Truth be told: Where've you eaten lately? (Part 3)

[run2eat]

Hmm, last 3 are a bit spread out - we're mostly eating in these days as per our annual Jan-Feb rein-in-the-spending plan (allowing a few DOV meals though )

last night: Noodle Box (had a craving for something mindblowingly hot)

last Friday: Parkside for DOV (a chance to introduce some friends to it. Outstanding as always)

a while ago: Kolachy Shop for a lunch (homemade beef-barley soup and a bbq beef kolachy made for a perfect hearty belly-warming lunch on a chilly day).

[Arsenic]

Sushi Town - for a quick take out of Alaska Roll and Goma-ae. The Goma-ae was HUGE tonight for some reason... I've never eaten so much spinach in my life! Haha.

Miki Sushi - Yuck. Manager at work was buying, but I think this place is just awful. Had a Spicy California Roll, and it was strange... some weird brown sauce on top that wasn't spicy at all.

Subway - Ham sub with lots of Southwest Sauce and BBQ Sauce, so good for a quick lunch

[Little Frog]

- Keis Bakery: picked up an assortment of their Japanese pastries. My favourites were the Mt Matcha and the Banana. I also tried the Red Bean but it was too sweet for my taste. The owner also gave me a cream bun and some biscotti to try; both were very good. He told me the biscotti were made and specially packaged to celebrate the bakery's first anniversary. I hope there will be many more anniversaries for them, as their pastries are well worth trying and the young owners very nice

- Solly's (W. Broadway): I tried their chocolate babka, which has no fruit or rum in it, but found it much too heavy; it sat in my stomach all day. On the other hand, the whole wheat bagel I had for breakfast the next day was delicious: great shiny crust and chewy but not overly dense inside. Yum!

- Shiro: Finally made it there after hearing many good things about the place. I really enjoyed the sushi being served warmer than at most other restaurants. Much more flavourful that way.

I tried all of my favourites (saba, tobiko, unagi, uni) and was quite impressed with the quality of the sushi. The squid was excellent too. Some other robata-style dishes were good but not as memorable. So far I prefer Toshi for the hot food, but Shiro is the new benchmark as far as sushi is concerned

[Little Frog]

My birthday is tomorrow and, instead of spending weeks planning a big party as I usually do, I decided to take tomorrow off and give myself two days of really good eating.

No planning, just spur of the moment, no strict budget and no other rule than to enjoy these two days as much as I can... bring on the good food, I say!

- Had a late breakfast and went back to Keis Bakery to sample their matcha financier (very light texture and great matcha flavour) and the walnut pan, which was full of good quality, sweet walnuts. I found the pan itself a little too soft for my taste but this is just a matter of personal preference. For some reason, I always expect savoury breads to be crusty.

- I then had two cups of Colombian coffee at the Elysian Room. I am usually partial to espresso, but I love sampling the coffee by the cup at the Elysian and I trust them not to brew it weak.

As always, my coffee was excellent: medium-bodied but very flavourful, smooth and complex, with a sweet and nutty undertone. I will be back for more, even though the Ethiopian selection sounds very tempting too...

- It was already late and I was not particularly hungry after leaving the Elysian, so instead of having lunch somewhere, I went home where I nibbled on some delicious blood oranges and a little later, some Vacherin Mont D'Or on Irish soda bread.

- For dinner, I tried to go to La Buca, but it was packed and I could not get a table. Some diners who were leaving, seeing that I could not get in, strongly recommended that I try again another day as the food was well worth it. It was good to hear that they had a great time and so nice of them to take the time to let me know

I ended up going to Zest and am I ever happy I went! I never had a bad meal there but tonight's dinner was simply perfect. I had a wonderful seafood sunomono that came with a deliciously smoky jelly, some great negitoro, uni and tobiko sushi and the always reliable roasted duck, paired with a very nice sake. Even the genmaicha was good, a nice relief from the weak, nasty tea that most Japanese restaurants serve. The waitress was attentive and efficient, as always. A delicious meal in a good-looking room with a nice, subdued atmosphere, all of that for under $50 before tip (including sake)... it doesn't get much better than that

Edited January 29, 2007 by Little Frog (log)

[maxmillan]

My birthday is tomorrow and, instead of spending weeks planning a big party as I usually do, I decided to take tomorrow off and give myself two days of really good eating.

