BC Spot Prawn Season

Posted on May 12, 2012 by Sean

It’s like Christmas time for foodies right now. Once a year and only for 8 weeks BC Spot Prawns are in season. Many of Vancouver’s restaurants are using these gems in dishes and even dedicating whole menus to the succulent West Coast crustacean. I was invited to check out the 1st catch of the season come into dock and go right into C’s kitchen to be cooked up for us and diners doing the Spot Prawn tasting menu. We all eagerly awaited the boats arrival with the prawns on-board.

What makes BC Spot Prawns so special is the face the season only runs for 8 weeks (May-June) and the fishery for them is completely sustainable so the fish stocks aren’t being affected at all. They are also ethically raised and sourced. Until 2005 most of the Spot Prawns were exported to Japan and we used to miss out since the fishery has been set up we now get our fair share of these beauty’s.

Here they come!

You can view the video of the harvest (The guy in the picture shot if for the Vancouver Sun) by clicking here.

We all were served some tasty bites while we waited for the prawns to be cooked up and brought out.

The first set of bites we were served were BC poached Spot Prawns with a yuzu jelly, Quail’s Egg topped with truffle aioli and crispy bacon and watermelon with a crispy basil garnish. All of these were really good. The eggs were perfectly cooked and of course the bacon was a perfect complement to the egg. BC Spot Prawns and yuzu jelly were a natural pairing of sweet seafood and the citrus from the yuzu.

Lastly the watermelon and crispy basil was a nice clean, refreshing bite. There was also smoked salmon bites with goats cheese that I had when I came here for Dine Out 2012.

Golden, pink and red beets topped with creme frache and thyme were also passed around the deck. Beets are one of my favorite items and I really liked these. I tend to like the red beets more because they are sweeter than the golden beets I find.

Seared tuna bites with a ponzu were cooked perfectly. The inside was beautifully rare and just seared on the outside enough to add some firm texture, the sauce was a nice touch and added a bright salty hit to the bite.

These were the star of the event.

The whole BC Spot Prawns served whole in a pool of garlic butter. Saying these are hands on are an understatement. You get in there with your hands and twist the head off and strip the tail of shell and such. The heads could be sucked like a crawfish head if you like to get the pure essence of the Spot Prawn-it’s not my thing but i made sure my head didn’t go to waste. The meat is sweet and tender and reminded me of a little lobster tail!

The event was alot of fun and I enjoyed the delicious treats and drinks. Get out there and enjoy some of there completely unique to BC treats before there all gone.

Bistro 101 on Granville Island

Posted on March 27, 2012 by Sean

This week I found myself having to head to Granville Island to get some ingredients for a recipe in a cookbook I’m in the process of testing and in need of lunch and not wanting to deal with the crowded market scene I stopped into Bistro 101 at the Pacific Culinary Institute.

For lunch they offer a 3 course menu for $18 and it’s different everyday. What I love about this place is that your served by the students but not only are they learning the art of service but they are also involved in the kitchen!, I did a course when I was a teenager at VCC and worked for a summer in JJ’s Dining Room and it was an awesome experience for myself so I can relate to the awkwardness that happened with service but the one thing I will say is everyone was really attentive and professional.

After I checked out the menu and made my selections one of the pastry students came by my table and brought out some fresh bread and butter and also took my dessert order~turns out she’s the one who made my choice~a deconstructed s’more that I saw as I was being seated.

Another student came by my table with a chilled amuse-bouche of a Puttanesca Prawn, it was an interesting bite but the prawn for me was over powered by the puttanesca sauce.

For my appy I had 3 choices~a mushroom egg drop soup,Oceanwise baby shrimp and avocado spring mix greens in a rice paper roll or a honey and five-spice quail~all decent choices on there own~I went with the Oceanwise choice. The rice paper roll was served with a miso tahini sauce, the baby shrimp were cooked perfectly and there were a ton of them in there and the avocado spring mix filled out the roll perfectly, the avocado added a beautiful creaminess with the sauce underneath. this is something that I would totally make at home on my own~avocado is going in all my rolls from now on!

