I had been a while since I last met up with Miguel so we organized a dinner one evening and joining us were Cedric, Louis, and Dustin. It was more convenient for the majority of us if we met downtown and since I was tired of being the designated restaurant chooser, I left the decision up to the others. We ended up meeting at Cafe Luxy, which is on Davie Street close to the Shopper’s Drug Mart. For some reason, I had never noticed it so I was looking forward to checking it out.

Cedric had described Cafe Luxy as a downtown version of Anton’s so with my expectations adjusted accordingly, I checked out the menu. We all ordered pastas, which also came with garlic bread. It was pretty standard tasting but there was a nice amount of butter although a little more garlic may have been good. I had wanted to eat a part of my garlic bread with my pasta but it took forever for our pastas to come out so I gave up.

The pastas also came with a Caesar salad but I wanted to be a little healthier that day and asked if they had a regular green salad instead. My green salad came with some balsamic dressing and as you can see below, it was fairly lacklustre. The carrots seemed to be shaved with a vegetable peeler and the tomato was a little sad looking. The balsamic dressing was also a little acidic for my taste but I like for my balsamic dressing to have a little more oil to balance the flavours out.

As I mentioned earlier, it took a really long time for our food to come out and I’m not sure if they were understaffed that evening or if it was typical. Cedric noted that the kitchen staff seemed to be different from the regular crew that he normally encountered so I’m not sure if that was why the food took so long to come out. Cafe Luxy has an extensive pasta-centric menu and after some deliberation, I decided to have the linguine con chorizo, which came with bell peppers, baby corn, and chorizo in a spicy tomato cream sauce. The flavours turned out to be a little odd and I didn’t feel that the baby corn went very well with the chorizo and there were a little too much bell peppers. The tomato cream sauce wasn’t bad but it wasn’t spicy at all and I felt that the pasta was a little overcooked.

If you are just looking for a large quantity of pasta at fairly reasonable prices, I would say that Cafe Luxy is a good option for you. It’s definitely not the place to have authentic or dare I say even well-made pasta. The pasta isn’t bad but just not the type of pasta that I normally like to eat and I think it’s intended to appeal to a certain part of the population. From a value perspective, it isn’t bad though as the portion sizes are definitely generous and I had enough pasta for lunch the next day as well. If you are an Anton’s fan and are looking for a similar option in downtown, check out Cafe Luxy.

Details:
1235 Davie Street, Vancouver
Tel: 604-669-5899

Summary:
Food: 2 out of 5 stars
Service: 2 out of 5 stars
Price: $$

Our next stop after Montreal on our Eastern Canada tour was Toronto. Even though I’ve flown through Toronto a few times, I had never actually stopped to check out the city before this trip. Our time in Toronto was fairly limited but luckily, Jenkins and I were able to meet up with our friend Karen, who had recently moved to the city. I asked if we could meet at Pizzeria Libretto, as I had heard it was the only pizzeria in Canada certified by the Vera Pizza Napoletana Association as making authentic Neapolitan pizza. Since I knew that Nicli Antica was hoping to get the same certification, I wanted to do a comparison of the two places to see how they stacked up.

The space at Pizzeria Libretto is pretty small and despite it being a weekday evening, it was quite bustling so we waited about 15 minutes or so before we could be seated. While we were getting settled, we were presented with some focaccia and regular bread along with some olive and chilli oil with balsamic vinegar. I liked the focaccia bread quite a bit but overall, it was fairly standard fare.

We decided to share a couple of appies and started with the bruschetta of the day, which happened to be creamy goat cheese with poached pear and microgreens. The flavours were very familiar but the sharp creaminess of the goat cheese went really well with the sweet pear. The toppings provided a nice texture contrast to the crispy pieces of toast.

We also decided to try another one of the daily special appies with the risotta balls, which came on a bed of a slightly tangy tomato sauce.

This was pretty different from the regular risotto balls that I had tried before and came stuffed with a lot of vegetables as well, including olives and tomatoes. The creamy richness of the filling was cut by the tangy tomato sauce and although this dish was pretty decadent, it did a great job of whetting my appetite for the upcoming pizzas.

