Carla & Chris's BC food and wine adventure blog

Ursu Korean BBQ Tacos - Corner of Richards Street and West Georgia Street

2011-09-26T15:00:00.000-07:00

I don’t spend much time downtown during the day, but occasionally, I have to go in for a meeting. That was the case one day last week. After my meeting, which went over the lunch hour, I was famished, but rushed, and with very little cash on me. I figured it was a good opportunity to try out some of the new Vancouver street food. I happened to pass by the Ursu Korean BBQ taco truck en route to my meeting and had been thinking about it all meeting long, so I returned to sample their wares. Before saying anything more, I should be up front about my food history. I lived in Mexico for year, and ate lots of great street food, including tacos. I also have had the good fortune to eat lots of Korean food, having lived in places in the US with large Korean populations. (I've even eaten at a great Cuban-Korean joint.) So the deck was stacked against this truck. It sounded intriguing, but I was skeptical. The blending of techniques and ingredients could work, but it could also fail miserably. I was hoping for greatness, but not betting on it.

The have a small menu, appropriate for a street vendor. I ordered two bulgogi beef soft tacos with optional kimchi. They were 2.99 each, so two tacos for basically 6 dollars. The soft corn tortillas were fresh (important for soft tacos), and large enough that 2 tacos was a decent sized lunch for one relatively hungry woman. (I was biking around that day, so hungrier than usual.) They were topped with the bulgogi beef, lettuce, cheese, and a tiny bit of kimchi. The beef was tender, but the strong flavour of the corn tortillas overwhelmed the delicate Korean marinade, compounded by the cheese. Don’t get me wrong, I love cheese, but I thought the combination was a little off. I like my tacos and my Korean food with some heat, hence asking for the kimchi. Unfortunately, I got only one small piece of kimchi on each taco, which was not enough for me. Too restricted in heat ‘coverage’ to balance the sweetness of their bulgogi marinade (a little too sweet for me in all honesty).

Final assessment is that I liked them, but didn’t love them. They were neither a huge hit nor a disastrous fail. If it were a choice between eating them again as served and McDonald’s, I’d eat the tacos, or even better, I’d try another food truck. However, I do think that some easy changes would make the tacos better, or at least, more to my liking. One, skip the cheese. Cheese may be integral to people’s idea of tacos here in Vancouver, but that’s not the case south of the borders. And it didn’t add anything to these tacos, in my opinion. Quite the opposite, it detracted from them. Two, ask for extra kimchi. The bulgogi is sweet, and needs the counterfoil of the spice. I’ll let you know if I get the chance to try these again, and how I like the modified tacos.

Two thumbs (I’m just doubling my one thumb; Chris didn’t try these with me.)

Quails' Gate 2008 Old Vines Foch

2011-09-19T16:26:00.000-07:00

Someone gave us a bottle of Quails' Gate 2008 Old Vines Foch as a gift recently. It was very thoughtful, as they know we love wine, tend to drink red, and have become BC wine enthusiasts. We were a little trepidatious, nevertheless. But with no ‘drinking wines’ at home last week, we thought, hey, let’s give it a try. We did, however, have another bottle picked out as a back-up, just in case, and we just about opened it. Chris initially thought the Foch was off. I assured him that it wasn’t, it was just not a great wine. Thankfully, we were distracted by our 2 year old long enough for the Foch to open up a little. I say luckily not because the Foch was fantastic (it wasn’t) but because I would much rather have the Oregon Pinot with duck as originally planned and the Foch was good enough. It is an interesting wine, with hints of complexity and fullness, hints that don’t deliver in my opinion. It is dark, but not lush. It is not fruity, nor is it big and inky. It doesn’t have a great deal of tannin or acidity. I am describing it in terms of what it isn’t, rather than what it is. That’s because that’s how we experienced it. Chris described it as being something like a cross between a Beaujolais and a Primitivo. I think it’s a great description, if you do not expect the best of either grape. It fell quite flat with food, but was quite pleasant to drink on its own. I will make what might seem like a strange recommendation though, open it the day before you want to drink it. We decanted it, but it was still very tight on the first night. It was much better on the second night. Even Chris actually liked it, rather than tolerated it, and had a second glass.

We tend to be wine with food people, so wine that is best without food is something I don’t think much about. But this wine fits that bill, and is local (as in from BC), and given it’s apparent heft, appropriate for the current season (fall), so on those points, I can recommend it. The 2009 is listed at $24.99, which is a perfectly reasonable price for this wine.O ne reason why we tend to stay away from BC reds is that they just don’t represent good value. I', happy to say that the Foch doesn’t fit this generalization.

Bordello's Italian Pizzeria - Kelowna, BC

2011-08-31T14:06:00.000-07:00

Last week I happened to be in Kelowna, BC, visiting family, and after a long day of running around after toddlers and a dog, we all desperately needed something to eat, and fast. Given that we were feeding four adults, three toddlers (one of them mine), and a dog, picking up some pizza seemed like a good option. Luckily, my sister had noticed a place the day before while wandering around – Bordello’s Italian Pizzeria – that enabled us to avoid the ubiquitous goopy, greasy, chain pizza.

We ordered three pizzas, a Margherita, a Bernardo, and a Verdura, and two salads, the Italian Chopped, and a spinach salad (not on the website, they no longer make the one listed there) for pick-up. They said 15 minutes, but when our ‘delivery person’ arrived 20 minutes later, not only was the order not ready, she had to wait another 10 minutes. But despite the inaccurate time information, we were overall very happy with our dinner. Living in Vancouver, I actually have access to some decent Italian style pizza, so my standards are pretty high (although by that point in time, I was so hungry that I would have been happy with pretty much anything). Bordello’s is not BiBo (doesn’t quite have the right crispy to chewy ratio in the crust, but isn’t as expensive either), but it’s as good as Marcello’s (a neighborhood standby for us on busy nights). The crusts had a little too much burn on them for me, but the toppings were present in just the right amount, so all in all, quite tasty.

Notably, everyone was happy with the pizza: me, the two year old who eats anything, the two moderately picky adults, the two very picky almost two-year olds, the not-very-adventurous-eater adult who was expecting ‘regular’ pizza. Even the dog who cleaned up the floor under the children. I preferred the two tomato pizzas to the white one, but only slightly, and my preference wasn’t shared by everyone. The salads were on the small side, and pretty much just fine. Fine, as in, OK, but nothing special. If I lived in Kelowna, I would probably just make a salad to two at home instead of buying any there.

Overall then, 4 thumbs up for the pizza (I’ll just treat everyone else’s thumbs as one pair), and probably 2 for the salads. So definitely go for the pizza, but skip the salad.

Golda's Cilantro Pesto

2011-08-22T12:07:00.000-07:00

I first tried Golda's products at the Trout Lake Farmer's Market last summer, but then forgot about them, as the excitement and demands of a new job, new house, new neighborhood, and a toddler overwhelmed me. But a few weeks back, I spotted some in the cooler at Bosa Foods. I filed that information away for use at a later date. That date came last week. I wanted something summery and local, and settled on fresh tagliatelli with shrimp (from The Daily Catch) with some of Golda's Cilantro Pesto.

I love traditional basil pesto, and I love cilantro. This pesto doesn't taste like either, but it is delicious. It is richer and has more depth than basil pesto, probably a result of the use of pumpkin seeds instead of pine nuts. And those of you who don't like cilantro need not be scared away; I don't taste much classic cilantro flavor in this paste. It is just a lovely vibrant green, rich, but not too rich, and pairs fabulously with shrimp. (I have also used it as a wet rub on roast chicken. Good, but not as good as with the shrimp I think.) We had bocconcini and tomato salad, and Sumac Ridge Gewurzt along with it. Both were great pairings with the pasta dish. It was hard to not eat 2 huge platefuls of the pasta, so it may not be a great idea for a dieter - not because it's unhealthy, but because it's hard to not keep eating and eating. It was a multi-generational hit too: my 2 year old kept asking for more and more and more.

Golda's products come from Vancouver Island, but are available in various stores around southern BC. Well worth seeking out.

The Daily Catch Seafood Company at 1418 Commercial Drive

2011-08-19T10:39:00.000-07:00

Apologies for my delinquency over the past year; it's been one heck of a year for me. Mostly I haven't been doing much worth writing about, and when I have, there's been no time to write about it. But I have the intention at least to remedy that. (We'll see how far good intentions take me...)

I may try to catch up on some of the restaurants I've been to recently, but for now, I'm sharing what I hope will cease to be one of the best kept secrets in the city - Daily Catch Seafood on Commercial Drive.

They have a wide variety of fresh sustainably caught seafood daily. They are not cheap, and I do sometimes feel guilty for being able to afford such wonderful guilt free fare, but if you can afford it, it's so worth it. It's all so fresh, let me say that again, fresh, and flavorful. It reminds me of the seafood of my childhood. I grew up on the island, and we went shrimping crabbed, fished for cod and salmon, dug for clams, the whole nine yards. Seafood had character, and taste! I had begun to think that the flavors of my youth were wistful creations of my memories, but since I started splurging at this shop, I have learned that no, seafood really can taste like I remember.

Whether your motivation is the flavor, the environment, or some of both (like me), I urge you to take a gander by this store, and take some really great seafood home tonight.

Oh, in case you're wondering, they are an OceanWise partner

Bosa Foods - 562 Victoria Drive

2010-07-30T21:39:00.000-07:00

I'm back, and exploring new places around Vancouver and the rest of the province as much as I can. And although having a toddler means we eat out less than before, that, and the fact that I now live in the city full time, means that I cook more, and that, in turn, means that I am always on the look-out for great local products, stores, and the like.

My recent find may be a bit out of the way for some, but worth a trip if you like Italian groceries, and a definite gem for those who live nearby. Bosa Foods, an importer of Mediterranean foods that also sells directly to the public, is located in a residential area at 562 Victoria Drive, a few blocks off of Commercial Drive, just south of Hastings Street. They carry a large selection of pastas, oils, vinegars, tomatoes, sauces, meats, and cheeses, as well as sweets, dishware, and the like. The quality is generally great, as are the prices. If you happen to be in the neighborhood, stop in. If you're not, take a trip next time your cupboards are bare, and stock up.

Be aware the store is not flashy, and you could easily miss if if you weren't looking carefully.

(Note, they have another larger (?) location on Kootenay St. that might be closer to where you are.)

Gold Train Express II on W. Broadway

2010-04-14T22:28:00.001-07:00

It has been a long time since my last posting here, and I apologize for that. Thankfully for me it is not because I have no new BC Food and Wine experiences to write about, just no time to write them up. The baby is keeping us very busy indeed! I will, however, try to get some of our recent restaurant visits and wine tastings written up as I can. As a start on that effort, a short review of Gold Train Express on W. Broadway Ave.

Gold Train Express II is a Vietnamese Restaurant that opened up at 3236 W. Broadway in January. We were eagerly awaiting its opening: we really like Vietnamese food, and it is a great quick, inexpensive meal option that works with children too. We had visited their other location on West 10th in the past, but have always found it dirty, to the point where we were not comfortable eating there. The new location is much cleaner, and with a fairly open kitchen making it easy to keep tabs on food preparation, it feels much less sketchy. The decor is exactly what one would expect in an inexpensive Vietnamese restaurant - fake plants, rocky tables, etc. In fact, I found it difficult to believe that the renovations had taken as long as they did. But it's kind of comforting in its own way, and very up front about the kind and quality of food one can expect.

We've now been several times and found our food to be equally fast and tasty each time. Chris likes the Pho, and I tend to order rice noodle bowls (which are served on plates there and without any extra dipping sauce for the spring rolls which is customary at many similar restaurants - they were quick to bring me some when I asked, however). Unlike the location on W. 10th, this one serves bahn mi, (Vietnamese sub sandwiches), which is what we went for yesterday. We love bahn mi, and we were quite excited to see that we were finally going to be able to get some in the neighborhood. A good bahn mi comes on a French roll, crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside, often with a bit of pate spread on one side (I usually skip this), some butter or mayo, pickled vegetables, and some form of protein, usually grilled chicken, pork, or beef, although tofu can also be tasty. They are or should be inexpensive ($3.50 here), and substantial enough for a meal for a person with a small to medium sized appetite. These ones are a little smaller (a very little) than most I’ve had elsewhere, and I suspect that they use margarine, but they are still quite delicious. The rolls are perfect, crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. (Be warned, we recently learned the hard way they don’t serve them on days they can’t get fresh rolls, like Sundays.) And the fillings are quite generous. They don’t put hot peppers in them as has been typical most other places I’ve eaten bahn mi, but that’s OK since my toddler insists on eating whatever I do and he is not a big fan of chilis as yet. All in all, they were a hit in our house, and we will go back for more.

Food pairing for 2008 Road 13 Viognier, Roussanne, and Marsanne

2009-12-30T22:08:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago I bought a bottle of Road 13 (http://www.road13vineyards.com/index.php) Viognier, Roussane and Marsanne just to have on hand in case the need for a white wine presented itself. Just such an occasion presented itself on Christmas Eve as I was preparing that evening's dinner. I needed some white wine for my lentils that were to be served under maple syrup and balsamic vinegar glazed crispy pork belly with soft poached egg alongside a salad of assorted endives with a sweet-lemon tarragon dressing.

I opened the wine and not only did it seem more than adequate for my needs, it was abundantly clear that it would be a wonderful wine to drink with the meal too. It was bigger than I had anticipated. It had the fruit I expected, but it was also full and rounded, surprisingly so (at least to me) for a wine that has seen no oak whatsoever. It had the body to stand up to the lentils and pork belly, the acid to cut the fat in the pork belly and egg, and the fruit to work well with the salad. The pairing worked so well we left aside the bottle we had chosen for the evening (a fantastic Oregon Pinot) for another night. Chance (and Road 13 wine) treated us well that night.

Bandidas Taqueria

2009-12-19T23:54:00.000-08:00

Those of you who either know me personally or read this blog regularly will be quite aware that we are about as far from vegetarians as you can get (don’t get me wrong, we eat plenty of vegetables, it’s just that we think pretty highly of meat), so the restaurant in this review may surprise you.

Yesterday, quite by accident, we happened into Bandidas Taqeria (http://bandidastaqueria.com/) on Commercial. We were driving around the neighborhood when Chris spotted it, and in the haze of hunger I thought I remembered reading something about it on another food blog recently, where it was proclaimed to have the best tacos in the city. I was incorrect. Very incorrect. We walked in, very clearly in the middle of a brunch rush (first clue I was wrong) and it took a few minutes before anyone acknowledged us. Eventually someone came over and added us to the acceptably short waiting list. But when we moved to the bar to peruse the menu, we made a shocking discovery. IT WAS A VEGETARIAN ‘taqueria’. That was the second and damning clue that this was not the place I was thinking of. How can one have a vegetarian taqueria? No carnitas, no al pastor, no pretty much anything I would have wanted to order. But it was too late: we had a good parking spot, a baby and all his gear, and it was too much work to go elsewhere. To his credit, Chris grumbled much less than I would have expected about the unhappy discovery.

The food came quickly, and it was hot. Both good things. Maybe it’s because we had low expectations, or maybe because we were starving, but the food was actually very tasty. I ordered the Dani’s enchiladas (filled with cheese and roasted squash) with the enchilada sauce, and Chris had the heuvas rancheras (sic). (Thankfully it isn’t a vegan restaurant! I never would have heard the end of it. Although they do offer vegan options for those of you who are interested.) The tortillas were the real star of my meal, and that is a compliment. I lived in the Yucatan, and I know good corn tortillas. The enchilada sauce was quite mild, but still quite flavorful, and there was just the perfect amount of cheese inside the enchiladas. I opted for the beans and rice as a side. The rice was a little dry, but the beans were as good as they can be without lard. I would have liked a little cilantro on top, but all in all I was pleasantly surprised and quite happy with my meal. Chris didn’t care for the roasted yams that came as a side with his meal, but liked the rest of plate well enough. Like me, he found the sauce (in his case the ranchera sauce) quite tasty, if a little mild.

