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vendredi, 17 juillet, 2009
Admittedly, I was out very early, and not wanting a grand eating experience. I therefore took advantage of the early-bird table d'hote for the unbelievable price of $15.95. Three stars for this kind of option is genuinely good; after all, this is the kind of menu with no imagination, no delicacy, and no attention to detail, which is totally fair enough. All you really want, then, is for it to be fresh, hot, and to taste like you think it should. And it did. More than adequate. Wouldn't write home about the mushroom soup starter, nor the tiramisu dessert, but the bread was fresh and hot, and the overall experience made one want to return for the a la carte food. Service was banter driven, very friendly, and efficient. Musical accompaniment was just underway when I left, and although I'm sure it's often better, on this occasion I was glad I'd been there early. A bit twee, and the guitarist had flown in all the way from 1992. Will go back for a better look.
Sometimes one simply has to satisfy one's cravings, and I can't help returning to Jano for the $15 combo of barbecued chicken and lamb. It's not fancy, it's not sophisticated, but when the need arises it's just right. Actually, the whole ensemble is great value, with fresh bread and olives to start, and (an admittedly pretty lack lustre) salad to follow. For the price, one can hardly complain. The main plate, served with a mug of hot sauce and a paint brush to apply it, is dirty in the best possible sense. Utterly satisfying! Service is a bit brusque, but efficient enough. The atmosphere varies depending on the night and the time, but it's often pretty packed. After a few beers my stomach tells me there is nowhere I'd rather be.
You have to love this place. My star ratings are based on the actual quality of the food and service, although the concept merits multiple stars in addition. Talk about a feel-good meal - what a great way to support a worthy cause. I've been here a lot, and would say it's one of my safe choices when all you want is a damn good steak without paying the earth for it. The menu has recently changed, though I'm pleased to say the bavette is still on it. If there happen to be codcakes on the menu, order them at all costs. Cannot be beaten. Overall the food is comfortable and without pretensions, always fresh and reliably good. It's not out of this world, and as a matter of fairness to those restaurants whose food is clearly superior I am reserving that fifth star. Still, that should be by no means taken as a put off. The wait staff are volunteers, and the knowledge of that makes for an entirely different dining experience. They might not be the most proficient, but the fact that they have chosen to be there for a good cause makes you sure that they're giving their all. Kudos! Often the service is pretty unilingually French, but even the most stolid Anglophone can muddle through because the spirit is clearly in the right vein. A word on the desserts. By and large, they are excellent. The pouding malva is a must, and is like a traditional English steamed pudding. If only it was served hot, with custard or ice cream! It's so let down by being cold, even though it's still pretty amazing. Ho hum.
If you've ever heard Anthony Bordain waxing poetical about Basque food and wondered what all the fuss was about then Pintxo is a good bet. I've been here twice now, once for lunch, once for dinner, and was suitably impressed on each occasion. By far the best value is lunch - $18 for three servings, including a main dish, the cheapest of which is $21 in the evening - so I'll focus on that. To begin, a cold Jerusalem artichoke soup, served with tapenade laced with truffle oil. Delicious. On the side, a slice of foie gras on a kind of onion jam, drizzled with balsamic reduction. Also delightful. A most fragrant beginning. This is followed by a stack of grilled vegetables which bridges to the main dish. I had the black cod, very fresh, with an opalescent finish that smacks of quality. I also tried the filet mignon, which melted in the mouth and had a heavy beef flavour. It was delicately seasoned, and was clearly nicely aged. The service is efficient - too much so in parts. I wish restaurants wouldn't clear some plates away before everyone is finished eating. I find it puts pressure on those still munching, and is an unnecessary interruption. Aside from that, the whole experience is spendid. It's a quaint little joint, made from two houses knocked together by the look of things. Felt like I was eating in someone's home, which was most comfortable. As a side note, the dining chairs are ergonomically the best in town. What a pleasure to eat without getting a pain in the neck! Check it out if you haven't already. It's rather pricey in the evening, but can't really be beaten if you fancy your main meal at noon.
