the dining diva

dips and dates

When someone who loves food heads out for a vacation (admittedly a mini one, but a vacation nonetheless!), restaurants are as important, if not more important, than the tourist attractions.

So when Pat and I decided to head down to Seattle for two days and a night, I put the call out for restaurant recommendations. Turns out my friends have plenty of suggestions for great places to eat in downtown Seattle, but one in particular caught my eye – the Purple Café and Wine Bar.

The food looked great, but what pulled me in were their flights of wine. I think this trend is just starting to pick up in Vancouver, so I was intrigued by the idea of a food and wine tasting as dinner.

I tried to make resos several days before, but they were booked solid. But they said the lounge also served food, so we thought we’d give that a shot.

The first thing I noticed as I walked towards Purple Café was the floor-to-ceiling glass windows. The second was the massive wine tower in the centre of the restaurant with the spiral staircase that wrapped around it. The whole place was back lit by flickering candles, making it look a bit like a cathedral at night.

It seemed we were out of luck. There still weren’t any openings in the restaurant and all the seats in the lounge were taken. But we decided to take our chances and wait in the lounge. Two minutes later a spot at the bar opened up and we began to peruse the massive menu.

If I have any complaints about Purple Café, it would be that the menu is too big. It spanned small plates to cheese, starters to salads, sandwiches to pizza, pastas to entrees to sides… oh yeah, and desert, too!

We decided to choose our food and then decide on a flight of wine. We were going to start with the artichoke parmesan spread; white bean, roasted garlic and rosemary spread; and gorgonzola stuffed dates, pine nuts and saba. Pat had the goat cheese and roasted pepper salad with chicken for her main, while I had the papardelle with roasted squash and mushrooms.

Once our server/bartender helped us navigate the menu, he helped us pick our wine flights. And we needed all the help we could get. Let me just start by saying that the wine book (that’s right – I did say book!) was 82 pages long and included a table of contents and glossary.

At least Pat and I narrowed it down to a flight of white wine and thankfully there was only one page for each red and white. Pat went with rhône-style, while I chose the local whites:

wine flight

rhône-style
cave de tain marsanne . vin de pays des collines rhodaniennes, france . 07
caves des papes ‘heritages’ . côtes du rhône, france . 06
château la baronne . vin de pays de hauterive, france . 06
mccrea ‘ciel du cheval vineyard’ viognier . red mountain, washington . 07

local whites
efeste sauvignon blanc . columbia valley, washington . 07
milbrandt vineyards ‘sundance’ chardonnay . washington . 06
winter’s hill vineyard pinot gris . dundee hills, oregon . 06
ross andrew winery ‘meadow’ . oregon . 07

And low and behold, just as we gave our server our order, a table freed up in the dining room. Although the bar was roomy enough for us to eat at, we decided a window table would be nicer.

Our new server, David, was just as knowledgeable and knew when to interrupt and when to leave us alone. And let’s be honest – he was pretty easy on the eyes, too!

He brought our appetizers, the dips and the dates, along with some artisan bread. The artichoke and parmesan dip needed to impress me. I’ve had my share of artichoke and fill-in-the-blank dip at every chain restaurant possible, so I was reluctant, at best.

goat cheese and roasted pepper salad with chicken

But impress it did. The dip was creamy, but still fresh and screamed of artichoke flavour – something those chain restaurant versions tend to lack. The parm brought just the right amount of saltiness and you could taste both components easily without one overpowering the other.

The white bean, roasted garlic and rosemary spread had a woodsy flavour to it (figures – rosemary does it every time). This was a nice twist on a hummus, but didn’t have the overwhelming garlic flavour that typically accompanies hummus.

And then finally, it was on to the gorgonzola stuffed dates, pine nuts and saba. Now if I told you these were about the closest thing to heaven I’ve ever come across in an appetizer, would you believe me? Okay, maybe I’m exaggerating just a little – but not much.

The dates were sweet and the nuttiness of the pine nuts popped in my mouth. And then the rich, creamy gorgonzola mixed with the saba (cooked grape juice made from Trebbiano grapes – the same ones they use to make balsamic vinegar) to provide a long, smooth finish that lingered on my tongue.

