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City Dine


TimK

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Okay, menu is ready for Metro....sticking to our 'by the ounce' theme I have decided to set the menu up as three seafood or three meat choices!!!!!

I am interested to see what happens this year; last year City Dine (which we extended two weeks because of demand) were our busiest days of the year!

Here is the menu we are working on....

First Course

Tomato Mozzarella Salad

Heirloom tomato, mozzarella and avocado salad, pistou oil, balsamic molasses

(or)

Grilled Citrus Humboldt Calamari

Lime-Habanero, coconut and garlic sautéed gai lan

Main Course

Three Samplings From the Land

Niocla Valley deer; Berkshire pork tenderloin; certified Angus striploin

(or)

Three Samplings From the Sea

Albacore tuna; sablefish; Dungeness crab

Dessert

Baked Cheesecake Mousse

Caramelized apple purée, walnut cookie, green apple espuma

(or)

Chocolate Canadian Maple “Moose” Torte

Paté of B.C. orchard fruits and berries

Wow... that looks delicious!

And, upon perusing the site the menu at Rare looks pretty damn fine as well. In fact, I think they are the two most interesting menus of the bunch...

Edited by appreciator (log)

sarah

Always take a good look at what you're about to eat. It's not so important to know what it is, but it's critical to know what it was. --Unknown

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In fact, I think they are the two most interesting menus of the bunch...

I think so too! We're going tomorrow night. Yum, I can't wait!

(edited to fix tags)

Our local suppliers have really step up; as have our local wine reps. We have spent all week getting ready for this promotion. It proved to be our busiest 10 days of the year in 2006 (at Rare, hopefully at Metro in 2007).

What really works with this promotion is its timing with the natural harvest in Vancouver. The diners who attend this event really get to taste the full spectrum of great BC products at all the participating restaurants. What a naturally great time to be doing this; and a great charity.

Ping me if you are coming in, would love to meet you at your table! Otherwise ~ I will be the guy on the grill at Metro; sit at the bar stools looking onto the kitchen.

Chef/Owner/Teacher

Website: Chef Fowke dot com

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In fact, I think they are the two most interesting menus of the bunch...

I think so too! We're going tomorrow night. Yum, I can't wait!

(edited to fix tags)

Our local suppliers have really step up; as have our local wine reps. We have spent all week getting ready for this promotion. It proved to be our busiest 10 days of the year in 2006 (at Rare, hopefully at Metro in 2007).

What really works with this promotion is its timing with the natural harvest in Vancouver. The diners who attend this event really get to taste the full spectrum of great BC products at all the participating restaurants. What a naturally great time to be doing this; and a great charity.

Ping me if you are coming in, would love to meet you at your table! Otherwise ~ I will be the guy on the grill at Metro; sit at the bar stools looking onto the kitchen.

Oops - In my rush to post, I didn't specify we were going to Rare tonight. Hopefully we'll get to try Metro's CityDine menu too! :-)

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90% of the diners at Rare were City Dine, 40% at Metro. I am surprised. Great nights at both restaurants, but why did 60% go al a carte at Metro. I think the City Dine menu is great at Metro ~ I suspect that a lot of City Dine customers went al a carte. I did sell a lot of local game meat tonight.

Chef/Owner/Teacher

Website: Chef Fowke dot com

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90% of the diners at Rare were City Dine, 40% at Metro. I am surprised. Great nights at both restaurants, but why did 60% go al a carte at Metro. I think the City Dine menu is great at Metro ~ I suspect that a lot of City Dine customers went al a carte. I did sell a lot of local game meat tonight.

Well isn't Rare more of a prix fixe kind of place anyway? so if you are going to that type of place, might as well get the deal. but metro seems more of an a la carte type of place so it might be less of an option going into it.

Jason

Editor

EatVancouver.net

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I was at Metro for CityDine last night - I will review it later with pics, but I noticed the hostess didn't give most people the CityDine menu (myself included, I had to ask for it).  Perhaps that's why many people went a la carte.

LOL! That would explain it.

...guess what the pre-shift topic is going to be tomorrow, the next day and the next!!!

Chef/Owner/Teacher

Website: Chef Fowke dot com

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I was at Metro for CityDine last night - I will review it later with pics, but I noticed the hostess didn't give most people the CityDine menu (myself included, I had to ask for it).  Perhaps that's why many people went a la carte.

I've just made reservations for Sunday night and am very excited to try out this new restaurant. The City Dine menu looks fantastic and I'm looking forward to your review and pics.

A truly destitute man is not one without riches, but the poor wretch who has never partaken of lobster. - anonymous
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CityDine 2007 - Metro Restaurant

Started with Grilled Citrus Humboldt Calamari - Lime-Habanero, Coconut and Garlic Sauteed Gai Lan

n509331471_325088_1894.jpg

Beautiful presentation, and cooked perfectly (not overcooked at all, which is common with calamari). I thought it was good, but nothing to write home about, maybe because I don't prefer lime/lemon flavours in my dishes. Bf really enjoyed it, and thought it was very good. Gai lan was also perfectly cooked, nice and tender.

In addition to the CityDine offerings, we ordered Truffle Parmesean Pomme Frites With Sundried Tomato Ketchup ($6 extra).

n509331471_325089_2114.jpg

AMAZING pomme frites!!! Dare I say, I like 'em even better than the ones at CRU which are my favourite in the city. The truffle flavour was very subtle, but enough was there so you'd notice it, and the parmesean was a nice touch. Ketchup was interesting and good, but not fantastic.