I decided to go with a classic and chose the margherita pizza. The crust was thin and crispy and the light smattering of toppings really served to highlight the crust. I would have liked if there was slightly less cheese and slightly more basil but I really enjoyed the tomato sauce itself. The sauce was tangy yet slightly sweet and actually quite similar in flavour to the tomato sauce used for the risotto balls. I thought it went really well with the crust.

Jenkins ordered the Ontario prosciutto, which was basically the same as my pizza but had some fresh prosciutto on top as well. Jenkins always likes to have a little bit of meat on his pizza and he really enjoyed this pizza. He liked how the prosciutto was cut quite thin so it added just a hint of saltiness, which balanced nicely with the tomato sauce. As I mentioned before, Jenkins is fairly picky about his pizza and he thought the version here was pretty close to the pizza we tried during our Italian travels.

Karen decided to also have the margherita pizza but substituted the regular mozzarella with some Ontario mozarella di bufala. Interestingly, it came in a big scoop right in the middle of the pizza so she had to spread it around the pizza herself. It did make for an interesting presentation though. I tried a little bit of this and the fact that the cheese was not cooked gave the pizza a sharper flavour than the melted mozarella in my version. The only criticism about this pizza was because the cheese came scooped right in the middle, the crust directly underneath got soggy rather quickly.

Overall, we had a great time at Pizzeria Libretto. If I had to choose, I would say that I still prefer the pizza at Nicli Antica more…but only slightly more. I found that the pizza at Nicli tended more towards the traditional fare while Pizzeria Libretto seemed slightly more adventurous in trying new combinations in addition to some of the tried and true. The crust was top notch though and in general, Pizerria Libretto is a great option for Napolitano pizza in Toronto.

Details:
221 Ossington, Toronto
Tel: 416-532-8000

Summary:
Food: 4 out of 5 stars
Service: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Price: $$

One sunny Saturday afternoon, Jenkins and I met up with Tricia and Darren for lunch at Verace Pizzeria and Enoteca. We had just been at a wedding and were looking for a bite to eat before heading off to the afternoon events. Darren suggested that we go to Verace since it was fairly close to where the wedding ceremony was. I had heard about Verace and had wanted to try it out so this seemed like a good opportunity.

Since it was lunch, we had the option of ordering one of Verace’s regular meal-sized pizzas (12”) but we also had the lunch option of ordering a slightly smaller pizza (8”) but it would come with a side salad for the same price as the regular meal-sized pizza. All four of us decided to go for the lunch option since Darren said the Caesar salad was quite tasty here.

Ever since my first trip to Italy where I was exposed to eggs on pizzas, it quickly became one of my favourite pizzas to eat. I never really found this option available in North America though so I never get to eat my pizza like this unless I’m making it at home. The barely cooked egg on my Pane Frattau pizza added a nice richness to my pizza, which came with just some tomato sauce, mozzarella and grana padano cheeses, and olive oil. The crust was not as thin as what I had at Nicli Antica but had a nice slight chew to it. I think the pizza could have really benefited from a thinner crust but I really enjoyed the toppings. As for the Caesar salad, my portion size was larger than expected but I would have liked the dressing to be slightly creamier. Darren noted that the guy making the salads was not the regular guy that was there on the weekdays, when he usually visited so that was too bad. In addition, the weekend salad guy forgot our croutons but that was quickly rectified when we pointed this out to our server.

Jenkins wanted some meat on his pizza so he decided to go for the diavola, which came with salami, capicollo roasted red onions and peppers, grana padano cheese, basil, and olive oil. He noted that the salami wasn’t very spicy and he liked how there wasn’t too much peppers as that sometimes overwhelmed the pizza. Jenkins had the same observations as I did about the crust and noted that he also preferred the one at Nicli Antica more.

The prices at Verace are pretty reasonable and I think it’s a pretty good option for pizza although not the best there is in Vancouver. That being said, they are located pretty conveniently right next to T&T so you can always time your visit with a grocery run. I wouldn’t mind going back to try some of their other pizzas or sandwiches one day.

