Rare

[LordBalthazar]

OK the chef approved my dessert choice--tonight's special will be Valrhona tart with caramel pecans, served with a cardamom cream. 

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Bless your heart.

[Irishgirl]

As Lorna's career path gets sidetracked more and more.......soon she will be working like a dog like the rest of us and sweating it out in a kitchen full time.....

I am very curious about RARE.

I hope that you all have better luck in that location than past owners. It sounds wonderful there. I will wait for proper shakedown time though before I head out.

The food sounds great.

Continue on.

[Foodie in Vancouver]

We had our first meal, of what will be many, at Rare last night.

First a note on the room - minimalist in style but way warmer in execution. The only suggestion I have is to consider a tapestry on the wall across from the hostess desk or something similar to help with sound absorption. Hard surfaces can make for noisy rooms and it is always distracting when you are unable to hear your dining companions. Not that it was a problem last night but as the word spreads on what wonders Brian, Tim and Quang have wrought the sound levels may veer upwards. (Although I bet the eGullet dinner was the test of that!)

The 4 of us all opted for the 6 course tasting menu. I applaud the decision to limit the courses. I have been deterred in the past by the course-count, knowing there was no way I would appreciate the later courses. While waiting for my always-late sister, we were treated to an amuse of the pheasant rilette and the rabbit pate. Heavenly and a good match with the Black Sage 2002 Merlot.

Because others have done such a wonderful job of describing the menu items I will simply list what we ate. Assume that I echo everything that has been said up-thread as others have done a much better job with the descriptions.

Citrus- marinated ahi tuna, with avocado mousse - I could have happily eaten this all night; the avocado mousse was impossibly light and a foile for the faintly briny tuna.

Scampi with pineapple carpaccio and fish sauce foam - I found myself struggling to get the last bits out of the shell - my knife was a bit too big for the job and I didn't want to pick the little guys up with my fingers; the pineapple carpaccio was a perfect match with the Babich sauvignon blanc.

Cauilflower soup - as noted above, some at our table felt that the temperature could have been hotter. It was more lukewarm than expected but the lobster salad and roe was remarkable

Frogs legs with sorrel reduction and beignet. The sublime garlic flavour was a perfect balance to the slightly salty and very tender frogs legs. I was instantly transported to my salad days in the 70s when frogs legs were the height of chic. Where have they been all these years? The sorrel was also a great supporting flavour. Definitely a winner if only for the perfectly sweet garlic with not even a hint of bitterness.

Unilateral salmon - awesome. I have never grown tired of salmon, especially cooked with the care and passion that this was. Tender, flavourful and suggestions of the subtle oily flavour that gives salmon that moist flavour. Best of all was the crunchy skin. Gone from my plate in nanoseconds.

Squab breast with squab confit, braised fennel and fennel puree. This is the point at which I began to run out of room. Much like duck, the squab breast cooked to rare was firmly tender and flavourful. Fennel punched it up the flavour some more. I particularly enjoyed the fennel puree, artfully smeared on the plate in the shape of a whatelse? but a fennel.

By now we have switched to a Petit Verdot from Australia which was a nice pairing with the squab. It got lost a bit with the subsequent beef course but came back to life for the cheese course.

Next up was the beef tenderloin with mushroom ragout for all but me. I had creamed leeks due to my propensity for hives et al when I eat mushrooms. The beef was seared and served very rare. I truly enjoyed the leeks - almost comfort food and they provided a bit of backbone to the beef which was almost etheral in flavour.

On to the 6 Spanish cheeses which were lovingly introduced by Chef Quang. We all got the sense that Quang doesn't need a love life as long as Spanish cheeses are available. He positively glowed when describing each one. Like a mother with her children, each was special to him. Pressed to choose one, I fear he would have had his own version of Sophie's choice.

All in all a wonderful evening. The service was excellent and all the staff seem very proud of the food and the room. Definitely a place to revisit frequently - everything feels very approachable. Clearly no pretentions on any level.

At the end of the evening I was reminded of the Torino slogan - Passion lives here. Rare is the perfect embodiment of the phrase. Congratulations to all on such a wonderful accomplishment.

[*Deborah*]

On to the 6 Spanish cheeses which were lovingly introduced by Chef Quang. We all got the sense that Quang doesn't need a love life as long as Spanish cheeses are available. He positively glowed when describing each one. Like a mother with her children, each was special to him. Pressed to choose one, I fear he would have had his own version of Sophie's choice.

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Well said, Karole! Chef Quang is a remarkable person, and fits right in with the unbridled enthusiasm and enjoyment that the whole place embodies, FOH and BOH. It's so nice to see. I fervently hope that they all get all the success they can handle.