Excellent vegan food simply must have the freshest ingredients, or the risk is run of presenting a dirge of soy-based monotony. Aux Vivres doesn't quite hit that low point, but I was not exactly wowed either. There is an overreliance on soy which makes life difficult if one of your party happens to be allergic to it. I have been to vegan restaurants that have simply blown me away with their attention to seasonality and flavour pizazz, but Aux Vivres seems to be aiming simply to fill up its customers and let them leave with a clean conscience. Well, I'm all for the clean conscience, but I'd also like to feel like I'd indulged my senses. That would be the ultimate experience - guilt-free pleasure. I had gazpacho soup to begin - a hefty portion - which was indelicately seasoned but nevertheless the freshest and highest point of the meal. This was followed by the Assiete Mumbai, which sounded interesting but better could be had in any decent Indian restaurant. I had no trouble eating it up, save for a vegan attempt at raita, or something similar, which tasted like melted margarine. All this was washed down with a soy-coconut milk shake which was a meal in itself. Sometimes more is more, but more often it is less. I would have preferred a rather fresher approach to the meal, smaller portions, more imagination. My companions more or less agreed, and I'll give some stars to the waitress who tried her best to find a soy-free dessert for my gastrically challenged friend, but to no avail. She had the recipes but couldn't trust them, she said. Well, in that case, neither could we. I liked the effort and the honesty, but all in all I'm a little undersold on the delivery. Guilt-free eating is a tremendous idea. But it is even better when the food is fantastic and you feel like not only are you not missing anything, but that you even prefer the morcels on your ethical plate. Not so in this case, but I wouldn't write it off just yet. There is a large menu, and I would probably dip my toe again in the future.
After checking out the English classic Sparrow last weekend for brunch, I thought this would be the ideal French comparison. Was not disappointed, though I'd award Sparrow a points victory on the basis of value for money. I had the melting cod, on spinach and a tangy tartare sauce, which was super fresh. Not your standard brunch fare, this, and not the cheapest either, but I suppose one must pay for excellent flavour. My companions sampled the pain perdu and the chocolate pancake, both of which received excellent reviews. Service was a little slow, but adequate and friendly. The opportunity to see one's food prepared in the open kitchen was great, and the chef didn't seem to mind chatting while working. My only complaint was a glass of grapefruit juice that was served at room temperature. This should be a brunch destination if you want something other than the standard egg-based greasy affair.
As is so often the case, the greater the hype, the more profound the anti-climax. I don't know if I went here on a bad night, or if my experience was typical, but I will not find out since I am unlikely to return. Before getting to the food, a comment about the management's discretion. Why, if you are one of the most successful restaurants in town, would you not be a little more picky about what kind of clientele you let through the door? To my right was a family party with young kids. Behind me and in front of me, large groups of exceptionally drunk, loud and obnoxious tourists. I would not want my kids to hear language of that kind, nor would I want them to be exposed to such examples of bad manners at high volume. Yet when I pointed out to the waiter that it was rather difficult to enjoy oneself when one had to shout at the person adjacent in order to be heard, the comment "it gets loud here - that's the way it is' was not reassuring. The staff knew one party in particular was not desirable, since they came out mob-handed after the group left and disinfected the whole area - tables, chairs, the floor - leaving the whole section of the restaurant smelling of cleaning fluids (not a great accompaniment for bison). One of these guests had to get up several times during the meal to vomit, and a small food fight went ignored by the staff, who happily obliged every irresponsible call for more alcohol. The atmosphere was hostile and perturbing, and I simply could not relax for fear that the slurring, incredibly drunk Glaswegian behind me might add actual violence to his aggressive words. The food was pretty good, and I love the way the menu is conceived. That's why I went in the first place. The chef's imaginative usage of all the parts of the fish he'd bought in from the West Coast was really terrific to behold. I would suggest that portions are too large and, for my taste, over seasoned. But if you've never had this kind of traditional Quebecois fare before it's really worth a try. Service was slow (unsurprising, given the staff to customers ratio), and the food did not all come at once. This always makes for an awkward etiquette situation and is discomforting for guests. I think the restaurant could well afford to remove five or six tables from this cramped space and offer their customers an experience to match the hype and to reflect the imaginative flare of the chef.
