LaStella, Osoyoos

The Confession

When it hits you, there’s no turning back. You lose control, start acting crazy and will do anything to be part of that special someone’s days and nights. This fall, after spending some time with the fine folks from LaStella and Le Vieux Pin wineries during their grape harvest, I knew I had found my special “someone”.“He” wasn’t just one tall, dark and handsome man, but an entire crew of passionate people living the dream and working in an amazing industry. There’s no denying I fell fast and hard for their fun-loving, hardworking ways. And there’s absolutely no doubt that my infatuation with them and their wine is growing by the minute. My crush on the crush isn’t going away. It’s here to stay.

Ten Reasons Why I’m Crushing on Le Vieux Pin and LaStella Wineries

1. The Wine

More than just great legs, beautiful noses and rich bodies, the wines produced by LaStella and Le Vieux Pin aren’t just one-night-stands, but life-long companions. From LaStella’s Maestoso Merlot to Le Vieux Pin’s Belle Pinot Noir, these wines are vibrant, complex and intelligent – wines you want to spend some time with, get to know.

2. The Winemakers

Part crazy artists, part mad scientists, and part intuitive farmers, LaStella’s Daniel Bontorin and Le Vieux Pin’s James Cambridge concoct and mastermind the award-winning wines that have been getting their prospective wineries so much buzz. They’re charming. They’re handsome. They’re crush-worthy.

Rasoul, Daniel, Helper, James

3a. The Proprietors

Owned by longtime wine connoisseurs, Sean and Saeedeh Salem, this husband and wife team makes wine ‘they dream of drinking’. For them, the winery is a way of life, a legacy for generations to come. From the vineyards to the office, their passion and tireless effort is contagious and inspiring.

Sean picking grapes.

3b. The Director

With a keen palate and an eerie sixth gastronomic-sense, Rasoul Salehi embraces wine and food. For him, wine is a total sensory experience that ‘tickles and excites all the senses – something special that’s meant to be shared.’ The pulse of LaStella and Le Vieux Pin, he stays ahead of the wine industry curve by employing cutting edge techniques and constantly raising the production bar.

4. Hands-On Approach

Thousands of back-breaking labour hours go into each bottle of wine. All grapes are hand picked and hand sorted to preserve the grapes’ quality and to ensure a premium product. The premium vintages are even de-stemmed by hand. The proprietors, the winemakers, the pickers and the sorters endure extreme weather and up to 20 hour work days to get the grape from the field to the bottle.

Crew sorting grapes.

5. The Multilingual Team

From the winery director to the sorters and pickers, at any given time, crew members mingle in Farsi, French, Spanish, Italian and Japanese. LaStella and Le Vieux Pin are multi-cultural havens where cultural gaps are bridged and cross-cultural friendships are molded over a common love of wine.

6. The Philosophy

At LaStella and Le Vieux Pin wine is accessible and respected without pretension, a vehicle that brings people together to relish in the simple joys life has to offer – conversation, food, culture, art and music. Innovative and experimental, these young wineries unabashedly take chances and break convention to achieve the finest product.

7. The Setting

At the northernmost tip of the Sonora Desert in the South Okanagan, against backdrops of rugged, caramel-coated mountains reminiscent of Italy and Greece, these wineries conjure European charm and romance.

LaStella

8. The Falcons

Instead of using noise polluting methods like canons to ward off the hoards of European starlings on the hunt for ripened grapes, these wineries employ falcons to scare the starlings and other birds away.

Falcon

9. Innovations

From titanium dioxide-covered vinyl vineyard posts, on-site composting, intentionally low yields, to falcon predators, these wineries rely on a self-coined strategy of “non-interventionism” – a blend of organic and biodynamic methods to produce their award-winning wines.

10. The Architecture

Le Vieux Pin is to Provence as LaStella is to Tuscany. Modeled after a French railway station, Le Vieux Pin feels like a visit to the French countryside. Whereas LaStella epitomizes an Italian Villa with its lookout tower, hand blown Murano glasses and rare blue granite countertops.

Le Vieux Pin

Promise me you'll visit!!

The Target: LaStella Winery, 8123 – 148th Ave., Osoyoos, B.C. Tel:

250.495.8180, www.lastella.ca

Date Obsession Began: May 26, 2009 – My first meeting with LaStella VIP & the first day of the rest of my life.

