As I said one of the joys of finding a fine dinner experience in Toronto, which should have been easy, was difficult, because it was Canada Day.  My brain decided that the best chance of finding a nice dinner was at a hotel, because they have to feed their guests.  I found Café Boulud was at the Four Seasons Hotel.  I didn’t look any farther, since we have had the Chef’s Tasting at Daniel, and the stellar burger that is an homage to America at Bistro Boulud.  We were led to believe that we could do the Chef’s Tasting, while her sister and her husband could order off the menu.  Our waiter was totally against that idea, and had a very condescending attitude to us, as we all placed our food order.  My Bride and I shared an appetizer of Rougie Foie Gras Torchon, with rhubarb and strawberry, pistachio and house made Brioche.  We also shared a glass of Chateau Suduiraut Castelnau de Suduiraut Sauternes 2006, which is the second label for Chateau Suduirant.  Chateau Suduiraut is a Premier Cru from the 1855 Classification of Sauternes and Barsac. The estate has over ninety hectares of vines on gravelly, sandy soil on the banks of the Gironde and borders Chateau d’Yquem.  In 1992 the estate was acquired by the investment firm AXA Millesimes in 1992.  The fruit is harvested in passes, to get the optimum levels of botrytis grapes (Noble Rot which creates deeper depths of sugar).  The Premier Cru wines are aged for twenty-four months, the second label for fifteen months in twenty-three percent new barrels.  The wine is a blend of ninety-six percent Semillon and four percent Sauvignon Blanc.  The wine was a very pretty deep golden color and offered notes of candied fruit, florals and honeysuckle.  On the palate tones of yellow fruit and quince, and spices perfectly balanced of sweetness and acidity with a medium count of fruit and terroir.     

While the other couple shared a Rotisserie Chicken for two, with confit potatoes, zucchini, and wild mushroom risotto.  My Bride had Nova Scotia Lobster tail, with asparagus, Chanterelle mushrooms, frisee salad, and a Lobster Cognac sauce. After the appetizer I showed our waiter of my articles about our trip to Daniel and his autograph; his attitude changed immediately, and the next thing I knew, was that the General Manager came over to apologize about the misunderstanding about the Chef’s Tasting.  As a consolation he sent over a plate of Octopus that was one of the courses and it was large enough that the four of us could try it; I thought that was very generous and considerate.  Since the other couple wanted red wine, I ordered a glass of Domaine Louis Moreau Petit Chablis 2021 for my Bride.  Domaine Louis Moreau produces Chardonnay wines from four different levels of appellations in Chablis. The Moreau family has been in Chablis since 1814 and Louis represents the sixth generation.  This vineyard was planted in 1987 and is four hectares of vines.  The Petit Chablis vines are harvested in the second half of harvest for the domaine.  Initial Fermentation is for about eighteen days with natural yeasts, and Malolactic Fermentation is for a couple of months in Stainless Steel vats.  Then a light filtration, and then the wine is aged for an additional four months on the lees with several stages of racking.  It takes about ten months total, before the Petite Chablis is ready to be released.  The wine was a deep yellow and offered very aromatic notes of white fruits and citrus and white florals.  On the palate there were tones of fresh apple and citrus combined, good acidity and roundness with a nice finish of terroir.

I had the Rack of Lamb from Alberta, with spring peas, Morel mushroom fricassee, confit potatoes, and pressed Lamb shoulder; as a side note my Bride thought that I had chosen the better of the two entrées.  I tried to find a wine that I thought would work both with my choice and the chicken dishes and we got a bottle of Vina Bujanda Rioja Reserva 2016.  Familia Martinez Bujanda is a group of five wineries that own their own vineyards in different parts of Spain.  Joaquin Martinez Bujanda founded the original winery in Alava in 1889.  In 2009 Vina Bujanda was created to bottle the entire production for the vineyards in Rioja.  The wine is pure Tempranillo and the fruit is a blend of harvests from Rioja Alta and Rioja Alavesa. The wine is aged for twenty-four months in seventy percent American Oak and thirty percent French Oak barrels. The wine was so deep in color it appeared to be black and offered notes of black fruit, chocolate, leather, graphite, and pepper.  On the palate rich tones of black cherry, currants, pepper, and moderate tannins with a long medium count finish of fruit and terroir.