Staff and fresh, refined cooking will put you at ease

Mark Laba
Province

Sahara Tamarin of the Cibo Trattoria with the buffalo mozzarella, heirloom tomato, peach and basil salad and the fava bean basil and mint stuffed mezzaluna with parmesan.

Sham I am. Most restaurant critics are a much different breed from me, exuding confidence that only a free meal, a pen and a public outlet will bring, snuffling down their noses and shaking their jowls like a prize porker at a 4-H Club meeting at even the fanciest of shindigs, ready to lay waste to all and sundry, plus duck livers and ice-cream sundaes, sometimes on the same plate.

Me, the fancier the place the more nervous I get. I sweat profusely, the bag on my head steams up and my shirt needs to be wrung out after the entrée.

Thus when word travelled around that this swanky place had opened, foodies perked up from the foie gras trough, agog at the food, the service, the wine list, the chef and the management. I started to sweat like a truffle pig on a fungus bender just thinking about it.

But Peaches talked me down off the ledge. Housed in the new Moda Hotel (the old Dufferin Hotel), the interior has submitted to a bit of archaeology, uncovering beautiful terra cotta tiled flooring, ancient timber beams running along the high ceiling and everything brought into the 21st century with simple yet elegant furnishings, a glassed-in wine tower and two enormous pop art-influenced paintings.

The chef is Neil Taylor, a British export from a famed London restaurant called the River Café so he shares his pedigree with another River Café alumni, Jamie Oliver. The Director of Operations and sommelier, Sebastien Le Goff, has worked in some of Vancouver‘s snazziest joints so, needless to say, I was expecting the perspiration to flow like spring runoff in the Kootenays.

Amazingly, with this level of excellence I felt nothing hoity-toity and, in fact, our waiter and everyone else made me feel at ease. There’s a great casual sensibility but I did refrain from asking for their best bottle of Baby Duck.

The focus is on the freshest and finest of ingredients, simply prepared but the simplicity hides a careful and discerning hand in the kitchen. The cooking is exquisite as evidenced by our appetizer of deep-fried zucchini flowers stuffed with ricotta, lemon and purple basil ($16). A hint of anchovy paste added a twist to the mild-mannered ricotta and the whole affair was an appetizer to remember.

Pasta here is made fresh daily and could double as the material for angel’s wings. Peaches and I tried the agnolli stuffed with pork ($19) from Qualicum Beach‘s Sloping Hills Farm where some of the happiest free-roaming pigs cavort. Also in the mix are prosciutto, oregano, parmesan and 12-year old aged balsamic. This schlimazel delivered layers of flavour and texture equivalent to devouring a Renaissance painting. The house-baked foccacia, particularly the caramelized onion creation, was a great balsamic sopper-upper. Like a 12-year old scotch, you don’t want to let this stuff go to waste.

The pasta dish is really the trailer before the main course so beware that the pasta plates are very small portions and though pricey, worth the splurge.

For a main Peaches and I tried a daily special of salmon ($24), simply done with rosemary, lemon and anchovy sauce. Perfectly cooked and the real kicker was the crispy skin, which I found succulent beyond belief. It had an almost candied effect and the accompanying wilted spinach was done with a slightly sweet, slightly nutty finish. We ordered a side of deep-fried new potatoes with chili, garlic and herbs ($4) with a fantastic crunchy carapace protecting the tender tater innards.

As for finishes, the Chocolate Nemesis Cake ($9) is a sultry and sumptuous dessert, worthy of its name as it will haunt you till your dying day. As for my nemesis, the old sweat glands went into a slumber but my tastebuds were firing on all cylinders.

CIBO TRATTORIA

Where: 900 Seymour St.

Payment/reservations: Major credit cards, 604-602-9570

Drinks: Fully licensed

Hours: 5 p.m.-10:30 p.m. Mon.-Sat., closed Sun.

THE BOTTOM LINE:

Truly culinary alchemy producing gold from earth ingredients.

RATINGS: Food: A+ Service: A+ Atmosphere: A

© The Vancouver Province 2008

Unlike many pretenders, Burnaby eatery delivers the genuine article

Katya Holloway
Sun

Sunida Sirisuwan of the Thai Cafe with chicken cashew nuts, red curry chicken lunch combo and chicken satay and peanut sauce. Photograph by : Jenelle Schneider, Vancouver Sun

Dining out in Thailand is typically a no-frills affair. Many eateries are a hodgepodge of mismatched tables and chairs, pictures in gold-coloured frames nailed to the walls, and fans whirring overhead.

