Wildebeest is a restaurant in Vancouver which describes itself as “country cooking” and locally sourced farm to table. They put a lot of effort into their food. For example, during seasons when produce is more abundant, they take some of whatever is in season, and preserve it for use during winter months.
One of my favorite things at this restaurant is the bone marrow, which you then use to take a shot of sherry (the bone is used to pour the liquor into your mouth).
On this night, they were doing a wine dinner with Prisoner Wines.
Here was the menu.
Before the meal started, there was a bourbon based cocktail with some of the wine on top. It was well balanced with the flavors of the bourbon coming through. The canapes were a pate, muscles, and tomatoes. The muscles were my favorite.
The first course was the duck. The smoke was not overpowering and the blue cheese was a nice addition. The wine was a zinfandel blend and worked well with the dish.
Next up was a sweet corn pasta. The pasta was perfectly cooked and the dish was ok, but there was something a bit off about it. I could not exactly pinpoint.
Next, BC Wagyu with BC Pine Mushroom. The flavors of the mushroom were incredible. The tartare was good but a bit overseasoned.
For the fish course, trout. It was very delicious.
Finally, a game/meat pie. Perfect crust, nice filling, and great flavors all around.
The dessert was good, but I felt it was an after thought and was not as carefully thought out as the rest of the meal. Each guest basically received 2 macarons.
Service was outstanding. On a non-special event night, I would recommend this place. The food is consistently good with creativity built into each dish. Tonight was no different even though not every dish was perfectly executed. 8/10