Medina Café

There’s more to breakfast than bacon and eggs.

Medina was opened in 2007, as a breakfast-y companion to Chambar.  Both restaurants share the same kitchen and the talents of chef Nico Schuermans and pastry chef Eleanor Chow.  Medina also shares Chambar’s Belgian-meets-North-Africa influence on its dishes.  We first visited Medina about a year ago, and recently returned for a friend’s birthday brunch.

The food is, quite simply, wonderful and unique.  Their breakfast take on cassoulet adds fried eggs to the baked beans, duck sausage and bacon, served with a grilled house-made focaccia – a perfect rainy day breakfast that warms you all the way through.  The breakfast tagine puts poached eggs over a spicy stew of harrisa, tomatoes, red pepper, merguez sausage, sun dried black olives, and cilantro.  It’s downright exotic.   If, like me, you like to play with your food, order La Santé; soft-boiled egg, tomatoes, avocado, prosciutto, extra virgin olive oil and grilled focaccia, ready for you to assemble to your liking.  An elegant, and very European, breakfast – perfect for a sunny day.

Medina’s biggest claim to fame are its waffles.  Made fresh each morning, the waffles are petite by North American standards, but make a perfect breakfast dessert.  There are six waffle toppings to choose from courtesy of the pastry staff; dark chocolate sauce, lavender milk chocolate sauce, white chocolate pistachio rosewater sauce, fig orange marmalade and a couple of seasonal berry options.  The lavender milk chocolate  is creamy, floral and unique while the white chocolate pistachio rosewater sauce is  redolent of a Moroccan sweet.   It leaves one feeling rather pampered.

Medina’s coffees are strictly espresso drinks and are made with a great deal of care.   Beans are courtesy of 49th Parallel Roasters.   Latte options include lavender, vanilla, spiced or raspberry.  The Lavender Latte is  intense, floral, surprisingly herbaceous and not actually as twee as you might expect.   Mocha options include dark chocolate, milk chocolate lavender, white chocolate pistachio rosewater, or mint.   All syrups are made in-house.

There is a lunch menu that adds burgers, pasta and soups, that we have yet to sample.  There are a number of decent beers by the bottle, but sadly not a single BC beer is represented – a missed opportunity.

Breakfast and lunch items run from $12 to $15.  Waffles are only $3.15 plus $1 per topping.  While not the cheapest place around, given the quality and originality breakfasts at Medina are full value.

Medina has become a popular and very busy brunch destination.  Expect lineups for much of the morning and early afternoon on weekends.   A sign-up sheet is used to keep track of those waiting for tables.  On our last visit the two servers were very much out of synch in getting people seated in order – having one person in charge would be an improvement.   The larger your group the longer your wait will be – I don’t recommend Medina for any party over four unless standing around waiting really appeals to you.

Once seated, service is excellent.  The room itself is lively, and fairly comfortable.   High ceilings help keep the room bright and keep the din to a minimum, despite the closeness of the tables.  The  exposed brick decor is too generic to make much of an impression, but it’s a pleasant, if trendy, space.  The filament light bulbs are cool, though.

There’s more to breakfast than bacon and eggs. Props to Medina for thinking outside the box while  still serving up morning meals that satisfy those bleary-eyed breakfast cravings.

Medina Cafe
556 Beatty Street
604.879.3114
www.medinacafe.com
info@medinacafe.com

Breakfast
Tuesday to Friday 9:00AM to 12:00PM

Lunch
Tuesday to Friday 12:00PM to 3:00PM

Brunch
Saturday and Sunday 9:00AM to 3:00PM

The Well

The transformation of Main Street continues unabated, with The Well as the newest arrival to the Mount Pleasant culinary scene.  It’s not very often I get to scoop a restaurant by being one of its first customers, but I’d been waiting for The Well to open for a few weeks now, and passing by on the day of their soft opening, I decided to stop in and try out their breakfast.

The breakfast menu offers a selection of omelettes, bennies, waffles, pancakes, and of course, bacon and eggs.  I went for the Buon Giorno, an omelette of Italian sausage, mushrooms and peppers served in a toasted baguette.   The omelette sandwich was very good and very filling, served with real potatoes and fresh fruit. Where mention of my melon allergy usually means no fruit salad for me, The Well’s kitchen went to the effort of making a melon-free fruit side for my plate – much appreciated!  I was very pleased to see that  breakfast potatoes are made fresh (instead of those horrid frozen potato cubes so many places use),  cooked in real butter and well-seasoned.

The breakfast burrito is as monstrous as the Buon Giorno; a large tortilla stuffed with cheese, onions and pickled banana peppers, topped with a fresh salsa.  The benny features a quality slab of ham and a good hollandaise, made fresh in-house.

Good breakfasts at a reasonable price.  Good enough that I went back for dinner.

The appy list shows a mix of Italian, Mediterranean and Southwestern influences. The crab cakes were lovely; fluffy and light, not fishy nor as busy as the menu description implies.  The prawns, in a chili rub, were plump, well-cooked and tasty – I’ll be getting those again.  A southwestern salad of greens with corn and peppers was very pleasant and a great compliment to the crab cakes.

The dinner menu is largely Italian-influenced, with a number of pastas, paninis, and classic entrees such as the Veal Marsala I ordered.  There are also burgers and a few other North-American diner classics.