[Foodie in Vancouver]

I just realized that I forgot two of the real standouts of the evening - how I could forget I don't know. The first was was the bread with anchovy/herb butter. TO DIE FOR! Over the top wonderful. It was the combination of the ever so slightly sweet bread with the salty bite of the butter.

My sister and I came close to arm wrestling for the last pieces. She swears she never eats anything white (you know - no rice, no pasta, no bread, yada, yada, yada) and won't touch chardonnay unless it is a real chablis. But you should have seen her with that bread. Almost embarrassing but I admit to being right in there with her. We avoided any unpleasant scenes but I am now drooling on the keyboard. Do you think Brian will share the butter recipe? I got a peak at the starter mixture later in the evening. I am thinking of offering up some choice bottles of wine in trade for a hunk of starter. Although it might be dangerous to think you could have unlimited access to something that tasty.

The other small but truly tasty little touch was the praline with citrus panna cotta served in an Asian soup spoon. Sweets are not my thing but I scarfed that down in mere seconds. Again - it was the contrasting play of flavours and textures that made it so memorable - crunchy/pillow soft and sweet/citrus.

These guys are really onto something with the compare/contrast of flavours and textures. Makes your mouth do the happy dance.

[Ling]

After a few minutes standing by the flattop waiting for my sugar to caramelize, I was sweating more than I do after a workout. Not pretty. Working in the professional kitchen is really hard! I'm tired. I was not happy with my dessert tonight. I give it a 4 out of 10. It is SO much easier doing pastries at home! I got to use Michel Cluizel in my tart tonight though, instead of Valrhona, which was awesome! Anyway...had to wing the ganache b/c the chocolate was couverture and I thought it was regular bittersweet...until I noticed that the ganache was way too light and liquid. Different cocoa available in the kitchen too...not what I'm used to. The crust was...medium brown. I had a million problems tonight. I was so nervous.

I have to thank everyone in the kitchen for being so patient with me...showing me where everything was, grabbing things for me when I couldn't reach, and cleaning up after me too!

Props to the staff...they are so efficient and can multitask and make everything look so easy!! I feel so incompetent next to them. *sob* The dishes that were coming out of the kitchen were amazing! I can't believe they're charging only $65 for 6 courses. Damn. I can't wait to go back!

ETA: Someone sent me roses at Rare tonight, and I've called some friends already and they said it wasn't them. So if it's someone on Egullet, I just want to say thanks. I can't read the signature, but I really appreciated the gift!

Edited March 6, 2006 by Ling (log)

[Ling]

I just realized that I forgot two of the real standouts of the evening - how I could forget I don't know. The first was was the bread with anchovy/herb butter. TO DIE FOR! Over the top wonderful. It was the combination of the ever so slightly sweet bread with the salty bite of the butter.

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The bread is quite sweet on its own, and not something I would normally go for. Paired with that butter, it is great. I generally prefer a less dense "inside" of the bread, and crustier outside, though.

There was a foie gras dish that looked incredible tonight--really artistic, with great height, colour, and texture (well, I am tasting it in my mind.)

Edited March 5, 2006 by Ling (log)

[Ling]

As Lorna's career path gets sidetracked more and more.......soon she will be working like a dog like the rest of us and sweating it out in a kitchen full time.....

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Yes, SWEATING is right. How do you all do this everyday? I am in awe.

[LordBalthazar]

I was not happy with my dessert tonight. I give it a 4 out of 10.  It is SO much easier doing pastries at home!

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You may have given it a 4 out of 10, but everyone at our table gave it top marks as the best dessert we ordered (the chocolate terrine, pear sabayon, and guinness ice cream being the others).

[Ling]

^Wow, thank-you so much! I had to adapt a lot of things due to the temperature in the kitchen (very cold fridge, hot heat lamps...I am not used to this! ) and the chocolate...I had to keep going back to the flattop, melting a few more ounces of chocolate each time to incorporate it back into the (very creamy) couverture+butter+cream base, then I whipped it a lot by hand to try to get the consistency right. And I get more light in my home kitchen than the area around the flattop, so I pulled the sugar before it caramelized enough and had to wing that too. I don't know if it was your table that had to wait for the tart (I was just finishing it when I had an order for 3 or 4 slices), and if so, I apologize for the wait.

I couldn't have done it without the staff helping me out so much today. I can't wait to go back and do something else next week.

Edited March 6, 2006 by Ling (log)

[TimK]

I was not happy with my dessert tonight. I give it a 4 out of 10.  It is SO much easier doing pastries at home!

