*Food was complimentary excluding beverages and gratuity*
The Good:
- Well-prepared eats
- Reasonable-pricing
- Modern, yet classy space
The Bad:
- Wished we could've requested the doneness of the meat (however, with smoked meats, it can be difficult to do that)
To start, we had the Salt & Pepper Wings with a side of ranch dip. I thought the wings were a bit small, but that can hardly be the restaurant's fault as it depends on the supplier. The skin was well-rendered and completely crispy. There could've been possibly more salt and pepper as the wings ate rather plain. I thought the meat was on the drier side, but I guess this was a by-product of rendering most of the fat.
Staying with appies, we also had the Chicken Karaage Bao with fried chicken, pickled daikon & carrot, cilantro, hoisin and gochujang mayo. These were soft and fully stuffed with crunchy chicken that was still juicy. There was good spice, tang and sweetness. One thing that they should've done was to place parchment under the baos since they stuck to the bamboo steamer and fell apart when we tried to remove them.
Okay, for the best dish of the night - the Nashville Hot Chicken Sammie! Okay, this is actually an off menu item since they only have this as sliders. I found it to be one of the best I've had recently and should be permanently on the menu. The chicken was moist while the batter was crunchy. There was a balanced spice and heat while the condiments worked well. Bun was toasted and soft too. Excellent. To get our complete fry fix, we got a side of fries too. Overall, the food at Social was quite good. I would certainly come back, especially for the chicken sammie.
The Good:
- That chicken sammie!
- Varied menu, could be scary, but it worked
- Service was on point
The Bad:
- Seating is great upstairs, but downstairs is a bit cramped
- Need to put parchment under those baos
Our original plan was to make our reservation at Flint Creek Cattle Co. at around 7:00pm. However, we were doing a wine tasting at Percipio Wines in Bellevue. We were enjoying ourselves so much (possibly due to the wine?), we didn't rush and ended up changing the rez to a later time. We were rather famished by the time we got there at around 8:30pm. Luckily, it wasn't too busy for a Sunday night. Last time I was in Greenwood, I had a great tasting menu at Opus Co and since the area is known for many great restaurants, I was excited to try Flint Creek.
We started with the Anderson Ranch Lamb Tartare with cured lemon, rose petal harissa, radish, herbs, flat bread and dukkah spice. Normally, I find lamb tartare to be rather gamy (and I don't mind this), but this was seasoned so beautifully, the lamb was there, but not the only star. There was a good balance of acidity, zestiness and spice. As for the texture, the lamb was fairly tender with an appealing meatiness. Surrounded by a bevy of Prosciutto San Daniel, we found nectarines, pistachio oil, saba, arugula and salt complimenting the buffalo milk burrata. Even without the other ingredients, it was enjoyable to eat the prosciutto and fresh burrata on their own. With that being said, the nuttiness of the pistachios and sweetness of the nectarines were good too.
Behold. The piece de resistance was no doubt the 48 oz. Prime-Niman Ranch Porterhouse for $125.00 We asked for it to be prepared medium-rare and it was fairly inconsistently cooked. Now, to be fair, this cut is difficult to nail due to the combination of both striploin and tenderloin steaks. With that being said, you will notice that the tip of the steak was woefully overdone. That part was not enjoyable to eat. If we overlook that, the rest of the steak was superb being tender and full-flavored. We decided to get one vegetarian side in the McEwen & Sons Heirloom Grits with maitake mushrooms, sherry jus and shaved grana padano. This was super tasty featuring creamy grits that were privy to the saltiness of the cheese and umaminess of the caramelized mushrooms. Let's not forget about the sherry jus as it added some body.
We also got a pasta in the Wild Mushroom Bolognese with fresh radiatori, garlic, sage, nutmeg, liaison, parsley, pine nuts and parmesan. This was surprisingly meaty despite the lack of meat. The way they prepared the "bolognese" gave the dish body and umaminess. I found the radiatori to be al dente and great for retaining the creamy sauce in its little crevices. The next dish was not a pasta per se, but it did have a gnocchi component. The Fennel Braised Wild Boar Shoulder was accompanied by garlic, sage, fennel sugo and the aforementioned parmesan potato gnocchi. This was really good due to the appetizing richness of the boar as well as the gnocchi. Normally, it is difficult to eat more than a few bites of a heavy dish, but this was not the case here as the umaminess was intoxicating.
For sweets, we didn't do much other than order the Molten Chocolate Cake with warm ganache, peanut ice cream and candied pecans. Not a whole lot to say about the cake itself as it was pretty typical being moist with a creamy chocolaty center. However, the peanut ice cream was so aromatic and purposefully sweet that it was good on its own. Now that wasn't really true as the crunch from the pecans on top added both the necessary texture and extra sweetness. Overall, I thought there were some real highlights including the boar and mushroom pasta. However, the porterhouse was not prepared properly enough which was a downer.