It’s the food that leaves the lasting impression.

If you’ve travelled to Thailand, you’ll understand where I’m heading with this. You see, good Thai restaurants — and by that, I mean authentic — are hard to find in Metro Vancouver.

Many establishments shamelessly proffer themselves as a Thai eatery, only to churn out a curry-shop mishmash of Chinese and western fare.

They pay too much attention to decor, and not enough detail to dishes.

Pad Thai is often obliterated with tomato sauce; curries are bland, slapped together with little preparation.

Having spent a couple of months travelling Thailand, I’ve come to appreciate the clean, light flavours of traditional dishes.

They are not drenched in heavy sauces, and are best sprinkled with freshly chopped Asian chili peppers.

Thai Cafe in Burnaby is as authentic as it gets. Don’t be fooled by its modern exterior signage.

The restaurant may appear western from the street, but a closer look reveals a true Bangkok-style cafe setting inside, complete with a sparsely decorated room, Thai panels draping the windows and — best of all — a menu featuring Papaya salad, Yum Nua (beef salad), Kang Masaman (yellow curry), Pad Thai and Pad See-ew.

Co-owner and chef Sunida Sirisuwan hails from the northeast Thai province of Roi Et. She moved to Bangkok when she was young, where she refined her cooking techniques, and emigrated to Vancouver 19 years ago.

Thai Cafe was opened four years ago with co-owner Melany Yeap, who also originates from Thailand.

When I visited on a recent Wednesday night, the restaurant was surprisingly half-filled with chatty diners, many of them families. It has a casual, holiday atmosphere that brings back many fond travel memories.

If I were to fault this place, it would only be that their wine and beer list is sparse, with just Kokanee and Singha to choose from, and a slim selection of wines. As for the menu, Sirisuwan purchases her ingredients fresh daily from the local markets. She says her most popular dishes include all the curries, Pad Thai and chicken cashew.

“My customer who live in this area come for Masaman curry,” she explained, over a later telephone interview. “All the curry I make my own — all the sauce, plus salad.”

The yellow curry was definitely a highlight, with bold flavour and chunks of pineapple, chicken and onion. The duck red curry was also well-received around the table, filled with grapes, peppers, pineapple and bamboo shoots. All dishes are extremely affordable, around the $10 mark.

My Australian husband astounded the chef by ordering his Thai beef salad xx-hot, and he maniacally persevered through it, sweat beading his forehead. At the end, he defiantly declared to have found a new location to get his chili “hit.”

A stand-out dessert was the deep-fried banana with ice-cream.

It came in a lightly coated, slightly sweet batter, that could end any lifelong banana boycott.

Of course, as mentioned earlier, the real determining factor to test a Thai restaurant’s authenticity is its Pad Thai, and we were pleased to discover this dish is cooked in the traditional manner, explained Sirisuwan.

“We never use tomato sauce [in Pad Thai]. Use tamarind sauce,” she said.

Well, thank goodness for that.

THAI CAFE

Overall: ****

Food: ****1/2

Ambience: ***1/2

Service: ****

Price: $/$$

4160 E. Hastings, Burnaby

604-299-4525

www.thaicafe.ca

Hours of operation:

Monday to Friday: Lunch 11 a.m to

3 p.m., dinner from 5 to 9:30 p.m.

Saturday: Lunch from 12 noon to 3 p.m., dinner from 5 to 9:30 p.m.

Sunday: Closed

© The Vancouver Sun 2008

Alfie Lau
Sun

Jim van der Tas (left), operating partner of Blue Canoe Waterfront Restaurant, and chef Vicente Mabanta with seafood on their open-air deck in Steveston. Photograph by : Steve Bosch, Vancouver Sun

Jim van der Tas and Bruce Lawson have spent more than a year working on their dream restaurant, and it’s hard to argue with the results.

The Blue Canoe Waterfront Restaurant in the heart of Steveston opened its doors on June 7, attracting more than 350 patrons to the place locals used to know as Jake’s on the Pier.

With brilliant summer weather and a patio that seats almost 100 people, those numbers have become even better, as 450 people enjoyed the culinary creations of Vicente Mabanta on a recent Saturday.

“We worked for 10 months renovating this place,” said Lawson. “We’ve put a lot of work into this and we are pretty happy with how it’s gone so far.”

“The reason why we did this is we wanted to build a destination restaurant for the people of Steveston,” said van der Tas. “We want to have the best upscale casual destination restaurant in Steveston.”

That’s a pretty heady goal, but judging by the positive word-of-mouth buzz about the Blue Canoe already circulating in Richmond, Lawson and van der Tas are making their dream a reality.

