Supping in Vancouver: Trattoria Italian Kitchen
Trattoria Italian Kitchen
1850 West 4th Avenue, Vancouver
Ph: 604-732-1441 or Reserve Online
For our second ladies' night out exploring the restaurants along 4th Avenue, we chose Trattoria. They don't take dinner reservations so we planned to arrive early, just after 6 pm. We were seated promptly, and when one of our party asked to move away from the the proximity of the windows, we were rapidly relocated to a more central table.
We chose a bottle of Merlot from Markham Vineyards in Califonia; the "Glass Mountain 2002", smooth and mellow, which went down well.
Although many items on the menu appealed, in the end three of us decided to share the Carne and Pesce platter; grilled tiger prawns, veal marsala, grilled lamb chops and forno roasted trout, served with baby arugula salad, and roasted red and golden beets. We also had a side order of lemon roasted potatoes. Each food item was nicely prepared, cooked perfectly and well flavoured and the shared platter was quite substantial. So much so that no one even contemplated desert.. Our fourth person ordered pasta with a bolognese sauce which she also enjoyed.
The service was efficient and unobstrusive. We all agreed that the meal was excellent value and a pleasing follow up to our previous dine out experience.
Review From The House: East of Berlin
East of Berlin
By Hannah Moscovitch
Directed by Alisa Palmer
Tarragon Theatre and Chutzpah Festival
The Firehall Arts Centre
Feb 18 -28, 2009
Brendan Gall and Diana Donnelly: Photo by Cylla von Tiedemann
Vancouver, BC: Until now, the words " victims of the Holocaust" to me encompassed the dead and the survivors of the concentration camps, their relatives and their descendants. In a different way, one might also consider that the psyche of every Jewish person, whether directly connected to the camps or not, has been victimised by the attitudes underlying the Nazi's "Final Solution". I often wondered how the men and women who committed those unspeakable crimes could possibly justify it to themselves and their spouses. For a soul-chilling rendition of the Wannsee Conference see Frank Pierson's brilliantly directed 2001 film "Conspiracy" with Kenneth Branagh as Reinhard Heydrich and Stanley Tucci as Adolf Eichman. More recently "The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas" based on the novel by John Boyne and "The Reader" based on the book by Bernhard Schlink attempt to examine the kind of people who could perpetrate such atrocities on other human beings.
Review From The House: The Glass Box
The Glass BoxWritten and performed by Kyla Harris, Watson Moy and Susanna Uchatius
Directed and dramaturged by Joanna Garfinkel
Theatre Terrific Society
Playwrights Theatre Centre Studio
Feb 18-28 , 2009
Vancouver, BC: As readers of my theatre columns from the "Rants, Raves and Reviews" days to the current "As I See It" commentaries would know, I am always excited by plays that challenge me to think in new ways or question my basic assumptions. I really did not know what to expect when I went off to see "The Glass Box" but this original work developed by the three actors, succeeded in both aspects. When filling in the survey form after the show as we were invited to do, I came across a question that tried to get at the emotions that this play aroused. I can't remember all the options but I do remember that one of the words was "uncomfortable" and that I had to admit to myself that this was one of the reactions I felt. Now before you assume this is a negative - after all people generally go to theatre to be entertained not to feel uncomfortable - by acknowledging that I responded to the material in that way, I felt compelled to think and talk about issues that I would not normally think much about. So instead of getting into the car and heading straight home, we ended up round the corner at the restaurant, talking about the play for a long time.
Dresses, Dances, Dreamy: Snowball Classic 2009
Snowball Classic 2009 Photo by Andrew Leung, Picture This
I have come to my ballroom dancing addiction relatively late in life. When I made a "mid-life" decision to change careers and redeploy myself from left brain physician/scientist to right brain entertainment /travel writer, one of my residual left brain activities was to make a list of the ten things I wanted to accomplish in the next ten years. Top of the list was to get back to dance, especially the Latin dances, which I had loved in my late teens when my knees were still elastic and my hips could actually swivel. So having tried out a couple of dance styles and studios, I found myself at the Vancouver Ballroom for a beginner bronze samba class - and after the first lesson I was hooked! Two years later, thanks to the endless patience of Bernice and Aegide, though neither my brain nor my body learns as easily as a sixteen year old, I am working my way through the medal tests in Standard and Ballroom and rejuvenating myself in
the process. Sort of like Benjamin Button.
Supping in Vancouver: Boneta Restaurant
Boneta
1 West Cordova,
Vancouver, BC
Ph: 604-684-1844 or Reserve Online
When I really really really enjoy the first taste of a dish, I sometimes spontaneously break into an odd little shoulder-jiggling dance accompanied by sounds of appreciation that I don't quite know how to spell. Sort of like - uhuhuhuh! Jiggle,jiggle, jiggle -uhuhuhuh. When I realized some time ago that I have this tendency I worked hard to control it - It's not very dignified to be making incoherent sounds of bliss when you are trying to be objective in your approach to evaluating your meal. Still every now and then I forget - the food is great- and the jiggle appears.
At the first taste of the smoked bison carpaccio appetizer at Boneta - uhuhuhuh- jiggle, jiggle, jiggle. It could have been embarrassing but seated opposite me, my dining companion was reacting to his first taste of the carpaccio in the same way. Hmmm. Maybe it's a universal sign of appreciation. Served on a bed of arugula with a sherry vinaigrette, the carpaccio was accompanied by shavings of parmesan, walnuts and quail's egg and was really quite delicious.
As we waited for our next courses we admired the way in which the menu is projected onto the wall. It is very clear and easy to read - and I imagine easy to change if need be at the drop of a hat. Our server brought us bread, warm from the oven. It was a buckwheat sourdough loaf, very tasty. And the butter was at a spreadable temperature.
