Truth be told: Where've you eaten lately? (Part 1)

[Luciano Loi]

Can't believe we've had so little time to eat out. It's taken months just to get to three. Numerous trips to Capers for takeout - mostly good but sometimes awful.

The chocolate oatmeal cookies are always winners.

Last week we went to Hapa Isakaya for the first time and it was a great experience. The ebi mayo (prawn appetizer) and the grilled squid were our favorites but we also reordered the crisp salty pea pods three times. Four of us ate LOTS and drank a fair bit for very little money. We will definately be going back there.

The third was our old favorite for pizza - Rebellious Tomato on 16th. It was so bad we threw out most of it. What happened to that place? Anyone else had a bad experience there lately? It used to be very good.

[Vancouver Lee]

The third was our old favorite for pizza - Rebellious Tomato on 16th. It was so bad we threw out most of it. What happened to that place? Anyone else had a bad experience there lately? It used to be very good.

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Not all that recent, but we tried Rebellious Tomato's pizza the first week we lived here (early June), hated it, too, and never went back.

[Ling]

Can't believe we've had so little time to eat out. It's taken months just to get to three.  Numerous trips to Capers for takeout - mostly good but sometimes awful.

The chocolate oatmeal cookies are always winners.

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I like their carrot cake--very moist with all that pineapple, no coconut (a plus for me).

[peppyre]

Finally I have something to post. Having been absent from the mafia for the past 4 weeks due to work issues, I missed out on a lot of wonderful food. But I'm now back.

Last Thursday Arne and I went to Salade de Fruits for lunch. Oh My....what a lunch. I had the Moules et Salade. The mussels were fantastic, buttery, rich, garlicky, sweet...I had to get a second order of bread because the sauce was just to damn good. I was very tempted to just drink from the bowl, but I did restrain myself. Arne had the steak Frites and from the taste that I had, it was very very good. The steak had a ginger sauce with it and the frites were perfectly crispy and thin.

Saturday evening my best friend and I finally got together for dinner. Since he had been at a conference all day and was tired, we opted for sushi at Toshi's. I love that this place is less than 1/2 a block from my home. We had a rather large assortment of food including one piece of Toro for me, although I think may have converted him. We started with the Spicy Agedashi Tofu, the best I've had, then an order of the veggie gyoza. What makes them green? They again, are the best I've had, I must try the seafood ones next time I'm in. THen it was onto an assortment of sushi. The special roll was Smoked Salmon and Mango, the flavours were perfectly balanced. It's really hard to describe the match, but if you get a chance to try it, I highly recomend it. Cal had to have a Dynomite roll and I had to have a Spicy Tuna, which I should have ordered extra spicy, there was a spicy scallop roll, and another new one for me, Ika Taka Kyu, which is squid, cucumber and Tobiko. Wow! This was a very textural roll. As Cal said, you couldn't tell which was popping in your mouth, the textures were all so similar. Very good! We also had the Kani nigiri and I had a Toro Nigiri. The Toro was divine. Melt in your mouth buttery! The only downer of the evening was the service. I love Toshi's but apparently we were sitting in some sort of vortex. We sat with empty dishes on our table for about 45 min. Every single person that sat down at the same time as us or even half an hour after left the restaurant before our dishes were even removed. It became a joke after a while. She would practically run past our table. It was certainly good for a laugh.

Today I once again joined the mafia for lunch at Vintropolis. There really isn't much to say. I had the steak frites and added about 1/4 of the salt shaker to my plate (the others at the table had the other 3/4). It also took 40 min for us to get our food. At least the company was great.

[Kayaksoup]

I have been trying to curb the spending lately as school is sucking great amounts of cash from my bank account, so its been a while since I have had enough restaurants to post to this thread.

Last Friday Night, Cipriano's again, for The Feast.

Saturday Morning (the Morning after the night before), Helen's Grill for the ultimate hangover breakfast.

Wednesday, after school lunch at Café S'il vous Plait downtown. I had a chicken, orange and ginger sandwhich. Great flavour, simple, cheap food! One of my co-diners had an avacado and banana sandwhich! Which didn't taste as scary as it sounds.