Why: Have you met the people of LaStella? Their insurmountable passion for wine embodies the universal abundance and grace that authors like Deepak Chopra & Eckhart Tolle assure us exist in this world.

Confession: Until Sept.13, 2009, I thought a muscat was a member of the feline family.

Some might call me a stalker, but I prefer groupie. My infatuation all began when I spent a few days at LaStella working on a top secret video project. Since then I’ve followed LaStella wine and their fabulous folks to a special tasting event in Vancouver, obscure shops in the North Okanagan and even brought an onslaught of family and friends to their boutique, lakefront winery to experience the LaStella passion for themselves.

My love of LaStella became their love as well. The experience was fun and accessible. And the wine? Well, we walked out with over a dozen bottles of Vivace, a pinot grigio I’d bathe in if it were cost effective to do so; Leggiero, a crisp, elegant unoaked chardonnay; Allegretto, a merlot with the punch of Pavorotti; and LaStellina a fruity, fresh & full-bodied rose.

If you haven’t visited this pristine, boutique winery near Osoyoos. You must. I’ll say it again. You must. A trip to LaStella is like visiting Tuscany. From the yeasts used for fermenting, to the bottles named after Italian music expressions to even their winemaker, who has an Italian background, La Stella embodies both Tuscan winemaking traditions and Tuscan passion. Who doesn’t need a dose of Italy now and then?

You can find their products here in Vancouver at fine restaurants and specialty wine shops. Check out their website for more details. www.lastella.ca

So, since that video shoot, I’ve been wanting to partake in the harvest/crush and see firsthand what it takes to get those grapes off the vine into the bottle. I’ve begged LaStella to let me help out with harvest. I’m dying to be part of that crazy artist meets mad scientist magnificence that is winemaking. To help relieve the burden of a berry about to burst is just where I’m at right now. Gotta go, that might be them calling to say, “Let’s get this harvest party started.”

Coming next week: Confessions of a Winery Groupie, part two – My Crush on the Crush

It all went down Tuesday, June 16th at the Revel Room in Gastown. President’s Choice supplied the nosh in celebration of their 1000 Tastes of Canada campaign. Select food writers and food-ists were invited to sample some of President’s Choice’s new globally-inspired products while blindfolded.

Dark dining isn’t a new concept, but has recently been embraced by O.Noir, www.onoir.com , in Montreal and Toronto and places like Opaque and Camaje in the USA. A few years ago, right here in Van City, the now closed, DV8 used to offer lights off nights regularly. The idea is said to have originated in Zurich by a blind pastor who apparently blindfolded his dinner guests so that they could experience what it was like to eat without sight. However, other research credited a German restaurant with coining the concept.

Regardless of who started the trend, giving up vision during a meal, is said to heighten one’s senses of taste and smell.While some places like O.Noir in Montreal and Toronto completely black out the space, others like Camaje in New York offers special blindfolded eating events. President Choice’s Revel Room event followed Camaje’s model.

Together, Revel Room’s Chef Tyrell and President’s Choice’s Chef Tom created 6 small plates taking guests on a “Sensory Trip Around the World”. The pit stops were Canada, Italy, India, China, Greece, and Mexico. While most of the food was tasty, I have to be honest, not being able to see what I was eating, made me really nervous. I barely ate anything off the first two plates and admit to cheating a bit by peeking out the bottom of my blindfold to orient to the plate. (Just little peeks, I promise. Quick peek. Close eyes. Try again. That’s all.) I think if I experienced this with a friend, I’d have had an entirely different take on dining in the dark. My favourite items, though, were the PC Stampede Pork Back Ribs, the Blood Orange Italian Soda, the Butter Chicken and Naan Flatbread. (For a full list of their new items, head to www.presidentschoice.ca.)

My only criticism was that the PC Combos Cashew Chicken and PC Combos Vegetable Fried Rice was a bit too salty for my palette. Some of the other diners agreed that these products needed some sodium reduction. Our President’s Choice hosts shared that they were making 1000 positive changes to their products and that reducing sodium was on their list. Three cheers for that!

So, as for my overall impression, I think stress overshadowed any heightened sensory experience for me. But, I’d give my right arm for a lifetime supply of PC’s Blood Orange Italian Soda and Butter Chicken sauce and have become an official fan of the Revel Room (more on that later!!) Dark dining is definitely worth a try if you ever get the opportunity.