I'm sure you've heard me go on and on about hotel restaurants on this blog for the past 10 years. At first, many existed as a means to provide a standard and safe menu for the weary traveller. Hey, appeal to the lowest common denominator and most people will go away fairly satisfied, if not being rather boring doing so. However, as we've seen in the past decade, there has been a shift towards being more appealing in terms of decor and food choices. In fact, there are risks being taken, offering up a wide spectrum of eats such as The Victor in the Parq Hotel. Part of the same hotel chain, the Vancouver Airport Marriott has updated their long-standing restaurant, The American Grille, into 75 West that promises more excitement for travellers and locals alike. Jacqueline and I were recently invited to see and taste theses changes.
The first thing we noticed was the modern decor that brightened up the room. Secondly, they added many more menu items that focuses on sharing plates. As such, we started with some of them including the Pork Belly Adobo. There wasn't anything bad to say about the pork belly as it was meaty with just enough fat to add the classic fatty luxuriousness to the dish. While moist inside, the outside was crispy and the crackling was akin to Chinese roast pork. This was all lightened up by the tangy and sweet adobo sauce drizzled on top. Something a bit more conventional was the half Back Ribs conveniently cut up for sharing. These were the typical par-cooked grill finished version, but with that, they were done right. They were meaty, tender and almost juicy with a tangy and sweet BBQ sauce slathered on top.
It was suggested we try the Fried Cauliflower and Brussels Sprouts and boy that was a good call. Sure, many different places offer this item on their menu, but this one was a bit different since it was liberally coated in parmesan. Hence, this was nutty and salty without the need for anything else, but it did come with spicy mayo. Although fried until crispy, the cauliflower and Brussels sprouts were still firm with a bite. Beyond the saltiness of the parm, there was truffle oil and garlic to provide layers of flavour. Back to the classics, we had the Prawns sauteed in garlic, paprika, lemon juice and EVOO. Similar to the Spanish tapas version, the prawns were meaty with a snap while sporting a noted smokiness from the paprika. Lots of garlic as well as enough salt meant this was impactful.
Whenever there is Lobster Mac n' Cheese is on the menu, I order it. So that we did and it was a fairly large portion. It wasn't apparent at first glance that hidden underneath the noodles were big chunks of bouncy lobster. I found the noodles to be fairly al dente considering the amount of sauce on the bottom. There was a cheesy creaminess from the aged cheddar, gruyere and mozzarella, but a bit more sharpness would've put this over-the-top. Interestingly, we decided to combine our order of Meatballs with the mac n' cheese and it was the perfect combination! The tangy herbed chunky tomato sauce added the brightness and zip that brought the mac n' cheese alive. That also meant it was a great compliment to the meatballs as well. About those meatballs, the texture was definitely meaty and lean with little filler.
Something you'd normally find on a Japanese Izakaya menu shows up on the 75 West Menu under the share plates - Blackened Halibut Collars. A bit gutsy and a little out there, but I applaud them for doing so. For me, I'm well-versed with fish collars and this was done right. Smoky and crisped up on the outside, the tender halibut was cooked just right. There was a nice rebound texture as well as the natural sweetness of the fish. A very simple dish prepared in a quasi-Japanese style. Instead of going for their full-sized version, we got the Lamb Chops (essentially 1/2 a rack of lamb) with dukkah and chimichurri. We asked for the lamb to be prepared medium and it arrived as such. Hence, it was tender and moist without being too rare. The combination of nutty dukkah and brightness of the chimichurri provided all of the necessary flavour.
Our last two small plates consisted of the West Coast Chowder and Truffle Fries. At first, I was a bit disappointed that the bowl of chowder was fairly modest in size (a little deceiving though as the bowl was decently deep). However, one spoonful and I quickly understood why it wasn't bigger - the darn thing was super creamy! This was a good thing though since it was smooth and rich while being mildly briny and sweet. It was chock full of seafood including big chunks of tender fish. Now the side of truffle fries were actually something we ordered along with the Big D Burger since we couldn't have a burger without fries right? As for the fries themselves, they were pretty standard fare. They were crunchy and truffly with an aggressive dusting of parmesan. So there wasn't any absence of impact even without the side of truffle mayo.
So I mentioned the Big D Burger in the previous passage... Well here it is in all its glory! This monstrosity sported a 2lb house made AAA beef patty, tomatoes, lettuce, red onions, bacon, jalapeno, jack cheese, roasted garlic mayo and red relish topped with onion rings. Pictures don't do this justice as the diameter was as big as a dinner plate. Now shock factor is one thing, but how did it eat? Well, I'm happy to report that it was actually pretty good! Although the meat patty was cooked all-the-way-through, it wasn't overly dry. With all of the ingredients combined, it ate like a fully-loaded burger, but just bigger (yes we had to divide it into quarters). Onto something lighter, the Seafood Hot Pot consisted of prawns, halibut, salmon, mussels and clams in an orange tomato fennel broth. Aromatic and only a bit rich, the broth ate well with a tang and sweetness. There wasn't as much brininess as I would've expected, but the ample well-prepared seafood made up for that. Loved dipping the bread into the broth.