Entrée wise there was a Grilled Beef Striploin with a devil sauce, Pan Fried Mahi Mahi that was a Oceanwise choice and was on the tropical side~served with a berry salsa and ginger coconut pilaf and to round out the choices the poultry option was a Smoked Turkey & Emmenthal Stuffed Chicken Breast with a basil tomato veloute and herb polenta~my choice! The chicken was cooked thoroughly yet was moist and flavorful, the skin on top was nice and crisp, the smoked turkey added flavor and the cheese rounded everything out. The sauce on the bottom was rich but not overly thick which was nice and the tomato side added a great acidic note to this rich dish, the herb polenta was flavored with thyme and was on the solid side~it was a disk under the tomato so it was perfect on get all that yummy sauce off the plate.

Dessert wise the choices were a Sour Cherry Vanilla Cake with a pistachio fig ice cream and hazelnut tuile, an Apple Crumble with vanilla ice cream and my choice~a Neoclassical S’more with a chocolate sorbet and homemade marshmallow on top.

The s’more part was a cake bottom, the creamy milk chocolate mousse middle wasn’t to sweet and the homemade marshmallow capped off a great dessert.

The chocolate sorbet was like nothing I’ve had before, it was totally smooth and intensely flavored with dark chocolate, paired with the milk chocolate mousse it made for one rich chocolate lovers dessert. Graham cracker crumble rounded out the plate.

After taxes my bill came in at under $21 and they don’t take tips, they also offer a dinner service for $24 and buffet on Fridays, I’d advise making reservations for larger groups~they are a member of the Opentable reservation program if you’re a member or you can do so right on their webpage by clicking here. The dining room is also fully licensed and has a deal on Wednesdays where all bottles of wine are half price (Promotion is not applicable on theme dinners, special events or bookings made through the Corporate, Catering & Event Department unless otherwise stated). I had a great lunch here and I can’t wait to come back for many more great lunches and dinners! I’d recommend it to anybody heading down to Granville Island looking for a great lunch or dinner at an amazing price.

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.

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 .

The Four Seasons Vancouver YEW Restaurant and Bar

Posted on November 21, 2011 by Sean

If you’re looking for a treat meal one place to definitely keep in mind is YEW restaurant and bar in the Four Seasons Hotel in downtown Vancouver.

The room is huge and beautifully decorated, the huge fireplace is a great divider between the open dining room and the bar/lounge area. The service here is top-notch and your every need is taken care of effortlessly, the staff are very knowledgeable on the menu and take the time to answer any questions you could have.

Canadian chef Ned Bell came on board as the Executive Chef for YEW in August 2011 and the menu was completely reworked to what we have now, he brings his own food philosophy ‘Globally Inspired and Locally Created,’ – a process that begins with premium ingredients, sourcing the best of what is available locally and seasonally, and then focusing on flavor to the YEW space and to the menu and it totally shows.

I started with a Kronenbourg Blanc for $8 and glass, this is a favorite beer of mine. It’s light and has a lavender floral note sightly, it was perfect to cut through the richness of my main and also works with a variety of different foods~if your new to drinking beer give this one a try.

This was my main and man did it hit the spot!, delicious lobster mac and cheese with corn and an amazing creamy sauce tied it all together nicely.

At $22 a bowl its on the high-end but it’s worth it if you’re looking for a treat, there was lobster chunks through out and the lobster was cooked perfectly, the tender buttery pieces of lobster melts in your mouth and its bathed in a rich buttery sauce that isn’t cheesy. The sprinkling of bread crumbs on top were the perfect garnish.

For dessert I went with their dessert trio. It features all three of their dessert tapas and for $8 it’s a great deal. They also have fresh berry pies and fresh fruit crumble on the menu if that’s more of what you’re looking for and also they offer a cheese selection.

Duck egg custard tart was first up, it was a rich and creamy custard with hints of vanilla, the pastry for the tart was the perfect vessel for this yummy dessert. The one thing i was concerned with when ordering this was the duck egg flavor and if it would be to intense but I didn’t taste any kind of eggy flavor in the dish.

