Drinks and Eats at Ebisu Robson St.

Posted on February 5, 2012 by Sean

On a recent Friday night after a long week some drinks and eats were in order and Ebisu on Robson was the destination for @MaryInVancity and myself.

The place is known for being busy a popular spot for birthday party’s, when we arrived it was the last half of happy hour so if you do plan on stopping in making reservations is advisable if you have a more than 2 or 3 people in your group.

We were able to get in on the happy hour drink specials with $11.50 pitchers of Granville Island Brewery Hefizien, you can also choose from lager or honey lager. During our visit we ended up getting another pitcher but it was after the special period so it was $16.

Prawn and Cheese Gyoza with Guacamole and some tortilla chips for $5.95. The gyoza are fried and stuffed with cream cheese and prawns~a totally delicious creamy and crispy savory bite, the guacamole is a nice touch on the side. I’d totally order these again.

Tokoyaki with Bonito Flakes for $4.80. This was our first time trying these, they are available with in some different flavors but we went with the original for our first try,I didn’t like the flavor of the bonito flakes on top and Mary wasn’t a fan of the texture, I’d give these another try some other time but with a different flavor topping.

Deluxe Tempura for $12.95. This was some damn great tempura, it had a couple ebi, some white fish, asparagus, yam, sweet potato and a shiitake mushroom, served with a warm dipping sauce we enjoyed all of this but we’d both pass on the mushroom, it wasn’t greasy and the batter was light and crisp through out.

At the end of the night we had a good time and ate a ton of other yummy food that will be in a post coming next week so stay tuned for the good eats update.

An Afternoon Of Eating and Drinking Notturno Paninoteca’s New Menu

Posted on February 3, 2012 by Sean

Some big things have changed since my first post about Notturno~they’ve got their liquor license now and have fully opened for lunch and dinner service with a selection of great wines, beers and a bigger menu full of delish creations from Chef Adrian.

I was invited by the owner to come by and try some of these new treats and I ended up finding one of my new favorite beers so it was a winning day of great food, awesome restaurant talk and delish beer and Italian soda’s that would make your Nonna smile!

The menu has been expanded to include salumi plates, salads, brushette and of course their great panini’s.

A wine and beer menu has also been added, it’s posted on the wall and changes periodically~the guy’s at Notturno aren’t trying to carry every choice out there booze wise and are concentrating on great drinkable wines that also wont break the bank.

This is one of my new favorite beers, it’s from Spain and would never had been on my radar, the Estrella Damm INEDIT, it’s a unique coupage of barley malt and wheat, flavored with coriander, orange peel and liquorice. It really did compliment the dishes I had and was a pleasure to drink~I see many more bottles of this in my future.

“Inedit is the first beer specifically created to accompany food. It is born from the conviction that a beer that could be paired with the utmost respect to the best cuisine was necessary. That is its aim and its virtue, and that is what makes Inedit different, special and unique.”

It’s the only beer that I’ve heard of that suggests keeping the open bottle in an ice bucket between glass refills and also it’s best served in a wine glass, it’s on the menu here for $16 but we got 4 generous servings out of one bottle.

They also have brought in a line of premium Italian soda’s from Abbodino, there are 2 variety’s that they carry, I tried the orange flavor and it was just like drinking a carbonated orange, totally refreshing and a nice change from the San Pellegrino brand that I usually have.

This is the selection of bruschette that I had

The Crudo~fresh Albacore tuna crudo, chili aioli, cucumber and balsamic pearls. It was like a tuna salad that mom couldn’t make!, the spice wasn’t too strong from the chili aioli and the balsamic pearls bursting in your mouth were a great touch.

The Fico~Blue cheese aioli, black olive, walnut and fresh greens. The same ingredients that they have in the Fico panini but just in a smaller bite sized form, the blue cheese aioli and the walnuts compliment each other beautifully and the black olive added that nice salty hit.

The Tartufo Di Capra~Black truffle goat cheese, fresh greens and topped with tomato pearls. This was one of my favorites, the predominate flavor is yummy black truffles and the goat cheese is nice and creamy~the perfect touch to the truffle and the tomato pearls add that fresh acidic touch to break up the big flavors.

The Anatra~Duck prosciutto, goat cheese and arugula. The star of this bad boy was the duck prosciutto, it’s a nice meaty bite and was a pleasure to eat, I’ve had duck prosciutto before at a fine dining restaurant and really loved it. If you’re not a duck fan but like prosciutto try this~it’s nice and meaty but not in a gamey way.