[Chocoholic]

Last night: Hamilton Street Grill or HSG to the initiated. (Am I really the first one to post about this? Am I missing a secret thread somewhere?)

This was Mooshmouse's eGullet meet and greet, hosted by Neil and his staff in the private dining room of HSG. The idea was for some of the old school eGulleter's and some of the newer members to meet each other. We mingled, chatted, ate and drank. Food came at a steady pace in the form of platters of appies, it all started with some steak sushi, followed by lamb burgers (my favorite of the evening), little white cheddar and onion tarts, hanger steak satay-style, marinated morsels of tuna on crispy wontons and battered deep fried oysters. It was perfect food for an evening of chatting with fellow foodies, something I thoroughly enjoyed. Also, the food was an absolute steal at $20, much cheering and enthusing in Neil's direction for this one!

Thanks to Mooshmouse for organising the evening, to Neil for hosting and everyone who attended for a great evening of food-related conversation.

[PlanitV]

Anyone eaten at Aurora Bistro recently? We have a night out and would like to go somewhere we haven't been to yet.

[Daddy-A]

Anyone eaten at Aurora Bistro recently? We have a night out and would like to go somewhere we haven't been to yet.

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Check out this link [CLICK]. A simple search on "Aurora" will turn up a page or so of threads.

Be sure to post back in this thread wherever you end up going!

A.

[cubilularis]

LOL! It smelled like a stable when I walked by HSG last night...what was in the satays?

[mangez]

I suppose most of you folks have tried out Parkside but it was the first time for us 3 days ago.

Two words:

Absolutely amazing.

Pros:

- nice decor, reminded us of an unpretentious east coast restaurant.

- tried the lamb, chicken, pate and sweet bread. all very tasty and well presented.

- as many of you have mentioned, excellent wine list. probably the best wine list in town if you factor in the value? even their high-end bottles are reasonably priced.

Cons:

- tables could use linen.

- dessert did not wow us as much as the starters and main courses.

- impossible to find parking, must valet car.

Conclusion:

We have been put off by the location for the longest time, but finally realize what we have been missing. Definitely one of the best restaurants in town.

In fact, we're heading back tonight.

[John Jameson]

Friday 13th May was unlucky for some but great for my wife and I.

Dinner at San Francisco's Fog City Diner started with a glass of Estancia Pinot Grigio for my wife and a locally distilled rye with ginger ale for myself. Rye was the first Whiskey to be distilled in America, long before Bourbon. Every now and then a distillery will briefly resurrect this style, most notably Jim Beam. The bottle in this case read Old Potero Single Malt Straight Whiskey and is best described as a smokier, rougher version of what we are used to...kinda like Tom Waits versus Michael Buble.

I'm always intrigued by reservation etiquette in the States i.e. a reservation for 8pm means that they are expecting you at 8pm but that you shouldn't expect to be seated at 8pm.

At any rate we drank several beverages, standing out on the sidewalk waiting for our table to free up. It took an age but what matter, we were in the land of Jack Kerouac and for a couple of hours at least, we were on the road.

I had the grilled Niman Ranch pork chop, my wife had Chicken Schnitzel and our

pals had the Angus Beef Pot Roast. We ate off of each other's plates and loved it

all. For fun we washed our grub down with a couple of bottles of St. Francis Merlot from Sonoma ($41 each).

The evening finished with way too many Irish coffees at the Buena Vista

Cafe...the North American home of this famous Irish drink. God help us but they

went down way too easily, should really come with a warning. I am amused by people that try to convince you and themselves that the coffee is neutralizing the effects of the whiskey....sure it is. A shot of whiskey is still a shot of whiskey unless of course you are in the land of the free pour.

The next day was a slow start but we managed to grab a late lunch at Zuni Cafe. What a class act! One of those places that doesn't try to be excellent, it doesn't have to, it just is. It was just the two of us this time the others preferring to dine at "In 'N' Out Burger". We had Prosciutto Daniele with a sizable garnish of freshly shelled English peas tossed in creme fraiche and chervil...simple and perfect. Next we had a caesar salad, anchovies in the dressing, crisp romaine, freshly grated parmesan.

