Sherman's Food Adventures: Squamish
Showing posts with label Squamish. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Squamish. Show all posts

Pop-Up Dinner in Squamish by Chef Kristian

For some of you, I'm sure you remember the brunch spot on 22nd at Rupert called Ham & Eggman's. It dished up an array of interesting items in a very non-traditional spot for brunch.  Sadly, it closed but Chef Kristian Leidig did not stop cooking.  I attended one of his popup dinners in Squamish and came away satisfied.  So when I heard about the next one, situated outdoors in a gazebo at Legacy Park while he cooked over an open flame, I ponied up the $79.00pp and brought Mijune along too.

Things started off the West Coast Seafood Groil sporting prawns, clams, chorizo, corn and baby potatoes cooked over an open flame Old Bay drawn butter and fresh torn herbs.  This was really good where the seafood was cooked perfectly.  Clams were just right while the prawns had a nice sweet snap.  Chorizo was meaty while the corn was so plump and sweet.  Those potatoes were a crowd-pleaser being creamy and inherently flavourful.

Next, we moved onto "You Might Make Friends With This Salad" featuring fresh green mix, shaved brassicas, sun gold tomatoes, toasted almonds, parmesan and grilled shallot vinaigrette.  Ingredients were fresh with crunch from everything but the tomatoes.  Shallot vinaigrette had good acidity, but I could've used more.  The ample parm on top added plenty of punch from the nutty saltiness.  Ironically, I did end up meeting a new friend at this dinner (because of this salad???  LOL).

Onto the meat of the meal, we were served the "Let's Go To Argentina With Bife Ancho".  The ribeye grilled over charcoal and served with chimichurri, brenejenas en eschsbeche and baguette.  As you can see, the steak was medium-rare but lacked some char.  This is the challenge cooking over an unpredictable flame.  Chimichurri was tasty and the pickled eggplant on the side brightened things up.  There was so much steak, we didn't finish it.

Of course, we have to get some veggies into the meal and we did with the "Eat Your Vegetables!".  As you can see, we had a selection of grilled asparagus, red onion and peppers.  These were cooked just enough to wilt but still retained crunch and texture.  They were lightly salted with maldon and dressed with balsamic and olive oil.  Yes, I did eat some of this.  LOL...

For dessert, we ended off with a S'mores Chocolate Tart with dark chocolate ganache, graham crust, toasted marshmallow and dulce de leche sauce.  This was a fine end to the meal with semi-sweet chocolate ganache that was smooth and not overly dense.  Loved the addition of dulce de leche as it added the sweetness to balance off the bitterness.  Overall, this was a good meal with huge portion sizes.  Yes, cooking over an open flame is challenging and Chef Kristian did well considering.  I've had his more composed multi-course popup dinner before and the food was refined and composed when he is cooking in a real kitchen.  The next one is slated for August 21st, so check his Instagram for more details.

The Good:
- Lots of food, enough to make you full
- Unique setting and opportunities to make friends
- Chef Kristian is a gracious host

The Bad:
- Unpredictable cooking apparatus means there will be some compromises  

Private Dinner with Chef Kristian Leidig

Awhile back, I had visited the now-closed Ham & Eggmans with a few others for a delicious brunch.  Owner operator Chef Kristian Leidig created a menu that was both familiar and unique that satisfied many different palates and dietary needs.  Unfortunately, Covid-19 came on full force and his restaurant (like many others) was forced to close.  However, he is still cooking, holding private dinners in Squamish.  We were recently invited out to try his 5-course French-inspired dinner out on a gorgeous rooftop (regularly $69.00).  Definitely a nice way to finish a day out in Squamish, where there are not many choices left for fine-dining ever since Covid-19 helped close restaurants there as well.

To kick things off, we had an Amuse Bouche consisting of a Prawn-stuffed Tomato with smoked paprika, mirepoix and garlic panko.  A little more than one-bite, the tender tomato still retained its shape.  Inside, the buttery shrimp had a light meaty snap while the veggies were well-seasoned and naturally sweet.  As much as the base of garlic panko served as a stability device, it also added aromatic crunch to the dish.