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You may have given it a 4 out of 10, but everyone at our table gave it top marks as the best dessert we ordered (the chocolate terrine, pear sabayon, and guinness ice cream being the others).

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Staff gave it a 9/10....at least i think that is what they said..their mouths were full and they were drooling down their chins....not a pleasant sight. I think you are way to hard on yourself...it was a great dessert. And those roses were gorgeous....will you post who you got them from?

Edited March 5, 2006 by TimK (log)

[Ling]

Staff gave it a 9/10....at least i think that is what they said..their mouths were full and they were drooling down their chins....not a pleasant sight. I think you are way to hard on yourself...it was a great dessert. And those roses were gorgeous....will you post who you got them from?

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Oh wow, thanks! I know I can do a lot better, though.

I've since found out who sent the roses. They are from a friend...not the person I had in mind, but it was a very thoughtful and kind gesture nonetheless!

[fud]

I had a million problems tonight. I was so nervous.

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Are you saying...gasp...that Murphy (and his damn laws) live in the kitchen too? Your recount of the story sounds incredibal and hair frazzing at the same time! Way to go Lorna. Let us know next time you are called back "into the fire" I'll be sure to schedule my first dinner at Rare to coordinate!

Having never even heard of Michel Cluizel I do believe I'm going to have to do some 'research' (ie eating a bunch of chocolate) before coming.

[Chef Fowke]

I had a million problems tonight. I was so nervous.

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Are you saying...gasp...that Murphy (and his damn laws) live in the kitchen too? Your recount of the story sounds incredibal and hair frazzing at the same time! Way to go Lorna. Let us know next time you are called back "into the fire" I'll be sure to schedule my first dinner at Rare to coordinate!

Having never even heard of Michel Cluizel I do believe I'm going to have to do some 'research' (ie eating a bunch of chocolate) before coming.

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Lorna's next shift is Tuesday...

We are going to work on a chocolate terrine recipe, lemon torte, beignet and a frozen N2O frozen fruit foam. As well, Lorna is going to bring a recipe for RARE to feature. By the end of next week the dessert menu will be printed.

[Chef Fowke]

Staff gave it a 9/10....at least i think that is what they said..their mouths were full and they were drooling down their chins....not a pleasant sight. I think you are way to hard on yourself...it was a great dessert. And those roses were gorgeous....will you post who you got them from?

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Oh wow, thanks! I know I can do a lot better, though.

I've since found out who sent the roses. They are from a friend...not the person I had in mind, but it was a very thoughtful and kind gesture nonetheless!

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You were super!

(I ate the rest of the dessert)

...it was a hard night at RARE ~ every table had a tasting menu AND my parents showed up (from out of town). Tension was high! We had a small hick-up then produced at a level I was proud of.

The roses were beautiful.

[Ling]

Lorna's next shift is Tuesday...

We are going to work on a chocolate terrine recipe, lemon torte, beignet and a frozen N2O frozen fruit foam. As well, Lorna is going to bring a recipe for RARE to feature. By the end of next week the dessert menu will be printed.

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I am?!! How exciting!

[Ling]

Are you saying...gasp...that Murphy (and his damn laws) live in the kitchen too? Your recount of the story sounds incredibal and hair frazzing at the same time! 

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You like that story, huh...here's another--I was asking the Chef for pie weights or beans or rice and we didn't have anything in the kitchen I could use for the blind bake, so he suggested I slice a potato and use that (on parchment, of course.) Such a smart idea!

Brian also said I could eat ALL THE POTATOES that I baked...wow, his generosity knows no bounds!!! I am, quite literally, working for potatoes!

[LordBalthazar]

When visiting a new restaurant, particularly a restaurant in only its first week of business, one must go in fully expecting the odd misstep as, after months of hard work and preparation, the staff finally faces the realities of “showtime”. Mistakes will be made, inexperience noted, as the establishment learns what works and what, unfortunately, does not. So it was on Saturday night when my wife and I, accompanied by another couple, visited Rare for the first time.

Our reservations were at 6:30 p.m. We were seated, settled in, chatted and waited for our menus. Patiently at first, then a little impatiently as the clock ticked toward 6:45. Our waiter, a very pleasant and professional fellow named Drew, informed us that he would be serving some amuse bouches after which we would be presented with the menus. A few minutes later, the amuse bouches arrived - oysters on the half shell (I believe they were Malpeques) and the rabbit liver pate. I thought the oysters were an odd choice for an amuse bouche given that it isn’t a menu item with close to universal appeal and not exactly a palate cleanser. Although, I suppose, the same could be said for rabbit liver. As it turned out, two of my fellow diners were not willing to brave the oysters, so I dove in, slurped one down, and spent the next five minutes indelicately picking shell remnants out of my mouth - the sight of which was enough to cause my wife to detour past the oysters and go for the pate. The rest of the oysters went uneaten. Our friends loved the pate. My wife and I found it just a tad too strong, possessed of a subtle, lingering bitterness reminiscent of blue cheese.

