Festna Lente - Photography by Teresa Townsley

Mead, often referred to as honey wine, is an alcoholic drink made by the fermentation of honey. Mead is, in all likelihood, the oldest alcoholic beverage known to mankind. Before agricultural techniques were developed, humans were traditionally hunters and gatherers. After gathering honey from the hive, the natural yeast and high moisture content would cause the honey to ferment, producing mead. It is no wonder mead is often referred to as ‘the nectar of the gods', as its appearance seemed miraculous. 

The term "honeymoon" has been associated with drinking mead during the month long celebration following a wedding in pagan times. In addition to the health giving properties of honey; mead was thought by the Romans to lengthen life and posses unique healing qualities. The ancient Nordic people considered the drinking of mead as a most important aspect of daily life. Legends of great mead halls, feasts and celebrations abound in the cultural histories of present day countries of this area. 

Mead (Honey Wine) is the oldest art of fermentation. Consumed by all, from kings to peasants, mead has gained a reputation as a giver of life, wisdom, courage and strength down through the ages. The traditional drinking vessel for mead is called a mazer and was generally bowl-shaped, made of wood and often inlaid with silver. 

Melomel: Mead made with fruit added 

Braggot (or Bracket) Mead made with malted grain (usually barley) 

Hydromel: This is the term for a weak or watered down mead 

Pyment: This is mead made with grape or grape juice added. This is also the term for a grape wine that has honey added to it. 

Cyser - A mead made with apples or apple juice 

Metheglin: A mead made with added spices - often considered to have medicinal traits. Some common spices are cinnamon, nutmeg or cloves 

Rhodomel : An ancient Roman term for a mead made with rose petals 

Sack Mead: A mead with a very high honey content. It has a high density and is often sweeter than typical meads. This can be thought of as a dessert wine of meads. 

Show Mead: This is a term that has come to define a plain mead with no spices or fruits added. 

Short Mead : (Also referred to as a quick mead) this is a mead that is made in a fashion so it matures quickly. Short meads are often very similar to ales. 

Great Mead: Kind of like the opposite of a Short Mead. This mead is designed to be bottled and aged for several years. 

Sparkling Mead: A carbonated mead much like a sparkling wine. This is usually achieved by adding a small amount of honey or sugar just before bottling. This causes a small secondary ferment while in the bottle that will elevate the pressure and sweetness. 

Morat: A Melomel made from Mulberries 

Hippocras: A Pyment to which spices have been added 

Omphacomel: mead made with verjuice which is the juice of unripened grapes. This is often considered to be a type of pyment. 

Oxymel - Made with wine vinegar 

Acerglyn - Mead made with maple syrup 

Bochet - refers to a mead that was made with the honey caramelized or burned before it is added to the water. Creates several different flavours including toffee, chocolate or marshmallow. 

Capsicumel - Flavoured with chili pepper 

Black Mead - Made with Black Currants 

Mulled Mead - This refers to a mead that is heated before drinking. Typically it has spices for flavouring. 

Chouchen - which is a French Brittany mead... which sometimes contains apple juice: 

Mead Around the World

Tej - Ethiopian mead 

Acan - Native Mexican Mead 

Acerglyn - Made with Maple syrup 

Gverc - Croatian variety of mead 

Dwojniak - Polish mead using equal amounts of honey and water 

Poltorak - Polish mead made with two parts water and one part honey 

Czworniak - Polish mead made with three parts water and one part honey 

Sima - A Finnish mead seasoned with lemon 

Pitarilla - Mayan mead made with the bark of the balche tree 

Medica - Slovenian and Croation mead 

Dandaghare - Nepalese mead made with Himilayan herbs and spices. 

Medovina - Eastern European mead , Czech republic, Serbia, Bulgaria, and Bosnia 

Medovukha - Eastern Slavic mead 

iQhilika - South African 

‘A drink I took of the magic mead.. 

Then began I to know and to be wise, 

To grow and to weave poems.' 

