Les Faux Bourgeois

More like: Les Genuine Bourgeois...(ain't no "Faux" here!)

btw: Scoe is back! :) .. watch out for metaphors galore...

Food

Yeahhhhhhhhh….what a restaurant! This restaurant was going down my throat like water running down a fountain, just running smooth to my stomach sound …mmmm.

We started off with some Rosé wine, which was nice, dry, and not too sweet! Smooth! In the appy department, we opted for the Escargots de Bourgogne in garlic butter sauce, which was something to die for - the snails were ready to set sail on the crispy toasted French bread slices, waving up and down in my mouth. So juicy! After, we dipped the extra bread in the garlic butter sauce. Simply phenomenal! Our 3 entrees consisted of the: Canard (Duck) Confit, Beef Tenderloin, as well as the Seared Scallops. The duck confit was crispy, tender, and juicy...while the beans and sprouts elegantly complemented the sauce it came with! Next entrée was the Beef Tenderloin, which was perfect. OMG, “perfect” is right!!!! Funny thing was: the server asked me how I liked my steak, I replied with: “Rare... but how rare is rare here?”. He then said, “The French only know one type of rare, that’s blue rare!” It was simply perfect because that is exactly how I love my steak- rare! Man, was it ever flawless – with a nice, charcoal rare taste, it raced to my mouth like a race car. Layed flat like a piano, while the tenderloin played my keys like Beethoven! Last entrée was the Seared Scallops with Almond and Butternut Squash Risotto and Amaretto Sage Cream (not listed on the menu, but rather, one of the daily specials).  It was so tender and juicy, I just surfed it, it was not overcooked…but just plump and perfect!

Although we were near full, J still had room for dessert. As a result, we both ordered an Espresso (with 2 shots of Kailua :) ) each, along with a Crème Brulee. The Crème Brulee was fabulous – nice creamy custard, while the Espresso was topped off nicely with swirls of whipped cream goodness. Always a nice addition...we couldn't ask for a better way to end the meal!

Service

Since it was a small restaurant and we sat in the middle (where the waiters were trampling back and forth), every time a waiter bumped me, they apologized. The service was great! So polite and nice.

Ambience

Very happening, nice upbeat beats playing in the background, something Wiz Khalifa and Elzhi could spit venom to. Loved it, very dark, with edgy paintings! It was simply, straight phenomenal.

Value

Very good and affordable, hence the 3 entrees! Portion sizes were excellent as well.

Overall: 9.5/10

(although J begs to differ – she gives it half a point less, but still an impressive 9/10)

Yay: Affordable and phenomenal French cuisine. ‘Nuff said!

Nay: Reservations may be hard to come by (ensure at least a 2-week-in-advance reso!)

Posted by: Scoe

Society Restaurant & Lounge

So...sigh...ity

(btw, the tagline was supposed to be a "play on words" with the name of the resto - "Society", lol)

Location: Vancouver (Yaletown)

As the latest newcomer to the Glowbal Group family, I must say that Society has done a pretty solid job in the marketing department.  For the past few weeks, I've come across numerous reviews about it (most were positive) and recently, it has given me an even better reason to pay it a visit.  For the month of November, they were offering lunch entrees & appies at half price (!) and complimentary "junk food platters" during dinner time.  Luckily, I was able to take advantage of this amazing offer on the very last eligible day.

Food:

Society brands itself as offering upscale comfort food ...otherwise known as, "comfort food with a twist" (think Lobster Sheperd's Pie and Mac'n'Cheese Balls).  We opted for the latter as one of our appies, in addition to the Smoked Salmon.  The mac'n'cheese balls were essentially, little round spheres of nicely-packed macaroni and cheese (with a touch of jalapeno!), coated with batter, and deep fried. They were tasty, with my only complaint about them being a bit too greasy.  (Side note: Cheesecake Factory (in the U.S) has a lovelier version of this...or so I've heard (and believe!)  The subsequent smoked salmon appy was a nice balance to our meal (after the indulgement of the previously-mentioned calorie-laden mac'n' cheese balls).  There were 3 generous pieces of smoked salmon with accompanying toasted mini bagels, capers and cream cheese.

For my entree, I had the Loaded Prime Rib Burger - with bacon, sun-dried tomato aioli, caramelized onions and a side (green) salad.  The salad was nothing special, although I liked the fact that it wasn't overly-drenched in dressing.  The burger was juicy - beef was perfectly cooked (about medium-rare), with ample toppings and sauce.  It was enjoyable but I would've likely savoured it a lot more had it not been for...

(...the service!)

** I also sampled the Lobster Gnocchi (delish!) as well as the Italian Pizza (nice, crispy crust, ample toppings, a bit too greasy)

Service:

Service was shockingly atrocious (I could be overstating it, but read on and you'll see why).  Perhaps I had been expecting a lot more given: how bustling the place was, how much press it had received and just overall, the recent spurt in the popularity of the place.  But I should have known that, as with most of the other Glowbal-chained restos, emphasis is usually placed on ambience (and food)...and less so on service. 

There were several whammies that occured during our entire meal. I won't go into detail but basically, our server really seemed like he didn't want to be there (even admitted to us that it was his "Friday" (we came in on the Monday), forgotten our drink refills, mixed up my drink, forgotten or didn't even bother to include the (untouched) garlic bread into my dining companion's to-go leftovers and was basically m.i.a half the time.

Value:

As mentioned above, we had our appies & entrees at 50% of the cost.  At regular price, value doesn't seem too bad (although had I paid regular price, I would have a different perception of the value and worth)

Ambience:

Pretty.  I had made reservations prior to arriving and was thankful to have been given a booth. 

Overall: 7.5/10

Yay: Come for what they excel at: offering home-style food..."with a twist". Here you'll find lobster with your gnocchi, truffles in your mac'n'cheese...and so on and so forth.

Nay: The service. Don't expect spectacular....and location (it's in Yaletown)

Interesting Fact: It's situated in the ex-Coast location, and also a sibling (precisely, a baby!) restaurant to Trattoria, Italian Kitchen, Glowbal and Sanafir.



Posted by: J