Coffee refills were plentiful, overall service decent, and the clientele what you would expect on the drive, a wonderfully eclectic mix of all kinds of people. It was quite child friendly, although there was no real spot for diaper changes in the washrooms. I’m not sure we would go back: it’s not in our neighborhood, and given the baby, when we go out we like to maximize our restaurant experience. But I can happily recommend it as a great casual vegetarian option in the city, where even meat eaters might be happy they joined you for a meal.

2 thumbs.

Gort's Gouda and Maasdammer

2009-11-11T21:27:00.001-08:00

A few weeks ago my mother drove out from Alberta to visit. Lucky for us, her route took her past Gort's Gouda Cheese Farm (http://www.gortsgoudacheese.bc.ca/index.cfm). Knowing me like she does, she thought I might enjoy some artisanal BC cheese (she was right of course), and so she stopped to check it out.

She brought us two cheeses, the aged gouda and the aged maasdammer. The gouda was spectacular. It is at once bold and strong and subtly nuanced in flavor. Mildly nutty, it equally at home on a cheese platter at a fancy dinner party or in a homey grilled cheese sandwich on a rainy day. I was proud to serve it recently to one of my foodie friends who was visiting from down south, who was quite surprised to find out it was a BC product. The maasdammer was milder, although still nutty. To me it had more green qualities, by that I mean only that it tasted like it had been made with spring milk, from cows eating new shoots. The quality of the milk was clearly evident in both cheeses, and it is the milk that I think makes these cheeses so unique; the cows eat well, and so their milk is rich and flavorful, resulting in cheeses full of local flavor.

Both were quite addictive, so if you are watching your calories or cholesterol, I suggest buying only a small block. (Buying none at all would be going too far.)
I am now on the look-out for their extra-aged gouda, which is one of my three favorite cheeses. I'll let you know what I think of that when I find it.

Road 13 Honest John's 2007 Red

2009-09-21T23:17:00.000-07:00

This wine was an accidental opening. I had prepared some mussels with an italian-style wine and tomato sauce, frites with a lemon aioli, and a light salad for a late night (baby-free) meal. Alas, the wine I purchased to accompany the meal was bad, so we headed to the cellar to see what we could find. We decided on the Road 13 Honest John's 2007 (http://www.road13vineyards.com/index.php), a wine Chris purchased about a month ago, and which we were curious to taste.

A merlot blend, it immediately reminded me of Pétales d'Osoyoos from Osoyoos Larose; it had the same characteristic fruit and roundness of merlots from the area. However, as it opened up with more time and air, it became fuller, and unfortunately, a little rougher. It appears to have seen more oak, or more heavily toasted oak, than the Pétales d'Osoyoos. However, the oaking left the wine a little unbalanced; it began with lovely fruit, leading to toasted caramel, and finishing too quickly. We are in disagreement as to whether the lack of finish is real (Chris) or is due to the slightly overpowering toastiness that precedes it (me). Whatever the cause, this is not a wine to be lingered over. To be fair, however, this wine costs $10-$14 less than the Pétales d'Osoyoos, and we consider it to be a good value BC red at its price point.

Note: This was not a great pairing for the mussels, but we hadn't expected it to be. It would likely be quite nice with a grilled hanger steak or quality beef or buffalo burger.

Gray Monk Latitude 50 White 2007

2009-08-30T17:34:00.000-07:00

This offering from Gray Monk on Okanagan lake (http://www.graymonk.com/WinePortfolio.php?art=67) is our latest favorite value wine from BC. Actually, it's probably our only favorite value wine from BC, and to tell the truth, we never would have tried it on our own. It's below the price point where we typically find things we like, but someone served it to us at a recent party, and we were very pleasantly surprised.*

This is not a serious wine, but it is pretty delicious for something that is well under $15.00. Typical of Okanagan whites, this blend has lots of tropical fruit, and some acidity. It goes well with Asian-style food, but it's very pleasant served on its own.

*I know that not all good wines are expensive, nor are all expensive wines good. But in general, the two are fairly correlated, and we take fewer risks with lower priced wines than we used to. Thankfully, not all of our friends think the same way, and so we still get the chance to try wines like this one from time to time.

Maenam

2009-08-29T23:21:00.001-07:00

Rather unsurprisingly, having a newborn has had a significant impact on our ability to go out for dinner. Luckily, however, grandmothers, when they are around, love to look after babies, and a recent visit gave us a welcome night out. After some discussion, we decided to use our limited freedom to try out a new restaurant in our neighborhood - Maenam (http://www.maenam.ca/).

Maenam is in the space previously occupied by Gastropod, and is run by the same people. I must say that we were both much happier with their new venture than their old. (I am not a big fan of molecular gastronomy as it is often practiced in North America. In Spain…now that’s another matter entirely.) The space is not much changed. Yes, the actual décor is different, but the layout is the same (at least to my eyes). And it still has the same feeling - formal enough to make you feel like you’re in for something special, but yet casual enough to be inviting.

Importantly, Maenam lives up to the impression; the food and service were both excellent, and the prices are remarkably low given the high caliber of both. We both actually remarked more than once at the degree of dissonance we felt between the ambiance (including the very professional service) and the prices.

The quality of ingredients and care of preparation are clear in every dish. We ordered roti, house made fermented thai sausages, pad thai, David Thompson’s 3 flavour fish, smoked duck red curry, and rice. The roti, sausage, and pad thai arrived first. The sausage was very tasty. We were both somewhat apprehensive about what exactly a fermented sausage would be like, but be assured, there was nothing funky about it, just great complex flavor. The server warned us about the chili inside, suggesting that we remove it prior to eating the sausage. I was very glad I heeded her warning, but I was also glad that the chili had been in the preparation, as it added a wonderful heat to the sausage. (If you eat whole habaneros, you could probably leave the chilis in, but otherwise, I agree that they are best removed before eating.) I have read reviews gushing about the pad thai, and while we both thought it was tasty, it was not the highlight of the meal for us. It was, what pad thai should be. (I suppose maybe we’ve been lucky in our previous pad thai experiences - I can’t relate to the stories of gloppy thick or dry flavorless noodles that seem to accompany rhapsodies about Maenam’s pad thai.) The roti, by contrast, was undercooked, rather like a sticky gluey paste that had been warmed. The flavour was pleasant enough, but the texture was not. While we were eating the pad thai and roti, the fish, duck, and rice arrived at our table. The fish was my choice and I was very very happy with my selection. The ling cod was perfectly cooked, still moist, but with ultra crispy skin. And the salty, sweet, and sour flavours are perfectly balanced, all present, none stealing the spotlight from the others. I was less taken by the smoked duck curry, but that is more about my tastes than the quality of the dish, which was quite apparent; the duck was quite tasty, and the sauce was very complex and well crafted, with great depth of flavour without being overbearing.

We were both very happy with our experience, and definitely plan to return, something not true of our visit to Gastropod. If it were as expensive as Gastropod was, we would not be so enthusiastic, but as it is, it is great value for money. We highly recommend it.

4 happy thumbs.

BC Ferries...

2009-08-13T22:55:00.000-07:00

No trip to British Columbia is complete without a visit to Vancouver Island, and for most people, that means taking a ferry. In the interests of public service, on a recent trip over to see relatives I decided to sample and report back on some of the food available. I should disclose that I am an island girl, and so have eaten many a meal on the ferries over the years. Thus, I have some nostalgia for the classics, in particular, the clam chowder. The clam chowder I remember was red, tangy, and nicely laced with chopped clams, and potato and carrot cubes. It is still red, but it seems less tangy, and a little less filled with goodies. More disappointing, however, was the new thickness of the chowder. It seems to contain a great deal of cornstarch now. Manhattan style chowder is not supposed to stick to your spoon, or so I thought. Also troubling, they were temporarily out of packets of saltines. One of my favorite things to do as a child on the ferry was to crush the cracker package, neatly breaking the crackers into bits which were then easily poured into the soup, a pleasure I was denied on this trip.

I also sampled the one of the new burgers. I say new because when I last traveled the ferries on a regular basis the burgers were typical institutional burgers, whereas now they are from Whitespot. This happy fact actually gave me some enthusiasm for my task - what child growing up in BC doesn't love Pirate Packs! Add to that the fact that one of my uncles appeared in a Whitespot TV ad in the 80's and I was ready to love my burger. I ordered a legendary burger with cheese combo, and upgraded to the sweet potato fries. Despite being the only person in line at the time, I had to wait several minutes for my burger. I was unperturbed, because at least that should mean it was fresh, or so I thought. As it turned out, the patty was so overcooked as to almost be burnt, and yet it was cold. The fries were piping hot, however, as was the chipotle mayo they were served with (spicy hot that is). Truth be told, however, the state of the hamburger patty didn't bother me tremendously (I have rather low expectations of ferry food), as the sauce on the burger was just as delicious I remembered it. There is something special about successfully reliving a happy childhood food memory, and the burger did that for me. And the sweet potato fries were actually pretty good for food prepared in a floating institutional kitchen - a little soggy, and the chipotle mayo was more heat than flavor, but they could have been much much worse.

Travel tip: If, like me, you are not a fan of Starbucks coffee, you might want to know that there is a Saltspring Island coffee stand in terminal at Tsawwassen. It's at the other end of the building from Starbucks.

2 thumbs up.

2005 Laughing Stock Portfolio

2009-08-04T00:38:00.001-07:00

We opened this last night to go with some fabulous aged rib-eye steaks that Chris grilled. They were simply seasoned with salt and pepper, and served with a vinegarette potato salad and fresh corn on the cob. Wonderful pairing. The wine was nicely structured and well balanced with soft tannins, good acidity, and what I call light fruit. We drink a lot of California Cabs and Meritages which have a tendency toward big, massive fruit. Not so the Portfolio. Although there were definite flavors of cherry and current, we were not overcome by the fruit. And as strange as this may sound to some, it was clear that this was something made from grapes. I rarely get any sense of grape in wine, and when I do, it tends to be a sweet, almost artificial grapeness. That was not the sensation I had drinking this wine. Rather, it was more of a ghost of grape, a subtle reminder of origins, rather than an actual flavor. (Clearly something hard for me to describe.) The wine had a surprising amount of sediment given that it was a 2005, so I would definitely recommend decanting.

http://www.laughingstock.ca/

Dinner at Rangoli

2009-07-25T23:21:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday evening our out-of-town guests wanted Indian cuisine, and we wanted to show them something uniquely Vancouver, with the constraint that the destination had to be baby-friendly. Rangoli was the obvious choice (http://www.vijsrangoli.ca/index.html). It was a beautiful evening, but unfortunately, we had to sit inside as the patio was already full by just after 5 when we arrived. However, this was our only disappointment that evening.

We started with four shared appetizers: the savory chaat, the lamb, beef, and lentil kebabs, the sautéed tomatoes and purple onions, and the cauliflower, spinach, onion and potato pakoras. All four were very tasty (not a scrap was left on any of the plates), but my personal favorite was the sautéed tomatoes, purple onions, and paneer. It had buttery undertones that give it a lovely richness. And it went marvelously with the Joie Riesling I was drinking.

For mains I chose the tamarind and yogurt marinated grilled chicken, and Chris had the spiced and marinated tilapia. Our guests had the beef and broccoli in spicy onion-tomato masala and the grilled eggplant with chick peas. The chicken was very flavorful with only a light bit of spice. The sprout salad it was served with crunchy and fresh, the legumes only slightly sprouted. Chris’s tilapia was a perfect example of what Vij does best, take Indian techniques and spices and marry them with unusual ingredients. It was creamy and flavorful, yet with a lightness befitting tilapia. Our guests’ dishes were also well received, although one wished that the beef and broccoli (a combination that I assume was inspired by/in homage to the large east asian population here in Vancouver) had been served with rice.

We ended our meal with chai and dessert, all of us opting for the same coconut pudding. It was a fairly thin pudding with great fresh coconut flavor, which, for those unfamiliar with fresh coconut, is quite different from what many in North America think of as coconut; it is much less sweet, intense, and overpowering than dried coconut, even when unsweetened. It was a nice summery dessert, although I think that in winter I might like something a bit more substantial.

Rangoli also sells packaged meals, and I purchased several on our way out the door. They are now sitting in our freezer for days when we don’t have time to cook. I will report on these as we eat them.

My one real complaint about the place is the lack of any place to change diapers. There are no changing tables in the washrooms, and the countertops are too narrow to use. It is a very family-friendly restaurant, and so I find this quite disappointing. Vancouver is a town full of young families, many of whom (at least among our friends and acquaintances) are eager to expose their children to a variety of food experiences (and do not want to stay home all the time simply because they have children). For this reason only I'm giving Rangoli 3 thumbs, (2 from Chris, 1 from me).

Wine and Asparagus - Joie 2007 Dedication Pinot Blanc

2009-07-14T12:58:00.000-07:00

This past weekend after a day trip to Whistler with some out-of-town guests, I was charged with making dinner. The only constraints: it had to be quick to prepare as we arrived home rather late, and it had to include asparagus, as one of our guests had gifted me with several bunches of it.

I decided on penne with a cream sauce with asparagus, proscuitto, onion, garlic, and parmesan, served with garlic bread and a simple green salad, a quick and simple dinner. The wine selection proved more difficult. Asparagus is notoriously difficult to pair with wine. However, ‘difficult’ does not mean ‘impossible’; it simply means that some thought is required in making a wine selection. Chris’ choice for the evening was a 2007 Dedication Pinot Blanc from Joie (http://www.joie.ca/index.htm). It was a perfect choice – classic fruit on the nose, but not sweet, some minerality to complement the asparagus, and enough acid to handle the cream in the sauce. Happily, we bought a few bottles of this when it was released a few months back (the website says that they’re sold out). I suggest that if you find some in your local store, you buy it then and there, because you may not see it again.

‘Recipe’: I cut the asparagus up into two inch pieces and blanched it. I sautéed chopped onion until soft, added sliced proscuitto and chopped garlic, then after another 1-2 minutes of sautéing, the asparagus, and salt and pepper. Then a little chicken stock and some half and half went into the pan until warm. Off the heat, the sauce was finished off with a generous handful of parmesan, and some fresh lemon juice. The salad was spares: some romaine, green onion, and red pepper. It was simply dressed with good quality olive oil mixed with fresh chopped garlic, salt and pepper, and then finished with a drizzle of Venturi-Schulze balsamic vinegar (http://www.venturischulze.com/Vinegar/index.php?page_id=vinegar).

I'm back!

2009-07-13T17:22:00.000-07:00

Like the nice weather, I'm back in Vancouver. However, my life has changed quite drastically since last summer: my husband and I welcomed our son to the world on May 6. I anticipate that this will affect the frequency of posts this summer, as well as the content. Expect fewer restaurant reviews, and more information on stores and reports on BC foods and BC wine pairings from meals at home.

Black Widow Winery Single Vineyard Pinot Gris, 2007

2009-03-25T21:44:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the absence of posts recently; I haven't forgotten the blog, I just haven't been up to BC for a few months. But summer's getting closer, and with it more regular visits. In the meantime, here's some thoughts on a BC wine that we opened this evening.

