Dine Out Vancouver 2011

[Jermyzy]

Originally Posted by dignatas

went to don fransisco last night and the food was good!

i suggest ordering these if you go for dine out

pasta for appy.. the salad wasn't that great

steak for entree since i got the seafood and tried both. Seafood wasn't the bomb

dessert.. go for fruits or sour ice cream, eat tiramisu if you like rum or some alcohol in it which makes it bitter.

Thanks for the review! I'm going there next week, I was going to get the salad, but I guess I will skip that!

So far I've been to:

Cork & Fin - 5/10. Appetizers:I had raw oysters (3 of them - they were fresh), wife had salad (+$5 for prawns). I don't see why they charge extra for prawns considering the salad was only a couple leafs and a few pomegranate seeds. Entree 1: I had negitoro tuna (best dish of the menu), wife had prawn bisque (average). Entree 2: I had fish in tomato sauce (bland, was literally fish in tomato sauce), wife had steak (smallest steak I've ever seen - 4 oz maybe???). Portions were very small. I had to add on a steak tartare - was so bland, tasted like nothing. I had to add salt and pepper to it. (the one I had in Paris a couple months ago was so good!)

Banana Leaf - 8/10 - nothing fancy, items are from their regular menu, but you get a good selection of items. But the food was good, friendly staff/atmosphere, and I was full at the end.

Going to Las Margaritas tonight, and Don Francesco next week.

[TRDood]

Again, I don't see a point for DOV anymore. The restaurants are shit, you save maybe $5 dollars, limited selection.

If they had Gotham, Hy's, Blue Water Cafe, etc. on the other hand...

[Liquid_o2]

Went to Joe Fortes on Friday night. We had a large group (12 of us) and our table was ready right at our reserved time. Service was good as the place was absolutely packed. Water was always refilled, dirty plates were always removed promptly.

I had the beef carpaccio, sockeye salmon and the creme brulee. All were excellent, although I preferred my friends tiramisu more.

Overall a great dinner and well worth the price IMO. 9/10

[miss_crayon]

Me and the hubs went to Joe Fortes last night!

Beef Carpaccio was a tad salty for my liking, steak and prawns was amazingggg (cooked to the perfect medium rare) and tiramisu was yums.

Hubs had the caesar salad, steak and prawns too and the creme brulee. I didn't try his dessert but he seemed to like it.

We also started off with some extra items, 4 local beach oysters for me and the king crab tempura (godsend..no joke).

The waitress was very attentive and for the price I can't complain! What a great deal!
Posted via RS Mobile

[Durrann]

Went to Refuel

Had the taraggon soup for app
Ahi tuna
And chocolate mousse with chocolate cookie

I'd give it 6/10
Service was decent
Food I expected more
The only thing good was the ahi tuna itself
Soup was okay nothing special
Dessert too rich nothing fancy
Dont really recommend and went to keg after to have appys cuz we were still hungry
Posted via RS Mobile

[MelonBoy]

Bah.. was gonna go to Mistral French Bistro but my friend went and told me the food was pretty bad.. he didnt like anything other then the dessert.. so i replaced my reso with

The Refinery
(gf + me)
Appy
- Beef Carpaccio : 8/10, beef was alright.. but the salad it came with was pretty good had a hint of nutty taste to it
- Tuna Crudo : 6.5/10 Tasted good came with pear + orange + fennel + lemon aioli.. didnt really taste the any basil.. (it was a basil crusted tuna)

Entree
- SUVEE\\\'D and SEARED SABLEFISH - 8/10 Solid dish.. sable fish that melted in my mouth with a slighty crisped skin.. + mussels + a tomato chorizo soup..
- Wild Mushroom fettucini - 9/10 I actually really liked this dish.. fettucini was cooked perfectly.. sauce had a nice flavour to it and they didnt skimp out on sauce.. to bad the dish wasnt bigger and i saw the add pancetta option

Dessert
- Tarte Tatin : 7/10 Solid dessert.. a hot pear/cranberry flat pie with icing streaked across the plate..
- Profiteroles : 6/10 nothing special.. gf really liked it though.. tasted very similiar to the Bearded Papa cream buffs minus the chocolate sauce..

Overall
Food - 7.5/10 Satisfied and will be going back in the future
Service - 9/10 Friendly, on the ball, told us we had a 2 hour limit but didnt rush us at all
Ambiance - 9/10 Nice small cozzy place



2 more places to go! cant wait to try Le Terrazza + Poor Italian
(also wheres all the pictures!!! I know you ppl took pictures! post them so i can drool over some stuff.. )

[impulseX]

Originally Posted by MelonBoy

Bah.. was gonna go to Mistral French Bistro but my friend went and told me the food was pretty bad.. he didnt like anything other then the dessert.. so i replaced my reso with

Smart choice. I heard good stuff about there so i tried it and was disappointed.

