Le Gavroche

[Daddy-A]

Saturday night's dinner at Le Gavroche felt somewhat like a pilgrimage for me. You see, I've never eaten there. Not before the fire, not since. It was akin to living in Paris, but never having been to the Tour d'Eiffel. Admittedly, Le Gavroche hadn't even been on my dining radar until I found this place, so I haven't beat myself up too much over this indiscretion.

We arrived about 10 minutes early for our 8:30 seating but they were able to seat us right away. The restaurant was only about 2/3 full which struck me as odd for a Saturday night during DOV, but by 9:30 every seat on our floor was full.

It was really the menu they put together that made me choose le Gavroche, the Osso Bucco in particular. In addition to the $35 DOV menu , there was also a $60 DOV menu which offered an extra course as well as two extra dessert choices. Both could be “upgraded” to include the VQA wine pairings for $60 & $85 respectively. We chose the first DOV menu with the pairings.

FYI – the regular menu was also available. We’re going to go back to try their $160 5 course meal for two which includes wine pairings!

I started with the Wild Boar Terrine with Onion Marmalade … very tasty. The fattiness from the boar worked really nicely with the onion marmalade (I would have called it confit myself) and the wine selection, a 2001 Nichol’s Vineyard Pinot Noir, was an excellent match. Who knew that the pistachios in the terrine would have worked so will with the Pinot Noir?

J started with the Fresh Scallops with Tomato confit and truffle vinaigrette. The scallops were perfectly cooked but I can’t tell you what the confit was like. She didn’t share … I think that says it all. The 2003 Tinhorn Creek Pinot Gris was another great pairing.

Mains were the Braised Venison Osso Bucco with Port Orange Sauce. Have you ever seen two grown people wanting to pick up the venison bone from their plate to suck out the marrow? Such restraint! The venison was tender to the point of falling apart before you even pushed the knife into it. The sauce? Well, thank goodness for bread is all I can say! I thought I caught a hint of fennel in the sauce as well, but never asked.

The pairing was sublime … a 2001 Tinhorn Creek Cab Franc. Earthy, almost liquorice with that dark fruity finish that worked so well with the orange in the sauce while still letting the flavour of the venison come through. This wine will definitely find a home in our cellar.

I was a DOV pain-in-the-ass for dessert. In addition to the Crème Brulé, there was also a Lemon Tart. But on the $60 menu, they offered a Stilton-stuffed Poached Pear with Stilton ice Cream. “Can I have the Pear instead?” I asked, secretly wondering what names there would be calling me back in the kitchen. I offered to pay for the Pear separately and take the lemon tart home with me if that would be easier. Our server was agreeable to this … but when the bill came I was only charged for one dessert!

I should have had the tart. J makes an amazing poached pear, and the dessert I had last night was a pale comparison, even with the Stilton. It was good, just not as good as I’ve had. It was paired with a Taylor-Fladgate 10 Year Port. J had the Lemon Tart … delicious! Smooth, tart and creamy. But OMG! The dessert wine that came with … Tinhorn Creek Kerner Late Harvest … amazing! Like drinking a fresh picked apple.

Our evening didn’t end here … and this gives me a chance to address service. I have to say that the service started out a bit … indifferent. Our server didn’t offer much in the way of information about the menus … no suggestions were made. There was definitely an air of “I’m so tired of these DOV people.” That may have been my own perception. J didn’t pick it up as soon as I did, but then, just before our appetizers arrived, a couple was seated behind us. They were obviously regulars because EVERY server came by to see them. Subsequently, we seemed to disappear for a while. Our invisibility only lasted for a bit, but it was enough to taint the evening. Our server opened up a bit as the evening progressed. In fairness we were relaxed a bit more as well. But then …

Sometime the best situations arise from unfortunate circumstances. Our server came over and told us that the owner wanted to buy us a cognac if we would mind moving to the bar. It seemed that Le Gavroche had over-booked for the evening, and a young couple (I could have sworn it was Lorna & Albert!!) were patiently waiting for their table. We obliged. After all, they had indulged my dessert request.

