PASSION IS ALWAYS IN FASHION
Family-owned bistro feeding hungry Saskatonians for decades
S askatoon’s restaurant culture is a hub of activity. So many new eateries have opened or will open very soon that my mind spins at all of the options to feed my belly and wet my whistle.
While the dining scene keeps expanding, it’s good to make note of those places that have been around for a while — before it was trendy to eat off of cutting boards and drink out of mason jars. One such place is St. Tropez Bistro downtown. You’ve probably walked by its pretty blue exterior a million times, thinking to yourself, “I wonder what the food is like there.” I know I have.
Family owned and operated since 1979, St. Tropez serves global cuisine inspired by the owners’ love of travel. Emphasis is on sourcing fresh and local ingredients whenever possible; in the summer months, their rooftop garden provides vegetables and herbs to use in the kitchen. With such a sound culinary philosophy, it’s no surprise St. Tropez has been successful at feeding Saskatonians for some 36 years.
Me and a pal popped in on a frigid Friday night and found a cozy table for two in a quiet corner. I can’t stress that enough. Quiet. If you want to have a conversation without shouting “what?” repeatedly because you can’t hear your companions over the din of chatter, music and open kitchen noise, this is your place.
Hardwood flooring, exposed brick walls, dark leather seating and splashes of modern art on the walls all lend a sophisticated air to the space, yet the vibe is certainly welcoming without a sniff of pretentiousness. Same with the menu — sophisticated yet comforting.
Starters range from $8 to $12, including soup, caesar and house salads, pate, cheese plate and chipotle shrimp. Entrees are $25 to $37, including either basmati rice or caramelized onion mashed potatoes. There are two kinds of salmon — poached in white wine with Saskatoon berries or baked in a Mexican chipotle barbecue sauce. If you’re a shrimp lover, 10 tiger shrimp cooked in garlic butter would no doubt make your belly happy. Chicken breast is served blackened Cajun style or baked in a luscious cream sauce with porcini, shiitake, morel and oyster mushrooms. Steak lovers can rejoice too — six-ounce filet mignon can be grilled to your liking.
I was pleasantly surprised to see tortiere, that traditional FrenchCanadian meat pie. Now I know where to go when I get a hankering for the stuff, as my mom makes it only at Christmas. Pork tenderloin in a peppercorn rosemary rub and lamb curry round out the other options for carnivores. The solo vegetarian option is an empanada stuffed with lentils, potatoes and chickpeas in a mild curry sauce.
Once we made our decision, the next step was wine. Without missing a beat, our excellent server — who grew up working in the family business — recommended a Shiraz Durif mix from Australia called 19 Crimes. He was able to explain the wine and its origins, weaving a tale of history and wine lore into our evening. Attentive, passionate service always generates massive bonus points from me and St. Tropez scored very well on that front.
For starters, we had the shrimp. Four jumbo, juicy garlic-smothered beauties, perfectly cooked. The smoky, mildly spicy sauce was the perfect accompaniment and I scraped the last bits of sauce up with the tines of my fork as I was being polite and did not want to lick the plate in public. My dining companion had studied the menu online and knew she wanted the peppercorn pork tenderloin. I, on the other hand, did no such thing and took forever to decide. But lamb curry it was. Best decision I’ve made in a long while. The meat was meltingly tender in an earthy, medium curry sauce that had depths of flavour and richness. It was so good, I had to put my fork down and just savour every chew. We had been chatting constantly up until this point, but both of our dishes were so good we grew quiet in our enjoyment. My friend’s pork tenderloin was bursting with robust peppercorns, but tempered with a lovely red wine sauce.
While my basmati rice was the perfect partner for the exquisite lamb sauce, I was a teeny bit envious of her caramelized onion mashed potato experience. The side of roasted vegetables was perfectly prepared — another nod to the kitchen, for they know what they are doing on all levels here.
Summer must be a real joy at St. Tropez. I can just imagine how good the vegetables taste, picked only that morning. The dessert course is not to be missed at St. Tropez. My friend had the creme caramel and I the chocolate pie. Both were excellent. Not too sweet, yet decadent enough to give us a few good-food shivers. We left very pleased in knowing that behind the pretty blue facade, some of the best food in the city awaits.