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Hurricane Grill: Hurricane Fiesta Dining Package

December 11, 2011

Foodology Disclaimer: VANEATS.ca approached me to try out their “Hurricane Fiesta” dining package and write a review about it. I got a complementary dining package and brought 3 friends to keep the review as unbiased as I could. This review does not guarantee 100% similar service you might normally get from this restaurant.

Hurricane Grill is located near False Creek Marina. It’s a popular place to watch the game while munching on their delicious creations.

This month, VANEATS.ca is offering a Hurricane Fiesta Dining Package where you can choose 2 of their signature salads and their Bruschetta. To try out this package, I brought 3 of friends to see how this package adds up. The package is meant for 2 people, but there seemed to be a lot to eat.

There are a lot of comfortable seats and lots of TVs to watch the game. They also have a large selection of alcohol too.

Hurricane lager ($4.99) tasted very light and did not have much taste to it. If you do like light beers, I would say it might be the beer for you.

Bruschetta ($10.99), classic made with tomatoes, parmesan, extra virgin olive oil, basil, balsamic reduction, mozzarella and goat cheese

Their bruschetta blew us all away! This is not the usual hard crunchy bruschetta you would find. It was toasted on the outside and was soft on the inside with the delicious savory ingredients on top. It’s a must have!

The Grill Salad ($16.99), six oz N.Y. steak on grilled vegetables, spring mix and tossed together with a balsamic reduction

You have a choice of how you would like your steak done and we chose medium-rare. It was cooked perfectly. What I liked about this salad is that it’s not your typical salad with leafy greens, it has large chunks of other vegetables. The balsamic vinegar added a nice acidity to the dish, which I enjoyed.

Fiesta Salad ($14.99), romaine lettuce, corn, black beans, avocado, blackened chicken, salsa, nacho cheese, sour cream and a cilantro mint dressing

This salad may look simple, but hands down, this is the best salad ever! The blackened chicken and avocado adds a punch into this dish. The chicken has a lot of flavour!! One bite of the chicken and everyone at the table instantly loved this.

The Classic Nachos ($14.99 + $2.99 for Guacamole) were taller than a pint of beer. We were really scared this would topple over, but they have mastered the art of nacho making! There is a good amount of cheese and toppings that everything holds nice and firmly. It’s not included in the Hurricane Fiesta Package, but highly recommended to try it out sometime.

Even though the food was great, the service confused us a lot. It took them a long time to figure out what ‘Hurricane Fiesta’ was. As they were confused, it made us more confused. They didn’t explain how the package was going to work, so my friends were very confused…until I had to fill them in on what we were ordering. After this little mishap, all was understood and the service improved.

Overall, the prices are reasonable for what you get and I was impressed with the overall quality.

The Hurricane Fiesta package is available starting December 15th for $25 from VANEATS.ca and you get your choice of 2 salads and the bruschetta. You save about $18 and get some killer food.

Words of Wisdom:

Nachos!! Most popular item!
Lots of seats and great for sports games
Closest Skytrain: Yaletown Skytrain
Fiesta Salad is good!

We Rate Hurricane Grill:
Address:
1137 Marinaside Cres
Vancouver, BC
Website:
http://www.hurricanegrill.ca/
Twitter:
@hurricanegrill

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In Bar and Grill

Rogue Kitchen & Wet Bar: More Than Meets The Eye

August 21, 2011

Rogue Kitchen & Wetbar is located in Waterfront station in Downtown. They are a great addition to the downtown core serving up pasta, burgers,pizza, salad, soup and a bunch of other items. It’s a great place to bring your clients or even a girls night out since they have some elegant decor with high ceilings.

Lobster Mac n’ Cheese ($17.99) is one of their more popular items and it has a blend of 4 cheeses, macaroni, lobster and topeed with bread crumbs and cheese.

M and Cdiddy thought it was subpar and there was not a ample amount of cheese flavour. There was plenty of lobster bits however. The whole dish was bland tasting, but the crumbs on top created a nice contrast texture from the smoothness of the mac and cheese. The real disappointment here was the salad. It was unbearably sour, and the selection of the greens didn’t help either.

The 9.2 oz ROGUE burger ($12.99) has a large sirloin patty, sesame brioche bun, bacon, cheddar, lettuce, tomato, pickle, sweet relish, and mayo. It also comes with a side of fries. This is one massive burger and it is even skewered together by a knife.

Seafood Linguini ($16.99) it has prawns, scallops, salmon, halibut, lemon, herbs, red & yellow peppers.

Fries x 3 ($8.99) are hand cut kennebec fries that comes in 3 types – gorgonzola cream & bacon, poutine and truffle oil & parmesan. This appetizer is best shared.

The poutine fries is very typical – gravy and curds. It was alright, but not my favorite.

The truffle fries have been doused with truffle oil and has a strong taste of mushrooms. It was good.

