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Archive for the ‘Downtown’ Category

GRAIN TASTING BAR

June 7th, 2013 admin

655 Burrard Street, Vancouver.

Tel: 604-639-4768

Web: www.grainvbc.com/

Twitter: @Grain_Bar

Advice: Snag a spot by the open window on sunny day. Located inside the Hyatt Regency Hotel. Many of the dishes are ideal for sharing.

Cheese and Charcuterie Board

Seared Tuna Salad (front) & Crab Louie (back)

Pamplona Chorizo Pizza

BBQ Chicken Pizza

Buffalo Mozzarella

With one of the coolest patio’s in the city, this lounge is hidden off the beaten track awaiting your discovery. On a dry day you will often see the windows drawn and diners sitting at the tables that line the street with an open view looking outward. I visited for lunch the other day with my blogger friend Sean Neild to share some of their rather large dishes, we started off with the Cheese and Charcuterie Board – ($18 for 3 meats and 3 cheeses) that came with a selection of cheeses and meats served with house-made mustard, jam, chutney, and breads. Next we shared a couple of the lunch size salads, the delicious Seared Tuna Salad ($14) with b.c. albacore tuna, arugula, heirloom tomato and cucumber dressing; along with the Crab Louie ($14) dungeness crab, romaine lettuce, hard-boiled cage free egg, hot-house tomato, asparagus and louie dressing. We then shared 3 pizzas, my favourite was the Pamplona Chorizo Pizza ($16) with pistachios, pickled onions and ricotta; followed by my 2nd favourite BBQ Chicken Pizza ($16) all natural chicken, double smoked bacon, avocado and bbq sauce; lastly the Buffalo Mozzarella ($16) oven roasted tomatoes, confit garlic and basil this is their classic margarita pizza.

You will find a great selection from mid day thru late night of artisanal sandwiches, salads, pizza and shared plates along with an extensive selection of artisan cocktails, regional wines and craft beer. Their cocktails are creatively designed to highlight regional distilleries and fresh ingredients. Five draught handles feature the best in local breweries, and their wine program is VQA focused with selections ranging from established wineries to up-and-coming winemakers.

Review by: Richard Wolak

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BACK FORTY SALOON

June 1st, 2013 admin

118 Robson St, Vancouver

Tel: 604-688-5840

Web: http://www.backfortysaloon.com/

Twitter: @BackFortySaloon

Advice: Ask for side of their house made barbq sauce with anything you order.

I have always loved good Barbq, hunted down the best of the best when travelling across the South West. I’ve found that good ol’ barbq heaven this past week when dining at Back Forty, holy toledo Chef Matthew Phillip’s barbq sauce is the best that I have had around the city.  With a bit of sweet and tangy this sauce was it and I would now order it on or with anything I have on that menu. It’s a good thing that I always ask lots of questions of my server and such, as wonderful as my server was she knew nothing about the wonderful dishes that kitchen is cooking up. By the end of my meal as I raved about everything, I think I had the server convinced to give it a go.

Buttermilk Fried Chicken Po-boy

Bourbon Apple Crumble Sundae

I had the outstanding Buttermilk Fried Chicken Po-boy ($12.40) with grainy mustard and slaw on awesome bun served with coleslaw. Of course I had to try their barbq sauce and asked for a side of sauce (complimentary). I had heard that the chef also makes his own bourbon caramel sauce so it was a must that I ordered the Bourbon Apple Crumble Sundae ($7.40), as expected it was delightful with the bourbon caramel sauce with apples, a delicious oats and nuts crumble and vanilla gelato, absolutely heavenly.

The menu has a vast selection of appetizers, flatbreads, sandwiches, salads and entrées as well as a few desserts. I am already eyeing the Bucket of Buttermilk Chicken as well as the Buttermilk Fried Chicken N’ Waffle with maple butter sauce off their brunch menu.

Review by: Richard Wolak

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THE DAILY CATCH

May 27th, 2013 admin

Burrard Street & Dunsmuir, Vancouver

Tel: 604-253-3474

Web: www.dailycatch.org

Twitter: @DCParkside

Advice: Monday to Saturday lunch. Follow them on twitter for updated opening times.

