Tree-mendous value in Selkirk

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This article was published 16/04/2010 (5942 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The exterior looks like a rambling ranch house, and the decor within is an odd, but cosy combination of rustic wood-panelling and formal, brocade-upholstered armchairs (salvaged, apparently, from Tiffany’s) at generously-spaced tables. There are the occasional Latin American artifacts, but the most dramatic aspects of the interior are the blow-ups of some stunning prehistoric cave paintings.

The Maple Tree is an off-shoot of Cafe Dario in Winnipeg, and offers the same kind of prix fixe menu — five courses for $35. And, like its city sister, is also a terrific bargain for food of this quality. The owner-chef of both is Dario Gutierrez, who is originally from Columbia, and it’s a rare dish that doesn’t have some pan-Latino flavours and ingredients. But there’s nothing pedantic about his cooking which, although rooted in tradition, is genuinely imaginative without ever crossing the line into the fussy.

One difference between the two restaurants is that The Maple Tree offers an a la carte menu as well, featuring several of the same dishes, with entrées from $21 to $33. My bunch, however, was chosen from the fixed-price menus, which start with a choice of five appetizers, among which was my only disappointment of the evening. A napoleon evokes images of puff pastry layered with certain ingredients, but there was no pastry in this one — simply two stolid bars of polenta topped by goat cheese on a nice roasted red pepper and tomato sauce. Not a serious lapse, just a kind of boring one.

All the other starters were delicious. A dumpling-like roll of mashed potato and yuca root was filled, minimally, with mildly spiced ground bison, and paired with an apple-studded mayonnaise. A single giant meaty prawn was drizzled with salsa verde although, if stuffed (as described), without enough stuffing to identify. Or, possibly the most intriguing, was broiled whitefish tongues in a creamy sauce spiked by cilantro and a wee jolt of jalapenos — it may sound a little strange but tasted just right. The one starter we didn’t try was escargots baked with provolone cheese in puff pastry.

Among the seven main courses, the only possible choice for non-meat-eaters is, fortunately, a good one — a moist salmon fillet baked on a sugar cane-coated grapefruit bowl and served with lime-scented mango pulp. The rest of the menu is all meat. A sugar-coated broiled duck breast with a blackberry coulis was tasty if (not surprisingly) a tad sweet, and in parts, a tad chewy. Bison sirloin roulade was a flavourful roll with a decidedly nippy filling of spinach, carrots, egg and stuffed olives, sauced by a lush reduction of Malbec.

One of the more impressive aspects of the cooking was the individuality of the sauces, not one of them suggesting the existence of a one-type-fits-all master sauce in the kitchen. The fork-tender elk osso buco, for instance, braised with tomato and serrano peppers, came in a Cabernet Sauvignon reduction that, appropriately, was lighter than the dark Malbec reduction with the bison. With it also, the rare treat of the big marrow bone, with plenty of marrow (gorgeous when spread on bread and sprinkled with salt).

The mashed potatoes that came with most of the entrées were excellent. So, surprisingly, since they looked so mundane and even clumsy, were the enormous but flavourful chunks of carrot and grilled zucchini. There were other nice little surprises, e.g. the cooked radishes with the bison, and the adornment of a long, paper-thin spear of crisply fried sweet potato. A nit to pick? The bread rolls could be more interesting.

Other possible entrées are beef tenderloin with a caper chimichurria sauce; spicy pork tenderloin with a dry roasted coffee and brown sugar rub and a Kahlua and dark chocolate dressing; grilled chicken breast marinated with key limes; and rack of lamb with mushrooms. The a la carte menu offers some of the above plus three different cuts of steak, barbecued ribs, a broiled lobster tail and king crab legs.

There was no choice among the other courses. The soup was a glorious dill-flecked cream of cucumber — creamy, yes, but not cloying. The salad was a lovely toss of mixed greens in a lightly fruity vinaigrette, with an elusive hint of rice wine. And only one dessert, as well — a luscious caramel custard.

The amount of food may sound intimidating, but most dishes come in civilized portions, appropriate to a five-course meal. The menu changes frequently, but the current one should be good for at least another month. Service was excellent, and the wine list offers a nice selection of South American wines. I had no way of knowing if the clientele on the night of my visit was local or, like me, had driven out specially for dinner, but wherever they’d come from the place was packed. I wouldn’t attempt it without a reservation, at least on the weekend.

Chances are, those who have loved the food at Cafe Dario will love the food here. My one caveat might concern the fact that Gutierrez divides his time between the Selkirk and Winnipeg locations, and it seemed appropriate to test the cooking when the boss is away. Which I did at Cafe Dario. Apart from a dry rib appetizer, the result was reassuring — tender little mussels in a fruity broth; a rich cheddar-beer soup; a lightly dressed salad with slices of grapefruit; two wonderful juicy meats — rack of lamb with a chocolate Kahlua sauce (sounds bizarre, but it works) and porcini-crusted venison medallions in a blackberry coulis (a tad too tart). The last touch, an exquisite wee pineapple-strawberry tart.

marion.warhaft@freepress.mb.ca