No planning, just spur of the moment, no strict budget and no other rule than to enjoy these two days as much as I can... bring on the good food, I say!   

- Had a late breakfast and went back to Keis Bakery to sample their matcha financier (very light texture and great matcha flavour) and the walnut pan, which was full of good quality, sweet walnuts. I found the pan itself a little too soft for my taste but this is just a matter of personal preference. For some reason, I always expect savoury breads to be crusty.

- I then had two cups of Colombian coffee at the Elysian Room. I am usually partial to espresso, but I love sampling the coffee by the cup at the Elysian and I trust them not to brew it weak.

As always, my coffee was excellent: medium-bodied but very flavourful, smooth and complex, with a sweet and nutty undertone. I will be back for more, even though the Ethiopian selection sounds very tempting too...

- It was already late and I was not particularly hungry after leaving the Elysian, so instead of having lunch somewhere, I went home where I nibbled on some delicious blood oranges and a little later, some Vacherin Mont D'Or on Irish soda bread.

- For dinner, I tried to go to La Buca, but it was packed and I could not get a table. Some diners who were leaving, seeing that I could not get in, strongly recommended that I try again another day as the food was well worth it. It was good to hear that they had a great time and so nice of them to take the time to let me know

I ended up going to Zest and am I ever happy I went! I never had a bad meal there but tonight's dinner was simply perfect. I had a wonderful seafood sunomono that came with a deliciously smoky jelly, some great negitoro, uni and tobiko sushi and the always reliable roasted duck, paired with a very nice sake. Even the genmaicha was good, a nice relief from the weak, nasty tea that most Japanese restaurants serve. The waitress was attentive and efficient, as always. A delicious meal in a good-looking room with a nice, subdued atmosphere, all of that for under $50 before tip (including sake)... it doesn't get much better than that

←

What a wonderful idea - taking yourself out to eat. I'm going to do that that year and save my friends the agony of finding a restaurant that would please me.

Happy birthday and let us know what you ended up eating.

[SushiCat]

Been meaning to post ... doing the DOV thing this year with some seriousness, and the best thing about it is comparing one place to another, although I would say we have quite the variety of spots ... most recent was Rare, and we have a wonderful time!

Friday, 830, enough time for everyone to relax a bit after work and before dinner.

Arrived and were warmly welcomed. 4 of us, nice table with plenty of space so that we couldn't hear or bump into neighboring diners. The room is amazing! I managed to secure a spot near a beautiful flower alcove and occasionally got wiffs of lovely floral fragrance that enhanced my night! A really nice touch with personalizing menus! I asked and found out this is something they normally do but may not do for DOV. Overall a very fun evening with delicious food in a warm and friendly atmosphere!

The menu really is interesting, chef Fowke has done a great job in creating a nice variety of items and things you might not chose normally sound so intriguing you have to try them! I'll tell you I ordered the oyster appy because it just sounded so amazing! Normally I would never order oysters, ewww gross is how I usually feel about them! I also wanted everything else ... so luckily someone shared their salad and I got some bites of delectable cauliflower soup with lobster and steelhead caviar (yum!). We also had extra items as we had two DOV orders, one a la carte and one tasting menu. I was so tempted by an appy of the day, cured beef with apple, fois gras risotto and truffle, that I added that course to my DOV ... GOOD PLAN for me!!! This was the standout dish in my opinion, it is amazing - I want more!

I think the sablefish was the next best item on our table, but I didn't taste everything. The sablefish was part of the tasting menu offerings, and it was really stellar! I had strip loin as my entree, and I loved it! Delicious saucing, and the leeks that accompanied it, were to die for - pure heaven!

Another standout were desserts - they are truly amazing. I don't know who is responsible, but save room for dessert when dining at Rare! I had the chocolate dessert as part of the DOV menu, it had about 5 or 6 different items on one plate! I think my favs were - dark chocolate ganache with rosemary; chocolate brownie with cinnamon ice cream. There were other delectable items as well! Not a scrap left on any of our plates for that course!

Overall, our experience was stellar! I say Rare has it going on! We felt welcomed and relaxed, there was no rushed feeling as at other DOV events, the room is great, the food is delicious, the staff are open and warm. I expect and hope for longevity and lasting success for Rare!

