This restaurant review started back in 2013. The wife treated me for my birthday with winery tastings. I chose to explore Lake Country. During these explorations, we came across 50th Parallel Estate Winery. This is before the concrete modern facilities they have now. When I first experienced 50th Parallel Estate Winery, the tasting room was in a red quonset. During this, our wine host, who may have been the proprietors, spoke with such giddy glee about the restaurant and new tasting lounge they were starting construction on. As I left, I saw the structure in its early phases, where massive amounts of concrete were being poured and shaped.
I regretfully must admit that it was a long time before I made a trip back. I completely missed the opening of the main winery building in 2014 and the opening of Block One in 2018.
Where the name of Block One originates is best encapsulated in this quote from the proprietors;
"It taught us to be farmers, to be ONE with the land. There are things we will never experience again. That vineyard block represents the past – the starting point, getting our hands dirty, all the 'firsts' of our business."
Not only does it recognize their past, but it also highlights their bright future. This restaurant is covered in an architectural and engineering wonder. A unique and one-of-a-kind cantilever covers the restaurant and has won international design awards for architecture.
The restaurant is very open in spring and summer, with beautiful views of vines rolling down to Lake Okanagan. Next to no walls providing obstructions, allows you to enjoy the cool breeze coming up from the lake. The glass walls can be pulled out to enclose the dining room, allowing the restaurant to be open year-round.
After parking my vehicle and walking towards the restaurant, I highly recommend you stop and take a moment to admire the surroundings. Yes, the modern and rectangular building is your destination, but take a moment and look around. Looking towards the lake, you've got rows of vines guiding your sight towards the lake. The lake is shimmering in the early evening sunlight before the sun finally sinks behind the mountains. The noise pollution found in a city is non-existent here. It's such a serene view that it can be easily overlooked by one's rush to get to the destination of food and wine.
As I resume walking to the restaurant, I marvel at a large rectangular concrete and glass structure. But the way it is designed contains a modern elegance. Greeting me first is a glass cube that houses the winery's tasting room. I'll cover that more when I'm reviewing the winery. Walking past this, you will find an odd-looking rock that, as you get closer, you realize is the sign marker for Block One restaurant. I'm always impressed by how wineries utilize natural elements for practical purposes.
Upon entering the restaurant, the host greets and escorts you to your table. The back wall, facing east, is made of large panes of glass. The south wall, also made of large panes of glass, is slightly tinted (or just appeared that way to me), as this wall is in the direction of the winery tasting room. The north side houses their wood-fired Forno oven (FYI, Forno is a brand name. I'm sharing that as I had to learn that myself😁) behind a bar. The west wall is removed, allowing you to soak in the views and the warmth of the setting sun. The overall setting makes it easy to not even notice that there are no tablecloths.
The space is minimally decorated with large glass snowflake-like pieces and wine barrels. I'm not saying this is a slight against the room. I appreciate it because it's not competing with or taking away from the beautiful surroundings and view. Expertly crafted minimalism is how I'd describe it.
The menu is straightforward, with a section of Small Plates, Shareable Plates (this section includes oysters!!!🤤), and Mains. The menu notes vegetarian and gluten-free items and that their seafood is OceanWise. From experience working in a winery restaurant, they are generally very capable of handling and working with dietary restrictions; make sure you speak with your server before you decide what to order.
For my table, we started with two shareable appetizers;
Kushi Oysters by the 1/2 dozen. We ordered two. They come on an adorable plate with a stone-like appearance with your 1/2 dozen oysters shucked and sitting on ice cubes. Accompanying them are red wine & shallot mignonette, freshly grated horseradish, and fresh lemon wedge. These oysters tasted divine, a subtle mix of briny/salt and sweet. Because of their subtly briny sweetness, I enjoyed them the most with just the horseradish, sometimes a touch of the juice from the lemon.