Since I have a love of beets I had to try their Radice Insalata, it had beets, seasonal vegetables, taleggio cheese and a walnut vinaigrette. This was another hit and if you like beet salads this is for you!, the seasonal veg in this case was root vegetables like carrots and also yellow beets, green beans and the walnuts are ground up and put in the dressing so you get that nutty flavor in every bite.

To round things out i went with the ever so popular Calabrese Panini, it has spicy capicollo, spicy sopressata, salami, spicy pickled eggplant, provolone and goat cheese. For $9.50 its a great value seeing all the top quality salumi, the meats weren’t too spicy tho and the goat cheese really rounded out the big flavors.

From what I got to sample I think the larger menu is going to be a hit and is already proving to be pretty popular. Notturno is participating in the Vancouver Foodster Tasting Plates event coming up on Feb 15, 2012 along with a bunch of other great restaurants, they will be featuring the Crudo, Tartufo Di Capra and Fico brushette as their offering for the event, if you want to buy tickets to the event and see a complete line up of participating restaurants and menus please click here.

**Note of disclosure~all my food samples were provided free by Notturno and also my drinks were covered also, I was invited to try some items and wasn’t expected to write a post~I’m doing it because everything kicked butt and I wanted to spread the good food news.**

Kin Resto Bar

Posted on February 2, 2012 by Sean

The other night I had the pleasure of eating with my fellow blogger @MaryInVancity at Kin Resto Bar. It’s been on our radar for a while now because of the partnership with the great guy’s at VANEATS.ca, the have put together a great dining package called Kindle With Kin and for $25 it’s a great way to get a taste of the signature dishes at this great West End eatery.

The space is nice, it’s split into 2 area~one with a darker more intimate mood and a projector showing the game on the wall and a more lit dining area that can accommodate bigger groups.

We started with some beer, the Red Truck Lager was the drink of choice for us at $5.50 each, it went well with all the dishes in the package and was an extra cost and not included in the VANEATS.ca package.

For our starter we were served the Prawn and Thai Basil Rice Paper Rolls. These were totally delicious and we both gobbled them up, the prawn was nice and tender and the roll had some nice crunch from the lettuce and veggies and crispy noodles in the center, the dip for these baby’s was a great house made peanut sauce. These were enjoyed by almost every table that was dining when we were there and I can see why there so popular.

Next up was a combo plate of Beef Short Ribs and Kin’s Beef La Lot Rolls.

The short ribs were marinated and grilled in 17 different spices, they were sweet, savory and tender like a great Asian short rib should be, because they were so thin the meat melted in your mouth and again we loved this and should have ordered more.

The beef la lat rolls were something that I have never heard of or had at other Vietnamese restaurants, they consist of grilled minced beef, star anise, black pepper and jicama, rolled in betel leaves. They were totally delicious, the inside was crunchy from the jicama.

A salad was our next course, it was there Seafood Salad, it had shrimp, basa, asparagus, mango, grape tomato and rau ram sauce. Originally it was supposed to have scallops in it and we were both looking forward to this but they served it to us with the different fish so it was a bit of a let down, all the other ingredients were great~the shrimp were plump and juice and the tangy dressing with the sweet mango worked great.

The Chicken Chay Curry was our main you could say.

I’ve never had this before, it reminded me of a Thai yellow curry, it had chicken, lots of veggies and tofu. All the ingredients were cooked perfectly except a couple of pieces of yam which were on the underdone side but other than that it was a great bowl of curry, we could have easily eaten a bowl of this for each of us easily.

For dessert we split a Lemon grass Ginger Creme Brulee with Pineapple Chutney.

This was not your typical creme brulee, it wasn’t as heavy but still was satisfying and not overly sweet, the pineapple chutney was a great compliment to the custard, there was almost a jasmine tea sent to the custard part of the brulee. It was a great way to end the meal and we both really enjoyed this.

This was one great meal and for $25 it fed 2 people nicely, if you’re a more hungry eater a couple extra items from the menu would be a great addition to this dining package and would leave you full and happy. Were totally looking forward our next visit already.

To purchase a VANEATS.ca Kindle With Kin dining package they’re available till the end of February 2012, their for use during evening/dinner hours and the can be found by clicking here.

**Just a note of disclosure, this dining package was paid for by ourselves and not part of our normal previews of VANEATS.ca dining packages.**

The Boathouse English Bay

Posted on January 29, 2012 by Sean

For my next Dine Out 2012 dinner I was in the mood for some steak and with a long day behind me I didn’t want to go far so going to the Boathouse restaurant at English Bay was a no brainer seeing I live around the corner from it.

