Truth be told: Where've you eaten lately? (Part 2)

[Little Frog]

Between Taste of Yaletown and many a farewell party/get-togethers with friends, I sure have been eating out a lot as of late!

Cioppino's was buzzing with activity on Wednesday night. We arrived early at 6:30 but it was almost full already. The Enoteca side, where the Taste of Yaletown menu was served, was quieter for a while but soon every single table was occupied.

As usual Celestino was a consummate host, checking on each table regularly.

The first course was a crab and avocado salad presented in a little "cup" made of thinly sliced cucumber and served with an excellent tapenade toast. The fresh, clean flavours were perfectly matched by a crisp Mission Hill Sauvignon Blanc.

We then had a veal and spinach ravioli whose delicate flavours were enhanced by an interesting sage-garlic sauce (had to look at the menu for that one, I had not recognised the sage in it). I like my red wine bold and flavourful, so I probably would not have ordered a Mission Hill Pinot Noir myself, but I have to admit that it was a good match for the ravioli. Anything bolder would have overwhelmed the subtle veal and spinach harmony.

Then we had incredibly tender short ribs paired with an earthy, tannic Syrah. The beef was wonderful but the vegetables (carrots and green peas) looked and tasted a little tired.

Dessert was a very pretty honey and citrus semifreddo, with a late harvest Chardonnay. I do not have much of a sweet tooth, but I quite enjoyed this dessert and the accompanying wine, precisely because neither were overly sweet.

Service was as usual very prompt and attentive. Pino made a point of visiting each table in spite of how busy they were, which was a nice touch.

Even though I liked the food, I must say that I am looking forward to my next visit to Cioppino's or the Enoteca when I can enjoy everything Pino's talent has to offer whithout the constraints of a tasting menu.

Hamilton Street Grill

It was my first time there and all I can say is that I see many return visits in my future!

We went on the last day of ToY and even though only a few tables were occupied when we arrived, it soon turned into an extremely busy evening. I do not think I ever saw a server move that fast! The staff must have been exhausted by the end of the night...

We enjoyed all the more the efficient and pleasant service we received. It was great to get to meet Neil and we really appreciated the fact that he made time to come and introduce himself on such a busy night.

Everyone at the table ordered the tried-and-true ravioli/grill/plate/GBP plebiscited by fellow eGulleters and boy did we enjoy it! I particularly loved the sauce that was served with the ravioli, everything on the grill plate was excellent, including the crisp and flavourful vegetables and everyone fell head over heels for the GBP! The grill plate was quite substantial and in all it was a lot of food but we happily ate it all!

Great value for money, very nice atmosphere, lovely people... what more can you ask for?

East is East

On my first visit to this new restaurant on West Broadway, I was very disappointed in the service, so careless it was almost rude. The atmosphere was not very welcoming either. The music was too loud and the dining room inexplicably dark: my scarf slipped from the bench where I was sitting and it was so dark that I could not see it under the table!

But... I loved the food and the drinks. So I decided to pay them another visit, based on the fact that they opened only recently and that the service might have improved since.

I am glad to say that when I went back on Saturday evening, our waitress was very nice and efficient and that it is not necessary to carry a flashlight anymore. Warning: the room is still quite dark, so this is not a good place to bring a book, which this bookworm regrets very much.

We were offered a complimentary sample of chai before our meal. The texture was thinner than that of the chai latte you can get in coffee shops; the flavours and the spiciness were also a far cry form the watered-down version usually served. The ginger in particular stood out.

We then had two rotis each (lamb kebab in garlic sauce / baked eggplant for me, salmon / spinach with paneer for my friend) with an excellent thick lentil soup and a small green salad as side dishes. The ingredients were all very fresh, the flavours and textures were well-balanced, everything tasted just "right" and well-executed.

We both had a rosewater/pistachio/cardamom smoothie that was to die for! Mind you, after spending quite a bit of time in Lebanon I became downright addicted to those three flavours, so I knew I was going to like it, but once again the texture and the balanced flavours exceeded my expectations.

East is East is not fine dining by any stretch of the imagination and the funky atmosphere may not be for everyone, but I would definitely recommend it for good casual Middle Eastern food at very reasonable prices.

Now if only someone would open a Lebanese restaurant of the same calibre, I would be a happy woman.

