Little Grouse on the Prairie – May 8, 2018

On a slightly overcast and windy spring evening, my mom and I headed into Little Grouse in downtown Saskatoon. The small, cozy (yet modern) room always feels so inviting and the front of house always has a smile on their face. A perfect way to start the night.

We sat at our little two-person table, next to the window, with the table set perfectly. Greeted by our smiling server, we ordered glasses of white wine – a Pinot Grigio and something else. I don’t typically order a white but I wanted something light; I should have gone with prosecco! My mom and I, as is typical, proceeded to get right into conversation and almost forgot where we were, if only after a few seconds.

No need for the menus as we love the Alla Famiglia style of eating where each of the courses presented is a surprise and perfectly spaced out in time. 5, 7, or 10 courses can be had – I have only had 5 in the past and so we both went in assuming 5 it would be, however, engaged in too much conversation, we failed to mention this to our server…and found out very soon that he clocked us in for 7 courses – which was a great surprise!

The first three plates to grace our table were a salad, a bowl of burrata, and two scallops. Let us just pause here for the delight that was this food – both on the eyes and the mouth. I dislike the world mouth-feel when I hear it on TV but if I’m going to use it – it’s going to be right here. Mouth-feel was bang on.

The cool and warm salad consisted of dandelion greens, sautéed Brussel sprouts, slivers of green apple, cashews, celery root, with an olive oil and salt dressing; a great way to start a meal (even if the sprouts were a bit limp). Next was a heavenly scoop of burrata (creamy mozzarella) sitting on a bed of lentils, cooked to al dente, soaked in champagne and olive oil. Burrata has got to be one of the best cheeses I have ever had. To be honest, I prefer it with something crunchy like a crostini, but the lentils were very close. Onward we moved to the two perfectly plump, seared scallops, topped with crispy kale and sitting on top of button mushrooms wrapped in roasted green onions, all on top of a pepperoncini puree. I had never had a pickled pepper puree like this…..and I want it again very soon!

Next we oooo’d and ahhhh’d as our server set the tortellini down in front of us, formed with precision, stuffed with pork and ricotta, and covered in a veal reduction. Oh how perfect these little pasta presents were! The pasta was thin, the veal sauce salty and filled with the flavour of roasted meat, and the filling was not lost in the sauce (I find pasta filling is often overpowered by the sauce….in other restaurants).

Then came the taglierini with a Bolognese sauce. While delicious and perfectly executed, we did not care for the very small pieces of (somewhat hard) beef. The pasta was well made and the dish was flavorful (and salty! which I do appreciate) but Bolognese, perfect or not, has never made the top of my list (nor my mom’s).

At this point, my mom had ordered another white wine and I ordered a red, a Chianti, which I unfortunately did not remember ordering last time…..until I tasted it. It tasted of burnt rubber; the server explained to me it was from 2012 and had lived in an oak barrel longer than most reds….while interesting, I would not like to drink it again.

And then……then came the veal….oh, the veal! It was perfectly pounded, coated, and flambéed in brandy, topped with capers (one of best foods on this earth), golden raisins, roasted tomatoes, half of a roasted lemon for squeezing, all smothered in a light, salty, meaty veal jus. The veal was so tender you could have cut it with children’s scissors. I want this dish again, and then again, and then a few more times.

By this point we were stuffed! However, we had to make way for dessert; a sweet pea semi-fredo topped with edible flowers, a crumble and two very small cookies, sitting a-top an Earl Grey tea reduction. The server then poured, from a small ceramic cream holder, a London fog inspired topping over the dessert. This dessert quite frankly was just alright – neither of us cared much for it. We felt it was bland and texturally unexciting, unlike many of the desserts we have had at Little Grouse. We should have ended on the veal!

And so the evening out came to an end. As always, the food was intoxicating, the company perfect, and the ambience comforting. Our eyes, mouths, stomachs, and hearts were utterly satiated, as always after an evening at Little Grouse. A special shout out to our server, who was nothing but friendly and helpful, without even a touch of arrogance.

I am yet again reminded of why I love dining out with those closest to me, in some of the best places in Saskatoon.

Happy bites!