The gorgonzola cream & bacon fries was my favorite since it was the most flavourful and most unique. The gorgonzola is a type of blue cheese, so it has a pungent flavour. Not everyone likes this kind of flavour. It is an acquired taste, but I highly recommend trying! The crunchy bacon goes well with the melty pungent cheese.

Overall, a few of the items on their menu are a hit and a miss.

Words of Wisdom:

Rogue burger and Fries x3 recommended
Pay parking in adjacent lot
Large selection of drinks
Some items can be expensive
Beautiful decor
Located in Waterfront Station

We Rate Rogue Kitchen & Wetbar:

Address:

601 West Cordova Street
Vancouver, BC

Website:
www.roguewetbar.com

Twitter:

@roguewetbar

In Bar and Grill

The New Oxford Public House: Shots, Shots, Shots and Of Course Food

August 18, 2011

I went to ConsultingGirl’s going away party and she had it at The New Oxford Public House, it is owned and operated by the Donnelly Group. They are located in Yaletown and has very vintage looking decor. They even have a shuffle board in the back room to play. It’s easy to make reservations for your large party.

I think in all celebratory occasions, you must order a drink, so I got a bottle of Stella Artois ($6.47). They didn’t have any Japanese beer, so Stella is my go to beer.

Prosciutto Brie Sandwich ($12) has prosciutto, brie, arugula, tomatoes, basil aioli and balsamic vinegar on toasted panini bread. It also comes with a pickle on top. It is a very simple sandwich and it’s one of the more healthier items on their menu. The outside of the sandwich is nicely toasted and the filling was simple and delicious. The sandwich isn’t very large, so you may get hungry if you plan on staying a bit longer.

Instead of getting the regular fries, I ordered the Truffle Fries for an additional $1.50. They were really good and had a subtle mushroom taste. Definitely recommended for the upgrade.

Overall the food was alright, but a bit expensive. The service was very slow and it took a while to get our order and bill.

Since the night was still young, I needed to get ConsultingGirl slammed, so I ordered her a JagerBomb ($7.59) and a Prairie Fire ($8.04), which has tobacco and vodka. Prairie Fire is pretty nasty. If you want to disgust your friends, I would recommend the Cement Mixer (Baileys + lime juice) and the Dirty Panty (Baileys Irish Cream, Sambuca, Tabasco Sauce, Tequila).

You have any nasty drink choices?

Words of Wisdom:

Good for drinks and hanging out
Expensive food
Truffle Fries
Closest Skytrain: Yaletown
Reservations are probably wise on busy nights

We Rate The New Oxford Public House:

Address:

1144 Homer Street
Vancouver, BC V6B

Website:
donnellygroup.ca/oxford/

Facebook:
www.facebook.com/newoxfordpub

Twitter:

@DonnellyPubs

In Bar and Grill

Wings: What Else Is On The Menu Besides Wings?

August 13, 2011

I came to Wings with a bunch of SFU-ers to chill, hangout and of course eat! What was very ironic is that we did not order any wings. For a place called wings, you would think we would order wings. Since it was not a Sunday and they did not have any wing specials, we all ordered entrees. Don’t get me wrong, the wings are good, but it’s best to come here on Sunday for the specials.

ShumBum ordered the Chicken and Cheese Quesadilla. It comes with a side of sour cream. The dish is nice and colorful using 2 types of tortilla wraps – tomato and herb. The inside of the quesadilla had a good amount of chicken and cheese.

KoreanGirl had the Fiji Blond Beer-Battered Fish and Chips. It comes with fries, tartar sauce and coleslaw. It has a generous amount of fish. There was so much that she did not end up finishing it. Nicely battered on the outside with delicate meat on the inside.

I ordered the Beef Dip. I chose the salad on the side instead of the fries since I know I didn’t need the excess calories from the fries. The beef dip is served on a garlic herb ciabatta with a large amount of beef and a side of au jus for dipping.

The au jus is what really makes the beef dip amazing. Once you dip the sandwich in there, it just soaks up all those nice fatty flavours from the sauce. I fell in love with the beef dip and its a worthwhile dish to order.

Overall, not bad choices from Wings. It’s great for accommodating large groups.

Words of Wisdom:

Decent priced items
Sunday wings special
Good Beef Dip
Great for large groups
Beer specials and they can create some nasty shots for the Bday boys/girls

We Rate Wings:

Address:

345 North Road
Coquitlam, BC

Website:
www.greatwings.ca

In Bar and Grill

The Keg: Lobster Summer Menu

July 29, 2011

M and I spent an interesting day shopping and returning things at Costco in Burnaby. Seriously, sometimes you can spend forever in all the aisles. Since The Keg is super close to Costco, we were super tempted for some meat!!

I really enjoy The Keg for their prime ribs, atmosphere and more meat.

I walked in looking for prime rib, but when I saw that they had a lobster summer menu that features their fresh batch of lobsters from the east. It sounded really good, so I had to try something off the menu.

