An absolute gem of the Niagara farm-to-table fine dining culinary scene, every local gourmand knows and loves Treadwell Cuisine. Stephen Treadwell is one of Ontario’s food stars. Together with his owner-partner son/sommelier James Treadwell, they have won rave reviews from The Toronto Star, Toronto Life, enRoute, Wine Spectator, the list goes on, and with good reason. The elegant menu evolves with the harvest and ingredients are sourced from local farmers from Cumbrae Farms in Smithville, to ‘Mr. Storosko’ who grows raspberries and wild garlic in his backyard. Formerly the head chef at Queen's Landing in Niagara-on-the-Lake and Auberge du Pommier in Toronto, Treadwell brought the European concept of 'farm-to-table' dining to Southern Ontario more than a decade ago, sourcing regional suppliers within an easy transportation distance to the restaurant. The father and son team are vocal and passionate about emphasizing the best artisan producers of Southwestern Ontario, and their restaurant is a showcase of local farmers, producers and vintners. It's simple, perfect food, and allows the ingredients to speak for themselves.
Whether it’s locally grown and organic 'Harvest 365' Heirloom Tomatoes with 'Monforte' water buffalo fresco focaccia croutons, 'Marc's' Wild Mushrooms, 'Pingue’s' 24 month aged prosciutto or 'Cumbrae Farms' Pork Tenderloin with pork belly, crispy pancetta, creamy polenta, pink peppercorns and charred radicchio, the food has provenance, is perfectly prepared, beautifully presented, and absolutely delicious. “When you have control over the creative aspects of a restaurant, you have control over the source of your ingredients,” said Treadwell. “Even cooking in this region for as long as I have, I have been wonderfully surprised by all the incredible ingredients we have found for the menu.” Combined with Sommelier James Treadwell's spot on wine recommendations and a staff that is friendly, attentive and knowledgeable, Treadwell Farm-to-Table Cuisine is undoubtedly the finest place to dine in Niagara-on-the-Lake, but with the Shaw Festival venues a short walk away, reservations are essential.
Chef Stephen Treadwell
The lovely outdoor patio at Treadwell
Kew Vineyards Organic Sparkling Riesling
A lovely sparkling wine from this Beamsville Bench winery
Housemade Potato Gnocchi with “Marc’s” Spring Mushrooms Roasted Sunchokes
and Crumbled Blue Cheese
Roasted Heirloom Beet Salad with Whipped “Monforte” Chèvre Citrus Poached Ontario Rhubarb, Toasted Hazelnuts and Rhubarb Vinaigrette
and Crumbled Blue Cheese
2018 Organized Crime Rosé, a small boutique winery located on the renowned
Beamsville Bench of the Niagara Peninsula
2017 Etna Rosso by Tornatore, founded in 1865 and is still run by the third generation
of the same family in Sicily
Roasted “VG Meats” Beef Striploin with Local Asparagus with Spring Mushrooms and Fresh Cut Frites with Rosemary Sea Salt & Malt Vinegar Mayonnaise
Pan Roasted Halibut with Spring Peas
“Cumbrae Farms” Smoked Bacon, Poached Egg, Lemon & Thyme Butter
Treadwell's Red Pepper Soup
Serves 4-6
Recipe courtesy of chef Stephen Treadwell
1/2 cup lime sorbet
2 tbsp chopped mint or basil
1 cup chopped onions
1 tbsp butter
1 tsp vegetable oil
4 cups vegetable stock
6 red peppers charred, skinned and seeded
1 tbsp chopped garlic
1 cup milk
Salt and freshly ground pepper
A few sprigs of thyme
4 cheese straws
Chili oil for garnish
For his colourful, summery soup Treadwell makes a rich sorbet with fromage frais and a lot of lime to top it. I found it easier to buy a lime sorbet and mix in a couple of tablespoons of chopped basil or mint. The soup is hot, the sorbet cold and the touch of chili oil brings it all together. Stir chopped herbs into lime sorbet. Keep frozen.
Heat butter and oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add onions and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and thyme and cook for 2 minutes longer. Add vegetable stock, red peppers and thyme sprigs. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer and cook for 15 to 20 minutes, or until vegetables are very soft. Stir in milk. Season with salt and pepper.
Ladle one cup liquid into a bowl and reserve. Remove thyme sprigs from soup. Blend soup, adding reserved cooking liquid as need to get the desired consistency. Pass mixture through a strainer and re-season with salt and pepper. Serve the soup hot with a last minute addition of lime sorbet and a few drops of chili oil. Add a cheese straw across the top.