Veal Marsala has long been a favourite dish of mine, and this did not disappoint.  The veal was very nice; tender and just a bit pink.  But it was the sides that grabbed my attention.  It is sometimes said that one can judge a kitchen best not by its entrees, but with the care taken with the sides, something I am inclined to agree with.  Nugget potatoes were tender but not over-cooked, zucchini and eggplant were fire-grilled and drizzled with a lovely balsamic, and the wilted spinach (a dish so easy to get wrong) was perfect.  I was quite impressed, especially for the price.

The Well’s take on Lasagna emphasizes the meat and cheese; it’s light on tomato and heavy on the onion. Good, and very filling, and served with a lovely cheese bread with balsamic drizzle and basil leaves.

I was happy with the food at the Well, and with the value for the price.  Nothing is over $20, and most entrees are between $10 and $15.

There are two beers on tap, the Race Rocks Amber and Riptide Pale Ale, both good microbrews courtesy of Lighthouse Brewing in Victoria.   There is also a selection of beer by the bottle.  The wine list, while small, is well-chosen, international, and boasts excellent markups.  Since we were dining from the Italian part of the menu we went with the always-reliable Masi Campofiorin.

Service was excellent, prompt and professional while friendly and casual.  Most of the staff live in the area, which adds to the Well’s neighbourhood vibe.  The chef went out of his way to come and greet his customers.

The room is attractive and comfortable.  The Well offers tablecloth and napkin service, but the room feels neither stuffy nor formal.  There is a television mounted in one corner that (thankfully) was turned off during dinner.

The Well boasts a nice patio with attractive and comfortable furniture, facing West with a view of Main Street.  Come next summer it should prove a nice spot for al fresco dining.

The transformation of Main Street continues unabated, and with most new joints striving to be the latest shi-shi hotspot for the crantini crowd, The Well’s approach of good simple food at good prices seems almost radical.   I wish there were more places like it.  A welcome addition to the neighbourhood.

The Well
3048 Main Street
604.569.0570
Vancouver

Open for Breakfast and Dinner

The Narrow Lounge

A few years ago I visited a bar, called the Frolic Room, in Los Angeles.  As far as bars go, it was the real deal – no food, just a long dark room, well-worn stools, a couple tables, a jukebox, a bartender, a lots of atmosphere.  It was perfect!

Vancouver has no bars.  No real ones, anyways.  We have nightclubs.   Our so-called pubs are really just sports-themed casual restaurants. We have cabarets and strip clubs.  But no bars. In fact, our legal system simply does not allow bars, in the classic sense, to exist.

This blows.   Because some days, you just want to go to a bar.

When I first heard of the Narrow Room, my hopes went up a bit.   I was told that the room was very small, very dark and very narrow.   It sounded like a real bar!   Then of course I remembered – BC laws don’t allow for real bars.  Damn!   Still, it sounded intriguing, and I had to check it out.

Located on a block where your brain tells you no bar should be, you could blink and miss the Narrow Lounge despite the recently-added sign.   Once past the entrance and you face an incredibly dark little staircase that leads you to suspect that what you entered was not, in fact, the entrance, but perhaps some sort of service corridor.   But brave the darkness, watch your step, and soon you pass another door that opens to reveal the Narrow Lounge.

The Narrow Lounge is indeed narrow.   A bar runs down one side of the room, and a few tables down the opposite wall.   It’s dark, windowless and quaint – with a bit of a wreck room vibe.   Walls are dark red, lights are dim, and animal head trophies menace you from the periphery of your vision.   It’s a pretty cool space.

If you’re just stopping in for drinks, cozy up to the bar.   Tables are reserved for diners  (none of the tables seat more than four – this is not a place for large groups).   The bar was crowded and loud, and since we’d heard they had some decent eats, we thought we’d see what the kitchen had to offer and grabbed a table.

We started with drinks.   The Narrow Lounge is knows for their cocktails, but with the bartender being rather harried, we settled on a couple of pints.  R&B is on tap, and the bottle selection while not extensive is decent.  I didn’t get a good look at the wine list.

The menu is small – about ten items, with no real theme, interesting but accessible.   I went for the Mac & Cheese, taking the “jalapenos and bacon” addition.  Dawna went for the meat loaf sandwich.   The Mac & Cheese was terrific.  The chili peppers are a nice touch, and the dish has a nice heat.   It’s very filling.  The meat loaf sandwich is juicy and rich, served on a baguette with tomatoes, onions and chilies.   Other dishes available include garlic chili green beans, a charcuterie plate, a pear and brie panini and a well-regarded grilled cheese.   The quality of the food was a nice surprise.

We were delighted to notice the absence of any televisions.  As always, I find myself wishing more joints in Vancouver would take the no-television route.   People not only talk, but make eye contact, instead of craning their necks up to stare at blinking sets (I’ve talked to many people about this and I firmly believe that a lot of people in Vancouver really want to see more television-free watering holes, but the local industry is very reluctant to give it a try.  Yet the few places I know of that don’t have TVs are packed each night).  Music spins on a turntable from their vinyl collection, adding to the wreck room vibe.   Most nights a local DJs spin tunes later in the evening.  On the night of our visit, volume was kept at a reasonable level.

No, the Narrow Lounge is not a bar in the classic sense.   It not only has food, it has really good food.  But it feels closer than most joints in this town.  But however you want to define what the Narrow Lounge is, I like the place, quite a bit actually, and I expect to be back there soon.