Something wrapped in a white cloth came to the tables. Can you guess what it is? TA DA! It’s the complementary sourdough bread! It was a bit crunchy on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside. It’s cut up into 4 pieces for you to share between 2 people. I found that eating one piece was good enough for me since I didn’t want to fill up my stomach.

Sometimes I wonder… how much bread do they waste in a month if people don’t finish it all.

M ordered the Tender New York striploin with mashed potatoes. M was so happy! 12oz of yummy yummy meaty goodness. He ordered it medium rare and it came out perfect. It wasn’t tough and it was seasoned with peppercorn on the outside.

I had the Seafood Sirloin ($27.95) grilled sirloin steak, topped with lobster, shrimp and scallops in a chive velouté sauce. Instead of mashed potatoes I ordered the house salad for the side. The salad was alright, nothing very special. Should have gone with the mashed potatoes…

I was disappointed by the size of my sirloin and the minimal seafood. The seafood really didn’t shine in this dish and as always, I could have always used more meat. Beside the size, I really loved the sirloin! Perfectly cooked medium rare with great flavour.

Overall, we really like this place for their steaks, but some dishes can be overpriced.

Words of Wisdom:

No reservations, so go early or go late
Slightly hard to drive to, so make sure you are driving from the south
Can get a bit pricey
Amazing steak and prime ribs

We rate The Keg:

Check out their website: http://www.kegsteakhouse.com/en/locations/BC/burnaby/burnaby-keg/

In Bar and Grill

Milestones: Date Night

May 10, 2011

Milestones was having Date Night on April 27 where it is basically buy 1 get 1 free. Since I had no date, I would do what any normal asian would probably do…bring their army of women just to get the deal. InsecureGirl, KoreanGirl, CanuckGirl and I headed over after work to be there to get the deal.

We went to the Milestones on Robson since we didn’t want to walk too far to any other Milestones. It’s not a bad location, but we knew it would be more busy than the one near English Bay.

When we arrived, there was already a 15 minute line up. Clearly everyone wanted a piece of this deal. Since the wait was not too long, we stayed and just made fun of each other till a spot freed up.

When we got to our table, they had a suggested menu with their most popular items. You weren’t limited to this list, so you can choose anything off their usual menu.

I ordered a Honey Lager ($5.49) and some hot water.

InsecureGirl ordered the Milestones’ Original Bellini ($6.49). It has run, peach liqeur, sparkling wine and boone’s sangria. This is a very popular drink and you can’t go wrong with this.

We started off with Milestones’ famous hot spinach & artichoke dip ($10.99). The dip is made from creamy spinach dip with artichoke hearts and various Italian cheese. On the plate were also sour cream, salsa and red tortilla chips. I found that the sour cream and salsa didn’t add much to this dish since the main feature is the dip.

Another appetizer that we ordered was the Calamari Steak Strips with Andouille Sausage Ragu ($10.99). The calamari are cut up into strips rather than the usual calamari rings. It is lightly dressed and fried. You get 2 dips, one with the ragu sauce and the other was the preserved lemon aioli, this reminded me more like mayo. Most of the people at the table preferred the ragu sauce.

For the main, CanuckGirl and I both ordered the Certified Angus Beef Top Sirloin with Trio of Signature Steak sauces ($21.99). We both chose to have ours medium rare. The 3 sauces that come with the dish are – Worcestershire, spiced mustard and gaucho sauce. There is also asparagus and cherry tomatoes on the side. I thought this dish was quite average. Not the best.

InsecureGIrl and KoreanGirl both ordered the Regular Cut of the Slow Roasted AAA Prime Rib ($22.99). It was done medium rare and had very savory au jus sauce with asparagus, tomatoes and mashed potatoes. The cut of meat was particularly fatty for both of them. So, as they were being girls, they would cut out the chunks of fat and there was a large amount. The other parts were ok, but it was not the best quality.

Overall, if you are to getting steak, it is not the best place to get a good quality steak unless you pay a bit extra for the more expensive choices. For myself, if I were a guy, I would not take my date here. Maybe I’m wrong, but it screams ‘cheap’ if a guy takes me here for Date Night… or at least for a first date. You gotta impress the girl. I do like the concept and it does seem to be working since there were couples there.

Words of Wisdom:

Monday – Girls Night (4 Bellini, 4 Appies = $40)
Wednesday – Date Night (2 for $50)
Milestones’ famous hot spinach & artichoke dip + Calamari are both good!

We Rate Milestones:

Address:

1145 Robson St
Vancouver, BC

Website:
www.milestonesrestaurants.com

In Bar and Grill

St. Regis Bar & Grill: Good Meal in Good Company

May 9, 2011

As the semester came to an end, it was time to bid adieu to the other coop students that I was working with. The whole office headed down to St. Regis Bar and Grill for some delicious food. They usually head down to Steam Works but they wanted a change, so since they knew I blogged about food, they asked me to compose a list of good restaurants near the office. I really had no idea, I am not a food expert, I just eat…and eat.. and eat. I used trusty Urbanspoon and Yelp to compile a list.