Hold on. I might need a minute.

Our wines were also great – although the ross andrew winery ‘meadow,’ had a bit of a sour after-taste. They came in a little trolley and had a card with it, so you knew what you were drinking. The idea was definitely fun, and we certainly weren’t the only group of women in the place laughing over flights of wine.

But the clientele, in general, was pretty eclectic. Lots of groups of friends lingering over a meal, some saddled up to the bar for some wine and cheese, a few romantic dates, and definitely some tables who were there for a celebration.

Our mains came not long after we finished the appies. Pat’s salad looked great, although I wouldn’t say that it was a show-stopper. But I truly loved my pasta. It was a perfect compliment to my wine – simple in design, but still complex in flavours.

papardelle with roasted squash and mushrooms

The pasta was tender and tossed in basically butter and herbs. The mushrooms and squash were cut to the same size and were topped with thick slices of parmesan. The dish felt like something that you would have after a day of foraging wild mushrooms in the woods.

While we waited for our deserts, we noticed the design coordination of the entire restaurant. The chairs at the tables, napkin rings, bread plate and even the roof all had the same lattice iron pattern. No detail was missed in this place.

Even though we were stuffed, we just couldn’t resist desert. What I appreciated was the tapas-style deserts they offered. I think they were supposed to be ordered as a flight, but they were just the right size for a small, sweet bite at the end of the meal.

Pat tried the syrah brownie (along with a glass of syrah, of course), while I tried the pear and chestnut honey crisp. The brownie was rich, chocolaty goodness, while my crisp was tart, not too sweet and a perfect compliment to my last glass of fruity white wine.

The place was still hopping as we finished off just past 10, and our server was kind of to suggest two lounges to hit up after dinner. In retrospect, we should have just moved over to the lounge for a few more glasses (or flights) of wine. But I’m not too concerned. I’m pretty sure I’ll be back the next time I’m in Seattle. After all – I have another 81 pages of the wine book to get through.

Purple Café and Wine Bar
1225 4th Avenue
Seattle | WA
206.829.2280
thepurplecafe.com

mussels and clams

There’s a reason Seattle is included as a chapter in Douglas Copeland’s City of Glass. Trips to Seattle are as much a part of being a Vancouverite as loving sushi and yogawear. So when my friend, Pat, and I felt restless and hungry for a little getaway, Seattle was the obvious choice.

The day started with another mecca for Vancouverites: the Seattle Premium Outlets. And after a morning of power shopping on a gorgeous, sunny day, we were ready for some beer and food.

We checked into our hotel, the lovely Sheraton Seattle – thanks to a fabulous deal on Priceline – and headed down to Pike Place Market.

I had only been to Seattle once before, so maybe my memory of the market was skewed, but I was sure there were some restaurants or pubs with a water view, a la Granville Island. Nope. There wasn’t. If you know of any, please let me know, ‘cause we certainly couldn’t find any.

What we did find was Copacabana Café, which essentially looks over the market and has some water views from the patio – and was voted by Seattle Weekly as Best Irresistible Outdoor Seating.

It was a little bit difficult to find an appetizer on the menu that wasn’t soup or a salad, so we settled on the mussels and clams – and a couple of Dos Equis for good measure.

I’ve had my fair share of good mussels – the best, of course, being in Spain. But being one of my favourite foods, it actually doesn’t take much to impress me when it comes to mussels.

I wasn’t impressed. The broth is the key to good mussels, and this broth had little flavour to it. I think it was supposed to be white wine and butter, but it tasted more like diluted chicken broth. Some of the mussels didn’t open – which is a huge pet peeve of mine. The clams were okay, but nothing special. And there were only four little pieces of white baguette to sop up the juices – but hey – I wasn’t all that interested in the flavourless broth anyhow.

With tax and tip, our bill came to about $40 CAD – and for two bottles of beer and some mediocre mussels and clams, I’d say forget the view and find somewhere with at least good tasting food.