Fish Tacos

Halibut & Chips

This bright blue food truck is a spin-off of their popular sustainable 100% Ocean Wise fresh seafood shop, the Daily Catch located on the drive, and they are known to have some of the best and freshest fish around. The menu on the truck is fairly simple and the star attraction is the Fish & Chips, you can choose from cod, salmon or halibut and you can select 1 piece, 2 piece or add on an extra piece and more fries if that is your fancy. On my visit I had the Fish Tacos ($8) 2 delish fish tacos with crunch, filled with crispy panko crusted cod, shredded cabbage, tomato salsa, and chipotle aioli in a soft corn tortilla; along with the Halibut & Chips ($13.50) 2 pieces of ale battered halibut, served with fries, coleslaw, tartar and pickle. The chef has created a selection of home-made vinegars and I loved the Rosemary Vinegar the most, make sure you dash some of this on your fries!

Review By: Richard Wolak

Posted in Downtown, Food Trucks Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , No Comments »

ZAATAR

May 20th, 2013 admin

809 Davie Street, Vancouver

Tel: 604-800-8489

Web: www.zaatarhummusbar.com

Twitter: n/a

Advice: Closed Friday night and Saturday (daytime). No reservations.

The Bomb – Hummus, Tahini, Mushrooms, Falafel and Pita

Red Beet Hummus

Mediterranean style Fries

I have always loved Hummus, which is pretty much a staple in a variety of cultures around the Mediterranean including Lebanon, Israel, Syria and other areas. Locally I’ve tried Hummus in many eateries around the city and some of the best I have had was at Zaatar. The cuisine here is mostly Israelli and the dishes are representative of the Mediterranean region, healthy, simple and delish. I visited recently with my friend Noam Dehan who now resides on the other side of the world, we went for dinner to his favourite which was Zaatar. I had The Bomb ($11.95) outstanding Hummus on the plate with tahini, mushrooms and falafel served with pita. I also shared a taster of their Red Beet Hummus made with local red beets, this was something I have never tried before and it was fresh and delicious. We also shared their Mediterranean style Fries ($3.75 -small) which would have been better had we ordered a dip or two.

If you love Hummus as much as I do, then a visit to this eatery should be in your plans! I’m looking forward to trying their Green Hornet on my next visit which is made with their Green Tahini, Hummus and Mushrooms!

Review by: Richard Wolak

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IK 2GO

May 20th, 2013 admin

1328 Hornby Street, Vancouver

Tel: 604-685-4569

Web: www.ik2go.com

Twitter: @Glowbal_Group

Advice: Counter service.

This is second location of the Italian Kitchen spin-off featuring a casual self-serve counter and seating for 40, offering take-out or leisurely dine-in meal. There is a large communal table for solo diners or others who want to eat with friends. They offer freshly baked scones, pastries and breakfast sandwiches to start off the morning along with a coffee beverage line-up. Lunch and dinner menu options include a variety of antipasti, charcuterie, salads, soups, specialty paninis, and strombolis.

Meatballs

Pine Nut Tarts & Fruit Croistata

Apricot Croistata and other pastries

I have dined in and had take-out on a few occasions and have tried several of their dishes including their notable Meatballs, Couscous, Farro, Tuna Sandwich, as well as several of the baked goodies.

They also offer hearty pastas and an array of traditional meat, seafood and poultry dishes, such as Veal Milanese, roasted chicken and salmon.

Review by: Richard Wolak

Posted in Downtown Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , No Comments »

MOSAIC BAR & GRILLE

May 16th, 2013 admin

655 Burrard Street, Vancouver

Tel: (604) 639-4770

Web: http://vancouver.hyatt.com

Twitter: @HyattVancouver

Advice: multi-course tasting menus, you can ask to have the chef create you a customer tasting menu.