Since St. Regis Bar and Grill was across the street, they felt it would be the best option. They had good appealing food at a decent price. They serve up the usual pub style food. Walking into the place, it was more like a bar. Don’t expect your fancy or anything. It is a legit bar with lots of TV screens, perfect for watching the Canucks games too!

With so many enticing choices on the menu, I had to go with the Sirloin Beef Dip ($12). In side the garlic baguette, there is a lot of thinly sliced sirloin beef. You also get a cup full of red wine au jus. For your side, you can choose between fries or salad. Of course, being a woman, I chose the salad.

If you eat the Beef dip with out the au jus. It really isn’t spectacular. When you do dip it into the sauce, the bread immediately soaks up all the amazing flavors. IT IS SO GOOD! Hands down, best beef dip I have had in a while.

Overall, we all had a good time. Great food, great company. What else could you ask for? You probably want the Canucks to win the Stanley Cup right?

Words of Wisdom:

Vegetarian friendly
Beside Granville Skytrain
Great for watching games
$10 – $15 for lunch
Fish & Chips and the Sirloin Beed Dip Recommended

We Rate St. Regis Bar & Grill:

Address:

608 Dunsmuir Street
Vancouver, BC

Website:
www.stregisbargrill.com

In Bar and Grill

ShuRaku Sake Bar and Bistro

March 14, 2011

Another wonderful day for a lunch in Downtown Vancouver and I decided to check out ShuRaku. Apparently I’ve been here before..about a year ago for dinner, but I keep forgetting every time I pass by.

ShuRaku specializes in contemporary Japanese cuisine. Their lunch menu has several set meals between $9 to $15.

Their interior is very modern. They also have a wide selection of sake and other alcoholic beverage. They have a very large menu of different sake choices. (DUH, they are a sake bar). Since I was going to lunch, I really didn’t need to be suffering from the “asian glow”and going back to work would be awkward. Perhaps another time for dinner.

I started off by ordering a pot of tea of Sencha Green Tea (about $2/$3). Tea is not free, but there are about 5 or 6 teas to choose from. The pot that comes with the tea is quite heavy, you will be really getting an arm work out.

It’s like a double whammy of healthiness… arm workout + 0 calorie drink!

I ordered the Karaage Nanban Chicken Set ($9.95). It has deep fried chicken with sweet and sour Nanban sauce. The set also came with salad, rice and miso soup.

The karaage was boneless and under the fried exterior was juicy succulent meat inside. One of the better karrage’s I have had this whole week! The salad was mostly mixed greens with a nice citrus sauce. There is really not much to say about the miso soup and the rice since those taste pretty much the same as other restaurants.

Words of Wisdom:

Great atmosphere
Lunch sets
Lots of variety of alcohol

We Rate ShuRaku Sake Bar and Bistro:

Address:

833 Granville St
Vancouver, BC

Website:
www.shuraku.net

In Bar and Grill

Wings on Granville

March 6, 2011

It was TaiwaneseGirl’s Birthday, so she quickly put together a small party at Wings on Granville.

The only time we could make a reservation was 6pm or before. I guess it’s a policy. Good thing we did make reservations because it was quite full. There were other large groups as well.

They usually show Hockey games, but the day we went was not a Canucks game, so the place was not jam packed. If you are coming here for a Canucks game, there is a HUGE screen in the back of the restaurant.

No birthday party is complete without a pitcher of beer. Goes well with wings!

I was trying to be healthy and ordered the greek salad entree size ($8.99). In this salad were bell peppers, red onions, cucumbers,black olives, feta cheese and tomatoes. It is also served with garlic toast. It was an ok greek salad was not the best. I really like my greek salads to have a bit more balsamic vinegar in it.

KoreanGirl and TaiwaneseGirl both had 2 pounds of wings ($14.39). Thats what 2 pounds looks like. Kinda expensive!

M, InsecureGirl and FragileBoy shared a plate of 5lb wings ($33.95). You get 5 flavours of your choice and 3 dipping sauces with some vegetable sticks. When looking at the plate, it really did not look like 5 pounds. Since all the wings are piled onto the plate, you really have no idea if it is 5 pounds unless you happen to carry a scale in your purse.

You also have no idea what each flavour is since they mostly look the same. The waiter just brought it to the table without explaining what was what.

The only day where it is really worth having wings is Sundays where it is $0.25 each. You essentially save about $3 per pound.

We all decided to share the Wings Shared Platter ($20). It had Wings, dry ribs, crispy wontons, spring rolls, potato skins, chippers, pita bread, veggies, served with tzatziki sauce.

Even though there was a lot of variety in this platter, the quality was not that great, pretty average. It’s still a good dish to order if you are sharing with your friends.

Words of Wisdom:

Wings special on Sundays
Famous for their wings (duh)
Reservations before 6pm
Good place to watch the game

We Rate Wings onGranville:

Address:

1162 Granville St
Vancouver, BC

Website:
www.greatwings.ca

In Bar and Grill

Bon Chaz 1 Year Anniversary

February 13, 2011

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Previous BonChaz Posts: Visit #1

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BonChaz was celebrating their one year anniversary last week by giving away free BonChaz to all their customers. They decked out the restaurant by putting up lots of balloons.

