Vancouver Good

I had a fantastic, memorable weekend recently when my hubby, friend, and I headed to Eugene, Oregon for the fifth annual Oregon Truffle Festival.

The entire festival was an adventure based on a whim. I saw a link to the festival on Twitter, told a friend about it and we bought tickets. Then, we mentioned it to some dining companions at a Social Bites dinner and they bought tickets as well! Considering the ticket prices ranged from $500 to $1000 USD, I was beginning to worry that my whim was going to be an expensive bust.

Fortunately, the festival was amazing and great value for the money. My package was the Epicurious, which included a foray into truffle hunting plus a the Grand Truffle Dinner on Saturday. But we ended up getting a lot more.

Our tickets were advertised as including an opening night “reception,” which to me meant a glass of bubbly and cheese. What we got? A sumptuous feast of NINE courses and wine to match. Chef Jacques Ratier from France was an esteemed guest and served four courses with French truffles. Chef Rocky Maselli of Marché Restaurant in Eugene served an additional four courses with Oregon truffles. Eight dishes, dessert, and way too much wine meant a night none of us expected. Some memorable dishes: a beautiful cauliflower and leek soup with white truffle and a perfectly slow cooked egg. An intense chicken liver bon bon rolled in hazelnuts and black truffle. A simple but delicious slice of bread with butter, two generous slices of French black truffle, and sea salt.

After a huge Friday night dinner, we got up at 7am to grab light breakfast before our bus departed for truffle hunting. The truffle hunting was fun, but not the crazy outdoor experience many pictured. We were taken to a nice, enclosed Douglas Fir farm (formerly a Christmas tree farm), where Oregon truffles like to grow. After a quick demo with a truffle dog, we were given little rakes to gently search through the dirt for the prized truffles. The good news? We found lots of truffles! Like 20! The bad news? They were really small, under-ripe, and not particularly edible. The frost in December impacted the truffle season and our hunting. But, at least I can say I have (kind of) truffle hunted.

Now, when I say “hunt,” I use the word loosely. It was not a cardio workout. Nevertheless, our next stop? Lunch at Sweet Cheeks Winery. I was expecting a wine tasting and some sandwiches. What we got was a three course menu with FIVE big glasses of different paired wines. While Chef John Newman’s white truffle dungeness crab ravioli was to die for, five glasses of wine plus some tasting in the retail room made my mind a tad blurry. We returned to the hotel at 4:00pm and I promptly feel asleep for 2.5 hours.

Nap over, it was time for the Grand Truffle Dinner. Yes, more food! And wine! A manageable five courses with wine. Each course featured Oregon truffles and were prepared by different local chefs, mainly from Portland. All the dishes were excellent, but I loved the blanquette of local rabbit and white truffle. Also one chef sliced pacific ling cod thin and poured this rich broth of foie gras and black truffle over it, cooking it as the course was served. So good. The evening’s topper? Fun drinks with the Sooke Harbour House’s Sinclair Philip, who was also at the festival.

By Sunday, we were ready to go.We dropped by the Truffle Marketplace and picked up Stumptown coffee and these delicious truffled meringues. Unfortunately, truffles were surprisingly absent, exemplifying the tough growing season this year.

We had a fun time at the Oregon Truffle Festival. It’s an indulgent experience to remember and they treat you very well. Consider the 2011 Truffle Festival if you’re looking for a destination in January 2011.

After lots of food, wine, and truffles, we were happy, not hungry at all, and hit the road!

I have been trying to eat at Grub for way too long, and I finally made it there last week for a Friday night dinner.

Grub delivers on many fronts, while maintaining a funky, casual atmosphere with awesomely eccentric wallpaper.

What I like:

• The menu and restaurant are small, yet have something for varying price points ($12-26) AND varying dietary choices – you can order the lamb, or the vegetarian entree, or the vegan dessert. This is not an easy feat.
• The basic menu is simple, featuring a few antipasti platters, pizzas, and salads. It’s the fresh sheet that elevates Grub, with yummy soup, meat, seafood, vegetarian, and vegan options written daily on the chalkboard. The fresh sheet lets the restaurant create dishes based on what’s available and fresh
• Grub’s house bread plate is generous, with warm bread, olive tapenade, hummus, and chipotle butter to smear on.
• Some entrees we tried off the fresh sheet: Medium-rare lamb sirloin with fresh veggies and a smooth butternut squash and goat cheese pudding. Seared scallops atop a salty and tart puttanesca made with fresh pasta. Veggie pot pie filled with root vegetables and a heaping salad of fresh greens, roasted asparagus, and a maple balsamic vinaigrette.

