Date Night at Strewn Winery

Hubby was given some free tickets to the Shaw Festival Theatre in nearby Niagara-on-the-Lake.  We decided to take advantage and make it a night out in celebration of our 13th wedding anniversary.  

My mom agreed to come and babysit the kids, and we were off!

Kevin made us reservations at a new-ish restaurant at the Strewn Winery called Oliv.  

It specializes in food and drinks based on flavoured olive oil and balsamic vinegar. 

Sounds interesting, doesn't it?  

Come along and see what we  ordered......

Being at a winery, my wine-loving husband began with a flight of Strewn's reds.  He really enjoyed sipping them slowly, tasting their layers of flavours and comparing their intensity.  

I, on the other hand, went a bit stronger with my choice.  

I had a coconut cream Pina colada, frothy and sweet, made with just the right amount of rum!

And on the side, I gave the restaurant's specialty drink, the "Balsamic Blaster" a try. It is made with  an ounce of sweetened, fruit-flavoured white balsamic vinegar mixed with soda water.  They had many, many flavours to choose from but I went with a cranberry/pear one and a ginger/honey one.

And although the whole recipe sounds quite weird, they were really good! Very refreshing with a little acidic kick!

For our appetizer we ordered an anti-pasto plate that came served on a slice of well-used wine barrel.  Lots of yummy cheeses, meats and dips here!

For his main course, Kevin was brave and ordered:
BEEF CARPACCIO
Thinly Shaved Beef, Arugula, Olives, Capers, Parmigiano Reggianno, Garlic Cilantro Aioli, Cracked Salt & Pepper in OLiV White Truffle EVO Oil.

That's raw sliced beef for those of you who don't know.  Not my cup of tea, but hubby likes it and feels most comfortable ordering it in upscale restaurants like this one because you can pretty much guarantee that it has been prepared safely. 

I, on the other hand, chose:

FIG & CHERRY CHICKEN

Chicken Supreme, Balsamic Cherries & Figs, Chef's Choice Potato & Vegetables in OLiV Roasted Garlic EVO Oil & Cranberry Pear White Balsamic.  

The fresh spring vegetables were so delicious. Look at the size of that brussel sprout!

While we waited for the dessert menu, I stepped outside to take some pictures of the the gardens surrounding the winery.  

I absolutely loved these urns containing all kinds of spring blossoms and a cute little bird nest.  I must remember this for my outdoor decor next year!

This pink magnolia tree was in full bloom and the daffodils were bowing in the light evening breeze.  So pretty.

More drinks to go with dessert?  For sure!

Late Harvest Vidal for Kevin and a decaf coffee for me.  

And what was dessert?  What did we choose?

Kevin is a gluten-free eater so his choice was easy - 

BLACK CURRENT POACHED PEAR
Candied Apricots, Candied Pecans, Honey Chèvre, 
OLiV Black Currant Balsamic Pearls & Caramel Balsamic.

And me - I had a tougher choice, but in the end I went with:

STICKY TOFFEE PUDDING
Tropical Passion Mascarpone Mousse, OLiV Caramel Balsamic & Butter EVO Oil. Served with Guinness Gelato.

Both desserts were to die for!

And to think we almost didn't order dessert because we so full from the other 2 courses! But in the end we were so glad we did!

Before we left, rolling ourselves out the car, we stopped and tasted a few more flavoured balsamic vinegars.  I wanted a few bottles to make my own "Balsamic Blasters" this summer.  I also figured it would be good to make some sweeter salad dressings too.  

Overall, it was a lovely night out.  

How was the theatre, you might ask?

Well actually, we didn't make it there!!

  We were enjoying our meal and the freedom to talk and laugh together without the interruptions of our darling children, that we decided to skip the theatre and linger over a long dinner.

We are so glad we did! Both Kevin and I were reminded about how much we LIKE each other. We do have a lot of fun when given the opportunity.  

I guess that is why we've been happily married, through thick and thin, for the last 13 years!

XOXOXO,

Bronwyn