This is a Australian Candied Sugar Cherry Ravioli in a young coconut pineapple consomme. It’s molecular gastronomy and was a blast to eat, you take it like a shooter and when you squish the cherry ravioli it explodes in your mouth and you taste a flood of sweet cherry juice. I could throw back 5 or 6 of these!

Finally we have the Espresso Banana Milk Chocolate Lollipop. The espresso is in the homemade marshmallow that encapsulates the lollipop, inside the milk chocolate is semi soft and melts in your mouth, all of the flavors combined with a definite treat.

If your interested in checking out YEW feel free to visit there website here and if you’re looking for a great hotel check out the Vancouver Four Seasons website here and follow them on Twitter @FSVancouver .

Edible Canada At The Market

Posted on November 12, 2011 by Sean

Edible Canada and the Granville Island Public Market has opened it’s doors and is offering something that is a perfect fit on the island and is serving up some authentic local fare that is partially sourced right from the on site public market. It’s more than just restaurant here though, they offer public market tours, chef table market dinners and one of the best patios in Vancouver.

They also offer a store featuring all Canadian products, you can also get Championship BBQ Pit Master Rockin’ Ron Shewchuk’s BBQ pulled pork that’s vacuumed sealed and just needs to be reheated and enjoyed. One other thing to note is all the planter boxes outside contained edible items, from the one pictured with different lettuces to flowering lemon thyme and other herbs and they also feature electric vehicle recharging stations in front for you to use for free.

The purpose for this visit was to try there burger and there fries but these aren’t just ordinary fries-there cooked in duck fat and served with a bacon aioli!

My burger was made from meat sourced from the market and was cooked perfectly, the toppings were BC double smoked bacon, Canadian cheddar cheese, farm fresh heirloom tomatoes and it’s served with a homemade ketchup and housemate dill pickle served on a house made roll. I love the idea of a burger made completely from local products, the burger itself was OK, the meat like I said was cooked perfectly but the local greens on top added a grassy flavor and the housemate pickle was a disappointment-it tasted like was seaweed smells like and didn’t work with me, other than that the other ingredients of my burger were good.

Next up we have the duck fat fries, I loved the extra flavor from the duck fat and the fries were really crispy and I wish more places offered these. The bacon aioli is a bit on the salty side but I love the idea and this was a good way to really see what their homemade ketchup tasted like, compared to the famous brand we all grew up with this one was more sweet than sour. One negative was the fact a lot of my fries were small-like little fry nibs, once I got thru the big ones on top the rest of the fry cone was these fry nibs-perfect for poutine but not on their own.

At the end of the day the rest of the menu at Edible Canada is really good and they provide the best dining value for your buck on Granville Island and is the best way to sample some real Canadian cuisine.

Cento Notti

Posted on October 18, 2011 by Sean

Cento Notti is the new restaurant in the Opus Hotel in Yaletown, it replaces the vivid and bold 100 Nights space and the decor is equally eye catching and appropriate for the modern Italian menu.

Executive Chef Paul Marshall is really making magic in the kitchen, pretty much everything is made in house including the burrata cheese in my salad I had and sourcing form local farms your getting the freshest ingredients turned into spectacular dishes.

I stopped in at lunch time and what caught my eye outside was the $35 three course dinner menu, I asked the server if I could possible get that menu for lunch and it wasn’t a problem at all.

San Pellegrino $7.95

Burrata Salad-vine-ripened tomato, basil, olive oil. I’m a sucker for burrata and when I see it on a menu I have to try it, usually burrata comes from Italy and it’s highly perishable so freshness is key, at Cento Notti they make theirs from scratch everyday and one of the few to do so in Vancouver. The cheese was creamy and sweet combined with the balsamic and tomatoes it was a match made in heaven.

Porcini Risoto-fresh thyme,Grana Padano Parmesian and a balsamic port reduction. Who can so no to risotto with porcini!, it’s traditional Italian with a modern twist with the reduction. My bowl of risotto was rich and creamy like a great risotto should be, the mushroom flavor was earthy and meaty and the cheese melted into my dish.

