As many of you have realized, I LOVE food. Rob and I have become foodies of sorts, and we love the experience of good food, the creativity of it and the wonder of a good chef.
My folks took us out to the Fish House which (as you can probably ascertain from the name of the restaurant) is a seafood restaurant located off of the beach in the heart of Stanley Park. Location-wise, it certainly doesn't get much more unique that that! Despite being a party of 6, the restaurant staff were able to accomodate us on the patio which was a lovely treat.
I had done my homework beforehand and knew about the chef, Karen Barnaby. I was able to ask the server what working with a female chef was like, and as soon as I showed a knowledge of the chef our server was super enthused to be serving us. He spent some extra time chatting with us about wine selections and the food - what a treat!
For an appy Rob and I had a couple of oysters - a lovely treat on a summer evening! I was a tad disappointed that they were not served with a chef's special sauce - just your run of the mill horseradish and cocktail sauce. My mom munched on a tomato-bocaccini salad that looked marvelous, and according to her tasted just as good. My sister ordered shrimp spring rolls which I was able to sample - they were deep fried spring rolls, not much to write home about.
For the main course Rob and I shared the Seafood Cornucopia: a beautiful medley of crab legs, lobster tails and sablefish (which we requested in place of the salmon) - unreal meal! My sister and my gramma shared the chicken, which was reportedly done perfectly. And my folks had the sticky chili sablefish which apparently is the signature dish, and unbelievably delicious!
At the recommendation of our server, Rob and I shared the Okanagan Buttermilk Pie - a dish I would never have picked out on my own. I am soo glad our server recommended it - it was unlike anything we've had before and was simply YUM! To finish off the night, our server brought us some complimentary truffles, which were such a delight.
The wine for the night was a chardonnay from the Okanagan: Joie. Again, suggested by our excellent server, it wasn't too sweet nor too dry - a perfect summer treat!
For menues and more info visit http://www.fishhousestanleypark.com/
Last night, a friend took us to a local joint on Commercial called Timbre Restaurant (http://www.timbrerestaurant.com/). This was a super small pub/bistro with a charming ambiance. The architecture included exposed timbre beams, while the walls featured a smattering of eye catching art.
The food was pub-inspired with a bistro flare. For appies we indulged in a tomatoe bruschetta which featured goat cheese (an unusual twist) and we also shared some scallops & prawns done in a garlic butter with a bit of spice - both were very good.
For dinner, I am not one to say no to anything with truffle oil (decadent, I know!) so I feasted on a Wild Mushroom Ravioli which was bathed in a light cream sauce and drizzled with truffle oil - it was a great pick! Rob had the Oyster Po Boy, which in my opinion had too much tartar sauce (that's all you could taste). The fries were done in a house blend of spices including tumeric which proved unique and tasty!
Unfortunately, Rob and I both fell ill not too long after dinner - we suspect it was the Po Boy as our friends were fine. That aside, it was a great time with a friend I hadn't seen in far too long - and the food was tasty!
Tonight, we're off to Las Margaritas - I'll be sure to let you know how that goes!
Until next time,
Jody
Las Margaritas = yum.
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