The Refinery
(gf + me)
Appy
- Beef Carpaccio : 8/10, beef was alright.. but the salad it came with was pretty good had a hint of nutty taste to it
- Tuna Crudo : 6.5/10 Tasted good came with pear + orange + fennel + lemon aioli.. didnt really taste the any basil.. (it was a basil crusted tuna)

Entree
- SUVEE\\\'D and SEARED SABLEFISH - 8/10 Solid dish.. sable fish that melted in my mouth with a slighty crisped skin.. + mussels + a tomato chorizo soup..
- Wild Mushroom fettucini - 9/10 I actually really liked this dish.. fettucini was cooked perfectly.. sauce had a nice flavour to it and they didnt skimp out on sauce.. to bad the dish wasnt bigger and i saw the add pancetta option

Sous Vide

Dessert
- Tarte Tatin : 7/10 Solid dessert.. a hot pear/cranberry flat pie with icing streaked across the plate..
- Profiteroles : 6/10 nothing special.. gf really liked it though.. tasted very similiar to the Bearded Papa cream buffs minus the chocolate sauce..

Overall
Food - 7.5/10 Satisfied and will be going back in the future
Service - 9/10 Friendly, on the ball, told us we had a 2 hour limit but didnt rush us at all
Ambiance - 9/10 Nice small cozzy place



2 more places to go! cant wait to try Le Terrazza + Poor Italian
(also wheres all the pictures!!! I know you ppl took pictures! post them so i can drool over some stuff.. )

sounds like this place was pretty good. would love to try if i had the chance

[Jermyzy]

Went to Las Margaritas last night. For $18, it was a bargain and the food was good too

[Durrann]

Originally Posted by Jermyzy

Went to Las Margaritas last night. For $18, it was a bargain and the food was good too

Were u full ?
Posted via RS Mobile

[mako]

Boathouse Kits
Had a great meal here Saturday night. Portions were huge and I was stuffed before the dessert came. My dining partner and I both had the 10oz sirloin with lobster thermidor. All in all we left bellies full and happy

[Liquid_o2]

Went to Cin Cin last night.

Had the squid to start which was one of the best appetizers I have had in a long long time.
Pork Chop for my main was also very good, cooked perfectly, tender, I wasn't a fan of the applesauce on the side, sort of tasted like Motts. The cabbage it came with was excellent though and really brought a good rustic element. Something different than potatoes or rice.

Tiramisu was good. Lighter than most tiramisu's I have tried before, it came in an edible bowl which was really cool. Service was prompt, although not that friendly.

8.5/10 (would have been 9 but the server took it down .5)

[Obsideon]

A few friend's went to Cin Cin last week and they told me it was the worst DOV entree they had this year. The Pork Tenderloin was super dry and tough, like chewing on a towel glazed in canned applesauce...

I went to Horizon's yesterday, great view but I was freezing my ass off on the mountain haha the food was just so-so;
Appetizier of fried Fanny Boy Oysters were fresh and crunchy - yum! My NY steak wasn't very good and the Chocolate Creme Brulee was gross, way too sweet, you could look around the other tables and notice that barely anyone else touched it either, but the OTHER dessert, the Pear Tart was delicious!

Joe Fortes was really great, awesome menu! Can't go wrong with Surf'n Turf at Joe's!

[MelonBoy]

Just went to La terrazza tonight Solid experience !

Appy
Duck Confit Salad - 7.5/10 Solid dish, nothing really stood out in this dish for me.. it was good but not Amazing

Rigatoni Bolognese - 8.5/10 Sold Good dish, not sure why this is a appy.. but it was really good actually

Entree
Artic Char - 5.5/10 Shit hit the fan here.. Artic char itsself tasted good, to bad they slapped the gross sauce all over it (tasted like the sauce you get from oyster motoyaki's but more liquidy) also the risotto cake on top a bed of shredded mash (couldnt tell what it was) had almost zero flavour.. and the candied lemon was very bitter.. (iv never tried candied lemon but I was told its suppose to be soury + sweet)

Chicken & Spinach Ravioli - 8.5/10 great dish.. the sauce was awesome.. only thing i could say is the chicken may have been a bit dry but nothing a whoop load of Delicious sauce couldnt fix

Dessert
Cheese Cake Milanese - 8/10 aka cheesecake wrapped in filo (pastry) was solid

Classic creme brulee - 9/10 perfect classic brulee, they made it well

Food - Overall 8/10
Service - 8.5/10 (deducted .5 marks cause the hosted sat us on a table for 4 beside another couple when the restaurant was practically empty!, yes I asked my server to move us after..)
Ambiance - 8.5/10 it was good solid place to have a nice convo, with the dimmed lights made it seem a lot more hmmmm private? XD

[Mugen EvOlutioN]

when does dine out season ends?

[bcrdukes]

I believe this week however some restaurants may extend their offerings beyond the official Dine Out timelines.

[darkfroggy]

Question:

Is dressing up still necessary for restaurants like Bacchus and Coast?

[!Yaminashi]

Originally Posted by darkfroggy

Question:

Is dressing up still necessary for restaurants like Bacchus and Coast?

You certainly dont want to be going into a fancy restaurant dressed like a bum.

[PJ]

Italian Kitchen
Went there for my Christmas staff party and it was amazing!
Went back with the gf... was not good. The only good part was the tiramasu for dessert.