Portions are good, prices reasonable, and the room fun and vibrant. It’s a restaurant that fits perfectly in its Main street ‘hood and I plan to return any evening I’m in the mood for a casual bite.

And I just love the restaurant’s name. Let’s go get some Grub.

Grub Restaurant
4328 Main St (b/w 27th & 28th ave)
604-876-8671

I’ve decided to starting posting quick reviews and recommendations on tour books about Vancouver – especially after hearing about Fodor’s erroneous Vancouver overview, according to the Georgia Straight – would hate for anybody to have that as their guidebook for Vancouver!

First up: Crave Vancouver: The Urban Girl’s Manifesto.

General Premise: Author Melody Biringer has compiled a resource of  unique, independent, female-run businesses that make Vancouver awesome. The book features over 100 destinations and is organized alphabetically by business name, with a category index at the end.

What I liked:

• Each featured business includes a small interview with the entrepreneur, so you get an inspiring and personal perspective
• I definitely tagged a few places to check out, including Kim Allan Silk and Heather Ross [in house].
• I learned a few things – like MO851 on Alberni St is the new name for Rugby North America, or that the kids store Chick Pea is in New Westminster now (I thought they just closed down!)
• The book covers many areas, including shopping, art, spas, salons, media, and services. It’s useful for tourists and locals.
• Beautiful images and well-produced book

Drawbacks:

• As with any book, information gets outdated. Stores in the book like Liquid are now closed. Ishara is no longer on 41st after moving to Gastown recently. I went to check out Five Corners Media but found a defunct site. Carrie & Danielle, authors of the amazing book Style Statement split as business partners and are no longer working together.
• Having the book organized alphabetically makes it a bit hard to find things. You can’t go to a “spa” section and do easy comparisons.
• Minimal food and restaurant listings

Crave Vancouver is a good companion book about Vancouver, but would not work as a stand-alone book as it lacks the travel essentials for the city. As a local, I think it’s a great reference to learn more about my favourite stores as well as giving me new places to explore.  At a $19.95 list price it’s a tad pricey, but if you see it on sale it’s worth a pick-up. Crave Vancouver is on-sale at several local Vancouver shops – go here for a listing.

Looking for an amazing, well-priced sushi experience? Give Ajisai Sushi Bar a spin.

Fresh fish rules here and the restaurant only services sushi, sashimi, rice bowls, miso, and a small selection of salads and appetizers. There’s no teriyaki or tempura or yakisoba here and you wouldn’t want it anyways because the fish is that good.

For nigiri/sashimi, my usuals are hotate (scallop), toro (tuna belly), saba (mackerel), and sake (salmon) – I’m never disappointed at Ajisai. For those who love fresh fish, you know what that perfect sushi experience is like – a burst of flavour that melts in your mouth with a buttery texture sliding down your throat. Pure joy.

I also enjoy the toro taku roll (tuna belly with pickles) and the saba pressed sushi is awesome – nice texture, that fresh saba flavour, and a good vinegar bite from the rice.

And remember – the mountain potato appetizer is not the same as regular potato. And by saying this I’m not encouraging you to order it – mountain potatoes are an acquired taste I have not acquired.

When you open the door of Ajisai, you’re greeted with the most delicious smell of a good Japanese restaurant. It’s a small, tastefully decorated restaurant with a few tables and a sushi bar. You can generally get in for lunch but dinner can be a wait at times. They also accept take out orders.

For the quality of food you’re paying very reasonable prices. The lunch bento box is $8.50. Spinach gomaae runs $4. Rolls and pressed sushi range from $2-10.

While Ajisai’s address is on 42nd Avenue, it’s actually part of a store complex in between 41st and 42nd, near the Curves. A little tricky to find, but worth the effort.

Ajisai Sushi Bar
2081 W. 42nd Ave (b/w Maple & E. Blvd, near Curves and London Drugs)
Vancouver
604-266-1428

I’ve been doing pilates regularly for about ten years and the  last few years been at The Movement Studio in Kitsilano, where I attend mat and reformer classes .

