Dining at The Bar

[fud]

Screw that, just open a new restaurant called "The Bar Diner" where the whole place is like a U shaped Bar with the kitchen kind of in the middle. Everyone gets to sit at the bar

Only good for groups of 3 or less I figure ;p

[kurtisk]

It's too bad the Aurora bar can only fit three though... maybe you guys should think of expanding that sometime 

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Actually, feel free to bring one more friend, it seats four!!

It is too bad that it's on the tiny side, but increasing the space would just take away from our already-too-small dining room. I think that simply 4 seats makes it kind of fun and intimate! And, again, you get to hear all that cursing...

k.

[FannyBay]

When I travel on my own I like to eat at the bar as you have someone to talk too and don't feel so conspicuous. I have to say that no one does bar service quite like the Americans. Where normally I feel Canadian service if much better in restaurants then in America, they sure do have great bartenders. Very knowlebale about the food etc. and often it seems there is someone dedicated to serving the bar customers rather then fitting you in around the waitresses orders.

In Vancouver I love to sit at the Lumiere bar, especially when Chris is there, the food in the tasting bar is great and cheap if you haven't tried it. Not so sure about the other bartender, he seems a bit cool. Feenie's bartenders are young but they are great, don't find the seating very comfortable at their bar though.

I used to go to West and eat at the bar as I can't afford their menu but they are not doing bar dining anymore. Never did see what all the fuss was about Jay, he did nothing for me and always seemed rather snooty and know it all. Assumed as we were women that we knew nothing about wine.

I hate sitting at the bar at Rodney's it seems unless you are a Jock or a young gorgeous girl, they don't have the time of day for you and they make so much fuss over their regulars that as a non regular you feel very second class.

Joe Fortes Oyster bar is a great place to eat oysters and drink wine. Speaking if which, for a real treat go to the Four Seasons hotel in Seattle, the bar downstairs (Shuckers) is a great place for Oysters and wine (hey, I think they had a good chowder)

I have not eaten at the bar at Gotham's, other then 5 bowls of their mixed nuts, but the bartenders, all of them it seems, are fabulous. Now they know how to make an old gal feel special!

I have eaten at the little bar at Bin 941 and enjoyed it, and also really liked eating at the bar at Go Fish this summer.

The outdoor bar at Araxi in Whistler is fabulous, watch the wines by the glass though as they can be 2nd mortgage material.

Amazing experience eating at the bar at Tojo's, WOW!

Also love Chambar to eat. Great bartenders there to.

Has an amazing meal and great service at the bar at Cafe Brio in Victoria as well.

I agree that all bars should have hooks for coats but especially for purses.

[coinoisseur]

I'm out of town on business about sixty days per year, and on most trips, when not entertaining a client, I dine at the bar. Some of my recent favourites are: Toqué in Montreal, Teatro in Calgary, Michael Mina in San Francisco and Jack's Grill in Edmonton.

[BCinBC]

The Mrs and I swung by Lumiere last night for a quick bite. Chris' night off is Wed, but no worries, the service was just fine despite!

It was surprisingly quiet on the tasting side, so we actually sat at one of the tables rather than the bar. Unfortunately I chose a table beside three women who were "regaling" the room with their falling down drunk and/or hitting on men stories. Ladies, Sex In The City is so early 2000's. (Just a bit of needling; they were for the most part fine, except when one started talking about how her husband left her and some other "hot" guy at the hotel pool... is it socially acceptable for a 31 year old man to do "earmuffs" in public?)

Anyway, N had the seafood risotto and I had the chicken and foie "boudin blanc". Both excellent. For the risotto, the texture was wonderful, creamy with perfectly al dente rice - although I know that Feenie adds mascarpone to enrich the creaminess. And the lobster pieces, prawns and giant scallop (and lobster oil) were all nicely infused into the dish. For $14, he's pretty generous with the seafood.

The boudin blanc was also excellent; such a smooth texture, without losing the flavours of the chicken (and to a lesser degree, the foie. I think the foie adds more to the texture actually). Accompanied by a sauteed mushrooms mixture and roasted cauliflower "sauce". Rich, rich, rich. I could imagine having truffled scrambled eggs with a couple of those boudin blancs and some toast with homemade raspberry jam for breakast in heaven. Or at the eG compound, in the grotto with the virgins pulling Salt Spring espresso shots.

Dessert was... Neil are you listening?... Gingerbread pudding with caramel sauce!! Of course I had to try it! Feenie's is soft throughout, like a structurally sound bread pudding, resting in a pool of caramel, and topped with thinly sliced apples and a small scoop of what I'm guessing was mascarpone with vanilla seeds. The last item, though odd on its own, actually worked quite well with the rest of the dish. The apples provided a nice textural crunch. And the caramel was very good.