At the bar we met Manuel … and the whole evening turned around. Peppyre (and others) have told me what a gracious host he is, and now I know why. While Manuel was working the bar (the restaurant was hopping by now) he was chatting with us about our meal, DOV, how we found out about Le Gavroche, and eventually where he purchased the lamps for the dining room. Even our server was paying more attention to us. We lingered over drinks for about an hour and left happy.

On a side note … Manuel told us that he had 25 DOV no-shows on Friday night!

A.

[nwyles]

Saturday night's dinner at Le Gavroche felt somewhat like a pilgrimage for me.  You see, I've never eaten there.  Not before the fire, not since.  It was akin to living in Paris, but never having been to the Tour d'Eiffel.  Admittedly, Le Gavroche hadn't even been on my dining radar until I found this place, so I haven't beat myself up too much over this indiscretion.

We arrived about 10 minutes early for our 8:30 seating but they were able to seat us right away.  The restaurant was only about 2/3 full which struck me as odd for a Saturday night during DOV, but by 9:30 every seat on our floor was full.

It was really the menu they put together that made me choose le Gavroche, the Osso Bucco in particular.  In addition to the $35 DOV menu , there was also a $60 DOV menu which offered an extra course as well as two extra dessert choices.  Both could be “upgraded” to include the VQA wine pairings for $60 & $85 respectively.  We chose the first DOV menu with the pairings. 

FYI – the regular menu was also available.  We’re going to go back to try their $160 5 course meal for two which includes wine pairings!

I started with the Wild Boar Terrine with Onion Marmalade … very tasty.  The fattiness from the boar worked really nicely with the onion marmalade (I would have called it confit myself) and the wine selection, a 2001 Nichol’s Vineyard Pinot Noir, was an excellent match.  Who knew that the pistachios in the terrine would have worked so will with the Pinot Noir?

J started with the Fresh Scallops with Tomato confit and truffle vinaigrette.  The scallops were perfectly cooked but I can’t tell you what the confit was like.  She didn’t share … I think that says it all.  The 2003 Tinhorn Creek Pinot Gris was another great pairing.

Mains were the Braised Venison Osso Bucco with Port Orange Sauce.  Have you ever seen two grown people wanting to pick up the venison bone from their plate to suck out the marrow?  Such restraint!  The venison was tender to the point of falling apart before you even pushed the knife into it.  The sauce?  Well, thank goodness for bread is all I can say!  I thought I caught a hint of fennel in the sauce as well, but never asked. 

The pairing was sublime … a 2001 Tinhorn Creek Cab Franc.  Earthy, almost liquorice with that dark fruity finish that worked so well with the orange in the sauce while still letting the flavour of the venison come through.  This wine will definitely find a home in our cellar.

I was a DOV pain-in-the-ass for dessert.  In addition to the Crème Brulé, there was also a Lemon Tart.  But on the $60 menu, they offered a Stilton-stuffed Poached Pear with Stilton ice Cream.  “Can I have the Pear instead?” I asked, secretly wondering what names there would be calling me back in the kitchen.  I offered to pay for the Pear separately and take the lemon tart home with me if that would be easier.  Our server was agreeable to this … but when the bill came I was only charged for one dessert!

I should have had the tart.  J makes an amazing poached pear, and the dessert I had last night was a pale comparison, even with the Stilton.  It was good, just not as good as I’ve had.  It was paired with a Taylor-Fladgate 10 Year Port.  J had the Lemon Tart … delicious!  Smooth, tart and creamy.  But OMG!  The dessert wine that came with … Tinhorn Creek Kerner Late Harvest … amazing!  Like drinking a fresh picked apple.

Our evening didn’t end here … and this gives me a chance to address service.  I have to say that the service started out a bit … indifferent.  Our server didn’t offer much in the way of information about the menus … no suggestions were made.  There was definitely an air of “I’m so tired of these DOV people.”  That may have been my own perception.  J didn’t pick it up as soon as I did, but then, just before our appetizers arrived, a couple was seated behind us.  They were obviously regulars because EVERY server came by to see them.  Subsequently, we seemed to disappear for a while.  Our invisibility only lasted for a bit, but it was enough to taint the evening.  Our server opened up a bit as the evening progressed.  In fairness we were relaxed a bit more as well.  But then …

Sometime the best situations arise from unfortunate circumstances.  Our server came over and told us that the owner wanted to buy us a cognac if we would mind moving to the bar.  It seemed that Le Gavroche had over-booked for the evening, and a young couple (I could have sworn it was Lorna & Albert!!) were patiently waiting for their table.  We obliged.  After all, they had indulged my dessert request. 