Since I work pretty close by, I figured it wouldn’t hurt to stop by for lunch.

You can choose from any BonChaz for free. I ordered the Banana Walnut BonChaz. I know some people hate banana but I love them in desserts and pastries. The inner of the BonChaz has the banana fillings and its SO Good!

If you don’t know what a BonChaz is, it’s a coffee bun type of pastry. Crunchy on the top and filled in the center with a nice sweet filling.

Since I didn’t want to take the BonChaz and go back to work. I ordered their Avacado and Brie Sandwich with a Curry Chicken soup (About $8). It is served on very soft bread and stuffed with tomatoes, cucumber, mayo, brie and avocados.

At first glance, you would expect you would taste more bread than filling, but this was not the case! They were quite generous with the brie and avocados, so it was nicely distributed throughout the sandwich and not cut too thin.

It was just perfect!

They had 2 types of daily soups but I chose the curry chicken. Had good sizable pieces of chicken and very good consistency.

And that was my fantastic lunch! Happy 1 Year BonChaz and I expect many great things from your team in the upcoming years!

BonChaz is a nice little cafe to do a bit of work and have a snack. They have pastries, sandwiches, tarts, soups, coffee, and tea. I don’t think you can find such pastries anywhere else.

We rate BonChaz:

Check out their Facebook page: http://www.bonchaz.ca/

In Bar and Grill

Yew Restaurant + Bar

February 4, 2011

A Year ago, PhotographyGirl and I went here for Dineout and loved it. Since I never came here for lunch, I wanted to try it out.

Yew is located at the Four Seasons Hotel in Downtown Vancouver. It has really gorgeous interior. I would say it would be pretty good for a business lunch or a nice date.

The lunch menu is pretty straight forward, you have your appies, mains, and then dessert. Most people are pressed for time during lunch…so you probably don’t want to order all 3 if you have a 1 hour lunch. There’s a lot to choose from on the menu, but since I was on my diet, I was limited in choices…. 🙁

I started off with a coke. Even comes with refills!

The bread came and it was a sour dough? I think and some crunchy bread sticks.

I ordered the Ahi Tuna Wrap ($18) which came with a salad and I added on the daily soup ($6).

Inside the Ahi Tuna Wraps were Daikon, Asian Pear, Cilantro, on Vietnamese Rice Paper. Really nice and had sizable chunks of tuna. For $18 for 3 pieces of wrap and a salad … I didn’t think it was worth the price…but at least it was healthy.

I also added on a side soup since the waitress described it so exquisitely. I can remember what was in it, but it had real crab in it too!

PhotographyGirl ordered the starter version on the daily soup ($8) and the Pear Salad ($10).

The salad has Grilled Bosc Pear, Baby Spinach & Frisee Salad, Blue Cheese. She found the presentation not as well as it could have been.

Words of Wisdom:

Great for DineOut Vancouver option or any regular meal
Reservations are recommended
Have good breakfast
Free Coffee in the morning!
Outstanding soups

We Rate Yew:

Website: http://www.yewrestaurant.com/

Address:

791 W Georgia St
Vancouver, BC

In Bar and Grill

Boathouse (Port Moody)

January 9, 2011

The Family decided to go to Boathouse for a lovely dinner. The have a bar section where patrons can grab a drink and enjoy the game.

On the other side is an open kitchen and high walled dinning room.

The Boathouse locations always have large windows so you can gaze upon the river. Their Lobsterfest always draws a large crowd.

Their dining room was packed and the layout of the restaurant gave people little room to move around.

They also have a kids menu if your kids dont want items from the regular menu. The kids menu is also a coloring book, so they will be occupied!

My sisters and dad all got Shirley temples ($3.79).

My father got the BC Wild Sockeye Salmon & Atlantic Lobster Tail ($32.99). This dish had a fire-grilled fillet and 4 oz. lobster tail. You also get wild rice and green peas and pepper.

All lobster dishes are supposed to come with butter and when we asked our server…she was kinda unsure. You can hear my rant about the service below….

My mother ordered the boathouse bouillabaisse ($28.99). This dish had wild salmon, halibut, prawn, scallop, mussels, alaskan king crab, and fingerling potatoes in a rich tomato broth. There is also bread that comes with it if you want to dip it into the broth.

My mother enjoyed this dish!

My older sister got the Louisiana Lobster Pot ($29.99). There is Carribean Lobster, Manila Clams, BC Wild Sockeye Salmon, mussels, chorizo sausage, tiger prawns, vegetables in a spicy broth.

She enjoyed this dish because it was packed full of seafood.

I ordered the sirloin & seafood grill ($28.99). The seafood skewer had a prawn, a small sea scallop & 2 pieces of wild salmon. It also came with mashed potatoes, green beans, and the sirloin. I did enjoy the dish, but I personally prefer The Keg over Boathouse.