Our menus finally arrived. The selections were divided into three sections (the table d’hote, seasonal menu and the tasting menu), then divided (albeit not that clearly) into sub-sections (amuse bouches, tasters, and entrees). We each ordered an amuse bouche, a taster, and an entrée.

It was a little past 7:30 when the amuse bouches arrived. One of our friends had the cauliflower soup with the lobster salad, smoked steelhead trout, and white truffle infusion. She was pleasantly surprised by the generous portion and adored every bit of it. Her husband went with the yellow fin tuna served with Israeli couscous and avocado mousse and was mightily impressed - his favorite dish of the night. My wife and I had the garlic sauteed frog legs, deboned and delicious, served on a thyme beignet in a sorrel puree that we both found a little overwhelming.

It was a good wait for our tasters (again, keeping in mind that the kitchen is still in the process of establishing a rhythm), but when they finally arrived, we were in for a real treat. My friend thoroughly enjoyed his scampi served with a pineapple carpaccio (although he did find it surprisingly pricey for a starter). My wife had the quail - deboned, stuffed, and, well, to be perfectly honest, I was so fixated on my taster that I hardly took note of hers and, by the time I glanced up, she had already finished. Suffice it to say, she loved it. And speaking of loving - I had the hegehog mushroom ravioli with white truffle foam. It was the best dish I’ve had since discovering Don Francesco’s squash-stuffed ravioli with black truffle butter. Great. Better than great. Sublime. I told Drew that, on our next visit, I would simply cut to the chase and have a triple order. The tasters were served with the chef’s home made bread and anchovy butter. Wow! As someone already said, the sweetness of the bread married perfectly with the saltiness of the butter. Next time: three orders of the ravioli and a double order of the bread.

Following another long wait, our entrees arrived. Unfortunately, they did not fare as well as the previous courses (but, in all fairness, after the ravioli and the bread, it was a tough act to follow). My friends had the milk-poached smoked sablefish (which she thought was excellent) and the suckling pig (which he deemed “okay”). My wife and I were greatly looking forward to our entrees, the marrow-studded beef cheek served with a lentil puree (alas, not the trotters from its original inception), but were ultimately disappointed. The cheek on this occasion was overcooked, surprisingly lean and stringy.

Another lengthy wait and we were served our desserts (the coffee and tea arriving long after we were done). I had Ling’s Valhrona chocolate tart with caramel pecan and cardomom cream. It was wonderful, one of those deliciously rich desserts you good naturedly offer your co-diners a bite of, all the while secretly wishing they’d back off and that’s what you get for ordering the pear sabayon instead. A big thumbs up from everyone at the table. Unfortunately, the dark chocolate terrine didn’t fare as well in comparison, its subtle flavors eclipsed by comparison to the tart. As for the pear sabayon…well, my wife and my friend complained about the saltiness, claiming they could barely taste the pear. I couldn’t understand what it was they were referring to, so I tried a spoonful of the sabayon (whipped egg yolk and sugar) and was immediately transported back to my youth, a long-ago visit to Italy when I waded into the ocean on a hot summer’s day - was blindsided by a wave, and involuntarily swallowed a mouthful of brackish sea water. I’m no Jamie Maw, but I know enough about desserts to realize when something has gone horribly wrong. I asked a passing server about the ingredients and she listed them for me. “But what accounts for the saltiness?”I asked. She informed me that a little fleur de sel was added to counterbalance the sweetness. I let her know that it was decidedly more than a counter-balance. “I’ll let the kitchen know,”she replied with the detached stone-faced brusqueness of a W Hotel employee. A few minutes later, we were approached by a gentleman (who I now recognize as TimK) who profusely apologized. It turned out that, in preparing the sabayon, someone in the kitchen had misread a label and finished the dessert with salt rather than sugar. We laughed it off but he insisted on serving us a proper pear sabayon. We hesitated. It was getting late. But, ultimately, we acquiesced and were served two proper pear sabayons. They were very good but, unfortunately, we only managed a couple of bites. I thought it was a very classy move on the part of the restaurant - until I received our bill and noticed we’d been charged for three sabayons.