To finish we had a plate of house cured anchovy fillets, shaved parmesan, nicoise olives, drizzled in extra virgin olive oil.

The bread came fresh & frequently from the wood burning oven located on

the other side of the room.

We washed all of this down with a couple of glasses of Sauvignon Blanc and watched the world go by. Later that day we headed for home.

On Monday I snuck away from work to grab a grilled cheese sandwich & coke at the Ovaltine Cafe. Wonder bread, processed cheese and vinegar thinned ketchup served with equal doses of suspicion and indifference. I got exactly what I was expecting, but then I really wasn't there for the food or the service...I went for the ambiance, the nostalgia. This place has so much unrealised potential that it bugs me each time I pass its beautiful neon sign. I have tried several times to buy the Ovaltine but to no avail. Were I ever to become its owner, there is very little about the Ovaltine that I would change, save the menu.

I would transform the current Chinese/Canadian line up to a menu of;

smoked Mennonite sausage hot dogs with cherry tomato relish

hand shaped hamburgers moistened with bone marrow & melted asiago

turkey meatloaf with cranberry gravy

brisket with braised vegetables & horseradish mash

fried chicken with spicy Jicama Slaw

corned beef hash with creamed corn

deep dish apple pie smothered with a slice of melted cheddar

lemon meringue pie that zings in your mouth

I am aware that this last paragraph shouldn't be in this thread as I haven't actually eaten these meals, however, these are the meals that I eat in my mind as I deal with the grilled processed cheese sandwich, bite after bite.

Sean Heather

[barolo]

hand shaped hamburgers moistened with bone marrow & melted asiago

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I hope you manage to buy the Ovaltine so that I can order this hamburger!

[jayhay]

Happy to see you posting again Sean!

[Chef Fowke]

Sean, your description is poetic!

[tarteausucre]

On Thursday, I finally had lunch at Henry's Kitchen. The food was satisfying and very reasonably priced (our meals were all under $10). I had the barbecue pork, cellophane noodle, seaweed wrap and my friends ordered the carbonara pasta and a burger respectively. The fries that accompanied the burger and wrap were most enjoyable. However, I am not entirely sure whether I would return to Henry's Kitchen since I found the decor to be "interesting" to say the least and the service ludicrously abrupt. I was expecting basic and kitsch but the overall effect detracted from the meal for me. I was also shivering because it was so cold in there. It was very busy which bodes well for them!

However, all that being said, it's a good place for a cheap bite to eat and I always like to support solid neighbourhood establishments. I might resort to picking up the wrap instead next time.

Last night I went to Hapa Izakaya and was once again more than happy with the decor, the overall vibe, and the food. The two of us ordered the fried gyoza with lotus root and pork filling, tuna sashimi with avocado and seaweed for wrapping, the ebi mayo, fried chicken pieces with mayo dip, and thin rice noodles with ground beef and mixed veg. Suffice to say, we were pleasantly stuffed by the end of the night. The night confirmed that I am always happiest when I am eating!

[sashavan]

Wednesday night dinner at Clove with a girlfriend. Clove is such a great place for a casual giggle-fest dinner. We shared a selection of appetizers and a half litre of cheap chardonnay. The that beef salad is a must order and the satay prawns were perfect.

Thursday at the HSG for meet, greet, and eat with the gulleters. Too much food and just the perfect amount of laughter.

Friday night dinner at Cassis. The menu has changed since our last evening there. Some new items. My beloved choucroute seems to have fallen off the menu!

We shared a plate of oysters, and the new crab and avacado salad. James had the new spinach salad with warm peaches.

I love Cassis, but, Friday night was a bit off. The music was really loud, our dishes arrived in an odd order (coq au vin before the salads), our wine order was wrong, and the service was a little cool.

We're so spoiled, usually we go in and are known by name and shown to our favourite table. This week we didn't recognize any of the foh staff, and it didn't feel quite so much like having dinner at a friends house as it usually does.

Fingers crossed for next week.

[Zucchini Mama]

Re: Ovaltine,

I'll have the turkey meatloaf with a side order of the Jicama slaw and a big thick creamy milkshake made with Ovaltine. Please!