On a brilliant holiday afternoon, we decided to see what all the commotion was about.

We had perhaps the best seats in the house, right on the patio overlooking the pier where boats were selling spot prawns and rockfish.

We started with six oysters on the half-shell ($13), which were simply delectable when we added the three different toppings: the pepper minuet, ground horseradish and tomato fondue. For my money, the horseradish was the winner, not too strong and just enough of a kick to go with the slippery suckers.

Our non-seafood eater went with the chili nachos ($13) for his appetizer and the pesto chicken sandwich ($12) for his main.

The nachos were perfect summer fare — just filling enough to whet your appetite, but not too much to spoil your main course — and were notable for the homemade guacamole, which featured just enough citrus to make it the most refreshing dip.

The chicken sandwich featured a hunk of chicken breast that was overflowing out of the bun. Because Mabanta uses brie cheese, poached apples and watercress in the rub, the taste was unlike anything we had sampled in the area.

The seafood eaters at our table had a plethora of choices and we couldn’t complain about any of our picks.

The two-piece cod fish and chips ($14) features some of the lightest batter and freshest cod we’d tasted anywhere. The salmon barbecued in a corn husk ($20), which you won’t find on many menus, was deliciously tender.

I went with what turned out to be a mountain of mussels ($16), served with a Spanish sauce. There were almost two dozen mussels before me and when I mixed the dish with the chorizo, onions and saffron sauce, it was as if I had been transported to Madrid and was celebrating the Spanish Euro 2008 championship.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the three items on the menu that we were itching to try, but couldn’t find room for.

I had never seen lobster potato chip salad ($13) offered before and would have loved the lobster tail, roasted corn and green pepper dish — but the word salad is foreign to a carnivore like myself.

The salmon and avocado tartare ($14), served with citrus, chili and tobiko, is Lawson’s favourite appetizer, while van der Tas loves the sirloin sliders (six for $17).

“The sliders are absolutely brilliant,” he said. “We sell more sliders in the lounge than any other item and it’s been so successful that we’re looking at salmon sliders in the future.”

Van der Tas is clear where the credit for the menu goes.

“Vince is 28 and he’s a brilliant, brilliant chef,” he said. “He blew us away during the black-box test [where chefs cook their signature dish anonymously] with the salmon and avocado tartare. We could see that this guy just had everything figured out and that what he’s making in the kitchen is filling, but doesn’t leave you bloated.”

AT A GLANCE

The Blue Canoe Waterfront Restaurant is located at 140-3866 Bayview St. in the heart of Steveston.

Open for lunch and dinner seven days a week (11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday to Thursday; 11:30 a.m. until midnight Friday and Saturday), reservations are strongly recommended.

Call 604-275-7811 for more information.

© The Vancouver Sun 2008

Sarah Schmidt
Province

Changing menu typography is like picking the low-haning fruit when it comes to squeezing every last cent from a business. – THE PROVINCE

OTTAWA — Restaurateurs can get diners to spend more on a meal if they drop the dollar symbol from their menus, new research shows.

A team at Cornell University in New York tested whether the price presentation on menus affected how much customers were willing to spend.

The findings, the first to establish a relationship between consumer attention to menus and purchase behaviour at a restaurant, found menus using a numerical price format without the accompanying “$” symbol yielded, on average, $5.55 more in spending than menus with prices printed with either a dollar sign or written in script.

“Changing the menu typography is like picking the low-hanging fruit when it comes to squeezing every last cent from an existing business,” according to the article to be published in the forthcoming edition of the International Journal of Hospitality Management.

The researchers presented three versions of a typical lunch menu at a local “upscale-casual” restaurant, and gleaned their results from 201 participants who used a menu with listed prices as XX, $XX or scripted words. For example, if a menu item cost $20, the menu stated 20, $20 or twenty dollars.

The study found no difference in spending patterns among customers using menus with numerical price formats with the “$” symbol, and scripted prices with the word “dollars” at the end.

“That prices presented in the ‘XX’ format actually resulted in higher spending than scripted prices was surprising,” the researchers acknowledge.

“However, the scripted presentation format used in this experiment included the word ‘dollars’ at the end of each price. Perhaps the act of repeatedly reading the word ‘dollars’ acted as an unintentional prime and activated concepts of cost or price, initiated a pain of paying, and subsequently caused guests to spend less.”

In an interview, lead author and doctoral candidate Sybil Yang says restaurant owners would be wise to consider changing their menus.