[waylman]

Saturday Night - Awesome Greek place on Lonsdale called Mythos Greek Taverna. I had the roast lamb and my wife had the Mousaka. We always enjoy ourselves at this place...great food and a nice place to have a meal.

Last night - ChongQuing on Commercial and 12th....had the ginger beef, peanut wontons, cashew prawns, mixed vegetable fried noodle and hot and sour soup. I'm not sure why this place never gets mentioned on this forum....the food is always outstanding.

Today for lunch I went to Suzette's Deli on Dunsmuir and Richards....or is it Pender and Richards? Anyway, killer sandwich as usual. I had the fresh chicken breast today.

[nwyles]

Last night - ChongQuing on Commercial and 12th....had the ginger beef, peanut wontons, cashew prawns, mixed vegetable fried noodle and hot and sour soup. I'm not sure why this place never gets mentioned on this forum....the food is always outstanding.

It is a regular delivery spot for us. At least once a month.

Love the pork dumplings as well as all of the items that you mentioned.

One thing of note. Delivery prices always wildly fluctuate.

Sometimes the order is $30 and sometimes the exact same thing is $50

[mamacat]

Saturday Night - Awesome Greek place on Lonsdale called Mythos Greek Taverna. I had the roast lamb and my wife had the Mousaka. We always enjoy ourselves at this place...great food and a nice place to have a meal.

Couldn't agree more...the roast lamb is really good there; the closest I've had to the mouth-watering tenderness of the slow roasted lamb that you used to get at Yanni's on Robson before it disappeared off the landscape.

Does anyone know of any other places who do roast lamb so slow and long that it falls off the bone?

[Daddy-A]

Does anyone know of any other places who do roast lamb so slow and long that it falls off the bone?

←

Well, there's always my smoker ...

Try THIS thread for more discussion of succulent lamb.

A.

[Jasmine]

--oops-didn't notice this was for BC--well...some dining ideas if you are out in the Kitchener-Waterloo area--sorry. j

Thank goodness for company-sponsored conferences (tee hee)--sorry for not providing better descriptions

Thursday: Transylvania Club (Kitchener, ON) -- The final group eating eating event was to go Oktoberfesting. The TC is known for pretty good Barvarian fare around here -- had the schnitzel dinner (weiner schnitzel, mixed veg, sauerkraut, potatoes & rye bread with cucumber pickles) and the apple streudel. Good hearty fare...and they restored my faith in schnitzel...

Wednesday: Langdon Hall (Cambridge, ON) -- This is where the conference was, so we had our conference meals there (Tues-Thursday), so I'll count it as one. I remember having the soup option (at the moment, I can't remember if it was a corn chowder or tomato bisque--I had both over the course of the conference), the beef tenderloin, served with bacon-wrapped green beans, and dessert was a mocha creme brulee. All quite nicely done. Lunch buffets included a choice of roasted turkey/steamed trout (Wed) or pork tenderloin with bell peppers/salmon (Thurs).

Tuesday: The Old Prune (Stratford, ON) -- The first group eating experience. Everything was so good. I had the squash agnolatti (sp??) with chantrelles, bison tenderloin with wilted greens and what I can only describe as a potato gallette. Dessert was the almond panna cotta. Everything was absolutely fabulous and, for those of us who really don't take huge or mulitiple servings, properly portioned. I'd love to go back, but the bf would have problems with the portion size...

Edited October 18, 2005 by Jasmine (log)

[mamacat]

Does anyone know of any other places who do roast lamb so slow and long that it falls off the bone?

←

Well, there's always my smoker ...

Try THIS thread for more discussion of succulent lamb.

A.

←

Many thanks, Arne... I'll work my way through all the recommended places starting with Maria's. Of course, I could always trade some of my Ottawa lamb sausages for a portion of your roast lamb!

[Bill Miller]

Just want everyone to know my wife and I had a lovely short visit to Vancouver last week. We had dinner at "C" under a bridge. My sablefish was wonderful and Jane's halibut was the best she ever had. You have a treasure there. Regards, Bill Miller

[Foodie in Vancouver]

This isn't my last 3 meals out but I feel badly that I haven't posted about an amazing meal at Fresco's in Kelowna on the last night of wine festival. The meal was so extraordinary in every sense - total whimsy in every course (more later), Rod and Audrey had invited their producers to join them so we heard from the farmers and producers as well as the vineyard managers and impeccable service from start to finish. Rod and Audrey are consumate hosts who despite the gruelling schedule of Wine Festival looked as fresh and energized as if it were the first night. I want to nominate them for unsung, local culinary heroes.