The views of English Bay are great and the patio that is open in the summertime is one of Vancouver’s best and should not be missed if you’re visiting the city.

They are offering 2 choices of menu’s~one for $28 and one for $38, both are 3 courses and offer some pretty appealing dishes, I went with the $28 choice and I was really happy with that choice.

For my appy I went with the Firecracker Shrimp, in this Dine Out portion size I got 10 nice big shrimp, the sauce was buttery and there was some heat in it form chili and some grape tomatoes in the dish, served along with it was a black olive bread that was perfect for dunking in that nice sauce that came with the shrimp~I’d order this again without hesitation on a future visit.

For my main I went with their 7oz Sirloin with Lobster Thermidor topping, the topping included shrimp, lobster, mushrooms in a sherry cream sauce.

The steak was cooked perfectly to my liking and was juicy and tender, I would have liked to see more lobster in the topping on my steak but it was delicious none the less.

The dish was served with a side of broccolini and buttered mashed potatoes~both were great and a nice accompaniment to the steak. This dish alone is $28 on the menu so the rest of the meal was like a bonus!

For my dessert I went with their New York Cheesecake with a berry compote, it was a killer, rich thick cheesecake that anybody that likes cheesecake would dig!

Over all my Dine Out meal was totally worth $28 and shows a great value for money with you leaving with a full belly.

C Restaurant

Posted on January 28, 2012 by Sean

On my first dine out adventure I checked out C Restaurant on beautiful False Creek. Seeing it was my first ever Dine Out dinner I felt it appropriate to invite @MaryInVancity with me, she has been here before for brunch and really loved her experience, you can read about it here.

I used the Open Table reservation service to book us a table, I’m new to that type of service and I loved how easy it was to book and also see what times are available for your visit plus you earn points that can be used for restaurant gift certificates for future dining, I arrived and was greeted by name at the door and the hostess quickly offered to check my coat seeing it was raining out, the service is really great and what you would expect for a fine dining restaurant.

The room is a split level space with a more intimate dining area upstairs, the room downstairs is all about the False Creek view with floor to ceiling windows, the space was not so busy when we got there so it was pretty quiet with soft music playing in the background but as the night went on it got packed and the volume definitely went up.

C is all about the Ocean Wise fish and seafood program and head Chef Robert Clark is the man in the kitchen coming up with innovative dishes that really you can’t get anywhere else. The restaurant is part of the Kambollis group of restaurants that include The Rain City Grill and Nu Greek.

Like I said we were here for Dine Out 2012 and they were offering a unique 4 course menu for $38~all the other restaurants in town that are offering the $38 menu are only offering 3 courses, you also have the option of adding additional courses for a nominal charge and also wine pairings are available if you choose.

We were served some complementary house made bread and butter, the bread here is delicious, one of the types were served is their famous seaweed bread, both Mary and I loved this, it’s such a nice treat when a restaurant makes delicious in-house bread.

Our amuse bouche was a Smoked Salmon Cannelloni with Preserved Lemon and Creme Friache. The salmon was melt in your mouth tender and the creamy yet slightly tart creme friache added another nice note of richness. I’m not a big smoked salmon fan and I really liked this I must say, the salmon smoke wasn’t too strong so it would appeal to a wide range of dinners.

For our first course I chose the sautéed BC Spot Prawns with kale,chilli, lime and romesco sauce for a $9 extra charge. They were succulent and really good!, the romesco sauce added a great smoked note to the plate, the kale was a great touch but the chilli and lime didn’t really come through.

Mary went with the Northern Arm Farms Beet Panzanella salad with harissa dressing and shaved ricotta, this is the standard first course on the Dine Out menu. We ended up sharing so we split all the dishes in half to get an accurate taste of the menu and did this for the whole dinner. The harissa wasn’t too strong or spicy, the beets were pickled and are a favorite of mine and Mary’s. We both loved this dish and would order it again.

For my second course I went with the Poached Lobster with a lemon herb risotto and a cognac creme, it was a $12 extra charge for this dish and I think it was worth it, there was a nice big lobster claw on top and the dish was smothered in cognac cream, the lobster for mine and Mary’s taste was over cooked and quite firm, besides that one negative it was a great bowl of risotto, the rice was perfectly cooked and it all went down quite nicely!