Serendity. A lovely thing.

I was pretty happy when I heard that the sixth (and final of the 2008-2009 series) of wine pairing events at the Kingfisher dining room in the Comox Valley was going to fall on my daughter’s birthday. What a great thing to share with the eldest of my kids, the one who (so far) is most into the experience of food and wine!

I’ve been taking these in for several years and it’s always a treat. I’m what my father calls a “feinschmecker” – what my friends sometimes call a “food & wine snob.” But, as a friend once said, “I’m not picky; I just know what I like.”

Well, sometimes I don’t know what I like because I haven’t tasted it yet. Wine pairing events are those places where I get to try new things. I don’t always like them (a couple of last night’s wines weren’t ones that I’d run out and buy – and that may be because I don’t appreciate them fully, another something I’ve learned by drinking deeply from life’s well: that I have things to learn about, and sometimes the learning happens over many years, numerous exposures and experiments with the same situations and flavours).

Wine pairing events have also given me the opportunity to sit down with folks I don’t know (we’re usually sharing large tables with other wine & food geeks or w&f-geek-wanna-be’s) to talk about… food and wine and what tastes great (and what doesn’t, though that doesn’t happen much in my experience; these really are excellent – and cost effective – ways to exercise and season the palate).

Pheasant agnolotti with beurre noisette and fresh sage.

Back to last night, the June 4th Wine Pairing at the Kingfisher dining room. Serendipity. A birthday. Great food. Good company at the table. My daughter looking great and thoroughly enjoying herself. Some amazing taste/texture/beverage combinations. My faves? Absolute top combo was the pheasant agnolotti in burned butter (yes, burned intentionally, and to great effect) paired with an amazing Sumac Ridge, Black Sage Vineyard Meritage (white, 2007). As our wine guide advised us, this blend with it’s 20% semillon was “grassy and herbaceous.” With the agnolotti, there was what one person at our table called a “rustic” flavour. Not sure I’d call it “rustic,” but I think I know what she meant: a little earthy, almost deliciously dirty. My daughter thought the wine was the best of of the bunch. I found the combo so enchanting that I’m going to use it in my next dinner party.

Kudos to Chef Troy and his team in the kitchen, to dining room manager Bill Ransom, and to all the staff at the Kingfisher. A wonderful evening, with lots of applause (at the end of a particularly successful course, or at the announcement of an especially tantalizing sounding wine), in a beautiful setting.

The 2009-2010 series of Chef’s Table wine pairing events kicks off on October 8, 2009, featuring five Vancouver Island wineries.

For more information contact the Kingfisher Resort and Spa at 1-800-663-7929.

©hanspetermeyer.ca / 2009

MARKET belongs to the Michelin starred Jean-Georges Vongerichten who adds this to his list of locations in Las Vegas, Minneapolis, Chicago, New York as well as a few abroad in Paris, London and Shanghai. The Vancouver location (being the only I’ve visited – so far) is comfortable and surprisingly approachable, I had unjustified visions of dress codes and pedantic servers…

We sat in the dining room, but were given a choice of locations to sit, the outdoor terrace looked welcoming with comfortable wicker seating and thick cushions, the lounge area is very slick with cool steel bar chairs accompanied with low snug tables perfect for a date, there is a relaxed café area and finally the more formal dining room with gorgeous white leather chairs and lush banquettes.

I arrived just slightly before my luncheon partner did and perused through the menu and was surprised to see no prices listed next to any of the items. I had made an assumption that it would be pricey, but to not list the price? Presumptuous n’est pas? But alas, I was merely blind as MARKET has a Spring offer of two plates + dessert for $28 per person.

We both started with a thai-basil grapefruit mojito which was spectacular! Citrusy sweetness with the overtones of the thai basil, lime and mint. Perfect for a summer day and something I’d like to try to replicate at home. We selected scallops and the crabcake as our starters and my dining partner was a little worried about the caper-raisin emulsion that is paired with the scallops “Really? Raisins and capers?” she said. Our starters arrived and looked gorgeous, my crabcake was nestled on marinated cucumber and mango with a ginger lime jus poured below. It was delicious and surprisingly large. And the caper-raisin emulsion? Delicious as proclaimed by my luncheon mate, with perfect seared scallops.

