Mucca Osteria

When planning out our meals in Portland, we wanted something that was classic, yet at the same time, progressive.  Enter Mucca Osteria located in Downtown Portland.  Opened by chef and owner Simone Savaiano in 2011, Mucca Osteria has earned its fair share of accolades over the years.  That was enough to convince us to go for their 4-course prix fixe menu for dinner for $125.00 each.

We had several options for each course and it was without hesitation we chose the gigantic and plump Scallops (Capesante con Fonduta di Parmigiano).  They were hard-seared on one side and rare in the middle.  Hence, they were buttery soft and the natural sweetness was pure since they were cooked just enough.  The saffron gel was aromatic but had a nice tanginess to it as well.  Parmesan fondue was super creamy and nutty.  We also found a shallot relish atop each scallop and it offered up some brightness.

The other appetizer we selected was the Tartara di Manzo (Beef Tartare).  It was fairly tender with a bit of a meaty chew.  The cut on the beef was good where each piece was manageable.  Color was great too being fresh and no grey portions.   Tangy and rich from the fermentation, the black garlic aioli provided depth, savoriness and slight tang.  We found some confit mushrooms as well which added texture and some woodsiness.  Lastly, the pomegranate gastrique provided some sweet tanginess.

My eyes went straight for the Agnolotti di Manzo and the one here featured tender little pockets of braised beef.  I thought the pasta was more tender than firm.  Beyond the delicate pasta, the beef filling was soft, yet still having texture.  With a creamy sharpness, the gorgonzola sauce also featured nuttiness from the walnuts and sweetness from the apples.

Our other pasta course choice was the Spaghetti con Funghi di Stagione, Salsa Agli Asparagi.  This had a green taste (in an asparagus kind of way) that was accented by the crispy and salty prosciutto.  Combined with the saltiness, there was also a bit of nuttiness.  Creaminess was due to the addition of mascarpone, which added sweetness too.  Pasta was firm and chewy.

Onto our mains, the Pesce di Giornata happened to be Halibut.  We found a hard sear which created a crispy nuttiness.  Inside, it was medium-rare being buttery and flaky.  The fish itself was nicely seasoned.  This all sat atop a creamy cauliflower puree with lacinato kale and braised fennel.  Grapefruit segments added acidity and just a bit of fresh sweetness.  The most impactful item on the plate was the caper salsa verde which brought saltiness and tanginess to the halibut.

My choice of main was the Brasato di Manzo. This fairly large boneless shortrib was tender and meaty while complimented by the silky red wine demi-glace.  English Pea-Mascarpone Purée was smooth and creamy with some sweetness.  This combined with the demi-glace helped moisten the drier parts of the shortrib.  Pickled fennel offered up crunch and of course acidity.

 

Since the choice of dessert totaled two, we had both of them including the Frutto della Passione (Passionfruit Cake).  Plating on this was a little like abstract art, but in terms of taste, it was properly structured.  First, the cake was a little dry, but the passionfruit coconut mousse afforded the necessary moisture, creaminess and sweetness.  That was furthered by the passionfruit gelato and compote.  Extra creaminess that was cold (nice temperature contrast) and even more tanginess from the compote made this dessert sing.

Yes, my dessert may have looked like a donut, but it was actually a Tortino al Cioccolato (Chocolate tart).  This thing was filled with creamy chocolate hazelnut mousse.  It was semi-sweet with some bitterness.  We found some crunchy candied hazelnut atop the exterior chocolate glaze.  This came with Gianduia gelato which amped the hazelnut quotient of this dessert even more so.  It was creamy and light with of course, nuttiness.  We were pretty stuffed at the end of the meal, especially with the large desserts.  Overall, we enjoyed the food as it was properly prepared and tasted great.  Service was also a highlight as it was friendly and informative.  

