La Table on 5th is the best restaurant in Dawson and quite possibly in all of the Yukon. It is attached to the Aurora Inn, which offers the finest accommodation in Dawson. To say it’s out of my budget is putting it mildly.

Well, I was invited to dine with someone at La Table tonight, so I got a chance to see what the fuss is all about. Oh. My. The offerings are the difference between ‘cooking’ and ‘cuisine.’

We started by splitting the ‘summer salad’, which had spinach, endive, pear, walnuts, and gorgonzola. That would make a meal unto itself. There’s nothing like the salty-sweet pairing of pears and gorgonzola with nuts for crunch!

As a main course, my companion had beef, potatoes dauphinoise, spinach, and red onion compote. I had the butternut squash gnocchi which came in a creamy goat cheese sauce sprinkled with pancetta and topped with spinach, roasted asparagus, and roasted red peppers. Divine.

We then had a 12 year old whisky (Scotch!), a Glenlivet, which is one of my favourites as it is so smooth and peaty. My companion made an honest effort but didn’t enjoy the drink at all. I loved the look on the server’s face when I said I wanted it neat, a look I always get when I order whisky neat. Heck, if I’m going to drink something with that kind of a price tag I don’t want it watered down! As an aside, that’s what uskeba (in my email address) means, whisky that is. I created the word as an anglicised version of usquebaugh, or whisky. 😉

The meal ended with a ‘dessert tester’–mango pineapple compote, chocolate volcano-type cake with strawberry coulé, and their version of tiramisu (which was like no tiramisu I’ve ever had). All were delicious. 🙂

Service at La Table is personal, unhurried, and attentive which, together with the fine offerings from the kitchen, make the La Table experience worth the price tag. Dining there tonight was a treat I would hope to repeat one day.