If anyone's planning to go.. skip the Dine Out menu and go for the regular menu for the extra 10-20 bucks.

[RCubed]

Went to Joe Fortés with the gf.
Excellent.

Great food, great ambiance.
We had a dozen kumamoto oysters. Delicious.
The beef capriccio was excellent and the steak and prawns were perfect.
gf had the Clam chowder and the pasta and she loved it.

Only small complaint is the drinks took too long. My gf ordered a 7up and it didn't come till halfway done her entreé.

[Jermyzy]

Originally Posted by Durrann

Were u full ?
Posted via RS Mobile

Would be enough yes. But me and my wife are big eaters, we shared a tejas (mexican pizza) on top of the dineout (I had 3 pieces, she had 1) and we were pretty stuffed by the end

[dignatas]

Originally Posted by !Yaminashi

You certainly dont want to be going into a fancy restaurant dressed like a bum.

people dressed up on coast?? hahahaha went there before with casual clothes and went well. Guess dine out is another level since everyone is with reservations lol

[mako]

I like the people in jeans and a baseball cap at a nice restaurant
It's very classy
Posted via RS Mobile

[!Yaminashi]

Originally Posted by dignatas

people dressed up on coast?? hahahaha went there before with casual clothes and went well. Guess dine out is another level since everyone is with reservations lol

I wasnt speaking for a specific restaurant in general, moreso when you're at a more upscale restaurant. I didnt state that anyone had to dress up at coast

[bcrdukes]

Originally Posted by nismo_s13

I like the people in jeans and a baseball cap at a nice restaurant
It's very classy
Posted via RS Mobile

I know, right!?

[GDChoi]

Coast Overall everything 8.89/10
Service was great, except for the little longer wait we had when asked for the bill but thats our fault because we asked to divide the birthday girls bill between everyone so she didn't have to pay. Our waiter even knew when to take out the cake when we were all finished with our dinner, and he knew how to make it look like a suprise rather then those other waiters/waitresses that simply come out with the cake in hand.
Service 10/10

I had Cauliflower soup, the scallop dish and the desert

For Appys

Cauliflower soup smoked sable fish, brioche croutons, minced egg, chervil salad
9/10 Soup was the best appy, as well as the best dish of the night even over the mains, al1though it tasted good, felt like I could get this soup from a can and add some fish and croutons.

The other appy choice was Smoked salmon carpaccio horseradish aioli, pickled beets, forno roasted tomato, double smoked bacon
8/10 This dish my friends had, was a basic salmon carpaccio nothing special to behonest but was alright, I still recommend the soup if you decide to go to Coast.


For the Main

Wild Haida Gwaii coho salmon crab croquette, salsa verde, carrot pure and fried artichokes
7/10 The first thing that caught my attention for this dish was, the portion size. This fish was huge almost too big for the plate, ok not really but not the size you expect to see. Taste of salmon was tender perfectly cooked salmon. I only got a small piece from my friend so I can't give this dish a very fair rating.

Qualicum Bay Scallops saffron fingering potato, tomato fondue, eggplant ratatouille, in a shelfish broth (dish that I had)
7.5/10 A dish of tomato, eggplant, shelfish broth sitting under 3 seared scallops. The scallops were fairly big for a dish and the texture was pretty good, but the taste was bland, though paired with the tomatoes and eggplant chutney style toppings i gave this dish an 8.

Confit veal breasted herbed potato gnocchi, roasted parsnip, veal jus, braised veal short rib
8.5/10 Saying right now, this was probably the better main that was ordered from my friends. Though a bit fatty on some parts of the veal the sauce on the veal paired great on the veal. What I mean in the consistency of the fat was that, of my friends 4 ordered this 2 had the right amount of fat and 2 the whole thing was almost fat. I found that the potato gnocchi attracted everyone because of the texture it was the star of the dish (its just a ball that has similar texture to rice cake)

There was a last main, thats not featured on the online menu for some reason
it was a Lemon preserved risotto.
6/10 This dish was terrible, stay away. If ordered you get an overdone risotto with a hint of lemon after taste, but sometimes couldn't be tasted because of the overwhelming starch taste of the risotto. It soo happened that 2 of my friends ordered this, in which you receive a bowl of rice that tasted like starchy lemon, thats it. Sorry for all the risotto lovers, this was not liked by anyone.

Desert

Flourless Chocolate Torte, butterscotch gelato with a butterscotch lollipop
8.5/10 This desert dish was neat, nicely plated and the first thing many people picked up was the butterscotch lollipop dipped in chocolate and pop rocks, it was a first never seen before ( in my standards) and the pop rocks got everyone talking. The chocolate torte was a bittersweet piece of cake and when topped of with a refreshing scoop of ice cream was excellent.

Rating for My dishes 8.33/10
Rating for Overall 7.78/10
Rating for Service 10/10
Ill see what picture I can get on here but I hope this review helped. Honestly Coast was not too bad compared to some stories Ive heard, definitely give it a try when you can, I hope though to give Restaurant C a try!

Thank you for reading