The Good:

- Delicious

- Generous portions

- Excellent service

The Bad:

- We had to change seats as the banquette upstairs is very narrow and uncomfortable

Orto Artisan Pasta

It's been almost 9 whole years I've been trying to dine at Orto.  Even since they opened in 2017, I've received recommendations from friends about the place.  From its beautiful garden to their handmade pastas, this was apparently the new hot place to go in North Van.  Well, it is no longer new, but still a popular place amongst the locals and those willing to drive out to the North Shore.  We finally got the opportunity to hit them up since we were in nearby Downtown Vancouver.  Since we had an early reservation, we secured prime seating amongst the foliage in an almost private dining-esque table for 2.

Being neighbouring businesses and sharing the same ethos of artisanal eats, Orto serves Bad Dog Bread on their menu.  Of course we didn't hesitate to have some for our meal.  This came with 6 toasted slices accompanied by tapenade, EVOO and caramelized onion butter.  Bread was fantastic having a heartiness to it without being dense.  It had a nuttiness and went really well with the sweet butter.  Tapenade was great too having the classic briny saltiness of the olives.  We also got the Green Leaf Lettuce Salad as well and it was organic and fresh while being tossed in a tangy and bright vinaigrette.  It was topped with plenty of shaved parmesan.

Onto some appies, we went for one of the features of the night being the Calamari.  These were in generally little pieces which were coated in a uniformly crispy batter.  We thought it was properly seasoned and none too greasy.  The squid itself had a chew while still being tender.  Best part was the housemade tartar sauce.  It featured fresh mayo that was made with free-range eggs with a combination of dill, capers and onions.  Really bright and tangy with rich creaminess.

We also had the Mussels Poulette with a huge side of frites.  Sitting in a white wine and cream sauce, the plump honey mussels were cooked beautifully.  We found them buttery soft with the usual chew from the mantle while having an appealing sweet brininess.  The broth was a bit sweet and bright, but could've used just a bit more aromatics.  Really enjoyed the frites as they were super crispy while light and airy on the inside.  Despite the large portion, we dusted it off.

Onto our pastas, we went for the Spaghetti Carbonara.  Featuring firmly al dente pasta, there was some real texture with every bite.  Really well done since fresh pasta can be finicky to work with.  There was a real cheesy richness to the dish without having the egg curdle.  Plenty of lardons in the mix providing the fattiness as well as the saltiness for the dish.  It also provided a meaty texture intermittently between bites of pasta.  A final topping of parm on top provided extra nuttiness.

For some reason, the Squid Ink Spaghetti was a little less al dente than the carbonara.  It was quite possibly due to the residual moisture from the seafood at the bottom of the plate.  No matter, as that was where some of the brininess and bright wine flavour resided.  There was a good amount of garlickiness from the garlic and garlic scapes.  However, as a whole, the pasta was quite bland.  It was lacking in salt and could've used much more chili for some kick.  As for the scallops, they were buttery soft and cooked beautifully.  The prawns were also good being cooked first and added to the pasta after.  Nice meatiness to them.

In addition to our pastas, we added the Risotto with crab meat for good measure.  This was rather tasty with the definite sweet aromatics of lobster.  It quite possibly obscured the brininess of the crab, but we did get some hits of it with the bits and pieces of meat.  With the addition of mushrooms, we got another hit of umami and depth.  The rice itself was chewy and cooked right.

Despite being rather full and having to pack most of the pastas, we saved room for dessert.  We ended up with the Affogato and we were surprised it came with 2 scoops of gelato.  Combined with the espresso, there was an aromatic caramel flavour.  However, with so much gelato, it did dilute the coffee a bit.  No matter, we still enjoyed this and it was great on a hot day.

Our second dessert was the Cherry Pannacotta.  It was refreshing and light, but the pannacotta wasn't completely set.  I personally didn't mind it that much as I prefer that over an overly firm texture.  The cherry compote on top was only semi-sweet with some tartness.  Overall, the meal at Orto was mostly good with some things that could be better.  Service was fantastic and the garden setting elevates the experience.  Pricing is completely fair where it fairly accessible.