If there was ever a meal that should have been photographed this was it. But my wonderful husband who is the photographer in this duo forgot his camera at home. So - note to self. Pay the taxman and then buy a purse-sized camera. (But that means I will have to a) read the instructions and b) learn to post pictures.) (Note to self - bribe Arne with wine and get him to show me how to post pictures on eG).

The first course was green eggs and ham served on a small portion of an oak barrel. The eggs were the Martha Stewart kind and Rod had made a velvety custard which he poured into the eggs and then (guessing here) poached the eggs in a bain marie. They were accompanied by a timbale of squash dice (tender, tender, tender) stabbed with a shard of crisp proscuitto.

Next up was Shrimp popcorn - which was poached, local spot prawns with a shot glass of popcorn. But the popcorn was dusted with a very fine dehydrated tomato powder (I am not doing this justice!)

The soup course was served as a can in a soup plate. Each and every can had been wrapped with a mock label which Rod had made on his laser printer to be reminiscent of a Campbell's soup label. In the bowl were several pieces of tomato - green, yellow and red. The diner then had the fun of upending the soup into their bowl. And what soup it was - no stock in this soup. Tomatos (from Milan - of course) and tomato water so it was intense in flavour - but suprisingly not acidic.

The main course was 3 mini burger - turkey (it was Thanksgiving) hand chopped and seasoned, shitake and bison ribs. The buns were made in the kitchen - as well as the mustard, the mayo and the "ketchup". Fun and definitely best burgers I've had. And for me - the perfect size. Kinda like a two-bite brownie size but all the tastes were there.

The wines were all from Vincor - a Pinnacle, a white meritage, the Bears Cub Zinfandel, Stellars Jay and a late harvest for the desert - a wagon wheel made with handmade marshmellow and local preserves. And of course chocolate.

Another recent trimimphant wine dinner was the Sherry dinner at Cru. I was a reluctant participant as I was convinced I didn't like Sherry. I guess that is similar to the time I went to the Irish Heather for the Scotch and Cheese for the cheese only to discover I like Scotch.

And today, had lunch at Nu my new favorite place for business lunches. Although we had lunch last week at HSG which as of November 1 will be my local - as one of my clients is moving to Yaletown.

And, OT but OT with the OK wine festival - we have set a new record for number of cases of wine you can bring back from the Okanagan in a mini-van.

Edited October 19, 2005 by Foodie in Vancouver (log)

[Daddy-A]

And, OT but OT with the OK wine festival - we have set a new record for number of cases of wine you can bring back from the Okanagan in a mini-van. 

Inquiring minds want to know ... how many Karole? The Subaru could fit about 9 if we didn't have luggage.

Last 3 for me? HSG for Rockin' Ronnie's send-off bash, Stormin' Norman's for Burger club (same day), and Kolachy Shop for lunch on Monday (Thai Chicken Soup ... mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm )

A.

[vanderb]

We managed to fit 4 cases in the New Beetle on the way home from the OK wine fest last weekend, but that was only because we had lugage and all the camping gear required for a week living in a tent.

Last 3 outings or innings were:

Rocky Mountain Food and Wine festival in Calgary, lots of great wine... in fact more wineries (Canadian and international) than in almost any year past. This was a nice change from last year's increase in "novelty" liquor vendors. Food was also excellent, I had many a fresh oyster from Cannery Row (flown in that day from BC), butter chicken from Sunterra Market, satay skewers from Tropika, and then it all becomes a haze. Did manage to stop on the way home for shrimp salad rolls, stuffed lalot leaves and imperial rolls at the local Touch of Ginger.

Sunday was Piato in Calgary, great nuvo Greek restaurant. I've never been disappointed by either the food or the service. Started with marinated lamb meatballs in a tomato feta sauce, then grilled venision tenderloin with skordalia (potato and parsnip) and accompanied with a bowl of grilled asparagus with greek pesto on top. Great Greek place but not your standard fare, no souvlaki and no plate breaking but excellent nonetheless.

Last night ordered in because I was just too tired to do anything else. Shantung chinese from around the corner was on order. Fried dumplings, salt and pepper squid, satay beef with Gai Lan and some Singapore noodles rounded things out. I was saited and have a few leftovers for lunch today.