“Especially inside today’s environment, where they are looking everywhere to squeeze pennies, this is really low-hanging fruit. It doesn’t piss off the chef. You’re not playing around with ingredients. This is incredibly easy.”

In Canada, the average pre-tax profit margin in the country’s food-service industry (4.3 per cent) is less than half the average for all industries in Canada (8.8 per cent), according to the latest survey by Statistics Canada, released in June.

According to the Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association, the growth in sales forecast at full-service restaurants is expected to be a paltry 2.8 per cent in 2009, based on an anticipated slowdown in consumer spending as families juggle high debt and rising prices for energy and food.

The average Canadian household spends 24.4 per cent of its total food dollar on food service, compared to 41.4 per cent for U.S. households.

This is the latest research showing how consumers can be manipulated in various retail settings with subtle changes to the way prices for some products are presented.

Other researchers have found that value-oriented customers perceive some products, including food in supermarkets, to have more value when presented with prices that end in the number “9” than with “0” price endings.

© The Vancouver Province 2008

But I admit I was awed by those radish rose and ‘whirligig’ frills

Mark Laba
Province

A Caterpillar Roll from Zipang Sushi. Photograph by : Gerry Kahrmann, The Province

ZIPANG SUSHI

Where: 3710 Main St.

Payment/reservations: Major credit cards, 604-708-1667

Drinks: Beer and wine

Hours: 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m., dinner, 5 p.m.-10 p.m. Tues.-Sun., closed Mon.

– – –

I have a secret vice late at night that I engage in while the family is sleeping. Quietly I creep into the kitchen, open the vegetable crisper, then grab a paring knife and a bowl of ice water and set to work trying to make radish roses and carrot blossoms. I don’t know why I’m trying to master this art. Maybe to impress my wife on our next anniversary when I use my delicate vegetable bouquet to decorate the Big Macs that I lay out on the good china plates. Hey, I’m springing for the apple pie and a bottle of Hochtaler so I’m no cheapskate.

Nonetheless, I haven’t been meeting with much success, my radish roses and carrot blossoms looking more like something our one-year old twins have chewed and then spit up onto their bibs. So I hit this place to see how the pros do it.

I’d heard tales of the decorative garnishes adorning the sushi platters here and took along my old psychoanalyst, Dr. Boris Zongo, who is relentless in his affirmation that my previous treatments had barely scraped the bottom of the iceberg of neurosis that I attempt to ascend daily.

“Tell me more about this vegetable fetish of yours?” he asked as we sat in one of the simple black booths of this funky, retro-fitted establishment that seems no bigger than a couple of postage stamps.

“It’s not a fetish. I’m just trying to make roses out of radishes.”

“Listen my friend. I have counselled you on this very problem before. When life hands you lemons, do not make lemonade as they say. Simply take the lemons and run. They go very well in gin and tonics. Likewise radishes. Not in gin and tonics, of course, but why try to change them? Just as trying to change your own nature goes against the grain. Leave the vegetables well enough alone and you will find serenity. By the way, those are lovely carrot blossoms at the next table.”

Sure enough the sushi platter at the next table was sporting carrot blossoms and little whirligigs made of, from all appearances, daikon radish. Very nifty. We waited to see what our order would bring.

First up was an appetizer called nasu dengaku ($3.95), visually engaging as it presented an entire baked eggplant swaddled in its purplish skin, turned even darker in the baking process like a black eye and spiffed up with a sweet miso sauce. I’m not a great admirer of the eggplant species but this thing tasted like candy. Dotted with sesame seeds, cut into cubes for easy access I actually found myself enjoying it considerably.

Next was the yakitori ($3.75 for two), big hunks of skewered poultry on each spear, basted in tare sauce, which is a kind of sweetened soy with a touch of sake and mirin, and grilled to succulence. Only thing I would desire in this version is a bit more remaining glaze from the basting and a stronger grilling presence.

Moved on to the sushi rolls, complete with all the little decorations and it’s a thumbs up to the Ebichili Roll ($4.75) with tiny shrimp, avocado and spicy sauce, the Paradise Roll ($7.50), a gussied up California Roll with a topping of mango and smoked salmon and the yam tempura roll ($3.50). Just a smattering from a lengthy menu that also offers some more unique items like Japanese-style spaghetti, okonomiyaki (like the marriage of a pancake and a pizza) and the deep panko stir –rys.

I tucked a couple of the vegetable blossoms into my pocket for further study. Dr. Zongo looked at me.

“So now not just a vegetable fetishist but a kleptomaniac too. You’re sicker than I thought.”