Chocolate Panna Cotta-Roasted strawberry’s and a kalamata olive infused fig jam. I was curious about how roasted strawberry’s would taste but what blew me away was the olive jam~olives with the chocolate was totally weird and at first I thought it was balsamic in the jam~I never would have thought olive, it was totally delicious, the panna cotta was rich and creamy and the strawberry’s were still firm~I thought they would turn to mush from the roasting.

I’m already looking forward to my next meal at Cento Notti and with the Taste Of Yaletown coming up I think it’s going to be on my list.

The Raincity Grill~Killer Lunch!

Posted on July 29, 2011 by Sean

I’ve written about the great food and good deals at the Raincity Grill before but it was from their take out window, this time I’ve come to dine in to take advantage of their great lunchtime deal~a $22 two course prix fixe menu.

The mains do change depending on the current menu~which is all local!, the first course is a choice of soup or salad and for the second item you have a choice of 3 different mains~each one by itself range in price from $15-$18 and the salad and soup choices are between $9-$10 so the lunch deal is a no brainer in my eyes.

Always yummy house made rolls with butter and Vancouver Island sea salt arrived at the table quickly after being seated~always a great touch by the professional service~this place has FABULOUS servers who really take the time to let you know what your eating and where it came from without being “preachy”.

I actually really loved the sea salt!, it added a great brightness to my meal and has a bit of a grayish tint to it~I thought it was sel gris~french gray salt from Brittany France but nada~it’s local!.

I chose the Grilled Ceasar salad $9, it’s been on the menu for ages and is a classic, the romaine lettuce is perfectly charred without being burnt tasting or becoming totally limp, it’s buried under a mountain of lovely Parmesan cheese, bathed in homemade dressing with house made croutons sprinkling the plate. I really enjoyed every part of the salad except for the croutons~they weren’t crisp and tasted kinda flat.

Seeing it was Friday I was in a fried chicken Friday kinda mood!, delicious double battered Rossdown Farms Chicken with Helmers potato salad and Hannah Brook Farms Greens $18

double battering in rice flour gives this chicken some serious crunch without being heavy or greasy~perfect in my eyes and it was nice and juicy!

the Helmers potato salad isn’t the one your granny used to make or what you’d be used to if you only eat the standard salad

it’s made with roasted wedges of potato and is lightly dressed so its not heavy on the mayo in anyway, I’ll be making my potato salad like this in the future.

To round out the plate Hannah Brook Farms greens adorned the plate, you can tell that these are quality salad greens just by looking at them and when you bite into a mouthful its confirmed~yummy!.

This is where my treat of the day came in~I looked over the dessert menu and came across this little beauty:

Fraser Valley Strawberry Shortcake with homemade Sour Cream Ice Cream $9.5, it being berry season and it starting so late you really must take every chance to eat them when you can!, the biscuit was light and sweet, filled with whipped cream and berries and Sour Cream Ice Cream cap off the plate. It was the perfect end to a great meal and by the picture below you can tell what I thought of it

So at then end of the day I am a happy camper

after having a great salad, main, local beer and a KILLER dessert $39 plus tax isn’t so bad and if you just stick to the prix fixe menu it is possible to leave a $$$$ restaurant with money in your pocket. The RainCity Grill can be found of Zagat

@raincitygrill

www.raincitygrill.com
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Fresh, Local, Wild~Chef Wolfe is back with the killer eats

Posted on June 16, 2011 by Sean

The man who brought oceanwise seafood and organic street eats to Vancouver at Granville and Robson is back after a break with a brand new trailer and a new location at Hastings and Burrard St to feed that masses and we couldn’t be happier!

The new rig is custom-built and designed by Chef Wolfe and is equipped with seating!

the menu is along the same lines as before~fresh,local and wild meat and seafood and if it’s not broke don’t fix it is the way to go in my eyes!. Just being open a couple of days when these pics were taken the people in the area have already started showing their love at lunch time. On my 1st visit they were already closed after selling out super early so I snapped a couple of pics of the trailer and admired the construction and thought put into the rig~it’s one of the best food carts, rigs~I don’t know what quite to call it but AWESOME!