"Real" food is over-rated. It's all virtual food here in cyberspace.

Zuke

[gerald]

Lets see, long weekend food

saturday night

tapastree, always solid food, i could eat 20 orders of the tuna with ponzu and mustard, i could also eat about 20 orders of the calamari dijonaise (its very pedestrian but damn tasty). 12 of us 600.00 tab, not bad considering how much we had to drink to wash everything down.

Sunday morning

Denny with the kids, for 40 bucks its seems a little pricey for a couple of junior grandslams and a couple of omelettes. I love denny's for its consistent mediocrity, you always know what your gonna get.

Sunday Night

Ouzeri, Good souvlaki, the calamari sklara is great, grilled just right, not chewy (but hey thats the way it sholud be when you have 2 greek line cooks that have been working the kitchen as long as they have been in underwear, the same pair)

The tarama was just salty enough to keep you eating it.

dessert at sweet obsession, the chocolate obsession was good, the st honore a little stale, the warm toffee cake with ice cream , now that was nice.

today as i type, i am eating a siegals bagel and cream cheese, i think they have increased the at content of the cream cheese its seems creamier than normal ( not that I mind)

[Shellback]

Intrigued by the review in Terminal City on the new all-day breakfast place "Hatch" (317 E. Broadway), friend and I decided to check this place out. As the review noted, the menu itself was "cryptic" and needs some translation. For example, "stuffed eggs" are omlettes and "poach and sauce" refers to eggs benedict. We both had the "Benny's been a bad boy and are about to be punished..." with "transformation" toppings: my friend had the tomato/ham and I had the bacon/cheddar/maple. I was looking forward to some creative presentation, but our dishes looked quite conventional. My eggs were done just right and the bacon tasted like Chinese BBQ pork. It came with a nice crisp salad with home-cut potatoes. The portion was very generous for $7.95 and they served organic coffee. Hatch has been opened for just 3 months, but it is going to be a busy place. We got there about 10:00, only counter seats were available. Until we finished our meal, there was a stream of people lining up at the door. This place is owned by the same people who own "Foundation". The decor is retro-mod, comfortable and funky. The service was friendly and efficient too!

Wanting to use the Entertainment Book before it expires, we went to Romio's on Fourth Avenue for dinner last night. I had the Chicken Souvlaki and my friend had the lamb shoulder. She said her lamb was excellent. I thought my chicken was not bad either. The Greek salad had no dressing, just vegetables chopped together with feta sprinkled on top. The restaurant was busy with a large group of Buddhist monks, all other customers were squished in the downstairs area. I think I will probably only go back with a coupon....

Took my mother out for a belated Mother's Day dinner last week. We went to Lumiere. The menu has relaxed quite a bit. The only tasting menus were the 10 course "vegetarian" or 10-course "kitchen" menus. Otherwise, it is a 3-course for $100 menu where you would choose one item from each of appetizer, main and dessert selections. If we wanted the tasting menu, we would both have to order it. Since neither of us has a very big sweet tooth, we decided to choose 2 appetizers and an entree each. Mom had Green and White Asparagus with soft poached eggs and smoked portebello mushrooms, Dungeness crab stuffed ravioli and finished with Braised Halibut Caserole with lentils and pearl onions. I had a salad, Roasted Sable fish in a Thai style broth and coconut foam (delicious) and finished off with the Pan Seared Mediterranean Dorado with Prawn Brandade. My main dish was okay. I found the Dorado a little too fishy for my taste (I don't know if it was supposed to be this fishy or not...) and ended up eating my mom's halibut (excellent). We shared everything and found the portions to be quite good for sharing. Maybe because of the relaxed menu, the atmosphere is more relaxed than the last time I was there (6 months ago). The place was full and actually quite noisy - almost like "Feenie's" noise level. It was the first time for my mom, she thought it was great. I think I prefer the previous tasting menu only format - it was more formal - somehow, more suitable to its Relais Gourmand status.