© The Vancouver Province 2008

Owner-manager Mark Taylor follows through on his belief that service is everything

Linda Bates
Sun

CRU

1459 W. Broadway

604-677-4111

www.cru.ca

Open at 5 p.m. daily. Kitchen closes at 10 p.m. Sunday to Thursday and 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Overall ****

Food ****

Ambience ****

Service ****1/2

$$/$$$

– – –

Mark Taylor, the owner, manager and self-described “wine guy” of Cru, says the success of his restaurant is due to “women in the kitchen.”

While it’s true that chef Alana Peckham and pastry chef Yoshimi Wada are turning out simply outstanding meals, Taylor should not sell himself short, because it’s the level of service, and servers’ knowledge of the food and wine pairings, that make a meal at Cru several cuts above average.

Taylor, who came to B.C. as a teenager, apprenticed under the renowned Erwin Doebeli at the William Tell restaurant, where he worked as a wine steward and in the 1980s became the youngest sommelier in Canada.

Taylor says it was Doebeli who taught him that service is everything. “There’s good food all over Vancouver,” Taylor says, “but it’s service that makes the difference.”

Although Cru has garnered many awards, both from wine and mainstream magazines, it seems to me it flies somewhat below the radar, lacking the high profile of other fine-dining restaurants in the city.

That’s partly deliberate: Taylor wanted to create a friendly neighbourhood restaurant where local people could get a small plate and a glass of wine as well as a complete meal.

To that end there’s a large selection of small plates — with everything from Moroccan lamb to duck confit to cheese plates and desserts — as well as prix fixe meals. The food is, as Taylor says, not showy. Peckham has just two to three main elements per meal (flavours, textures and colours), so elements aren’t fighting each other.

It was too hard to decide which small plates to choose, so I opted, as did my friend, for the three-course prix fixe meal for $42.

We raved about just about everything — the cool cucumber and beet soup, the signature grilled caesar salad, almost a meal in itself with a whole baby romaine lettuce, tons of cheese and warm croutons. Then our mains of beef tenderloin done perfectly, with a tiny goat cheese souffle and merlot jus; and halibut on a bed of quinoa with bean sprouts and yellow tomatoes, all the flavours blending perfectly. And our wonderful light desserts, especially the refreshing lime basil parfait, which quickly overcame our skepticism about using the herb in a dessert.

Everything was very fresh — Taylor searches out local food and buys much of his produce from the UBC organic farm — and as he says, “You can’t get much more local than that.”

The meal was enhanced by good wine pairings. Cru offers 35 wines by the glass and more than 100 by the bottle, with an emphasis on B.C. wines. All are chosen by Taylor, who also acts as a judge of wine competitions.

An easy-to-use wine list has categories listing types of wine and food they might accompany — but it’s more fun to ask Taylor or another server, who will be happy to help.

© The Vancouver Sun 2008

After a year’s delay, Voya is set to open next month

Joanne Sasvari
Sun

Bartender Jay Jones displays a Polomino Cocktail at the new Voya Bar at the Loden Hotel in downtown Vancouver. Photograph by : Steve Bosch, Vancouver Sun

One of Vancouver‘s favourite bartenders has, at long last, found a new home. And what a spectacular home it is. Next month, Jay Jones, who’s poured drinks everywhere in town from West to Nu to Salt to Donnelly Nightclubs, is opening the bar at Voya, the much-anticipated restaurant and lounge at the new Loden hotel.

The launch is a bit later than hoped for, as countless construction and other delays held up the Kor Group property by over a year. But with Jones behind the bar, chef Marc-Andre Choquette in the kitchen and what Voya’s general manager Robert Herman describes as “a very, very hip, groovy lounge,” it seems it will have been worth the wait.

“This is going to be a real gem in the city,” Jones says happily.

When at last the tall doors swing open on Melville Street, they’ll open on a scene of sleek glamour that’s at once thoroughly modern — with sexy banquettes, dazzling chandeliers, soaring ceilings and dramatic décor elements — and chic in a way we haven’t seen since the stylish early 1960s or even the daring deco of the 1920s and ’30s. You could easily imagine The Thin Man’s Nora Charles lining up martinis on the bar or Mad Men’s Don Draper stopping by for a Manhattan before heading home to the ‘burbs.

