Night Out in Woodstock

Tonight was a rare event on several fronts. One, there was another person staying at the Harbour. Two, Tugboat ventured out for dinner. Three, the dinner wasn't terrible! She was making a stop over on a business foray into the Southlands. As a salesperson for Beau's All Natural Brewing Company we targeted a nicer joint to eat. This establishment was already a customer of Canada's largest organic brewery so this was more of a service call to build a relationship. I got the added benefit of being treated to a meal in exchange for my hospitality. The decor was rustic but with an air of formality to it.

We were greeted warmly and when She's identity was learned we were shown the royal treatment. It was very unexpected and terrific. Seated, we were given ample time to discern what beverage we'd like to partake of. Naturally, or more appropriately, All Naturally, we chose one of the seven preferred beers on the menu.

With the libations arriving it was time to sort out the menu. It was fairly unique and as we would learn later, it was one of several seasonal menus offered over the course of the year. No names for the dishes, just what it is. The heading is naturally the price which at first I balked at but by the end of the meal, I had changed my tune significantly. Before we could order we were presented with an amuse bouche from Chef Eric in the kitchen. This was a maple flavoured beet chip with a walnut and whipped brie topping. It was an amazing way to set the tone for what would follow. You'll have to excuse any blurry photos, I was trying to be discreet in my photography which lead to not the highest quality photos. I went with the trout, She with the gnocchi, after much debate. Not pictured was the first course menu. I chose the soup of the day and She a spring salad. I won that one for sure. I feel I won the mains as well but that is up for contention. Another beautiful touch to this beautiful meal, to whom I am barely doing justice, was a palette cleanser. In this case it was an apple, spiced rum sorbet. It tasted like an apple pie exploded in my mouth, but in the best way. We didn't inquire about any further food as we were quite full and the hour was getting late.

This is a place that I hope to visit again. It was spectacular. It brought out all my foodie instincts that I didn't even know existed. I am over-joyed that I finally found a place after two years of passively searching that I can bring people to and expect to have a good meal. I was 0 for 3 on my previous three ventures outside of chain restaurants. For the City of Woodstock and specifically SixThirtyNine I say, more please!