CinCin’s mushroom and truffle festival
What do you get when you bring a chef trained in the South of France whose philosophy is "Simplicity is the hallmark of genius. Fresh ingredients should speak for themselves in order to allow natural flavours to stand out on the plate" to Vancouver? Well ,you get epicurean artist François Gagnon throwing a harvest celebration called Festa del Fungo.
This will be Vancouver's legendary CinCin's fourth annual Festa del Fungo and Executive chef Gagnon will be spot lighting truffles and wild mushrooms heralding the lusty flavours of autumn throughout the whole month of November. During this month, mushroom lovers can choose from aromatic dishes designed either to be shared around the table, or as individual mezzo courses, including:
• Wood-fire grilled king oyster mushrooms with preserved lemon ($9.50)
• Parchment-steamed cinnamon cap mushrooms with preserved heirloom tomato ($13.50)
• Porcini mushrooms with caramelized onion and bacon in puff pastry ($12.50)
• Black trumpet mushrooms with warm baby spinach salad, poached egg pancetta vinaigrette ($11.50)
"We buy only the best truffles, hand selected by experts we trust," says Gagnon. A highlight of the festival will be French (Black Burgundy) tartufi nero and Italian Alba tartufi bianchi. Shaved over plates of gnocchi and risotto bianco, the truffles range in price from $3.50 to $16 per gram.
"The trick with truffles," says Gagnon, "is not to clean them too early. They are truly living ingredients, and their cloak of earth should be washed just before use."
You won't have to worry about what wine goes with these earthy delicacies because, Wine Director Michael Mameli will draw from CinCin's deep cellar to recommend Barolo, Barbaresco, Barbera d'Asti, Barbera d'Alba, and Dolcetto d'Alba. According to Mameli, "The wild, earthy depth of these wines echo the aromas and flavours of the mushrooms and truffles - they make for a classic regional pairing". Throughout the Festa, Mameli will also feature a card of these wines by the glass and carafe. Who could ask for anything more?
WEll...there is dessert and Chef Patissier Thierry Busset concludes the meal with a retinue of masterfully crafted desserts, such as Tart Bourdaloue with poached pear and almond cream, lemon sorbetto and pear coulis. Hailing from three-star Michelin establishments such as Marco Pierre White's The Restaurant and the Roux Brothers' Le Gavroche in London, Busset delivers a dolci denouement to this autumn celebration.
You can find this exceptional restaurant located in the heart of Robson's fashionable shopping district. CinCin presents inspired dishes from the heritage wood-fired kitchen. Dinner served nightly from 5pm until 11pm and late menu until midnight. For reservations call 604.688.7338 or visit www.cincin.net . Valet nightly.
