Thu, May 8, 2008

It's not very often that your Discreet Diner finds the time for a full round of golf these days.

OK, truth be told, your Discreet Diner has never found time for a full round of golf -- not the grownup kind that doesn't involve windmills and clown faces, anyway.

But we're always looking for an excuse to hang out in the clubhouse, which helps explain a recent return trip to Provence Bistro at Niakwa Country Club.

Nestled among the pristinely manicured greens just north of St. Anne's Road, Provence's dual dining rooms both boast a breathtaking view of the 18th hole, which was all but deserted by the time we took our seats in the smaller of the two rooms.

Though it bills itself as a bistro, Provence's decor is more in line with a French inn -- lots of airy white linens and serene blond-wood trim, with leafy stencils vying for attention with pastoral oil paintings on the eggshell walls.

Once we'd become acclimatized to all the first-class finery, we enlisted our garcon (who was friendly and helpful, without ever being obtrusive) to bring us a round of drinks while we perused the menu, which has changed somewhat since our last visit, ever since prodigious chef Simon Resch took over in the kitchen.

While noshing on the heavenly basket of warm bread (white and multi-grain on our visit, though we've heard pumpernickel is sometimes served, too), we did our best to come up with a dining strategy that would cover as many bases as possible.

Having already tried -- and failed -- to convince our dining companion of the wonders of foie gras, we instead opted for the sauteed chicken livers with copollini onions, blue cheese mashed potatoes and thyme red wine reduction. Though our friend still isn't a convert, even she had to admit the smoky blue cheese-infused spuds provided a perfect accompaniment to the equally robust flavours of the liver.

And both of us took turns scarfing down the second starter -- a smoked fish plate of cold Nova Scotia salmon and hot Manitoba Arctic char, served with a tarragon piperade and lovely crostini squares for scooping.

We sampled both of the soups available: The first, a mouthwatering wild mushroom consomme with duck confit ravioli and truffle oil; the second, a deluxe version of that bistro classic -- French onion -- that came topped with a layer of pungent gruyere cheese, and a slightly overpowering shot of port.

The salads are big enough to share, so we stuck with a single serving of the "D'Epinards" -- fragrant spinach served with a Granny Smith apple compote, plus a light dusting of candied pecans, blue goat cheese and Manitoba honey-lavendar vinaigrette.

After that, it was time for the big guns -- or as the French say, the plats principals.

We sprung for one of the daily specials, the pan-seared duck with roasted potatoes, red wine reduction and truffle oil. And while we're normally crazy for duck in all its incarnations (Provence also serves a duck confit plate that's rave-worthy), the slices we sampled on this particular night were a smidge on the tough side, though the accompanying potatoes, cubed carrots and asparagus -- was that a hint of maple we tasted? -- again set our tastebuds dancing.

Our friend fared even better with the New York steak -- a huge slab of perfectly cooked beef served with dauphinnoise potatoes, arugula, red onion crisps and chausseur sauce. And while neither of us ordered any vino, you'd better believe Provence has a wine list that's to die for, plus a wine locker program that ensures your favourite varieties will always be waiting for you.

It was with heavy hearts that we left without sampling some of the other scrumptious-sounding menu items, among them the countless seafood dishes (salmon, shrimp, scallops and monkfish), the pork tenderloin, free-range chicken, rack of lamb or two different varieties of ratatouile.

We did, however, save room for a sinfully sweet slice of flan -- which, like the rest of the meal, proved nearly too good to be true.

The constantly changing (but always hole-in-one-worthy) menu at Provence stands as a real testament to the skills possessed by Resch, who was hired by owner Shawn Brandson (formerly of La Beaujolais) about a year and a half back.

It's also worth pointing out that Niakwa is the only private country club in Winnipeg that opens its dining room doors to members of the public.

But even if you're not among the well-heeled elite, you can still look forward to paying upper-crust prices: Dinner for two -- with taxes, tip, and a couple of cocktails -- came to just shy of $175.

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Provence Bistro

Address: Niakwa County Club, 620 Niakwa Rd.

Phone: 254-3500

Hours: 5 p.m. - close, Mon. - Sat.

Sun Rating 4 1/2 out of 5 stars