The sirloin was done to medium rare and was perfect. The only bad thing about it was how the scallop that was part of the skewer was really small, it took me a while to figure out where it was because it was between the shrimps head and the tail.

Their mashed potatoes are really good!!

My little sister got the Fire-grilled sirloin ($21.99). Her sirloin was 7oz. It also came with mashed potatoes and green peas and a pepper.

She really liked the dish!

The bread never arrived at our table… we finally asked our server and she forgot to give us bread.

Our service was pretty poor since our waitress was fairly new. She couldn’t explain the new lobsterfest menu, forgot our butter for lobster, forgot the bread, rarely came to our table (we had to flag down other waitresses to get her), gave us the wrong utensils (she gave me a spoon for eating a steak…..)

What made it worse is when we went to the front desk to buy a giftcard for a family friend, our waitress passed by the front desk to check their computers…looked at us…walked past us and said nothing.

I usually don’t complain about service, but I was really upset by the service. Clearly, I will not be returning to this location.

Words of Wisdom:

Hard to get to…so drive and use google maps
Free parking in front
Reservations are suggested
Special Kids Menu
Lobster FEST!!

We rate BoatHouse:

Website: www.boathouserestaurants.ca

Address:

2770 Esplanade Ave
Port Moody, BC

In Bar and Grill

Pier 3132 Grill & Oyster House

December 25, 2010

InsecureGirl bought a Groupon a while back to try this restaurant since they serve oysters.

The interior is very nice and modern. It would seem like a good place to watch some games here.

Looking at the specials, they do seem really good! Thursdays… free entrees with 3 people. Sweet deal! Sadly we didn’t know about the deals… so we were a party of 2 🙁

We ordered the lager and it wasn’t too special.

These are the selection of oysters. Happy hours!! Buck a shuck!

We ordered Kusshi Oysters ($3.50 each). Kusshi mean “precious” in japanese. It had a smooth buttery texture and a sweet finish. They are small in size, but it’s a good choice for beginner oyster eaters.

The little Wing oysters were the feature of the $1 buck a shuck, so we ordered 4. It is sweet, well balanced oyster in a distinctive deep cup shell with a pleasant, fresh aftertaste.

Malpeque oysters ($3 each) are good transitional oysters, bigger and bolder than Kusshis, but still light-bodied and clean on the finish. Easy to eat, with the perfect balance of sweetness, brine, and pickle-like liveliness, they make great accompaniments to a pint of lager.

You can add tabasco or Xtra hot sauce to you oysters.

This is their menu if you want something else besides oysters.

We ordered the Fish & Chips ($16). It is a 10 ounce sable fish with tempura batter, home cut fries, accompanied with remoulade.

This is one of their most popular dishes and the sable fish works really well for this dish. The only thing we didn’t like about it was how easy the batter would fall off the fish. Despite this, InsecureGirl liked this dish.

We also got the Prawn Linguini ($18). The shrimp is this dish were huge. The pasta was cooked perfectly and had enough sauce! I really enjoyed this dish.

Words of Wisdom:

Great specials
Buck A Shuck
Parking on street

We rate Pier 3132:

Website: http://www.thecrabshack.ca/

Address:
3132 West Broadway
Vancouver, BC

In Bar and Grill

Moxie’s Classic Grill (Robson)

December 8, 2010

It was a lovely dinner with the SFU Student Marketing Association. We had dinner, raffles and played “white elephant”, which is an evil version of secret santa. All proceeds went to the BC Children’s Hospital, which is an amazing plus!

I’ve been to Moxies a few times on many special occasions. I even met David Choi here too!

Moxie has their special Winter Features on their menu, which is available November 4 to December 30th.

They even have big Bad Boy sized beers such as Heineken for $7 special. This was big! I was about a glass and a half worth of beer. We decided to put it side by side with a regular sized bottle…and you can tell…it’s quite massive.

InsecureGirl had a bellini.

We started off sharing the moxie’s combo platter ($25), which had calamari, chicken tenders, avocado spring rolls, med bread, chicken wings + three great dips. It was supposed to come with 3 dips….but for some reason 2 only came with the platter.

The platter overall was pretty big, but for some reason it came at the same time as our entree….so we had to tell them to hold back the entrees.

There could have been more calamari since it was so little compared to everything else.

TaiwaneseGirl had the coconut curry rice bowl, which had apples, ginger + curry-buttered naan bread, and chicken.

InsecureGirl had the beef dip, which has house-roasted beef, sautéed mushrooms & swiss cheese on baguette with au jus. She even got a daily soup as well.

Even though this is on the lunch menu, you can order it at dinner time too.

KoreanGirl and I both had the winter stew with puff pastry ($15), it has turkey, mushrooms & vegetables simmered with shallots & creamy white wine sauce, topped with puff pastry. The first few bites were delicious and the creamy taste of the stew blended nicely with the puff pastry.