What I like about the studio:

• Small classes. 6 max for mat classes and 4 max for reformer classes. For proper pilates technique, a small class is essential. I attended a 40 person class at a gym once and it drove me nuts watching everyone straining their necks and backs to copy the teacher’s movements.
• My favourite instructors are Danielle and Cinzia. I’ve been working with Danielle for a few years and she’s completely changed the way my body moves, it’s incredible. Danielle and Cinzia both teach classes that focus on form while still being challenging. Like any fitness studio, you need to find the teachers that work for you – the other studio instructors are good, but I find Danielle and Cinzia (along with studio owner Karen) the most experienced and I follow their cues well.

Studio drawbacks:

• It’s not cheap. Mat classes run about $18 and reformer classes around $25. These are standard prices for studios, but you need to have the budget.
• 36 hour cancellation policy. This is understandable given the small size of classes, but it always sucks when my plans change and I can’t cancel the class.
• Some of my fellow classmates have mentioned some classes are not challenging enough. My response is to go see Danielle – she’ll challenge you.

Why Pilates?
Pilates is built upon proper movement and a focus on how the core improves the body’s movement. Yes, you get strong abs, but I’ve also improved my posture, the alignment of my feet and legs…all these things you’d never think of. Pilates is often used as a rehabilitation technique for good reason.

I’ve tried many studios and instructors and am happy at The Movement Studio. AND, it’s right next to Capers on 4th, so the routine is morning class followed by a coffee at Capers. Lovely.

The Movement Studio
2211 W. 4th Ave, suite 207. (Go into the courtyard between Paboom and Vancity and up the stairs)
604-732-9055

For a long time, I associated hotel restaurants with over-priced, average food. But with restaurants like Yew in the Four Seasons, Market in the Shangri-la, Voya in the Loden, and now Cibo in the Moda Hotel…the days of bad hotel food are over.

Dinner at Cibo was delicious. It’s a small, modern room that seats about 50 people. On a Tuesday night, the room was full with a boisterous crowd – my table of seven ladies from the downtown networking association included.

Cibo Highlights:

• Great wine list, primarily Italian with a good selection of BC wines as well. Glasses are available in 3 and 5 ounce pours.
• The fresh baked focaccia bread for the table was excellent – an almost buttery soft texture and topped with good things like caramelized onions, cheese, and garlic
• I didn’t have it, but one special sounded amazing: bruschetta with truffle infused scrambled eggs and topped with shaved black truffles from France. $25, but mmmmmm.
• Potato gnocchi with beef bolognese – feathery light gnocchi that melts immediately when it hits your tongue. This is how gnocchi should always be.
• Roasted steelhead trout with umbrian lentils and a fresh salsa verde – this dish totally worked for me. The trout was perfectly cooked  – flaky, tender, and moist with the crispest skin. Umbrian lentils were rich and a great texture with the fish. The salsa verde on top brightened the dish and brought everything together. A memorable dish.
• The item I wish I’d ordered: crispy polenta and grilled radicchio with gorgonzola and vincotto. The dish looked insanely good and I can only imagine how good the crispy polenta, smoky radicchio, creamy cheese, and sweet & sour vincotto would be. I am totally getting this next time.
• The dessert and cheese menu is interesting with lots of Italian flavours, like panna cotta with grappa cherries or good parmigiano-reggiano with a good 12 year balsamic.

My ending? A strong, creamy cappucino from the hotel’s excellent Italian Espresso Bar at Uva Wine Bar.

The restaurant keeps the food seasonal, but maintains beautiful and classic Italian flavours. It reminded me of the food I ate during my Italy trip in Fall 2009.

I think Cibo might be my new favourite Italian restaurant.

Cibo Trattoria
900 Seymour Street (@ Smithe in Moda Hotel)
604-602-9570

Fuel Restaurant served their final dinner at the end of November 2009 and re-opened a few days later as Refuel, a more casual, more price accessible neighbourhood restaurant.

While I enjoyed Fuel Restaurant (I had an excellent 7-course tasting and a few Fried Chicken Fridays), when I dropped by Refuel a few weeks ago I found the room full, lively, and smelling of great food from the open kitchen. Plus, the fried chicken is on the menu, so you can have it any day of the week now! Change is good.

