One of the booths during Food & Wine I don’t really get excited for is Canada. Everyone raves about the Canadian Cheddar Cheese Soup, and it never ceases to amaze me how long people will wait in line for it. I understand reservations for Le Cellier can be difficult, especially during busy times of year, but that tiny serving you get at the booth doesn’t quite compare. (Also, head over to Big River Grille at Boardwalk for a delicious bowl of cheese soup without an insane wait!)
I’ve also had the Chipotle Chicken Sausage in the past, and while it was good, it wasn’t too much of a stand out for Canada’s line.
Despite having mushrooms, Matt was interested in trying the “Le Cellier” Wild Mushroom Beef Filet Mignon with Truffle Butter Sauce since it was new to the menu. (Pardon the dark photos – night time just before a downpour without my real camera!)
The dish isn’t the most visually appealing, but the serving size was fair. Matt picked the mushrooms off to the side, and I thought it tasted better than it looked. I honestly didn’t have high expectations, though.
The steak itself was tender and on the rare side, which was made us both happy campers. If you’re on the dining plan, it’s probably worth the snack credit, but I don’t know if it’s something I would want to spend $6.50 on. It think we’d rather put that money toward dinner at Artist’s Point or Yachtsman.
The Neige Premiere Apple Ice Wine can be found throughout the year at the nearby beer stand in Canada. It’s sweet and a bit heavy, but delicious.
The Chicken Chipotle Sausage with Sweet Corn Polenta is noted to be served with “Minus 8″ Onion Jam this year, but from what I’ve seen, it hasn’t changed too much from previous years with the exception of the sausage looking shorter and thicker than this version from 2010.
2010′s Chicken Chipotle Sausage with Sweet Corn Polenta (also served in 2011)
If you’ve tried the “Le Cellier” Wild Mushroom Beef Filet Mignon with Truffle Butter Sauce, let us know what you thought!
I tried all three of these last week. I also thought the sausage was smaller, the topping the same as last year and it seemed much spicier this year than last. This year I barely finished it because of the heat but last year I had 2 during the festival. My filet was a much smaller (two bites at most), well done portion with very salty mushrooms and had no sign of the truffle butter I’ve had in the restaurant and have seem in F&W reviews. I thought the ice wine was a very, very tiny pour for the price. They are poured to order so I might have just received a different server but that tiny shot glass was only a 1/3 full. It was good but seemed a little strong.
I think I was looking forward to this booth the most because I really enjoyed our meal at Le Cellier but my experience, which I think has more to do with the servers that day, was different from others experience. I wouldn’t go to the booth again this year.
The ice wine is a very small pour, but at the same time, it’s a more expensive wine than a lot of the items they serve. The pour picture I posted was from the beer cart and not during food and wine, and the price is the same.
I LOVED the polenta with the sausage. Even more than the cheddar cheese soup or filet!
I haven’t ordered the filet in the restaurant myself, but the chicken sausage served in the restaurant is a great portion for the price from what I remember.
Had the soup yesterday evening but I found it a little salty (might have been the bottom of the pot for the day since it was about 7:45). Had the filet today and it was pretty good. My friend and I each had at two good sized bites each so we were able to get the right “temps” for us (she prefers med-well so she took the ends and I like med/med-rare so I took the middle). There wasn’t much truffle butter and other than maybe a little “moisture” I didn’t taste much on that.
I just don’t think the soup served is nearly up to par with that in the restaurant. Cheese is so finicky when heated, and its easy for it to break and become grainy. Even with a lot of cream, it can get salty if not properly stirred and tended to. Glad the beef at least was somewhat cooked to your and your friend’s liking though!