As time went on, the taste got very boring and we got full fast because the stew was very rich. We felt really “fat” after eating this because we know it was just cream.

We rate Moxie’s:

Located at:

808 Bute St
Vancouver, BC

Website: www.moxies.ca

In Bar and Grill

Romer’s Burger Bar

December 1, 2010

Romer’s Burger Bar is the new burger joint in town. They serve up gourmet burgers with the freshest ingredients and stay true to being sustainable.

Romer’s Burger Bar has parking on the side, you will have to enter from the back alley. It is pay parking, so expect to pay $1.50 per hour. If you are impatient, this may be a better solution than stalking parking stalls and spending 15 mins roaming the block. (I try to be cheap and find free parking…but sometimes it just too hard).

The inside really does look like a bar. Tons of screens to see the game, lots of seating, and great interior decor.

M started off with the Fentiman’s cola ($4). This is a botanically brewed soda. I am not sure what that means, but it must mean something good. This cola had very strong flavours compared to Pepsi or Coca Cola. You can tell the makers of this soda took their time and care into producing them. It tastes like liquified cola balls…those silver candy balls.

TaiwaneseGirl had the Wicked Deadly Cheese Burger ($10). It had all-natural beef, plenty of cheese, red onion, Tuscan greens, tarragon Russian dressing.

I had the Magic Mushroom ($10), which had all-natural beef, plenty of chopped BC portobellos, arugula, herb and garlic Boursin cheese, and caramelized onions. With one bite, you can really taste the fresh ingredients used in the sandwich. It was very flavourful compared to other burgers i’ve had. The bun was very light and fluffy so you get the full taste of the mushrooms and the patty. The burger does not come with any sides…so you have to order a side.

In addition, I got the Fresh Garlic with tasted Sea Salt ($4) as my side. Wow, was the garlic fresh! It was raw garlic and it very potent. I think it would be better if the garlic was fried to bring out a more savory taste. Perhaps i should have gotten some dipping sauce to dull the strong taste. I should have brought some mints with me because my breathe was vile! At least I kept the vampires away.

M got the righteous rib burger ($12), it had all-natural beef, thick-sliced applewood bacon, braised short ribs, sweet onions, Gorgonzola garlic sauce, fresh thyme leaves. M could tell this was a very healthy type of burger with really good ingredients.

M got the GORGONZOLA GARLIC SAUCE serrano chili, and applewood bacon fries ($7) for his side. He thought it was ok, but way overpriced for $7.

Overall, Romers Burger Bar was a good experience. All the ingredients used in all their food really shined through. I can really say Romer’s Burger Bar sells gourmet burgers. The good balance of ingredients and the rich succulent taste can’t be matched by any typical burger joint. But, be expected to pay a bit more than your average burger.

We rate Romers Burger Bar:

Check out their website: http://romersburgerbar.com/

In Bar and Grill

Little Billys Steak House

November 1, 2010

Little Billys Steak House is a gem that is hidden in North Burnaby near SFU. They specialize in steaks, seafood and traditional greek dishes.

One thing I really don’t like about this place is the very very cramped entrance to the restaurant. When you are with a group of 6 waiting for your table to be set up, you are literally standing next to the person seated at the bar. I took this shot from the back of the restaurant.

To start off a nice meal, I decided to try Becks beer ($5.75) and my grandfather got a Heineken ($5.75). Both beers were good, I wish they would fill it up closer to the top of the glass. I probably got 1/5th less.

My little sister got a shirley temple. It’s grenadine, 7 up, OJ and some cherries. Very delicious and great for kids. It’s not on the menu, but they can practically make anything.

Depending on what you order, they will give you a green salad with balsamic vingar or a greek salad. They both taste really good and fresh. You won’t be disappointed with either. These come included in your meal, just read the menu and it should say which one is included.

My grandfather ordered the Lamb Chops ($24). It had about 5 or 6 lamb chops with vegetables, rice, tzatziki , and potato. The lamb chop was very soft a tender and not tough at all.

My mother had the Halibut ($25). It is a pan seared halibut fillet with a Greek style lemon butter sauce. It also came with vegetables and potato. $25 for this was quite expensive but my mother seemed to like it.

My dad had the 9oz Beef Tenderloin ($30), it comes with vegetables, and your choice of either a baked potato, mashed potatoes or fries. He chose the baked potato, which you could add on sour cream, chives and bacon. It was delicious and cooked right at medium. My little sister even stole a few bites off his plate.

WorkingGirl has had the Paidakia Ribs ($24) a few times and this time, the quality has gone down. They use to be very plump and large. This time, it looked very small and thin like a starving animal. It also comes with potato, rice, tzatziki and grilled vegetables. She really hated the potato since it was very lemony and not potato-like. I guess its the greek way of making potatoes.