The Narrow Lounge
1898 Main Street
Vancouver
778.737.5206
narrowlounge.com

5pm to Midnight
Seven days a week
Closed Mondays

Doña Cata Mexican Restaurant and Taqueria

It’s often said that, “You can’t get authentic Mexican food in Vancouver.” It’s a statement I hear quite often, but it’s not true of course and hasn’t been for a while.  With places like Doña Cata, Mexico Rico and Zocalo, I would say that the places in Vancouver offering genuine Mexican food now outnumber the Tex-mex and Cali-mex joints, at least if you don’t count yucky chains like Taco Bell.

I’d been craving tacos, but had been kind of avoiding Mexican food, having recently been to Mexico, the flavours of the Yucatan still fresh in my memory.  But, hey, you can’t go to Mexico every year (although I would like to), and so giving in to the urge, we headed to Doña Cata’s for tacos.

Owner Brenda Cortes named Doña Cata in honour of her grandmother, who ran a restaurant in Morales, with the goal of bringing her grandmother’s recipes to her restaurant in Canada.  Situated on Victoria drive, the room instantly reminds one of the eateries in Mexico; bright colours, Day of The Dead imagery, iron lamps, rustic wooden furniture and slogans written on the wall.  The room is unpretentious, comfortable, bright and charming.

To start, we dove into a side of frijoles.   Nothing will tell me faster about the quality of a Mexican restaurant than its refried beans.  As Dawna mentioned, these tasted “right”; rich and creamy, almost certainly full of lard.   The beans were very good; a promising sign.

Doña Cata offers a number of dishes, but is primarily a taqueria.  Since one should get to know a restaurant through their specialties, we ordered up some Tacos de Nopales con Queso y Carne (cactus paddles, cheese and meat).  The tacos were good; the nopales tangy and salty, a nice contrast to the spiced pork.  Some of the other classics on the menu include Tacos al Pastor (pork and pineapple), Carnitas (pulled pork) and Longaniza (cured pork ground sausage with chili), certainly guaranteeing I’ll be back for more.

Doña Cata offers a large selection of platters: combinations of meats, veggies and cheeses, that can be assembled into tacos at your table.  We went for the Longaniza, pork, peppers and cheese platter (I forget the name).  Very good, and very filling.  The Longaniza was quite different from the sausages I had in the Yucatan, but still very good.

At Dona Cata’s the salsas are not brought to your table, and instead they offer a traditional salsa bar. The bar offers eight salsas, all freshly made each day. The green salsa of tomatillos, chilies, lime and cilantro is bright, tangy, a just a bit hot, ideal for seafood or chicken. The red salsa, made from dried chilies, is warm and earthy – perfect for beef or pork. The peanut salsa is a rare treat, a difficult salsa to find in these parts.

There are many vegetarian choices (which admittedly, is not at all like in Mexico). On weekends there is an appealing brunch menu that we plan to sample soon.  Doña Cata offers a reasonable selection of Mexican beers, the usual cocktails and shooters, as well as classic Mexican beverages such as Horchata (made from rice and cinnamon), Rompopo (sort of a Mexican eggnog) and Champurrado (a thick drink made from chocolate, corn flour, milk and spices). There are a few desserts, and daily specials.

I was pretty darn happy with my lunch at Doña Cata, and plan to go back soon.  I got my taco fix, enough to hold me over until I can go back to Mexico.  Recommended.

Authentic? Definitely. Exactly like what you get in Mexico? Of course not. Mexican food here just cannot taste like it does in Mexico. For starters, there are some ingredients that you just cannot come by here (and if you disagree, find me some fresh xtatic chilies, some mamay and some chaya leaves). Our meats are raised, aged and butchered differently here. Our tropical fruits have to travel, losing freshness. Those Mexican ingredients that we can grow here, such as chilies, taste very different from those grown in their homeland. And we grow and import a minimal number of varieties of our produce, compared to what’s available in Mexico where each town may use a different variatal of lime. All these factors mean that ultimately, it just won’t be the same, no matter the skills or intentions of the cook. But, hey, you can’t go to Mexico every year (although I would like to). In the meanwhile, heading to Doña Cata’s for some tacos is not a bad idea at all.

Doña Cata Mexican Restaurant & Taqueria
5076 Victoria Drive
604 436-2232
www.donacata.com

Tuesday to Saturday 9am to 2pm & 5pm to 10pm
Sunday 12 to 5pm
Closed Mondays

The Windjammer Restaurant

Who serves the best fish & chips in town?  I have no idea. It’s not a discussion I’ve ever really participated in. I managed to pass much of my adult life never touching fish and chips, simply because I’d always disliked fish as a kid, and there just always seemed to be something else on the menu I’d rather have.  But  in almost any town fish & chips seems to inspire “best in town” debates with a passion as no other dish can.  Vancouver is no exception.

The Windjammer Restaurant on Main Street has been widely regarded for a few years now as offering one of the best fish & chips in town, if not the best, winning “Best Of” polls in the Georgia Straight and Vancouver Magazine. Once called The Windjammer Inn (when part of an inn at a different location), The Windjammer opened in 1972, but has changed hands a few times over the years. The menu has changed many times, with fish & chips being the one constant.