Next, me and the bf ordered both the entree choices and shared. We'll start with the Trio From the Land - description to follow.

n509331471_325092_2770.jpg

First there was the Berkshire Pork Tenderloin - Apple Puy Lentils, Sauteed Fennel, Birch Vinaigarette.

n509331471_325093_2996.jpg

I found the meat quite dry, and wasn't impressed. It seemed like it had been ready for awhile, and they just heated it up before serving (which I'm sure wasn't the case, but that's what it seemed like; maybe they were waiting for the Trio From the Sea to finish up). The lentils were quite nice though... reminded me of the lentils you get with the scallops at Chambar.

Then there was the Certified Angus Striploin - Peppered Crosnes, Field Mushrooms, Carrot Chips.

n509331471_325094_3219.jpg

Again, I found the meat dry and not juicy. It was a little overcooked for my liking - I asked for a medium-rare, more on the rare side. Mushrooms were okay (very natural flavour), and I've never had crosnes before, so that was interesting. Sort of like popcorn!

Lastly, there was the Nicola Valley Deer - Lingot Bean & Olive Oil Salad, Taro Root Sticks, Cherry Preserve.

n509331471_325095_3441.jpg

My favourite of the trio, but overall this trio was not as good as the trio from the sea. The deer was the most tender of the meats (as expected), but still, only about as tender as tender steak you would find at another restaurant. Again, I felt it was overcooked for my liking, but the flavour was quite nice. I loved the bean salad.

Let me press submit now and see if my picture links are working hehe.

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Okay, they are working, good haha. Let me continue with the Trio From the Sea then hehe.

n509331471_325097_3879.jpg

(Sorry this is not the greatest picture :raz: )

First off, we have the Dungeness Crab - Tomato-Chive & Couscous Salad, Citrus Vinaigarette.

n509331471_325098_4106.jpg

This was one of my favourites of the six, but there wasn't that much crab. Or maybe the bf just ate too much of it before passing it on to me :laugh:. (Haha, sweetie, if you are reading this, I'm just joking hehe.) The couscous was very good though - it was the sidedish I enjoyed the most.

Then we have the Sablefish - Smoked Oyster Mushroom Risotto, Apple Chips, Brandy Glaze.

n509331471_325099_4325.jpg

This was the best dish of the six, with the fish cooked perfectly. The bf liked this dish the best too I believe, as he couldn't stop commenting about it and the risotto :laugh:. The risotto was slightly undercooked, IMHO, but it was still tasty.

Lastly, we have the Albacore Tuna - Grilled Avocado, Stewed Tomato Preserve, Sauteed Green Onion.

n509331471_325100_4548.jpg

Perhaps this dish was meant to showcase the natural flavour of the fish... I'm not sure... but, to us, it was a little bit bland. (Maybe because we had a fabulous Ahi Tuna at The Fish House not too long ago.) Bf commented that he thought the fish didn't seem very fresh. I just don't have much to say about this dish... it was just okay. Oh, and the grilled avocado I found very strange hehe.

And now for the desserts!!! We'll start off with what the bf had, which was the Baked Cheesecake Mousse - Caramelized Apple Puree, Walnut Cookie, Green Apple Espuma

n509331471_325103_5214.jpg

I was extremely full at this point, so I only had a couple bites. It was just a very light cheesecake. IMHO, it's very hard to make an OUTSTANDING cheesecake, so I find it very difficult to "review" cheesecakes.

I had the Chocolate Canadian Maple "Moose" Torte, Pate of BC Orchard Fruit and Berries (that's what it said on the menu, but it actually came with a Blood Orange Sorbet)

n509331471_325102_4990.jpg

The sorbet was TO. DIE. FOR. YUMMMM. Chocolate mousse was very good as well, but if it was a little lighter, I think I would have enjoyed it more. (Maybe I was just TOO FULL haha.) But yes, it was a very good dessert, especially the first few bites which were quite osgasmic :laugh:.

Overall, I thought it was about a 7.5/10. I don't expect too much from these CityDine type events, but the restaurant was quite empty so I thought it would be a bit better. I wouldn't hesitate to go back to Metro again on a regular day and try out some of the other items, and of course get more Pomme Frites :wub:

Service was fantastic, as is the ambiance. Slightly corporate, but still a nice place for a date.

Edited by Arsenic (log)
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I can assure you the meats aren't heated up - they are seared when the order first comes in (same time as apps are being cooked) then they are set aside - on pickup, the sides are cooked to order, and the meat is brought up to temperature. Brian insists on resting meats, as it allows the juices to penetrate the cooked portion of the meat - it's why a rare steak doesn't bleed all over the plate... it's also the reason that if someone chooses to order first course... then second... the second course does not race out lickety split - it could... but shouldn't.

As for the menus - our lovely hostess had a blonde moment, and spent the first hour of the night only giving it out if there was a note in the reservation.

Glad you got in while it was quiet. At one point, I said to Brian, "you only have 4 tables on pickup right now."

His response, "but they're all eights!"

Barrett Jones - 49th Parallel Coffee Roasters

Dwell Time - my coffee and photography site

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  • 11 months later...

Just wondering, is City Dine going to be happening again this year? Tried doing a search for it but came up with nothing.

A truly destitute man is not one without riches, but the poor wretch who has never partaken of lobster. - anonymous
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