The other second course was a seared Albacore Tuna with a Winter minestrone, Parmesan pistou and crisp basil. Melt in your mouth tender tuna and a hearty Winter minestrone with orzo pasta was a great accompaniment to the tuna, there was also a basil pesto on the plate that rounded out the plate and reminded me of an Italian tuna dish.

The main course or third course in this menu they are offering a lake Babine Salmon with a squash puree and almond tapenade. The salmon was nice and pink inside, the flavor was nice and rich and was the star of the plate that is for sure. Both of us enjoyed this a lot.

Mary wanted to try the beef option on the menu, for $12 extra they had a Roasted Beef Tenderloin with a walnut polenta, tarragon butter and confit of Portobello mushroom, there was also candied dates on the plate. It was a great beef dish and I ended up cleaning the plate clean, the walnut polenta accented the beef nicely but the Portobello mushroom was a bit to mushroomy for my taste.

We both opted for the Lemon and Olive Oil Sorbet palette cleanser for $4, they served this with little shortbread cookies, it really worked to get our palette ready for dinner.

The standard dessert on the menu is a Spiced Chocolate Pudding with caramelized rice cereal and a Chantilly cream.

It was also available with an orange sorbet for a small extra charge, Mary for this on her plate and I took a taste~it was great but I like my chocolate without orange and would love this on its own (I know the sorbet looks like the olive oil lemon kind we also had but it was definitely orange!). The pudding was spiced with cardamom and the flavors were GREAT!, the caramelized rice cereal wasn’t too sweet and added a nice texture to the pudding, the Chantilly cream rounded out everything nicely.

We had a great time at C and I wold come back and check it out for a lunch seeing they have a killer patio in the summer, our bill after our add-on’s, taxes and a beer I had came out to $142~definitely a bit more than we were thinking but when splitting the bill down the middle it came to $80/person including tip which wasn’t so bad for a 2 hour dinner and as a bonus Mijune Pak was dining in the restaurant so it was finally nice to meet and dish about food with the lovely @FollowMeFoodie but the menu could have been clearer with what courses were extra!

C Restaurant is also Zagat rated and can be checked out here.

Ensemble Tap’s Taste Of Tap Special

Posted on January 25, 2012 by Sean

Ensemble Tap has become a favorite of mine for the great beers, great service and most importantly killer food that has kept me coming back for more.

From January 20th-Feb 4th,2012 you can get a Taste Of Tap, Dale has picked some of his best dishes and made them available in a 3 course menu for $29 (plus tax and gratuity) that is available with beer pairings for an extra $15 and it’s available at lunch and at dinner.

The menu options are as follows:

Asian Vegetable and Green Salad
Enoki Mushrooms, Cashews, Black Sesame Seeds
or
Popcorn Prawn
Tempura Sea Asparagus, Spicy Mayo
suggested pairing of La Chouffe Belgium Strong Blonde Ale, draught

plus

Bangers and Spætzle
House made Sausage, Tarragon Spætzle, Mushroom-Onion Pan Gravy, and Onion Slaw
or
Ensemble Burger
Lettuce, Tomato, Onion, Pickle, Fries
suggested pairing of Tap Pale Lager, draught

plus

Key Lime Pie
Chantilly, Toasted Coconut, Lime Zest
or
Root Beer Float
Dad’s Old-Fashioned Root Beer, Vanilla Ice Cream, Root Beer Rim
suggested pairing of Russell Cream Ale, draught

On my visit I wanted to try a couple of dishes that I had yet to nom on, I didn’t do the beer pairing because I was visiting at lunch and couldn’t get hammered!

This is the Asian Vegetable and Mixed Greens Salad, it has enoki mushrooms, black sesame seeds and cashews, the dressing is a peanut/sesame tasting creamy yet light vinaigrette, you do have the option of adding seared tuna or chicken to this if you want some protein but I went with it as is, I’m a big fan of dressings that taste like this so it was a winner there and the ingredients all went well together, the nuts provided a nice crunch, I’d definitely order this again. The price for this alone on the menu is $14 but it’s a bit bigger and served in a bowl~a lady next to me ordered this so I got to see regular version of this with tuna but the size of this was filling enough and a great starter.

The other option I’ve had on a previous visit~Popcorn Prawns

They are in a nice, light crisp batter and are scented with kaffir lime, the spicy sauce isn’t too hot and the dish is garnished with tempura sea asparagus.