At the bar we met Manuel … and the whole evening turned around.  Peppyre (and others) have told me what a gracious host he is, and now I know why.  While Manuel was working the bar (the restaurant was hopping by now) he was chatting with us about our meal, DOV, how we found out about Le Gavroche, and eventually where he purchased the lamps for the dining room.  Even our server was paying more attention to us.  We lingered over drinks for about an hour and left happy.

On a side note … Manuel told us that he had 25 DOV no-shows on Friday night!

A.

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Just a quick note as I do not want to detract from the purpose of your post -

I had a party of 10 no show at 5:30. You would think that that would be no big deal but it caused the first turn to stutter a bit as we held the table for one hour. I know what you are thinking - why hold a table for an hour.

Because these Mo*&$#@ers ( and no that word is not Mousekateers ) confirmed their reservation not once but twice. I would have given it away but you can't pull a table of ten out of thin air if they arrived. Ah.... I feel better now.

[merlin]

Daddy-A:

Thank you for the review of La Gavroche. It is a spot that I have been meaning to try during one of my infrequent trips to Vancouver, but to date have not got to.

Bill Spohn [a Vancouverite who I do not know except via the internet] peaks highly of it at an American wine website I frequent. Manuel in particular gets rave reviews for his class and hospitality...sorry, cannot shake the "Faulty Towers" connection whenever I hear that name.....

The VQA wine pairings sounded delicious. I am glad the Tinhorn Creek "worked". Personally I prefer the cab franc from Sandhill and Poplar Grove but may give the Tinhorn Creek another try.

I envy you folks out in "lotus land"...sounds like the DOV really works...except for the "no shows" that Neil commented on ...

[winegeek]

Arne, Manuel must be the most gracious owner/host I have ever encountered. Years ago while I was serving at Cin Cin, I asked my sommelier to make me a reservation at Le Gavroche and let Manuel know that I would like to try a good Burgundy with dinner. I was just getting into pinot and had never had a good Burgundy. I let them know that my budget for wine was @ $100.

When my wife and I arrived, Manuel came over to our table, chatted for a bit and then went to retrieve our wine. He came back with an '85 Clos de la Roche Grand Cru from Armand Rousseau. I still had the wine list and after he left I started to leaf through it and discoved the wine was listed for $250!!! I was slightly horrified but the wine was incredible and I did not want it to ruin our evening, which was wonderful.

When we received our bill, I was shocked to see that we were charged only $109! I questioned this to our server, who then brought Manuel to our table. He informed us that he wanted us to experience a truly great wine and it was this one that he chose for us, even though our budget was $100. That was the most incredible display of hospitality I have ever received, one that has yet to be matched.

[RooStew]

Sounds like a good meal Daddy A, I'm off there tonight now.

The VQA upgrade sounds like a great idea.

More to come......

[Ling]

  It seemed that Le Gavroche had over-booked for the evening, and a young couple (I could have sworn it was Lorna & Albert!!) were patiently waiting for their table. 

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I've only eaten once at Le Gavroche and we had such terrible service we never went back. This seems to be an isolated incident though, judging by the comments about Manuel in this thread. Glad you had a great dinner, Arne! (I'm a fan of Tinhorn Creek's wines too--have you tried their Gewurtz?)

[peppyre]

Arne, Manuel must be the most gracious owner/host I have ever encountered. Years ago while I was serving at Cin Cin, I asked my sommelier to make me a reservation at Le Gavroche and let Manuel know that I would like to try a good Burgundy with dinner. I was just getting into pinot and had never had a good Burgundy.  I let them know that my budget for wine was @ $100.

When my wife and I arrived, Manuel came over to our table, chatted for a bit and then went to retrieve our wine.  He came back with an '85 Clos de la Roche Grand Cru from Armand Rousseau.  I still had the wine list and after he left I started to leaf through it and discoved the wine was listed for $250!!! I was slightly horrified but the wine was incredible and I did not want it to ruin our evening, which was wonderful.