The room feels a bit like a British pub, with tudor-style walls, and kitschy British knickknacks and collectibles about the place, courtesy of the Windjammer’s original owners, including a signed document from Queen Elizabeth.  The overall effect is cozy, if compromised somewhat by the televisions at each end of the restaurant (volume is kept off, except during Canucks games).  There is a nice outdoor patio that faces east, and so gets sun in the morning and early afternoon, and is shady later in the day.  It’s a lovely, cool patio on a hot day, and a good place to take in the Mt. Pleasant scene and be serenaded every half hour by the bell of the Heritage Hall Clock.

Cod, Halibut and Salmon are the choices of fish, served with chips, tartar sauce and coleslaw. The prices are very reasonable: $6, $8 or $7 for small orders (one piece of fish) of the cod, halibut or salmon, respectively, or $9, $11 or $10 for two pieces.

The cod and halibut are very tasty, fluffy and moist. The fish is hand-battered when you order it, the batter light and crispy. The chips are excellent; hand cut fresh on site daily.

Daily fish specials are frequent, and can be a bargain. The basa is a must-have, when available; incredibly creamy and light.  Other seafood classics include fried scampi, fried oysters, fried scallops, fried clams, fried calarmari and Bostom clam chowder.  And, while you may have noticed that “fried” is the preparation of choice here, the oil is changed at least daily, ensuring your meals are light, crisp and never greasy.

For those wanting something other than seafood, the Windjammer carries three English-style pies: Steak & Kidney, Shepard’s Pie and Chicken Pot Pie. The pies, it should be noted, are not made on site. But they’re decent, and provide a nice alternative for when you’re not feeling fishy.  Pies range from$7.50 and $8.50 and come with salad or chips.

Recently added to the menu are three classic Indian-by-way-England curries: Chicken Tikka Masala (which was invented in London), Lamb Rogan Josh, and Veggie Korma.  These are served with jasmine rice, and are all under $10.  The Chicken Tikka is terrific, although I wish it had some veggies in it.

For appetizers, a number of classic British pub fare items are on hand: mushy peas, baked beans, battered sausage and deep-fried Mars bars.

The Windjammer has four taps, two R&B Ales (yay!) and two Russells (meh).  The R&B Raven Cream goes particularly well with fish & chips.  If you insist on a Brit or Irish beer to complete your fish & chips experience, Guinness and Boddington’s are available by the tin.  There’s also a minimal wine list that I confess I’ve only glanced at.

Service is decent, reasonably attentive but unhurried.  The atmosphere is quiet, and low-key.  (The manager tends to turn the music down to the almost-off threshold.  I do wish she would turn it up a bit.  When you can’t hear the music it tends to feel a bit dead in there, even when it’s quite busy.)  While business is steady most evenings, I’ve never had to wait for a table.  The Windjammer is a popular go-to place for locals heading out for a quick meal, but it’s also a destination for Vancouver’s fish & chips aficionados, some of whom travel quite a distance for their fishy fix.

Who serves the best fish & chips in town?  I have no idea.  I’ve not tried all the fish & chips in Vancouver.   I suspect that most people who claim to have found the best haven’t either. But I do know that I like the Windjammer’s fish & chips a lot.

Windjammer Restaurant
3079 Main Street
604-876-6446
11am to 10pm Sunday through Wednesday
11am to 11pm Thursday through Saturday

Grub on Main

When a number of restaurants open up over a short period of time the result is often a bunch of places that  essentially look and feel the same.  Many new restaurants design their decor, and their food, around what’s hot now.  A lot of the restaurants that have opened up in Vancouver over the past year are guilty of this, and really, if I see another new joint that offers yam fries and beet salad “sharing plates” under an exposed brick wall  I will pass out from the sheer boredom of it all.  Which is why I was happy to discover Grub on Main.

I fell in love with this place fast.  The folks behind Grub get it.  Their decor is uniquely their own, and yet fits the neighbourhood perfectly.  The food has its own unique personalty, and yet suits the local culture to a T.  This is a restaurant, not of the time, but of its place and people.

Walk into Grub and you’re struck with the odd playroom vibe of the place: the childlike (yet bizarre) wallpaper, the bright yellow bench, the colourful mobile that hangs from the ceiling.  The space is unique, yet comfortable and convivial.

Grub has a frequently-updated menu of antipastos, salads, pizzas and desserts, and a daily fresh board lists the day’s entrees.  The daily menu is very well considered, with a couple meat dishes, a couple seafood dishes, and a couple vegetarian and vegan dishes each day.  As Grub boasts vegetarian cooks for its veggie dishes, their vegetarian selections are more interesting than most.  Everything is under twenty bucks.

There are three antipasto platters to choose from, all of which look excellent.  We tried the Veggie Antipasto, with ratatouille, pickled purple cabbage, bocconcini, pickled mushrooms, dill and red pepper spread, curry pickled cauliflower and carrots, olives, hommus and crostini.  I do not exaggerate when I say this was perhaps the best antipasto plate I’ve ever had.  The red pepper spread is absolutely fantastic, the pickled curry veggies crunchy and delicious, the crunchy purple cabbage had me guessing at the complex flavours (allspice? cardamom?).  A theme of Eastern Mediterannean flavours ties the whole plate together.  And it’s a lot of food, even for two.  As good as it was, I’m keen to try the carnivore or seafood antipasto plates next time.