This weekend... a wedding in a rural Alberta community hall... this could be scarey.

[Mooshmouse]

This weekend... a wedding in a rural Alberta community hall... this could be scarey.

←

May the force be with you.

[Foodie in Vancouver]

We went to a wedding in a Legion in Fort Saskatchewan last September. My first experience in a Legion . What saved the day was the fact that they had 18-year-old Scotch (can't remember which one) for $4.50 a drink. My husband was thrilled and drank doubles all night.

[vanderb]

I can only hope, it's been 10 years since my last rural AB wedding (the Legion in Edson that time - roast turkey and canned corn on the menu, Domaine D'or in the bottle) my memories are not too pleasant... need I say more?

[Ling]

My friend and I had an excellent dinner at Feenie's on Saturday. The place was packed when we arrived, a few minutes before our 9pm reservation, and was still busy well after 11:30pm. This was one of the better dinners I've had this year, which every dish having depth and showing creativity in its flavour combinations. Our server and food-runner, Jill and Shea, were engaging and friendly, and made the evening all the more lovely.

We started off with complimentary drinks at the bar, which was very generous since we didn't have to wait too long for our table. I had a glass of the Dirty Laundry Blush wine and my friend had the Bellevue Kriek (after some gentle prodding from yours truly--I don't like beer, but I've been wanting to try this, and it was very tasty.)

Amuses of the evening:

Butternut squash and sage ravioli, with a lemon pinenut beurre blanc

Plump bellies swelling with a sweet and rich puree. A classic dish for fall.

Seared scallop on cauliflower-lemon puree, wild rice, brown butter sauce, capers, and raisins

This was one of the most wonderful bites of the evening--the creamy tang in the cauliflower-lemon puree went nicely with the scallop, and the nuttiness of the wild rice is echoed in the browned butter. The saltiness of the capers play off the sweetness of the raisins. If this marriage of flavours sounds familiar, it might be because this dish is the chef's homage to Jean-Georges Vongerichten, who serves a scallop dish with caper-raisin emulsion with cauliflower on his tasting menu.

Prosciutto-wrapped duck liver terrine with dried sour cherries and onion jam

The caramelized onions are doused in port...wonderful, especially when eaten with the rich foie.

Duck confit with butter lettuce, arugala and radicchio, gorgonzola, poached pears, and a bacon vinagrette

Our forks descended upon this dish before I realized I had forgotten to take a picture...sorry! This was tasty, but we both enjoyed the foie gras appetizer more.

Spice-rubbed duck breast with water chestnuts, bamboo shoots, and a mango-duck sauce

This was my friend's main, but I managed to snag a few bites. The rosy slices of duck are fanned on top of the vegetables; the duck was so incredibly tender, with a good amount of the fat rendered out from the skin.

Braised beef rib with asparagus, lentils, prosciutto

I think this dish (at $19) is an incredible deal. The beef was lacquered in a sticky-sweetish glaze, and fell apart with the slightest nudge of the fork. I drank the Edge Cab. Sauv. with this hearty dish. (This was one of my favourites of the evening...it will be difficult to order any other main dish on the menu once you've had this!)

Now dessert. We ordered three of them--two are new on the menu, and the third we ordered because everyone else seemed to be getting it.

Apple galette, caramel sauce, and vanilla ice-cream

This was my friend's choice--buttery puff pastry, and a nice vanilla ice-cream flecked with vanilla seeds.

Port-poached pear with candied pecans and Roquefort ice-cream

The next two desserts were my choosing, and I think both these desserts stand out in their creativity. The Roquefort ice-cream is not for the casual blue cheese lover--I was happily surprised by how intense the flavour was. And of course, it was excellent with the pear and pecans. (Sorry about the appearance of the dessert...as you can see, I had taken a bite already.)

Concord grape tart with pine nut filling and brown butter ice-cream

This is one of the best desserts I've had this year. I read the dessert menus of many top Vancouver restaurants regularly, and I haven't found anything this exciting in a long time. The crust was nicely browned, and sturdy enough to stand up to the thick, nutty jamminess of the filling. The addition of browned butter to ice-cream is just another exercise in gilding the lily.

Edited October 19, 2005 by Ling (log)

[BCinBC]

Nice Ling. I was wondering if this was a la carte or prix fixe (you mentioned the price of the braised beef ribs which leads me to believe it was the former). Are they still doing the prix fixe and is it still $35? If yes, and if this was it, that is amazing value. I tried to check the website but it seems like they haven't updated it for at least a year.

