Saying Goodbye to the Willow

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I think our love affair with food and wine actually began at this charming little restaurant on the shore of Wascana Lake. I know for certain it is where our love for Gramercy wines originated.

Willow on Wascana opened its door in 2004 offering a seasonally changing menu of culinary masterpieces created from locally sourced ingredients. And the wine list! Wow! The Willow brings in wine we would never experience in our province if it wasn’t for their unique wine offerings. Pair their delicious food and delightful wines with a sunset view you cannot experience from another patio in the city, and you have the most exquisite dining experience in Regina.

I was ecstatic when we were able to have our Christmas wedding at The Willow in 2012. We couldn’t think of a more suitable way to celebrate our marriage than with a 5-course meal and wine flight. The candlelight ceremony was held at dusk in a heated tent overlooking the lake and was followed with a line-up of food and wine that we still dream about.

The minister had no sooner pronounced us husband and wife and the wine and appetizers were being served up by the excellent staff for cocktail hour.

Once we were seated in the dining room, Chef Tim and Wine Guy Dave delivered a food and wine experience that still has me drooling seven years later. Chef set the mood of our dinner party with his famous Amuse Bouche; a tiny starter course that woke up our taste buds and prepared us for the savory food experience we were about to enjoy.

The Warmer was a honey roasted parsnip soup with goats cheese and watercress followed with the Pecan Trout greens; Diefenbaker steelhead trout on a bed of apple-cinnamon dressed greens with golden delicious apple and applewood smoked bacon.

The next course was the May’an Yours Chicken. I loved the name but I adored this dish even more! Pan seared local chicken breasts on a bed of wild rice pilaf with squash mash and chipotle corn broth finished with a corn hash. Delicious!

Then came the French Kiss. Beef bourguignon style braised short ribs on horseradish and roasted garlic whipped potato with wilted greens and crème fraiche. Melt. In. Your. Mouth. Goodness.

The finale was the Bacon Pecan Pie with eggnog ice cream, cranberry coulis and sponge toffee. I mean, bacon in the dessert?!? What??

The dinner party lingered on over a couple of hours with each new dish exceeding the last. And don’t forget each course was paired with a delightful wine that Wine Guy Dave would share tasting notes, aromas and general information about. The midnight lunch was Italian pizzas in honour of the Italian honeymoon we had planned. I don’t think anyone actually had room for more food but who could resist these aromatic and flavourful pizzas?  We couldn’t have planned a wedding that was more suitable than this romantic Christmas dinner party at The Willow. It was everything we dreamed of.

Over the years we have enjoyed romantic dinners, parties, wine events and a membership to the Wine Club. There is nothing better than sitting on the patio on a Saturday afternoon in July enjoying a glass of Rosè or cozied up in a booth for our anniversary in December enjoying a luscious Pinot Noir. The Willow has always held a very special place in our hearts.

The Willow on Wascana closed last night after almost 15 years of providing Regina with a unique fine dining experience and special order wines. While we are sad to say good-bye to The Willow, we are excited to experience their new restaurant BAR WILLOW that will open mid-April. Their announcement claims to offer a casual dining experience of small plates, shared plates and charcuterie. Guys, you KNOW how I feel about charcuterie! Actually, we enjoyed one of Chef Tim’s charcuterie boards last weekend when we went in for our farewell dinner. I LOVE that you get to build your own charcuterie from the list of meats, cheese, and vegetables. We chose the Bela-Lodi Italian cheese, Wild Boar Lonzina, Prosciutto di Parma, Candied Northern Sask Trout, and Drunken Olives. So good!

The ownership team promises that the focus on flavor and locally sourced products will not be compromised and that awesome BY THE GLASS wines will be offered to compliment the great food. We are quite excited about this transformation. It’s true that The Willow has offered an experience superior to all other restaurants in the Queen City but we tended to save this place for special occasions. Now, having the opportunity to pop in there for an amazing glass of wine and delicious small plates has us wishing gas prices weren’t on the rise because we’ll be wanting to head to the city every weekend!

“Affordable, flavourful, casual and fun—this will be BAR WILLOW!”

We cannot wait!