Stage — Restaurant in Victoria

Service- Service was a mixed bag…initially, we did not know what to expect. We were asked us whether we would like [specific brand of pinot gris] or [specific brand of cab sab]. When we expressed confusion over why we could only have one of two wines, rather than choosing from the extensive wine menu, we were told these were the only options with the set meal. No explanation of why. Now I wonder whether the two wines were paired with the different elements of the meal, but this only occurred to me after we left, since it was never explained, even when I asked. Otherwise, the servers were attentive but not intrusive. They re-folded our napkins nicely when we went to the washroom which was unique and pleasant.

Food- Neither me nor my husband enjoyed the food. The starter was crudite, bread and cheddar/brie, and a slab of pork on a plate with a sweet sauce on it. Salad: a massive pile of sliced endive with a floral vinagerette which was okay. Entrée 1: pasta noodles with melted butter as a sauce, which was a bit hard to finish as for some reason it tasted just like movie theater popcorn butter. There were no spices, vegetables, or anything else in the "sauce"- it was just melted butter. Entrée 2: A whole rockfish, deep-fried on a plate by itself. My husband who can normally eat anything could only eat half as it was super salty. He also had pomme frites which were the best part of the meal and very delicious. Not a single part of the meal was plated attractively or garnished. Serving sizes were large, which is nice if the food is edible but unfortunately this was barely the case. This entire meal, with one bottle of wine, cost almost $300.

Wine- Plenty of nice options (though again, our wine was pre-set). Wine went well enough with the meal.

Ambience- The ambience was the highlight of the dinner. The restaurant itself is in an old, brick building, and the exposed beams, warm glow of low lighting, and open kitchen make it a cozy place to pass the time. Because of this, I would consider returning in the future (but only...

I’m rating Stage for its dining experience, not its wine bar experience, although I realize a large part of its clientele come for the wines, which are excellent.

Stage’s chef is creative and skilled, and I recommend trying out several dishes, which are not small, but not quite meals.

We had the zucchini plate, the eggplant, and the lamb belly. Each was unique and very tasty. The zucchini was the best: it was charred and served in a light tomato sauce with goat cheese and a bit of crumbled andouille sausage. The eggplant was also very good, perfectly cooked and served on a delightful, very green gremolata sauce (parsley, lemon, garlic) with pickled mushrooms (somewhat too strong) and breadcrumbs. The lamb belly was cooked sous vide and had a sweetish white bean sauce with rhubarb. While we didn’t quite love the sauce, it worked well with the salty and fatty lamb belly. Dessert of strawberries and cream was tasty, but we craved a finale as unusual as the dinner plates.

Our server was excellent, although very busy. She knew all the details of the dishes and the wine list, and this proved important. One annoyance of the experience was that the food menu is so minimalist as to be a cipher. Ingredients and preparation for the six or seven plates are not presented on the menu, so the server had to describe each dish in detail (she had them memorized, but we were left trying to remember what each one had in it). This makes the dining experience more “personal,” I guess, but also more difficult.

Wines by the glass are also not listed on the menu (nor are house cocktail ingredients), but they are very good. Outdoor patio chairs are not particularly comfortable, although we liked the heat lamps. We recommend a lighted blackboard for outside (not sure whether there is one inside) that lists ingredients and wines by the glass. Overall, this was a very enjoyable, creative, and sophisticated dining experience that was also...

Our visit at Stage was a mixed bag of exceptional charcuterie, killer sticky toffee pudding, and negligent service. I really wanted to like this place - we had come all the way from Vancouver for an overnight getaway on the island and had looked forward to dining at Stage. We arrived minutes after opening and opted to sit at the bar despite the room being still quite empty. Biggest mistake.

The bartender did not bother to explain the happy hour menu or call out any highlights or explain what the dessert feature was until prompted. After pouring us water once, did not bother to top it up for the rest of our time there. We ordered a bottle of white wine, and he did not bother to pour it for us after the initial pour. I had to pour my own glass because he was having the time of his life chatting away with some regulars and then his colleague (note that at this point the room was still not at all busy).

The charcuterie was the absolute highlight though. Nobody I know of in Vancouver is doing terrine at that level (I hear the saucisson sec is also stellar and I have no doubt). Truly a delight. As was the warm sticky toffee pudding topped with a mile-high swirl of whipped Délice de Bourgogne. The lemon trifle was a bit of a let-down though - the cake was too dry and dense, the set on the lemon jelly was too firm, and overall felt very dry and disjointed despite the amount of whipped cream and custard piled on.

Honestly not sure if this level of neglect is supposed to be part of Stage's 'charm' but it's absolutely letting whoever's putting their heart and soul into the charcuterie down. So do go and support their charcuterie program and save room for the STP! Just don't...