[Ling]

Yes, they are getting a new website built for them. The current website is out of date. Dinner was a la carte, with the appetizers around $12-$15 and the desserts in the $7-$8 range.

Edited October 19, 2005 by Ling (log)

[kontemporary]

It's been awhile since I've posted one of these.. besides lurking on here and reading what other people have been up to.. but here are my last three dining experiences:

Griffins at Fairmont Hotel Vancouver

My party decided to go for the buffet appetizer bar as the first course (14$), which was excellent. Smoked salmon, marinated mussels, chilled snow crab were available, as well as the pasta salad, various toppings and condiments which were excellent. Their seafood chowder was tasty with chunks of salmon and tomato in the broth, albeit a bit watery for my preference.

The à la carte entrées however, were poorly executed. I had their wild salmon (24$), which though overcooked slightly, was very smooth and had no trace of any fishiness. Clean, crisp flavours. However it came on quite possibly the worst asparagus I ever had. I do realise asparagus season is over, but they don't seem keen on making the menu seasonal and taking it off the selection. The asparagus was not only chewy, but stringy, and overcooked.

My friends had a seafood linguine(22$) and crab cakes(23$) for theirs. The linguine was done quite well, but the crab cake was uninspiring. The sides for the crab cake were just plain rice and some steamed vegetables.

The dessert bar was excellent however. They had some hit and miss selections, but in general it was good. I particularly enjoyed their chocolate selections, and the crème caramel. They also had a mango cake which was sublime.

Service was very good and enjoyable. The one thing I notice about Griffins is that the waiters are not 20-something year olds and full of energy. They're generally middle aged and relaxed, and it gives Griffins an atmosphere you don't see in many restaurants anymore. My friends also joked about the checkered décor making the establishment look like White Spots. Far from it, of course. I'd recommend Griffins again, as long as you make smart choices. Definitely go for the appetizer buffet option, which comes at a slightly higher price than à la carte, and a well-chosen entrée (dessert comes alongside).

Kalypso Ouzeria on Robson (next to Caffè de Medici and L'Hermitage)

Fortunately this was a poor choice of deciding to try a new Greek restaurant out. For a spectacular location, right on Robson, with a patio, you'd expect quality like Savoury Coast Cucina Mediterannea. Unfortunately, this was not the case. When at arrival, the restaurant was quite spartan, albeit quiet and a very relaxed atmosphere. However, the tables were laced with (old) plastic tablecloth, which I personally have a pet peeve for. Why use tablecloths if not linen, and why use bad ones at that if they're not even necessary? Our waitress was also not very welcoming, despite the restaurant being quite empty. She seemed to rush, but did check up on us often. The décor was very spartan. Wine bottles in an old cooler-fridge near the entrance didn't exactly make a good impression.

We started off with an order of calamari and their tsatziki/pita. Both were good. Calamari was expensive in relativity to other Greek places, but well executed (10$?). However our entrées were disappointing. I had their rack of lamb (22$), which was described as coming in a mint jus of some sort, but came out with.. what tasted like pre-packaged gravy. Their sides of pilaf were soggy, and the potato, unseasoned. The portion of Greek salad was good however. My friend had the roast lamb (18$?), and I didn't ask how it was.

Needless to say, at a price point like that there are many, many more Greek places that do the job better for less. And downtown too.

Pho Thai Son on Broadway

This was a surprising Vietnamese restaurant. Service was minimal, as in similar small Asian restaurants. The décor was very cluttered with white holiday lights along the wall. However, the small restaurant was filled - we had to wait in line for ten minutes. It was also quite warm inside as well. And poor kitchen ventilation (as we find out after leaving with our clothes smelling).

The food was quite good. Strong, aromatic flavours reminiscent of authentic Vietnamese cuisine. I shared a bowl of the rice noodle marinated in soy sauce topped with squid, shrimp, scallions, liver (yuck), giblets (couldn't identify), and its side of soup (5$?). It was very enjoyable. We also had the fish hot pot, which came to the table with a portable stove to keep it warm (20$). It came with a dish of caramelized pork with ground pepper and fish sauce - a salty dish enjoyed with rice. The hot pot was quite good, but the fish (I don't know what kind..) was very fishy (haha..), just simmering in the delicious soup. I think the fish was probably imported here. It seemed something between a halibut and trout.. with a skin that was really chewy.

