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

Hub Restaurant and Lounge

a 'hub' of a good deal...

Food:

Arrived here on a Saturday afternoon hungry for some nice, runny, savoury egg benedicts! (Okay fine, probably wasn't expecting them to be 'savoury', but rather, 'decent').  Without much hesitation, I opted for the Shrimp and Crab Benny, while my dining companion ordered a (rather naked) Eggs Benny with the Hollandaise sauce on the side.

Shrimp and Crab Benny

When our plates arrived, the first thought that came to my mind was: "Wow! They were quite skimpy on the amount of roasted potatoes!" My d.c had the same initial reaction.  The eggs themselves were well poached, with the yolk being of a darker yellow hue. (Okay, I just googled why this is so - found out that the colour of the yolk is dependent upon a chicken's diet! The more yellow the yolk = the healther the chicken's diet :)). The amount of the shrimp and crab was sufficient and tasty.  The best part of the eggs benedict served here at Hub is that they are served on a (rather atypical) toasted crumpet as opposed to the generic English muffin.  The crumpet was chewy and very reminiscent of a pancake, which I enjoyed.  I also tasted a bit of pesto in my eggs benny, which was nothing but a bonus!  I should also add that in addition to the roasted potatoes there were served alongside the benny, there was also an accompaniment of a small greens salad.  Both sides were good.

(A rather naked) Eggs Benny...
with hollandaise sauce on the side

Service:

Ok - nothing to boast nor complain about

Value:

Being an avid follower of many of the popular local restaurants in Vancouver, I was able to snatch up and catch a recent tweet by Hub promoting a coupon for $10 off your order (thank you, Twitter! :)).  The promotion was in celebration of their "birthday week" and so, the value I received today was more than pleasant. 

The value of the food itself (sans coupon) was decent ($13 for a Benny).

Ambience:

Very reminiscent of your typical Cactus Club type of restaurant.  It was super dark in there and even seemingly moreso because we arrived on a Saturday morning at about 1 pm (felt a little weird, too).  The booths are comfy and spacious with black leathery seating.  It was very quiet for a Sat morning (about 20% full at most).

Overall:  7.1/10

Yay: Come here for a relaxed and "casual sophisticated" experience - a good alternative to your typical Cactus Club, Joeys, Earls abode. Also, they offer $6 appies offered daily from 4-6 pm!

Nay: Yaletown (parking)




Posted by: J

Rodney's Oyster House

                                                                                      a 'shuck' of a good time...

Food:

On this highly-anticipated night, after more than an hour and a half wait, we were finally seated at the oyster bar - extremely excited at the thought of devouring and gorging on oysters, oysters...and more oysters.

We were so hungry (and impatient) by the time we arrived that we hardly thought about what to order (I usually like to take my time, carefully weighing my options).  We just knew we wanted oysters. And lots of them.  Luckily, the lone-oyster-dude-shucker sensed our anticipation and asked if we wanted a dozen fresh oysters.  We immediately gave him the thumbs up.

Prior to the arrival of the oyster mania.  We each had a Caesar - which was very appetizing.  I liked how they used crushed ice, as opposed to cubed ice.  It was also wonderfully garnished with a nice piece of prawn, and sprinkled with freshly-grated horseradish.  Bread was also given, though it was fresh, but nothing to praise about.

Now onto the oyster mania.  We were presented with a dozen of freshly-shucked oysters (there were 3 kinds: Kumamoto, Kuushi, and some other one I don't recall) which were the 3 personal favourites of the oyster shucker's.  I'm glad we allowed him to choose the oysters because we slurped them down in seconds. They were amaaaazingly fresh tasting.  The bonus were once again, topping the oysters with the freshly-grated horseradish and the accompanying house-made sauces!

We also had the Pan Fried Oysters which were so succulent tasting with a crispy battered coating.  They were probably my favourite of the night.  The Oysters Rockefellah were darn delicious as well - soaked and baked in butter, spinach, garlic and whatever wonderful ingredients it may have contained. We also had the Seared Scallops, which although weren't huge and plump, there was a good 6-7 scallops, accompanied with a wonderful salad (everything was devoured so quickly, I don't even remember what I ate! lol)

Pan Fried Oysters ...
(note: on the left was the Fried Halibut that was mistakenly given to us)

Service:

We didn't really have our own personal server per se; our order was taken by the shucker dude (who was situated in front of us all night long) at the oyster bar.  There was also an order mix-up between the people sitting next to us and ours (hey, more food for us!) We didn't realize it until it was too late.  Otherwise, the service was good  - friendly and chattable.

Value:

A little steep - $2.50 - 3.50 per fresh oyster

Ambience:

This place is extremely LOUD, and can therefore either make or break your experience.  It's essentially a large wooden cabin, filled with loud campers (dining patrons) with the cabin 'leaders' being the huge, muscular oyster stuckers (haha).

Overall: 8/10

Yay: Come here for freshly-shucked oysters, pan-fried oysters, oyster rockefellar, and however you like your cooked cooked (or prepared) :)

Nay: Make reservations - I say at least 3-4 days in advance. I called the day before to book a reso for 2 and they were all full with the reason being that they only reserve the upstairs (approx. 6-7 tables). As a result, upon arrival, we were told that it would be a 1 hr and 20 min. wait before a table was available for us. We then ventured to Cactus Club for a drink, came back 1 hr and 20 mins later and waited for another 15 mins. before being seated.