When we received our bill, I was shocked to see that we were charged only $109! I questioned this to our server, who then brought Manuel to our table.  He informed us that he wanted us to experience a truly great wine and it was this one that he chose for us, even though our budget was $100. That was the most incredible display of hospitality I have ever received, one that has yet to be matched.

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Honestly, that is typical Manny. I have nothing but wonderful things to say about him and I am so glad that everyone has had such fabulous meals there.

Ling, I would suggest trying it again if you can.

[transfattyacid]

  It seemed that Le Gavroche had over-booked for the evening, and a young couple (I could have sworn it was Lorna & Albert!!) were patiently waiting for their table. 

←

I've only eaten once at Le Gavroche and we had such terrible service we never went back. This seems to be an isolated incident though, judging by the comments about Manuel in this thread. Glad you had a great dinner, Arne! (I'm a fan of Tinhorn Creek's wines too--have you tried their Gewurtz?)

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hi ling

i was there last year for DOV and i thought it was terrible both food and service .

i remember , probably the most inedible plate of food i have ever had put in front of me. a ballotine of pheasant , gee if there is ever a dish that could be done well and wasn`t its this one , dry would be to arid a word to discribe the badly boned leg ( only the thigh bone was removed ) , the stuffing had gone south some time during the overcooking process. the drumstick end ,as i`m sure most of you know is riddled with sinews that become almost bone like when cooked, no time or effort was used to remove the sinew ,or the lack of foresight to just use the thigh was as absent as the waiter

who was trying his damnedest not to serve us.

i think the waiter clocked me as " bridge and tunnel ", ok i can be a bit scruffy looking some times , but with respect for my dining parters that evening i did dress up a bit , gee i even put an ironed shirt on and had a shave !!!

any way the rest of the meal is now lost in those brain cells that i`ve been distroying of late , ........... vague murrmurs of a....... stuffed pear ..... a seafood terrine ( ambitious if your not very good at cooking ) ......... very long waits betwixt courses....... no its all gone thankfully and i can get on with my life without therapy

[Ling]

My dining experience was about 4 years ago...so I was 18 at the time. We were appropriately dressed, etc. and I didn't find the appetizer or the main course particularly great. My creme brulee was actually horrible--completely burned black on top! The service was the real kicker though.

[RooStew]

Last night we went to La Gavroche for our DOV experience.

Having never been I was looking forward to it.

When we entered the building their was a number of people waiting to be seated, they were helped with their coats and I guess we were overlooked by the hostess for about 5 minutes and then were led to our table.

The room was quite full with a good atmosphere.

The sevice came quite promptly. We chose the $35 DOV menu with wine upgrade = $60. For first I had the scallops with cofit tomato. Very good, scallops perfectly cooked with a very tasty tomato and a little grated truffle and oil. The Gris paired well although a little sweet for me. Miss RS had the boar terrine which I thought was great, VV tasty. If it had a little fois it would have topped chef hawksworth. Toast was a little stale, oh well. The pinot was good andwent well also.

Next, came mains, quite swiftly too. I think during the whole dinner, from ordering to finish, we had 1 minute breaks tops. Maybe this was their way of dealing with the long term stayers? Would've been nice to have been given the chance to digest the food and enjoy the dining experience.

Anyways, for main I had the boulliabase. I removed the dead mussel and dived in. Not to my liking at all. The base tasted as if it was made with old frozen bones. The rouille was like cold yellow mash potato on a piece of white bread. The charddy was pleasant although again a little sweet.

The venison osso bucco was luke warm, and 'not' fall off the bone. It could've done with at least another 45 on the braise. The cab franc did go well with the dish and was very drinkable.

Dessert was creme brulee and lemon tart. Miss RS commented that it looked as if they had employeed chef sara lees servics for the tart. Raw base and dissapointing fill. The brulle was very good though, cooked perfect, not too rich, not too sweet and not burnt. Stickys weren't too bad either.

Overall things weren't too bad. Nice setting and the food was alright for the price. Appetizers were the highlight and V good idea to add a wine upgrade too. All the fod came on lovely china too which was quite a surprise with the restaurants age and feel. I don't think I would return to La Gavroche, but the experience was nice.