Details:
189 Keefer Place, Vancouver
Tel: 604-669-5552

Summary:
Food: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Service: 3 out of 5 stars
Price: $$

Jenkins and I took a short trip to San Francisco earlier this year for a friend’s wedding. Since it was Jenkins’ first time to San Fran, we decided to do some touristy things along with the wedding and time visiting relatives. It turned out to be pretty nice and we got the chance to visit some pretty tasty restaurants in addition to some regular home cooking. I was asking around for some good recommendations and Susan mentioned that she always goes to Fino when she’s in SF so we decided to check it out…especially since it was conveniently located a few blocks from our hotel. Incidentally, Fino is located just off the lobby of another hotel, The Andrews Hotel.

While we perused the menu, we were presented with some bread. The bread itself was pretty lacklustre but I really liked the balsamic vinegar dip that came with it. In addition to the regular olive oil and balsamic vinegar mix, garlic and herbs were also added and it helped to cover the fact that the bread was not very good

Fino has a pretty comprehensive menu but I was in the mood for some pasta so I  decided to order the fetuccini carbonara. The portion size was quite generous and I think the pasta was freshly made. The pasta was made al dente, or as much as it could have been with fresh pasta, and did a great job of soaking up the sauce. What I liked about the carbonara here was that it wasn’t overly heavy and there was just enough garlic to really complement the panchetta. There was also a slight hint of chilli flakes and was a nice addition to the pasta.

Jenkins was also in a pasta kind of mood but he wanted something a bit more substantial…i.e. something with more meat so he went for the linguine con salsiccia, which had sausages and peppers in a tomato sauce. The pasta here was also prepared nicely and as you can see, there was definitely a lot of sausage in this dish but Jenkins noted that he liked mine more.

We were originally going to have dessert but we were actually so full from this meal that we decided to pass. We had quite a nice time at Fino. The service was very prompt and attentive and they served pretty solid and traditional Italian food. I heard that their other entrees and salads are quite tasty as well but I’ll have to save that for a future visit. Note that they do not seat you until your full party has arrived, even if you have made reservations.

Details:
624 Post Street, San Francisco
Tel: 415-928-2080

Summary:
Food: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Service: 3 out of 5 stars
Price: $$$

Recently, Jenkins and I were invited to the launch event for The Bibo, a new Italian restaurant opening in Kits. We didn’t know much about the restaurant prior to going but were looking forward to seeing what it was about. Although the opening was quite busy, we were kept entertained with a steady stream of delicious food and entertaining people to mingle and chat with.

Jenkins and I got to sample the majority of The Bibo’s menu at this event, which concentrates on bringing in as many local ingredients as possible but in order to keep its offerings authentic to Italian cuisine, they do also source ingredients from Italy itself. As enjoyable as the event was, Jenkins and I wanted to come back for a regular meal so when Serena offered to help make reservations for us the following week, I readily accepted.

Jenkins and I arrived a week later for a weekday dinner. Since the restaurant had only recently opened, we didn’t expect it to be very busy but it was actually bustling, especially for a weekday. It turned out to be pretty smart that we had made reservations since all the empty tables seemed to be reserved for other parties.

After we placed our orders, we were presented with a small bowl of olives mixed with sundried tomatoes and onions. The olives were really tasty but also quite salty. I was only able to eat a couple of pieces but I think this would have went really well with some crusty bread.

Jenkins and I originally considered getting one pasta and one pizza so we could have some variety but after some deliberation, we decided to both get the pizzas. The Bibo prides itself on making authentic Napoli-style pizza and we were sufficiently impressed with our last tasting to want to order it again. I thought about ordering some of their fancier pizzas but in the end, decided to go with the pizza diavola, which came with tomato, mozzarella, and spicy salami.

The crust was crispy and light, perfectly complementing the restrained spreading of toppings, where there was just enough to add flavour and texture to the pizza. The pieces of salami were crispy and not overly oily although I could not really taste any spiciness. The portion was quite generous and since I was eating quite slowly, it started to get a bit soggy towards the end but the crust was quite crispy and light initially.

Jenkins was originally going to go for the funghi porcini pizza but decided that he wanted some meat so instead, he ordered the pizza prosciutto e funghi. Similar to the crust for my pizza, it was quite well made and Jenkins remarked that it bore quite a resemblance to the pizza we ate while in Italy. Jenkins’ version had quite a bit more toppings than mine and perhaps because of that, his pizza got soggy more quickly than mine did. Although he liked his pizza, he admitted that I made the better choice.