This evening I made a quick and simple chicken dijon stew with pearl onions, baby carrots, and snap peas, served over long grain rice. The richness of the sauce cried out for something crisp and mineraly. Chris looked in the cellar and pulled out something from a winery I discovered on our trip to the bench two summers ago - Black Widow Winery (http://www.blackwidowwinery.com/index.html). The Single Vineyard Pinot Gris (2007) he chose was the perfect accompaniment. A blend of barrel and steel fermentation means the wine has nicely balanced acidity that was wonderful alongside the stew. It cut through the richness of the butter and allowed the natural sweetness of the carrots and pearl onions to shine through. Needless to say, we were very happy with the wine choice of the evening.

Poplar Grove 2007 Pinot Gris and Comox Brie

2009-01-10T18:05:00.000-08:00

Last night was another fun dinner at home with friends featuring some BC cheese and wine I thought I’d share. We started off with some Comox Brie (www.naturalpastures.com/awards), pepper pate, and some of the spiced pickled Fraser Valley blueberries I made in the summer (bcfoodandwineadventures.blogspot.com/2008/07/fraser-valley-berries.html). I’ll just come clean and admit I love Comox Brie. I don’t know if it’s because I lived in Comox as a teenager, or because I love good brie. Probably a little bit of both. It’s creamy and rich and was just lovely with the Poplar Grove 2007 Pinot Gris (www.poplargrove.ca) we served to start.

At the table we began with French de puys lentils finished with white wine, shallots, orange, and tarragon and topped with a salad of baby spinach and proscuitto tossed with a tarragon, orange, and white balsamic vinaigrette. This dish was what the Pinot Gris was intended for, and the pairing worked really well. The wine is clean and crisp and yet with what I can only describe as round fullness and body, without the tropic fruit one often gets on the bench. The food and wine were a perfect balance.

We moved on to herb encrusted roast BC beef tenderloin with a beef stock, red wine and shallot reduction, served alongside italian roasted vegetables and roasted garlic mashed Yukon gold potatoes. The meat was purchased from The Butcher on West 10th (www.thebutcher.ca), a local store I can’t say enough about; their quality and service are exceptional. Chris selected a Poliziano 1999 Asinone (Montepulciano) to serve with the main course, which was absolutely delicious, and worked very well with the meal.

Desert was a simple chestnut panna cotta with a chocolate ganache sauce, whipped cream, raspberries, and mint, and a moscato d’asti.

Hopefully this sets your mouth to watering, and your mind to thinking about all the wonderful meals you can make with BC foods and wines.

Blue Water Cafe & Raw Bar

2008-12-29T23:10:00.000-08:00

Our anniversary is so close to Christmas that we decided long ago to forgo gifts. Instead, we go out for a nice meal together. This year’s destination was the Blue Water Café and Raw Bar (www.bluewatercafe.net).

Likely due to the weather, we managed to get a last minute reservation there for 8:45 on a Saturday night. (We only called at 6.) The wonderful service started the moment we walked through the door. We were greeted and our coats taken immediately upon arrival. A few moments later we were seated and the waiter arrived shortly thereafter to ask about water, and our water and fresh bread rolls with a chick pea red pepper spread quickly followed.

We had almost decided on dinner, when the waiter came back with Chris’s bubbly (Sumac Ridge Pinnacle Brut) and told us about the specials. This of course caused us some pause. In the end, I went with the Galiano Island Swimming Scallops baked with tomatoes caper compote, lemon beurre blanc as a starter and the Lingcod with warm celeriac panna cotta, beluga lentils, caramelized salsify, and tarragon mustard jus as my main, both from the menu. Chris opted for the mixed ceviche (menu) to start, followed by a scallop special, scallops with a raisin caper sauce, roasted fingerling potato, and cauliflower and broccoli, for his main course.

The first course dishes arrived remarkably quickly. Chris really enjoyed the ceviche. In particular, he thought that the ginger and grapefruit were a unique but wonderfully flavorful twist on a classic dish. And his bubbly was a perfect complement. I was less enthused by the scallops. Some were overcooked, others were undercooked. Some had altogether too much bread crumb, making them dry, and the tomato-caper compote was remarkably bland. I was also a little taken aback that one of the scallops still had the ‘foot’ attached. At a restaurant of this caliber, I don’t expect those sorts of mistakes. So all in all, the dish was disappointing.

Not so with our main courses. The scallop dish that Chris ordered was wonderful. The scallops were perfectly cooked, and the blended raisin caper sauce was so tasty it was hard not to lick the plate! It could have been too sweet, but wasn’t - just wonderfully buttery, with a touch of salty sharpness from the capers, and a soupcon of sweetness from the raisins. The glass of Poplar Grove Pinot Gris he had alongside his meal had just the right amount of citrus and acid to serve as a foil for the buttery richness of the scallops and the sauce. My dish too was very good. The cod had a nice crust on the outside, but was just barely cooked through. The lentils were slightly undercooked in my opinion, but very flavorful. (I love beluga lentils and eat them every chance I get. So I have numerous other lentil experiences to compare with, including last year’s anniversary dinner at West.) When ordering, I was curious rather than enthusiastic about the celeriac panna cotta. But it was creamy and had just the right amount of celery flavor to it, and so ended up being quite a nice accompaniment to the fish. The caramelized salsify and pearl onions were like candy, their natural sweetness brought out perfectly by the roasting. And the tarragon sauce was surprisingly good. I often find tarragon overwhelming, but the chef had an appropriately light hand with the herb in this sauce. We were both very content after our mains.

After our plates were cleared we noticed a dark ring on the tablecloth where my plate had been. It seems that the bottom of my plate was dirty, not with grease, but with dark dust, something I found a surprising, and little off-putting.

After much deliberation, for desert, I opted for the Cassis Crème Brulee with apple fondant and Chris, the Warm Dark Cuban Chocolate Cake with vanilla bean ice cream. He chose to pair the cake with a glass of Mt Boucherie Pinot Noir Ice Wine. I simply had tea. I have never before had a tart tangy crème brulee, and so was a little shocked when I first tasted it, but after the third mouthful I was convinced. It was not what I expected, but it was delicious nonetheless. Likewise, the flavor of the apple fondant was wonderful. However, it was filled with hard apple core bits; there was some in almost every bite. I really hate biting into cooked apple and finding sharp hard bits in my teeth. Again, it seemed that the attention to detail was just not there. Chris found his Chocolate Cake tasty, but not spectacular. The wine he chose paired well with the ice cream, but less so with the cake. Note that this was not the pairing recommended on the menu, however, we have had wonderful experiences with red desert wines and chocolate which influenced his choice. (Pairing of note, anything dark chocolate with Van Der Heyden Late Harvest Cabernet Sauvignon, www.vanderheydenvineyards.com/.) It was, however, very nip to sip by itself, and we will almost certainly look for it

Overall, we were happy with the meal. There were a few things that were somewhat unsatisfactory (the scallops, the dirty underside of my dinner plate, the apple core in the desert), but in the main, the flavors were very good. And the service was consistently exemplary. Despite the few bumps in the road, we would return.

4 thumbs.

Twisted Fork

2008-12-17T03:52:00.001-08:00

It was the end of November and we were looking for a place to dine with some foodie friends. After mulling over several options, we decided to try one of Vancouver’s newest restaurants, the Twisted Fork Bistro at 1147 Granville Street.

When we called to confirm their hours, etc., we learned that they don’t take reservations. This proved not to be a problem, as there were two tables large enough available when we arrived. (It was a Sunday night, fairly early.) We were given our choice of a table up near the front, or a booth farther back into the space. We selected the booth which was quite cozy, a little too cozy in fact. I found it a rather awkward layout. It was shaped like an E without the short middle line, and compact enough that knees of people seated on the edges and those in the middle could not help but collide. It would have been perfectly fine for three, but was a little tight for four. Not to worry, we were with friends and celebrating.

The service was consistently good. A server quickly arrived at our table with water, and was very patient with us throughout the evening despite our frequent indecision. We took a long time to decide in full, with orders for different things by different people being placed at different times. And they were very accommodating. Chris wanted to start with a glass of bubbles, something they didn’t actually serve. However, they offered him one anyway, which made him happy. When he later ordered a glass of red wine to go with his meal, they only had 2/3 glass of what he ordered left, so they just gave it to us.

For starters the table shared mussels, an order of Fernie Fries (assorted fried roots and tubers), and a cheese plate. The mussels were the definite favorite of the trio: very tasty, perfectly cooked and not a bad mollusk in the bowl. (I am very sensitive to old seafood.) As promised, the sauce was a must slurp, and they brought plenty of bread for sopping it up. The muscles were topped with frites, which were the same as the Fernie Fries. All in all, they were quite tasty, with the mix of roots and tubers providing nicely varied flavors, although flaccid. Frites should be crisp, either because they are twice fried or very thin cut, neither of which these were. Despite this, however, we (possibly I) did consume most of the fries. The cheese plate was rather pedestrian, a blue, a camembert, and some Oka. All perfectly nice cheeses, but with so much local variety available, why stick with three old favorites?

For mains, Chris ordered the duck (breast and confit served with ratatouille), and I had the game hen with potatoes and roasted vegetables. Our dinner companions ordered the steak frites and oxtail soup. The duck was very tasty. The breast was nicely cooked, and the confit had flavor beyond just the lusciousness imparted by being cooked in duck fat. It really was a nice dish. I was less enthusiastic about my game hen. The skin was not the least bit crispy and the sauce was very salty. The sides were fine, but a little strange – there were mashed and roasted potatoes. As for our friends dishes: the steak was slightly overcooked, and the oxtail soup, while flavorful, was overly salted.

For desert Chris ordered strudel and I had the lemon tart. The strudel pastry was burnt and tough, so much so that a stead knife would have been handy. And the was filling bland. My filling in my lemon tart was nicely tart and tangy, although runny. Again, the pastry was tough, and hard to break through with a fork.

All in all, there were a few hits (the mussels, the duck, the service which was consistently good), but more misses. Chris said he’d be willing to try the place again, but I am less inclined to do so. There are so many restaurants in town, why not try somewhere else? On our way out, we noticed that there was a large ‘bar crowd’ near the front when we left (which made me glad we chose the booth at the back – the table up front where we would have been was surrounded), who all seemed to having a great time. Chris suggested that maybe Twisted Fork should concentrate on smaller plates and build up that side of the business. It’s a thought.

2 thumbs.

Rangoli

2008-11-30T12:26:00.000-08:00

Today was a very typical late November day in Vancouver, grey and wet. As usual, the skies couldn’t decide between rain and misty drizzle. Ignoring the weather as Vancouverites do, we headed out to do some shopping. An hour or two later we found ourselves tired and hungry. And too close to Rangoli not to try it for lunch (www.vijsrangoli.ca/).

It’s a perfectly pleasant space, not as rich and opulent as the restaurant next door, but just fine for a quick, casual lunch. Although the covered outdoor space was open, we opted for inside. (I really dislike outdoor spaces that are heated, especially in such a self-professed green-conscious city.) The menu is compact, but with enough variety for vegetarians and meat-eaters alike. We opted to share an order of the Cauliflower, Spinach, Onion and Potato Pakoras with daal to start. The pakoras were tasty, just enough chick-pea flour batter to hold the vegetables together, perfectly crispy and not at all greasy. I don’t know if it was me or the weather or just how hungry we were, but the mint chuntey served alongside was the best I’ve ever had, perfectly fresh mint with slight sweetness and just the right touch of spiciness. The daal (chana, I believe) was topped with fresh spinach which added an unexpected dimension of taste and texture.

For our mains, we both decided on the Tilapia on vegetable rice pilaf. The menu says that it is ‘in a creamy tomato, onion, ginger, and cilantro broth’. I would argue with the use of the word broth to describe the liquid. It was not thin, nor did it (as I imagined) surround the rice in a bowl. Terminology aside, it was delicious. Incredibly rich and creamy. Chris quickly finished his, and I ate until beyond full it was so good. It was a perfect example of the genius of Vij’s cooking. Familiar Indian ingredients and techniques combined in novel ways, often with local products, to produce wonderful dishes beyond anything usually found in South Asian restaurants.

We also thought that the service was quite good. Waters arrived quickly, as did our food, although not so quickly as to make us feel rushed. The only thing time I felt like we were waiting was when we were ready to pay – it took a very long time for anyone to come by and pick up our card. Besides being generally efficient, the staff was friendly and personable. One server spent a great deal of time with the table next to us answering questions about Vij’s operations. It also seems to be a pretty family friendly place. We were seated near a large table with numerous small children. It was the only table available when we were seated, and they did offer us a table around the corner when one became available, but we opted to stay put. Their concern was not only for those seated near the children, however, they also seemed quite attuned to the needs of the diners with children. The children were, well, they were young children, and waiting patiently for long periods of time is generally not a quality they posses. Possibly sensing the potential for impending chaos, a server brought a dish of yucca fries to occupy the children while they were waiting on their food.

In sum: wonderful food, good service, reasonable prices, and a family friendly environment.

4 thumbs!

Joie PTG 2006

2008-11-27T12:28:00.000-08:00

I recently received information about the release of three Joie limited release wines. Being the Joie fans we are, we rushed to out to the Broadway International Wine Shop (http://www.broadwaywineshop.ca/) and bought three bottles, two of the 2007 Dedication Pinot Blanc and one of the 2006 PTG (Passetoutgrain), a red. Although we had not planned on opening either right away, our resolve did not last; neither did the PTG.

A combination of Pinot Noir and Gamay, the PTG has the light colour of many pinots. But don’t let the visuals fool you, this wine has more body than you would think. (I was actually surprised to see that it’s 40% Gamay; to my mind it drinks like a Santa Cruz Mountains pinot, although with a bit more levity.) Like most of Joie’s offerings, this wine is very old world in style. It has balance. The berry and cherry are very present, but the fruit does not dominate to the exclusion of all else. Likewise the alcohol content; it is listed at 13%, substantially lower than many pinots from Oregon or California. And there is enough acid to enable food pairing, while not so much that it is not also a very pleasant drinking wine.

Notably, this is the first BC Pinot (or mostly pinot as the case may be) that we have thought was worth the money. Given where I actually live most of the year, we have had access to many incredible (and not so incredible) pinots from all over California and Oregon, and as far as new world pinots go, we’ve never been that impressed by those from BC. Several we have tried have been perfectly drinkable, but highly overpriced relative to comparable wines from down south. Less so the PTG.

They suggest this wine will continue to improve for 3-5 years, but I don’t get that same sense. There aren’t components that need mellowing. The various aspects and flavors are already well integrated. And it didn’t change much over the several hours we had it open and exposed to air. Chris in fact suggested that by 2-3 years this wine will begin to decline, and I would have to agree. (Usually we have very different assessments on a wine’s aging potential.) But then, I’m not a winemaker, I’m a wine drinker, and they know their wine better than I do. From my perspective, however, what this really means is that we plan to buy more soon, and enjoy it.

2006 Coyote Bowl Merlot from Church and State Wines

2008-11-19T21:43:00.000-08:00

I needed a red wine to use in a pan sauce for this evening’s dinner, and Chris chose a bottle of 2006 Coyote Bowl Merlot from Church and State (https://www.churchandstatewines.com/wines/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=30). The dinner was a rouladen-inspired meatloaf (ground beef, pork, and pork sausage meat stuffed with dill spears, onion, and mustard, topped with mustard and bacon), served with steamed brussels sprouts with butter and lemon, oven roasted whole carrots, and warm sour cream and mustard potato salad. (The pan sauce was just beef stock and red wine flavored with pickling spice and bay leaf, reduced and strained.)

