Outdoor Patio Now Open

Sunday Brunch being served from 10:00 am

California Winemakers On Tour at Stella

with
Phillipe Thibault of Sonoma's Château St. Jean,

Jon Priest of Carneros' Etude Wines

&

Kevin Morissey of Napa Valley's Stags' Leap Winery

May 30, 2008
6:30

Greetings
Tuna Tartar and Steelhead Trout Canapés
w/ 2007 Etude Rosé, Carneros

Course One
Crispy Crab Fritter with Petite Avocado Salad & Pistachio Oil
w/ 2006 Château St. Jean Fumé Blanc, Sonoma

Course Two
Roast Duck Breast w/ Blueberry Truffle Jus and Seared Foie Gras with Strawberry Rhubarb Compote
w/ 2006 Etude Pinot Noir, Carneros

Course Three
Blackberry Poached Venison Medallion with Wild Mushroom Ragout
w/ 1998 Stags' Leap Winery Petit Syrah, Napa Valley

Course Four
Grilled Filet of Angus Beef with Black Currant and Plum Reduction & Cocoa Nibs
w/ 2005 Stags' Leap Winery Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley

Finish
Cheeses, Fresh Berries and Compotes
w/ 2000 Château St. Jean “Cinq Cépages”, Sonoma

$175 per person plus taxes and gratuity

Private Events...Private parties, closed to public are available at Stella Osteria. 

Please contact Jim Knox at 613-241-2200 or jim@stellaosteria.com for additional information. 

$73,000 raised for University of Ottawa Heart Institute

Heart of Glass smashes record

APR 01 -- 9:45 A.M. -- Ticket sales for the second annual Heart of Glass fundraiser for the University of Ottawa Heart Institute on Monday night surpassed expectations as 209 people paid $175 for a standing-room-only evening of good food, wine, and auctions at Stella Osteria restaurant in the ByWard Market.

Spokesperson Ida Firestone said sales for the fundraiser were 39 tickets above target -- and people had to be turned away. Believe me, the place was packed with a who's-who guest list representing industry, the media, the medical community, former heart patients, and folks who just love food and drink.


While organizers hoped to raise $40,000 this year for the Heart Institute, Ida told me this morning the evening raised a spectacular $73,000 -- more than double the $30,000 receipts from last year. "I am thrilled," she says. "It was far beyond our goal!

"This makes it crystal clear our community values, appreciates and depends on the level of care that the University of Ottawa Heart Institute provides."

The Firestone Restaurant Group, which also owns Luxe Bistro and Blue Cactus Bar and Grill, pulled out the culinary stops with a dozen tempting nibbles to choose from, plus 19 wines and beers.

On hand was the new executive chef for Luxe Bistro, Duane Keats, who prepared three delicious hors d'oeuvres. From Brookstreet hotel, Duane officially moves over to Luxe on April 7, replacing René Rodriguez who left recently with plans to open his own Basque-style restaurant later this spring.

Other contributing chefs were Evan Pritchard at Stella Osteria and Zak Ghadie of Blue Cactus. Joining them was sommelier Neil Gowe -- all of whom received billing with colour photos in the printed program (a nice touch, that).

Duane's dishes included a superlative, butter-tender and thinly sliced Stirling Silver beef tenderloin with wild mushrooms and double-smoked bacon foam. (How do you foam bacon, you ask? Start by infusing cream with the flavour of cooked double-smoked bacon, as you would with tea leaves, then strain out the solids and foam the liquid in a can charged with cartridges of compressed gas -- just like Reddi Wip.)

Other hits were his beet-cured Altantic salmon on a fennel-chive blini (picture, above left) with spinach and micro greens, and tender duck breast with a small potato/vegetable nest and port reduction. (For the sauce, Duane, shown at right, says he reduced one three-cup bottle of port wine to make one cup of syrup.)

Other culinary hits (in my book, anyway) were the lamb lollipops with mint chipotle glaze and roasted red pepper coulis. Also worth note were the chilled giant prawns on skewers in a glass of spicy Thai sauce (picture, bottom) with chives -- great bite. And, always appreciated were the famous fresh oysters shucked before your eyes by Joshua Bishop of The Whalesbone Oyster House (last night, he served two varieties from New Brunswick: Saint Simon and Caraquet).

Bottom line: A delicious gastronomic adventure for a good cause. And to think, not one heart-stopping piece of fatty foie gras in sight.