I'll preface this review by stating--this was a blind date--a set up with a friend of a friend. I…read morehad been working in Wawa for the winter--crazy I know. And my lucky companion this particular evening was visiting from out of town--somewhere even further north. The reviews at the Kinniwabi Pines looked promising and we agreed to meet there. I was excited. It was a chance to meet someone new in this remote northern Ontario outpost. And frankly, I had been living on Mr. Noodles and frozen peas for the last few months--this was going to be a treat.
When I arrived she was already there. A fit, if not thin looking young woman sat at a dark wood table tucked into the back corner of the restaurant. She was wearing a black v neck sweater, jeans and tall motorcycle boots. She looked over as I came in and gave me a half wave, with raised eyebrows. An auspicious first look--the kind that might have said, I hope the food is good, or, This is gonna get weird.
The decor in the place was woodsy and homey--the kind of thing you'd expect up here in the north. It had that huntsman's chic upscale lodge vibe and it smelled fantastic--though it was hard to discern the combination of aromas.
I sat down and half waved back, introducing myself and stupidly pretended to recall her name from some vast list of imaginary possible date names. I was wearing a grey button up and black wool trousers I had borrowed. They were too tight around the waist and accentuated my less than trim physique. If that didn't disappoint, taking off my ball cap, revealing my balding close cropped hair halo definitely did. She smiled politely. Generous of her I guess.
The waiter came by and filled our water glasses. Neither of us could take our eyes off him. He was the most beautiful-looking person I'd seen in a long time. She clearly thought the same. And when he spoke with a vibrating baritone accent, goosebumps crawled up my forearms. She flipped her hair behind her ears. That's when I noticed the neck tattoo. To each their own I guess. Though, I can't imagine why anyone would do that.
The menu looked interesting, eclectic to say the least. Curries, local fish, jerk chicken, vegetarian, pasta, and what looked like some south pacific dessert. We still hadn't said much and I think at this point there might have been a tacit understanding that we should just get on with the eating and at least enjoy a nice dinner if nothing else. We just weren't feeling it so we bowed our heads over the menu with some relief--we could skip the initial small talk.
When the first dishes came out, we both stared at our server again until he was visibly uncomfortable. She ordered a fatoush salad and I got the samosas. At this point, the date turned around. The food was amazing. It might have been the best thing I ever tasted. Out of nowhere, she offered me a fried pita shard from her plate. Just taste this, she said holding out the chip. I entertained the thought of grabbing it with my teeth but rejected the idea quickly knowing we were not there yet, or would we ever be. We smiled at each other for real for the first time. That is so good! I told her, shaking my head in disbelief. Try one of these, I said, pushing my plate toward the middle of the table. One bite in, her eyes got wide, and I could see her chewing through an expression of delight and something possibly magical.
Our mains came and after another gawk at Mr. Handsome, we sat in front of two dishes, I will have a hard time explaining. Not because they were complex or obscure, but because they were so affecting and profound. I do not have the words, but I will tell you, she ordered a duck curry and I ordered the jerk chicken. To say these were delicious would be a massive understatement. This food prepared for us transcended our particular tastes in people and elevated us to a shared plateau of appreciation, maybe even for each other. Here we were delighted together by this sublime culinary experience.
We ate slowly, sharing bites; savouring the details, the depth of flavour, the olfactory ambiance. We talked about nothing but the food. It felt like we were cheating the date gods. We had a wonderful evening at Kinniwabi Pines. The whole adventure was unforgettable. And though we might never see each other again, I will definitely return to this special place. Five stars.