Dishes from the daily fresh board are just as good.  The grass-fed beef New York strip steak was excellent, cooked just as we asked, and great value at $18.  The steak was served with mushrooms, broccoli rabe and, best of all, a blue cheese potato cake – one of those rare dishes that, once you bite into it, makes you ask, “why haven’t I been eating this my whole life?”  So good.

The Parmesan chicken was a unique interpretation on a classic dish, lightly breaded and with just a touch of tomato sauce so as to let the juicy chicken be the star of the plate.  This came with some rocking house-made gnocchi and broccoli rabe.  I almost never rave about restaurant chicken dishes – they’re usually the least inspired thing on any menu – but this was very good.

Of the desserts, we couldn’t resist the Stilton creme with apples, crostini and figs, a nice way to finish the meal although we barely had room for it.

Grub’s beer selection is unexceptional, with nothing on tap, but there are a couple of decent bottles to choose from.  The wine list, while short, is good, with a number of good wines available by the glass, all under ten dollars.  There are some fun cocktails too, including a few classics.  If you’re in the mood for sharing, go for a punch bowl; a big old-fashioned glass bowl of punch set in the middle of your table with a ladle and some old-school glasses hanging around the rim.  It’s fun, and suits the whimsical sensibility of the place.  Besides, where else can you order punch bowls of booze in this town?  There are three to choose from.

Grub is owned and operated by Ling Zheng, who has previously run kitchens in Toronto and Shanghai.  Her approach stresses fresh, organic and free-range ingredients whenever possible, yet ensuring no one leaves hungry.  The food is healthy, the food is hearty and the food is good.  I’m anxious to go back soon, and keen to try their Sunday brunch.  Highly recommended.

Grub
4328 Main Street
Vancouver
604.876.8671
www.grubonmain.ca
grubonmain@gmail.com
Monday to Wednesday 5-10
Thursday to Saturday 5-11
Sunday 11-3

Lunch at Mistral French Bistro

I really don’t get out for lunch often enough.  I go out for breakfast all the time.  Same with dinner – probably too much.  The problem, really, is that I eat too much breakfast to have any room for lunch.  Well, that’s going to change.  It’s time for me to embrace the mid-day meal.  It’s noon, and I’m starving.  I’m off to Mistral.

Mistral owners Jean-Yves and Minna Benoit trained in kitchens throughout Europe; working in starred restaurants in Zurich, Nice and Brussels before opening Mistral about three years ago.  Some thought that opening Mistral just down the block from the lauded Lumiére/Feenies combo would be restaurant suicide, me among them.  But, hey, Feenie is now flipping burgers at the Cactus Club while Mistral has quietly established itself as one of the best restaurants on the West Side.

Mistral’s focus is the Provencal cuisine of Jean-Yves’ youth, but with the addition of some classic Parisian bistro dishes.  The room is dressed in warm, Mediterranean colours,  and the lovely south-facing patio enjoys sun from late morning to early evening.  The big, beautiful paintings of wine bottles that adorn the walls are  awesome – I’d steal them if they would fit under my coat.

We recently dropped by on a cloudy Saturday afternoon and I was thrilled to see that the prix fixe lunch menus that we’d enjoyed on our last visit are still offered.  Mistral’s Prix Fixe menus are a great way to sample many items from the kitchen, and are a bargain at that.  Each menu offers selections from a couple  starters, a couple mains and a dessert.

As I did on my last visit, I went with the Menu Provence ($20), choosing for my starter the traditional Provencal appetizers; black olive spread with croutons, creamed Cod, anchovy and garlic dipping sauce and celery.  For my main course I chose the braised pork cheek stew in red wine with vegetables, green olives and chick pea cakes. (The other starter on the Menu Provence is a lovely Ratatouille omelette, and the other main is a lamb shoulder roast)

The Provencal appetizers get the palate going: salty, fishy, Olive-oily goodness – very Mediterranean.  The pork cheek stew is fantastic; rich, deep, hearty and luscious, a must for any serious fan of pork.  The chocolate mousse dessert, while perhaps not the silkiest around, has rich, dark chocolate flavour.

Dawna ordered from the Menu Tradition (24$), starting with French onion soup before moving on to blanquette de veau; veal with creamy mushrooms and pearl onions over rice.  (The other starters on the Menu Tradition are a cold cuts and cornichons plate, and a frisee salad with croutons, bacon and poached egg, and the other mains are a steak with green peppercorn sauce with frites, and a cassoulet of duck leg and lamb sausage)

Mistral’s French onion soup doesn’t suffer under the sins that plague so many North American preparations of the dish – it’s not too salty, nor buried in rubberry cheese, but instead showcases rich onion and beef broth flavours.  The Blanquette, a Parisian dish so hard to find in Vancouver, is a warming and satisfying plate of French soul food.  Any fan of French cuisine needs to try this dish, and Mistral may be the only place in town that currently has it on the menu, and only for lunch.  The Menu Tradition closes with a Crème Caramel, but our host happily let Dawna order the lemon tart off the Menu Riviera in its place.

The Menu Marseille ($21) is perhaps the lunch menu best suited for a sunny day.  Start with the potato salad with sardines and radishes with butter, or the warm escargot crouton with creamy pistou, mixed greens and prosciutto.  For mains choose between the gratinated cod brandade or the saffron bourride with prawns, mussels and daily fish (the bouride’s saffron broth is rich, perfumed and exotic – really lovely), or take the third option of free-range chicken breast served with ratatouille.  The Menu Marseille comes with a warm waffle with fresh seasonal berries for dessert.

