Four new hot spots over the border in B.C.
VANCOUVER, B.C. -- You have to love Vancouver's food scene. More than 100 new restaurants vaulted onto the city's culinary stage last year, and many of those look to have staying power.
This year, what you drink is getting equal billing with what you eat. Wine bars, tequila joints and martini-mixing steakhouses are at the forefront of the 2008 newcomers. Here's a roundup of some of the most exciting places to sip and nosh to open recently (prices in Canadian dollars, about the same as U.S. dollars).
Tequila Kitchen
Tequila has a bad rep for being associated with slushy drinks (and a headache the next day). But at Tequila Kitchen, you can sample some 18 premium tequilas made from 100 percent pure agave juice -- not mixed with sugars or additives like cheaper versions are.
If you're keen, try one of four tequila flights, consisting of three 1/2-ounce pours ($18-$21). Or go for a creative jalapeño cucumber, cactus pear or ginger-and-nutmeg margarita (the latter two $10 each). There's even a tequila mojito muddled with raspberries, mint and sugar, topped off with soda (which our friendly server forgot to bring, but which I hope I'll get next time).
The food is a clean, sophisticated take on Mexican fare. Order the 10-course tasting menu ($37), which changes monthly, to fully appreciate what the kitchen can pull off -- it's ample enough for two to share.
We started with pulled pork on a crispy tortilla and a tasty bowl of melted tequila-infused cheese for dipping warm mini-tortillas. A creamy roasted poblano chile soup followed, then a platter with shrimp in tequila sauce, snapper sauteed with crunchy fried garlic and a tender caper-sauced beef tongue, served with green rice and vegetables. Dessert was a warm guava paste and cream cheese turnover, drizzled with a coffee-and-tequila cream sauce.
Add that to a modern inviting room, and you have a recipe for a convivial eatery.
1043 Mainland St.; 604-681-2120; tequilakitchen.ca
Uva Wine Bar
Wine is on show at this perfect little watering hole for the young and fashionable. Plunk yourself down in a white leather chair by one of the big windows (ignore the construction outside). Noted Vancouver sommelier Sebastien Le Goff, who oversees Uva Wine Bar, will help you pick among the 20 expertly chosen wines by the glass.
Uva Wine Bar is a perfect watering hole for the young and fashionable. There are 20 wines by the glass. (May 29, 2008)
I was steered in the direction of a refreshing Feudo d'Elimi Cattarato 2006 white from Sicily ($6). For red, Le Goff might suggest the $12 Avignonesi Rosso di Toscana 2004 with black cherry notes. Red wines are poured from a temperature-controlled machine from France that keeps them fresh for three weeks. Belgian beers and cocktails made with the Italian sparkling wine Prosecco, such as the lovely peach Bellini I first tried, also pass through the lips at Uva.
For now, the food is limited to spiced olives, fresh oysters on the half-shell, two salads and high-end charcuterie and Italian cheese served with toast wedges and multi-grain crisps. Plates of three cured meats or cheese go for $16. The pungent creamy taleggio and the piave with honeycomb had us ordering another round. Come June 15, the wine bar's home, the Moda Hotel, will open a new restaurant called Cibo, so you can order off its menu too.
Moda Hotel, 900 Seymour St.; 604-632-9560; modahotel.ca
Pinkys Steakhouse
Finally, a steakhouse that appeals to women. Sure, you'll find suited-up brokers and bankers, like the table of testosterone beside us the night we visited. But Pinkys Steakhouse is designed for ladies too. And it's not just the name that does it. The room is more whimsical than your typical carnivore club. Tall vases of scarlet flowers (they're fake, but they work here). Enormous gilt-framed mirrors. Black-and-white marble tables. Dangling silver dome lights. In the heart of Yaletown, Pinkys also attracts a younger crowd.
Pinkys SteakhousePinkys Steakhouse is more whimsical than a typical carnivore club with tall vases of scarlet flowers and dangling lights.
To start you off, there's a great selection of fun martinis, like the Hollywood, with muddled kiwi, peach vodka, cointreau, citrus and bubbly, which adds some zing. You can order 2- or 3-ounce sizes ($7.50-$13.50, women get up to $2 off), and the glasses are big and sturdy.
Moving on to the beef: It's all top quality and the popular dinner specials are a great deal. A 7-ounce seasoned or teriyaki sirloin steak ($26) comes with a lightly spiced Caesar salad, tomato linguini or fettuccine Alfredo, and chocolate ice cream for dessert. But while my fettuccine was served piping hot, my steak didn't fare so well. My husband's 8-ounce filet mignon ($33) was done just right, however -- sizzling and tender to boot.
Reason enough, along with the martinis and the warm crab dip and toasties, to lure me back. And if I choose a larger porterhouse or rib-eye that I can't finish, for $3, the kitchen will turn it into a sandwich to take home.
1265 Hamilton St.; 604-637-3135; pinkyssteakhouse.com
So.Cial
This multifaceted gem of a place opened almost a year ago, but it deserves mention.
Housed in a 1911 heritage building in Gastown, the main restaurant is a beautiful spot with its original pressed tin ceiling, Italian Murano glass chandeliers, mosaic tile floor, exposed fir support beams and high-back chairs upholstered in rich burgundy. The food is as attractive as its surroundings -- perhaps a duck confit and Taleggio cheese crepe appetizer with local raisins and dried cherry jus ($14 and rich enough for a main) or applewood-smoked salmon and foraged mushrooms. Depending on what's in season, the menu changes monthly; entrees range from $19 to $26.
If you're looking for breakfast, hours have just been extended to cover this too. A pear and goat cheese omelette or lavender scones anyone?
Downstairs is a cozy oyster and seafood bar. You can slurp on five different kinds of raw oysters (half-price at $1.25 each until 6 p.m.), paired with a complimentary refillable bowl of addictive homemade potato chips and a glass of wine ($7.50 to $11).
Opposite is a custom charcuterie and deli, where the butchering is done in-house. For a real cheap meal, pick up a humongous sandwich, then move to the restaurant's lounge, order a beer, and enjoy.
332 Water St.; 604-669-4488; socialatlemagasin.com
Janice Mucalov is a West Vancouver-based travel writer. She can be reached through her Web site at JaniceMucalov.com.
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