Then again, they wouldn’t have been able to enjoy the kinds of cocktails Jones will be shaking up here. Like any good barman worth his Hawthorn strainer, Jones is inspired by the classics, so naturally, the bar will feature the great historic drinks, such as the Sidecar or French 75. He’s also inspired by the bounty of the seasons and plans to work closely with Choquette, noting, “There’s going to be a great link between the seasonality of the kitchen and the seasonality of the bar.” Of course, Vancouver already has plenty of bars trying to do classics and seasonal drinks, so Jones wants to take things even further. He wants to focus on the customization of cocktails, carefully choosing and crafting drinks for one customer at a time, depending on their likes, dislikes and secret desires.

“That’s where a bar really sets itself apart,” he says, adding, “Who doesn’t want a drink that’s made especially for them?”

As one of Vancouver‘s original great bartenders, Jones feels a responsibility for the bar scene in this city, and he sees Voya as his “medium for making an impact in a new way.”

“This is getting close to my ideal of the kind of bar I would create,” he says. “We’re going to have fun. It’s not going to be overly serious.” And then, as he looks around his glamorous new home, he breaks into a big smile. “We’re going to romance the drinks,” he says.

Somehow, we suspect the city is ready to return the favour.

POLOMINO COCKTAIL

Named for the main grape in sherry, this refreshing, seasonal cocktail is a taste of what Jay Jones plans for the bar at Voya at the Loden Hotel.

2 oz. Belvedere vodka

4 to 6 whole ripe strawberries

1 /2 oz. premium sherry vinegar

1/2 oz. agave syrup (or sugar syrup made with equal parts sugar and water)

wedge of fresh lime

With a pestle, crush strawberries completely in a mixing glass or cocktail shaker. Squeeze lime wedge into the glass and drop it in. Add vodka, sherry vinegar and agave syrup. Fill with ice and shake thoroughly. Strain into a chilled old-fashioned glass filled with ice. Garnish with a sprig of fresh basil. Serves 1.

© The Vancouver Sun 2008

The flavours sing like Nana

Mark Laba
Province

It’s all Greek to Rania Bonofas and Melind Hind, who serve up plates of chicken souvlaki, calamari and roast lamb with a bottle of Rapsani wine. Mmmm. –SAM LEUNG – THE PROVINCE

Review

Kerkis Taverna

Where: 3605 W. 4th Ave., Vancouver

Payment/reservations: Major credit cards, 604-731-2712

Drinks: Fully licensed

Hours: Tues.-Thurs., 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m.; Fri., 11:30 a.m.-11 p.m.; Sat., 4 p.m.-11 p.m.; Sun.-Mon., 4 p.m.-10 p.m.

The Greeks are known for many impressive and influential things that have been handed down over the ages and still hold sway over our lives today, such as democracy, philosophy, the Olympic games and chicken souvlaki. I would dare say that the latter is even on par with the invention of the wheel, although feta cheese is not to be underestimated either when it comes to the shaping of Western Civilization.

One thing you can say about Greek cuisine is that it remains as steadfast in its ways as Mt. Olympus, even on a smoggy Athens day. No fusion fussing or fancypants finagling with this food — it’s just the good old straight up Mediterranean diet with copious amounts of olive oil and garlic.

I’d heard that some of the best to be found in the city was at this place, so Peaches headed there immediately. The name puzzled me and I found that Kerkis is a mountain on the island of Samos and not, as I thought, the name for Capt. Kirk in ancient Greek. Live and learn.

This is the mountain where it’s said Pythagoras hid out in a cave after he shook up the world of triangle theorists and they came looking for him. I myself have a bone to pick with this Pythagoras guy, No. 1 being he liked math, whereas I still can’t figure out a 15-per-cent tip on my restaurant bill.

I put aside these feelings, though, as we stepped into the Parthenon-inspired pillared foyer of this warm, woodsy-toned establishment.

The interior is as welcoming as the menu, which features all your old Greek favourites but cooked with an Old World warmth and flair that really makes the flavours sing.

The chicken souvlaki ($16.99) and roast lamb ($17.99) are as tender as a Nana Mouskouri ballad and as juicy as a joke in an Aristophanes comedy, especially the one about the two Greeks, a Catholic priest and a rabbi in a chariot race.

Truly tasty (and this comes from a guy who’s not exactly enamoured of eating cephalopod parts) is the calamari skaras appetizer ($9.99), broiled squid that’s been marinated in olive oil, lemon and a tantalizing mix of herbs and spices. Equally delicious is the biftekia ($8.99), the char-broiled beef patties done up with onion and a hint of light gravy with a lemony undercurrent.

