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APRIL 2 / 2002 |
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Blue Pear: New Name - Same Great Quality One of my all-time favorite restaurants is the Blue Pear, located at 10642 - 123 Street. Never heard of it, you say? Well, that's because it was formerly called l'Anjou. The new owners, for a couple of years, had maintained the name and similar standards of outstanding cuisine. The quality cuisine has not diminished one iota; but they thought it was time to exert their own identity…and justifiably so. Therefore it was with great pleasure that I returned to my favorite dining establishment in Edmonton with my friend, Nora Bumanis, harpist with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra. When dining at the Blue Pear, your choices are wonderful, but limited to two or three options in each category, as the menu is pre-set every two weeks. For an appetizer, Nora tried the duck confit and cannellini bean ravioli with port sauce. It was delightfully light yet flavorfully powerful. The port and the duck confit were perfect taste companions. The dish was almost invigorating in terms of preparing one for the rest of the meal. I went for what has become one of the Blue Pear's signature offerings. It is called Mr. Sgambaro's Smoked Salmon. If this is being offered when you dine here, be sure not to miss it. Enjoying this appetizer will cnvince you forever that all smoked salmon is not the same. The smoked salmon was served with a chive crepe, beet-root and horseradish salad and crème fraiche. In any restaurant, in any city, in any country…this ranks as one of the top five appetizers I have ever enjoyed. Other appetizer selections offered were crispy noodle cakes with sautéed and de-boned frogs legs and mushrooms with a cumin infused celeriac sauce, and a gourmet mushroom ragu with asparagus on toast. The soup we were presented was a light green curry, coconut milk and squash bisque garnished with a bit of shellfish bisque garnish. It is difficult to explain the harmonious marriage of so many flavors into one bowl. As with the appetizers, we wished we could have had more…but we knew new delights were forthcoming. The salad of the day was a warm four cabbage salad with apples, walnuts and goat cheese all topped with a cider vinaigrette. Nora, in particular, was taking mental notes as to how she might make something similar. It seemed so easy, yet so very good. For her entrée, Nora chose the Arctic Char with blood orange citrus butter sauce, while I selected the pan roasted chicken breast with herb and garlic cheese and a roasted garlic cream sauce. The Arctic Char was quite literally melt-in-your-mouth. The orange/citrus butter sauce was tangy-sweet, distinctive, yet not overpowering. It did not mask the freshness of the Arctic Char, but added another dimension to enjoying fish. My garlic cheese roasted chicken breast was excellent. Even more excellent was the fact it did not taste like I had anticipated. It far exceeded the sensations I was anticipating. It is a joy to be pleasantly surprised. The dessert choices we selected were the Crème de Coeur and Bocca Negra. Nora's Bocca negra was a flour-less dark chocolate cake with a chocolate-coffee sauce, topped with whipped cream. Nora absolutely loved it. Although I love chocolate, I thought it to be a bit too intense. Nora explained that you have to be a chocoholic to appreciate this dessert to the fullest. The Crème de Coeur is another Blue Pear Signature offering. People apparently phone to see when this dessert is on the menu. It adds new meaning to cream desserts; and I am sworn not to divulge the ingredients to this sinfully pleasurable delight. As I mentioned, Blue Pear is the epitome of high-end dining. However you will find that the prices are far more reasonable than many inferior establishments. The cost of the elaborate five-course presentation is $45.00 per person. For what you get, that price is pretty much unbeatable. BEST POINTS: AREAS FOR IMPROVEMENT: RATING CATEGORY: |