I found the nose very intriguing – at first pretty much all I could sense was acid (which is something I usually don’t smell), although with time there were hints of fruit as well. The alcohol content is high, but despite that, it was not strong on the nose. In terms of flavor, it was very tight when we first opened it, but it did open up with some air. And it was definitely better with food than without. We could definitely taste what was described on the label, particularly the tobacco, and later the cherry. It is more old world than new in style. However, overall it seemed rather unbalanced, especially in the lack of any real tannins. Chris recently tried the Nk’mip 2006 merlot and really enjoyed it (http://www.nkmipcellars.com/). He found it to be nicely balanced and more complex in flavor, although very identifiably new world and so quite a different style of wine. Despite our lack of enthusiasm for this wine (the Church and State), according to the website, it has won several awards, so we decided to gas it and try it again tomorrow. Although rare, sometimes wines are actually better the next day. We’ll let you know. Otherwise, I sense a rich stew or braise in our near future.

La Quercia – Second Visit

2008-10-26T22:05:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I happened to be up in Vancouver for a quick visit and had a yen for some Italian food. So we instantly though of La Quercia (www.laquercia.ca/index.html), but when we called (at about 8 pm on Saturday), they were all booked up for the evening. Undaunted, we decided to try again the next day, and managed to get a table for 8:30.

Our table was ready and waiting for us when we arrived. (We were actually given a choice of tables. Hint: Sunday evenings look like a good time to go to La Quercia.) Water and bread arrived very quickly, which was good, because it gave us something to eat while facing the difficult task of deciding what to eat. Although the menu is diminutive, there are often numerous specials, and everything sounds delicious, making deciding more difficult than one might imagine given so few choices.

In the end, Chris went with one of the specials as a starter and, remembering our first visit (http://bcfoodandwineadventures.blogspot.com/2008/08/la-quercia-restaurant.html), a small dish of one of the pasta specials as his main. I ordered a very rich special as my main, and hence wanted something light and fresh to start. There wasn’t anything fitting that description on the menu, so I asked our server if it would be possible to get a simple salad as a starter. He was happy to accommodate my request, and quickly said yes. He returned a short time later to say that, unfortunately, they could not do a green salad, but would be happy to make some sort of seasonal vegetable salad instead, which was perfectly fine with me. Along with this news, he brought a wine for Chris to sample. I wasn’t drinking, so Chris was having wine by the glass. The server suggested a red wine to go with his meal, but had something else not usually available by the glass that he thought might work well, and so offered Chris a taste. It was indeed a good wine for the food, and if I could remember what it was we might have it again. But unfortunately, I wasn’t paying much attention. I do remember that it was northern Italian.

Our starters arrived shortly thereafter. Mine was a mélange of cut green beans, asparagus, small radishes, and shaved fennel with a light vinaigrette. It was perfect. The vegetables were crisp and the vinaigrette was light. Chris had a special that was highly recommended by the server – very thin slices of veal tongue with a red wine reduction served alongside shaved white onions. Neither of us had ever eaten tongue before, but we like to try new things and so we took our server’s recommendation. (Speaking of which, I loved my recent first taste of sweetbreads at Restaurant Tallent in Bloomington, IN, www.restauranttallent.com/index.html. I highly recommend them, and the restaurant.) We were very glad we did. It was incredibly flavorful. The onion was the perfect (and necessary) foil for the richness of the meat and sauce. The texture was remarkable, tender, yet toothsome. (It was so good I am inspired to try cooking tongue at home, an experiment Chris is heartily behind.)

Mains: Chris’s Tagliatelle Bolognese was as wonderful as we remembered. The fresh pasta was perfectly cooked, kissed with just the right amount of their fabulously rich Bolognese sauce. The portion looked small (it was the appetizer size after all), but it was more than enough. It’s a filling dish. Moreover, I had anticipated that I would need some help finishing mine, and was not wrong about this. I had ordered the veal involtini special - veal scaloppine stuffed with taleggio and proscuitto. It was served with a reduction including a little marsala, some crispy roasted potatoes, chard stem bits, and some thinly sliced quickly sautéed zucchini. All in all it was pretty tasty. I found the potatoes a little too salty, and the meat a little undercooked. (The innermost veal in the roll was barely warm. But the outside was perfectly cooked, meaning that a longer cooking time to accommodate the internal meat would have produced a leathery outer layer of veal, which would have been worse. So I just dealt with it.) On the plus side, the flavors of everything on the plate were great. I have to come clean, I don’t like zucchini. I usually find it bitter. (Strange, given how much I love bitter greens.) But this was not at all bitter, and I enjoyed the few bites of zucchini I had. (Chris pretty much takes it for granted that he gets my zucchini.) I had expected that I would taste the components of the involtini, but this was not the case. The veal, cheese, and ham flavors all melded beautifully. I would definitely order this dish again.

By this point in time, Chris had moved on to another wine. I believe it was the Tenuta del Portal 2005 Aglianico. Much fruitier than the first wine. His assessment was that the second wine was better for drinking, the first was a better accompaniment to the food.

We finished off with a lambrusco-poached pear, stuffed with lemon mascarpone. I believe they used a sweeter lambrusco for poaching, but added little sugar to the poaching liquid, so it was not cloyingly sweet. (For those whose lambrusco experience begins and ends with Ruinite, lambruscos can be incredibly crisp and dry.) And given the lower alcohol content of lambruscos (compared to regular red wine) there was little leftover alcohol flavor. Just the fruitiness of the wine and subtle flavors of warm spices and lemon.

Once again, we left happy, and will return. Next time, however, we might try the tasting menu. I can’t find any mention of it anywhere. But the table next to us was having it, and it looked spectacular. So I’d suggest asking about it when you phone and make reservations. We will.

4 thumbs.

Gyoza King

2008-09-27T23:24:00.000-07:00

Most people’s idea of Japanese food is sushi, and certainly Vancouver is a great place to find fresh high quality sushi. But there is much more to Japanese food, as we have discovered at places the likes of Gyoza King, an izakaya at 1508 Robson street.

Izakayas are bars with food, usually small plates made for sharing. (Think tapas, Japanese style.) The first time we went we were lucky enough to go with some friends, one of whom had lived in Japan. It’s an extensive menu, and most of the items are unfamiliar. We let him pick the food that evening, a wise choice. He introduced us to things we likely would not have tried otherwise, but which we fell in love with and now order on our own. Our favorite is oden, a wonderfully light flavorful broth with a variety of things, such as boiled eggs, daikon, and surimi cakes, in it. It is a must-try item. You can order individual items in broth, or a five- or seven-item bowl, where the choices are fixed. The first time we had it we tried the seven-item bowl, but on this visit we had the five, and as it turns out, we prefer the five. (If I could tell you what the things are in the broth I would, but I can’t. Just take the plunge, you’ll be glad you did.)

Among the unfamiliar items are a variety of things cooked in foil packets, such as mushrooms and scallops. I am always reluctant to order these, as they don’t sound particularly appetizing, but am always happy afterwards. On this visit we had the mushrooms, and as usual, I couldn’t stop eating them. We also ordered their house pickles, which are quick pickles that change regularly. This visit it was mostly pickled napa cabbage, spicy and nicely crunchy.

They also have many of the more familiar Japanese dishes: sashimi (but no sushi), yakitori, karage, and, as one might imagine, gyoza (there are six different kinds), to name a few. Their gyoza are indeed tasty. We had two orders on this visit, prawn and vegetable. FYI: they do not bring gyoza sauce with your order, it’s already on the table. Another one of our favorites, and a must have is the agedashi tofu. I love agedashi tofu. Chris occasionally likes it. He always likes it here. Translation – you need not be a tofu person to appreciate this dish. The bonito ribbons on top are like nothing I’ve ever experienced. They almost dance on your tongue, literally, not just figuratively. (Note, the pieces of tofu are covered in a batter that is slightly heavier than is typical for agedashi, but despite that, it is still a very light dish.)

We have been to other izakayas in town, but Gyoza King is our favorite. It is not flashy or trendy, just good, authentic (according to our various friends who have lived in Japan), reasonably priced food. Be sure to check out the specials when you’re there too. There’s always something there that tempts us.

They have a decent selection of sakes and beers, as well as cocktails.

4 thumbs!

Want great gyoza without crossing a bridge? Check out Jun Sushi at 3309 W. Broadway. They only have two kinds (pork and veggie) but it's really great gyoza, made fresh on the premises (sometimes just for you!).

Vera's Burger Shack (Kitsilano)

2008-09-19T22:19:00.000-07:00

It was one of those fabulous Vancouver summer days in mid-September, sunny and warm, the beaches full despite it being a week day, and I had a burger craving. Usually we would just fire up the grill – Chris does a mean burger – but that day we decided we should take advantage of the weather and head out on the town on our bikes.

Vera’s Burger Shack (www.verasburgershack.com/home.html) on Cornwall was the evening’s chosen destination. Neither of us had eaten at a Vera’s before, but burger reviews have been popping up all over the place recently, with Vera’s getting good reviews in most. So it seemed like a perfect opportunity.

There was a line when we arrived, a good sign, but it moved quickly, another good sign. We each ordered the Vera burger, I with ‘the usual suspects’ toppings plus pickles, and Chris with the usual suspects plus pickles, bacon, and grated cheddar cheese. I comboed mine with a drink and fries (intended for sharing), along with a side of gravy, and Chris had a beer. The prices are very reasonable: we got all of that for around $25.00. So already we were happy.

When we ordered there were two clerks, as soon as we paid one left, and our clerk moved over to the other till. This shouldn’t be anything of note, except that he did so without giving me my soft drink cup or Chris his beer. We had to stand there for several minutes before we could get his attention and sort this out. Seating turned out to be a little precarious. There were more than enough open seats for all the patrons, but almost half of the table/counter spots were piled high with dirty baskets, etc. (They seemed to be a little understaffed for the weather.) We joined previous patrons in pushing aside the remains of someone else’s meal, and got ourselves two seats by the window, enjoying our drinks in the sun.

The food was ready quite quickly, and I instantly understood the great reviews Vera’s consistently gets. The patties were well seasoned and perfectly cooked, the vegetables fresh, and the sauces not too heavy. There’s not much more to say than that. A good burger is a good burger, and harder to find than one might think. The portion of thin crispy fries was generous, more than enough for sharing. (We didn’t manage to finish a single order between the two of us.) The gravy was that perfect-on-fries fake beef gravy with an almost iridescent sheen to it, a perfect dipping sauce for the fries. (Don’t get me wrong, I love high end dining – the best meal I’ve had in Vancouver yet was last December at West – but I think that if you really appreciate food, you recognize perfection at all ends of the food spectrum, from hole-in-the-wall diners to Michelin star holders. Despite what folks here think after eating high-end poutine at places like Feenie’s, real poutine, the kind you get at chip trucks in Ottawa and Montreal, always has that kind of gravy, and just doesn’t taste right if it doesn’t.)

In sum, great burgers. We definitely left happy customers (and well fortified for our hill-climb homeward). If the place had been cleaner, they’d get 4 thumbs, because the food deserves them, but in the end, I have to judge a restaurant by the whole experience (and piles of garbage on tables are a definite negative).

3 thumbs.

Dim Sum at Sun Sui Wah on Main

2008-09-05T00:32:00.001-07:00

We love dim sum. It is our preferred ‘Sunday brunch’, and we’ve eaten dim sum in more cities than I can remember. It’s always interesting to see the differences in what is served and how. Is there a congee cart? Are there vegetable dumplings, gai lan, noodle dishes? Do you get smooth chili sauce or oily? What about hot mustard? Does the table setting include bowls? Is there soya sauce on the table? All of these things vary by city, likely due to differences in immigration patterns.

When I last lived here the place to go for dim sum was the Pink Pearl on E. Hastings, but times have changed and the last time we went there we were very disappointed. But this did not discourage us; we were fairly confident that there was still good dim sum to be had in the city, we just had to find it. The trouble is, the usual cues are not as valid in Vancouver – in this very multi-cultural city other white faces are not necessarily a sign to stay away.

I am happy to report that we have found a new favorite spot – Sun Sui Wah on Main (http://www.sunsuiwah.com/e-about-1.html). They have the usual sui mai, ha gow, sticky rice, and steamed pork buns. Making us very happy, they also had our favorite which can be hard to come by in some places – steamed bean curd skin rolls. As always, we tried a few new things, and especially liked the scallop dumpling soup. (I think a better translation might have been scallop soup with dumplings, since the scallop was in the broth and the single large dumpling was not filled with scallop. But it was tasty.) They also have one of the largest selections of desert items I’ve ever seen at dim sum. I am not a big desert eater, and generally am even less enthusiastic about Chinese deserts. But in the spirit of trying new things at new places, we tried the mango pancakes one on the advice of one of the hosts. They’re little pillows consisting of a thick crepe/thin spongy pancake-like thing filled with fresh mango slices and whipped cream. The mango was so flavorful it reminded me of eating them fresh in the tropics. I think if we weren’t already so full, we would have ordered another plate of them! We highly recommend these.

The variety of items was not as wide as our favorite place (http://restaurantpeony.com/) in our ‘other’ city (particularly in terms of items with vegetables), but the food was tasty, and the service very friendly.

4 thumbs.

Bayswater Tea Co.

2008-09-01T12:32:00.000-07:00

It is suddenly clear that my favorite time of year, fall, is quickly approaching if not fully upon us already. The change brings with it thoughts of all things warm and comforting, braises, long simmered stews and soups, and warm comforting drinks such as hot apple cider, hot chocolate, and tea.

Long before we knew much of anything about wine, we drank tea, a habit we maintain. Luckily, good lose tea is not as hard to come by here as in other places we’ve lived. (We used to have to order our tea from the Upton Tea Company in New England, www.uptontea.com/shopcart/home.asp, which has a great tea selection and good customer service. It’s just hard to smell the tea through the mail.) There are a few stores here in Vancouver where we purchase tea, but the one we buy from most often is the Bayswater Tea Co. (www.bayswatertea.com) on West Broadway.

A few weeks ago I sat down for a chat (over some tea of course) with the owner, Sabrina Fass, to find out more about her, tea, and the store. I was very interested in what would motivate such a young person to spend all her time around tea, something many of us associate with visits to Grannie or the stuffiness of high tea at places like the Empress Hotel in Victoria.

She first discovered her passion for tea in Germany. She was there for a year studying joinery. Like any student, caffeine was a necessity, but she didn’t want to buy an expensive coffee pot that she wouldn’t be able to bring back home, so she bought a stove-top kettle for tea instead. She quickly discovered that there’s more to tea than the boxes on supermarket shelves that we are most familiar with here. (Although that has changed. The next time you’re in a grocery store, check out the tea selection! It’s a far cry from the lonely three or four brands of orange pekoe available when I was a child.) She explored the wide variety of high quality teas available at the local tea stores there and fell in love. And so what started as an economic decision became a passion for her.

When she came back from Germany she found it more difficult to enter carpentry than she expected, as her training there didn’t count towards her papers here. She briefly thought about starting her own company, but research proved that to be prohibitively expensive. One day she and a friend who was an amateur herbalist were chatting, and the idea to open a store specializing in teas and herbs came to her. Her challenge to her friend “we’re 23 years old, what do we have t lose but money.” That conversation was the beginning of a store called Herbal Bliss, located at 10^th and Alma. According to Fass, starting that store was a trial by fire. It was difficult in the beginning, but they eventually got the hang of running their own business, and by the time the end of their 5 year lease was approaching, she was ready for more.

As it turned out, her friend wanted to go in a different direction with her life, and about that time there were changes in the regulations governing sales of herbs in the province, leaving just Sabrina and the tea side of the operation. So she set out to do more research, investigating the demographics of various neighborhoods, trying to find one that would suit the kind of store she wanted to run, and the Bayswater Tea Co. on W. Broadway was born.

