Cioppino's

thee perfect spot to wine and dine...

Food:

a taste of heaven:
 Pan Seared Foie Gras with a decadent, fruit jelly

Christmas dinner #2's locale was a solid pick from the very start.  As Vancouver Magazine's 2009 'restaurant of the year', and after seeing and hearing about the divine eats that popular local chef, Pino Posteraro delivers, I feel like I've oughed to try this place eons ago!

Beef Carpaccio

We started off with a wonderful Pan Seared Foie Gras appetizer (on special) as well as the Beef Carpaccio.  I must applaud myself for these two picks as they were both phenomenally appetizing.  I simply could not have passed up the foie gras, as it was pan seared (and only the best way of preparing foie gras).  It was perfectly seared, melt-in-your-mouth delicious, light, buttery tasting and simply delectable. (I wasn't able to take a picture of the Foie Gras appetizer as a whole because the server had separated a portion for us individually).  Paired with a piece of nicely, toasted, buttery-soaked french bread and topped with some kind of decadent jelly - what I would give to just have a taste of this again! Definitely one of the highlights of the night.  The Beef Carpaccio was to-die-for.  Thinly sliced, beautifully-presented with a nice, light mustard dressing and topped with parmigiano-reggiano and arugula.  I couldn't ask for a better start.

Pappardelle
with 4-hour braised veal cheeks and porcini mushrooms

 For my main, I had the Pappardelle with the 4-hour braised veal cheeks and porcini mushrooms.  The flavour was bang-on, and the veal cheeks were super tender and flavourful.  The one complaint I had was that the pasta was a little undercooked (not al dente) and tasted quite hard, I must say! The other entrees I sampled were the Garganelli "alla Norcina" with boar sausage and preserved Winter truffles (best entree of the night), the Veal Medallions (yum) and the Potato Gnocchi "alla Napoletana" in tomato sauce and mozarella di bufala (mmm...)

Garganelli "alla Norcina"
(topped with a copious amount of Parmigiano-Regiano goodness)

  To end our lovely meal, we decided on the Warm "soft heart" Chocolate Cake with vanilla custard and ice cream, as well as Pino's version of the Mascarpone made with tiramisu, coffee macaroon and a really dark, rich chocolate sorbet.  The desserts were nicely-presented, very light and satisfying.

A lovely end to a lovely meal

Service:

Fine service - Pino also wanders throughout the dining room ensuring patrons are enjoying themselves - seems like a nice man!

Value:

Definitely a place for celebrations and what not - although I thought the pricing of the pasta was fair

Ambience:

Nice, elegant looking dining room with red-bricked walls, oiled paintings and an open kitchen, noise level was a big louder than what I expected, which I preferred :)

Overall: 8.3/10

Yay: Fine, wonderfully-executed Italian (and Mediterranean) cuisine, come here for the delicious pasta, their wine encyclopedia (!) and the romantic ambience

Nay: Yaletown - parking, $$$

***Interesting fact: Cioppino's has attracted some big celebrity names, like Jennifer Aniston, Bill Clinton...







Posted by: J

Voya Restaurant and Lounge (CLOSED)

Va-Va-Va Voya!

Food:

Absolutely divine. Started off with the Beef Carpaccio and the Steamed Local Mussels.  The carpaccio was melt-in-your-mouth scrumptious while the mussels were doused in a very nice aromatic, fiery tomato-chili broth.  Also loved the fact that it was accompanied by a large piece of grilled focaccia bread - just the perfect type of bread for soaking up the remnants of the broth.

For my entree, it was no suprise that my indecisiveness overpowered me.  I couldn't pick between the Ricotta, Lemon & Herb Ravioli or the Grilled 8 oz. sirloin steak with pomme frites and onion gratin.  On my first visit to Voya, I had a Chicken & Pappardelle dish here and it was amazing.  Needless to say, my wanting-to-eat-healthy instinct prevailed and so, I opted for the steak.  Nicely sliced, seared and cooked to perfection as requested, the steak was tender and juicy as can be. Win win all around!

Service:

Fine, but not spectacular (although with a place that looks like this, you would expect better service)

Value:

Wonderful value for food. Drinks, not so much.  Cocktails were very good, though not sure if it was worth the price ($12). 

For 1 cocktail, 1 entree and 1 appy - my tab came to be $65 including tax and tip, which overall, isn't too bad!

Ambience:

Beautiful decor with a very posh-looking dining area, bar and lounge area, and a private room for big parties.  We came here on a Friday night and we're only one of the few tables occupied.  I also like that it's not too pretentious here.

Overall: 8.3/10

Yay:  Trendy, gorgeous and well-executed food and drinks - what more can you ask for? Parking is not an issue either as it is located in the more less-bustlin' area of downtown - Coal Harbour.  Also attached to the Loden Hotel. Perfect for a night out with the girls, or a romantic dinner with the beau.  I also love the fact that the menu undergoes seasonal changes from time to time!

Nay: The drinks (though, wonderfully-concocted) could seriously add up to quite the costly tab. The price of a cocktail ranges from $10-$16.