[makanmakan]

^^ We left with the same love for Rare after dining there last night. The room is beautiful and even though the room was packed, it didn't feel like it.

Peter, our server was fantastic. Attentive and informative and not rushed at all. Brian and another server welcomed us warmly when we arrived.

We loved our food and were pleasantly surprised with the little extras. Amuse of a veal consommé with short ribs and cabbage, a shot of rosemary seltzer and the chocolate/banana foam. OMG, the chocolate foam, how I loved you!

Can't wait to go back. This could become my new favourite hang out!

[jahvay]

I had a great meal yesterday at Legendary Noodle on 26th and Main. This is seriously authentic noodle fare, and very reasonable. The bread noodle soup from Xian was a hit.

I really only wanted to spread the word on this place, but since I must...

I had chocroute, and casoulet with the family at Brasserie Lipp on St. Germaine de Pres in Paris, and my camembert/baguette sandwich at Gerard Mulot Patisserie was so amazing in its simplicity. The ice cream at Berthillon was amazing too. Oh Pareeeee!!!!

I must mention Van de Linde in Amsterdam ( and Sensi Cafe too) only because I found something TOOOOOO good. I had been a couple years ago, and decided to go back. They serve soft ice cream, and whip cream in a waffle cone. It is a dutch classic. (Ijs mit slagroom) The dutch have outstanding dairy products, very high in butter fat. Man it was so rich I could barely finish my big cone, but the 3 year old next to me had no problem with the same. Her dad owned it up to "training".

[Feedbag]

Haven't done much dining out (too little time, too little cash)

but will post the last three so I can comment on two others:

1)Won More Szechuan, Davie and Denman, best lettuce wrap in town

2)Thai Cafe, Hastings in Burnaby, not bad, not great (apparently there's

another Thai place opening soon down the block to give it some competish)

3) La Villette, also Hastings, very good, quiet Italian joint

Just wanted to mention I love the Legendary Noodle as well (the lamb

soup is TDF) and was panicked when I drove by a few months ago

and it seemed to be dark and deserted. I thought it might have gone

under but glad to hear it lives on.

Also, Arne, the Parkcrest Diner, is that the same place that has a lot

of take-out deli-type food? I've been there and the food is quite good,

basic and cheap. Not sure if it's the same place, though. If not, is the

diner worth checking out? What's good? The Chinese

and Japanese restaurants in the same strip mall are, meh, so-so.

[Little Frog]

- La Buca for my birthday, where I had a delicious seafood soup and a great saltimbocca, paired respectively with a Spanish rose and a Chianti. No room for dessert that night, but I will be back for more before long!

- Parkside for my last DOV dinner this year. Perfect from beginning to end

- Fuel last night for a belated birthday dinner. I had an excellent shrimp and squid appetizer, served with homemade chorizo and little rizotto "croquettes". I particularly enjoyed the contrasts between the different textures. The shrimp and the squid were perfectly cooked and very tender. My main was the rosemary lamb on a bed of cauliflower gratin with green olives. All the flavours mingled beautifully, the saltiness of the gratin bringing out the sweetness of the lamb. My boyfriend had the sablefish and really enjoyed it.

The wine list has a very decent selection by the glass.

There are some nice touches, such as the very good bread, served warm with butter and kosher salt, and the interestingly plated amuse-bouche.

Service was attentive and pleasant but a little hit-and-miss.

[maxmillan]

Went to Pho Kim Phung at Victoria and 42nd and had their spicy noodle soup. This HITW is so authentic that this soup had a couple of cubes of blood (chicken? pork?) in the soup. I liked it for it's homey quality, maybe a bit too oily for some. The side dish of sprouts also had what looked like dried pork skin strips?

I plan to go back as they had quite the extensive dessert menu (avocado milkshake, durian shake...) which includes the usual red bean.

I wanted a take out menu or a card but none was to be found. I barely understood the server but I think it's because they're busy enough. You can view their menu that is taped on their door.

Hours are 10am - 9pm Monday to Sunday.

Parking is available in the back and you can walk through the kitchen to the front of the restuarant.

[Daddy-A]

Went to Pho Kim Phung at Victoria and 42nd and had their spicy noodle soup.  This HITW is so authentic that this soup had a couple of cubes of blood (chicken? pork?) in the soup.  I liked it for it's homey quality, maybe a bit too oily for some.  The side dish of sprouts also had what looked like dried pork skin strips?

