Being at Canoe makes me feel like I’m in a well-appointed castle, with its soaring beams of wood and walls of warm brick juxtaposed with ornate and glamorous chandeliers. Some of the dishes on the $15 Dine Around menu align with that fantasy – surely a visitor would be served a hot, hearty soup upon arrival, like the thick potato and leek soup appetizer, in this case garnished with chive crème fraiche as a loving accent. And surely a visitor in old Britain would then be served steak and mushroom pot pie. This “pot pie,” however, is a sophisticated restructuring of the old classic. A cloud of Yukon Gold mashed potatoes embraces three al dente vegetables – carrots, green beans, and beets. Then, sitting atop the vegetables is a crown of puff pastry, overflowing with a rich, red wine-enhanced stew of mushrooms and tender, tender beef.
A departure from the Olde England fantasy, but still tasty options, are the organic mixed greens salad appetizer, with sweet, nutty pumpkin seeds playing off the gentle tartness of the Dijon and shallot dressing. The chicken linguine oven-roasted tomatoes and grilled Mediterranean vegetables offers another cosmopolitan option, with a silky pesto cream embracing the perfectly cooked pasta.
Dessert is a highlight. The brewpub’s Beaver Brown Ale is a key ingredient in the chocolate cake, lending it a richness and density that is then lightened with a tart raspberry coulis. The apple tart tatin also achieves a fine balance between sweet and tart, and between rustic and sophisticated.
The service, too, was a blend of rustic and sophisticated. Our server picked up the cue that my friend and I planned to share all the dishes, and very thoughtfully brought an extra salad plate and soup spoon. However, the extra plates theme went a little too far when bussers arrived with our dinner plates before I had finished even half my soup, leaving our table cluttered with plates, and creating pressure to eat quickly so food didn’t cool down. The server came by shortly after and acknowledged and apologized for the error, so presumably this glitch will be smoothed over.
Overall, Canoe’s $15 Dine Around menu offers a chance to enjoy some rich, warming food in a rich, warm atmosphere, for a very reasonable price.
- The Secret Diner
T:(250) 361-1940 450 Swift St.