Supping in Vancouver: Restaurant at Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts
Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts
1505 West 2nd Avenue
Vancouver, BC
Tel: 604-734-4488
It is probably more than 10 years since I had dinner at this location and it has been on my list of places to check out for ages. So finally, before heading off to a play at the PTC stage I reserved a table. Although my dining companion described the decor as somewhat minimalistic, I liked the spaciousness, the simplicity and the ambience. The tables are a reasonable size and spaced comfortably apart so that one can converse easily. The student chefs, who work as servers one night each week, are polite but not intrusive.
The restaurant offers a Prix Fixe menu for $36.00 with a choice of appetizer, main course and dessert. Somehow I had missed the fact that in February they were having a 2 for 1 special so that in the end our meal, 2 glasses of wine and 2 coffees cost under $40.00 each including service charge. Having said that it seems a little bit chintzy to comment on the fact that my scallop and salad appetizer came with a single small (nicely cooked) scallop. I would have expected a couple more. His minestrone was served in an attractive soup bowl but could have done with a touch more flavour.
Supping in Vancouver: Piato Estiatorio
Piato Estiatorio
1835 West 4th Avenue,
Vancouver
Ph: 604-568-2929 or Reserve Online
More than thirty years ago,the first time I sailed on the Aegean Sea, I fell under the spell of the Aegean islands. Much later when our oldest child was in his final high school year, as we planned a vacation in Europe with our children,the first component of the trip that we all agreed on was to go sailing among the Greek Islands. The image of white washed homes reflecting sunshine against cerulean waters has always stayed with me - and made me into an interior decorator's nightmare. In my home I always end up painting the interior walls stark white to recapture the sense of light and airiness.
And then there was the food. Sailing up to a taverna and eating freshly caught fish or calamari while inhaling an enchanting mixture of salty sea air "perfumed" with garlic.
As my friends and I settled into our seats at Piato we discussed how we all loved Greek food , especially the mezes but that there seemed to have been little change in food presentation in the restaurants we had eaten in over the years. As one asked plaintively, "why do they always serve huge helpings of potates and rice on the same plate?"
Review From The House: Basic Training
Basic TrainingWritten, directed and performed by Kahlil Ashanti
Vancity Culture Lab at The Cultch
Feb 10 - 13, 2009 at 8 pm, Feb 14 2 pm and 8 pm
Vancouver, BC: In a fast moving 75 minute solo performance, Kahlil Ashanti perfoms episodes from his life, from the time he leaves home to enlist in the United States Air Force. He brings such fresh energy and immediacy to the piece that it was hard to believe that he premiered Basic Training in 2004 and has since brought it to many centres including the Edinburgh Fringe, and New York.
Performing on a bare stage in the new black-box Culture Lab space - his only prop a chair - Ashanti creates 23 different characters from young girl to Turkish soldier. With a roll of the eyes, a flick of the wrist and an altered vocalization, he can be an effete entertainer, a bulllying drill sergeant and Khalil, the air force enlistee, all in the matter of seconds. I loved his characters auditioning for the Tops in Blue, specially José, the Latin dancer who seemed to be doing a chachacha to one of my favorite samba tunes! I also loved his "liver lover" song that he "spontaneously" made up for the little girl, who wanted him to sing a country music song. Very cute. At many points in the show Ashanti called for audience interaction and the very responsive audience obliged, clapping, applauding and cheering to order.
Notes from Gillian's Kitchen: Where's the wrinkle in this?
Checking out the productsIt's tough when you still feel twenty inside but the mirror reminds you that you are not. Those silver threads among the brown are not highlights from your hairdresser and the little creases round your eyes and on your forehead- well, frankly they call those wrinkles. So if you are wary of surgical scalpels and don't want neurotoxins injected into your forehead or hyaluronic acid into your lips, what's a girl to do?Well most of us turn in droves to the cosmetics industry. We buy cleansers and defoliants, moisturisers and SPF foundations, day treatments, night treatments and all-day skin protection, and finish it all off with makeup to hide our flaws, make our skins glow, emphasize our eyes and plump our lips.
According to a 2007 report from researchandmarkets.com, there are 3700 companies in Canada who together manufacture more than 20,000 different cosmetics. A a briefing from a plastic surgery convention a couple of years ago stated that globally we spend more than $30 billion dollars a year on buying cosmetics.
Supping in Vancouver: Relish
Relish
888 Nelson Street
Vancouver, BC
Ph: 604 -669-1962
Visit 1: Chilled by the icy wind and still stunned by the film we had just seen, (the Boy in the Striped Pyjamas) we settled gratefully into the comfortable booth we were offered and began to thaw. It was not quite 5:30 and quiet so we had the opportunity to chat to Tracey, our charming server, about the restaurant and menus. Although I was tempted by many of the other a la carte items on the menu, the Prix Fixe special that offered a soup or salad, an entree from the fresh sheet, and a dessert or cheese plate, was too good value to pass up. And it was a good choice too.
We both started with salads; he had the house salad and I took the caesar salad. Very tasty and satisfying, with plenty of parmesan shavings. A glass of 2007 Pentage Gewürtztraminer was a nice sipping choice. Our mains were excellent; a seared duck breast cooked to perfection and a mocha crusted sirloin served with gnocchi and asparagus in a parmesan cream sauce.
He chose apple pie but I couldn't pass up the two-cheese plate. I picked the featured Guiness Cheddar and Cambazola. When Tracey brought the cheese, apricots, candied walnuts a couple of grapes and toast slices served on an attractive slate, she noticed that instead of the chosen Guiness Cheddar there was a different cheese. She promptly brought an additional side plate with some Guiness cheddar. Nice touch.