-Odin, from the Norse Saga Runahal 1200AD 

 

Dine Out Vancouver's Missed Opportunity 

Lost opportunity can be defined as the failure to capitalize on potential benefits or advantages that were available at a certain point in time. It involves leaving untapped potential unused, which can result in missed growth, innovation, or progress. In my personal experience as a previous restaurant owner, Atlas Steak and Fish restaurant in Langley lost a major opportunity to impress and gather new customers. 

Dine Out Vancouver is an event that presents an opportunity for people to try a new restaurant at a reasonable price. The restaurant has the opportunity to impress, creating the desire for a diner to return and/or recommend them by putting their best foot forward. Atlas took two steps backward in our opinion.

Barbara and I, along with our friends Ken and Jane, made a trip to Langley combining the event with a 35 year anniversary of when Barbara and I met. We have been to Atlas Steak & Fish Restaurant on numerous occasions, and were always impressed by their service and delicious food; we were excited to introduce Ken and Jane to a great fine dining experience.

The evening did not start well, although we had made reservations weeks ago, we were informed by the hostess that she could not find our reservation. Barbara provided the confirmation; we were told it was for Matches, another restaurant in the same location which did not offer the event. Barbara made the reservation directly from the link in the email she received advertising the event on the Atlas website. The hostess went on to say the system used by the restaurant quite often makes mistakes. 

The hostess said she *might* be able to find us a table, which she did, on the covered patio way at the back, close to the large fireplace. Not an ideal location, I was not impressed especially since there were numerous empty tables in the regular dining room that were not filled during our two-hour stay. 

The chairs were most uncomfortable, they were also too close the fireplace, we felt the heat. With no place for our coats, we attempted to hang them over the backs of the chairs; the server mentioned coats tend to slip off, which Barbara's did. The restaurant did not offer any assistance, so we piled them on a small table that was nearby.  So much for fine dining!

The service was good but not exemplary.

A special menu for the Dine Out Vancouver experience is prepared by the restaurant, Atlas's was very impressive. The four of us were happy with the choices. One small point, only one menu for a table of four, we had to ask for more.

MENU

CHOOSE ONE FROM EACH COURSE

49 / 69 with wine pairings 3oz

AMUSE BOUCHE

BLACK TRUFFLE + BRIE ARANCINI
parmigiano reggiano, sweet onion soubise

FIRST

ATLAS CAESAR SALAD
hearts of romaine, parmigiano reggiano, capers, bacon, classic dressing

JOSPER SMOKED POTATO CHOWDER
potato vermicelli, sweet corn

SECOND

PETIT FILET BÉARNAISE
5oz CAB™ filet, warm potato salad, chimichurri

JOSPER SMOKED CHICKEN BREAST
pomme purée, sesame glazed carrots, natural jus

BLACK SESAME SEARED AHI TUNA
charred miso mayo, pine nut jasmine rice, carrot-cucumber slaw

WILD MUSHROOM + TRUFFLE RISOTTO
locally cultivated gourmet mushroom, truffled cheddar crisp, lemon aioli, shaved black truffle

THIRD

CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER MARQUIS BAR
caramel corn, crème anglaise

STRAWBERRY RHUBARB PAVLOVA CHEESECAKE
crisp meringue shards

The cost $49 per person. A most reasonable price although the Petit Filet portion was very small. The lowest price for a bottle of wine was $52.00, and most selections ranged above the $80 mark. As someone associated with the wine industry, I thought the pricing to be high. Our server failed to mention that for an additional $20, we could get a selected wine tasting for each dish which the four of us would have jumped at.  I only learned of it when posting the menu for our blog. 

We chose a Kingston Estate 2022 Shiraz from Clare Valley, Southern Australia. This wine features a dark plum aroma with hints of vanilla and spices.

Although the food was amazing, we did feel the restaurant was not putting its best foot forward. The complimentary bread from previous visits was missing. The Caesar salad prepared at the table was missing  Normally when steak is chosen, a chest with steel knives is brought to the table, allowing the customer the opportunity to select a knife. This was not done; a major disappointment. An opportunity for Atlas to impress missed.

Have you ever felt disrespected because you were not spending the same dollars as others,  Atlas, you let us down in the service area.

With all this said, Atlas, a five-star restaurant, is only a 3 1/2 star on this occasion.

Neither Dine Out Vancouver or Atlas responded to our concerns.