Lastly, the Menu Riviera ($19) starts with a warm goat cheese salad with olive Nicoise paste, prosciutto and mixed greens or a traditional Niçoise-style thin-crust onion tart with glazed onions, anchovies and olives.  For mains choose from the Niçoise-style fresh pasta with basil, garlic and Parmesan with seared prawns and seasonal vegetables or fish of the day with ratatouille and olives.  The Menu Riviera finishes with a lemon tart (the tart is delightful – tart and bracing, but not sour).

Mistral’s wine list, once exclusively French, now has a few new world wines, but since my mother didn’t raise a fool, I had a Southern French wine to go with my Southern French food.

On every visit, Minna has been a lovely host; welcoming and genuine.  The food is wonderful and, if anything, even better that when the restaurant first opened.  And while my last couple of visits to Mistral have been for lunch, I can attest that their dinners are equally wonderful.

I really don’t get out for lunch often enough, but I’ve been doing better of late, hitting Mistral, Sha Lin Noodle House and Three Lions for lunch over the last couple of weeks.  The trick, really, is not to eat too much breakfast.  Some days, it is worth leaving a bit of room for lunch.  After our last visit to Mistral, however, we had no room for dinner.

Mistral French Bistro
2585 West Broadway
604.733.0046
Open Tuesday to Saturday
Lunch 11:30am to 2pm
Dinner 5:30pm to 10pm
Closed on Mondays and Sundays
www.mistralbistro.ca

Brunch at db Bistro Moderne

First off, I want to mention that I always felt that Feenie’s was over-rated.  Good, yes, but, over-rated.  Living around the corner as we did, we were frequent diners at our Local Iron Chef’s namesake restaurant, especially for weekend brunch.  There was some stuff Feenie’s did well; I always loved the Peking Duck Sandwich, the Poutine was to die for, and the first dinner I had there, a Duck Confit, was really quite amazing.  But on the flip side, the salads were always oily and over-dressed, the frites were so-so at best, the pastas under-whelming in size and flavour, and the wine list more trendy than good.  The service, trapped somewhere between casual and formal, had the benefits of neither, and the giant fuzzy roof ornament, so prone to gathering dust that on occasion stray particles would come drifting down onto diners and their meals, was perhaps the worst idea in Vancouver restaurant history.

So, in reviewing db Bistro Moderne one wants to be fair and review it purely for what it is, without comparing it to the famous resaurant that once occupied the same space.  But while the name and staff may have changed, the same ownership is in place, and the goal of the new joint is to fill the shoes of the old one.  And, ultimately, anytime anyone mentions that they’ve been to db Bistro Moderne, the question that always arises is, “how does it compare to Feenies?”  So, compare I will.

With local Iron Chef Rob Feenie out, the legendary Daniel Boulud comes in to take his place. Of course, where you would often find Feenie in the kitchen of the restaurant that bore his name, you won’t catch Boulud dirtying his chef whites at db Bistro.  Instead that job goes to Stephane Istel, previously of the db Bistro in New York.

The new room is a huge improvement.  Gone is the fuzzy pimp hat installed in the ceiling, gone are the hideous seventies-styled orange wall cushions, gone are the tiny tables seemingly designed to maximize table to ankle bashing.  The new layout makes the room seem vastly bigger, a bit warmer and much brighter.

We arrived early, and the staff were kind enough to let us sit over a coffee while they finished their morning set-up.  The coffee was ok, nothing more.  Our first pour was nice and hot, but the refills were quite tepid,  no doubt due to the lack of customers to drink it.

For brunch, db Bistro offers a few breakfasty items such as crepes, French Toast, Croque Monsieur (and Croque Madame), and a couple of Benedicts.  Oddly, there are no omelettes or fritatas on the menu.  The lunch menu is available during brunch as well.  In addition, there are a couple of specials each day.

Deciding to forgo the specials and try something off the standard menu, I went for the Duck Poutine Lyonaisse.  Dawna decided on the Lobster Eggs Florentine Benedict.

While waiting, we examined the bar.  db Bistro Moderne has a deeper bar list than Feenie’s, sporting a number of nice scotches, bourbons, gins and tequilas.  Three R&B beers are available on tap; the Bohemian Lager, the Red Devil Pale Ale and the Raven Cream Ale.  We didn’t get a chance to study the wine list.

The poutine came with a salad of bitter greens.  The salad was fresh, but over-oiled and over-salted, so I guess some things haven’t changed.  The poutine was nice enough, but given the restaurant’s pedigree, not to mention the price, rather unimpressive.  The duck was fine, though some of it was over-cooked and a bit dry.  The gravy was surprisingly thin, and without much duck flavour.  The potato cubes were ok, as were the cheese curds.  The egg was perfectly cooked, and the best part of the dish.  Button mushrooms are present throughout the dish and, sadly, this proves to be a poor choice.  I like button mushrooms just fine, but no one orders duck poutine for the sake of button mushrooms, yet they dominated the flavours of any bite that included them.  I ended up picking out the buttons first, so as to enjoy the duck.  This dish was not in the same league as Feenie’s poutine – not even close.