It’s been just over three years since the store opened and she still loves it. She not only loves tea, she also truly enjoys helping customers discover tea. Like any good tea store, customers are encouraged to smell teas before buying them. No prepackaged cartons here. And with over 250 teas in the store, there really is something for everyone, from black teas to rooibos (which incidentally, is one of her favorites) and everything in between. The staff do tastings so they know the products they are selling. And all of them care as much as she does about matching teas with individual palates.

For personal consumption Fass tends to rotate teas, drinking black in the morning and rooibos in the afternoon/evening. As she put it “each tea brings something different to your body so it’s good to cycle. It’s like saying broccoli is good for you, but are you going to only eat broccoli?”

I was struck by what she said about why tea is so relaxing. It’s about the time commitment: you have to take some time out of your day to make tea. You have to take the time to boil the water, pour it in the pot, and wait as it steeps. You can’t just push a button on a machine and out comes tea. (Maybe that’s why I find French press coffee more relaxing and decadent, it too requires monitoring and attention. Cappuccino, by contrast, which also takes time and effort, involves turbulence and violent action which may reinforce the energetic and vigorous effect of coffee.) Speaking of which, I think hear the kettle boiling…

Bay Moorings in Horseshoe Bay

2008-08-28T00:48:00.000-07:00

We were heading over to Vancouver Island on a Monday, arriving at the ferry terminal in what should have been plenty of time for the 2:30 sailing. Unfortunately for us, it was not a typical Monday. There was a 1-2 sailing wait, which surprised even the locals. Not to worry we thought, the next sailing was at 3:30 and we looked good for that one. Alas, it was not to be either – we missed it by 4 cars, leaving us stranded there for another 2 hours. By this time it had been hours since breakfast and we were going to kill each other if we didn’t eat soon. So we locked up the car and left the terminal to see what was to be had in Horseshoe Bay village.

Against our better judgment we succumbed to the pull of the fabulous view to be had on the patio at the Bay Moorings Restaurant (www.baymooringsrestaurant.com/index.html). Together we’ve lived in eight countries and visited many others, and we are both of the opinion that there really is no place on earth like British Columbia. The view from the patio is a perfect example – the sun on the water and the majestic mountains, where patches of snow are still to be seen. Sea birds, some coasting on air currents, others diving at fishes. The spectacular untamed beauty of this province is truly remarkable, something I didn’t really appreciate until I left and came back. On this, Bay Moorings truly delivered. We sat in silent awe for a few moments, appreciating the opportunity that the ferry had delivered us. That and the very quick delivery of a nice cold local lager put us in a much calmer mood immediately. Unfortunately, we were much less impressed by the food. We ordered some dolmades when we ordered our pints – it’s a Greek restaurant after all – and a pizza and the seafood special a few minutes later. Unfortunately, I cannot comment on the dolmades because they never came. We were surprised they were taking so long when suddenly the rest of our food arrived. We mentioned the dolmades to the runner and when he said he would bring them quickly, we declined. (We didn’t really need that much food, we had just needed something quick to start.) The server came by the table shortly thereafter and rather brusquely informed us that it was not her fault, she had ordered them. Rather an irrelevant fact at that point, as she had not ensured that we actually received them.

We shared a thin crust pizza we (I) designed with tomatoes, green pepper, onions and feta, and Chris ordered one of the daily specials, mussels and clams with a white wine marinara sauce. The pizza crust was very thin and nicely crispy. The toppings were fresh enough and went well together. The mozzarella cheese was not quite melted, however. It could definitely have used a few more minutes in the oven, but we were too hungry at that point to send it back for more cooking, and so ate it anyway. We were not however hungry enough to eat the other dish. The shellfish themselves were fine, but the sauce was ultra salty, to the point of being bitter.

On a more positive note, the check came quickly, and our change was returned with similar efficiency. They are clearly used to serving ferry customers who often need to rush out in a hurry.

So while we don’t recommend the food, at least the items we ordered (given the ownership, I would be surprised if the greek food weren’t better), they do have a beautiful view, and the beers were cold and came quickly. So if you find yourself stuck at the Horseshoe Bay ferry terminal sometime and want a nice view and some drinks, it’s a fine place to go.

1 thumb for the food, but 4 thumbs for the view.

La Quercia Restaurant

2008-08-25T13:57:00.000-07:00

One of the problems with great neighborhood restaurants is that they become destination restaurants and it becomes harder and harder for the locals to get in. I fear that this will happen quite quickly to La Quercia (laquercia.ca), an excellent new addition to our Vancouver neighborhood. Attracting people from elsewhere is a good thing, as it can give the restaurant a better chance of surviving, but it also makes it much harder to wander in for an impromptu meal.

La Quercia has only been open for a few weeks, but already it is packed. We decided at about 6 pm on a Saturday evening that we should try it. Chris urged me to call ahead and I am very glad I did. They told me the earliest they could get us in for a table was 9:45! The bar was available earlier if we liked, and I jumped on that option, reserving it for 8:45. As it turned out, they did have a table for us when we arrived after all, but lesson learned.

We were seated very quickly, but the few moments we stood in the entrance were their own sensory experience. Standing there the first thing that caught our attention was the scent of seafood, then it was pesto, then it was the rich smell of braised meat. Each wave of scent wafting in one by one. It left our mouths watering, and bode well for the meal ahead.

We started with Prosecco; we’re both fans of starting things off with something bubbly and it gave us something to sip on while perusing the menus. You might think with so few items it would be a simple thing to decide. Not so. Does one go traditional and start with antipasti (appetizer), move to primi (pasta), and then on to secondi (main course) or not? We decided that this would be much too much food for us and so opted for only two courses each. But then you still have to decide whether to have antipasti or pasta as a starter, and pasta or meat as a main. Then, just as we had decided, the server came and told us the specials, throwing a wrench into things. In the end we decided on two plates each and a bottle of Pinot Nero.

Chris started with the Tagliatelle Bolognese and I with a special, Pork Belly with Apples. We often use Bolognese as a criterion by which to evaluate Italian restaurants, a test which La Quercia passed with flying colours. (A comment by the host shows that we are not alone in this: when he brought us bread (mini ciabattas) and oil, he commented that many people use that dish to judge the restaurant.) It really was excellent. The fresh pasta was perfectly cooked, and the sauce was wonderfully rich and bold, full of the deep flavors which only hours of simmering will impart. The pork belly was nicely crispy, and the accompaniments had the right amount of acid to balance the fat without being overtly noticeable.

For our main courses, we had the Canederli Stuffed Cornish Game Hen (Chris) and Spaghetti Genovese (Carla). According to my après-dinner research, canaderli are traditional bread dumplings or gnocchi from the north of Italy, flavored with herbs, meats, mushrooms or cheese. Here, instead of formed dumplings, the mixture was stuffed into bird’s cavity. Chris’s sense was that it consisted of ricotta, mushrooms, and very small traces of either prosciutto or pancetta (although speck is another possibility). It was accompanied by burst tomatoes, lightly sautéed very thinly sliced zucchini, and a blend of chard stem pieces and fennel. The chard stem was so sweet, and the lightness of the vegetable preparation was a nice contrast to the richness of the game hen. Chris started saying he was full half-way through the portion, and he repeated himself several times whilst finishing the plate. The Genovese was one of the specials that evening. I think I had somehow fooled myself into thinking that the beans would magically make it light. Spaghetti al denti, tossed in a fresh pesto just bursting with the essence of summer flavors, packed with garden fresh green beans, and chunks of potato. Fresh, yes, light no. I wanted a little more pepper, and opted for peperoncini, which brought another dimension to the dish.

Unaware of the portion sizes when we ordered, we also ordered a side of burst cherry tomatoes and rapini. The rapini was blanched and then grilled, bringing out the bitterness. The tomatoes were little globes of perfect end-of-summer sweetness. Both were nice foils to the richness of the game hen and pasta. With respect to portion sizes, they are very generous, and next time I will definitely order the small (primi) portion of any pasta dish, main dish or not.

The Pinot Nero proved to be more robust than we had anticipated. It was not a huge tannic wine, but neither was it a more typical light fruity nero, rather, it was squarely a medium bodied red, substantial enough for our dishes, but not something I’d order with fish for instance.

We had no room left for desert, and so I cannot comment on their offerings in that department. Chris did finish with an espresso, however, and judged it to be excellent. Too often in North America espresso is drawn too long, resulting in a bitter shot. Theirs was a nice small shot, rich and almost chocolaty with a perfect covering of crema, rivaling real Italian espresso. Chris heartily approved.

One thing you should be aware of is the size of the place. It is small, and the tables are very close together, so if you end up sitting near people will horrible table manners (as did we) it can take something away from your experience. But in general, the closeness makes it friendly and cozy. (And it also means there’s at least one more table than there would otherwise be, bettering your chance of getting in.)

I have no doubt that La Quercia will draw diners from other parts of the city, meaning that unfortunately, we will have to share.

4 thumbs!!!

Made-in-BC Balsamic Vinegar from Venturi-Schultze

2008-08-22T18:14:00.000-07:00

Where there is wine, there is usually also vinegar, and Vancouver Island is no exception. In addition to wines, Venturi-Schultze Vineyards (www.venturischulze.com/index.php) in Cobble Hill also produce their own balsamic vinegar. I first heard about it in the book British Columbia Wine Country (Schreiner & Miller, 2007) published by Whitecap Books (www.whitecap.ca), a gift from a friend last summer, and my curiosity was definitely piqued at that time. A recent trip to Vancouver Island to visit family provided the perfect opportunity to learn more.

Two days before our trip, I emailed the winery to ask about the possibility of wine and vinegar tasting, as according to their website, it’s by appointment only. Marilyn Schultze got back to me right away with a very friendly email explaining that they don’t really have wine tasting (they’re happy to do it if you’re willing to buy the bottles they open) but they’d be happy to do a vinegar tasting for us. I was very much looking forward to it and would love to be able to write about the visit. But as it turned out, the birds arrived earlier than expected and they had to spend the day in the fields putting up the bird nets to protect the grapes from winged marauders, so we didn’t get to do a tasting after all. Marilyn was very apologetic about the change in plans, although she didn’t need to be; these things happen, especially in such small operations. But she did suggest that if I really wanted some of the vinegar, she could leave a bottle for me to pick up. A marvelous idea.

I of course had to open it as soon as we got home, and have used it in a few dishes already (my favorite being a cauliflower ‘pilaf’ - cauliflower bits sautéed with finely chopped, garlic, shallots, and red pepper, finished with a little sea salt, pepper, sherry, butter, and just before serving, a touch of the balsamic vinegar). The acid is very gentle, and unlike many of the inexpensive supermarket versions, you can actually tell this product started out as wine. I look forward to being able to return at some point to learn more about them and their vinegar and wines.

If you are interested in visiting, be aware that it is easier to get to when driving north than south (a quick off and on versus two turns and a windy road), although the turnoff is much less noticeable in that direction. If you just want to try the vinegar, it is available in several stores around the province.

Two Chefs and a Table

2008-08-20T01:18:00.000-07:00

Two Chefs and A Table (www.twochefsandatable.com), one of Vancouver’s newest restaurants, is very aptly named: the room is dominated by a large communal table in the middle, and on a recent visit, for most of the evening we saw only two people in the open kitchen. Here, the focus is squarely on the food, a welcome change from many restaurants in town seemingly more concerned with the latest trends in interior design and food techniques than in flavor.

It is located in an up-and-coming (i.e., questionable) neighborhood, and doesn’t stand out much from the outside. But inside is another story. It is a simple but inviting space with beautiful dark wood floors, wooden walls painted white, and simple chandeliers. We entered and were immediately greeted by a very friendly host, who as it turned out, was also the lone server. She gave us our choice of tables, and we selected the one in the corner at the window. We were warned about the possible ‘entertainment’ outside, but it turned out to be a quiet evening. Menus and waters arrived very quickly.

The menu is built around local seasonal ingredients, with the chefs concentrating on only a few dishes each day. The result of this is a rather minimal menu. There are only a few starters and mains to chose from, but everything is very reasonably priced, with the starters around $10 and the mains under $20. There is also a five-course chef’s table, which on the evening we were there was priced at $44. The wine list is similarly brief, as well as reasonably priced. They do have a few extra off-list wines available, including champagne, but that evening we ordered off the regular list.

Thinking about our early courses, we each started with a glass of white wine. I had a Pinot Gris from Lang and Chris ordered a Gewürztraminer from See Ya Later (both BC). The Gewurtz was redolent of tropical fruit, and lovely to drink, while the Pinto Gris was much cleaner, acidic and with a slight minerality. An amuse arrived shortly after the wine: gnocchi topped with their crème fraiche and house cured salmon. The gnocchi was a little large and not dense enough (I never thought I’d say that about gnocchi), to the point where they barely hung together. But the crème fraiche was refreshing, and the salmon was fabulous, with very intense salmon flavor.

The first course was a fresh salad of shaved asparagus and fresh goat cheese. Overall, it was a very successful dish, although Chris found the asparagus to be a little bitter, and I agree that it might have benefited from a quick blanching. The Pinot Gris was a great match for the salad, nicely cutting through the fat in the cheese and standing up to the asparagus, but as you might anticipate, the Gewurtz was less complementary. (Asparagus is notoriously tricky to pair.)

The next course was a vegetable risotto. The rice was cooked to a perfect toothsome texture. It was not Arborio rice. It might have been carnaroli (based on the look and the texture). It was a little drier and not as creamy as the risottos I am used to, but it had a nice overall flavor.

The third course was duck rillettes served with rounds of dry French bread (hard to describe, purposely dry, but not toasted), carmelized onions, and a tart berry compote. We both love rillettes (how can you not?), and thoroughly enjoyed these.

The red wine we were by now drinking, the Sand Hill Merlot, went well with the rillettes, although we selected it mostly for our mains. Chris ordered the duck breast and I had a tenderloin. My steak was cooked exactly as I ordered it. The vegetables on the side were crisp and the sauces served with both meats were excellent, aromatic and highly flavorful. Unfortunately, the duck was a little overcooked, not completely well done and dry, but overcooked nonetheless. It was also served in a beautiful but impractical dish that made it impossible to cut anything without the dish tipping. But we had no complaints about its flavor. (I must admit that I am guilty of culinary heresy. I like my duck cooked more than is the standard, but in most places am reluctant to ask for it cooked as I like it. If I had known the duck would be cooked as much as it was, I would have ordered that instead.)

Desert consisted of little French toasts made with French bread with lightly caramelized peach slices, jasmine plum ice cream and a little bit of the same berry compote served with the rillettes. I am not usually a French toast fan as I find it too eggy, but I liked theirs. I loved the ice cream; the flavors were so subtle and delicate. In fact, I liked every component of the dish, and that was the problem. It was a plate full of components served on top of each other. The flavors didn’t clash or conflict, but neither did they necessarily compliment. It was good but not great.

Overall the meal was a success. It’s clear that the dishes are not things that the chefs have been putting out day after day after day, and so have perfected. Instead, they are the inspired creations of the day. What they lack in polish however, they make up for in spirit. And the prices here are unbeatable, at least for now. We made reservations but didn’t need them. But I expect that may change soon. In the main, service was great, it was friendly and prompt, our water glasses were filled continuously, and we felt very welcomed. It was a little less efficient when a large table arrived near the end of our meal occupying the server (no check on the main course), but given the size and newness of the place, it made sense to only have a single server overseeing the room. My main complaint was actually a large bouquet of flowers in the windowsill near our table. It offered a nice touch of color to the place, but the perfume was overpowering to those sitting close to it, not a good thing when eating good food and drinking good wine.

