Ten was a restaurant on our list for several years. We almost went during the pandemic when they had a patio, but they closed it before our date and we were reluctant to switch to indoor dining at the time. So we finally got around to trying it recently on my birthday and were very impressed.
The restaurant is small, with just 10 seats (hence the name), arranged around a chef’s counter. This allows for the chance to watch the finishing prep of dishes and to have lots of conversation with the staff about each dish and the accompanying wines. Although I understand that the restaurant isn’t necessarily vegetarian, the menu we had featured no meat or seafood and we did not feel the absence. The also provided details about the farms for all their produce.
We ordered a single wine pairing to share and started with an extra glass of Stekar, skin-contact rebula, Goriska Brda, Slovenia 2022 - tropical fruits and vanilla.
The amuse involved a shell made from their leftover sourdough, filled with smoked squash, and frozen goat cheese grated over - nice contrasts between the crispy shell, soft interior, and cool on top.
Our first glass of the pairing (actually two, because they initially forgot we were sharing a pairing) was Pépière, “Clos des Briords”, 2022, Muscadet, Sevre et Main - salinity, a bit yeasty (it was sur lie), and lemon. It accompanied crisp watermelon and purple radishes, cold pressed sunflower oil, thyme and chive flowers, sea salt, and fennel fronds, with a slightly sweet seaweed and lemongrass broth. Very attractive to the eye and palate.
Our next glass was of Ott “Am Berg” Gruner Veltliner, Wagram, Austria, 2022 - herbal, lean, green notes. It went well with Ontario strawberries in ceviche marinade, with capers, lovage, shallot, ginger, fresh chervil on top, dried tomatoes, and cold pressed sunflower oil - cool and refreshing.
The third wine pairing was Can Sumoi, Xarel-lo, Penedès, Spain, 2021 - a bit like a dry sherry. And the third course was green asparagus, cooked on applewood, with a vinaigrette from fermented white asparagus, cream, ramp oil, black garlic powder, and chickweed - all green and emblematic of spring.
We were treated to another orange wine for the fourth pairing: Cirelli, Trebbiano, Abruzzo, Italy NV - mushroom and floral scent, very lovely. It complimented a dish of cooked and raw sweet cauliflower, accented with orange, miso, crunchy crumbs of chestnut, basil, and mint.
The 5th glass was a Chenin Blanc from Tête d’Ange, Saumur, 2022 - dry, rich and acidic, with lots of ripe apple. It paired with a single large ravioli with 4 pockets of sunchoke purée, and dark onion stock and green oil from tops of onions - lots of umami in the dark sauce that complemented the vegetal sweetness of the sunchokes.
We switched to a red for the next pairing: Barc & Vallée, Cab Franc from Bourgueil, Loire 2021 - herbal, green pepper and tomatoes. It came with a slow-roasted and multi-layered rutabaga, lacquered with vegetable stock reduction, with chanterelle and sage sauces - naturally sweet, with great umami and herbal notes from the additional sauces.
For the last savoury course, we had De Forville, Nebbiolo d’Alba, Piedmonte, Barbaresco DOCG, 2021 - pleasant, but less distinctive. The dish itself was beautiful: maitake, glazed with malt vinegar, soy, and brown sugar, with confit seaweed, buckwheat, chives, and celery root purée - sweet, smoky, and lots of umami.
We then had a palate cleanser of porcini sorbet, puffed wild rice underneath, cold pressed pistachio oil, and sea salt (not pictured). I remain somewhat unconvinced of mushrooms in a sweet context, but this was at least OK.
For our dessert courses we were poured Berto vermouth (NV) from Piedmont - sweet and bitter, and lots of herbal complexity. The first dessert was an agar agar gel of rhubarb juice, with warm homemade almond oil, vanilla oil, and honey - delightful and similar to a panna cotta, with lots of tartness from the rhubarb.
The final dessert was a beet and lime tart, on an almond crust, wtih pickled and dried spruce tips powdered on top - very interesting and worked fairly well.
We’d be happy to go again, especially as the seasons and produce change.
