It’s hard to pick just one wine to go with your meal, especially if that meal includes a variety of small plates, appetizers and a main course. Privada Wine + Tapas has come up with the perfect solution – several flights of wine, two ounces each. You can pick three different wines from anything on the list that’s available by the glass. It’s not on the menu, but the bartender is willing to offer it for those who request it.
Everything at this St. Albert restaurant is made in-house, from the delectable brown butter sprinkled with maldon sea salt, to the elk pastrami, bacon, duck prosciutto and coppa (pork shoulder) that are included in the charcuterie platter. The savoury taste of each slice of meat collides with the sweetness of the pickled veggies and the hearty, tangy mustard on the side of the board.
Next comes four thick, piping hot polenta fries, accompanied by a side of creamy red pepper roasted mayo. The cornmeal is soft and warm on the inside and golden crispy on the outside, making it the perfect vessel for the slightly sweet sauce.
There is only one main course offered at a time, and tonight’s dish is elk steak. The succulent, baseball-sized meat sits atop a bed of sauteed kale and fingerling potatoes. I’m normally not a fan of kale, but the first few bites of the warm, tender greens sprinkled with sea salt and housemade chorizo sausage are so savoury that it convinces me to keep eating. The elk is juicy and, surprisingly, doesn’t taste gamey at all. The soft kale is tasty enough to convince me to permanently add it to my diet. (#100, 21 Perron St., St. Albert, 780-569-5479)