For my main I chose the Bangers and Spaetzle, house made sausage, tarragon spaetzle, mushroom-onion pan gravy, and onion slaw. This was totally delicious!, the sausage was juicy on the inside yet had a great “snap” to the casing, the other star of the plate was the spaetzle, whenever I’ve had spaetzle it has always been cooked right~boiled in broth and then tossed in melted butter, they way they do it here really won me over, they crisp it yet its nice and tender on the inside~just the right amount of texture to make it hold up to the gravy that was rich yet not overly heavy, the chunks of sausage was a great touch~it reminded me of a Southern Sausage gravy that you would serve over biscuits and the onion and cucumber slaw cut the richness of the dish perfectly. This plate got a lot of looks from a couple diners around me and the common comment was how creative the twists on classic dishes are here. I almost couldn’t finish this plate and the regular version comes with another sausage and a bit more of the other goodies so beware~it’s a big plate and a full meal.

The dessert I chose was Dale’s Key Lime Pie and seeing that it was National Pie Day on my visit I thought it was a totally appropriate choice, served with Chantilly, toasted coconut and lime zest on a graham cracker crust. It was a killer pie and hit the spot, the filling was just tart enough and it was light and airy, if you’ve never had it before it’s a must try. The other option is a root beer float that is super popular and worth checking out as well.

If you haven’t been in yet to Ensemble Tap it’s a perfect reason and a great way to get a real taste of Ensemble Tap.

House Guest

Posted on December 24, 2011 by Sean

House Guest is the latest new restaurant in Gastown, after opening its doors in October the buzz about House Guest has been growing so when @MaryInVancity asked where would be good to go for a friend’s birthday dinner the other night I suggested we check out House Guest.

We got there around 7:20 and were asked by the hostess if we had reservations-we didn’t, after a few minutes we were informed that we could have a table till 8:30 when a large party was coming in, we figured that it would be enough time to have dinner so we went in.

The room has been completely transformed from the previous places that have been here, now the design and decor reminded me of a American Route 66 road house meets a space in Soho New York-it totally works and totally sets the mood.

The food is very American Regional and head chef Kayla Dhailwall is putting her unique spin on these classics, by that I mean the dishes are classics in different parts of the United States~a couple of the dishes I had on this visit are big in the Southern US and the head chef Kayla Dhailwall is putting her unique spin on these classics.

We all started with a few drinks, beer in my case for $7 each, Mary went with a cocktail called the Femme Fatale for $10~it had sweet vermouth, rye whiskey, absinthe, orange bitters, demerara, lemon and angostura bitters~it was boozy and she didn’t like the licorice flavor of the absinthe, I love my beer and czechvar lager is a solid choice if you want something light.

For appetizers I ordered the PMC with Red Eye Ketchup for $9, these are something I have never seen before but the main ingredient is one of those things huge on the States~Pimento Cheese~it’s a homemade cheese spread that contains the pimentos used in green olives, cheddar cheese as well as a creamy cheese such as cream cheese as well as seasonings~it tastes like really good nacho cheese, these were kicked up because they were macaroni and cheese and the red eye ketchup was killer as well as unique~red eye gravy is another big southern thing~it is a pan gravy made after frying a ham steak and contains black coffee and was big with cowboys and campfire cooking, it had a sweet taste to it but the coffee adds that depth similar to chicory.

Also I got an order of their homemade Crab Tater Tots with Tarragon Remoulade for $7, these were awesome and totally unique!, they were light and this was achieved by adding the crab, the remoulade was tart with lemon as well, one thing to watch out for is that it’s not a thick sauce so it might drip on you.

We were given a complementary order of the Short Rib Poutine, it was a different take on “poutine”, they use waffle cut potatoes so they were crisp like potato chips, the red eye ketchup was the “gravy” and haloumi cheese was used as well, the thing that we all really enjoyed about this was the braised melt in your mouth tender short ribs, the cheese was quite salty and because of the type of cheese it is it doesn’t melt. The consensus at the table was that this dish would have been better is traditional fries were used. You also have the option of adding pulled duck with an anchovy truffle mustard if the short rib isn’t your thing.

Mary had the Shepard’s Pie for $18, it had braised lamb shoulder, minted mirepoix, wild mushrooms, truffle whipped potatoes and natural jus. I sampled some of this and it was delicious!, the lamb was super tender and the potatoes were light and well seasoned. I’d totally order this on another visit.

Next up was the Sea Platter for $30, it consisted of skewed tempura halibut & hickory sticks, prawn cocktail, seared tuna, Candied salmon, seared scallops, crab tater tots, tarragon remoulade, anchovy & truffle mustard. It was a decent size for 1 person but would make a good appy if shared by 2 people. I didn’t try anything but the guest who ate it said they selections were good and the fish was nice and fresh.

