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Martini's in the City

j_edge

By j_edge
in Western Canada: Dining

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j_edge

j_edge

Posted
Posted

I want to take my girl to Vancouver this weekend out for dinner...she LOVES martinis...Im more of a food person...which restaurant or lounge would suit us both...my options so far...

Chambar

George

Glowbal/Afterglow

Nu (I would like to try it...but will probably wait)

This is my first post but ive been reading the forums for the past 10 months and everyone seems sooooo helpful...all input will be greatly appreciated! :biggrin:

Jason Edge

Mill Street Cafe

Chilliwack, B.C.

jamiemaw

jamiemaw

Posted
Posted
I want to take my girl to Vancouver this weekend out for dinner...she LOVES martinis...Im more of a food person...which restaurant or lounge would suit us both...my options so far...

Chambar

George

Glowbal/Afterglow

Nu (I would like to try it...but will probably wait)

This is my first post but ive been reading the forums for the past 10 months and everyone seems sooooo helpful...all input will be greatly appreciated! :biggrin:

Welcome, j_edge. To your well-compiled list I would add Lumiere Tasting Bar: Jamie's superb constructions (try a Miller's or Hendricks gin--from Scotland-- martini) are very well made, the test being the diaphanous splints of ice after 20 hard throws.

But why wait for Nu?

from the thinly veneered desk of:

Jamie Maw

Food Editor

Vancouver magazine

www.vancouvermagazine.com

Foodblog: In the Belly of the Feast - Eating BC

"Profumo profondo della mia carne"

j_edge

j_edge

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted
I want to take my girl to Vancouver this weekend out for dinner...she LOVES martinis...Im more of a food person...which restaurant or lounge would suit us both...my options so far...

Chambar

George

Glowbal/Afterglow

Nu (I would like to try it...but will probably wait)

This is my first post but ive been reading the forums for the past 10 months and everyone seems sooooo helpful...all input will be greatly appreciated! :biggrin:

I'm assuming that Nu would be a hard reservation to get....being it just opened...and I would have to go on a friday or saturday nite...because of her school schedule...wither than that though I really want to go!

Jason Edge

Mill Street Cafe

Chilliwack, B.C.

jamiemaw

jamiemaw

Posted
Posted (edited)
I'm assuming that Nu would be a hard reservation to get....being it just opened...and I would have to go on a friday or saturday nite...because of her school schedule...wither than that though I really want to go!

If you call tomorrow I suspect you'll be able to get in for either night.

Edited by jamiemaw (log)

from the thinly veneered desk of:

Jamie Maw

Food Editor

Vancouver magazine

www.vancouvermagazine.com

Foodblog: In the Belly of the Feast - Eating BC

"Profumo profondo della mia carne"

Andrew Morrison

Andrew Morrison

Posted
Posted (edited)

I'd recommend George first, but not on the weekend as I would assume it would be too crazy. My advice, go sixish to Nu and let Jay Jones (formerly West) or Joel Butcher (formerly Feenies) show you their wares at the bar.

Edited by editor@waiterblog (log)

Andrew Morrison

Food Columnist | The Westender

Editor & Publisher | Scout Magazine

the g-man

the g-man

Posted
Posted
I want to take my girl to Vancouver this weekend out for dinner...she LOVES martinis...Im more of a food person...which restaurant or lounge would suit us both...my options so far...

Chambar

George

Glowbal/Afterglow

Nu (I would like to try it...but will probably wait)

This is my first post but ive been reading the forums for the past 10 months and everyone seems sooooo helpful...all input will be greatly appreciated! :biggrin:

I'm assuming that Nu would be a hard reservation to get....being it just opened...and I would have to go on a friday or saturday nite...because of her school schedule...wither than that though I really want to go!

I have reservations at nu for friday night at 7:30 that I unfortunately have to cancel because I have some friends coming into town. You are welcome to the reservation if you want - if you are interested let me know.

mtigges

mtigges

Posted
Posted (edited)

Well, is a martini a martini anymore? There is only one in my opinion. But there are all kinds of places popping up that have a dizzying array of fructose laden drinks served in martini glasses. I haven't much liked any of the ones that I have tried at any place so I won't go for a recommendation based on the merits of any of the drinks. All of the places mentioned have great bars, and great food. One hasn't been mentioned, Fiction Five in North Vancouver. The price point is way south of West, and of the other recommendations, but that doesn't reflect on the quality of the food. I don't want to make out like it is as good as West, but I was VERY surprised at how tasty the dishes were. And they have a huge list of fructose and alchohol mixtures which are served in martini glasses.

http://www.fictionfive.com/

Edited by mtigges (log)
*Deborah*

*Deborah*

Posted
Posted (edited)

Oh!