The Good:

- That garden is fabulous

- Excellent service

- Generous portions

The Bad:

- A few things could be better

- If you are stuck sitting inside, it is unbearably warm during the Summer

Cibo Trattoria

Cibo Trattoria is yet another restaurant I've not been back to for quite some time.  I know in the meantime, there have been a few changes including the head chef.  Currently, they have one that is from Naples, which gives the restaurant some legitimacy.  However, we all know, it doesn't really matter where someone is from, rather, it is how they cook.  We stopped by for an early dinner before heading over to the Orpheum for some music from the VSO.

To get things started, we had a bunch of appies including the Focaccia and Burrata.  Extremely fluffy with a slightly crispy exterior, the focaccia was only okay for me.   I wished I had some more inherent flavour from the bread before I dipped it into the EVOO and balsamic.  As for the burrata, it was served with prosciutto.  I thought the burrata was fresh as it was still creamy in the middle and not runny.

Really enjoyed the appetizer that I selected, which was the Grilled Humboldt Squid.  This was a generous piece where it was a bit smoky from the grill.  Loved the colour on it.  It had an initial squishy chew to it, but gave way tenderness.  It was properly seasoned and it rested a tangy arugula and chickpea salad.  Some salsa verde added more brightness and seasoning.

Viv went for the Seared Ahi Tuna atop an orange fennel salad.  Evenly seared on each side, the ahi tuna was soft, but a bit meaty at the same time.  I wished there was some salt atop the tuna, but the citrus vinaigrette was plenty punchy to make things bright and tangy.  More sweetness and crunch was added by the fennel and orange slices.

For our mains, we had a couple of pastas including the Linguine with Sea Scallops.  The fresh pasta was prepared firmly al dente and had a good chew to it.  Really great mouth-feel and completely fragrant from the saffron.  The creaminess of the sauce held on tightly with the pasta without having a big pool of it on the bottom of the plate.  Scallops were nicely seared and slightly rare in the middle.

With an abundance of meat sauce, the Tagliatelle al Ragu was my favourite dish.  Just like the previous pasta, the tagliatelle was fresh and cooked until barely tender.  There was a firmness to it that added texture and a robust quality to the dish.  That was completely aided by the rich ragu where the meat was super tender while taking on the sweetness of the veggies.  Super delicious.

In addition to the pastas, we also the Asparagus Risotto.  There was an option to add scallops, but since we already had them, we had it as it came.  Honestly, the dish didn't need it as it was plenty rich and cheesy with al dente grains of arborio rice.  The risotto spread on the plate and that was our first indication of proper execution.  Moreover, the distinct flavour of asparagus emanated from the risotto.

Although the Roasted Duck Breast was cooked to medium-rare where it was tender and juicy, the skin was a real miss.  It was flabby and not crispy.  Hence, it was chewy and frankly, unappealing.  Really too bad as the meat was perfect.  Furthermore, the amarena cherry jus provided the delicious sweet & tangy compliment to the duck.

Our meal then transitioned to dessert with the classic Tiramisu.  This was textbook with soft espresso-soaked lady fingers as well as some liqueur.  The mascarpone cream was light and mildly sweet.  With a dusting of cocoa powder on top, we had some chocolaty goodness.  Solid tiramisu.

The other dessert we had was the Vanilla Bean Pannacotta.  This was also quite good where the pannacotta set properly but was not too gelatinized.  Hence, it was creamy and light.  Sweetness was measured and the fresh strawberries added brightness and sweet tang (pretty great even though they were not really in season yet).  Overall, the meal at Cibo was beyond solid.  Sure, somethings could've been better, but the new chef knows what they are doing with the pastas and the risotto.  Would come back.