Copacabana Cafe
1520 1/2 Pike Place
Seattle | WA
206.622.6359

pan fried stuffed eggplant with shrimp puree

The only time I feel like a non-native Vancouverite is when the topic of dim sum comes up. My friends who grew up here (or at least have lived here for 10 years or more) can all tell you their favourite hole-in-the-wall dim sum spot and top dishes.  Me? I was lucky to get Chinese from Jade Village at the Village Tree Mall in St. Albert twice a year. And it usually caused a hearty round of indigestion for hours afterwards.

So needless to say, I was nervous about my introduction last year to the foodie phenomenon known as dim sum. But now that I’m a seasoned veteran (I’ve been three times), I feel qualified to write about my newest favourite – Golden Harvest on Main.

Some former co-workers and I decided that it was time for a reunion. And we left it to the token Asian to decide on the spot. What? If we were going for perogies, I’d be the one picking the place (more on that in a later post).

According to one of my favourite blogs, Stuff White People Like:

“Many white people will look into the window of an ethnic restaurant to see if there are other white people in there. It is determined to be an acceptable restaurant if the white people in there are accompanied by ethnic friends. But if there is a table occupied entirely by white people, it is deemed unacceptable.”

Hmm… well, whether this theory holds water or not is still left to be seen. Anyhow, I was definitely the only white person in the place when

steamed rice flour rolls with three kinds of mushrooms

I first arrived. I took this as a good sign.

I also took it as a good sign when I visited the restrooms and they were spotless. It is often said that the cleanliness of a restaurant’s bathroom is indicative of the cleanliness of the kitchen. I hoped this was the case here.

At Golden Harvest, you order your dim sum off a menu, which isn’t quite as fun as picking your food off the trolleys, but at least you know what you’re getting. So the five of us ordered a bunch of dishes and hoped for the best.

First up was steamed rice flour rolls with three kinds of mushroom. They basically look like cannelloni, but less firm. I’m a sucker for mushrooms in general and these little gems had a woodsy flavour that popped against the sweet, yet subtle, sauce.

Our sticky rice wrap in lotus leaf was next. It had little sausages (that frankly looked like mini hot-dogs) that tasted kind of like corned beef. But the real surprise was the random bursts of a sawdust-like substance, which we thought might be shredded pork. I wouldn’t order that one again.

pan fried prawns with chive pastries

My favourite dish was the pan-fried stuffed eggplant with shrimp puree. The eggplant was tender and juicy and the shrimp had a smoky sweet flavour.

The steamed prawns with pea leaves dumplings were tasty, but I felt like there was too much dough. And the steamed spareribs with pumpkin were a curious combination, but flavorful all the same.

It was somewhere around the arrival of the steamed Shanghai dumplings that we asked the server to mute the giant flat-screen TV that was playing old Chinese war movies in the background. At least the dumplings were delightful – bursts of salty pork goodness.

The mini octopus in satay sauce was tinted bright orange and bathed in a savoury sauce that was almost like a curry. And the pan fried prawns with chive pastries were a hit at our table.

And then the part of the meal I was most looking forward to – the desert. While my friends all shared stories of their favourite sesame balls (which weren’t on the menu), I salivated for egg tarts. While they were very good, they weren’t the best I’ve had (that award goes to Red

egg tarts

Star Seafood Restaurant). The crust was very flaky, but the custard was a little on the gelatinous side.

Still, I’d order them again. Maybe egg tarts are like pizza – even when it’s bad, it’s still pretty good.

The place was packed from front to back by the time we wrapped up (and yes, we were still the only white people in the restaurant). And we left completely stuffed – both our tummies and wallets. The whole meal, nine dishes, cost a total of $39.00. And that’s something this self-proclaimed dim sum expert can easily swallow.

Golden Harvest
4818 Main Street
Vancouver, BC
604.321.4448

terrine de campagne, compote de raisins

It was the end of a very long, tiring day and week – and I was very much looking forward to trying out Jules. I had walked by a few times and was drawn to the warm candlelight flickering off the crystal chandeliers and always packed house.