We also sampled the hummus ($5.99), which was excellent and had enough garlic to punch a hole in your esophagus. If you’re dining with a group of people and want to sample a bit of everything a good route to take is one of the three platter options. The Kerkis, the Samos or the Pythagoras Seafood Platter span the spectrum of Greek cuisine, from mousaka to lamb chops, dolmathes to scallops and prawns. And I’ve got to say the feta cheese here has that exquisite pungency I usually equate with washing your socks in the Aegean.

Which is not a bad thing for me, since I’m from the stinky cheese school of thinking, the smellier the better, which I believe is one of Socrates’ paradoxes.

While eating here, I had a brainstorm (Greek food often affects me that way) and on a napkin I worked out my very own Pythagorean Poultry Theorem that should take the mathematical world by storm. Now all I need to find is a square chicken.

THE BOTTOM LINE:

A splash of Mediterranean warmth on West 4th.

RATINGS: Food: B+ Service: A- Atmosphere: B+

© The Vancouver Province 2008

Adam Pegg and Lucais Syme bring familiar feel to warm, modern restaurant

Mia Stainsby
Sun

Owners/chefs Adam Pegg (left) and Lucais Syme enjoy la dolce vita at La Quercia on West Fourth. The two previously cooked at La Buca restaurant on MacDonald. Photograph by : Jenelle Schneider, Vancouver Sun

LA QUERCIA

Overall: 4

Food: 4

Ambience: 4

Service: 4

Price: $$

3689 West Fourth Ave. (at Alma), 604-676-1007. www.laquercia.ca. Open for lunch Tuesday to Friday; dinner Tuesday to Sunday.

Restaurant visits are conducted anonymously and interviews are done by phone. Restaurants are rated out of five stars.

– – –

At La Quercia, should you be overcome with deja vu, that’s not what it is. It’s a trickster restaurant.

La Quercia, another sign that Italian food has rebounded, not only feels a lot like La Buca, the hip little boite on MacDonald Street, but the two owners, Adam Pegg and Lucais Syme, previously cooked there. Consequently, the food has a familiar ring. The room has a similar look — quietly modern and just the right size for a warm neighbourhood restaurant (30 seats). Weirdly, on the walk to the washroom (singular, not plural), you kind of walk through the small kitchen, just like at La Buca (although at the latter, you walk right through it, brushing elbows with the cooks).

La Quercia, which means “oak tree” in Italian, was named because of its “strong roots and its ability to live through drought,” says Syme. The restaurant, too, has good roots. Pegg spent three years in Italy taking a Slow Food Master of Italian cooking program; he’s cooked in Victoria at the Herald St. Cafe (he had lots of buzz during his time), as well as at Il Terrazzo and a bakery. Syme has worked at Cioppino’s, Bluewater Cafe and Raw Bar.

On the floor, the night manager has worked at Cioppino’s and for the celebrated Susur Lee in Toronto.

“There will be no foam this or scented that,” says Pegg. “Our menu is reflective of the simplicity and classic combinations of Italian cooking.”

Both evenings I visited, people arrived like moths to a light. The ones without reservations were turned away. At one point, I thought that included Food TV celebrity Bob Blumer, but he’d only disappeared into the washroom.

Pegg’s and Syme’s food (they both cook) speak of Slow Food and Italian regions. It has an artisan feel, especially the pastas. Ingredients are selected for quality and the regular menu is very small — the daily specials, which do change daily, make up a lot of the offerings. In fact, keep focussed because the verbal explanation of specials will separate the mindful from the distracted.

Like Trattoria Italian Kitchen further east on West Fourth, the menu is divided into antipasti, primi (pastas) and secondi (meat and fish).

I can see the food is meant to be light, but my one criticism is that some of the dishes tread too lightly with flavouring even when beautifully cooked. I wanted more intensity or even seasoning in some. The risotto, for example ($50 for two), uses the gorgeous Acquarello one-year aged rice (amazing texture and evenness), but despite the small bits of wild boar pancetta the dish was too subtle. The agnoletti, expertly formed, was in a brodo (broth) and I wanted just a little bit more intensity somewhere in the dish.

That being said, the flatiron steak with arugula, balsamic, pine nuts and Parmesan ($23) was juicy and delicious; squid with dandelions (a special and they didn’t give the price) and arugula was tasty; scallops with pork belly (another special) approached amazing (the scallops had not tightened at all in the cooking).

I don’t need to instruct you on desserts. They’ve got it in hand. They change frequently, but a summer favourite seems to be semi-freddo. We tried the almond semi-freddo, topped with a meringue swirl. Nice! Sticks of stewed rhubarb over a lemon cream was a simple country-style dessert I couldn’t get enough of; almond blueberry tart was more cake than tart — again delicious.