Our experience from Visit #1:

• The new room looks great – I’m always impressed  at how some subtle adjustments changes the vibe of a place. They’ve added a few extra tables and removed the wine storage in the room. I think they also changed the tables to casual wood tops and nixed the tablecloths.The walls have some cool moulded plywood action, which makes the room feel natural.
• Great menu selection with lots of snacks to share, starters, and mains with $22 being the highest price point. Off the menu you can still order a Cote de Boeuf or a whole Polderside duck to share. It was hard to decide.
• Our snack to start: spiced pork bits, extra rib and pork pieces tossed in a tangy seasoning. Good and messy
• Ox tongue salad with tender greens and a deliciously creamy ravigote sauce
• Lemon Risotto: creamy with sweet lemon flavour
• Crispy skin lingcod with bacony swiss chard, pearl onions. I also ordered a side of seasonal fingerling potatoes, which came out hot and buttery.
• Service was good, but not overly attentive. Portions were good, but not huge.

Next time: I’ll have to try the burger and fries. The fries are fried in beef tallow, which sounds pretty dreamy to a french fry lover like myself. And a burger and beer is $15.50 everyday between 3-6pm and 9pm-midnight.

Open for lunch, weekend brunch, and dinner daily until midnight, I’ll be adding Refuel to my list of restaurants to frequent.

Refuel Restaurant
1944 W. 4th Ave (b/w Cypress and Maple)
604-288-7905

Ever been walking downtown and seen a sign that says “Best Cheesecake in Vancouver?” You probably walked by Trees Organic Coffee, which has been self-boasting this honour for years.

Generally, a sign that says “best…” makes me run the other way. Yes in this case, the cheesecake is pretty damn tasty. It’s a light and airy cheesecake, totally different from the dense brick of cheesecake you’d get at True Confections. Additional flavours include blueberry, mocha, chocolate orange – they vary based on what’s in season.

I studied, met professors, and generally treated Trees like my “Central Perk” during graduate school, so I know it well and have love/hate feelings for this place.

Here are some highs and lows:

• High: Morning breakfast deal of a coffee and muffin for $3 (or around that). And the muffins are freshly baked each morning and yummy. I have a weakness for the banana muffin, which I indulge in when I happen to be downtown in the morning.
• High: The spinach and feta scone (I believe it’s spinach and cheddar now). SO good. If I’m going to spend a whack of calories on something, this is a possible candidate.
• High: Lunch specials include freshly made organic soups, which are usually delicious.
• Low: The sandwiches are generally small and dry, although I haven’t ordered one since the first one I ate years ago. And expensive for what you get!
• High: Live music at the Granville St. location on Thursday and Friday. I popped in tonight and the place was full with a great band on.
• Low: Really uncomfortable seats and comically small tables. Come on! The stools are good.
• High: Trees was organic long before organic became a buzz word. In fact, the cafe used to be called “Trees Coffee.” It became Trees Organic during a rebranding activity several years ago. Since 1996 they have house-roasted organic fair trade coffee and all their food products are made with organic ingredients.
• Medium: Unfortunately, I really don’t find the coffee that good. The drip is fine, but I have had my share of burnt espressos there. My husband Dan would disagree with me though – he alleges that they’ve made many great espresso macchiatos for him.
• High: The service is friendly, personal, and fun. They make you feel welcome and let you stay awhile.

Trees is a fun hangout offering great people watching with honest coffee & food.

They appear to have multiple locations now and also appear  to franchise. I’ll vouch for the location downtown on Granville Street, between Hastings and Pender.

Trees Organic Coffee
450 Granville Street (b/w Hastings & Pender)

Happy 2010 everyone!

I celebrated the New Year with good company and food at the Pear Tree Restaurant in Burnaby. Why all the way in Burnaby? Chef Scott Jaeger is a past Vancouver Magazine chef of the year and represented Canada at the Bocuse d’Or competition in 2007. Really the question is – what took me so long?

The restaurant itself is beautiful – small, intimate, “like a jewel box,” my friend aptly described.

We arrived for the late seating on New Years Eve, a 7 course set menu for $125/person. Some at our table added a wine pairing with each course for an extra $50, poured personally with witty descriptions by Stephanie Jaeger.