I plan to go back as they had quite the extensive dessert menu (avocado milkshake, durian shake...) which includes the usual red bean.

I wanted a take out menu or a card but none was to be found.  I barely understood the server but I think it's because they're busy enough.  You can view their menu that is taped on their door.

Hours are 10am - 9pm Monday to Sunday.

Parking is available in the back and you can walk through the kitchen to the front of the restuarant.

←

Yay! Another convert. Another tidbit ... they're cash only (unless that changed recently).

Visited the Noodle Box twice in two days ...

Tuesday night was before a cheese tasting at les Amis du Frommage. had the Dragon Noodles (the special o' the week). Nice heat and lots of Chinese sausage. Tried their Spring Rolls as well. While not as greasy as some, still not a lot of ooomph untill you added your own Thai chili sauce.

I guess I should count the cheese tasting as well. "France" was the theme. 25 cheeses (GAAAAAACH!) paired with 5 wines. I heartily reccommend the tastings at les Amis ... good fun, especially since I was the only one at my table that liked the Epoisses!!!

The next day at lunch I was near Noodle Box again, so I had Thai Style Noodles. An excellent option if you're not into anything too saucy.

A side note ... folks with young 'uns should consider this place for dinner. While i was there at lunch 3 little boys were lined up at the kitchen watching the flames leaping out from underneath the woks. Kept them entertained and QUIET for almost 20 minutes.

A.

[Andrew Morrison]

Plus they do a spice-less kids option.

[run2eat]

^^ Say, I went to the Monday night tasting at Les Amis! Oh my. Cheese Coma afterwards but well worth it. We had a few Epoisses fans at my table - me included - I enjoyed a goodly bit. The 3rd plate was my favourite - Tomme Welsche with the Gewurtz wash paired with the Gewurtz , Comte, Maroilles. Oh my!

Oh, and then there was the exquisitely salty Bleu des Causses.

Last 3 eh?

Yesterday, A Meat Deluxe from Nat's New York

Tuesday, Take out butter chicken entree from Costco

Monday, Cheeeeeeeeze

Edited February 23, 2007 by run2eat (log)

[Daddy-A]

The 3rd plate was my favourite - Tomme Welsche with the Gewurtz wash  paired with the Gewurtz  , Comte, Maroilles. Oh my!

Oh, and then there was the exquisitely salty Bleu des Causses.

Yeah. Comte. *sigh*

A.

[SBonner]

Monday: Jules in Gastown for the cassoulet

Tuesday: Chill Winston (beef tenderloin with stilton and bone marrow)

Thursday: Rangoli (picked up some take for home)

Stephen

[the g-man]

^

How did you like Jules' Bistro?

The Sun gave it a good review this week.

[SBonner]

Monday: Jules in Gastown for the cassoulet

Tuesday: Chill Winston (beef tenderloin with stilton and bone marrow)

Thursday: Rangoli (picked up some take for home)

Stephen

←

^

How did you like Jules' Bistro?

The Sun gave it a good review this week.

Helen and I enjoyed our dinner. Simple richly sauced dishes (cassoulet, lamb shank etc..). Small compact wine list with French and BC selection reasonably marked up and just a nice looking room and friendy service. I'd go again.

Stephen

Edited February 23, 2007 by SBonner (log)

[kevfoodvan]

The last three places were:

1) The Fish House in Stanley Park for an amazing meal of clam chowder, prawn cocktail, salmon with mashed potatoes.

2) The Pear Tree in Toronto for a plain alfredo seafood pasta dish, that was very filling.

3) Finest at Sea: A 2 piece salmon with fries. Salmon was very nice will definitely go back.

[Sam Salmon]

Just had Lingcod F&C @ Finest at Sea up on Arbutus.

Nothing outstanding in terms of flavour-chips over salted, oil needs changing and portions are on the skimpy side.

This place suffers from comparison with Go Fish-a place that has raised the bar for F&C all across the city.

The Seafood deli operation has some tasty innovative foods and the gorgeous White Spring Salmon is something every enthusiastic seafood lover should get to know better.

The polite friendly and enthusiastic staff are a find in a city sometimes a bit short on polish.