However - and I write this not because Neil is on the board while Rob refuses to join !! (JK Rob's handlers) - I must say that I actually prefer the HSG version. Because: the HSG pudding has a bit of a crust, thus providing a textural foil (Lumiere no crust, just apples); at HSG it is served with two scoops of homemade ice cream, of varying flavours (Lumiere's mascarpone or whatever was good, but the ice cream is better because it is sweet and spicey, and it offers the temperature foil); and HSG's is an even better deal ($6 buys you one heaping portion). I'm not saying the Lumiere version was bad, but it is currently ranked 2nd in the city.

So there you go; with a 1/2 L of wine, dinner was around $84 pre-tip (and over half of that was wine). Why is the tasting bar not packed at all times? It is one of the best deals in town.

Edited November 10, 2005 by BCinBC (log)

[nwyles]

Dessert was... Neil are you listening?... Gingerbread pudding with caramel sauce!! Of course I had to try it! Feenie's is soft throughout, like a structurally sound bread pudding, resting in a pool of caramel, and topped with thinly sliced apples and a small scoop of what I'm guessing was mascarpone with vanilla seeds. The last item, though odd on its own, actually worked quite well with the rest of the dish. The apples provided a nice textural crunch. And the caramel was very good.

However - and I write this not because Neil is on the board while Rob refuses to join !! (JK Rob's handlers) - I must say that I actually prefer the HSG version. Because: the HSG pudding has a bit of a crust, thus providing a textural foil (Lumiere no crust, just apples); at HSG it is served with two scoops of homemade ice cream, of varying flavours (Lumiere's mascarpone or whatever was good, but the ice cream is better because it is sweet and spicey, and it offers the temperature foil); and HSG's is an even better deal ($6 buys you one heaping portion). I'm not saying the Lumiere version was bad, but it is currently ranked 2nd in the city.

Neil is always listening.

I am pleased with the popularity the GBP has and I have my friend Tony to thank for it.

HE was they guy who brought me ginger ice cream on my first day when I realized I had nothing to serve for dessert.

When I saw the ginger ice cream, I think I said something to the effect of :

Ginger ice cream ! What the fuck am I going to do with ginger ice cream ! When I said bring me some ice cream, I meant something like vanilla. Get out of my sight you idiot , before I hit you with this frying pan. Go put this in the freezer. Man, do I have to do all the thinking around here. Who has ever heard of ginger ice cream. Was this a Mario's Gelato giveaway ! Half Wit !

Boy, I sure hopes he never figures out that he might be due some royalties.

[fud]

So there you go; with a 1/2 L of wine, dinner was around $84 pre-tip (and over half of that was wine). Why is the tasting bar not packed at all times? It is one of the best deals in town.

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Wow that is a really good deal! I think I blew more cash with drinks and dessert at Opus (at $12 a martini I guess I know why).

Considering Sandy and I havn't tried lumier's yet perhaps we can ease into it by hitting up the bar. Then we can watch Chris in action!

[kontemporary]

Neil is always listening.

Not just Lumière, but Joe Fortes too !

Gingerbread Pudding

Caramelized Pears and Butterscotch Sauce

$8

[the g-man]

The Mrs and I swung by Lumiere last night for a quick bite.

So there you go; with a 1/2 L of wine, dinner was around $84 pre-tip (and over half of that was wine). Why is the tasting bar not packed at all times? It is one of the best deals in town.

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I like the tasting bar better than the main dining room, especially the roundtable in the back corner where you can lean back, sip moscow mules and take in all the action.

There is a roast chicken dish that has been on the menu for years that is very good.

[Andrew Morrison]

Not just Lumière, but Joe Fortes too !

Gingerbread Pudding

Caramelized Pears and Butterscotch Sauce

$8

Care to explain this, Derek?

[nwyles]

Neil is always listening.

Not just Lumière, but Joe Fortes too !

Gingerbread Pudding

Caramelized Pears and Butterscotch Sauce

$8

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It is all over the place. What I do not see is such a huge portion for only $6.00

You can only get that here. I think I am doing myself a disservice by serving such a large portion. People often split it, therefore only seeing one dessert sale. The plus side of that is that they keep coming back for more.

[moosnsqrl]

If you find yourself in NYC, I really love dining <<au bar>> at Babbo. The barmen (Bar persons? No, how about bar-keeps?) are fabulous. I think I would enjoy eating there less at a table, to be honest.

[kontemporary]

Neil is always listening.

Not just Lumière, but Joe Fortes too !

Gingerbread Pudding

Caramelized Pears and Butterscotch Sauce

$8

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It is all over the place. What I do not see is such a huge portion for only $6.00

You can only get that here. I think I am doing myself a disservice by serving such a large portion. People often split it, therefore only seeing one dessert sale. The plus side of that is that they keep coming back for more.

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Already commanding the title best frites in the city, I guess best GBP wouldn't do any harm either !

[jahvay]

Screw that, just open a new restaurant called "The Bar Diner" where the whole place is like a U shaped Bar with the kitchen kind of in the middle.  Everyone gets to sit at the bar 

Only good for groups of 3 or less I figure ;p

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The place is called Bar Le Clos in Amsterdam. A big U shaped bar with a kitchen off to the side. It is dark, and bar like, with an amazing menu of chops, and seafood. Worth the trip