All in all, a good experience, and good value. Just don't mind lining up, and your clothes smelling food when you come out, and it's probably quite a good foray into authentic Vietnamese cuisine.

Edited October 21, 2005 by kontemporary (log)

[~cayenne~]

Griffins at Fairmont Hotel Vancouver

Service was very good and enjoyable. The one thing I notice about Griffins is that the waiters are not 20-something year olds and full of energy. They're generally middle aged and relaxed, and it gives Griffins an atmosphere you don't see in many restaurants anymore.

I'd venture a guess that the reason is called a union, most likely Local 40 to be exact. Pretty good job security and wages at a nice job site, certainly wouldn't encourage a high turnover rate or burnout.

I remember seeing much the same at the Delta hotel by the river at YVR, at the Pier restaurant, before they changed it to the Elephant & Castle,

Edited October 21, 2005 by ~cayenne~ (log)

[kontemporary]

Griffins at Fairmont Hotel Vancouver

Service was very good and enjoyable. The one thing I notice about Griffins is that the waiters are not 20-something year olds and full of energy. They're generally middle aged and relaxed, and it gives Griffins an atmosphere you don't see in many restaurants anymore.

I'd venture a guess that the reason is called a union, most likely Local 40 to be exact. Pretty good job security and wages at a nice job site, certainly wouldn't encourage a high turnover rate or burnout.

I remember seeing much the same at the Delta hotel by the river at YVR, at the Pier restaurant, before they changed it to the Elephant & Castle,

←

Hmm that's interesting. I'll have to ask my friend about that. I probably would suspect so now too. I have a friend who's young and works at the Chateau Lake Louise. The chefs at Griffins were quite young too, working their magic at the open kitchen. But I guess seniority gets the tips

Any experiences with other hotels? I know the staff at DIVA is fairly young, or at least some of them..

Edited October 21, 2005 by kontemporary (log)

[Zucchini Mama]

1) Shoe-eh [sic] downtown was lined up out the door, so we ended up having lunch at the Maple Delights Café. I was very disappointed to see they aren't making their own soups any more. I used to like their soup and sandwich lunch. Alas, soups are now by Sysco. A staff person told me they are making more sweets and changing over to more of a dessert place. They even make their own gelati sweetened with maple syrup or sugar. It was cozy on a rainy afternoon, but I can never shake the feeling I'm in a shop in an airport.

2) Late night calamari at Subeez. Totally without flavour. I liked my Moscow Mule cocktail though. Noise level became unbearable. Conversation impossible. [Place expletives here.]

3)Lunch at Chutney Villa. Since I last posted about this place they have given the washrooms a lick of paint and removed the paintings and replaced them with more subtle decor. I was with my son, and we had the Chicken 65, which consists of big chunks of real chicken fried in a spicy batter and served with the chutneys. Today's chutney choices were coconut, tomato, peach or pear. I had a classic masala dosa and U. ate the parts of the crepe without the filling. Unfortunately, The chicken fritters were too spicy for him, but he did give them a valiant try before he chowed down on mango kulfi, which is very creamy with a nice mango zing. We had the lime juice with the meal, which is made with real limes and must also have some lime syrup, since it is the color of a green popsicle! I like to have mine mixed with soda so it's not so sweet. The proprietresses are very warm and friendly.

Psst-you can buy a take-home container of chutney if you request one.

Zuke

[McTee]

Griffins at Fairmont Hotel Vancouver

Service was very good and enjoyable. The one thing I notice about Griffins is that the waiters are not 20-something year olds and full of energy. They're generally middle aged and relaxed, and it gives Griffins an atmosphere you don't see in many restaurants anymore.

I'd venture a guess that the reason is called a union, most likely Local 40 to be exact. Pretty good job security and wages at a nice job site, certainly wouldn't encourage a high turnover rate or burnout.

I remember seeing much the same at the Delta hotel by the river at YVR, at the Pier restaurant, before they changed it to the Elephant & Castle,

←

Hmm that's interesting. I'll have to ask my friend about that. I probably would suspect so now too. I have a friend who's young and works at the Chateau Lake Louise. The chefs at Griffins were quite young too, working their magic at the open kitchen. But I guess seniority gets the tips

Any experiences with other hotels? I know the staff at DIVA is fairly young, or at least some of them..