Dawna’s Benny was dressed in a very nice Hollandaise, but the lobster knuckle was fried, which combined with the rich Hollandaise resulted in a dish that that tasted, and felt, very heavy, even for a Benedict.  Perhaps steaming the lobster would have been a better way to go.  The benny came with generic potato cubes.  Overall, breakfast was so heavy, that we had to pass on dessert.

In all, the food was tasty.  But the fact that we came away making notes on how each dish could be easily improved is somewhat damning.  And while the quality is no higher than what Feenie’s offered, the prices certainly are.  Perhaps that’s why, on a sunny Saturday at noon, the place was almost empty.  Despite this, I have never been one to dismiss a restaurant on a single visit, and so I’ll certainly be back to give db Bistro another try.  Perhaps dinner will offer a better experience.  At least we were happy with the service, which had none of the strange stiffness that characterized the staff of Feenie’s.

As predicted, friends ask me how db Bistro Moderne compare to Feenies.  For now, the jury is still out.  But this was not a great first impression.

dbBistro Moderne
2551 West Broadway
604.739.7115
http://www.dbbistro.ca/
info@dbbistro.ca

Locus

Some places fly under the radar, without ever getting a lot of press.  Unless you happen to live close by, the odds are you haven’t even heard of them.  And I’m not talking about neigbourhood diners or local sushi joints, but some pretty good restaurants that serve interesting food.  Places like Locus.

Locus sits on Main Street, near the intersection of King Edward, in what is one of the more appealing clusters of restaurants to be found in Vancouver.  With so many restaurants within a stone’s throw, it took me a while before I finally tried Locus for one of their always-busy weekend brunches.

Locus is dark, dressed in Faux-industrial chic, circa 1998, with all the forced edginess that swept Vancouver’s restaurant scene a decade ago.  The ironwork, exposed ceiling, dripping candles, strange masks, local overpriced artwork for sale by artists of questionable talent – it’s the sort of place that makes you feel you ought to get a tattoo before you can eat there.  This kind of decor is probably the reason it took me so long to even visit Locus, given how places that put so much emphasis on hip,  edgy decor usually fall flat in the food department.  Locus, happily surprised me.

Locus offers two main rooms, a raised section overlooking the street, and a loungier space in the back.  There are a few seats at the bar as well, and a small room up at the front of the restaurant which opens up to serve as a shady patio in the summer, but has big, toasty patio heaters that make it a favourite seat when it’s cold out (for example, all of the last six months).

Brunches may be what Locus does best. Start with a coffee, made espresso style and one of the best cups in the city.  While you wait for your brunch to arrive Locus serves up freshly-made breads, flavoured butters and fresh compotes.  The butters are terrific; sun-dried tomato butter, cinnamon butter and sage butter all being frequent fliers.

Brunch staples include the Main Street Eggs; free-run eggs your way with aged white cheddar, baked beans and choice of bacon, spicy lamb sausage, rosemary chicken sausage, chorizo or veggie links – meat options available for many of their breakfasts (I am particularly fond of the chorizo myself).  The Locus Hash; organic bison brisket with juniper, cinnamon, tomato, chocolate porter, potato cakes and poached eggs is terrific, and only the daily fresh sheets keep me from ordering it each time.  New to the menu is the Chorizo Omelette with mushrooms, red onions and a startling but delicious horseradish Monterey jack that has to be tried.  Brunches come with salad (ok), potatoes (good) or both.

As good as the regular brunch menu is, I recommend ordering off aforementioned daily fresh sheet, where the kitchen staff show some creativity.  The scallop benny with wild boar bacon in an orange Hollandaise was particularly memorable.  Game appears frequently on the fresh sheets; venison, rabbit, even kangaroo!

The lunch menu offers a reduced brunch list, but adds burgers, sandwiches and salads.  The beef and Guinness cheddar burger is made with Pemberton Meadows natural organic Beef.  The Organic Lamb Burger comes with Brie – a nice match – but I found the onions too caramelized and sweet.  I may ask for raw red onions next time.

Dinner expands on the lunch menu with pastas and entrees.  I have my eye on the Bison Ribs and Ancho chili sauce.  A late night menu offers finger foods as the post-dinner clientele shifts their focus to drinks.

Cocktails are colorful, sweet and aimed squarely at the young girly-drink set.  The wine list, however, is rather decent.  For draught beer Locus offers Race Rocks Amber and the Red Truck Pale Ale, plus a couple other serviceable beers.  The bottle list is uninteresting, with the sole exception of the Cannery Blackberry Porter, which is quite good.

Service is generally good, if uneven.  You won’t miss the floor manager, who definitely makes his presence felt, and does a good job to check up on the customers, but the servers themselves don’t always bring much energy or personality to their work.  Locus sports a fairly small kitchen, so expect food to take a bit longer when the place is busy, but for the most part meals arrive in good time.  Speakers play jazz and swing standards throughout the day, switching to more modern beats at night.  A couple late nights a week DJs  spin tunes to entertain or torment you, depending on their tolerance for such things.

Walking into Locus the first time it didn’t strike me as a place where I would become any sort of  regular customer.  Almost to my surprise, I find myself sitting in Locus quite often now, looking forward to sampling what the kitchen is up to that day.  I hadn’t heard of the place until I moved to Main Street, and unless you live in the area I suspect you haven’t heard of it either.  But Locus is worth checking out.  It’s good.