We both selected the hanger steak for our mains, our server explained that it was marinated in a soy-caramel sauce and we were both instantly sold. Now a hanger steak isn’t something you see on the menu very often, there is only one of these cuts per animal and it can be finicky to prepare, so perhaps best tackled by fine restaurants. Our steak arrived and was accompanied with sautéed mushrooms with ginger, and lightly steamed asparagus. The steak was a perfect medium rare and the soy-caramel business was absolutely delightful and matched perfectly with everything on the plate.

And finally our dessert was a butter cookie atop coconut cream with raspberry coulis and fresh raspberries – I almost asked for a second round it was so good.

I’d suggest making a lunch reservation soon and heading over to MARKET and get a taste of the good stuff.

Chef Steve reflects on experiences at the once-beloved Gourmet by the Sea on the shores of Oyster Bay in the 1980s...

Chef Steve and partner Maralee opened Bisque in Courtenay about 16 months ago (winter of 2007). But they’re not new to the industry as they’ve been working the food thing for years now. Steve was with one of my favourite regional fine dining spots, the much missed Gourmet by the Sea, in the 1980s, and then tagged up with Maralee at various restaurants in the Comox and Cowichan Valley’s.

Bisque is tucked away on 14th Street, just off Cliffe, amongst some small shops that don’t attract much attention. This can be a problem in a place like the Comox Valley which is well-endowed with highly visible good places to eat. However, the word on the street counts for more than location, and the words I’ve been hearing have been positive about what Chef Steve is up to.

I dropped by Bisque to get a taste recently. I was joined by a veteran of the service industry whose commentary and mere presence certainly didn’t detract from the evening’s positive impressive. All told, I’m happy to report that, despite the hit that almost all restaurants are feeling due to the general financial tightening, Steve and Maralee are hanging in. Not only that, but they’ve got some items on the menu that we thoroughly enjoyed. And, as my date pointed out, certain details, like the fresh, flavourful bread, signal a level of care and service worth noting.

There were two gastronomic highlights to the evening. One was the serving of scallops in a potato nest. I’m generally pretty easy when it comes to scallops, and these were done just right: lots of flavour, not overdone. The treat was the combination of a bisque sauce and a tomato jam. What did my date say? “I like the presentation; it’s springlike – eggs in a nest.” And about the tomato jam, “tasty, tart, plummy, and sweet.”

The second highlight was the orange chocolate mousse we shared for dessert. “Fluffy, smooth, light, lots of air – the way a mousse is supposed to be,” she said between mouthfuls. My date has vowed to come back and check out the lunch menu. Not sure if the mousse is appropriate for mid-day…

She takes the last mouthful of Chef Steve's orange chocolate mousse and vows to return for more...

Bisque is tucked away from the main event in downtown, but not hard to find at the corner of 14th and Cliffe Ave in Courtenay. It’s a little place with a growing following, so reservations are recommended. Telephone: 250-334-8564.

©hanspetermeyer.ca / 2009

Nestled in the heart of historic Chinatown, stepping into Wild Rice was a welcome respite from its edgy surroundings. I regretted not having spare change readily available for those who were requesting it. What I realized was how fortunate I was to have a small condo to go home to and to be able to afford such luxuries as eating out.

Once inside, the Wild Rice’s cozy, yet contemporary ambiance embraced me. I placed the people I had just passed by at the back of my mind. In an instant, I refocused on the task at hand: to meet two of my favourite friends for a pre-movie dinner.

We started the evening off with a glass of shiraz. To be honest, I don’t think, I’ve ever met a shiraz I didn’t like. This leggy La Frenz ’06 Montage Shiraz Blend oozed berries and chocolate- a great start to the evening. Making a decision on what to order, however, was proving difficult. Every item on the menu from Chinese Ravioli to Pork Terrine looked so appealing. My friend and I eventually decided to share the Five Spice Salt and Pepper Squid to start. Phew, one decision made.

As for what main entree to try, torn between the Spicy Kung Pao Chicken and the Red Cooked Beef and Shanghai Noodles, I sought advice from our server. Apparently, Wild Rice’s Kung Pao Chicken was the best she had ever tasted, so how could I go wrong by ordering that? Besides, every time, I’ve asked a server for advice, I’ve always had a fabulous dining experience.

