Winter Rants and Raves

Rant – Today it’s snowing in the Cowichan Valley, big, fluffy flakes this morning, now smaller, wet missiles that are threatening to collect on the road again, creating a slippery, slushy mess. Tomorrow I have to fly to Toronto, where snowmobile boots are currently de rigeur. Apparently it’s warming up, which makes me remember my least favourite Toronto days…trying to cross the streets lined with knee-high piles of slush interspersed with muddy pools of icy water of an unknown depth.

Back in Vancouver, last weekend was a mix of crisp sunshine and frigid, pelting rain…just like normal.
Dine Out Vancouver was in full-swing, and many Vancouver restaurants reported brisk business for their special $15 and $25 3-course menus. Some tables were dotted with bottled water instead of bottled wine, as the real bargain hunters tried not to add more dollars to their final bill.

However, other diners decided that since they were getting such a deal on their meals, they might as well pad the tab with a nice bottle of wine. No doubt by the end of the promotion some restaurateurs may be griping, but others will be thankful for extra business of any sort this time of year.

Rave – Lumiere

I was lucky enough to meet Rob Feenie about seven or eight years ago, just after Lumiere opened. Since then I’ve never failed to be impressed by his food, and as the years go by, I sense a real maturation of his style, while he moves forward with his ingredients, simplifying presentation while intensifying the flavours.

Saturday night was a prime example of his skill, in a menu that excited my taste buds with every course. Even his amuse-bouches were special, including a cornet of citrus wild sockeye salmon tartar, and a potato blini topped with yellowfin tuna tartar and a dollop of caviar.

Sometimes the accompanying condiments on a dish stood out just as much as the main ingredients. This was true with the Atlantic lobster carpaccio, which was topped with beet jelly, lemon oil and the best part, a golden beet sorbet. The tiny mouthfuls of yellow ice tasted exactly like beet, the intense flavour complementing the relatively clean taste of the lobster.

Another course highlight was the trio of Rob’s Raviolis. I couldn’t make up my mind which one I liked most, the rawmilk ricotta, the braised short rib or the butternut squash/mascarpone cheese. I think the ricotta won out.

And instead of the somewhat overly artistic renditions dessert can cause on the plate, I was perfectly happy with a real comfort dessert…a sticky toffee pudding, complete with caramel sauce, cinnamon cream and pear compote, the pear cut into tiny, perfect squares.

This Just In – …heard from Rob Feenie’s publicist about a couple of more feathers in his cap. Rob has been asked to be the chef for the Canada Day events at the Canadian Consulate in New York on July 1st and Sandi Renaldo from CTV News is flying in to do a Canadian success story profile on Rob. As long as they don’t ask him to do any more ads for Zantac….

Rant – Improper Table Manners

Who was the ‘important Vancouver food journalist’ who left his date languishing at a Lumiere table while he schmoozed with the restaurant staff and other guests? Use it or lose it, I say. (I mean the table)

Shameless Plugging –

This month I have a feature article in Northwest Palate magazine on Sean Cousins, the executive chef at Raincity Grill in Vancouver. I think you’ll enjoy this profile of one of the most inventive young chefs of the city. Go to the Northwest Palate website to find a list of retailers selling the mag.