Dinner Is the Show
Observing the Opulent Art of the Coursed Meal
woRds and iMages by eRin maheR
Cookery is naturally the most ancient of the arts, as of all arts it is the most important.
– George H. Ellwanger, Pleasures of the Table (1902)
It would be foolish to judge an artist’s career by a single work. And if cooking is an art form, as Mr. Ellwanger clearly believes, then a chef’s talent and vision can only truly be experienced through a series of courses. The full course dinner (a.k.a. tasting menu, prix fixe, table d’hôte, coursed meal) has evolved greatly from its ninth-century Spanish origins as a simple sequence of “soup, main course, dessert.” The modern format has morphed into an extensible vehicle for conveying a chef’s technical mastery and creative ingenuity.
Victoria is certainly no stranger to the concept. Ugly Duckling, Nowhere *a restaurant, Saveur, and the Hallway are all high-quality local proponents, among too many to list. The entire Dine Around experience revolves around the prix fixe model. And recently the Courtney Room embellished their version with the help of an Okanagan Valley vintner and his winey wares. It was a notable evening, one that not only explored culinary boundaries, but delved into the stories and approaches of the personalities that were pushing them.
To set this lavish scene, the tall double doors of the Courtney Room open to reveal a welcoming opulence: high ceilings, natural cream colours, draped textures, and elegant glassware glinting in the golden-hour light. A charismatic maître d’ in a peach-coloured three-piece suit directs the two dozen guests to their seats. Bubbling glasses of 2022 Pet Nat Moscato circulate into willing hands. The maître d’ introduces executive chef Brian Tesolin, sommelier and wine director Colin Davidson, and winemaker Anthony Buchanan, representing his namesake winery in Kaleden, BC, on the shores of the Okanagan’s Skaha Lake.
The first course: dungeness crab and side-stripe shrimp in a verjus rose-hip sabayon. It’s sweet, acidic, perfumy, and slightly creamy. The first wine pairing shows Davidson’s skill as a sommelier: Buchanan’s 2021 Ramato Gris—an Italian style that lets pinot gris juice rest on its crushed skins longer than usual. The wine is a deep amber hue, cloudy, with a lifted floral note poetically balancing its mineral texture. Buchanan’s nine-year-old son Lawson is in attendance. He makes short work of his crab and shrimp, delighting guests with fun facts like what to do in a thunderstorm: “If you smell chlorine, run. Lightning is about to hit.”
Buchanan explains that he started moonlighting to develop his own label while working as head winemaker for Desert Hills Winery in Oliver, BC. He became fascinated by a movement known as garagiste winemaking, pioneered by a group of vintners in the Bordeaux region of France in the mid-1990s. They began making vins de garage (“garage wine”) in small batches by hand, from grapes purchased and processed in borrowed facilities. It was a reaction to the formalized style and large-scale production of the era’s Bordeaux winemakers. By mitigating the costs of buying and maintaining vineyards and production equipment, it allowed an upstart faction of young wine revolutionaries to enter the marketplace.
Cut back to Victoria, and the second course is the standout: charcoal-grilled sturgeon with a meyer lemon and coconut emulsion. It is paired with the 2021 barrel-fermented Chardonnay that Buchanan uncommonly chose to rest in 100 percent new French oak. Natural winemakers typically opt for choices that showcase the purity of the grape rather than overshadowing it with oak influence. But as a fan of the oakiness of Burgundy wines, his rationale was simply: “F— it. I’m just going to do it.” From rough inspiration comes a wine that is elegant and balanced, with subdued undertones of vanilla and soft smoke.
Buchanan continues his story: because the Okanagan is now one of the most expensive wine-growing regions in North America, it’s perfectly set up to be supplanted by a radical gang of garagistes. It’s inspiring to hear Buchanan talk about the evolution of his grassroots ideals, as he has now managed to acquire his own property on the northern stretch of Skaha.
Converting the vineyard operations to natural-winemaking practices came at a steep cost. Yields dropped by three quarters in the first organic harvest, leading Buchanan to knowingly lament that in winemaking, “mother nature keeps you honest.” Making wine with ambient yeasts and minimal intervention (no filtration, flavouring, or added enzymes), rehabilitating soil health, maintaining vineyard biodiversity, composting grape must, and choosing organic measures over commercial—these choices are driven by more than just the needs of the wine. They are the byproduct of a core value to uphold the health of the land and the people upon it. After all, neighbourhood kids play here.
In a surprising and welcome interruption to the usual flow of the meal, a second wine is matched with this course: Buchanan’s 2021 Cuvee Viognier, a varietal known for a slight smoky flavour and oily texture to match the sturgeon, trout roe, and brandade. As Davidson says, “The wine is the music, the pairing is the different instruments that go together.” He’s not wrong—smokiness, creaminess and oiliness are in harmony through both wines and the dish.
“The wine is the music, the pairing is the different instruments that go together.”
Chef Tesolin now takes the proverbial podium, pointing out the similarities in the approaches of the Courtney Room and Buchanan Winery to their respective crafts: “Our ethos is that we are a vessel for the producers and products that we are using.” Tesolin’s kitchen focuses on local providers, including Victoria’s Littlest Acres Organics and Saanich’s Square Root Farms, who traffic only in fresh, seasonally available goods. “A dinner like this isn’t about re-inventing the wheel,” he says. “It’s about honouring the ingredients we procure in a clean, minimalistic way. We focus on a technique or a particular product, which defers to seasonality, while still showcasing the wine.”
The third course is an umami ravioli. This sounds simple enough, but cutting through the pasta reveals two chambers, one of which contains wild foraged stinging nettle, the other a solidified stock. It’s an inventive, impressive marriage of technique and ingredients.
The solidified stock slowly liquefies and pools in the bowl to be sopped up by the accompanying airy sourdough bread. The earthiness of the nettles, harvested from a local forest, pairs beautifully with the herbaceous 2019 Ashlyn Pinot Noir. Known as the “heartbreak grape” for being notably difficult to grow, this particular Pinot moves hearts—especially when Buchanan reveals that it was named for his daughter.
The fourth course is the most traditional pairing: a peppery 2019 William Dean Syrah—a varietal that’s exceptionally suited to BC’s growing conditions—along with a roast lamb crepinette, buttered potato, and wild mushrooms. Around the dining room, eyes flutter and satisfied sighs escape between bites. The supple tannins and ripe blackberry of the syrah are a classic pairing with tender lamb, a great example of Tesolin’s aforementioned restraint when it comes to proven, enduring flavour combinations.
Plates are cleared, and patrons are sated. Which is usually the best time for dessert—when it’s completely unnecessary. Petit fours are shared, and a great warmth emanates up and down the long table as full bellies, light hearts, and tipsy heads convene and converse. Between the food, wine, and storytelling, diners have been more than just satisfied. They have been moved. And that, after all, is the purpose of great art.