I had enjoyed the desserts from The Bibo at its opening event so I really wanted to try some desserts again but in all honesty, I was much too full after the pizza to indulge in dessert as well. Jenkins and I had a great time at our return visit to The Bibo. The pizza was top quality and although it may be viewed by some as being on the pricey side, I thought it was worth it for the quality of our meal. Service was a bit spotty but well intentioned and I think after it has had some time to settle in, will improve.

Details:
1835 West 4th Avenue, Vancouver
Tel: 604-568-6177

Summary:
Food: 4 out of 5 stars
Service: 2.5 out of 5 stars
Price: $$

I always love a good sandwich so when I heard about Meat & Bread opening up by Victory Square in Vancouver, I knew it was something I needed to check out. Luckily for me, Meat & Bread’s concept is so good that it wasn’t very hard for me to recruit someone to go with me to grab some lunch. It was a bit of a brisk walk for us but Erica and I made it over there one weekday afternoon for lunch.

I knew before going in that I was going to get the porchetta sandwich. My only worry was that they would be sold out by the time I got there but there was still some porchetta left even though I didn’t arrive until it was almost 1pm. The fresh ciabatta bun soaked up the juices and flavour from the porchetta and herbs. What I really liked was that the pork cracklings were cut up and included in the sandwich, which added a delicious crunch. I thoroughly enjoyed this sandwich and the accompanying dollop of mustard and house-made sambal sauce.

Meat & Bread switches out their soup regularly, if not regularly. I was originally just going to go for the sandwich but I was pretty hungry and worried that just a sandwich wouldn’t be enough. The soup of the day was cream of parsley and it had just the right amount of creaminess. The parsley flavour was really strong and the sprinkling of croutons on top add just the right amount of texture.

I have to say that Erika and I thoroughly enjoyed our lunch at Meat & Bread. Erika had the grilled cheese sandwiches, which came with mushrooms as well and she remarked that it was really tasty. I’ll definitely be back to try their other sandwiches! I also want to try their maple bacon ice cream sandwiches, which, unfortunately, was sold out by the time I got there

Details:
370 Cambie Street, Vancouver
Tel: 604-566-9003
Closed Sundays

Summary:
Food: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Service: n/a (you order at the counter)
Price: $

After Jenkins and I came back to Vancouver from our Seattle trip, it was the actual day of our anniversary. We had been eating out quite a bit in Seattle so we didn’t want to spend too much money for our anniversary dinner. I suggested that since it was a Tuesday evening, we should go to Q4 for $10 pasta night. I had heard really good things about Q4 so I was quite eager to check it out.

We arrived at about 7PM and although it was busy, there were still a few tables open. I had made reservations via Open Table in advance though because I wasn’t sure how busy it would be. After settling down, we were presented with some bread.

Of course, I had perused the menu prior to coming to Q4 but I still had a tough time deciding on what to order. I decided on the Fettuccine ai Funghi, which had wild mushrooms, minced chicken and pancetta in a rosato sauce. For some reason, I missed out on the fact that the chicken was minced so I was a bit surprised when my dish arrived. The pasta was well-made and surprisingly heavy but I really enjoyed the abundance of mushrooms. The fettuccine itself was a little past al dente but still had a nice texture to it.

Jenkins chose the Linguine Vongole Pomodoro, which had baby clams in a white wine pomodoro with basil. Jenkins was a bit surprised to see that none of his clams came in the shell but then again, that just made the process of eating easier for him. I liked Jenkins’ choice more, which I felt was better made than mine. The linguine was more al dente than my fettuccini and the light wine sauce went well with the delicate clams.

Jenkins and I were quite full from our pastas but we decided to share dessert anyway since we passed on an anniversary cake this year. We opted for the tiramisu after much deliberation on what to order. The tiramisu was quite light but I felt it was kind of lacklustre. I would have liked for the flavour from the coffee liqueur to be stronger but overall, it wasn’t too bad.