For our meat main dish, we selected the 10 oz. AAA Rib Eye with roasted wild mushrooms, baby tomatoes, roasted garlic mash and red wine jus. It was prepared medium rare where it was very tender while still meaty (sometimes, I find rib eye hit and miss in terms of texture, but this was excellent). For dessert, we had 3 items including Apple Strudel, Chocolate Decadence Cake and Xango Cheesecake. Remarkably better than their previous version, the apple strudel was full of sweet raisins and apples. It was nice spiced and encased in crispy phyllo. Not too sweet and rich with chocolate, the decadence cake was flourless and had layers of ganache with raspberry coulis on top. My favourite of the bunch was the cream cheese-stuffed fried tortilla with caramel sauce. Unique and actually not heavy, I got my cheesecake fix without feeling like I ate a brick. Beyond this visit, I've been to the American Grille quite a few times in the past for dinner, lunch and some tastings. I always found the food acceptable for a hotel restaurant. It is nice to see that they have elevated the menu to include more choices while including some favourites.
"If you build it, they will come". You may recognize this from Field of Dreams starring Kevin Costner (well assuming you are a movie buff or aren't a millennial...). This phrase holds true when it comes to restaurants and other services. Now you might think that I'm referring to these aforementioned businesses, but I'm actually talking about the condos and high rises that have sprouted up on the North Shore close to the 2nd Narrows Bridge. You build those and the businesses will follow suit. That is a bonus when restaurants show up. Selfishly, it benefits me as it is close by to where I play hockey on Friday nights! So I was naturally intrigued when we were recently invited to check out the newly opened Colony Northwoods.
As the Loaded Tater Tots arrived, Diana grabbed it immediately and we started chowing down. As much as these were deep fried until golden and crispy, they were not overly greasy. Loved how the inside still retained a soft potato texture. These remained crispy despite the drizzle of chipotle mayo, plethora of banana peppers, green onion, jalapenos, pico de gallo and sour cream. As you can imagine, there was a "nacho" like quality to this dish that was accented by the creamy spiced mayo. Heading completely off to the other side of the food spectrum, we had the Rainbow Glory Bowl consisting of quinoa, spinach, fried tofu, cucumber, beets, carrots, pumpkin seeds, almonds and tahini dressing. Yes, the ingredients were indeed fresh and full of textures, but the dressing is what made the salad. It was nutty, aromatic, sweet and lightly tangy. This didn't look filling, but it was so packed, there was still plenty after we took our own servings.
Although they were serving hot wings, Diana asked for their Lemon Pepper. What a great idea as these were on point. Medium in size, the wings featured crispy skin that was properly rendered. This, combined with the tender and nearly juicy meat on the inside, meant that the wing ate well. They weren't messing around as the wings were aggressively coated with a tonne of black pepper. Therefore, the pepperiness was at the forefront. However, there was an equal amount of tang from the lemon juice which added a touch of "Phnom Penh-ness". Very tasty and I would totally order these again. Next, 4 cute little Corn Dogs were presented in a slanted bowl and accompanied by dijon and ketchup. The fairly thin layer of batter was lightly crunchy and spiked with herbs. Inside, the Nathan's weiner was juicy and flavourful. I enjoyed dipping it into the dijon more than the ketchup as it added a vinegary sharpness to balance off the saltiness.
One of my favourite dishes was the Crunchy Chicken Sandwich with house pickled red onion, arugula and herb mayo. Sure, the white meat wasn't exactly juicy, but it wasn't dry either (maybe the edges, but that is understandable). I found the coating to be well-seasoned and crunchy while still airy and light. The right amount of herbed mayo added both moisture and another layer of flavour while the pickled onion took care of the acidity. This was completed by a soft toasted bun. Staying on the same theme, the CJ Burger was pretty solid. It wasn't anything crazy consisting of aged cheddar, butter lettuce, tomato, red onion, pickles and burger sauce, but there wasn't anything to complain about. The charred patty was fairly moist while the rest of the ingredients were fresh. On the side, we found house-cut fries which were on point. These were crunchy with a soft potato centre.