The Good:

- Solid pastas and risotto

- Well-portioned

- Excellent service

The Bad:

- Duck skin was not great

Folietta

I've always been a fan of the family of restaurants run by the Wentworth Hospitality Group.  These include Tableau, Maxine's and Homer St Cafe.  So when I heard they opened Folietta Italian restaurant out on Nanaimo Street, I was anxious to try it out.  Turns out that Viv beat me to the punch and went for their Happy Hour first.  With positive feedback, I decided to book it for my mom's birthday dinner.  Since it was an early reservation, we were able to order some items off the Happy Hour menu as well.

As such, I ordered quite a few things off of that menu including the Focaccia with Ricotta.  We enjoyed the creaminess of the ricotta combined with the black truffle and olive oil.  The flavours were not strong but definitely there to provide some aromatics.  The focaccia itself had a firm crispy exterior giving way to a softer almost airy interior.  We also ordered a plain focaccia with EVOO and balsamic.  That was great with the pastas.

Also part of the happy hour menu, the Wagyu Beef Carpaccio was sliced paper-thin.  As such it was also super buttery and tender.  The fact there was only a modest amount of fat helped its cause as too much would make it chewy.  On top, we found pickled mushroom, bagna cauda, smoked egg yolk and shaved reggiano.  The combined flavours resulted in acidity, brininess and nuttiness.  Didn't get a lot of smokiness from the egg yolk though, but loved the texture.

When Viv suggested we go for the Insalata Mista, I thought she was joking.  When she pointed out that there was cubes of salumi and crispy pieces too, I was sold.  That itself gave the salad plenty of robust saltiness to compliment the tanginess of the dressing and the pickled peppers/olives.  Greens were crisp and fresh while the generous amount of sharp provolone afforded extra body to the salad.

From salad to all meat, we had the Polpette e Sugo.  These meatballs consisted of veal and pork.  They were soft and moist with an almost fluffy texture, but while retaining a certain meatiness.  The slow-roasted sugo was bright and very tomatoey.  Nice tanginess and balancing sweetness.  That toasted focaccia was great with the sauce as it had a smoky crispiness.

Up until this point, the appies were quite good, yet the Calamaro was my favourite.  Each strip of Humboldt squid was soft and tender while having a slight chew.  Exterior was crispy and light as the coating wasn't too thick.  Yet what really made this dish was the Puttanesca underneath.  It was intensely flavourful with hits of brininess, salty tanginess and slight spice.

Rounding out our appies, that were all from the happy hour menu, was the Parmesan Crocchette.  These were $3.00 per piece.  I thought they were tasty with a crispy shell that revealed a soft and creamy mochi-like texture.  Definitely could taste the salty nuttiness of the parmesan.  With grated prosciutto di parma and reggiano on top, we got an extra hit of saltiness.

Onto our mid-course, we had some pastas including the Bigoli with Venetian duck ragu.  This was absolutely fantastic with firm strands of thick bigoli.  The texture of the pasta held onto the ragu well and each bite was impactful with rich meaty notes and sweetness.  Extra body and nuttiness was provided by the cheese. Loved the texture of the crispy skin pangrattato.

As great as the first pasta was, the Linguine was equally delicious.  It featured Zeke's spot prawns and the briny sweetness combined with the shellfish jus made this pasta memorable.  The natural shellfish flavours created a connection with the prawns.  Quite often, a seafood pasta is disconnected from the components as there is no seafood flavour.  Not the case here.

We moved onto the main dishes starting with the Pollo e Crostone.  As much as its appearance was fantastic, the chicken itself was rather dry.  However, the piece of charred focaccia with garlic jus was super tasty.  On the side, we had the Piselli Grigliati.  I wanted to like the grilled spring peas but they were so limp and overdone, there was no texture left.  On the other hand, the lemon ricotta at the bottom was creamy and tangy.

We weren't a fan of the chicken, but the Maiale was on point.  The spiced pork chop was cooked beautifully where it was slightly pink inside, but fully cooked.  Sporting a cheesy taleggio crust, there was some tanginess already, but the fennel sausage soffritto was money.  It was meaty, salty and tangy.  Really complimented the pork with brightness and umaminess.