[rm_blizzard]

Friday night we drove down to Whistler to our regular family night out place - Sachi Sushi on Main Street. Sachi is a locals favourite and offers very good quality and value. Pique newsmagazine readers voted it Whistler's best sushi and second best restaurant overall last year. Sachi was the first place I had tried a tofu dish and their spicy agedashi tofu is now a must have every visit. We also shared a number of rolls (the spicy tuna, chop chop and mango rolls being the highlights), nabeyaki udon and yakisoba (quibble, they used udon noodles rather than soba that night).

On to Vancouver Saturday for the rest of the weekend for a visit with family. we had an opportunity to break from our normal city trip routine and try out a couple of places I've read about here over the past couple of months...

Saturday night went to Mui Garden on Main Street to try the curried beef brisket. The menu has a few helpful photos as we had to point to the green bean dish (couldn’t find the English translation on the menu). It was another good one - mildly spicy and came with pork the waitress said was shredded, but looked almost julienned. Our eight year old son loved the sweet and sour boneless chicken. The only "miss" of the evening was the house special chow mein. Pretty much steamed Mr. Noodles with a couple of prawns. scallops and pieces of BBQ pork and a tasteless light brown sauce.

Today on the way to Science World we stopped for lunch at Marcellos. We shared a large Quattro Stagione (sp?) pizza. Haven’t had pizza from a wood burning oven in years - love that slightly burnt flavour of the crust. First visit there and definitely will return. Nice atmosphere and very kid friendly (at lunch time, anyway).

[transfattyacid]

Lets see, long weekend food

i could also eat about 20 orders of the calamari dijonaise (its very pedestrian but damn tasty)

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like wise , thats the stuff of legends .

[kurtisk]

In reverse order:

Budgie's Burritos at Kingsway & 8th has pretty much been our staff cafeteria since it opened. Very generous portions, but bright and fresh food for sure! I always go for the Tofurkey Sausage in whichever burrito I get. As a carnivore, I don't usually like the 'fake meats', but in a pinch- always go for the sausage.

Kiwi Pie Company on Robson provided us with a sack o' pies last week (Butter Chicken, Thai Red Curry, Chicken and Ham Hock, Steak and Ale). They were damn tasty and more filling than their size seemed to suggest. Will definitely keep a few in the freezer. BTW, anyone tried Cassis' new cook-at-home fare yet?

Finally got around to Adesso, nice to see Travis whom I worked with in the old Cin Cin days. It's been a while since I've done an all-out 3 course lunch, but the Arugula/Gorgonzola/Pecan salad was a nice entry, my Braised Rib Pasta w/ Gremolata was everything I'd hoped it would be and the Lemon Tart with Raspberry Sorbetto was a great finish, the carmelized basket it came in worked very well.

[Zucchini Mama]

Hi Kurtis,

Wecome aboard! My partner is also a regular at Budgie's, along with the rest of his workmates. Seems it is filling a niche. "Cheaper than a sandwich," is what he says!

Looking forward to your posts, so keep them coming!

Zuke

[Ling]

Joe Fortes

Kumamoto oysters and Alaskan king crab legs

(paired with a pinor gris from Pffafenheim)

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?act=mo...md=si&img=18916

These two appetizers were the highlight of the meal--sweet, plump, briny oysters with fresh horseradish, and the biggest crab legs I've seen. When I finished getting the meat out of my two legs, there was a mountain of crab on my plate! Very fresh...served with a purple cabbage slaw, and a grainy mustard mayo, if I'm not mistaken. The Pffafenheim was on the sweet side, and perhaps paired better with the crab legs than the oysters.

Iceberg wedge with blue cheese dressing and bacon

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?act=mo...md=si&img=18917

I love this classic steakhouse dish, and how can you go wrong with bacon and blue cheese?

Delmonico steak

(paired with a Burrowing Owl 2002 Meritage)

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?act=mo...md=si&img=18919

I ordered the steak rare, and it came medium. I would have preferred a thicker cut, but it was charred nicely. The sauce was weak. It tasted like stock that had been thickened with cornstarch--I couldn't taste any wine, or any sweetness from vegetables. I would have preferred the steak alone, without the brown sauce on top. The fries were akin to those served at McDonald's--pale, thin, unremarkable.