At first, I thought the Rillette de Carnard was going to be shared between Jacqueline and myself, but alas, we were served ONE EACH!  Very generous portion of tender and delicious tasting duck with rosemary potatoes, cherry gastrique as well as crostini and almonds.  There was actually more duck than crostinis on the plate.  Naturally, the tangy and sweet gastrique went well with the rillette where the crunch of the nuts and crostinis added another texture.

From this, we headed off to something much lighter in the Carrot and Fennel Salad with Summer greens, pears, walnuts, and comté dressed in orange & ginger vinaigrette.  As Maggi mentioned, this was a good transition from the heavy rillette as we progressed towards the main protein.  Really enjoyed the comté as the saltiness with a touch of sweetness complimented the veggies and crunch from the walnuts.  The salad was lightly dressed where it allowed us to taste the individual components.

Our main dish was Roasted Sablefish atop saffron hominy grits and haricot verts with a bouillabaisse sauce.  As described in the previous passage, the progression made sense from the salad to the buttery fish.  The best part was the sauce as it had a rich aroma from the shellfish and depth from the reduction.  It was more than enough to flavour the dish in terms of taste and smell.  Loved the extra hit of aroma in the saffron with the nicely textured grits.  Beans were perfect being vibrant and crunchy.

We ended off with the perfect Summer dessert in the Peach & Berry Dacqoise with hazelnut meringue and Chantilly cream.  Other than the fresh fruit, the best part of the dessert was the meringue as it was airy, crispy and light.  Not too sweet either and of course a bit nutty.  The cream wasn't too sweet as well, instead letting the fruit do the heavy-lifting.  Overall, I really enjoyed the meal as it was not fussy while well-prepared.  I went away full and satisfied.  Chef Kristian is planning to bring this back into Vancouver and of course, he can be booked for catering dinners too.

*Dinner was complimentary*

The Good:

- Well-prepared

- Well-portioned

- Lovely setting

The Bad:

- Well, it is in Squamish, but make a day of it

 

Chef Big D's

On our way back from Whistler, we had this plan to stop in Squamish for some eats at The Campfire Grill. Too bad so sad...  as the place was closed unexpectedly!  How many times has this happened to me!?!?!?  Since we were hungry and I was too lazy to get back into the car and drive, we walked up Cleveland Ave to another local favourite, being Chef Big D's.  Fortunately for us, the wait wasn't too bad and we were seated pretty quickly by the friendly staff (and a window seat no less!  Yay!).

For myself, I wanted something other than brunch, so I went for Chef Big D's Burger with bacon, cheddar, lettuce tomato, pickle and a fried egg added for good measure.  As simple as the burger appeared, it was fairly good with a meaty patty that was neither dry nor juicy.  It was somewhere in between which was ultimately satisfying.  I found the bun airy enough while still standing up to the ingredients. With crispy bacon and a nicely runny egg, this was a well-made burger without much fanfare.

On the side, I decided to have the Beef Vegetable Soup rather than fries.  Hey, after all the continuous eating, it was about time I went for something lighter...  Wait, there was bacon, cheese and a fried egg in my burger...  Oh well, it's all about balance right? Turns out I should've went for the fries as the soup was pretty disappointing.  There was only a modest amount of ingredients in the soup.  Yet, the broth itself was the biggest issue as it was pretty bland.  Viv wasn't very hungry so she shared (with our daughter) the Berry Pancakes (blueberry underneath the strawberry on top) with sausage.  The pancakes were fairly fluffy while the amount of fruit made them good on their own.  Although the chicken sausage was meaty and sweet, it was burnt on one side.

My son had the Kid's Breakfast which looked quite sparse on a large plate.  In fact, it looked like some interesting piece of art.  I think they should've used a smaller plate so that the amount of food would appear to be sufficient.  It was pretty standard stuff and he dusted off quickly.  Okay, as you can tell, the stuff at Chef Big D's is definitely fine for a bite to eat.  However, I'm a little confused as to all the rave reviews.  We didn't come away feeling we got our money's worth.  Don't get me wrong, we were fine with the food, it just didn't wow us.

The Good:
- Homey atmosphere
- Okay eats

The Bad:
- Not sure about the value

Chef Big D's on Urbanspoon

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