Top 5 Meals- The Pear Tree- July 8, 2010

Big M and I decided to have a romantic fancy dinner for my first birthday as his wife. So he we decided on the Pear Tree on Hastings in Burnaby. We have walked by the restaurant a million times and I had heard great reviews. Turns out that the Chef, Scott Jaeger, was a Canadian competitor in the Bocuse D’Or! As a Top Chef fan, this was super exciting. Big M calls up the restaurant to make a reservation for July 7, but they are closed. Not even saying, "but that is my wife's birthday" would make them open that day. So July 8 it was! A good addition to spreading out birthday week"

So glad we decided to wait. The food was so amazing. The service staff was friendly and the presentation fantastic. I loved the piece of fresh brioche served with a fancy oval pat of butter. We decided to get an appy, dinner and dessert since it was a special occasion.

Appy:
ORANGE CARAMELIZED SCALLOPS WITH DOUBLE SMOKED BACON RISOTTO


OMG. Bacon Risotto is the best idea ever.

Big M's dinner:
They don't have a description on their website so my approximation is:
Beef tenderloin on top of short ribs topped with bacon with a jus of bone marrow. Served with a croquette and some awesome sauce:



He thought about getting the lamb but in the end LOVED this dish.

My dinner:
Pork belly on top of mushroom, bean and spot prawns with yummy sauce. They talk about belly on Top Chef all the time, but I had never had it.



And now I know why they all want to cook it. So amazing! I loved the little perfect mushrooms. It was a really fancy pork and beans.

Dessert:
VANILLA CREME BRULEE WITH A CRISP BRANDY SNAP



It wasn't as crispy on the top as I thought it would be, and it was cold. I thought it would be warmer, but it tasted amazing. I am now a huge fan of the brandy snap.

Go to the Pear Tree. The restaurant is beautiful, the service is perfect and the chef deserves all the accolades that he has received!