams were definitely there, but we could've used more brininess.  As a bonus, we got a slice of the Chocolate Cake for paying in cash.  This was really good where the cake was moist and definitely chocolatey.  It wasn't overly sweet but the frosting definitely made up for that.  So there you have it, for a random restaurant, this did the trick and it wasn't too expensive.  Some hits and misses, yet a whole lot better than grabbing fast food.

The Good:
- Reasonably-priced
- Nice people
- Interesting menu and decor

The Bad:
- Some hits and misses
- Restaurant could use some cleaning

Swaad/Heimat by Bauhaus & Mumbai Local

Typically, I blog about "regular" restaurant experiences I have with my family, friends and/or other foodies.  Hey, that is what I do in my "regular" life, so it translates directly onto this blog (and my IG account).  However, there are certain special events that are interesting and worth writing about (no, I'm not talking about grand openings...), rather, I'm referring to the recent collaboration dinner by Chefs Tim Schulte of Bauhaus and Tushar Tondvalkar of Mumbai Local (who incidentally have worked together in the past).

Before we got to the 6-course dinner, we were served German Bread accompanied by coconut curry butter and bacon butter.  Okay, the bread was well, bread.  However it was robust enough so we could spread the butter without it tearing apart.  The curry butter was aromatic due to the coconut and of course aromatic from the spices.  Now the bacon butter was even better being whipped, purposefully salty and rich.  Not sure why it was grey in colour though.  Alright, one more item before the actual dinner - the amuse bouche.  It consisted of Duck Liver Lego and Edible Charcoal.  Ingeniously set in a lego mold, the little "brick" was buttery, smooth and aromatic with a pronounced duck gaminess.  Beyond the crisp shell, the edible charcoal sported a spicy and ginger curry potato centre.  This was a flavour bomb for sure.

Onto the first course, we were served the Dahi Batata Puri consisting of a crispy potato shell with soft potato accented by yogurt, tamarind, date puree and mint.  This was both classic and modern at the same time.  The flavours were all there including the mint and the tanginess of the tamarind underneath the crispy potato.  The little drops of date puree were spicy as much as it was sweet.  The yogurt on the bottom of the plate added a creamy tang.  Layers of flavour and different textures were at play here.  My favourite dish of the meal was the Ochsenschwanz or oxtail ravioli served in beef consomme and with celeriac puree.  The pasta was al dente and appealingly chewy.  Inside, the oxtail was tender where the flavours popped with wine and sweetness.  Lots of meatiness and depth, but not salty.  Loved the clean taste of the broth that kept things from being heavy.

From one dumpling to another, we were served the Duck Momos with coconut curry and burnt shallots.  Although the dumpling skin was a little thick and chewy, this was not really an issue as the sauce was fantastic.  The tender duck dumplings merely served as a vessel to sop up all of the delicious creamy aromatic curry.  Loved the spice level as it was definitely there without blowing my tongue to bits.  The charred shallot was not merely a garnish, it provided a sweet crunch.  Sporting a fish skin "chip", the Forelle or steelhead trout was served with whipped smoked potato, champagne kraut and brown butter.  At first, I thought the potato was a Hollandaise sauce, but in fact, it was just very airy and buttery smoked potato.  It was a nice "sauce" for the perfectly cooked trout which was flaky and moist.

Our last savoury item was the Entenbrust featuring seared aged duck breast, red cabbage puree, garlic panisse and charred onion with onion cream.  Despite looking rather pale, the duck skin was crispy and mostly rendered.  The aged duck was tender and deliciously gamy.  By itself, it tasted great, but with the the onion, panisse and red cabbage, there was a lot going on including aromatics, tang and sweetness.  I really enjoyed this dish.  Onto dessert, we had the Kulfi with sugar apple, white chocolate coating and pistachio.  As much as this looked really sweet, it was much milder in actuality.  The pistachio really came through while the kulfi was lightly sweet and moderately creamy.  Loved the pistachio cookie that provided a nutty crunch.  This was a nice finish to a really tasty and interesting meal.  Definitely some real skill exhibited with well-executed and attractive dishes.

*All food was complimentary*

The Good:
- Restrained creativity
- On point execution
- Flavours were impactful

The Bad:
- Although keeping dishes true to either Indian or German cuisine meant harmony, I would've liked to see some mash-ups (even if they didn't work)

La Brasserie

Heading into the home stretch, the Poutine Challenge brought me to an ol' favourite in La Brasserie.  However, things have changed since my last visit in 2009.  First, it closed suddenly in 2014 only to be re-opened with new owners and some of the former staff in 2015.  Seeing how it would be a good idea for a new blog post, I invited Emily to join me for a complete meal to compliment the Truffled Poutine entry in the challenge.  To take advantage of natural light, we ate super-early at 4:00pm.

Getting right to it, we dug into the aforementioned Truffled Poutine with Kennebec frites, cheese curds, chicken gravy and truffle oil.  The base of the poutine, being the frites, were excellent.  they were crispy without losing any soft potatoness.  They held up well to the ample gravy which was thick, rich and purposefully seasoned.  In big chunks and retaining a wonderful squeakiness, the cheese curds were plentiful from top-to-bottom.  The only thing we would've changed was the amount of truffle oil.  It was appealingly Earthy, but there was too much of it.

Up next, we had a small portion of the Steak Tartare.  It was made with beef tenderloin served on crostinis and accompanied by mixed greens.  Although the steak was fresh and visually appealing, there were some chewy portions including a piece of sinew.  It was still relatively tender and was seasoned nicely with hits of mustard and shallots.  I thought the amount of acidity was perfect as it kept the flavours bright.  We also ordered the 1/2 lb. of Moules Mariniéres prepared in a broth consisting of shallots, confit garlic and herbs in white wine.  Cooked beautifully and being relatively plump and buttery, the mussels were the beneficiary of a tasty briny broth.  It had the aromatics thanks to the shallots and garlic while the wine was cooked down properly.  It was also well-seasoned without being reliant on salt.  Even the crusty baguette was outstanding.

For our mains, we were recommended the Beer Brined Rotisserie Chicken.  Normally, we don't order chicken since there are more interesting items on most menus.  However, this was a solid choice.  Thanks to the flavourful brine and expert execution, the chicken was tender and juicy (even the breast meat).  Sporting a fully-rendered and aesthetically-appealing skin, the chicken was further enhanced by the smooth and mildly seasoned confit garlic jus and red cabbage (not sure if this matched the chicken though).  A side of their fabulous frites was included.  The last plate of food was also the best being the Lamb Cheeks with carrot & German potato mash, local seasonal vegetables and lamb jus. Each piece of cheek was tender, gelatinous and full-flavoured from the braise.  With just the right amount of silky lamb jus, there was enough depth-of-flavour without watering down the plate.  The rest of the root veggies and the kale were prepared perfectly while the mash was sweet, savoury and smooth.  So despite the change in ownership and over 6 years in between visits, La Brasserie still remains a tasty option on Davie.

*Poutine was complimentary*

The Good
- Well-prepared proteins
- You're not going to leave hungry
- Proper seasoning

The Bad:
- Same as last time, the tartare could be better
- I realize it is a truffle poutine, but a little goes a long way