Now, the food! Our menu:

Pheasant Consomme with confit ravioli and vegetable brunoise

Rainbow trout fillet crusted in candied trout and braised fennel served with a potato and leek press

Roasted quail wrapped in smoked ham with chanterelle mushrooms and brussels sprouts

Beef tenderloin over braised short rib and hon shimigi stew with a celeriac tart
OR
Butter poached spot prawns with potato gnocchi, braised artichoke, and spot prawn foam

Cheese plate to share: saint morgan, tete de moine, and roche baron with candied walnuts and pear

Chocolate ganache with salted caramel sauce and orange chocolate sorbet

Petit fours: Chocolate filled with caramel and topped with fleur de sel, pear jellies, hazelnut chocolate

Impressions & highlights:

• Overall the entire menu was excellent – great flavours and beautiful presentation. The weakest of the evening was the pheasant consomme, which was delicate but a tad under-seasoned for us.
• Best dish of the night: a toss-up. Some of us loved the rainbow trout, which was SO good with the sweet candied trout and I loved the leek and potato press. The spot prawns were plump and covered with a luscious and rich spot prawn foam. The quail was a perfectly cooked breast and a confit leg. Beef tenderloin with the hon shimigi mushrooms had incredible flavour and the celeriac tart was smooth with a crispy crust.
• Dessert requires a special mention because it was incredible. A rich, not too sweet chocolate ganache atop a hazelnut crisp with a drizzle of salted caramel. The blood orange chocolate sorbet was strong, tangy, sweet, amazing. An impressive and beautiful dessert.
• Service was excellent and personal. The chef came by at the end of the evening to wish us a happy new year and talked San Francisco Bay area restaurants with my visiting friends.

We left at 1:30am happy and content. Lucky Burnaby for having the Pear Tree Restaurant.

The Pear Tree Restaurant
4120 East Hastings Street, Burnaby
604.299.2772

I went to Guu with Otokomae the other day and was reminded of how much I love all the Guu locations. I’m going to highlight my two favourites in the local chain, which is expanding to Toronto – it won’t be a Vancouver secret for long!

For lunch, one of the best deals in town is at the original Guu location on Thurlow St where the most expensive lunch item is $8.00. My guilty favourite is Agemono – assorted deep fried things. It usually includes a fried pork cutlet, croquette, and fried chicken with rice, japanese pickles, and potato salad (strange sounding combo, but tastes good). When I am trying to be good, it’s grilled mackerel, super crispy and full of salty flavour. Mmmmm. Grilled beef, chicken, and Japanese curries are also popular menu items. Have your lunch with lots of green tea and you’ll be ready for the rest of the day.

For dinner, my favourite Guu is the Gastown location – Guu with Otokomae. The room is more open compared to to the other locations, it’s got a a great drink list, and once upon a time it was easier to get into, although expect line-ups now. The food is accessible, interesting, and affordable. Some favourites from my latest visit:

• Off the fresh sheet: yaki soba with a salt & pepper sauce and bean sprouts
• Fried croquettes with a light and creamy filling
• Chicken karaage – fried chicken, which the Japanese do so well
• Flavourful grilled beef and vegetable skewer
• Off the fresh sheet: Toro tataki with a citrus flavours

They seem to have added some Chinese dim sum to the menu also, which seems a bit strange – haven’t tried it yet. The menu offers lots of selection – go with friends and order as much as you can. For 3 of us including beer, the bill was $60. A great price.

If you’ve never been to a Guu before, think of a casual, dark restaurant with a jovial staff that’s always yelling out welcomes and goodbyes as customers come and go. Each location has its own theme and flavour, but it’s always fun. For example, here is how the Thurlow restaurant describes themselves:

This is a short trip to Tokyo.
Don’t worry about things in your life.
Get drunk and have fun! Our friendly staffs will help you to forget everything.

The other Guu locations are Guu with Garlic on Robson Street and Guu in Richmond. They’re all good and they all have different menus, so put them all on your list and find your favourite.

Guu – various locations

Guu Original
838 Thurlow Street (near Robson)
604-685-8817

Guu with Otokomae
#105-375 Water St. (near Richards)
604-685-8682