I ordered this as well as another dinner at our table, it’s their version of a veggie burger called the “Cheese” Burger on the menu for $16, it consisted of a root vegetable & pinenut kofta , grilled haloumi , onion pakora , chutney ,baba ganoush and a Kachumber salad with rosewater tamarind dressing. Both of us missed where it said on the menu that it was veggie burger and were both surprised when we got our mains, it has definite Indian flavors and the patty kind of broke apart while eating this so it was kind of a let down, the salad was really good and had long threads of cucumber in it. Kachumber salad is a traditional Indian salad made with cucumbers and tomatoes and is a bit sweet.

For dessert we went with an order of the homemade Churos with Caramelized Spiced Sugar and Dolce De Leche and a ed Velvet Sauce. This was on the house but we all agreed that there was too much sugar on the outside, the sauces were interesting and a novel concept but were a bit thin on the consistency side, I don’t think I’d get these again.

You have the option of having a dessert trio here, your choice of 3 for $12, we went with the deconstructed cheesecake flavored with kaffir lime and a coconut crumb crust, the smore’s were next up~homemade vanilla bean marshmallow, basil ganache, banana and graham cracker crumbs~the basil threw is flavor wise with these and while I didn’t mind it the other people at out table didn’t dig these. Lastly we had the frost “hot” chocolate~chocolate ice parfait, vanilla bean marshmallow and ginger crystals, it also had a warm chocolate sauce poured over it but by the time got to it was frozen!, it was an OK dessert but the star of the plate was the cheese cake.

The menu it self looks pretty good and I’d definitely make another visit to try some of the other items plus the ambiance at House Guest is worth a few drinks alone!

Tavola

Posted on December 15, 2011 by Sean

Tavola is the bigger brother to Nook you could say, serving up really great pastas and antipastos it replaces the restaurant Tapas Tree but the owners still remain the same. It’s a great alternative if you get to Nook and the line is too long or you’re in the mood for a bigger main course.

I stopped in over the weekend with a friend to have some good food and it was a pleasure that’s for sure. The restaurant was packed by 7:30 when we got there with a couple big holiday party groups so we grabbed a seat at the bar, the service is great here and it’s always nice when one of the owners is in the restaurant and working just as hard as the servers and cooks to make sure there guests have an enjoyable time.

We started out with a bottle of Pinot Grigio, it was nice and crisp with a clean finish~just like I like in my beer. It was Grillo Canapi from Sicily and priced at $34 a bottle.

For an appy we shared some fresh burrata with La Quercia prosciutto, for $16 we got a great amount to make 4 nice sized crustini. The burrata was delish as usual, the prosciutto had a nice meaty flavor to it and was melt in your mouth tender.

For my main I went with one of the nightly specials~a Sicilian Pork Ragu for $18. The pasta for this was really interesting and something that I have never seen before~it was like little ribbed sheets of pasta and each one was rolled up which resulted in quite a meal despite looking kind of small. The pork ragu was rich and meaty and was topped with a nest of Parmesan cheese.

My buddy went with one of the big plates on the menu, the Brick Chicken for $22~chicken cooked and pressed with a brick to make it nice and flat. This was juicy and tender but the skin was kind of soft because of the sauce on the plate, on thing that my buddy commented on was the fact it was a lot of chicken and the plate could have used some vegetable of some sort, other than that it was a good plate.

For dessert I went with a lemon pudding type dessert (I can’t remember the name), it was made with Meyer Lemons so it was more sweet that sour, the consistency of the dessert was like a soft pudding was a totally delight to eat. It was also topped with a garnish of candied Meyer Lemon peel.

We had a great meal at the end of the night and the wine went down pretty well!, if you’re in the mood for some great Italian cuisine check out Tavola or their sister restaurant Nook which is located just around the corner on Denman Street.

Joe Fortes Seafood and Chop House

Posted on December 14, 2011 by Sean

Joe Fortes has been a Vancouver institution for all of my life. They have a stellar reputation for seafood and amazing service all packed into a beautiful dining space with one of Vancouver best summer rooftop outdoor oasis patio’s.

A bit about Joe Fortes Restarant from their website:

OUR HISTORY

One of Joe Fortes’ many unique qualities is the immediate sense of character and personality that guests recognize the moment they step inside. The large, bright room feels instantly powerful yet inviting, and it’s no coincidence that these qualities were also embodied by the legendary figure that we take our name from – Seraphim “Joe” Fortes.