Central Bistro on Denman has a great "martini" list! I have tasted many of them, to good effect :biggrin: and the food is good, too!

linky (disclosure: I have done some work on the menus...and nothing that is not a Martini is called a Martini. Just so you know. :hmmm:)

Edited by *Deborah* (log)

Agenda-free since 1966.

Foodblog: Power, Convection and Lies

Memo

Memo

Posted
Posted (edited)
Well, is a martini a martini anymore?  There is only one in my opinion...

I agree.

A martini is gin - all others are cocktails.

I recommend George and Chambar.

If you want to have a conversation with your girlfriend, however, then scrap George - it's LOUD.

Memo

Edited by Memo (log)

Ríate y el mundo ríe contigo. Ronques y duermes solito.

Laugh, and the world laughs with you. Snore, and you sleep alone.

chrisstearns

chrisstearns

Posted
Posted
Well, is a martini a martini anymore?  There is only one in my opinion.  But there are all kinds of places popping up that have a dizzying array of fructose laden drinks served in martini glasses.

You're quite right. The genericization of "Martini" is a trend that serious bartenders lament. A Martini is gin and vermouth. (I might grant you vodka and vermouth. But that's it.)

There are many bars where you can drink childish, over-sweet, artificially flavoured cocktails (called "martinis" by clueless menu-writers) and develop a hate for cocktails in general. This is a shame, and it sounds like what you've experienced.

Most of the bars discussed in this thread so far (George, Nu, Lumiere) are not those places, but rather are home to informed bartenders who care, use fresh ingredients and classic recipes.

(And--to be didactic--when they use sugar in cocktails it is most likely to be the disaccharide sucrose, not the monosaccharide fructose, unless the bartender has intentionally boiled an invert sugar syrup. This has a substantial impact on the flavour of the drink. Good bartenders know this stuff. Bad ones just tip up the bottle of blue liqueur.)

lauraf

lauraf

Posted
Posted

We had a fabulous meal - and excellent 'martinis' at Ch'i on Saturday. It's at Nanaimo and East 2nd, previously uncharted territory for this Kits girl. Man, does it ever look like it belongs in Yaletown (though the rent would be quadruple). Gorgeous open room, beautiful patio with marble tables, Vietnamese-influenced French cooking. Great sharing plates or individual entrees. If you wanted to try something off the beaten path.

Laura Fauman

Vancouver Magazine

~cayenne~

~cayenne~

Posted
Posted
We had a fabulous meal - and excellent 'martinis' at Ch'i on Saturday.  It's at Nanaimo and East 2nd, previously uncharted territory for this Kits girl.  Man, does it ever look like it belongs in Yaletown (though the rent would be quadruple).  Gorgeous open room, beautiful patio with marble tables, Vietnamese-influenced French cooking.  Great sharing plates or individual entrees.  If you wanted to try something off the beaten path.

Wow, thanks so much for posting about Ch'i, I really wondered if we should check it out, as it's in our territory (kind of "in between land"). :biggrin:

"If cookin' with tabasco makes me white trash, I don't wanna be recycled."

courtesy of jsolomon

Daddy-A

Daddy-A

Posted
Posted

An extensive discussion about Ch'i can be found HERE.

Glad to hear they're still going strong. When I saw ladders outside the building earlier this summer I feared the worst. Turns out they were remodelling the front garden.

A.

mtigges

mtigges

Posted
Posted
Well, is a martini a martini anymore?  There is only one in my opinion.  But there are all kinds of places popping up that have a dizzying array of fructose laden drinks served in martini glasses.

You're quite right. The genericization of "Martini" is a trend that serious bartenders lament. A Martini is gin and vermouth. (I might grant you vodka and vermouth. But that's it.)

Come back to vancouver, Quick.

Most of the bars discussed in this thread so far (George, Nu, Lumiere) are not those places, but rather are home to informed bartenders who care, use fresh ingredients and classic recipes.

Agreed.

(And--to be didactic--when they use sugar in cocktails it is most likely to be the disaccharide sucrose, not the monosaccharide fructose, unless the bartender has intentionally boiled an invert sugar syrup. This has a substantial impact on the flavour of the drink. Good bartenders know this stuff. Bad ones just tip up the bottle of blue liqueur.)