When the squid arrived, it looked perfect-lightly breaded and dusted with pepper. I dived in. Then I paused, unsure of what to make of what had just been served to me. While it looked beautiful, salt overpowered any other flavour: the fabulous dipping sauce, the pepper, the lemon we had squeezed all over the dish.

I tried to like the squid. The fish itself was cooked perfectly, so tender it melted in my mouth. But only after three pieces, my body had hit its sodium saturation point and literally rejected a fourth piece. While I was finding the squid impossible to eat, my friend agreed that it was salty, but was able to enjoy it. Apparently, I have a low sodium tolerance.

I was nervous for the main course and hoped that it would be edible. Would my ‘server-recommendation’ theory hold true tonight? Heck ya. Tonight’s adventure was no exception. The Spicy Kung Pao Chicken was absolutely delicious: peanut infused perfection. I regretted not being able to finish my order. Eating a dish as tasty as this, had me wishing that I could treat everyone I knew to its joy.

As we prepared to leave Wild Rice for the movie, our server offered to box up my leftovers. At first, I refused her offer, what a nuisance it would be to carry boxed food in the theater. Then, I remembered the gentleman with the ragged clothes and the kind eyes I had passed earlier on Pender Street. He had asked me for spare change and I had said, “Sorry, not tonight.” I bet he’d really enjoy this Kung Pao, too.

Wild Rice Modern Chinese Restaurant
Cuisine: Chinese
Address: 117 Pender Street West (Downtown)
Phone: (604) 642-2882

Food

I didn’t know what to expect. I have never ate African cuisine before. My friends told me about the food they had at Nyala at previous occasions. Their dish consists of a large plate with meat with a stew like consistency and there is flat bread around the stew. You are supposed to dip the bread in the stew and eat with your hands. This was what I was expecting.

I ordered the $18 menu. The appetizer was a vegetable pakora. There was seven pieces of deep fried vegetable pakora on the plate. The pakora was formed in a circle and in the middle is the plate of dips. The dips consists of a mango chutney and another sauce which was too spicy for me. The plating was a bit disappointing for me. It was too simple but it had good contrast of colors. The pakora is a dark brown color. The chutney is a light orange color. The other dip is a dark brown. I have tried chutney before and it is usually very spicy and a lot of tang for my taste buds. This chutney was very tasty. It wasn’t too spicy. It was very sweet.

My main course was the beef stew. The presentation was nice. The food was divided into three sections. The middle section had the yellow rice. The left and right sides was the beef stew. The beef stew was good. It wasn’t too salty and it had an extra zing to it. It was probably an African herb or spice which gave it the extra zing.

The dessert I had was the pecan cake (I forgot was it was called.). It was so moist like a cake. They garnished it with a bit of whipped cream on top. I expected it to be super sweet like most other pecan pies I have had. I had a bite and it was delicious. It wasn’t too sweet and the pecan flavour wasn’t over powering.

I think the dine out menu was not as authentic as their regular menu. The regular menu may be more authentic and flavourful. They may want to appeal to the masses with the dine out menu.

Atmosphere / Ambiance

As you walk in the very small 50 seat restaurant, you see the hostess stand. The restaurant is painted burgundy. When you go left of the hostess stand towards the bathrooms, the walls are decorated with African paintings and ornaments. The wall on the right has an oval mirror and African drums surrounding it.

I am not sure how busy it is on a regular Thursday night. The night we went was packed. We were there till 10 pm. It was busy till at least 9:30 p.m.

Service

Our waitress was very good. She remembered what everyone ordered. They only offered the dine out menu so made it easier for her to remember. All our food came out at the same time. No one complained about their dishes. There was a 15% gratuity added to the bill. Sometimes servers are not very efficient when they know it is an automatic gratuity on a large party. They know they will receive the 15% no matter what kind of service they provide. She gave us good service. She didn’t rush us out of there to get another group seated.

Value

My experience at Nyala was good. The value of the food was excellent. For $18, I received a 3 course meal. There aren’t many places where I can get a three course meal for $18.

My overall experience, considering the atmosphere, service and food, was excellent. I would dine here again.