When I did make it back the next day at lunchtime there already was a crowd so the chef was hard away at work and a fellow foodie~@drjennyfever of there is always room was enjoying a burger and fries on the patio, high praise was given by her on what she had but what caught my eye was the albacore tuna melt $8.50 with a side of fresh hand cut fries and a drink $3.50 extra

This is the tuna melt your mom couldn’t make!, fresh chunks of albacore tuna and cheese griddled to toasty perfection!

the tuna is served still rare which I like and you can taste the freshness

Chef Wolfe should get an award for the best fries on a food truck~there damn tasty!, each order is pretty much made fresh so your fries are always crispy and there is homemade gravy on the truck and would advise trying it~today there was none unfortunately.

I’m glad Fresh, Local,Wild is back on the street slinging good eats so stop in and get fed by Chef Wolfe, you can find cart hours on the Eat St app and the Street Food App for iPhone and Android devices.

@freshlocalwild

www.freshlocalwild.com

@eatsttweet

@streetfoodapp

Tacofino Cantina

Posted on June 14, 2011 by Sean

Tacofino is here!!!!!, after seeing Tacofino on the Food Network Canada show Eat St. I really like what I saw and what they were putting out~Mexican inspired Baja Californian cuisine with West Coast influence.

after being located in Tofino British Columbia Tacofina Cantina has brought there seriously delicious eats to the streets of Vancouver!. Located at Denman and Davie street in the late afternoon/evenings and on Howe near Robson street next to the Vancouver Art Gallery usually in the daytime there in a prime locations, I couldn’t wait to try out what they were offering.

They have a great bottled drink selection and also offer up blended drinks as well if that’s what you’re in the mood for.

This is there mint and lime freshie blended drink $4.5, it’s blended whole pieces of lime, fresh mint, ice and some sugar and water and blended up all nice~it was cold and refreshing and would be perfect with some rum or tequila mixed in!.

I ordered a couple of things off the menu to get a taste of their signature items you could say and have gone back more than a few times to eat~it’s really one of the best food carts on the streets of Vancouver right now.

the Tuna Ta-Taco $6.5, it’s a blend of tuna tataki and a taco with a seaweed salad, wasabi mayo and a mango salsa verde also, really good and fresh and the shredded cabbage is a great texture contrast and the seaweed salad adds a great slightly salty note to the taco.

The Pork Gringa $4.5, really yummy shredded pork and cheese with salsa and sour cream and then fried on both sides, its kinda like a quesadilla, I could easily eat 3 or 4 of these with some cold beers, it was a bit messy to eat but that’s all good.

The baja style Fish Tacos $4.5 each, tempura battered ling cod with chipotle mayo, hand shredded cabbage and salsa fresca on a toasted flour tortilla. This is one of my favorite tacos they make, the fish batter is nice and light because of the tempura and all the ingredients are a great together, these things go great in pairs so get a couple!.

On my last visit I was walking the seawall and grabbed the special taco of the day~a carne asada or steak taco $5.5 with homemade guacamole, mango salsa fresca and hand shredded cabbage and of course I had to grab a baja fish taco as well, the steak was nicely seasoned tender, its like surf and turf from a food cart!, I really hope they keep the steak taco on the menu or bring it back regularly cuz it kicks ass.

the Diablo Chocolate cookie $2.5, this addictive chocolate cookie is seriously good, its looks are deceiving tho~its laced with cayenne pepper and cinnamon in addition to the chocolate chunks and has fresh ginger juice and salt and sugar on top, on the show people raved about these and I can see why, its sweet, hot and that salt brings out all the flavors in the cookie and the recipe is on the Food Network Canada site under the Eat St area. This also comes in an ice cream sandwich and is a must try.

If you find yourself down in the English Bay area do yourself a favor and check out the Tacofino Cantina food truck and get some good eats, you can find them on the Eat St app for the iPhone and Android platform and on the Street Food App for iPhone.

@tacofinocantina

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