Onto the sweets, we only shared 2 because we had a Trafiq cake waiting at home!   With the marscapone crema poured on top table side, the Tiramisu was quite good.  I found the ladyfingers to be soaked until moist while not being mushy.  There was a balanced espresso hit while the marscapone itself was creamy and purposefully sweet.  I thought the presentation was an interesting touch.

The other dessert we had was Dolci al Cioccolato Trio featuring dark chocolate terrine, chocolate salami and chocolate torte.  This was a chocolate lovers dream!  I loved the salami as the pistachios added crunch and nuttiness.  Torte was rich and smooth with an appealing density.  Nice sheen on the ganache in the terrine.  Those candied hazelnuts added crunch.  Overall, our meal at Folietta was good.  I'd skip the chicken and snap peas though.  Service was excellent and we would be open to a return visit.

The Good:

- Loved the pastas

- Lots of selection with the happy hour menu

- Excellent service

The Bad:

- It was busy, so food came out a bit slow

- Skip the chicken and snap peas

La Terraza (Happy Hour)

As mentioned in my previous post, many people are looking for value these days when it comes to dining out.  Hence we see the increasing popularity of all-you-can-eat (AYCE) as well as the veritable Happy Hour.  There are quite a few options in the GVRD with many being at chain restaurants.  However, did you know that a fine dining spot has a rather affordable Happy Hour that features some appealing items?  La Terrazza has been a Yaletown staple since it opened in 1998 and yes, they have a Happy Hour menu from 5:00pm - 7:00pm.  Only 19+ as it is only served in the bar area.

Jackie and I dropped by prior to a concert at Rogers Arena.  We began with the 1/2 Dozen Oysters.  Totally wasn't paying attention to what was the type, but they were definitely Westcoast.  Small like kusshis, these were clean-tasting, a bit briny and pretty sweet.  They were shucked properly with no shell fragments.  Condiments included yuzu pink peppercorn vinaigrette, horseradish, hot sauce and lemon.

Staying with cold, we also had the Chilled Tiger Prawn Cocktail.  These were prepared well being cooked just enough where the bounciness of the prawns were cold-water crunchy.  This was served with a horseradish rose sauce that was tangy and slightly sweet with a bite at the end.  Now if that wasn't your fancy, there was also a seared half-lemon too.

Still with the cold appies, we had the Beef Carpaccio served with a side of freshly-baked fontina flatbread.  This was a competent version where the Angus Reserved beef tenderloin was tender and moist.  Possibly, there could've been a bit more condiments to this, but the black truffle vinaigrette did have impact with its tangy woodsiness.  Loved the flatbread as it was warm and slightly crispy.  Plenty of nuttiness as well.

We moved onto some pastas including the Gnocchi al Forno.  Baked with plenty of mozzarella on top, this was plenty cheesy and robust.  We found the gnocchi to be good where they were soft, but not too much so that there wasn't any texture.  As for the San Marzano tomato sauce, it was nicely balanced where it was naturally sweet with only a bit of tanginess.  Lots of depth and it was bright.

Our favourite dish of this Happy Hour menu was the Strozzapretti Bolognese.  Starting with the pasta, the shaped held onto the sauce effectively.  On top of that, the texture was spot on where it was tender, but had a firm bite as well.  Oh and the bolognese, it was so delicious.  Just slightly creamy, but plenty tomatoey, the cooked down meat was tender and full of umami.  I could eat a few of these myself!

Just to round out our meal, I just had to get the Truffle Parmesan Fries.  Yah, probably other things to order off the menu, but I just love fries!  These were serviceable being crispy and well-salted.  The star of the dish was indeed the truffle aioli.  super creamy and nutty.  Overall, the Happy Hour menu at La Terrazza is a steal in my opinion.  In this economy, it is nice to see we can still have a meal with quality ingredients for an affordable price.  Located in Yaletown too!

The Good:

- Affordable, especially for Downtown

- Lovely setting and service

- High-quality food

The Bad:

- Only in the bar area, so pretty dark and limited in space