What made the biggest impressions on me at Clove were its sleek minimalist decor; its subtle, celebratory latin background music; and its friendly, attentive and knowledgeable staff. Of course, my companion’s boundless wit uber-contributed to the positive vibe as well. Unfortunately, what hasn’t stayed in the forefront of my mind is the food.

We started out with the bhadji, sweet potato corn fritters, and the gyoza, pan-seared dumplings with sesame soya sauce. I’d describe the bhadji as a samosa/pakora hybrid. They had an interesting texture, crunchy, not greasy, and were oozing with wonderful sweet potato flavour – a definite have-again. For me, the gyoza was, well, gyoza, but I’m not a big fan of them anyway. My friend loved them, though. As for our main course, upon the recommendation of our server, we ordered the butter chicken and the pad thai. While I enjoyed the butter chicken and would order it again, it didn’t exude a “wow factor” for me. The presentation was beautiful, though. My companion on the other hand, thought his pad thai was perfect, that the flavour was tangier than most pad thai dishes he had experienced.

Dessert didn’t “wow” me either. While it emanated robust vanilla and cardamon flavour, my chai creme brulee maintained the consistency of a runny pudding. I suspect that it might have just been having an off-night because if it were a milkshake, it would have been delicious. As for my pal, he thought his turon, a banana deep fried in brown sugar and wheat paper, smothered in chocolate, was unsurpassed. I can attest that it looked delectable and wished I weren’t so full at that point and could have tried a bite.

Overall, if you’re looking for a comfy, friendly, neighbourhood haunt, Clove Restaurant is the place to go. You can expect good food (that tastes like you think it should taste), great service and warm ambience. I’ll definitely drop by again. And, if the quality of one’s companion really does play a role in the epicurean experience, I’ll happily hook you up with mine.

-Marni Wedin is a freelance writer and television producer who would rather go out and eat than stay home and cook.

Maybe it was the understated, yet warm interior, the perfectly drawn latte, or the scrumptious baked goods that first enticed me. Or maybe it was Trees Organic Coffee’s charming owner, Doron Levy, who caught my eye. It’s hard to say. Both go hand in hand, I think. Levy’s commitment to the finest, fresh ingredients coupled with his fetching, hospitable personality, create a familial atmosphere. Watching Levy interact with all of his patrons was like being at Ma and Pop’s for dinner – no one went unnoticed and no one went home unsatisfied or hungry.

I was starting to think this establishment was too good to be true, that I really was in Kansas. Just to be sure, I clicked my heels to ensure I wasn’t dreaming. Nope, no good witches were present, just the alluring smell of freshly roasted coffee.

Aside from the gregarious personality of Levy, what makes Trees Organic Coffee special is that Levy roasts all of his own coffee. During the evenings when few people are around, the roaster gets fired up and the aroma of coffee beans wafts throughout the neighbourhood. Levy’s very particular about who he allows to roast the beans. The perfect candidate requires a right and left brain aptitude-the perfect match of passion and technical prowess.

Trees Organic Coffee is renowned for its made-to-order sandwiches and cheesecake and I can attest to the greatness of both. When I last visited Trees, my only wish was that my stomach was bigger so that I could have eaten more than mere half portions.

If I were Rockefeller, Gates, or Jimmy Pattison, I’d treat you to a latte, halva filled croissant, turkey and provolone sandwich, and a slice of cranberry, orange cheesecake myself. But, alas, I am not. Maybe, just maybe if one of those fine gents reads this, they’ll pick up on my offer to you. In the meanwhile, I’m willing to share my love of Trees Organic Coffee and wholeheartedly embrace polygamy in the metaphorical sense so that you, too, can fall in love and have a fabulous, loving-cafe relationship.

For more information, pricing and location, head to www.treescoffee.com.

Marni Wedin is a freelance writer and content producer who is always on the hunt for a wicked cup of java and fun times.

Food

The five of us shared 10 dishes. Each of us selected 2 dishes each. It’s good to go in a large group and your can try more variety of dishes.

On the menu they had a ‘hidden menu’ item. This was the most interesting aspect of the Gyoza King experience. They don’t care about your preference or allergy. It’s the most funny thing I have ever seen in a restaurant. It’s fun and risky (you don’t know what you are going to get). It’s a very unique way to sell off there food. Other restaurants call it a ‘house special’ but Gyoza King calls it a ‘hidden menu item’.