Pan-Seared Whitefish with Lobster Kabocha Squash
Serves 4
Recipe courtesy of Chef Stephen Treadwell
Squash:
1/2 vanilla bean pod
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1 small Kabocha or Hubbard squash, peeled and cleaned
4 oz cooked, diced lobster meat
Pinch ground nutmeg
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Tempura Garnish:
Canola oil for frying
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup ice water
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Fish:
Four 5 oz whitefish filets
1/4 cup truffle or all-purpose flour for dusting fish
1 tbsp canola oil
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp capers
2 tbsp chopped parsley
4 cups packed baby spinach
4 sprigs of chervil
Split open vanilla bean and use the point of a knife to scrape out seeds, reserving the pod. Mix seeds with butter and set aside. Cut 4 thin slices of squash to use as garnish and reserve to make squash tempura. Cut remaining squash into 1-inch pieces. Place cubed squash in salted water with vanilla bean pod and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until squash is tender. Drain water and discard vanilla bean pod. Return squash to pot and cook over low heat for 1 minute, shaking pot to dry squash. Mash squash to a smooth consistency. Mix in lobster meat and season with nutmeg, salt and pepper. Set aside and keep warm.
Heat 1-inch canola oil in a small wok or deep skillet over high heat to make squash tempura. Combine 1/4 cup flour and ice water to make a thin batter. Season with salt and pepper. Add reserved slices of squash to batter to coat. When oil is hot add squash slices and cook until just golden, about 30 seconds per side.
Season fish with salt and pepper and dust with flour. Heat oil in a nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Sear whitefish, skin down, until skin is crisp, about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Turn fish over and cook for another minute or until fish is medium rare. Cook fish in batches adding more oil to pan as needed. Remove fish from pan and keep warm.
Return pan to heat. Add reserved vanilla butter and cook until butter is browned and smells nutty, about 30 seconds. Add lemon juice and capers. Pour into a small bowl and stir in parsley.
Return pan to heat. Add spinach and cook for 30 seconds or until wilted. Divide spinach between 4 plates. Place a piece of whitefish on top and spoon over lemon vanilla butter. Top with a spoonful of lobster squash and garnish with a piece of crispy squash and a sprig of chervil.
Serves 4
Recipe courtesy of Chef Stephen Treadwell
Squash:
1/2 vanilla bean pod
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1 small Kabocha or Hubbard squash, peeled and cleaned
4 oz cooked, diced lobster meat
Pinch ground nutmeg
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Tempura Garnish:
Canola oil for frying
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup ice water
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Fish:
Four 5 oz whitefish filets
1/4 cup truffle or all-purpose flour for dusting fish
1 tbsp canola oil
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp capers
2 tbsp chopped parsley
4 cups packed baby spinach
4 sprigs of chervil
Split open vanilla bean and use the point of a knife to scrape out seeds, reserving the pod. Mix seeds with butter and set aside. Cut 4 thin slices of squash to use as garnish and reserve to make squash tempura. Cut remaining squash into 1-inch pieces. Place cubed squash in salted water with vanilla bean pod and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until squash is tender. Drain water and discard vanilla bean pod. Return squash to pot and cook over low heat for 1 minute, shaking pot to dry squash. Mash squash to a smooth consistency. Mix in lobster meat and season with nutmeg, salt and pepper. Set aside and keep warm.
Heat 1-inch canola oil in a small wok or deep skillet over high heat to make squash tempura. Combine 1/4 cup flour and ice water to make a thin batter. Season with salt and pepper. Add reserved slices of squash to batter to coat. When oil is hot add squash slices and cook until just golden, about 30 seconds per side.
Season fish with salt and pepper and dust with flour. Heat oil in a nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Sear whitefish, skin down, until skin is crisp, about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Turn fish over and cook for another minute or until fish is medium rare. Cook fish in batches adding more oil to pan as needed. Remove fish from pan and keep warm.
Return pan to heat. Add reserved vanilla butter and cook until butter is browned and smells nutty, about 30 seconds. Add lemon juice and capers. Pour into a small bowl and stir in parsley.
Return pan to heat. Add spinach and cook for 30 seconds or until wilted. Divide spinach between 4 plates. Place a piece of whitefish on top and spoon over lemon vanilla butter. Top with a spoonful of lobster squash and garnish with a piece of crispy squash and a sprig of chervil.
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