I got the roast lamb ($21). It is a marinated lamb shoulder baked in a special mustard sauce. It was very tender, and the meat fell off the bones nicely. I know the picture looks very ugly, but it was delicious. In contrast to WorkingGIrl, I did like the potato since it was not bland and boring like regular potatoes.

My little sister had the gorgonzola Mac and Cheese. They were very accommodating when making her meal. My little sister doesn’t eat a lot, so they can do half orders of most items on their menu. She loves Mac and Cheese, so she chose this option. But, the waiter suggested different types of cheeses since gorgonzola is a type of pungent mouldy cheese. In the end, we got Cheddar/Mozzarella Mac & Cheese (Half order), which came out to be $7. The noodles of the mac and cheese are not the usual tube shapes, they are curly!!

At the end of the meal, they give everyone mint chocolates. I love these more than mints or mints with chocolate in the middle.

After tax and tip, this whole meal came to about $170.

Words of Wisdom:

Amazing servers that are helpful
Make reservations to avoid waits
Meals can be customizable and have half orders
Expensive for dinner time

We rate Little Billys Steak House:

Check out their website: http://www.littlebillys.com/

In Bar and Grill

The Keg (Burnaby)

October 30, 2010

The Keg has always been a favorite place for M and I. Today we were suppose to go to Gothams, but after paying for parking and walking one block to the restaurant, we decided to go back to Burnaby. SO close! Damn the little fights that couples have…. long story short, we ended up at The Keg to celebrate my birthday.

Since we went so late to the Keg, we were seated right away. In the past we would have to wait a while to get a seat. The Keg has the usual items that you think a steak house would have. I always love the combos! More variety means more types of things to eat! Since I love shrimp, I had to get some type of means with shrimp!!

To start the dinner off, M ordered both of us some Brut champagne ($9.95)! We didn’t want a big bottle, so we got 2 of the mini ones. As it was my Champagne Birthday, we had to have it. You only have a champagne birthday once in your life! I enjoyed this champagne but I am not a drink expert so I really can’t tell the difference between champagne of any kind.

They also gave us a basket of bread with whipped butter. For 2 people to share, we could not finish it. We probably had half since we wanted to save room for the steaks!

M has the Peppercorn New York Steak ($28.95). It is a New York striploin with black peppercorns and Keg peppercorn sauce. It comes with baked potato and peas on the side. M has it medium rare and LOVED IT! I had a taste of it and it tasted like peppery goodness. A bit too peppery for my taste, but I guess thats why they call it Peppercorn New York Steak.

I had the Prime Rib and Tiger Shrimp ($28.95). I think I get this every time because I get to have meat and shrimp at the same time. This dish came with 3 sauces – horseradish, gravy and some fruity type of sauce. I loved it. I think im just a sucker for anything that is medium rare. Thinking about it makes me want to eat it again!

I really love the Keg, it has some well priced steaks and the quality is fairly consistant every time we go for food. It is way cheaper than some high end restaurants. Our bill after tax and tip was about $100.

Words of Wisdom:

No reservations, so go early or go late
Slightly hard to drive to, so make sure you are driving from the south

We rate The Keg:

Check out their website: http://www.kegsteakhouse.com/en/locations/BC/burnaby/burnaby-keg/

In Bar and Grill

Montanas

October 29, 2010

Montana’s is your go to place when you want ALL YOU CAN EAT RIBS on Wednesdays. Imagine pigging out on rack, after rack, after rack…you will feel super stuffed and probably get meat sweats. Sadly, today was Monday so M and I had to settle for some normal steaks and burgers for a very late lunch. When you walk inside, everything is wooden, wooden walls, wooden chairs, wooden pillars, wooden floors,….everything is wooden!! Wood fest.

Look at that all you can eat section of the menu. Makes me scared already (once I had 3.5 racks..for a women thats A LOT)

Looking at the menu, I like visuals so I know what to expect. M was in a meaty mood and I was in a “lunchtime burger” mood.

To start off our meal, we had a coke ($3)…not much to say there. Coke is coke and it came in a cup.

M got the Grilled Rib Eye ($25.99). It came with coleslaw, mashed potatoes and cajun onions. M got his steak medium rare as usual. He thought the cajun onions were good and the steak was well made. In my opinion, for the price of $25.99, you could get a better steak at The Keg…

i had the Chipotle Firecracker Sirloin Burger ($11.99) and it had chipotle honey BBQ sauce topped with bacon, cajun onions, melted colby cheese, and fried jalapenos. The burger was huge! I wouldn’t fit it in my mouth (Thats what she said). It also came with a choice of side salad or fries. It was a decent burger.

This was the damage of the bill, $49 for 2 people on a lunch, thats a bit steep. i blame M’s Rib Eye.

Words of Wisdom:

If you go for all you can eat ribs, the service is slow so you may not get your $$ worth. Order multiple racks at a time
Burgers are decent, can go wrong with that

I enjoy Montanas for a good lunch, but they are not the best at steaks or ribs. If you want better meats, probably should go to The Keg, or Gothams, or where ever else they specialize in meats.

We rate Montanas: