The Transcontinental

[SBonner]

The Transcontinental

601 West Cordova St

Vancouver, BC

My Review:

Helen and I have been into Eli’s new establishment four times over the last fortnight and must say it’s a great space with friendly service and world’s above the food at Steamworks. The room is reminiscent of a grand old 1930’s train station restaurant with vaulted ceilings, lots of wood, and art deco influences. On our first visit we had lunch in the lounge and ate from the lunch menu. The lunch menu is a paired down, less meat, menu with some great salads and burgers. Helen opted for the House salad $9.95 (mixed greens, air dried blueberries, goat’s cheese, hazelnuts and a refreshing pear and white balsamic dressing). I had the grilled bison and stilton burger $13.95 with a side salad (same dressing as Helen’s house salad). The bison burger was juicy and full of flavor topped with some beer braised onions. Lunch service was friendly and prompt we were in and out for a quick lunch in less than an hour. The biggest disappointment is the draught beer selection (no microbrews) and the limited wines by the glass options. The only service issue we had was the kitchen forgot to put dressing on Helen’s salad but a quick mention to the server rectified that problem.

Dinner Service:

We had an 8pm reso on fireworks night so the restaurant like everyone in Gastown was pretty quiet. The dinner menu options are much greater than the lunch and club car menu with a variety of salads, pastas, fish and seafood, and meats and fowl. Two glasses of the house bubble (Sumac Ridge Stellar’ Jay) started off the night.

For starters I had the vine ripened tomato salad $13.95 which had a trio of organic heirloom tomatoes and a simple cracked sea salt, olive oil and balsamic dressing. The tomatoes were perfectly ripe and had lots of flavour. Helen opted for the classic prawn cocktail $13.95 made with Clayoquot prawns. She was pretty impressed with the flavours.

For entrees Helen ordered the grilled lamb trio $33.95 which was a combination of free range lamb chops, lamb tenderloin, and Oyama lamb sausage. It was accompanied by roasted tomatoes, mint gnocci, and Okanagan Merlot demi-glace. She ordered it pink (medium rare) and it arrived perfectly cooked. I had the 8oz bison rib eye (medium-rare) $33.95 which is aged in brine and maple syrup. It also came with roasted Yukon potatoes and a side of seasonal veg. The veg was slightly over cooked but my steak accompaniments ( there are 8) $2.95 each ,of Saskatoon berry demi-glace was outstanding with the meat and wine I selected. The Katnook Cab/Shiraz from Australia was our wine for the night and worked extremely well with our meat course.

For dessert we shared the cheese plate $14.95 which was one of the better plates I have had for a while. There were three cheeses (Poplar Grove blue, Fraser Valley Cheddar, and a Quebecois cheese) served with Ontario honeycomb, local honey glazed nuts, and a selection of local field fruits.

Biggest issues: Our entrée’s arrived before we had finished our appetizers and our cutlery was cleared so we had to wait several minutes for our server to notice the food runner left use utensil free. Our server knew the menu and was on the ball throughout the evening.

The wine list is pretty new world oriented and is laid out as light, medium, and full-bodied. Many of the wines on the list are not in the right categories in my opinion (i.e Township 7 unoaked Chardonnay is not full-bodied) and there are way too many Sauvignon Blanc based wines in the medium-bodied field. Beer selection needs some work with the addition of some local and Quebec microbrews to round out the whole continental concept.

It’s great to see Eli and his chef have embraced locally sourced food supplies and the Ocean Wise program and taken dining up a notch in Gastown.

We will be back many more times to try the rest of the menu.

Stephen Bonner

Edited August 8, 2007 by SBonner (log)

[barolo]

Thanks Stephen for an informative review. Your comments are quite consistent with those of Alexandra Gill, who reviews the Transcontinental today in the Globe:

I am in love with Vancouver's new TransContinental Heritage Restaurant & Railway Lounge.

It wasn't necessarily the food that swept me off my feet, although the Canadian classics on the menu are refreshingly simple, hearty and comforting.

Nor was it the service, which is young and somewhat awkward, yet endearingly earnest and relatively competent for a city in which skilled wait staff are in short supply.

What really took my breath away was the room - an elegant renovation in the old Canadian Pacific Railway terminus at Waterfront Station.

With its neoclassical lines, majestic arched windows, art-deco swirls and grand sense of romance from a bygone era, the TransContinental is a showpiece that really wows.

I've walked by a couple of times at lunch hour and seen the patio crowded with tourists. I assumed it was serving tourist food and not worth a visit, but it seems as though I should give it more credit and check it out.

[SBonner]

Thanks Stephen for an informative review.  Your comments are quite consistent with those of Alexandra Gill, who reviews the Transcontinental today in the Globe:

Thanks... just read her article as well. Service and the wine list is the weak link. Anne I think would enjoy the room and food.

Cheers,

Stephen

[SBonner]

Just heard from a "good" source that all the entree items are now re-priced and all under $30. Nice!

[barolo]

I had lunch at the Transcontinental today. Overall I would give it a "meh". Not awful but nothing inspiring about the food or the service and the space didn't wow me like it has others.

I kind of liked the retro feel of the room with its Group of Seven prints and old CP posters, but overall it was just too navy blue for me. My main course salad was a pile of spinach, pallid tomatoes, two tiny grilled asparagus, a few broken cashews and a hunk of salmon with a big pile of pickled ginger on top, all served in one of those big bowls that allow your cutlery to slide to the bottom every time you put it down. Service was fine if a bit perfunctory.

It was very busy - a group was waiting in lounge for a table as we left - so they are not going to worry about my comments.

[Andrew Morrison]

They should. You have one of the most even-handed temperaments of all the foodies I know. Thanks for the review.

[Daddy-A]

Anything special at the bar? I had a quick look, and agree with barolo's comments about the retro look. Really nice. But if I could get a Negroni or Sidecar at the bar, that would be even better.

A.

[nwyles]

I would love to add something here but I was turned away at 11:07 on a wednesday night.

The bar still had 20 people in it drinking, and the hostess had to go and check with the bartender to see if he wanted to serve anyone else. He was too abosrbed in his wipedown to deal with any more guests. Obviously there was no manager present as the bartender was calling the shots. I understand about the last night thing, but there were full cocktail glasses all round the room. I was not like we were some tourists looking for a lingering late night spanish coofee.........but two stinky cooks looking to snap back a couple of beers and talk about the night.

That being said, I have a new found love for Boneta !

[barolo]

Mia Stainsby of the Vancouver Sun wades in today:

... And while I'd love to say I'm enamoured of the new restaurant, I was underwhelmed.

The food also seems to also be from a bygone era and set against today's culinary tableau, the straight-ahead dishes (including prime rib and five different steaks) aren't stand-outs. While the lounge seems to be a great spot to socialize, have a drink, have a nosh, the dining room, though grand in scale, lacks personality and the food isn't strong enough to make up for it.

Full story here: Despite impressive restoration, menu fails to impress

[barolo]

The restaurant is now called "Steamworks TransContinental" with a new more casual menu.

They do have a Negroni on their drinks list, Arne, as well as a number of "premium shooters" . Check out the website: Steamworks TransContinental

Edited November 16, 2007 by barolo (log)