This is the ebi mayo. It was very delicious.

Of course we had to try the gyozas. They are the best gyozas I ever had. They weren’t overcooked and mushy.

This is the fried mackerel. It was ok. A bit on the dry side.

This is their hidden menu item. It was fried rice with mushrooms, onions and sliced fish balls. It was ok.

This is sashimi. It was good. A small portion for 5 people to share.

This is fried fish. It was too dry and chewy.

This is the beef ribs. They are good.

This is the most unique dish from that night. The tin foil acted as a bowl. It was a variety of mushrooms in broth. The yellow thing is the middle is a lemon. The lemon gave it a tang to the overall taste of the mushrooms. The mushrooms were delicious.

This was seafood with rice. It was sashimi on rice. It was tasty. Underneath the sashimi there were strips of seaweed with rice.

This is beef sashimi with quail egg on top. You are supposed to mix the egg with the sashimi. It was tasty.
Overall the food was good. I give it a 6 out of 10.

Atmosphere / ambiance

It was about a 40 seat restaurant. It was a very small space. The décor was very simple. They had painted walls with Japanese paintings. It was a snowy Monday night and it was packed with young Asians. It think it is usually packed. I made reservations 4 days prior. If I didn’t make any reservations, I think we would have to wait at least 30 minutes for a table. They mostly have small groups from 2 to 4 people. Overall the ambiance (the décor and the other customers) is a 7 out of 10.

Service

The service was ok. Some of the servers didn’t fully understand English. It was very helpful to have my Japanese friends at my table. They helped us translate some menu items and speak to the servers when they didn’t understand us. Overall the service is a 6 out of 10.

Value

The overall value is 8 out of 10. For about $30 per person, we tried a wide variety of food and had some sake. I would definitely go back again.

Food

Because of the special mushroom menu, I had to try them. It was sautéed with a few veggies and pesto. I found it too salty. I let my friend eat most of it. Four of us ordered mushrooms as appies. One girl had the mushroom tempura. It was a generous serving. She only ate half of it. But with any deep fried dish, I only can have a bite or two before feeling gross from the oil. I didn’t like this dish too much because you can’t taste much of the mushroom. You taste more of the tempura than the mushroom.

Another gentleman ordered the black trumpet mushrooms with warm baby spinach salad, poached egg pancetta vinaigrette. The presentation was nice because of the contract of the light color from the egg and the dark color of the mushrooms. It was the tastiest mushroom dish out of all the ones I tried.

One girl had maitake mushroom steamed in parchment paper The presentation was kinda weird because there was too much parchment paper. If it just overlapped a bit like 1 inch above the plate, it would be ok. But it was about 2 to 3 inches above the plate.

Two ladies had 2 grams of truffles on their food. You get a choice of dark or white truffles. The truffles are a bit too expensive for my pocket. It was $18.50 for a gram of truffles. The truffles were shaved onto whatever dish you ordered.

For my entrée I had the gnocchi with Peace River bison, butternut squash, hazelnut and sage. The presentation was nice. The gnocchi was on the bottom and the rest of the ingredients were towered on top towards the center. I know with some pastas the restaurants mix the ingredients with the pasta and it makes the pasta very unappealing. The butternut squash and bison are cut in cubes. The hazelnut and sage was sprinkled sparingly on top of the bison and squash to give it a contrast of colors and texture of taste. Overall my entrée was tasty but it was too salty for me.

After I finished my entrée, I shared a dessert with my friend. We had the Chocolate Trio which consists of chocolate succe, milk chocolate gelato and black forest cake. The chocolate succe is a ganache. It was delicious. The gelato was very chocolately. The server told us that they make their own ice cream in house. The black forest cake wasn’t at all what I expected. I expected what you see at the grocery store with lots of cherry sauce and a cherry on top. I don’t like cherry flavoured sauce and when I saw it didn’t have much cherry sauce and didn’t have a cherry, I almost ate the whole thing. It was chocolate heaven.

Atmosphere / ambience

Eating at CinCin was like being in Tuscany. The décor has many shades of browns mostly light brown / tan. Wine racks decorated part of the walls. They also have Italian inspired statues.

Service

We had a French person serving us. He was very nice and knowledgeable. We bombarded him with many questions regarding the mushroom and truffle menu and the regular menu. Many of us haven’t been there before. All the servers were wearing black. It was very professional and a contrast to the many browns of the décor.

