Five Star Dining at Cambridge's Langdon Hall

Source: Diana Ballon, AOL.ca

Posted: 05/12/09 9:27AM

Filed Under: Canada Travel Guide

On a grey Saturday afternoon in March, my husband and I took the final turn along a windy country road to catch our first glimpse of Langdon Hall, a century-old Federal Revival mansion that is now a stately country hotel and spa.

Only an hour from Toronto, we stepped out of the car to the inviting smell of a wood-burning fire (there are close to 60 fireplaces at the hotel), and the sound of cardinals deep in the forest. Hardly deterred by a bit of rain, we passed through the Ionic columns and neo-classical portico at its entrance, to be greeted by a valet to park our car. (Clearly, this setting was in marked contrast to the scene we left behind, our three-year-old son with the stomach flu clutching a large tin pot as he waved tearily good-bye.)

On a misty winter day, we could not fully appreciate the gardens for which Langdon Hall is so famous, nor its outdoor swimming pool, nor the many walking trails amidst the Carolinian forest zone surrounding the estate, with its temperate climate and diverse and exotic plants and trees.

But we could eat. And this is what we had come to Langdon Hall to do. The hotel has not only received the Five Diamond Award from AAA/CAA: its executive chef Jonathan Gushue has been acclaimed internationally for his cooking. In 2009, he won the Grands Chefs Relais & Chateaux Trophy, which has only been bestowed on three other chefs worldwide.

What truly sets Gushue apart from others is the subtle way he combines flavours and textures in a complex synergy, without one ingredient ever overshadowing another. This was abundantly evident as we sampled a specially prepared tasting menu ($95/person) at dinner on our first night.

Our meal began with a surprise from the chef: to accompany champagne - a Hudson Bay caviar over horseradish crème fraiche and fingerling potato bellini, garnished with chive and dill, and served on a piece of slate. It was sublime; the horseradish was held back – so that it complemented, rather than overpowered the caviar. The amuse bouche that followed consisted of a braised beef terrine garnished with truffle cream and pistachio crumble. Again, the combinations were exquisite: the nuttiness of the pistachio brought out the nuttiness of the beef, which was then smoothed by the richness of the oil and cream. The soup to follow – a warm scallop broth poured tableside over Digby scallop carpaccio, with a hint of truffle essence and cashew, was sublime.

By the time this had been followed by courses of Berkshire pig cheek, wild striped bass, bison, a “pre-dessert” sorbet, followed by a selection of petits fours, four hours had passed. And we were ready to retire to our cozy suite – almost more like our own little cottage - in what is referred to as the Stables.

Not only had we eaten well, we had consumed quality wines ($75/person for the wine pairing option), guided intelligently by Food & Beverage Manager/Sommalier Kimberly Humby. Like the food, Humby’s choice of wines demonstrated careful blending and subtle surprises. For instance, my husband’s sesame tuna sashimi kohlrabi with avocado and sweet chili vinaigrette is perfectly matched by the chalky dryness, and warm honey undertones, of a Vouvray Chenin Blanc.

Langdon Hall’s wine cellar is extensive: “for each dish, there are about 10 wines that work,” explains Gushue. Although the wines have a strong European influence, they offer many new world vintages. That afternoon’s complimentary wine tasting focused on three mid-range Argentinian Malbec wines from the Mendoza region, while Langdon Hall also features several Ontario labels. (The local Tawse Winery will be putting out a special wine in honour of their 20th anniversary this fall.)

The full country breakfast ($26) the next morning felt similarly lavish, with a large buffet table of home-baked croissants and pastries, along with an assortment of cheeses and fruit to complement the hot dishes ordered off the menu. It is at breakfast that the true talents of Pastry Chef Rob Howland become evident. The creamy butter we smeared on our toast has been churned by Howland, who produces about 3,000 lbs of the stuff each year. And the almond croissant Howland has made that morning is both fluffy and flakey, and literally oozing almond paste.

As Gushue will be the first to admit, the meals produced at Langdon Hall are a team effort, produced through a combination of hard work, passion and inspiration. Gushue was largely drawn to Langdon Hall because of its reputation for Canadiana. “Local purveyors are coming out of the woodwork,” he says, while many of the herbs, fruits and vegetables that you eat there (including 10 to 12 varietals of tomatoes this summer) are produced in their own gardens.

Gushue arrived at Langdon Hall over three years ago, around the same time that sommelier Kathleen Moore, Executive Sous Chef Victor DeGuzman and Howland also did.

“We all get bored very quickly,” says Gushue, by way of explaining the range of experimentation evident in the menu. He names a number of inspirations for what he describe as his classical training in “modern European” cuisine – the many great chefs he was exposed to in England, several French teachers, as well as his time in Japan – with its ginger, white soy sauce and sesame oil, and use of both sweet and savoury. But he attributes his initial love of food to his dad. Before he became a lawyer, his dad worked for the UN. And each Saturday, he cooked, says Gushue, growing more animated as he recalls this period in his childhood. There was vicchysoise, Meditteranean fish soup, “his linguine and clams, I’ve never had better”, pepper steak, Caesar salad. “Even his omelettes, he got it.”

Only 38-years-old, a native of Newfoundland, and father of three young children, Gushue describes working his way up through the hotel business. He studied hotel management at Georgian College, and took at a variety of entry level jobs, including working the front desk at the Inn at Manitou one summer, later being employed as an assistant breakfast cook and eventually becoming executive chef at the Four Seasons’ Truffles Restaurant – all before coming to Langdon Hall.

‘My father had that European attitude, that no matter what you do, with hospitality training, you will always have a job,” Gushue says.

As long as he has a job at Langdon Hall, this is the place to go for fine dining in a bucolic setting.

Langdon Hall Country House Hotel & Spa