←

I can answer that for you. Yes, there is a union in place at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver, it is the CAW. A lot of the servers are much more experienced and have been with us for quite a while. This, of course, gets perceived as positive and negative depending on who you talk to.

As for the menu choices? I will let the chef know about your feedback regarding the asparagus, and honestly, although the crab cakes are a very popular menu item, I would say that there are other items that I would recommend before it for the same reason that was mentioned, the accompaniments. There is a great Halibut dish on the menu and I would put the Prime Rib up against any in the city (at $15 - $20 cheaper than the big steakhouses).

No excuses, it sounds like it wasn't a memorable experience. If you come back, ask for me and I would be happy to assist in selecting a better dinner choice. And a guided tour of the dessert buffet can yield significant rewards! All of the desserts are made in our pastry shop and there is a lot of talent in that room.

Although I don't usually work in Griffins, I was the floor manager tonight and may be pulling more shifts in the future.

I look forward to meeting my first eGulleter!

Edited October 22, 2005 by McTee (log)

[kontemporary]

I can answer that for you.  Yes, there is a union in place at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver, it is the CAW.  A lot of the servers are much more experienced and have been with us for quite a while.  This, of course, gets perceived as positive and negative depending on who you talk to.

As for the menu choices?  I will let the chef know about your feedback regarding the asparagus, and honestly, although the crab cakes are a very popular menu item, I would say that there are other items that I would recommend before it for the same reason that was mentioned, the accompaniments.  There is a great Halibut dish on the menu and I would put the Prime Rib up against any in the city (at $15 - $20 cheaper than the big steakhouses).

No excuses, it sounds like it wasn't a memorable experience.  If you come back, ask for me and I would be happy to assist in selecting a better dinner choice.  And a guided tour of the dessert buffet can yield significant rewards!  All of the desserts are made in our pastry shop and there is a lot of talent in that room.

Although I don't usually work in Griffins, I was the floor manager tonight and may be pulling more shifts in the future.

I look forward to meeting my first eGulleter!

←

Thanks for the tips I'll be sure to be back and tell you when I do

[Feedbag]

Finally made it to two places that have had an abundance

of coverage here, good and bad. First, Watermark. Yeah, yeah, I

know: What was I thinking? Well, we had been walking in the area and the

spousal unit insisted we try it out. Proximity, rare sunset in October,

in need of suds, blah, blah, blah. I dutifully informed him of the

negative backlash here and he said, yeah, well, what do they know?

Reluctantly, I followed him up the stairs.

It was, what can I say, great....

Alright, full disclosure, we just had a couple beers and the

prawn rolls and pot stickers, how can you go wrong, right?

But they were delicious, the service friendly and efficient, the

view, well, words will always fail there.

The place was packed by the time we left, so the poop from here

has obviously not affected them.

Next day, Vera's. I confess, I'm a Vera's virgin and they were

gentle with me. Just a simple cheese and mushroom with fries

and root beer. So good I felt like a cigarette after, and I don't smoke.

Black Tuna on Denman. This place is becoming one of my faves,

so much so my usual haunt, One Man With A Wok, as I call him, next door

(Won More Szechuan) is becoming unusual. I just like all the little plates

you can share and everything is so fresh and flavorful. Never been

disappointed. Only fear is, even on a Saturday night, the place is sparse

with diners, so it may not last, unfortunately, but it really is a steal. We

stuff ourselves with terrific sushi along with two of those big bottles of

Sapporo and rarely rack up more than $50. Amazing.

[McTee]

My last 3....

Gyoza King - they were out of the Ebi Mayo - (catch your breath, Ling) as well as a marinated Albacore tuna special that I wanted to try. Settled for Gyozas, Kimchi fried rice, chicken wings, two large Kirins, the usual. Food was good, service was horrible as usual again. Felt forgotten about in the corner, but I've come to expect it, and there aren't a lot of places to go at 11pm on a Tuesday.

Milesone's on Robson - lunch. Chicken, tomato and goat cheese sandwich on foccacia (If I remember correctly). Good sandwich, pint of Stella, smartass Leafs fan serving us (she was SO cute, so I will forgive her).

Steamrollers on Robson - lunch - Chicken Wet Burrito, no beans please. Fills the bill on the way to work. Great place to people watch with Mole sauce all over your face.