Value

I would rate the overall value of CinCin as a 4 out of 10. The mushroom dishes were about an average of $11 each dish. They were only appy size dishes. I don’t mind trying it once to taste the various mushrooms. But I would not pay $11 in the future for an appy size of mushrooms. My gnocchi dish was $25.50. I am not a fan of paying over $20 for a plate of pasta / gnocchi. It was tasty, but not worth the $25.50. My chocolate trio was $14. It was ok because I was sharing it with my friend. But it’s not worth $14. If it wasn’t for the mushroom and truffle festival I wouldn’t be trying out CinCin. I tried it and would I go there again? Sure, if it was someone’s birthday or other celebration but besides that I would not be going back.

Cuisine: Italian
Address: 1154 Robson Street (Downtown)
Phone: (604) 688 – 7338
Website: www.cincin.net

Tequila Kitchen was a suggestion from one of the members. He said he walks by there all the time because he works nearby. It is never open when he walks by during his work hours because it is not open for lunch.

I originally booked a reservation for Monday, October 13. I week after I booked it, I realized that it was the Thanksgiving day long weekend Monday. I felt that many of our members will be enjoying their time with their family on Thanksgiving Monday. I then changed it to Monday, October 20. Monday, October 20 happened to fall in Taste of Yaletown. Taste of Yaletown is about 3 course meals for $25 or $35. They usually have a choice of 2 or 3 appetizers, 2 or 3 entrees and 2 or 3 desserts.

Food

I chose the Queso Fundido Altequila V (melted cheese flambéed with tequila, tomato, onion and cilantro). The melted cheese came out on a flat 4″ ceramic bowl. It came right out of the oven and it was very hot. It came with four small 3″ tortillas. We are supposed to put some cheese on a tortilla and wrap it and then eat it. It tasted like a mini cheese tortilla. The presentation of the appetizer was a 5 out of 10. The taste was a 7 out of 10.

For the entrée, I had the Manchamanteles (literally translates to “tablecloth stainer”, pork and fruit in a blend of chiles sauce). Maybe because we were in a big group, my dish came out lukewarm and didn‘t taste very good. I think it would have been better if it was hot. It was a piece of pork in a thick dark red sauce over a bed of rice. The fruit was two thinly sliced pieces of apples on the side. The presentation of my dish was a 7 out of 10. The taste was a 5 out of 10.

My friend ordered the same dish and they forgot about her. When her dish came out it was steaming hot and looked delicious. Another girl ordered the chicken with pumpkin seed mole sauce. I tried some of the mole sauce and it was spicy. The presentation of the chicken wasn’t impressive. It didn’t have enough variation of colors for me. Another friend ordered the shrimp flambéed in creamy tequila sauce. I tried a shrimp and it was spicy also. Because I am not able to handle spicy food I made the right decision in ordering the pork.

For the dessert, I had the Caramel Crepes (crepes topped with Mexican caramel sauce and walnuts). The crepes came out to us on the plate ‘naked’. The server then poured the caramel sauce on the crepe at the table. It was great presentation. The crepes was very sweet and delicious. The presentation of the dessert was a 9 out of 10. The taste was a 8 out of 10.

Atmosphere / Ambiance

It is a very small restaurant, only seating about 50 guests. With the name Tequila Kitchen I expected either very traditional Mexican / Spanish décor or very modern / classy restaurant. There were no traditional Mexican / Spanish décor. There was also no very modern décor. The only decorations I saw were shelves on the one wall with some candle holders and a small tree. The décor wasn’t impressive. I give it a 4 out of 10. I like décor which takes me away to another place. This décor was very plain and simple.

Service

When we got seated at 8:50 pm (our reservation was for 8:30pm), we were one of three tables. Our waitress was attentive to us. If we needed anything we could get her attention. She knew how to pronounce the names of the items in an authentic South American accent. I rate the service a 8 out of 10.

Value

For the overall value, I rate it a 6 out of 10. It is not a place I would rush back to. Maybe next time I will come for one of it’s specialty tequila drinks and an appetizer or dessert.

Cuisine: Mexican
Address: 1043 Mainland Street (Yaletown)
Phone: (604) 681 – 2120