I didn't mean liqueors, I meant fruit juices. Either way, doesn't matter, negates martinihood. I'll probably raise hackles with this, but when I read "she LOVES martinies" I presumed the fruit juice, liqueor and vodka drinks that Fiction Five has an extensive list of. For the record, FF has very good food for the prices, but I could care less about the bar. All those fruit martinis and the absolute lack of quality beer just causes a complete lack of interest for me. The wine list is sufficient though, and the food really is good.

lauraf

lauraf

Posted
Posted
An extensive discussion about Ch'i can be found HERE.

Glad to hear they're still going strong.  When I saw ladders outside the building earlier this summer I feared the worst.  Turns out they were remodelling the front garden.

A.

I never saw the front garden originally - this was our first visit - but what they've done with it is gorgeous. Huge slabs of marble for the tables, everything very clean, serene. Ummm, that's all I can report on, due to the - original subject of this thread - amazing martinis. :raz:

Laura Fauman

Vancouver Magazine

chrisstearns

chrisstearns

Posted
Posted
Come back to vancouver, Quick.

I arrived yesterday morning actually... :biggrin:

All those fruit martinis and the absolute lack of quality beer just causes a complete lack of interest for me.

If we drop the word "martini," which we both agree is a misnomer for cocktails with fruit flavours, we can see a very clear division between good and bad fruity drinks. Fruity cocktails don't have to be bad. If I served you a "Daiquiri" from a Slurpee machine, made from frozen concentrated limon mix and the cheapest rum you can find at the LDB, I have a feeling you wouldn't like it.

But what if I mixed you a Daiquiri with quality Cuban rum, juice squeezed fresh from a hand-rolled lime, and a dash of dry maraschino liqueur, according to an authentic recipe from the 1930s?

Maybe I could change your mind?

Daddy-A

Daddy-A

Posted
Posted
But what if I mixed you a Daiquiri with quality Cuban rum, juice squeezed fresh from a hand-rolled lime, and a dash of dry maraschino liqueur, according to an authentic recipe from the 1930s?

Maybe I could change your mind?

And you're working where?? :biggrin::biggrin:

I'm a martini drinker. Gin. Only gin. But give me fresh juices and I can be convinced. Just leave out the umbrellas.

A.

Keith Talent

Keith Talent

Posted
Posted

(I might grant you vodka and vermouth. But that's it.)

Heretic.

Townsfolk are currently marhing towards you, pitchforks and torches at the ready. You will be run out of town unless you recant your sacriledge.

The only acceptable use of vodka is in a Vesper. Or a Caesar.

Bill Miller

Bill Miller

Posted
Posted

(I might grant you vodka and vermouth. But that's it.)

Heretic.

Townsfolk are currently marhing towards you, pitchforks and torches at the ready. You will be run out of town unless you recant your sacriledge.

The only acceptable use of vodka is in a Vesper. Or a Caesar.

Wherever you go order your martini made with Plymouth gin, very dry, and with a caperberry as garnish. Churchill would have loved it!!

Cooking is chemistry, baking is alchemy.

Daddy-A

Daddy-A

Posted
Posted
Wherever you go order your martini made with Plymouth gin, very dry, and with a caperberry as garnish.  Churchill would have loved it!!

And to get things back on topic ....

Which bars in town carry Plymouth Gin. I re-discovered Plymouth over my vacation ... even got my formerly gin-hating wife to like G&T mad with Plymouth!

I believe the Hamilton Street Grill carries it. Is it a standard or something special?

A.

Keith Talent

Keith Talent

Posted
Posted

Caperberry? Sounds too much like further development is being done on a product that needs no more. Just like fries, why are people working on battered fries and curly fries, plain old fries were good enough, no further development work was needed.

And this is just a guess, I could be wrong, but I like the surface area that a green olive gives. I suspect the interior dimension plays a significant role.

Country Cook

Country Cook

Posted
Posted (edited)

I would be suprised if any bar in Vancouver could actually produce a good martini :hmmm: . first of all the vermouth (which can only be Noilly Prat) is usually store to long at room temperature, the glasses aren't chilled, if you don't say anything it will be shaken not stirred and I would doubt you could find orange bitters or a decent olive. I will make mine at home thank you, :raz:

Edited by Country Cook (log)
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