Overall, I quite enjoyed our meal at Q4. The pastas were pretty well made and I would like to come back to try some of their other dishes. Our server seemed to be quite busy serving several tables so never seemed to have quite the time to check how our dishes were and if we needed anything. I’m not sure if this is just the norm for all nights or if it’s only a weekday occurrence. At only $10 for their pasta on Mondays to Wednesdays though, I really must say that it’s a fantastic deal for a high-end restaurant like Q4.

Details:
2611 4th Avenue, Vancouver
Tel: 604-734-4444

Summary:
Food: 3 out of 5 stars
Service: 3 out of 5 stars
Price: $$$

Jenkins and I were originally going to stay for dinner in Seattle proper but we were running a bit late and didn’t want to get stuck in traffic on our way back to Vancouver. We decided to slowly make our way out of the Seattle area and arrived at Alderwood Mall in nearby Lynnwood around late afternoon. We did some shopping in the area and decided that we may as well stay there for dinner before starting the drive back. I’m not usually a fan of places like Macaroni Grill but since it was convenient and nearby, we decided to give it a try.

I wasn’t too hungry that day but since I knew that we wouldn’t be making too many stops on the drive back to Vancouver, I decided to order the Italian sausage pizza, which had sweet Italian sausage, mozzarella cheese, and basil. The crust was light and crispy although it was starting to get a bit soggy towards the end of our meal. There was also a good amount of toppings although I think a little less would have been fine too. Overall, it was better than I expected and the toppings were a classic combo that went well together.

Jenkins decided to go for the Honey Balsamic Chicken, which was a grilled chicken with a honey balsamic glaze and came with a tomato capellini pasta. Similar to what I found with my pizza, Jenkins was quite surprised with his chicken, which was quite juicy and had a nice flavour from the glaze. The pasta was also al dente and the tomatoes and boccoccini served as a nice accompaniment.

Although nothing earth shattering, the food at Macaroni Grill was executed quite well and was tasty. Our server was very friendly and she came by regularly to make sure we had enough complimentary focaccia bread and drinks. It’s nice to know that the next time I’m shopping in Alderwood Mall, there are some convenient meal options available.

Details:
922-3000 184th Street SW, Lynnwood (in Alderwood Mall)
Tel: 425-368-2874

Summary:
Food: 3 out of 5 stars
Service: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Price: $$

Generally, I don’t blog about my visits to weddings or other large meals that are paid for by other people. My reasoning for this is that if someone was nice enough to spend money to take me out for dinner and in the event that the meal wasn’t very good, I’d feel pretty bad about putting down their treat to me on the internet. So as a result, you’ll find that most of the meals I blog about are paid by me and if they aren’t, I try to make it as clear as possible who paid for the meal or how it came about.

Whew, now that I’ve gotten that disclaimer out of the way… Grick and Snoopy got married a little while back now. After some re-jigging of their reception venue, they ended up choosing to host their lovely reception at La Terrazza in Yaletown. I had such a great time at the wedding and Grick knew that I enjoyed the food sooooo much that he gave me the go ahead to blog about their reception menu. Thanks Grick! I should note that I blogged about La Terrazza before and although I enjoyed the food, it didn’t blow me away. However, the meal put together for Grick and Snoopy’s wedding was fantastic and I felt it was much better than the last meal I had there. After all this explaining, I’m sure you want to read about the food, so here goes…

Before the guests were all seated, several antipasti bites were passed around by the servers. There was quite a selection but unfortunately, I did not take any pictures. The first sit-down course was the Rigatoni Bolognese. The rigatoni was perfectly al dente and retained a nice, slightly chewy consistency to it with some bite. The Bolognese sauce had a wonderful meaty flavour and there was just enough to lightly coat the pasta without being too heavy. Jenkins had the vegetarian version of this dish and he also noted that the pasta was excellently prepared. I also felt that the dish was quite large, considering that we still had three more courses to go.

After the relatively heavy rigatoni, we followed up with a light Insalata Misto. The mixed greens, carrot, tomatoes, and cucumbers were lightly tossed in a red wine-dijon vinaigrette. The vinaigrette had a very light flavour with a hint of tanginess and the veggies were all very fresh.