Hmm, where to next....

Edited January 31, 2005 by RooStew (log)

[transfattyacid]

the food was alright for the price.

←

this is whats wrong with DOV,( not just le gavroche ) not late stayers , not the visa hijacking , not the water drinkers , but bad food , and this general feeling that is ok to do it like that because of the price .

shouldn`t it just be good, irrespective of the price.

[RooStew]

the food was alright for the price.

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this is whats wrong with DOV,( not just le gavroche ) not late stayers , not the visa hijacking , not the water drinkers , but bad food , and this general feeling that is ok to do it like that because of the price .

shouldn`t it just be good, irrespective of the price.

←

True.

Edited January 31, 2005 by RooStew (log)

[Mooshmouse]

Our evening didn’t end here … and this gives me a chance to address service.  I have to say that the service started out a bit … indifferent.  Our server didn’t offer much in the way of information about the menus … no suggestions were made.  There was definitely an air of “I’m so tired of these DOV people.”  That may have been my own perception.  J didn’t pick it up as soon as I did, but then, just before our appetizers arrived, a couple was seated behind us.  They were obviously regulars because EVERY server came by to see them.  Subsequently, we seemed to disappear for a while.  Our invisibility only lasted for a bit, but it was enough to taint the evening.  Our server opened up a bit as the evening progressed.  In fairness we were relaxed a bit more as well.  But then …

Sometime the best situations arise from unfortunate circumstances.  Our server came over and told us that the owner wanted to buy us a cognac if we would mind moving to the bar.

At the bar we met Manuel … and the whole evening turned around.  Peppyre (and others) have told me what a gracious host he is, and now I know why.  While Manuel was working the bar (the restaurant was hopping by now) he was chatting with us about our meal, DOV, how we found out about Le Gavroche, and eventually where he purchased the lamps for the dining room.  Even our server was paying more attention to us.  We lingered over drinks for about an hour and left happy.

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Manuel in particular gets rave reviews for his class and hospitality...

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Arne, Manuel must be the most gracious owner/host I have ever encountered.

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I've only eaten once at Le Gavroche and we had such terrible service we never went back. This seems to be an isolated incident though, judging by the comments about Manuel in this thread.

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i was there last year for DOV and i thought it was terrible both food and service .

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After having culled a variety of responses, I've gotta add my thoughts to this thread. I've been to Le Gavroche three times, twice for dinner and once two years ago for a Wine Festival event. What these responses and my dining experiences have in common is that any service where Manuel exercises any personal influence is phenomenal. However, take Manuel out of the equation and the service is rated terrible to indifferent or mediocre at best.

At the Quinto do Castro wine dinner, service was at its best. VIPs and invited guests aplenty, and FOH was in tip-top form. I was dining with a personal friend of Manuel's, so that definitely helped matters in the hospitality department.

However, my two other dinners at Le Gavroche measured up to Arne's initial comments. Indifferent waitstaff who paid much more attention to the regulars than the rest of us dining plebs in the room certainly left more than a bad taste in my mouth. So much so, in fact, that the FOH brush-offs overshadowed any memory of the food and does to this day.

Will I go back to Le Gavroche? Not likely. Unless, of course, I'm with a personal friend of the owner...

[Beychevelle]

We go to Gavroche often, and have had nothing but good experiences, even when Manuel is not around. This thread has made me so curious if maybe we've misjudged it, that I'm going to phone tomorrow and see if I can sneak in for one of the last nights of DOV. My wife will kill me, since we've already blown our DOV budget, but I'll let you know the results (besides divorce).

p.s. Took my 85-year-old mother their for dinner last year (not DOV), and she still talks about it as the best dinner of her life. She was treated like royalty.

[plunk]

My dining experience was about 4 years ago...so I was 18 at the time. We were appropriately dressed, etc. and I didn't find the appetizer or the main course particularly great. My creme brulee was actually horrible--completely burned black on top!  The service was the real kicker though.

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I was there 4 years ago too and experienced similar bad service. Can't remember what we ate but nothing stood out as particularly bad, but nothing was great either. Our whole table felt, how shall I put this, marginalized. Everyone was in their 20s or 30s, dressed appropriately and most of us had alcohol of some sort.