There were a lots of hits and a few misses. In the end, we are very enthusiastic about Two Chefs and a Table. We will definitely go back. Note: they didn't have any vegetarian main options on the menu, but I suspect that the chefs would be more than happy to put something together just for you if that's what you wanted.

3 very happy thumbs!

Excellent Housecured Meats at Moccia's Italian Meat Market

2008-08-16T12:45:00.000-07:00

I treated myself last week to an afternoon exploring new (to me) stores around town. (It was a treat mostly because I was out in the car.) I went to two places that are relevant to the blog, one of which is the subject of today’s post.

Moccia’s Italian Meat Market (www.moccia.ca/index.html) is located on E. Hastings, not too far past Commercial Ave. I went there in search of house-cured prosciutto, but left with a variety of their salamis instead.

I purchased three salamis - their entire selection that day. (I found the whole place to be rather sparse in terms of merchandise, to be truthful, but in the end, this was irrelevant.) One I believe was the Friulano. The other two don’t appear to be listed on the web site. One had pieces of fig in it, the other had duck in addition to the pork. If my memory serves, the one with figs was the same as the Friulano, but with the addition of figs, and the one with duck was a different recipe altogether. But I must admit, I wasn’t listening very attentively to the clerk as he explained the selection; I was too busy swooning over the sample he had given me.

As it turned out, all three were excellent. Increadibly flavourful. When I first put a piece in my mouth the experience was one of the whole, but then the different flavors came to the forefront one by one, the pork (VERY high quality), the subtle spicing, the sweetness of the fig, the wine, the savory duck, then the whole again, in rolling waves of experience.

This is no ordinary commercial salami. You don’t taste the effects of preservatives or long storage or transportation, but rather, craftsmanship and pride in product. It is worth the trip across town, at least for special occasions, or just to turn an ordinary evening into a special one. According to their website various stores around the city sell their products, so you may not have to make your way to their store, although I suspect that the selection is better on site. As I said, I went for proscuitto. Their website doesn’t list prosciutto and so I can’t be certain that they actually make their own. However, when I asked about it, I was told that it wasn’t ready yet. This gives me hope for the future (because it suggests that they do indeed make it), as well as an incentive to visit again (although I don’t really need another one - the salami itself is enough). I must remember to thank the waiter at Mistral for letting me in on this place! (http://bcfoodandwineadventures.blogspot.com/2008/07/mistral-french-bistro.html)

Desert Hills 2005 Syrah

2008-08-12T20:20:00.000-07:00

In our continued exploration of the food and wines of BC, we recently ventured out of our comfort zone and tried a wine that wasn’t from the Naramata Bench – the 2005 Syrah Select from Desert Hills (www.deserthills.ca/index.php) in Oliver, BC.

I had purchased a selection of meats and cheeses for a late lazy dinner. I knew I wanted to start off with bubbles, and selected the Steller’s Jay Brut from Sumac Ridge (www.sumacridge.com/default.asp), an excellent choice. Crisp, clean, a little fruity yet dry, and…bubbly. (Which was, after all, what I was after). I also wanted a red wine. I was considering the Poplar Grove Merlot (www.poplargrove.ca) because it is one I know we like, but was a little shocked at the price. Although it is quite tasty, at $44.00 it is overpriced. There are many small producer merlots from California that are similar in style and much less expensive (at least for me, as I can purchase them there). Some examples: Moon Mountain Vineyard (www.moonmountainvineyard.com) or T-Vine Cellars (www.tvinecellars.com/). But what, then, to buy? What I needed was a wine that would stand up to the cheeses and locally made salami I had purchased. The clerk at the wine store suggested two BC Syrahs at different price points, both of which were unfamiliar to me. I chose the Desert Hills Syrah Select (2005); he said that the staff at the store think it the best Syrah made in BC.

I can see why. It was big, but not overpowering. There is definite pepper, one of the things I love about syrah. But there is also a lush richness imparted by skillful use of oak. The vanilla was apparent in the nose and the taste. Chris described it as jammy, but I wouldn’t use that term myself, mostly because it calls to mind the big California Zinfandels, and this wine is not like that. But it does taste of rich deep fruit, without being overextracted or too high in alcohol (14%). We really enjoyed this wine, and think it a better value (it retails for about $42) than the Poplar Grove Merlot, at least for now. (The wine market is a market, and prices reflect demand.) Oh, and it did work very well with the salami.

(To be truthful, this is not the first time we’ve had wines from somewhere else in the Okanagan. A little while back we had the pleasure of attending a winemaker’s dinner with Mike Bartier of Golden Mile Cellars, also in Oliver. And of course, the Petales D’Osoyoos which I’ve written about before. But that’s about it.)

La Frenz Gewürztraminer (2006)

2008-08-08T00:55:00.000-07:00

Starts off with rose and lychee, leading into pineapple and apricot. It’s not a crisp classic old world style wine like the Nichol Gewurtz discussed in previous posts. Yet it’s still wonderful in its own beautiful, fruity, flowery, heady aromatic way. This is a delicious example of the unique qualities the whites from the Naramata Bench are capable of. And a very nice sip on a warm summer evening.

The Tomato Cafe

2008-08-07T13:15:00.000-07:00

Yesterday for lunch Chris, myself, and a guest went to the Tomato Café in Kitsilano (www.tomatofreshfoodcafe.com). Upon entering, we were greeted almost immediately. It was a beautiful day and we really wanted to sit outside on the patio. When we asked if this would be possible, the hostess said there was no room, and so we agreed to sit inside. As we were headed towards a table, I noticed that among the empty tables on the patio, were two that could easily be put together, and asked if we could sit at those. She seemed reluctant, telling us that we would have to wait until one of them was cleared and they were set. (I think she may have been trying to spread customers around, so that servers with sections inside would also have tables.) We were quite happy to wait a few extra moments to get a seat outside.

While we waited, a server approached us, making sure that we were being helped. The attentiveness continued at the table. Our server came with waters very shortly after we were seated. We weren’t quite ready to order drinks, so he gave us a bit more time. When he came back we were actually ready to order meals as well. The server forgot my meal order, and came back to check before putting in the order, which I appreciated; it’s no bother for me to repeat my order, but it is a bother to get the wrong thing because a server decided to wing it.

We started with fresh juices. I ordered the Cleanse, Chris had the OG, and our guest had one with berries. Chris and I have been for lunch several times and I have never before ventured into the juices. Clearly, this is a serious oversight on my part, and one which I won’t make again. They were all delicious.

Our meals arrived very quickly. Chris ordered the Tomato Club with the potato salad as well a cup of the tomato fennel soup, our guest ordered the Italian Countryside sandwich (no side), and I had the crab cakes. The Tomato Club is a safe bet. Chris really likes it, and has ordered it multiple times. The turkey is clearly cooked onsite, and is very flavorful. (I personally find the club to be a little much. Back bacon is more meaty and less fatty than belly bacon, and the nature of the sandwich is really affected by the switch.) The soup was wonderful. The flavors were fresh and intense, to the point where a full bowl might have been too much. The potato salad was a little bland, something I’ve found to be true on previous visits as well. Our guest said his sandwich was quite tasty. It certainly looked good. I’ve been eying the crab cakes for our last few visits, but have been disinclined to try them. We spent several years South Carolina, a region that takes its food seriously, and where the crab cakes are a matter of pride. It almost wasn’t fair to order them yesterday, but my curiosity got the better of me. The cakes were somewhat small, with a nice crispy crust. There was very little filler in them, a good sign. They had a slight fishy scent, which made me leery. Fortunately, however, this was not reflected in the taste. They were, in fact, a little bland. Overall, they were perfectly passable crab cakes, but not remarkable, and not nearly as good as many others I’ve had. I doubt that I will order them again. (They were better than the Moroccan Turkey Burger, however, which I have ordered before and found to be quite dry.)

The Tomato Café uses fresh, local ingredients, and this is clear on the plate. However, that alone is not enough to make great food. In general, we have found their food to be good but not great. It is reasonably priced for lunch, and the juices are very tasty. It is in our general neighborhood, and as such, we will almost certainly go back. However, it is not the kind of lunch experience that we would go out of our way for, unlike Mistral, for instance. And we have been much less thrilled with dinner. When we eat out for dinner, we want food we can’t or won’t make at home, which can be anything from pho or carnitas tacos to a multi-course tasting menu. The Tomato Café just doesn’t deliver this for us. I know the cafe has received numerous rave reviews over the years, however, I suspect that this may be due to the relative novelty of their concept - a neighborhood place serving fresh and local food - in Vancouver when they started. But Vancouver has come a long way since then, and this is not so novel anymore. We are newcomers, and don't have the same allegiances. We just want good food.

In sum, the service was good, the food was fine, and the juices were great. Although we do not share the same level of enthusiasm as many others, we like this place well enough to return. For those who are interested, they have vegetarian options, and use Ocean Wise seafood.

2 thumbs.

Joie Noble Blend (2006) - A Pairing Experiment Part II

2008-08-05T17:28:00.000-07:00

An addendum to the Joie Noble Blend (2006) - A Pairing Experiment post. We drank the rest of the Noble Blend last night (by itself). To my surprise, it was not as tropical as we had remembered, explaining some of the flavors from the night before. Still, we definitely tasted more of the fruits when drinking it by itself, especially as it warmed. We had not served it particularly cold the previous evening – so that was not the issue. It may be that we were recalling the 2005, which had a slightly different composition. Alternatively, it may be that the flavors changed over the year, or it may just have been that bottle (storage, etc.). My bet is on the vintage. The 2007 is slightly different again. It seems to me that the Noble Blend blend is becoming more refined and less in-your-face lush fruit with each offering. (I must admit, I loved the in-your-face lushness.)

I do, however, have a pairing suggestion for the 2006, if you’ve still got some around: grilled halibut with a lemon butter caper sauce, topped with a little tomato jam with lemon and coriander, served over an Israeli cous-cous ‘pilaf’ (with shallots, stock, and lemon thyme), and sautéed baby spinach.

Joie Noble Blend (2006) - A Pairing Experiment

2008-08-04T16:30:00.000-07:00

I have learned in my years of teaching that understanding why something isn’t true can be very helpful in understanding why what is true is. It helps one find the boundaries or limits. It's also a basic tenet of science (and I'm a scientist). Despite this, you rarely see information on food and wine pairings that don’t work in publications about wine. Today’s posting breaks from this tradition.

Last night for dinner we had herb roasted free-range chicken (fresh thyme, olive oil, lemon, coarse sea salt, and pepper), mashed potatoes (2/3 russet, 1/3 sweet potatoes, milk, butter, and miso paste for some added depth), olive-oil roasted tomatoes, steamed green beans (with parsley and garlic) and steamed whole carrots (with butter and lemon). Chris decided we should have some wine, but at the last minute, so nothing had been purchased to go with the meal. I thought a light red would do well, a beaujolais villages, for instance. But we didn’t have anything that came remotely close to that in our collection. In the end, he pulled out a bottle of Joie Noble Blend (2006) (www.joie.ca/index.htm). We knew it wasn’t an ideal pairing, but it was the best we had at hand, and an interesting experiment.

It wasn’t a horrible pairing, in particular the acid in the wine did well. But the meal brought out aspects of the wine that I hadn’t really ever noticed. I tasted the pinot blanc like never before. It almost tasted like it (the PB) had been very subtly oaked. I know it hadn’t, but that’s the taste that came through for me with this meal. I love this wine for the heady aromatic fruit, but it was quashed by the food. The funny thing is, this wine is great with Thanksgiving dinner, a meal with similar elements. Maybe it was the Italian flavours? (The roasted tomatoes were the most troublesome part of the meal.) I really have no good explanation. Our instincts were right, this was not a great pairing. (But even after the fact it was the best we had available). The good news is, we didn’t drink very much of the wine, so there’s still plenty left for sipping later on the balcony.

Note: According to their website (see above) you can now get Joie wines outside of BC. So for folks reading this from elsewhere, take heart, you too can try your own Joie pairing experiment.

The Best Laid Plans - or more on Nichol Gewürztraminer

2008-08-02T15:29:00.000-07:00

We had plans to go away camping this weekend, however, the rock slide on the Sea-to-Sky put a stop to that. We talked about doing a short overnight backpacking trip instead (I am my father's daughter, after all), but the weather was such that that possibility also fell through. So we’re stuck at home this weekend, working. But this series of events did push us to (finally) replace our DVD player. (The old one stopped working several months ago, and although the list of movies we want to see has grown almost exponentially in recent months, we never seemed to make it to the store.) So last night was movie night in our house, which means popcorn.

What could popcorn possibly have to do with BC food and wine you might be wondering. Well, several months ago in an appearance on the Josh Kornbluth show (www.kqed.org/tv/programs/index.jsp?pgmid=13958), Bay Area wine celeb Leslie Sbrocco (www.lesliesbrocco.com) recommended champagne with popcorn. I didn’t feel like bubbles last night, so that was out. But I figured that some other white wine might just do the trick. I wandered through the wine store for a while, having difficulty deciding. I finally settled on the Nichol Gewurtz (www.nicholvineyard.com/wines.htm).

Crazy as it may sound, it was an excellent choice. The popcorn, made in the microwave using a trick from Alton Brown, was lightly buttered and salted with French grey sea salt. The wine had just the right amount of acid for the butter. At the same time the fruit really came through, making for enjoyable drinking. There really is a wine for every occasion! Throw caution to the wind and try it.

Mistral French Bistro

2008-07-31T21:09:00.000-07:00

Today was a special day – we went to Mistral French Bistro (www.mistralbistro.ca) for lunch. Mistral is probably my favorite lunch spot anywhere. Yes, anywhere. We are not the sort of folks who eat lunches like this on a regular basis. We’ve been there to celebrate (a long leisurely lunch can feel more decadent, and so celebratory, than dinner), to turn an ordinary day into a special one, or, as in today, to perk up a bad one. (The bad day actually happened last week, but we couldn’t make it to Mistral until today.)

We arrived at just after 1 pm. The staff were all occupied when we arrived, and it took a few moments before someone came over to greet us. Once noticed, a server came by on his way to a table to tell us he’d be with us in just a moment (letting us know that we’d been seen), and another immediately followed and we were given our choice of several different tables and seated. Water and menus arrived quickly. A server took a little longer (I was feeling a little ignored), but once he came by, he was very helpful and efficient.

Usually we have one of the lunch menus, which are a fabulous value. (My favorite is the Marseille, because I love the bourride.) But today we ordered off the a la carte menu. We started with the Assiette de Charcuterie to share. It’s prosciutto, duck rillettes, and duck pate, with cornichons and an onion jam. (Chris wants me to make the jam. I think I’ll need to try it a few more times to figure it out…) The proscuitto is not in the typical Parma style (nor did it seem to be San Daniele). It seems to be cured for a little less time, giving it a different texture and taste. Not bad by any means, just different.

It was a cool drizzly day, and so a stew or braise was what the day called for. The chef must have been a fortune teller, because one of the specials was a beef short rib stew. We both ordered it. Braised in veal demi-glace and red wine for 8 hours, what could be more perfect? There were mushrooms, pearl onions (and parsnips or turnips?) in the braise and some baby carrots and a ricotta concoction on top. Chick pea flour ‘cakes’ were served alongside. It was incredibly rich. Delicious, but rich. I would almost have preferred the served sauce be cut with some veal stock or a little wine. Chris thought that simply serving less of it would have worked. It was that intense. However, despite the fact that we were both thinking of ways to do something about/with the sauce, neither of us could stop eating it! Think of a really good dark chocolate mousse, the kind where a few bites is enough. Chris finished his, and I got through half and brought the rest home. (Half the meat, that is. I don’t think much of the sauce made it home.) Neither of us could eat a morsel more, so we passed on coffee and desert.