In 1885, this burly seaman landed upon Vancouver’s shores and settled into a cabin in English Bay. There, Joe quickly became one of Vancouver’s most popular citizens, serving Vancouverites in a variety of ways – first as a bartender and later as Vancouver’s first official lifeguard. Today, he is remembered by a monument near the site of his home, and his popularity lives on inside the welcoming walls of Joe Fortes Seafood & Chop House.

OUR PHILOSOPHY

With our name inspired by a local legend famous for his warm, welcoming nature, we naturally believe that hospitality is a key ingredient in creating a memorable dining experience for our guests. We also firmly believe in engaging in fresh thinking throughout the restaurant, and nowhere more so than on our menus. Such is our commitment to freshness that our kitchen receives daily local deliveries, ensuring that you’re guaranteed to find the freshest ingredients on your plate every day.

THE RESTAURANT

Visit Joe Fortes Vancouver seafood restaurant and you are welcomed into an environment whose vibrant sights and sounds are as enticing as the menu is.

The main dining room is anchored by a soaring horseshoe oyster bar. This Grand Room boasts large, cozy booths, perfect for hosting high-powered lunch or dinner meetings, as well as intimate dinner dates.

From the mezzanine, diners enjoy a bird’s eye view of the action and live musical entertainment below.

The mahogany-walled wine room offers guests a unique and discreet setting in which to enjoy an intimate lunch, or a private corporate celebration.

The more casual side of Joe’s is experienced in the bistro and bar where locals and out-of-towners alike mingle, soak up the live music and keep their eyes open for visiting celebrities.

For a breath of fresh air, guests can step up to Vancouver’s most desirable roof garden and into an urban oasis featuring a living green wall, cozy outdoor fireplace and bustling horseshoe bar. No wonder Joe Fortes is the best seafood restaurant in Vancouver”

@MaryInVanCity and I made a visit in the midst of the Christmas season and it couldn’t have been a better time to have out very first visit for the both of us.

The room was beautifully decorated for the holidays and Christmas carols played throughout, both of us were really blown away with the beauty of the room, seated in the bar area we treated to a great view of the space.

Seating is plentiful here, tables and banquets make up the bar area, up some step lay some more tables and high back booths line the walls.

The service we received was super friendly and attentive from the moment we walked through the door. After we were presented with our menus we were served with complementary bread with balsamic and house made lobster oil, I thought it was good but it didn’t agree with Mary’s palette.

For appetizers we chose the New England Clam Chowder, this was actually part of my Blue Plate Special as an add on so I had some but Mary happy enjoyed the rest seeing clams aren’t my favorite. From my taste it was good, the bacon was a nice flavor and not too strong, the chowder was creamy and the potato added some nice thickness to the chowder, usually if one of my friends gets clam chowder I love to snack on these is possible:

the traditional New England Oyster Crackers, not a lot of places have these traditional ones so it was a nice treat for myself and Mary.

For another appetizer I went with the Dungeness Crab Cake with basil lemon aioli for $16.95, this was a killer crab cake, it was loaded with Dungeness crab meat and hardly any filler if any.

I really enjoyed the sauce as well, the lemon didn’t really come through but the basil did, it complimented the crab cake beautifully. This crab cake was also made with Oceanwise Dungeness crab.

Mary went with some fresh oysters on the half shell, I can’t remember what kind they were but shoe enjoyed them with the house made mignonette but they were also served with classic cocktail sauce and fresh horseradish

She also got one of these oyster treats

A Vodka Oyster Shooter for $8, it had Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco and as she put it~ a nice “meaty” oyster, the vodka came through right away but the flavor of the oyster complimented by the W sauce and Tabasco soon enveloped her mouth~she said that this was very enjoyable.

I was the only one having a main course~Mary had a killer lunch at the new Ensemble Tap before we met up so I was the one doing most of the eating here. The Blue Plate Special is what I chose and today it was Bourbon BBQ Chicken served with asparagus and white rice for $9.99, the special is served till 4PM and is changed daily, the menus is visible online.

The chicken was boneless thighs and the sauce was really flavorful, the meat was super tender and I just had to use my fork to cut it, the plate had 3 nice big pieces of BBQ chicken, the asparagus was ok and the rice was flavorful for white rice. It was a great plate for food and for $9.99 it can’t be beat.