But when I met my friend, Irwin, at six on the dot, it was just us and another couple. “I guess it’s not that busy this early,” I said to the hostess as she took my coat.

“Don’t worry – it’ll get busier,” she said.

Irwin was waiting at a small table for two by the window, which looked over the increasingly busy Abbott street. It was anyone’s guess as to where the parade of well-dressed guys and gals were heading. Pre-Juno party stuff? BC Fashion Week shows?

I wasn’t familiar with most of the wines on the wine list, so asked our server what she thought. She gave me the low-down of the three dry-ish whites on the list and I chose one that was subtly sweet and had a dry kick I was craving that night.

The menu was small-ish, but well-thought out. We finally decided on starting with the terrine de campagne, compote de raisins (that’s country style pâté and grape chutney for those who don’t speak French).

The pâté came and along with it was the promised grape chutney (is anything these days that basically resembles a jam now called chutney?), but also pearl onions, cornichons, Dijon mustard, and a treble clef of olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

While I thought the pâté was really tasty – that perfect blend of meatiness and spice – it was so crumbly. And I like my pâté to be a little bit smooth. Not “wazzed up in a blender” smooth, but like there was some actual elbow grease that went into mixing the components.

But our basket of baguette and butter always remained full (and no extra charge on our bill, which is always appreciated), and it was a perfect way to start our meal and evening.

Our server, Celia, was perfectly attentive – even when the room started to get busier. I think she reflected the French bistro style perfectly – casual, but not flippant.

We both wanted to save room for desert, so we ordered mains on the smaller side. I had the moules frites (steamed mussels in white wine with garlic and parsley, served with French fries), while my friend had tagliatelles a la crème champignons et julienne de legumes (linguini with a cream sauce and sautéed mushrooms and minced vegetables).

steamed mussels in white wine with garlic and parsley

My mussels were just as I craved – tender, juicy and bathed in enough wine and garlic to satisfy. I always think that the best mussels are done simply – and these were just that. And, as my friend pointed out several times, “Those mussels are huge!”

The fries were okay. I think it takes a lot for me to be impressed with fries. Yes, they were hot. Yes, they had just enough salt. And yes, they weren’t cut too thick or too thin. Or maybe it was just the lingering guilt in my head from just finishing my cleanse. Anyhow, I was glad that she brought two condiments: ketchup, for the North American pallet; and mayo, for those who prefer their fries the European way (my choice).

Irwin said his pasta was good, but hard to criticize as it was just pasta. He thought the noodles should have been a bit more al dente, and also a bit more hand made, “but it’s also a bit ridiculous to criticize pasta when ordering it in a French restaurant, I suppose,” he said.

The sauce, he said, was tasty although on the plain side, but he did like the combo of the winter vegetables with it. “But again, it is pasta,” he said. “If it was macaroni and cheese I would have ordered it too.”

linguini with a cream sauce and sautéed mushrooms and minced vegetables

And then it was time for desert. I have a hard time resisting French deserts. For me, they seem to always have just the right amount of sugar (I’m not a fan of anything super sweet) and are not too complicated (like some chain restaurants’ molten lava brownie cake with eight kinds of ice-cream, whip cream, chocolate, strawberry and caramel sauce… all topped with a maraschino cherry).

So I was glad to dig into a crème caramel and drool over my friend’s crème brûlée – which is normally my first choice, but I hadn’t had crème caramel in about five years, so I decided to go with that.

And I didn’t regret it. The texture of the flan was perfect – soft, buttery and smooth. It swam in a pool of golden caramel, which was a little on the sweet side, but somehow I didn’t seem to mind – it is basically pure sugar after all.

My friend’s crème brûlée was also good – but nothing out of the ordinary.

Just as my friend and I were slowly savouring the last bites of our desert, I looked over to see a completely full room – and it was only 7:30. Something to definitely keep in mind when I return for my second, and probably not last, visit to Jules.

Jules Casual French Bistro
216 Abbott Street
Vancouver, BC
604.669.0033
julesbistro.ca