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!