I went with a Vanilla Creme Brulee~my Blue plate Special had a $9.99 add on for the soup and a dessert. The top was nicely caramelized and formed a nice layer on top of the brulee, the custard inside was nice and thick and super rich, the vanilla flavor was subtle and not overpowering.

Mary went with the Berry Pavlova that was filled with banana custard, beautiful berry’s and sweet meringue encased all these delish treats and for $8.50 it was decently priced.

We had a great meal here and would tell anybody who hasn’t been before to make a visit to Joe Fortes for some classic food and impeccable service.

Just a quick note~they DON’T accept Debit cards so you’ll be forced to use a 3rd party cash machine~something that surprised us but all major credit cards are accepted and they are closed over the Christmas holidays.

The Zagat review page for Joe Fortes can be view by clicking this link here and the Joe Fortes website can be viewed here with the option to make reservations online. Feel free to also check them out on Twitter @JoeFortesVan and their Facebook page .

Ensemble Tap

Posted on December 12, 2011 by Sean

Top Chef Canada winner and hometown hero Dale MacKay has opened the doors to his second restaurant this week and all I can say is the boy has been busy building a dining empire and all this success has happened within this year.

The new space is big and open, the flat screens all around the restaurant shows the games of the day and there are 17 different beers on tap here hence the name~Ensemble Tap.

The menu is focused on upscale pub food and when you stop and think about what big chain restaurants charge for food Ensemble Tap’s prices are right on par with the big guy’s but the quality of food is leaps and bounds above the big guy’s.

I started out with some beer and the staff here are knowledgeable about the different beers here and were happy to recommend this based on what I like in beer and boy was it a great choice.

For my appy I went with the classic French Onion soup for $8. This was a classic french onion soup topped with Gruyère cheese, the broth was rich and full-bodied

the soup was packed with caramelized onions like any great French Onion soup should be. One benefit of it being served in this camp style bowl was that I was able to pick it up and tilt it to get all that yummy stuff out of it.

For my main I wanted to try the recipe that won him a challenge on Top Chef Canada and is also served at his other restaurant Ensemble, the Pulled Pork sandwich with apple horseradish slaw, served with a side of Baked Beans and a cup of trademark Ensemble Kennebec Fries for $13.

The fries were cooked perfectly and not greasy yet totally crisp, these were some of the best fries I’ve had in a while and reminded me of Belgian Frites.

The baked beans were not overly smokey and had pulled pork in them, they were a delight to eat and I would have licked the ramekin clean if I were alone!

The pickles on the side also were tart and crisp like a good dill should be.

Now for the star of the show!, a nice soft bun that held together nicely, delish apple horseradish slaw and saucy smoked melt in your mouth pork,,,I’m hungry for one right now!, as far as pulled pork sandwiches go its one of the best I’ve had and is a must try for anyone coming to the restaurant, the slaw wasn’t to strong with the horseradish.

I’m really happy Ensemble Tap has opened it’s doors and I think it’s going to be one of those classic go to local restaurants for many years to come.

**Updated post December 14, 2011**

I went back for some more awesome food and Ensemble Tap~I was craving the Pork Chop dish and some good beer so here is the food!

Ensemble Lager $5.50, this is the house beer brewed for them by Big Rock Brewery, it’s a crisp lager that would go well with almost any dish on the menu and is a safe bet if your unsure of what to try.

Next up is the Tree Thirsty Beaver Amber Ale $7, this was a medium bodied beer that had a clan finish to it with a bit of hop flavor, I usually don’t go for amber ales but server recommended this and I’m glad she did~it is defiantly on my drink list.

For my appy I went with the Popcorn Prawns with Spicy Mayo for $12. Crispy battered juicy prawns with a kaffir lime scented mayo~what more can I say besides they were AWESOME!, I gobbled these up quick and the mayo has that nice mouth tingling effect.

The garnish for the prawns is tempura battered sea asparagus, I’ve never had this before but have seen it on Food Network, it was nicely battered and tasted like the ocean~I found the taste interesting.

This is what I was craving for a couple of days, its inspired by one of Dale’s favorite childhood meals~pork chops and sauerkraut!. This is a kicked up version of a basic pork chop meal, the chop is brined before hand and then smoked and served with a mustard and panko/herb topping. Along for sides it has grainy mustard, glazed carrots and house made sauerkraut

it was definitely a killer plate and I can see why it’s one of his favorites. For $19 it was a full meal and the kraut was more sweet that sour and had nicely chopped bacon in it so if your scared of sauerkraut you might want to give this a try.

Again it was a great meal at Ensemble and I’m looking forward to many more!