Grass-fed Beef Tartare. I've had beef tartare before, but this is the first time I've seen it served in a cube shape! Adorned with pickled mustard seeds, shimeji mushroom, an aioli made with bone marrow, yolk gel, puffed tendon (the piece that looks like a pork rind), pea shoots, and Rye crisps. This is a nicely balanced chorus of flavours. The pops of the briny mustard seeds brighten the tartare. An added richness comes from the marrow aioli and the yolk gel. Then, everything is complimented with a change in texture from the crunchy pea shoots. This "simple" looking dish is confidently not simple with its flavours.
For my main course, I was in the mood for a glass of white wine and seafood, and I chose my meal based on this. But before we got to that, I remembered to step away and check out the bathroom. On my way, I was mesmerized by a water feature you walk past to get to the bathroom. It was such a soothing and peaceful moment that I just had to capture it (check it out on my Instagram page). The bathroom was much larger, more spacious than expected, and bright. The minimalism found in the dining room is present in the washroom, too. And it was immaculate as well.
Back at the table, my glass of wine awaits me just before my main dish arrives. My dinner is the Halibut - potato emulsion, XO sauce (a seafood sauce, sometimes spicy, originating from Hong Kong), fermented peach purée, charcoal grilled turnips & radish, chanterelles, horseradish milk crumble. Even though saying all of that may be a mouthful, rest assured that the flavours make it worthwhile. The wine pairing is a 2021 Pinot Gris. Lovely flavours of Pear, honey, and tart apple. This wine was a perfect accompaniment for this meal. It seemed to take a back seat to elevate the meal's flavours. I will think of pairing Pinot Gris with Halibut at home more often. This meal made me look at Pinot Gris differently for seafood dishes.
Making sure I had room for dessert, I'm glad my table shared a couple of appetizers. For dessert, I had the Blackcurrant Mousse. I was in no way prepared for what was delivered to me. I mean… look at that dish! Ginger and citrus cremeux, tequila gelee, Estate Pinot noir & raspberry coulis, and a sprinkling of bee pollen. After my first surprise of the presentation, it was followed by a second one when I brought my spoon to scoop this dessert. What I expected to be a soft mousse turned out to be a crisp shell containing the mousse! I still had some wine left, absent-mindedly took a sip with the dessert and was blown away. I didn't realize the sugar balance in the desert until I sipped my wine. The wine was able to stand up to this desert and was a refreshing apple juice with hints of lime! A desert that isn't cloyingly sweet but rather carefully balanced. I was floored. This is how to end a meal.
Something I noticed with the menu that didn't quite make sense to me at the time is that the menu is not loaded with heavy dishes. Upon reflection on this, it makes sense considering that with their vineyards located in Lake Country, just north of Kelowna, their wine selection is primarily white, with Pinot Noir their only red. This is due to the cooler climate of Lake Country. Their library has no big, bold reds, just cunningly crafted whites and beautiful Pinot Noir. And the menu is expertly crafted around this.
If you're looking for charred slabs of red meat to enjoy with a big, bold red wine, this menu may be a bit of a disappointment - keep in mind, though, that they do have a flank steak paired with Pinot Noir (which will be my choice, on my next dining adventure here). But going in with an open mind, you'll still find lovely gems from their menu and not even miss that bold red and charred meat. If you're a person who loves whites over reds, this is a perfect restaurant to visit. If, like me, you love Pinot Noir, they craft them here with expertise, and I must admit that pairing a flank steak with it very much intrigues me. This spot is also a perfect locale for a date night😉. If you're looking for an excuse to dine in Lake Country, look no further than Block One Restaurant.
Cheers 🥂
-BC Wine Nerd
Website: Block One
Address: 17101 Terrace View Road
Phone #: 250-766-3408
Dietaries: Menu offers Gluten Free and Vegetarian
Wine by the glass Menu: 100% 🇨🇦
Menu $: 🍷🍷🍷
Menu $ Legend
🍷= Inexpensive. Entree items are $10 or less 🍷🍷= Moderately Expensive. Entree items fall in $10-$25 range
🍷🍷🍷= Expensive. Entree items fall in $25-50 range 🍷🍷🍷🍷= Very Expensive. Entree items are $50 or grater