Sunday, 08 February 2004
Dining Out in Vancouver - PERSPECTIVES - THE COMMENTARY
By Michael Kwan
Dine Out Vancouver 2004, a two-week promotion, presented by VISA, featured over one hundred restaurants in Vancouver. Running from January 23 to February 5, 2004 and marketed by Tourism Vancouver, the Dine Out Vancouver's participating restaurants offered 3-course meals at a more than reasonable price: $25 or $15 per person. And this is not to say that you're getting a Big Mac, medium fries and a medium soda at your local McDonald's. Far from it, actually. Among the $15-level restaurants were the Sunset Grill, Tantra Waterfront Lounge and the Shark Club, to name a few.
But that's not where the real action lay. The vast majority of the establishments were at the $25-level. Perhaps, you could have started with C's Signature Smoked Skeena River Salmon Sampler with Salmon Caviar, Red Onion Crème Fraiche and Lemon Oil. Or maybe head to Bacchus for their Seared Lamb Sirloin with Melted Brie, Garlic Pureed Potato, Green Beans and Mint Jus. Or if desserts are what tempt you most, you should have went for some Goreng Pisang (Deep Fried Banana with Ice Cream) at Tropika on Robson. Indeed, the choices were absolutely amazing, ranging from the ethnic and exotic, to your most standard steakhouse fare.
Some restaurants offered a choice in appetizers, entrees, and desserts (most commonly a choice between two or three from each course); others had a set menu (as was the case at Tropika). In any event, you would not be disappointed. Even restaurants that would typically run you well more than $100 for the average couple were among the restaurants that participating in this absolutely stunning promotion. Among them, Cloud Nine Revolving Restaurant, Joe Fortes, and Gotham Steakhouse. One thing I did learn is that reservations are an absolute must, and an absolute must weeks, indeed months in advance. Bacchus, C Restaurant, and Gotham Steakhouse, for example, were fully booked within the first few days of the new year. (Gotham's wasn't even accepting reservations until January 1st.)
Well, I took out my little lady friend to two such establishments during the course of this promotion and was quite pleased with the results from both. I, for one, am an aficionado for a nice view and as such, both of the restaurants I selected not only had to offer an attractive menu, but also an attractive view. Luckily, on both occasions, we were seated at a window seat to take the early evening views of Burrard Inlet and North Vancouver.
First, we headed to The Cannery Seafood Restaurant (2205 Commissioner Street). This was my third visit to this establishment, and they always aim to (and successfully) please. I started out with the Salt Spring Island Mussel Soup with Paprika Garlic Croutons. I was disappointed to find no mussels in my creamy mussel soup, but how rich and smooth the flavour of the soup! It resembled a Boston Clam Chowder, only thinner. My companion had The Cannery's Salmon Cake, which I also sampled. Very tender.
For the main course, I decided on the Grilled Spring Salmon with Oyster Mushroom, Malaspina Baby Shrimp and Scallion Lemon Butter Sauce. I had never had salmon quite like this. On my two previous visits to The Cannery, I had Mahi Mahi and Swordfish. This time, I went for more of a local fare, and it turned out quite well. Like the Salmon Cake appetizer, this salmon was very tender and a delectable pink. My partner in crime opted for the Pacific Swordfish. A meatier fish, the swordfish was a little more substantial in size. The Cannery is known for its wide selection of fish from around the world, from Southeast Asia to Hawaii to our own backyard, but for the purposes of this promotion, we were restricted to fish native to BC.
For dessert, I had the Citrus Cheese Cake and my companion had a cup of Thai Mango Sorbet. Both were amazing and could easily fetch a pretty penny on their own at your local dessert hangout, be it Death by Chocolate or True Confections. Total bill including tax, gratuity and a drink for myself (Rye and 7): $70.
For our second adventure, we headed to downtown Vancouver, right by Canada Place. After struggling to find parking (even on a Wednesday evening!), we struggled to find Aqua Riva (after being hassled by the local hobo). Aqua Riva (30-200 Granville Street) has a much more casual (and younger) atmosphere than The Cannery. We were again seated at the window, this time overlooking some industrial machinery and Canada Place. I started with smoked salmon-wrapped scallops, while my companion opted for pan-seared Fanny Bay oysters. For each appy, there were two pieces. Large portions no, delicious absolutely. I proceeded to dine on my spit-roasted Prime Rib, medium-rare, while she started on the nori-crusted salmon (jealous of my Cannery salmon, no doubt). My prime rib was nothing special, but held its own against the likes of a Milestone's or Keg Restaurant. Far from the quality of a Gotham Steakhouse or a Morton's of Chicago, it was still a great value at $25 for a three-course meal. $25 wouldn't even get you a steak a-la-carte at Gotham, but perhaps just the entree at a Keg. I didn't have a chance to sample the Salmon, but I had my fill a few days back from The Cannery.
To finish off the evening, my partner had an incredibly rich chocolate decadence cake and I had a white chocolate bread pudding. I found the chocolate cake to be too rich for my tastes, but I was never a fan of chocolate cakes to begin with. However, that being said, this was my first experience with bread pudding. My first thought was that it tasted very English, and my companion put it best when she said, "It kind of tastes like pancakes, and I know you like pancakes." I do, and thus I liked the bread pudding. Not overly sweet, but enough so to satisfy my sweet tooth. Very nice. Total bill including tax, gratuity and a non-alcoholic drink for myself (iced tea): $66 on my VISA..... because I paid with my VISA, I have a chance to win a $100 gift certificate to each of a number of Dine Out Vancouver restaurants. Who could pass that up?
All in all, the menus at The Cannery and at Aqua Riva appeared comparable on paper and depended much on your own personal preferences for atmosphere and style of cooking, for example. Perhaps I am biased based on my previous experiences at The Cannery and at Gotham's, for example, but I found The Cannery to be much more satisfying than Aqua Riva. Aqua Riva felt "cheap" in comparison, as if it were pretending to be something it wasn't. Mind you, price wise, if we ordered comparable items off the regular menu, the final price would be close. A beef tenderloin at Aqua Riva for example (which was the closest thing to a Prime Rib I could find) was $28, to put things in perspective. Would I go to The Cannery again, even without this promotion? Absolutely, they never fail to please. Would I go to Aqua Riva again? Maybe, but their chances are better come the next Dine Out Vancouver.
Michael Kwan's website, Now That's Entertainment. . ., can be found here http://www.geocities.com/now_thats_entertainment