Stop #3 on our BVAMRT (Bon Voyage Atlanta Mini-Restaurant Tour) was Canoe in Vinings, GA. We got there just in the nick of time before the great flood of 2009 hit the restaurant. The good news is, the restoration is in full swing and they should be back up and running soon.
Canoe is situated right on the banks of the Chattahoochee River and boasts some absolutely lovely gardens that are perfectly suited for an outdoor reception, rehearsal dinner or other fancy-pants party. The interior of the restaurant is warm, with lots of wood and brick. A very comfortable environment overall.
Executive Chef Carvel Grant Gould is careful in selecting the items that go on her menu, and many of the proteins and veggies are locally sourced. I always like to see the Executive Chef when we go to a restaurant, and Chef Gould was spot on, managing the kitchen and walking throughout the restaurant while we were there to make sure everything was humming.
Canoe's wine list was huge. We started with an 2006 Anne Amie Pinot Noir from the Willamette Valley of Oregon that was outstanding. When dinner came, we ordered the 2006 JC Cellars Syrah - and much to our delight they had a 2004 that they presented instead. The JC Cellars was incredibly rich for a Syrah - almost more like a Cab or a Zinfandel.
For starters I began with the carrot and pistachio soup, which was topped with tempura snow peas and pistachio oil. Thick, creamy and delicious. For dinner, I opted for their swordfish special, which was seared and then finished in the oven and served with a bacon and leek risotto. I wish I could remember exactly what else came with it... but it's been a few days and I'm a bad blogger... oops. I'm also not one of those food bloggers that takes pictures of the food... maybe that makes me a REALLY bad blogger but eh. Either way, it was fresh and delicious!
For dessert I also went with their special which was a watermelon and lime sorbet. The lime was great - the watermelon lacked flavor. Presentation was good. We also had a warm ricotta cheesecake with meyer lemon that was quite the treat.
Canoe is on my 10 best list for a reason - definitely worth the trip!
1 Say It Loud & Proud:
That swordfish sounds really good. Though I'm partial to that fish and having it seared is wonderful. But that soup... That sounds very interesting. I've not had anything like that.
It sounds absolutely wonderful.
I'm not surprised by the watermelon sorbet. Watermelon just never seems to have that much punch consumed any other way other than fresh on the rind ;-)
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