Posted by: J

Market by Jean Georges

i ♥ Market!

* note: actual dining experience occured almost 2 weeks ago, late review is due to the recent holiday craze. My apologies!

Food:

My siblings and I chose this restaurant as the locale for our annual Christmas dinner because it sure didn't disappoint us the first time here.  Needless to say, we left Market with all smiles (as well as full tummies) the second time around :)

We started off with the Crispy Calamari (with Pea Shoots and Chili Dip) and the Arctic Char Sashimi.  Both were good, but not great. The calamari was nicely battered, but the chili dip that it came with was frothy (not thick, as you would expect).  I liked the garlic specks that came atop the sashimi.  Both appetizers were good, but I would recommend the Seared Scallops and the Foie Gras Brulee, if you ever go. We ordered those the first time here and thought they were the much better appetizers.

For my entree, I was comtemplating either the: Soy-Glazed Apple Short Ribs (had those the first time here and LOVED it) or the Lobster Baked with Basil Butter Lemon Spaetzle (with Autumn Vegetables)  I ended up ordering the lobster (other sibling chose the short ribs and thus allowed me to pick and "sample" her food :)).  I wish I knew (or inquired about) what the spaetzle was, but regardless, my entree was just o-k.  I wasn't feeling the lemon, spaetzle and lobster combination.  From what I wikipedia-ed just now (haha), Spaetzle is a type of noodle with origins in German cuisine (fyi!).  Overall, the entree was a little too sour for my liking (should've known).  Note to self: Never order lobster in a non-Asian restaurant unless it's accompanied with pasta! lol

As for the other entrees sampled :), they were all excellent.  The Seared Sirloin of Beef was tender and cooked to perfection.  The enoki mushrooms as well as the soy caramel sauce only served to boost its flavour.  Divinity as its best (lol)

Dessert consisted of a Green Apple Crumble and a Warm Chocolate Cake. Both were savoury and delicious. Once again, I apologize for the lack of description in taste! All I remember was that they were both good, lol

Service:

Our server took a while in arriving to take our order, but she was friendly.  Bread boy (hope that's not offensive) was prompt and always there to reload on the good ol' carbs.  The manager had a sense of humour (albeit a lame one) but he was still there whenever we needed him (e.g to take pictures for us! lol)

Value:

On par with what you would expect at other fine dining restos. (Although it would be nice to get my money back for the disappointing lobster dish!)

Ambience:

Beautiful.  Love the all-white decor and interior.  It's located in the Shangri-La Hotel, so I'll let you be the judge of what you would expect to see :)

Overall: 8.6/10

Yay: Fabolous food, setting and a damn nice place to be seen at.  Word has it that this is one of theee places for celebrity sightings (Bradley Cooper, Zac Efron...anybody? :) )

Nay: Downtown. Parking. Parking. Downtown. You get the drift!


** Interesting Fact: Jean-Georges is a world-renowned chef, author, and entrepreneur.  My sister went to his NYC restaurant (Spice Market) recently and had nothing but good things to say!


Posted by: J

Teahouse Restaurant

Stanley Park's own culinary gem...

Location: Vancouver (Downtown)

Food:

My first dining experience here was pleasant, but not over-the-top mindblowing.  It was about a year ago when it was still known as Sequoia Grill.  I recall that the service was good, appies were great, but our main entrees were a bit of a disappointment (overcooked steak, medicore fish).  In addition, there was a big of a mix-up with our bill.  All in all, we felt it was a good, but not great experience.

On this day, I had come for a birthday celebration and upon arriving, I was told that they had just (very) recently changed chefs and menus.  I didn't quite know what to expect (as it could go either way), but was still fairly excited, nonetheless.  We started off with the Beef Carpaccio, Veal Cheek Tortellini, as well as the Salt Spring Island Mussels.  All were very good.  The carpaccio was typical melt-in-your-mouth goodness and the quail eggs added quite the nice touch.  The tortellini was good - although there were only 3 pieces.  The mussels were great - big, plump and juicy.  I must also mention that their bread was also very good and went very well when dipped in the mussel broth.  'Twas a great start.

For my entree, I enjoyed a nice, cooked-to-perfection, succulent piece of  Rib Eye steak.  The wild mushrooms and fingerling potatoes accomodated the steak very well, and overall, it was very pleasurable.  I had also sampled the Short Rib Pappardelle, Qualicum Bay Scallops (with Mushroom Risotto), and the Cassoulet.  All were quite tasty, as well.

Cocktails were nicely executed as well.

Service:

Good

Value:

Good - Portions of entrees were very generous

Ambience:

Fabolous - nice setting if you're looking for somewhere pleasant, calm with nice scenery

Overall: 7.5/10

Yay: Ideal for romantic dinner dates, I believe weddings are often held here as well

Nay: This is a possiblity that you could get lost here in Stanley Park and hence, miss the restaurant (well, we did! lol...)

** Interesting Note: Not only did Teahouse recently undergo a name change (from Sequoia Grill to now, "Teahouse"), they also now have a new chef in addition to a new menu!




Posted by: J