 

Windset Farms Fresco Cucumber Gazpacho

Chilled Dungeness Crab Cannelloni

With a star chef at its helm, my friend Nikki Caine joined me to explore and enjoy the chef’s tasting menu as I knew we were in for a culinary journey. Chef Thomas Heinrich is the visionary culinary master who is creating artful masterpieces on the plate. Our 1st course was the Windset Farms Fresco Cucumber Gazpacho in refreshing ginger coconut gelee. The next course was the outstanding Chilled Dungeness Crab Cannelloni with English pea, meyer lemon and mint where the presentation was perfection.

Spring, Green Garlic Grits with Scallop

Pan seared Branzino

Galbi marinated Pork Jowl

Slow Roasted Lamb

The journey continued with the next course, a taste of Spring, Green Garlic Grits with Scallop which was delicious, this followed by the Pan seared Branzino with celery noodles and carrot reduction with an oregano citrus emulsion served to us on a mirrored slab. From there the flavours exploded with the Galbi marinated Pork Jowl with Asian pear, fiddle heads, lotus root and edible flowers, the sauce was heavenly. On to the 6th course it was another stunning plate with the the delicious Slow Roasted Lamb with mustard and fennel streusel and a pomegranate gastrique along with edible flowers.

Braised Rhubarb

We finished off our impressive meal with the Braised Rhubarb with white chocolate meringue, ginger and pink peppercorns and green strawberries, this dessert was the perfect ending with more stunning flavours. I am looking forward to many return visits and to follow the seasons with Chef Thomas Heinrich leading the way.

Review by: Richard Wolak

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LE CROCODILE

May 13th, 2013 admin

909 Burrard St #100,  Vancouver

Tel: (604) 669-4298

Web: http://lecrocodilerestaurant.com/

Twitter: n/a

Advice: Reservations are a must.

Onion Tart

This is one of those classic restaurants that has been on the scene for many years, I first dined here well over 15 years ago and it hasn’t changed much. The menu is classic French and many of the dishes have been on the menu for years, some would say why change a good thing if it works. You’ll always see beautiful fresh flowers in the dining room which adds a fine touch to your dining experience. For my latest visit, Chef Lina Cashetto joined me for lunch and we were served a complimentary mini onion tart to warm our taste buds.

‘le Crocodile Classic’ Tomato & Gin Soup

Mixed Grill of Halibut, Prawns, Salmon

Pasta Special

I had the ‘le Crocodile Classic’ Tomato & Gin Soup ($5.50) that was rich and delicious, followed by the Mixed Grill of Halibut, Prawns ($18) Wild Salmon with squid ink linguine. Lina had the house pasta creation of the day.

At the end of the meal we were served their classic Crocodile Chocolates that are made for them by local chocolatier Daniel Chocolates. Chef/Owner Michel Jacob runs a tight ship so to speak, offering traditional French cooking and a classic dining experience that hasn’t changed much over the years!

Review by: Richard Wolak

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GOTHAM STEAKHOUSE

June 25th, 2012 admin

615 Seymour Street  Vancouver

Tel: 604-605-8282

Web: http://www.gothamsteakhouse.com/

Twitter: @GothamVancouver

Advice: Reservations suggested, sit on the hidden patio.

Dungeness Crab Cake

Dungeness Crab Cake

Establishment is one of the best words to describe this well-known steakhouse with its high ceilings, elegant wood paneling throughout, comfy chairs and booths and waiters who are all dressed in their white coats. I have dined here on a few occasions in the past for dinner and been to a few other events. On this visit I was in for lunch with a friend and we shared some dishes, many of which were new to the menu. To start we shared the Dungeness Crab Cake ($17.95) with lemon dill mayonnaise.

Gotham Chopped Salad

Halibut

For our entrees we both shared the huge Gotham Chopped Salad ($15.95) which was full of many different kinds of vegetables; along with the delicious  Halibut special.

Pecan Pie

To end of lunch I had a slice of their popular and delicious Pecan Pie ($11) which was a fine ending to a businessman’s lunch inside the dining room. You can dine inside or outside when having lunch, if it is a nice day why not eat on their outside hidden patio.

Review By: Richard Wolak

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