Chris’s wine selection was perfect for the meal. A 2000 Cahors, with substantial tannins and acid, that not only stood up to the meal, but really enhanced it. It was a little tight when opened so we had it decanted, which helped substantially.

At the end of the meal we chatted with the server who was very knowledgeable about local foods and wines. I asked about the prosciutto, and he told me where they get it from. He also divulged his own favorite place to procure charcuterie. (When I go, I’ll be sure to write about it.) We also got some tips on some new BC wines to try. It was a fun ending to a really lovely meal.

I must confess that I have never been to France, and so cannot really say that the food at Mistral is authentic. But they have certainly convinced me that it is. I imagine that were I to go, I would find the same dishes, hopefully prepared with the same excellence.

In sum, we love this place. The food is clearly prepared with skill and care and is always flavorful. Service is consistently good. And they can always guide you to the right wine for your meal. Although today we chose a wine without assistance (we didn’t need it), on other visits we have gotten some help from Minna. In fact, it was she who introduced us to Joie Noble blend (www.joie.ca/2005_joie_vintage_spec_sheet.htm) and first got us to start drinking BC wines again. We have been there for dinner as well (our second anniversary?), and very much enjoyed it. But it’s lunch that we go for again and again. It’s not perfect, no place is. But it more than deserves all our thumbs. I heartily suggest you go. Warning: It is not particularly veggie-friendly. It’s OK if you eat seafood, but if you don’t, this is probably not the place for you.

4 thumbs.

The Galley Patio & Grill

2008-07-29T21:42:00.001-07:00

After a bit of a travel ‘adventure’ I finally arrived back in Vancouver yesterday afternoon. I’ll spare you the details, but suffice it to say I was very happy to land, and even happier when my suitcase arrived. (It had been directed to Goose Bay by accident – YVR, YYR, whatever…) It was nearing 4 o’clock, and neither of us had eaten lunch, so Chris proposed that we go and grab something to eat. The suggested destination was the restaurant at Jericho beach. A fantastic idea on a beautiful Vancouver day.

The Galley (www.thegalley.ca) is the restaurant at the Jericho Sailing Centre (www.jsca.bc.ca). It is an order-at-the-counter self-serve place with plastic baskets instead of plates. The menu is pretty basic: burgers, sandwiches, salads, fries, things of that sort. They do have vegetarian options. Essentially, it’s a basic pub-style menu appropriate to the venue. It is licensed, and they have a small but decent selection of local beers and wines. [They even have the La Frenz viognier, something the winery itself if out of (www.lafrenzwinery.com)- see my earlier posts on our visit to the Naramata Bench.] But the real reason for going there is the patio. It has one of the best views out there. Not a people-watching view, a spectacular, remind-you-how-lucky-you-are-to-be-in-Vancouver sort of view. And no fancy furniture. Just plain old plastic patio chairs and tables, which, be warned, are often a little unstable. (So hold on to your beers!) It was just what I needed after my travel travails.

Although I said you don’t go there for the food, don’t take from my statement that the food isn’t worth eating. Most of it is quite good. Nothing spectacular, but better than many places with much less in the way of views. I ordered the basic Angus burger with cheese, and Chris had the Jamaican jerk chicken burger. Both come with fries and are around $10 each. We also each ordered a beer. They have 12 and a 16 oz sized beers, which I like, because 16 is too big for me. (Yesterday I forgot about the smaller size until after we already had our beers.) The angus burger was perfectly fine. Not the best burger I’ve ever had, but certainly something I’d order again. The fries were well cooked, possibly overcooked for some, but perfect for my tastes. Chris’s jerk chicken burger was disappointing. All heat and no flavor. The heat was not an issue, as he loves hot, but the lack of flavor was. There was a lot of mayo on the burgers, but I’m sure that you could order them without. (Something Chris often does but forgot about yesterday.) We usually have the buffalo burgers, which have always been good, so maybe the jerk was a little out of their wheelhouse. We’ve also had the nachos on a previous visit, which were OK. The onion rings at the next table looked amazing, and I plan to try them on our next visit.

In sum, it’s pretty much as advertised. A basic venue with a great view and more than decent food and drink. And you can feel good about supporting a great community resource (the Sailing Centre). Dress casual; it's on the beach.

3 thumbs up.

Nichol Syrah (2005)

2008-07-28T00:33:00.000-07:00

I'm posting this one from Phoenix, AZ. What am I doing here? It's a very long story, involving a work trip to DC, a thunder storm, and about 4 different attempts to get to Vancouver, which somehow ended with me doing an overnight stint in Phoenix, and my bag possibly, but not certainly, being in Goose Bay, Nfld. No BC food or wine to report on here. But, I did receive an email from Chris with the following tasting notes on one of the wines we bought on the Bench.

Nichol 2005 Syrah (www.nicholvineyard.com)

-notably, old world in style (the tell-tale "barn-yard" / earthy nose)
-yet noticable fruit & acid on the font end
-smooth finish, but with little or no tannin (as contrasted with Syncline;
you can really appreciate what the hotter WA summers add)
-Thus, the overall impression is of something much lighter than Syrah
-actually much better the next day. Still not at all tannic, but mid-mouth flavours rounded out with a recognizable hint of tobacco

The other wine he mentions, Syncline (synclinewine.com), is one we tried on a trip to Hood River, Oregon, last summer, and which I really loved. (Unfortunately, I can’t remember which of their two syrahs it was that we bought. They are quite different as I recall.)

Chris did also comment on the price of Nichol wines. Nichol reds are often a little lower in price than many other similar quality BC reds, and so relatively a better value.

Baru Latino

2008-07-23T14:52:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I was having a bit of a bad day (work), and to cheer me up, Chris suggested we go out for a drink later. (We’ve both been working well into the evening most days lately.) Then we found out we had a new nephew, and so had something to celebrate! We decided that bubbles were definitely in order for the evening. Nothing elaborate, just a quick pre-dinner drink and maybe a nibble or two. (Dinner was already in the works - Malaysian-style short ribs.)

Baru Latino (www.baru.ca/index2.php) was selected as the destination. It’s close by so an easy place to pop in and out of. We were immediately greeted at the door, and selected our own seats at the bar. (I’m happy to say that they have different seats at the bar than they used to. Before they looked good, but were hard to sit in for long. Much improved!) We pretty much knew what we wanted and so were ready to order quite quickly. The server was right on top of things, and was there to take our order very promtly. The host/server/bartender was alone that evening, but very efficient (at least we found him so) despite doing everything himself.

I’ve always found their wine list to be a little lackluster, but they did have what we wanted this time. We each had a glass of cava (Spanish bubbly), and shared an order of the Hunduarian Coconut Ceviche. I am not a cava connoisseur and so can’t say whether the cava on their list is a good one or not. (Cava connoisseurs are out there - just ask my friend Craig.) But we were perfectly happy with it; it was exactly what we wanted that evening.

The Hunduarian Coconut Ceviche is not what one typically thinks of when one thinks of ceviche. It’s a little creamy and lacking the typical acid-cooked aspect of many ceviches. We knew this, having ordered it before. I did think that it needed a pinch more salt and a bit more acid this time, although Chris disagrees. (This may have been a result of my long run that evening, leaving me a little dehydrated and so craving salt.) In general, the ceviches are our favorite items on the menu. They are always good. (The others are more familiar in style.) The fish is always really high quality and fresh. I like the Latin Chips too. The rest of the menu has highs and lows, or more accurately, good days and bad (i.e. it is inconsistent). Again, the ingredients are always fresh, but sometimes the combinations are not quite as good as they could or should be. Although Chris says it has improved recently. (He sometimes eats there when I’m away.)

Summary: Great place for ceviche, OK place for dinner. I wouldn’t cross town for dinner here, but if you’re nearby, or just want an evening of drinks and nibbles, then it’s a fine place. (Clearly we like it enough that we've been more than once.)

2 thumbs.

FYI: They have live music on Tuesdays, something we hadn’t realized before going. It made selecting a seat tricky. One end of the bar was too close to the door, which was open with a little bit of a draft, and the other was too close to the musician, which made it a little loud (there was already someone in the middle of the bar). We went with loud, which turned out to be fine. The guy who played the third set of the evening (the second we saw) was actually quite pleasant to listen to.

Fraser Valley Berries

2008-07-21T15:12:00.000-07:00

Today’s post is not about a restaurant, a wine, a meal, or a store. It’s about a season – berry season. On Saturday I drove out to visit some family in Hope, which entails driving through the beautiful, if often somewhat smelly, Fraser Valley. (It is agricultural, after all.) My mother wanted to stop at one of the local berry farms, something I was more than happy to do. When we opened the car doors we were almost overwhelmed by the scent of strawberries. I’d never smelled anything like it! It was really incredible. It also meant that we had lucked out. The place we stopped at had blueberries and raspberries (as did others), but unlike most others, still had some strawberries.

I was a little too inspired, buying a flat of blueberries, 2 large baskets of strawberries, and a small one of raspberries. The raspberries were for eating, but I had big plans for the others. Yesterday, while rocking out to Miss Kitin and The National I made a batch of strawberry-fig preserves, a batch of my tea-time strawberry preserves (secret recipe, excellent on scones), and a batch of spiced pickled blueberries (an excellent accompaniment to charcuterie, maybe I’ll go pick up some more of that wild boar terrine). Today I made blueberry-orange preserves (it was Belle and Sebastian and Of Montreal playing today). I’ll finish up with a blueberry pie this evening. I love making preserves, they are such a wonderful use of the fresh bounty of the season. And my friends and family love my making preserves too: They benefit from my efforts at Christmas.

What a wonderful time of year! Go out and take advantage of what is fresh wherever you are.

The Noodle Box - Kitsilano

2008-07-20T19:44:00.000-07:00

We went and grabbed a quick lunch at the Noodle Box (www.thenoodlebox.net/) the other day. Both Chris and I ordered the daily special: BBQ duck and prawns with veggies and some sort of sauce on thick egg noodles. I ordered it mild, he got it spicy. It was very tasty, something I’ve found to be true the two previous times we’ve been. However, the spicing has always been somewhat of a mystery to me. Mild seems to mean anything from 'burn-your-mouth' to no spice at all. And hot varies likewise. On this visit, there was no heat whatsoever in mine, which was perfectly fine; they have three different condiments you can add at your table to add spiciness, allowing you to control it exactly. (I added lots.) The hot was perfect for Chris this time. He was left with little beads of sweat on his brow, just like he likes it. So we were both quite happy with the spicing, but be warned, this is not always the case.

They seem to be a green business, encouraging composting in addition to the more usual recycling. Despite this, the first time we went, which was in the winter, they felt compelled to heat the outdoors. I guess the cooks were hot, because the front door was propped open. The patrons, however, were not (hot that is); most of us were eating with our coats on! All this, and the heat was on. (Very Vancouver, doors open and heat on in the middle of February.) Apparently, the irony was not as apparent to the staff as it was to us.

Summary: tasty food, inconsistent spicing, but a pretty good deal for a quick lunch. We’ve been multiple times and we will go back.

2 thumbs (1 each).

Petales D'Osoyoos

2008-07-19T23:20:00.000-07:00

Another successful pairing to report. Last night (at home) we had buffalo flat iron steak marinated in red wine, garlic, topped with bacon, onions, and mushrooms, served with mashed potatoes with roasted garlic, spinach topped with crumbled blue cheese, and a salad of cucumber and fresh fava beans with a cream mint dressing. The wine, Osoyoos Larose Petales D’Osoyoos. Was it the absolute best wine we could have paired with the meal? I don't know. We have several good bottles of French and a lot of BIG California cabs in the cellar, any of which probably would have been fantastic with the meal. The real question is whether or not it was a good meal for the wine, the answer: it was. It had more than enough tannins (and acid) to stand up to the meal very nicely. All without making us focus only on the wine. Instead, we enjoyed how the food and wine interacted, nothing playing a clearly staring role, instead, working in concert with each other to make beautiful music. (Don’t get me wrong, the wine is quite lovely to drink by itself too, as previous posts attest to.)

A plug for fresh fava beans: They are a hassle, requiring shelling and then peeling, but when they are in season, they are totally worth the effort!

I purchased the buffalo at my neighborhood butcher shop, called simply, The Butcher. They have very high quality meat, and great service, all without a trip to the craziness that is Granville Island. Check it out. (www.thebutcher.ca).

Salsa & Agave Mexican Grill

2008-07-17T19:24:00.000-07:00

At last! Something I thought I would never eat in Vancouver- decent Mexican food. So I should be up front about this. I thought Vancouver had bad Mexican before I ever lived in upstate New York (with great seasonal places catering to the farm workers) or California (which needs no explanation). You see, once upon a time I lived in Mexico. I made it my mission to taste a lot of food while there, and learn as much as I could about how to make it (something I don’t do often, as the ingredients can be hard to find here). I like fancy Mexican food just fine, but what I really love is well prepared ‘regular’ food. I’ll admit it, I am a Mexican food snob, especially when it comes to ‘street food’. There is nothing better than a great taco or torta from a cart with questionable provenance!

Chris had tried this place called Salsa and Agave (1223 Pacific Boulevard, no website to link to as yet) a little while ago with some friends who are also Mexican food snobs, and who have had no luck finding Mexican they like much here either. (To be fair, Chris is pretty choosy about Mexican food too. He’s had enough authentic Mexican food with me that he knows what's what.) All three gave it their approval, and I was looking forward to trying it. So when he suggested that we go there for dinner last night, I was apprehensive, but excited. (Too many places here do Mexican and Spanish together, which makes no sense, or do things like use Spanish and not Mexican chorizo, which have totally different flavors! So I was not holding out too much hope lest I be sadly disappointed yet again.)

We got there just before 8 (they close at 8:30), and got the only table available. We decided that we both wanted sopes, which come 3 to an order but without sides, so we also ordered a side of rice and a side of beans. Chris got carne asada, al pastor (which is pork in a sauce) and carnitas (a slow roasted pork of sorts). I ordered al pastor, carnitas, and chorizo. We also ordered a tamarindo jarrito (me) and an agua de Jamaica (Chris), a drink made from hibiscus I believe. The service was very friendly…and not so good. Made me feel just like I was in Mexico. We asked for water about 10 minutes after ordering, because although they brought us some chips and salsa right away, we had nothing to drink alongside them. At some point, we did ask for our drinks and the server was a little shocked to ‘be reminded’ that we had ordered any. (She went and checked the bill, and sure enough, there were 2 drinks on it.) The chips were not homemade (too thin, multi-colored), which was disappointing, (they’ve got to have plenty of leftover tortillas at the end of the night they could use for chips the next day), but the salsa was. Be warned, it was not the standard pico-de-gallo that is often served. It was a cooked salsa. Not cooked as in Pace-Picante-out-of-a-jar. Cooked as in, made from pureed roasted tomatoes that were very likely then cooked. It is very authentic, and something I hadn’t tasted (except at home when I occasionally make it) in years! We got our drinks just before the sopes came. Again, fresh made sopes would have been good, but these were likely purchased, either that, or made too far in advance. Nevermind, because what was on top was wonderful! They could easily have put half the meat on they did, they were so loaded, they were a little hard to eat. But tasty! My only complaint about the meats is that it’s too bad they have to use such lean pork for the carnitas. Pigs these days have so much less fat than they used to, and that means less flavor. (According to Harold McGee, 2004, North American and European pigs have half to 1/5 of the fat they did only 20 years ago!) But that is not the fault of the restaurant.

