Scenes From The Windsor Club: Summer Staycation Dinner
Original blog by Scenes From Dinner | July 29, 2019
We were invited to The Windsor Club for their Summer Staycation Dinner prepared by chef Dana Friis with cocktail pairings from F&B and Grand Cantina founder, Tom Scully. While events like these are typically reserved for Windsor Club members, this event was open to the public. I had never been to The Windsor Club before but I heard the view and food were exceptional so I was excited to visit.
As we first entered the club, we were greeted by friendly Windsor Club Event Coordinator, Renee. Renee quickly showed us around and made sure that we stepped outside to take in the gorgeous view first.
As we stepped out onto the beautiful patio view, I was reminded on how lucky we Windsor residents are to have a such a breathtaking waterfront. I even loved seeing the incredibly well landscaped backyard of the Hiram Walker building which is directly next door!
We grabbed some drinks and took it all in. After a couple tasty cocktails, we went back inside to take a look at the night’s menu. After reading just the first few courses, I was in! I saw words like – “Italian Summer Truffle”, “Braised Shoulder”, “ White Asparagus” and “Sweet Corn Ice Cream” which had my taste buds salivating. Everything was so perfectly planned out.
Chef Dana came to table to introduce himself and talk about the menu for a bit. I couldn’t believe he was only 26 years old! The evening was very interactive with both Dana and Tom stepping to the front podium to dissect each course and cocktail pairing! You could tell the passion they both had for what they do. It was really nice to see how they both came together with their ideas and created a beautifully paired food and drink menu.
First Course
Ontario White and Green Asparagus with Fresh Peas, Pea Shoots with a white asparagus hollandaise sauce. I have never had a white asparagus before, but with the in-house hollandaise sauce, the flavour was delicious. Tom paired the drink with a wine spritzer he called Summer Spritz which was garnished with rosemary and strawberries. One of my favourites of the night.
Second Course
Saffron Tortellini made with wild mushroom moose, apricot gel, fenugreek which was topped with Italian Summer Truffle. This was my favourite course of the night – shocking right? Given that I’m Italian. I saw “Tortellini” and “Truffle” and my tummy instantly said “Yes, please!” The meal was delicious and the drink pairing by Tom was the Negroni Tartufo he has been creating for months, using The Mushroom Hub’s mushrooms.
Third Course
BC Cod with Citrus, Orange Jelly and Lime Gel topped with Lemon Foam and Grapefruit. I have to say, this was the most creative dish of the night as it was topped with lemon foam. The sweet and the savory meshed perfectly together! The drink paring for this course was the The Havana Nights drink. A Cuban inspired cocktail that featured a summery, coconut taste which I loved!
Fourth Course
Sweet Corn Ice Cream made with a peach and charred corn salsa. As the sun began to set, we were presented with our palate cleanser – a sweet corn ice cream made by in house pastry chef, Olivia Beaumont. I never would of thought of pairing ice cream with a corn salsa, but surprisingly the two went really well together and was the perfect cleanser.
Fifth Course
60 Day Dry Aged Beef Duo of Short Loin & Braised Shoulder with a plum BBQ, red wine jus and shaved plums on top. I popped by the kitchen before this was served and all I could smell was this “smoky BBQ” scent. Instantly, I knew these would have a lot of flavour and they certainly did! Paired with this meal was strongest drink of the night, The Porterhouse.
Sixth Course
Just when I thought I didn’t have room for anything else, pastry chef Olivia Beaumont brought out a plate of Deconstructed Sweet Summer Breeze, Toasted Meringue with Greek Yogurt Moose and Coconut Mousse with Blackberries with Lime Gel – it was incredible. Even though I was stuffed from the first five courses, I had to give this a try. The best part was the crunchy toasted meringue with Greek yogurt. A light fluffy dessert was the perfect way to end the dinner! Paired with the dessert course was Tom’s Samba Samba cocktail which looked a lot heavier than it actually was!
This Scenes From Dinner night was everything I thought it was going to be – good view, tasty and exceptional flavour and delicious custom cocktails. Keep your eye out for another open to the public dinner series event! We had an fantastic time! Thank you to Dana Friis, Tom Scully, Olivia Beaumont and all staff at The Windsor Club for an amazing night and thank you to Tourism Windsor-Essex for the invite!