Locus Restaurant
4121 Main Street
604.708.4121
www.locusonmain.com
locuscafe@hotmail.com
Monday to Wedensday 10-12
Thursday- Friday 10-1
Saturday 9-1
Sunday 9-12

Cipriano’s Ristorante & Pizzeria

One hundred years ago a food revolution was taking place.  As Italian immigrants streamed into America they brought with them the cuisine of Italy’s working poor.  They came from Naples and Sicily, and settled in New York, Philadelphia, Chicago and San Francisco.  They came in search of a better life, but most stayed poor in the New World. Without much money and without the availability of year-round fresh ingredients the dishes adapted and changed, and soon an original American cuisine was born.  The recipes were built on necessity and availability.

New York’s first Pizzeria opened in 1905.  By the thirties Italian became the dining-out meal of choice in America, from New York to Hollywood. This new Italian-American cuisine was based on dried pastas, tomato sauces, mozzarella, olive oil and pizza. Rich and heavy, this was the fuel for a growing nation of labourers and movie stars.

The menu at Cipriano’s claims that Giuseppe Cipriano was the first to bring pizza to Vancouver in 1953.  I have no idea if that’s true, but the Cipriano family have been feeding hungry Vancouverites for over forty years, and Cipriano’s Ristorante & Pizzeria has been in it’s current location on Main Street for twenty.  Now operated by son Frank, Cipriano’s offers what is generally described as Italian food, but what should really be called classic Italian-American, a cuisine all its own. And, as I have learned, it’s a cuisine that does not enjoy a positive reputation in this town. In fact, a glance through user reviews on the internet reveals how deep the contempt is for this type of cuisine in Vancouver among many self-styled “foodies.”

No, Cipriano’s is not authentic Italian.  Yes, the food is heavy.  Yes, the sauces are made from canned tomatoes and tomato paste.  Just as Italian-American food has proudly been made for a century.

Walking into Cipriano’s is like taking a step into the past.  Dark red and green walls suggest the colours of the Italian flag, the tables sit under checkered tablecloths, and Frank Sinatra croons out of the speakers.  It’s a space with time-earned character.  To some modern sensibilities it may border on kitsch, but I love it.  As I take my seat I can almost imagine the Rat Pack walking in at any time to order up big plates of spaghetti, but it’s only their photos on the walls and my hunger-induced imagination.

The menu is strictly old-school.  Portions are considerable. Bowls of pastas are enormous, and all have the option of coming with meatballs the size of your head.  The racks of ribs make a mockery of the plates that try to contain them.  Veal slices are the biggest and thickest I’ve seen in this city. Pasta sauces are sweet, heavy and intense. Everything is garlicky and buried in cheese.

The family’s Sicilian roots show in dishes such as the Pasta Michelangelo (spicy alfredo with black forest ham), the pasta puttanesca (tomato sauce, capers, anchovies, olives, extra garlic and extra chilies) and the Spicy Sicilian ribs, all offering a considerable amount of chili heat.

On my last visit I tried the veal a la casa, a thick slab of veal buried under ham and three kinds of cheese. The pasta a la casa, Dawna’s choice on the night, is filled with big Italian sausage coins. And as we always do, we also ordered up a basket of the garlic bread, which just may be the best I’ve found in Vancouver.

If you’re really, really hungry go for the feast, which starts with bruschetta (a tomato slice on bruschetta, swimming in olive oil), a Caesar or tomato salad (swimming in olive oil), any entree (go for the ribs, I dare you), garlic bread and dessert.  At $24.95, it’s the best value on the menu.  If you eat it all it will probably kill you.

Cipriano’s, of course, also offers pizza, with a couple house pizzas or build-your-own options (with primarily Italian toppings) to choose from.  I have yet to try the pizza, so another visit is in order.

Wines are mostly Italian which, for this food, really is what you want.  By-the-glass markups aren’t great – you’re better off going with the bottles which are quite reasonable.  There’s nothing fashionable or high end on the list – this is rustic wine for rustic food.

With most entrees above $20, Cipriano’s isn’t cheap, but the portions almost guarantee a big pile of leftovers to haul home.  The service has been friendly and efficient on all my visits, and laced with a dry sense of humour.  Cipriano’s is family run and family staffed, and so service comes with all the eccentricities that implies.

If you’re one to judge a restaurant by how hip and happening it is, you probably won’t enjoy Cipriano’s. If you’re seriously counting calories it may not work for you either. But if you’re hungry, really hungry, and in need of an unpretentious meal served up with some unpretentious wine, then Cipriano’s is definitely worth checking out.

For much of the last century family-run “red sauce” houses, offering up hearty plates of Italian-American fare to hungry diners, could be found in any town in Canada or the US.  Today, corporate chains like the Olive Garden and Boston Pizza have taken over the suburbs, while fashionable high-end nouveaux-Italian restaurants pull people downtown to marvel at what risotto looks like when pressed into a ring mold. Too often judged for what they’re not than for what they are, places like Cipriano’s are sadly disappearing.  I’m glad I found Cipriano’s, and I hope they’re around for another twenty years.

Cipriano’s Ristorante & Pizzeria
3995 Main Street (near King Ed)
604-879-0020
Open Tuesday to Saturday, 4:00 until 10:00ish (if it’s quiet they may close early)