So, all in all, some stand-out items (the hedgehog mushroom ravioli being the chiefest among them) but a few snags as well, not the least of which being the incredibly long wait between courses. We were seated at 6:30 and weren’t out the door until well after 10:00.

[TimK]

  I thought it was a very classy move on the part of the restaurant - until I received our bill and noticed we’d been charged for three sabayons.

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Oops. I completely dropped the ball on that part.

Edited March 6, 2006 by TimK (log)

[Ling]

I had Ling’s Valhrona chocolate tart with caramel pecan and cardomom cream.  It was wonderful, one of those deliciously rich desserts you good naturedly offer your co-diners a bite of, all the while secretly wishing they’d back off and that’s what you get for ordering the pear sabayon instead.  A big thumbs up from everyone at the table. 

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I'm so glad you enjoyed it. We had Michel Cluizel in the kitchen, not Valrhona as I had assumed (judging by the earlier menu posted by the restaurant.) I do love Michel Cluizel as much as Valrhona, and I hope you found it to your taste as well!

Edited March 6, 2006 by Ling (log)

[LordBalthazar]

  I thought it was a very classy move on the part of the restaurant - until I received our bill and noticed we’d been charged for three sabayons.

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Oh my god. I am embarrassed as I had seperated those items so that I could promo them but obviously forgot to do it. I completely dropped the ball. Please PM me and I will arrange to have you in with your wife and friends again as our guests for the evening.

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No harm done. Please don't misunderstand. We had a wonderful time. There were some hits, some misses, but as you all fine tune in the weeks ahead, I'm certain Rare will become a stand-out culinary destination. Dishes like the mushroom hedgehog ravioli and the stuffed quail rival the likes of West's potato and leek ravioli with black winter truffle and beurre blanc and Lumiere's seared squab.

And speaking of stand-out menu items, I forgot to mention the Guinness ice cream. Being a huge fan of homemade ice cream (I have my eye on a Gelato 3000), I couldn't pass up on such an interesting offering. It was terrific.

[Daddy-A]

Another Rare experience ...

J & I arrived for our 8pm reservation (yay! Open Table!), were seated promptly and left with the cocktail/wine menu to peruse. J ordered a French 75 and I a Negroni (which Tim informed me was almost left off the menu until he read about the Negroni on the menu at Nu ... courtesy of eGullet).

Ordering was easy ... since I've known Brian for a while (disclosure) we simply left the food up to him and Chef Quang, and the wines up to Tim ... the ultimate way to have a relaxing evening.

I don't have a blow-by-blow of our meals as I refused to bring the camera, and we enjoyed way too much wine for coherent note taking. However, there were some stand-outs I remember ...

Seared Foie Gras served on Mushrooms (chantrelles?) and Greens (arugula?). J is not a fan of foie, but the citrus sauce served with this dish cut through the richness and made this my favourite foie dish ever. J finished all hers ... 'nuff said.

Quali stuffed with Sweetbreads. I promised Quang I'd be returning to have this for breakfast provided he'd poach me a couple eggs I agree with LB that this dish could rival any in the city.

Braised Beef Cheeks. This is where LB and I differ. The cheeks we had were fall-apart tender. Seriously, I could have used chopsticks to eat this dish ... and LB & I were there on the same night. Give it another chance because it was awesome. Only improvement for me would be a bit more marrow.

Spanish Cheese Plate. Let me echo my wonderment at Quang's enthusiasm for these cheeses! Surely a sign of great things to come. Unfortunately, the Spanish Blue I liked the best has been scooped up by Rare. Diabolical.

Service ... like I said, I was there the same night as LordBalthazar. I experienced the same service ... but unlike LB I would say it was "leisurely" as opposed to "slow". Fine line I know, but it's all about what you're anticipating. Speaking with Brian & Tim I surmised they're hoping to create a more relaxed experience ... take your time, the table is yours. Will this work? Time will tell, but IMO they'll need to address those diners who are looking to eat in under 2 hours. They exist, and will dine at Rare more often than the 4 hour group.

I won't over-analyze at this point. It's too soon. But J & I really enjoyed our first experience.

A.

[nwyles]

I too had the beef cheeks on the same night.

I found them to be very tender and flavourful ( disclosure - I am Brian's hairy chef lover ).

I was in my " I am never going to drink again " ( Post Wine festival ) mode so I passed on the wine but drank all of the glasses of water at the table.

The cheeks are a natural product so there might have been one in the bunch not as good as the rest because I certainly enjoyed mine.

Edited March 8, 2006 by nwyles (log)

[BCinBC]

When did we cross into too much disclosure zone?

[nwyles]

Just keeping it light !