For the main course, we had a grilled AAA beef tenderloin with sangiovese demi glace and scalloped potatoes. I generally find that the flavour is lacking in tenderloins due to its cut but the one we had at La Terrazza was surprisingly flavourful. The meat was very tender and juicy and the demi glace was the perfect accompaniment. I’m not a huge scalloped potatoes fan so I only found them to be ok but Jenkins and several other people raved about how they enjoyed it so much that they were hoping the kitchen had seconds tucked away somewhere.

After Grick and Snoopy went for their pre-wedding tasting, Grick came back telling me about how great the warm white chocolate cheesecake wrapped in phyllo with sour cherries was. I was a bit skeptical but I have to say that this cheesecake completely surpassed my expectations. I would even venture to say that it was my favourite dish of the evening. The phyllo was perfectly light and crispy and delicately tucked away inside was a warm and creamy piece of cheesecake. I could taste the white chocolate but it was not overly sweet and the sour cherries provided the right amount of tanginess to cut through the rich cheesecake. I found out later that some people were able to score multiple servings of the dessert because they found it to be so good! If only I had known about that too!

As if the cheesecake wasn’t a luxurious enough dessert, there was also wedding cake from Ganache. I’ve blogged about Ganache countless times and since I dove right into the wedding cake table, I neglected to take any pictures in my haste. Rest assured that similar to many of Peter’s creations at Ganache, it was very tasty.

If you’re in the process of planning your wedding and trying to figure out a reception venue, I highly recommend La Terrazza. The service was top notch and everyone was super friendly. From what Grick and Snoopy told me, working with them prior to the wedding was very straight forward and they were easy to deal with. And if you’re not planning a wedding, I still recommend La Terrazza and that at a minimum, you give the cheesecake in phyllo a try!

Thanks Grick and Snoopy for a wonderful time and congrats!

It was Jenkins’ birthday recently and since I was in charge of choosing the restaurant, I decided to go to Nook. It had been on my list for quite a while since my co-worker recommended it to me. After that, it seemed like I was hearing about Nook from a bunch of people, several of whom told me about their delicious pizzas. I tried to make reservations but found out that they did not accept them. However, when we arrived at about 7:30PM on a Sunday night, we only had to wait about 10 minutes, which wasn’t bad.

After we settled in, we ordered some San Pellegrino to buy ourselves some more time to peruse the menu.

To get the maximum amount of variety without eating too much, Jenkins and I decided to order a few items to share. First came one of the crostini of the day, which was a gorgonzola, walnut, and mushroom crostini. The gorgonzola was not too overwhelming and provided a nice sharp taste to the walnut and mushroom. The bread was still crispy and the whole thing was drizzled in a healthy amount of olive oil. I really enjoyed this crostini, which had familiar flavours but also tasted very original at the same time.

Next came our pasta selection, which was the orecchiette with Italian sausage, fennel, rapini, and chilis. I found the pasta to be well prepared but the combination of the ingredients just wasn’t my thing. The flavour of the chilis was quite mild and there were only a few pieces of the Italian sausage but the flavour of the fennel was very strong in the pasta. I guess if you are a fan of fennel, this would definitely be your thing.

I had heard from several sources that the pizza at Nook was one of their best menu items. Jenkins and I decided to order the prosciutto pizza, which came with arugula and roasted garlic. The pizza crust was perfectly prepared and crispy and there was just the right amount of toppings. The prosciutto was top notch and the roasted garlic was divine. I couldn’t stop raving about the pizza and even Jenkins, who is super picky when it comes to his pizza, declared it to be the best he’s had other than in Italy.

The next time I’m at Nook, I think I’ll probably stick with the pizza and crostini because those were my favourite dishes. However, I also heard afterwards that their spaghetti with meatballs is a popular item and is usually sold out before the evening is over. If that’s the case, I suppose I’ll need to try that too. The atmosphere at Nook is cozy and comfortable and it’s obvious that the food is created with care. They also have an open kitchen so you can watch the chefs tossing your pizza dough before the put the whole thing in the oven. I should also note that the desserts looked pretty interesting but since Jenkins and I had birthday cake waiting at home, we had to pass this time around.

Details:
781 Denman Street, Vancouver
Tel: 604-568-4554
No reservations

Summary:
Food: 4 out of 5 stars
Service: 3 out of 5 stars
Price: $$