The rice and beans were fine. I prefer white rice to red, and black beans to pinto or red, probably because in the region where I lived, that’s what the folks ate. But I recognize that there is much regional variation in Mexican foods, and my preferences are just that, my preferences.

So to sum up, the food was terrific, and service was friendly (if horribly inefficient). Oh, and did I mention how reasonable the prices are! I can’t wait to go back.

4 happy thumbs!

I discovered a new cheese store - Les Amis du Fromage

2008-07-16T22:31:00.000-07:00

Have I mentioned yet how much I love cheese? It’s my weakness – not chocolate, or cake, or ice cream – it’s cheese. It’s a tough call, but if I had to give up coffee or cheese, I’d have to go with coffee. (There’s always tea after all.) Last week, we tried a really wonderful raw milk cheese from Quebec at Salt (which will at some point get its own well deserved post). When we asked if there might be any place we could buy some for ourselves, the server suggested Granville Island or a cheese shop I’d never heard of, and promptly forgot the name of. (I have a horrible memory for names.) But my memory was jogged while watching an episode of “Living Vancouver” on CBC where they did a segment on entertaining with cheese featuring Allison Spurrell of Les Amis du Fromage (www.buycheese.com). Looks like I’m the only person in Vancouver who’s never been there! So yesterday I hopped on my bike and went in search of the 2^nd Ave. store to rectify this.

I found it. Valhalla for a cheese-lover like me. (OK, so I’m not a warrior gloriously slain in battle, but you get what I mean.) They didn’t have the cheese I was looking for, but I had expected that. (The server at Salt said it was very unlikely we would be able to find it here.) So I bought two others, a cheddar with Isle of Aran whisky, and Bouq ‘Emissaire, a raw goat’s milk cheese from Quebec (which Salt was also serving when we were there last). Chris likes cheddars more than I do, and I like goat cheese more than he does. The obvious solution – one of each. We had some of the cheddar last night. It was surprisingly mild. A little sweet actually. One of the cheddars I’ve most liked in recent memory. Importantly, the cheddar fan liked it too. We haven’t tried the BE yet, but I’ll write that up when we do. I also bought a wild boar terrine with apricots, which we also tried that last night. I would definitely recommend that for your next party. Tasty! I’ll be back.

As you might imagine, we didn’t eat the cheese and terrine alone, they were accompaniments to a bottle of Poplar Grove (www.poplargrove.ca) The Legacy (2004), not because we necessarily thought it would go, but because it was already open. For just sipping, I definitely liked their Merlot better. But The Legacy was definitely food-friendly. It had good acid and tannins. More structure than the Merlot. Could easily have been left to sit for a few more years, and even improved a little with the time. The take home: for drinking, pick up the Merlot, for a dinner wine, go with The Legacy’s a great choice.

Carla’s Pomegranate Chicken Recipe

2008-07-15T23:31:00.000-07:00

3 lb. chicken, cut into pieces

Marinade:

2/3 c. soya sauce (I prefer Chinese)
2/3 c. pomegranate molasses
1/3 c. dry sherry
¼ c. canola or other light flavored oil
3-4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
Same amount of fresh ginger, finely chopped
2 tbsp. chopped cilantro
Fresh ground pepper

Mix together marinade ingredients. Pour over chicken pieces and let sit (in the fridge) for 1-2 hours, turning half way through.

Start the chicken pieces, skin side down, in a grill pan over med-high heat for a few minutes. Watch it carefully, as the sugar in the marinade with burn quickly! Finish in a 325-350 degree oven (for about 15-25 minutes, depending on the size of the pieces).

Nichol Gewurtz, Poplar Grove Merlot, & Petales D'Osoyoos

2008-07-15T16:46:00.000-07:00

As promised, a report on some of the wines we bought on the trip to the bench. As also promised (threatened?), notes on a meal cooked at home.

On Thursday we had an impromptu dinner party with some friends who we often eat with, but who, for various reasons, won’t be able to join in for a while. This was ‘discovered’ at about 3, leaving me little time to plan. Luckily, while driving back from the Okanagan, I had been occupied (some might say obsessed), with planning (an imaginary) BC wine meal incorporating some of the things we had tasted there. So I had some ready ideas to call upon.

I had been looking for a cheese from Poplar Grove to start out with, but my local cheese place didn’t have any in stock and I didn’t have time to run all over the city, so I went with something new, an ash-ripened camembert from Moonstruck Organic Cheese Inc. (www.moonstruckcheese.com). It was quite good. The rind was a little off-putting, but it was nice and creamy, and got us started off well. Although we usually like to start off with something bubbly, I wasn’t sure that we’d make it through that in time for the first course, so we went ahead and opened the Nichol Gewurtz.

It was a bit of a shot in the dark, but from the winemaker's description, it sounded like it would pair well with what I was making: seared miso and sake marinated scallops, served over a puree of local English peas (with chicken stock, shallots, ginger, and mirin), and topped with carrot and daikon dressed with rice and white balsamic vinegars. The Gewurtz was perfect with it. Nichol makes a drier, less lychee-floral Gewurtz than many places in the Okanagan, which is just what the dish needed. The main course was pomegranate chicken, miso glazed potatoes, and broccoli tossed with sesame oil. (It was what we were having for dinner anyway. Maybe if I get ambitious I’ll post the recipe…if I can remember what I did.) We had intended to have it with Lost Canyon Pinot (from California, www.lostcanyonwinery.com/wines.htm), but the bottle we had turned out to be spoiled, so we quickly opened a pinot a friend had recently brought us from Oregon, Duck Pond Cellars (www.duckpondcellars.com) instead. Another successful pairing.

Dessert was some mixed berry pie I had made the day before. Our guests brought a Late-Harvest wine from Paradise Ranch (www.icewines.com/home.html). It was a Chardonnay/Riesling blend. I’m still not sure what I thought of it. It was the least sweet dessert wine I’ve ever had, and so it was good that my pie was a ‘little’ tart.

The evening didn’t end there. We ended up chatting for so long, that we decided another bottle was in order. Wanting to stay as much with the BC theme as possible, we opened a bottle of Pétales d’Osoyoos from Osoyoos Larose to show them one of our new finds. It was as good as we remembered from our dinner at the inn. Later, it was a bottle of 2004 Merlot from Poplar Grove (www.poplargrove.ca) that we picked up on our trip last year. We hadn’t tried it before, so had no idea what it was going to be like. It was really really delicious! (Although they say the stuff will cellar for years, it seems to us that it would have been well past peak in anything more than another year or two.) We will definitely buy more. Funny that I’m ending talking about BC reds, given what I wrote earlier about the whites. However, I still stand by my position that the whites are generally better. In my opinion, it's really about value for money. You can get really wonderful BC whites for relatively little money, but reds, you have to spend more on, and even that’s no guarantee.

Till the next notable wine or meal, which hopefully won’t be long!

Vij's Restaurant

2008-07-13T23:27:00.000-07:00

After three years in Vancouver, we finally made it to Vij’s (www.vijs.ca/index_in.htm) last weekend! It’s been on our list of places to try forever, but the famed wait has always seemed a little too much for us. But we decided to brave it – we were going out to dinner with some vegetarian friends, and Indian is always a good option for veggies and non-veggies to eat together. Chris and I were the ‘advance party’ and got there just after the first sitting had been seated, put our name on the list, got some drinks, and settled in for the wait. As promised in every review, complimentary appetizers quickly appeared. I must admit to being a little star-struck when Vij himself came outside to serve some! (Many of the reviews I’ve read of Vij’s talk about ‘free’ appetizers, but nothing is ever really free. The cost is in the time you spend waiting for your table – which hopefully is with company you like and so not really much of a cost – and it necessarily adds to the prices on the dishes on the menu.) You’d think that ‘complementary’ might be shorthand for so-so, but they were all very very tasty, which was good, because we were getting pretty hungry by the time we got our table 2 hours later. They certainly left us wanting to taste more.

One of the reasons the wait was so long was a table of 8 that was sitting and sitting, and sitting some more. But once we were seated we were very glad that they had! It was Daniel Boulud, Tojo, and two other chefs who we think were Frederic Haut-Labourdette (Bistro Pastis) and Posteraro (chef/owner at Cioppino’s). What a table! And despite the presence of the celebrity guests, Vij made us feel like we were the special guests in his restaurant. We were seated next to the door and he noticed that one of our friends was a little cold. He came by to see if she’d like the door closed, and although she said she’d be fine, he had it closed anyway. It was opened again later, and he went and quickly sorted that out for us (to be truthful, before we had even noticed it was open again). And he checked on us personally several times after we were served, asking about the food, getting us more naan, etc. However, we weren’t alone in this treatment. He was all over the restaurant making sure all his guests were having a good experience.

We started with the jackfruit in black cardamom and cumin masala to share. It was mentioned in many reviews (that and the crab, but we wanted something that was veggie-friendly). The texture was interesting (we eat sweet jackfruit often, which has a different texture), and the sauce was delicious. We sopped up every bit with the naan. For dinner our companions had two of the three vegetarian options, and seemed to enjoy their mains. I was waffling between the grilled port tenderloin and back ribs in fennel seed, ginger, and coconut curry with roasted cashews and the beef shortribs in cinnamon and red wine curry with warm greens. When Chris ordered the pork, I went for the beef. It was fantastic. Melt in your mouth, incredible flavour. Slight heat, and a magical combination of spices. I am a Vij’s convert. The pork was quite tasty and a big hit with Chris, but we both thought that the shortribs were magic.

In sum, we thoroughly enjoyed our visit to Vij’s and will definitely go back. The numerous reviewers who are less then enthusiastic about the restaurant just don’t get it. They want traditional Indian dishes, which this place doesn’t deliver. What they do do is wonderful things with traditional ingredients and techniques combined in novel ways, alongside terrific service. I finally understand what all the hoopla is about.

4 thumbs!!!

Visit to Naramata - Day 2

2008-07-11T23:10:00.001-07:00

The next day after packing up the campsite we were off to the other side of the lake. We stopped by the Bench Market (www.thebenchmarket.com/home.php) to grab a quick (and late) breakfast. I love that place! It’s filled with all sorts of great products, and the food they make there is always fresh and tasty. (Note: I find their coffee a little weak, and so drink americanos instead.)

From there it was on to the inn. They have bikes there that guests can use, which we used last year to go wine tasting. They're a little heavy though, so this year we brought our own. So after checking in, we hopped on our bikes and rode off in search of wine. Last year we were mostly tasting reds and avoiding the whites, reflecting our general preferences in California wines. We learned, too late as it turned out, that the magic is all in the whites on the bench (e.g. Joie!!! can you sense my enthusiasm for them?). This year we did not replicate that mistake. We started off at La Frenz (www.lafrenzwinery.com). We tasted their Semillon, Gewurtz, Alexandria, and liqueur Muscat. I liked the Semillon, but Chris didn’t so much. The Gewurtz was nice and we returned the next day to buy a bottle. (One of the advantages of tasting on bikes is you don’t buy much right away. So you’re less likely to open a bottle bought at the end of a day of tasting a few months later and go ‘what was I thinking?’) The Alexandria was a little too sweet, and the Muscat confused me. It had both floral and crème brulee going on at the same time. In the nose, this was intriguing, in the taste, not so much. I wish they hadn’t been sold out of so many things, because I really do like their whites (their Viognier in particular - clearly I’m not the only one) and we would have bought more.

Next we tried to go to Laughing Stock, but they aren’t open on Mondays. (Despite what I said about reds in the area, we really like their reds, their whites less so.) That’s OK, we already know we like their wine. So we did a little backtracking and went to Hillside Estates. They have a restaurant, and as it was getting closer to 3 than to 2, we figured some food might be a good idea. It was quite good. We had a caprese salad, crispy oysters, and the Okanagan cold plate. The salad was really nice. The tomatoes seemed fresh from the garden, perfectly sweet. (The kind of thing you don’t get in the city so much.) The sauce the oysters were served with was a little confused. I would have gone with either a spicy pepper/sundried tomato sauce or an apple cream sauce, not all in one. Sometimes less is more. But the oysters were so perfectly cooked that I loved the dish anyway. The cold plate had highs and (unnecessary) lows. The cheeses were great, the terrine was very tasty, and went perfectly with the cherries, there was too much tapenade, but it was perfectly fine, and Chris quickly ate all the gravlax, so I assume they were good too. The problem was with the tuna (which isn’t listed as being on the plate). It was very fishy, so much so that we couldn’t eat it. We both thought that they should have just gone with something else local, like some nice smoked trout or something. Why serve things you can get anywhere instead of highlighting the local products (which the rest of the plate did quite well)? Of course, lunch at a winery would be incomplete without wine. Chris had the Gewurtz (with the salad) and the Cab Franc (to go with the wild boar terrine), I had the Riesling (oysters). The two whites were perfect accompaniments, and the Cab Franc was surprisingly tasty. It had a real smokiness from the barrels, but not so much that it was overpowering. After lunch we popped down to the tasting room to try their other offerings. The ones we had at lunch were our definite favorites, and we bought a bottle each of the Riesling and the Cab Franc the next day.

Our last stop of the day was Nichol Vineyard (www.nicholvineyard.com/). One of the great things about going to less-developed wine areas (from a tourist perspective) is that you have a better chance of meeting the winemaker. Ross Hackworth was pouring in the tasting room the day we were there. Talking with the winemaker always gives you much more insight into the wines, something we really enjoyed. He was only pouring the Syrah on Monday, but we bought that as well as the Pinot Gris (which we’d had at a restaurant in Vancouver before) and the Gewurtz on his recommendation. The tasting room was going to be closed when we were heading out the next day, so we were trying to figure out how we were going to get the wines. He offered to drop them off for us at the inn later that evening! You don’t get that kind of service (or wine) in Napa!

Our day was not over yet, we still had dinner at the inn’s dining room. (After a game of scrabble over tea on the balcony outside our room.) When we were there last year dinner was good, but not fabulous. It felt like the chef was trying too hard. (The service and local wine list were excellent.) This year it was all great! We had two different salads as starters with some excellent local wine (I had the viognier from Marichal, can’t remember what Chris had), and then a halibut special and the house made pasta with goat cheese and spinach. Both were excellent. We finished up with a cheese plate (a variety of cheeses from Poplar Grove – the Harvest Moon is my favorite which I buy quite frequently at Pane e Formaggio www.pane-e-formaggio.com/home.html) and found a new BC red we love Pétales d’Osoyoos from Osoyoos Larose. We loved it so much we bought two more glasses to take back to our room, which we drank outside under the stars on the balcony.

I’ll let you know when we drink the wines we bought.

Visit to Naramata - Day 1

2008-07-11T18:24:00.000-07:00

We just got back from our second (does that make it annual?) trip to the Okanagan. Last year we stayed at the Naramata Heritage Inn and Spa (http://www.naramatainn.com/) for 2 nights and then went camping with friends at Okanagan Lake North PP. This year we did it the other way around, camped first for one night, then went to the inn. Much better idea! The first day we were there we went to Sumac Ridge (http://www.sumacridge.com/default.asp) to pick up a bottle of something bubbly. (We know their Stellar's Jay Brut, and figured it would make for good tippling around the campfire.) We ended up doing a tasting and were really impressed by their Pinnacle Sparkling. We were very intrigued by their Pinnacle White (still). They describe it as tropical fruit, but we both thought it was very herbal, sage and rosemary and the like. Quite different from most of the whites on the bench. We bought the Stellar's Jay and a bottle of rose, which I quite liked.

On the way back to the campsite we stopped at a fruit stand and picked up a fresh-made peach pie for dessert. It was very good. So was the wine.