Onto some larger dishes with a full rack of Danish Baby Back Ribs with house made BBQ sauce. To be frank, I'm never a fan of ribs at restaurants that are not true BBQ houses. Maybe it has something to do with my trip to Texas... However, this one here featured a unique BBQ sauce that set it apart from most chain restaurants. It was very tangy from the apple cider vinegar and not extremely sweet. The ribs themselves were not par-cooked to death, which meant they retained a meaty chewiness. They were still tender though, so it wasn't difficult to eat. All-in-all, a respectable version from a non-BBQ joint. When the Salmon Cobb Salad arrived, I was a skeptical. The salmon looked overdone and dry. Yet, I was wrong. It was actually moist and flaky while well-seasoned. That was a good thing as the goddess dressing was on the milder side albeit creamy. 
We had a few bonus dishes (ordered by the table) in the Dry Fried Squid with sambel oelek, green onions, green beans and chili garlic sauce. This featured pronounced flavours that were spicy, salty and aromatic. The squid itself was tender and lightly battered. There was a bit too much grease though when they wok (or pan) tossed it. Ending off the meal, we had Macaron Ice Cream Sandwiches. Nothing particularly complex here, but they were nice little bites nonetheless. The macarons themselves featured a crispy shell that gave with to a chewy centre. So as you can see, the food here at Colony is not particularly fancy. It isn't meant to be, rather it is accessible, well-priced and solid. Good place to enjoy the atmosphere and dining space while grabbing a drink and some eats.
More than ever, it seems that some independent restaurants (those that are not part of a chain) are taking more risks as in offering up nose-to-tail cookery. Furthermore, the farm-to-table movement is becoming more mainstream where diners are focusing on quality and fresh ingredients. Of course, that usually comes at a price and frankly, a large chain would have a hard time with that kind of commitment. That is where a small place such as the newish Opus Co comes into the picture. This was something that fit Miss Y like a glove as the "Opus Feast" was as Paleo as it gets for dining out.
The aforementioned Feast is their tasting menu for $50.00pp that features shared plates that are chosen by the chef. We decided to sit right at Chef's Counter where we could watch our food being prepared. We began with a small Charcuterie Plate consisting of house-made sweet capocollo with sesame salt, lamb spam and turnip with shrimp paste. This was a simple plate that highlighted their use of Asian seasoning. We loved the lamb spam (made with cured lamb belly and trimmings) as it was meaty and lean while being easy on the salt. The fermented saltiness of the shrimp pasted turned an ordinary turnip into something flavourful and impactful.
Next up was the Kale Salad with roasted squash, Asian pear, peanut sauce and cilantro vinaigrette. This was another flavour explosion thanks to the aggressive use of the tangy and bright dressing. I appreciated the restraint with the cilantro as it can be overpowering if not used properly. Due to the intense briny saltiness, it appeared there was fish sauce in the vinaigrette. We did agree that there was probably just a tad too much dressing though. The robust texture of the kale did stand up to the strong flavours though while the peanut sauce added creamy aromatics.
Onto the mains, we shared the Pan-Seared Steelhead with kasu "risotto", beets and grilled treviso. If there was perfection in preparing the steelhead, this would be it. The skin was appealingly crispy and well-salted while the flesh was just barely cooked through which meant it was flaky, moist and buttery. On the side, the beets were tender and sweet while the grilled treviso was crunchy and lightly bitter. By employing the leftover lees from sake-making, the kasu riostto was an interesting addition where it was soft and lightly creamy with a bright and only mild sake background flavour.
From fish, we went with Pork Belly with crispy rice with pork fat and dressed with fermented black bean sesame dust. Another side consisted of salted radish. The rolled piece of roasted pork belly was sliced and then seared. The result was a wealth of fatty aromatics combined with the caramelization of flavours. We could really taste the pork since it was not overseasoned (this was a good thing). It was super buttery and tender where it didn't take much effort to cut and chew. The rice was crispy and chewy with the essence of pork fat while the dust added a nutty saltiness that accented the pork.
Our last savoury item was the Lamb Loin rubbed with anchovy and garlic atop a miso creme fraiche accompanied by pickles. Prepared a beautiful medium-rare (close to rare in some parts which was fine by us), the meat was succulent and fatty sporting caramelized exterior. The flavours were intense with a briny saltiness, yet restrained enough that it didn't overshadow the delicious fattiness of the lamb. The side of pickles added an acidity and crunch that helped cut through the fatiness.
For dessert, we were presented with a duo consisting of Bay Leaf Buttermilk Ice Cream with candied squash and a cranberry shortbread cookie as well as Carrot Cake with a sticky marmalade on top. Creamy and lightly woodsy, the ice cream was purposefully sweet. Loved the robust sweet squash on the side. As for the carrot cake, it was fluffy and light where the sweetness was surprisingly restrained. Even the marmalade was not over-sweet. As you can plainly see, we enjoyed our meal at Opus Co where the food is interesting and well-prepared. The Feast is an incredible value and I just might head back when I'm in town.
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