Chocolate Ganache torte

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?act=mo...md=si&img=18918

This was a rather disappointing dessert--the cake had no discernible crumb, and dissolved in your mouth like a prepared cake mix. The "ganache" reminded me of chocolate-flavoured vegetable shortening "buttercream". Odd garnish of pomegranate seeds on whipped cream.

HSG: Meet and Greet dinner--my favourites of the evening were the lamb burgers, the curry, and the gingerbread pudding (of course!)

Feenie's: ate lunch here with a bunch of friends--2 people ordered the shepherd's pie, 1 had the burger (I had a bite--very juicy, thick patty with a hint of pink in the center, very worthy of another Burger Club visit, I think!), 1 had the Peking Duck clubhouse, and 1 had the calamari sandwich (I also had a bite of this--interesting Indian spicing on the coating, and the calamari was very tender). I had the pan-seared halibut served on fennel, mandarin, and pistachio and a beurre blanc. The fish was delicious and moist. I drank a Sauvignon Blanc from Dry Rock, and the rest of the table had various beers. We also ordered a few dishes of the creme brulee (flavour of the day was espresso-chocolate).

Edited May 26, 2005 by Ling (log)

[Vancouver Lee]

Last Saturday night, Mrs Vancouver Lee and I dined at Lucy Mae Brown. This restaurant is fast becoming one of my all-time favourites. The service is always excellent (they do a great job of making you feel like Norm at Cheers (in a good way ), and the kitchen is solid.

We ate tapas style, beginning with a tomato-and-can't-remember-the-herb soup and salad. We then enjoyed the duck, stuffed portobello mushroom and the scallop and beef brochettes before tucking in to the antipasto platter for 2. Despite never touching a main course, we were stuffed.

Lunch today was at Medallist Bar and Grill in the airport. I believe this restaurant is a White Spot masquerading as something else, but the reason why escapes me. In any case, I had their daily soup and sandwich special which was a turkey sandwich and cauliflower and cheddar soup. The sandwich was pretty good, and the soup was decent despite being clearly out of a giant tin can with "Sysco" on the side. I can't complain, as lunch was $12 including a coke. Cheap and cheerful.

Dinner tonight was in Calgary at a restaurant chosen by an important (soon-to-be-former) customer of mine. I told her I'd take her anywhere she wanted to go for dinner as a thank-you for the business she sent my way this year, and she choose The Smugglers Inn across from the Chinook Centre.

I opened the door to go inside and honestly thought the power was out, it was so dark. I managed to find the hostess without getting arrested for groping her, and she led me to our table. Fortunately our table was at the far end of the restaurant where they actually have windows, so my worries about the optics of a romantic candlelit dinner with my client vanished. I was seated in a chair with upholstery so stained and dirty that had I not been wearing jeans, I would have put a napkin down first (and a glance around at the other tables confirmed that their furniture is in desperate need of a steam cleaning). The service was excellent throughout the night - attentive but not solicitous and very cognizant of not interrupting our business conversations.

My client suggested I have the prime rib, which of course I did (for those of you not in sales, if your best customer has you to their favourite restaurant and recommends you order the grasshoppers, the only acceptable answer is "a double order or just a single?"). I believe that all dinners at Smugglers come with a trip to the salad bar, which was exactly what I remember salad bars being like as a little kid. Except now I'm tall enough that I look down through the sneeze guard to see the iceberg lettuce, gherkins and the blue jello (yes, blue jello). No hard boiled eggs, though.

The prime rib was properly cooked and, well, what can one say about prime rib? It is what it is. My impression is that prime rib is pretty hard to screw up and basically tastes the same from kitchen to kitchen - someone please correct me if I'm wrong. The sauteed mushrooms were pretty bland and had a hint of undercooked garlic to them. The baked potato was fine, though.

Dessert, which I did not need at all, was some kind of brownie sundae (the name escapes me). A freakishy huge and very cakey brownie with a mountain of whipped cream and a scoop of vanilla ice cream, drizzled with hot fudge sauce. I ate the ice cream and called it a night.

And then I Ling'ed and stopped off at Peter's Drive-In for a burger on the way back to my hotel. Read the Burger Club thread for my report. Hint: very disappointing.

Edited May 26, 2005 by Vancouver Lee (log)