The noise level can be extremely overwhelming especially if you're on a date or what not.  Also, I don't think this is the most kid-friendly place.  Prices are steep as well.

*** Interesting fact: They have a location in Toronto too and from what I've read, it's equally as bustling and busy!




Posted by: J

Charlie's Restaurant & Bar (CLOSED)

gourmet artisan pizzas coming right at cha...

Food:

My nth birthday just recently passed and what better way to celebrate it than to gorge down heaping amounts of (what I always like to refer to as my second favourite food) pizza! Charlie's Restaurant recently opened up in the old Pinky's location, so I decided to venture out to Yaletown for some good ol' pies...

Scoe & I first started with the Beef Carpaccio, as well as the Beetroot Salad.  The carpaccio starter was nice and delicate -though a little stingy on the proportion size.  The Beetroot salad was refreshing - with orange, fennel, frisee and a goat cheese dressing. Now this portion size was plentiful and appetizing.

The highlights of the night were definitely the pies, though.  I opted for the popular Short Rib pizza (below) which also featured: tomato sugo, braised short ribs, caramelized onion, mozzarella, horseradish cream and green onions.  The combination of ingredients were impeccable.  The meat was tender and flavourful.  The crust was a nice fairly thin, crispy texture.  I should also note that it does contain horseradish cream which has quite the pronounced flavour. (Note: Wasabi is made of horseradish, so you can imagine how 'pronounced' of a flavour that can be!)  Nevertheless, I thought it paired very well with the short rib and the accompanying ingredients.

Scoe opted for the (above) Duck pizza (my second option) with porcini sauce, smoked duck, roast portabellini mushrooms, tallegio, radicchio and truffle oil.  His was less impressive as we both thought the meat was a bit dry (which ultimately, had an effect on the tasting of the pizza).  It was still okay, but we both definitely agreed that the Short Rib pizza was the better of the two.

Value:

Beef carpaccio ($13) - thumbs down for value.  Pizzas (both 11") were $16 and $14, respectively.  Not tooo steep, but note the location of the restaurant.

Service:

Had to diligently track down our server at times, but she has friendly and helpful.

Ambience:

Came here on a Friday night at about 8 pm, and the restaurant was 30% full (there was also a Canuck playoff home game). Nice, comfortable and very roomy black leather booth seatings. Loud music and a big tv screen.

Overall: 7.9/10

Yay: Delicious gourmet artisan pizzas. Hip ambience. 

Nay: Yaletown - parking.

Glowbal Grill & Satay Bar

brunch + shopping = a gooood morning!

Glowbal has been on my 'to try' list for gosh-knows-how-long.  I personally do quite enjoy the Glowbal restaurants - namely Sanafir, Italian Kitchen, Coast ( but Trattoria, not so much)).  I love Sanafir's concept of preparing different meats in tapas style portions, all different ways.  Their cocktails are also, in my opinion, one of the best in the city.  Italian Kitchen offers tasty pasta dishes, pizza and italian cuisine at a cost that won't rip too-big-of-a-hole in your wallet.  All in all, the Glowbal group restaurants are definitely a hit on my list :) 

I went into Glowbal with mediocore expectations - both service and food-wise.  Regardless, I've been holding out on trying it for so long.  In addition, I had read a recent tweet of theirs promoting their: Short Rib Frittata with Feta Cheese.  I quite like short ribs ...and the pairing of feta cheese was just too hard to give up!

Food:

It was a bit of a disappointment at first as I didn't see the Frittata feature on the menu, as their tweet had stated.  Maybe it was a good thing as I had been comtemplating (for hours) whether to order that or their Lobster Benedict, lol.  And so, it was on to my 2nd choice: Lobster Benedict. 

Upon first impression, I noticed that the portion of the benedict was significantly smaller than the usual egg benedicts that I've ordered in the past.  Taste-wise was fine though - although the lobster was a little salty.  The eggs also came atop a cheddar biscuit, rather than the traditional English muffin.  There was also an ample portion of crisp potatoes and a side of greens to accompany the dish.  All in all, it was satisfying (but not marvelous-tasting, as expected).

I had also sampled the Mushroom Frittata (which was a lot bigger portion, btw) and it was good.

We also received 2 complimentary brunch Belgian Waffle teasers (I had a coupon), in addition to several mini donuts (anologous to (if not better) the ones at the PNE) prior to our meal.

As for drinks, my dining companion and I both ordered the Blueberry Banana Smoothies and were not impressed with them.  At $5 each, the serving size was quite tiny.  Also, there was too much ice and lacked the 'smoothie' consistency-thumbs down!

Service:

Not too shabby!

Value:

Food value was fine, drinks value was not.

Ambience:

Bustlin' on a Sunday morning.  Be sure to make resos if you want a patio seat.

Overall: 7.6/10

Yay: Good brunch if you're in Yaletown. Complimentary donuts. Nice ambience.

Nay: I would say parking, but on a Sunday - it wasn't difficult at all to find a spot. Smoothies.





Posted by: J

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