[PaoPao]

Monday: Jules in Gastown for the cassoulet

Tuesday: Chill Winston (beef tenderloin with stilton and bone marrow)

Thursday: Rangoli (picked up some take for home)

Stephen

←

^

How did you like Jules' Bistro?

The Sun gave it a good review this week.

Helen and I enjoyed our dinner. Simple richly sauced dishes (cassoulet, lamb shank etc..). Small compact wine list with French and BC selection reasonably marked up and just a nice looking room and friendy service. I'd go again.

Stephen

←

Last night we tried Jules with 9 other of our friends. What originally started out as reservations for 6 grew quickly to 11 and Steffan (sp?) accomodated us no problem. Everyone at the table mutually agreed that this place is really fantastic.

Loved the food, wine, atmosphere, service ... everything. I ordered the Escargot and the Steak Frites ... others had various selections such as the duck, cassoulet, etc ... I had a chance to taste them all and enjoyed them too.

Steffan is a warm and jovial host and we wish him great success. We'll do our part in contributing to it as we will be back often.

[Peter Rodgers]

A quick trip to our second home in Vancouver let me explore new and old.

A bit of dim sum at Sun Sui Wah, chosen more for convenience than because it is at the top of its game, proved to be successful. Excellent steamed pork buns, har gow and pot stickers were highlights.

Next ventured to the two month old Fuel, where I was able to grab a seat at the exhibition bar in front of the real kitchen. This is a good choice for a single diner, as there is plenty to watch, but in some respects, it is like a visit to the sausage factory -- some aspects of food preparation are better left unseen. The food at Fuel has room for improvement. The romaine salad with sauteed mushrooms was dull and my free range chicken dish, hugely recommended by the server, was basically fried chicken on a soggy waffle. But the place has a buzz; perhaps the rest will improve.

Then dinner at West, which remains, in my judgment, far and way the best restaurant in Vancouver. I took advantage of two specials, a Japanese-style salad of little greens and raw fluke, then a boned, bacon-wrapped squab, each made meticulously from the best local ingredients, one better than the next. A bit of goat cheese from Salt Spring Island in a baby beet "sandwich," came as a surprise offering from Chef Hawksworth and was worth the visit. I took advantage of the talents of West's great bartender, who, when I asked from something interesting with rum, came up with a fabulous, tart rum sour. Then a nice half bottle of Nero d'Avola from Sicily. Service as always was fabulous and warm.

David Hawksworth reports that he is working on a cookbook and a line of food. Good news all around.

[Davydd]

Johnny V's Classic Cafe, West Allis, WI

McGarry's Irish Pub, Maple Plain, MN

Lyon's Pub on Sixth, Minneapolis, MN

[bill_n_opus]

Rarely get to go out anymore ... but we did go back to an old haunt, The Octopus' Garden on Cornwall to visit Sada and the crew. Well, don't know the recent crew as the old crew have come and gone.

Have been going there for almost 15 years. Forgot to wear my t-shirt this time. Sada was disappointed.

I miss the old buzz and menu as usual but his food is still great and I always eat the octopus gummy at the end. Still the best chicken karaage in town (or so i'm conditioned).

Highly recommended.

[newbie]

I was in Vancouver this past weekend for the half marathon. On Friday night, we went to Simply Thai for dinner. There were five of us so we ordered a bunch of items for sharing. Started with the Thai Spring Rolls, the deep fried wonton wrap with ground chicken and spices, Tom Kha Gai and Tom Yum Gai. This was followed by Pad Thai, Chicken Pa-nang and a shrimp and scallop dish. We enjoyed everything we had although the soups were my favourite. On Saturday, after a long day of shopping, we made it to Granville Island to pick up some groceries for our pasta dinner that night. I was starving when we finally made it there and I needed to get food into my belly ASAP so I didn't make it down to GO Fish as was my plan and grabbed a chicken taco from the mexican counter. I loved the fresh salsa and guacamole that was served with it. Sunday we hit Joe Fortes for dinner and I had way too many mojitos alongside my ahi tuna. Food was good and service was excellent. Luckily we were back in a corner where we didn't interfere too much with the other diners around us. We bought a round of drinks for the poor table that was stuck beside us to compensate them for having to put up with a table of rowdy's all night.

Edited to add that I went to some falafel (sp?) place on Robson for a chicken schwarma (sp?) for lunch on Sunday, which I really enjoyed.

Edited May 8, 2007 by newbie (log)