The wine list features mid-range Italian wines. Should you wish for something more exquisite, ask about their reserve list. Also, they’ll open wines sold by the bottle if a table orders two glasses of it.

© The Vancouver Sun 2008

Landmark seafood restaurant dishes out a tasty bit of Steveston charm in each and every dish

Michelle Hopkins
Sun

Shady Island Seafood Bar & Grill executive chef Tyler Day, 25, displays some of the Steveston restaurant’s signature seafood dishes in the unique dining area. Photograph by : Steve Bosch, Vancouver Sun

SHADY ISLAND SEAFOOD BAR & GRILL

112-3800 Bayview St.

Richmond

Phone: 604-275-6587

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Once home to 15 canneries, today the vibrant, historic and picturesque Steveston Village houses a plethora of wonderful restaurants, many on the waterfront.

Steps away from the boardwalk is Shady Island Seafood Bar & Grill, a landmark restaurant where you can enjoy the atmosphere of dining in a river port town, while watching fishing vessels and boats dance in and out of the harbour.

It’s a beautiful, warm Saturday night and Steveston is bustling with locals and visitors alike. We walk into the popular eatery, thankful we have a reservation because it’s chock full of patrons, many of them locals like me.

The restaurant — with rich, deep weather-worn hardwood floors, expansive windows that open to a sweeping view of the mighty Fraser and a décor befitting a quaint waterfront eatery — has been here for a few decades. It has earned a reputation for its famous fish and chips and oysters; whole Atlantic lobster and B.C. Dungeness crab; its curried prawns and grilled scallops; and its signature Cannery Row seafood platter for two, to name just a few.

Our friendly waiter, Chris Michaels, has worked here for more than seven years and is also the marketing director. He escorts us to our table with a smile. Right away, we are offered water and the menu.

We scan the well-thought-out list of savoury appetizers and ponder ordering a bowl of the succulent Mama’s award-winning seafood chowder, a hearty Manhattan red. Dennis and I decide to split the B.C. crab cakes, but alas, they are sold out. Momentarily disappointed, we choose the roasted garlic and Camembert ($13.95), which came drizzled with a mouth-watering mango and raspberry coulis, and French bread for dipping. It proved to be a delicious alternative.

For the main course — the seafood selection is more than accommodating for even the most discerning customer — I selected the hot Caesar salad ($17.95), which is accompanied by fresh halibut, wild salmon and prawns. Lightly bathed in a creamy dressing and served with shaved parmesan and croutons, it was a wonderful dish. Dennis chose the savoury Cajun halibut special, grilled to perfection and served with a brandied pesto cream sauce and garlic prawns ($25.95), a palate pleaser.

There is a level of freshness and creativity that is second to none here. It’s no wonder it’s a favourite amongst Stevestonites. The owner, Gerry Biggar, is a hands-on guy, and one who knows Steveston, having called it home for decades.

He recently hired executive chef Tyler Day. I was surprised to discover that Day is only 25 years old. This young chef is clearly talented. He trained at a couple of New York City‘s and England‘s finest restaurants. He even trained at Vancouver‘s renowned Bishop’s Restaurant before heading to the Big Apple to further hone his skills.

Day was smart enough not to take away any of the restaurant’s signature dishes, but he did admit he put his own stamp on a few. He is, however, responsible for the tantalizing halibut Dennis raved about and for introducing a number of fresh-sheet culinary delights.

Let the restaurant’s sommelier, Tomonari Machida, offer up his wine-pairing suggestions. Machida, who is responsible for the restaurant’s revamped and fine wine selection, invited us to try a Pepperwood Grove Zinfandel (California) red to go with our entrees. It was smooth and full-bodied, just the way I like it.

Seafood is the specialty, but if it’s not your preference, there are options such as grilled chicken penne, a New York strip loin and homemade mac and cheese.

If you have any room left for dessert, Shady Island is known for its decadent crème brulee and tasty fruit crumble. I can say from experience that both melt in your mouth.

Meanwhile, you can reserve a seat in the Vicky, an original 1942 gillnet vessel, which has been converted into a cozy and private little oasis perfect for a tete-a-tete or a party of six. It sits suspended between the main and upper floors of the restaurant.

Come for the ambience and return for some of the best seafood around. Shady Island Seafood Bar & Grill seats 120 inside and 100 on the two patios outside. Reservations are recommended on weekends.

By the way, the upstairs is soon to be converted into a wine bar, but the gorgeous antique bar stays.

© The Vancouver Sun 2008