food review

La Terrazza
1088 Cambie Street
Vancouver
Ph: (604)-899-4449

When I first moved into the Yaletown area four years ago, La Terrazza was literally a two minute walk from my rented apartment and I enjoyed several meals there. But I had not been back for more than a year, since I moved to my new home a few blocks further away. Each time I drove up Cambie on my way to dance class, I would make a mental note that it was time to check out La Terrazza again - but my mental notes seemed to get misfiled!

Then one rainy Vancouver night I had tickets for a performance at GM Place and it occurred to me that this would be the perfect time for a pre-show dinner at La Terrazza. From there it would be a quick walk to The Garage.

We arrived a bit early but were promptly seated at a comfortably sized table for two. The ambience was as warm and welcoming as I remembered with tables spaced far enough apart that conversation can be at a comfortable level.

While we studied the menu I sipped a glass of  2007 Stoneleigh Riesling from the Marlborough area of New Zealand. With a light citrus taste it had a nice balance of sweetness and acidity.

Enigma Restaurant
4397 W. 10th Avenue
Vancouver.
Ph: (604) 222-6881

Being  South African by birth, I was naturally intrigued when Enigma was suggested as a before-theatre dinner spot. The proprietors are from South Africa and my  dinner companion suggested that the menu featured  several dishes of  African origin.  We were on our way to see Ivanov at the Jericho Arts Centre so the location of Enigma at 10th and Trimble, just up the hill from the Centre,  was perfect.

As well as  "foodie" I am very much a "wordie" so naturally I wondered about the name. Enigma is an unusual name for a restaurant. But  the Buchmans explain - "how could such delicious food possibly be so affordable?"  Hmmm.... That's setting my expectations high.

The menu was appealing with lots of my favorite appetizers, and the prices did seem reasonable. Unlike the restaurant  Braai which I reviewed in New York last year, this menu was more eclectic than ethnic South African. But I noted that the menu featured curries and that a special for the day was braised lamb shoulder. This got my dinner companion raving about the Moroccan lamb dish he had eaten here on  previous visits. Although it was not on the menu our obliging server said she would check with the kitchen. She soon returned with a message from the chef that he would be glad to make the Moroccan lamb if we wanted it. 

 Breeze
661 9th Avenue, New York
Ph: 212-262-7777

Of all the restaurants I have eaten at on this trip, this turned out to be the best surprise.

I was meeting a friend for  a light Sunday lunch before going to see a new play, Emily at Theater Row. I left it to him to pick an eatery nearby the theatre and he liked what he read about this Thai-French fusion restaurant. So we agreed to meet there shortly after noon.

Walking down  the west side of 9 th Ave., on my way to met my friend,  I noted a number of  eateries in a row.  It was a warm day and several of the restaurants, including Breeze, were open to the exterior.  From the outside,  Breeze looked to me more like a casual cafe than the type of establishment that would serve "fine" food but appearances are often deceiving, as I found out.

We decided to share two of their appetizer dishes and a large salad. When the first dish arrived I sat up in surprise at the artistry of the presentation. And indeed each succeeding dish was so beautifully presented that I could not resist showing pictures of all of  them.

We started with the creamy wild mushroom and caramelized onion filling served in a crisp dumpling. It had a extra touch of sweetness from the use of sweet soy sauce with a black truffle foam.

Sangria 46
338 West 46th St., between 8 and 9th Ave., New York
Ph: 212-581-8482

For my last Saturday night in New York, we had managed to get  tickets to Burn the Floor, the ballroom and Latin dance spectacular that so blew me away, that I had to see it again.

For dinner we decided to try Sangria 46, a relatively new restaurant serving traditional Spanish cuisine, a few blocks away from the theatre. I got there a few minutes early and sipped from a glass of Castillo Medina Sauvignon Blanc as I waited for MIke to join me. The place, that can seat about 125 people,  filled up amazingly quickly and the numerous waiters attractively dressed in black pants, white shirts with red scarves, were soon kept very busy.

A bread basket with crusty baguette slices was brought to the table and I munched on a couple of slices until Mike arrived.  He ordered sangria to sip while whe studied the menu.

We did not order any of the main courses as I had I noted that the portions brought to adjacent tables, were quite substantial. I preferred to experience smaller tastes of a greater variety of dishes.  So we decided to order from the tapas menu and share.

We chose four  dishes: chorizo, fried baby artichokes, shrimps in garlic sauce  and crab stuffed mushrooms. Three of the dishes were brought to the table on the stand shown in the picture.  All four dishes were tasty, spicy but not overly so.

After enjoying each morsel of the savoury foods we agreed that a light dessert was in order,  and shared vanilla ice-cream with a sweet sherry topping. Yummy.

 Perbacco
243  E. 4th street, New York
Ph: 212 -253-2038 

Perbacco, enoteca e cucina, describe themselves as a casual restaurant and wine bar in the East Village. When we arrived there close to nine pm on a Friday evening the place was crowded and we had to wait  a while for our table to be cleared.

As I confess in my Travelblogue, New York, New York 2009 – Seven Days of Theatre, Food and Dance:  PART  III, I was tired and  very  hungry whe we arrived there  - it being three hours past my usual dinner time - and the loud conversational noise level and cramped table - where I managed to knock over my glass of wine - did little to make me relax. As well the low ambient lighting made it impossible for my tired eyes to read the menu.

It took a couple of glasses of  a  very mellow red wine to calm me down but eventually it worked and I managed to enjoy the rest of the evening. My caveat is that the combination of wine-soothed neurons and inability to clearly see the notes that I took, means that my descriptions may not be as precise as I would like.

We each decided to have an appetizer and Mike also wanted to try an appetizer pasta dish. 

Oceana
1221 Avenue of the Americas, @ 49th Street,
New York
Ph: 212-759-5941

I guess it is an excellent sign of restauranteur imperturbability when a guest arrives breathless at  your reception desk, announcing that she has a reservation for 6 pm and without blinking an eye, you take her to her table - although she is obviously blissfully unaware that it is 5 pm rather than 6 pm.  For how this particular guest managed this feat, check out  New York, New York 2009 – Seven Days of Theatre, Food and Dance:  PART  II.

As I learned, this restaurant is part of the Livanos group of restaurants that the family has run since 1992. In this new location Oceana has been open since August 17th and the official opening is planned for September 15th. Hmmm... this is the third restaurant that I have been to that will "officially "open on the 15th.

I liked the restaurant ambience.  On each of the four sides of a large square pillar, there is a table which comfortably seats four. Between each table and the pillar runs a comfortable black banquette. I was seated at one of these tables with a nice view of the restaurant and the street scene through the windows. There was great Latin music playing softly in the background.  I had to restrain myself from doing the samba between the tables!

Aureole
135 West 42nd Street, New York
Ph: 212-319-1660

As I was walking along West 42nd Street en route to my dance lesson and enjoying my  Seven Days of  Theatre, Food and Dance in  New York, I glanced in at  Aureole as I walked past. Something about the look of the place attracted my attention and on the spur of the moment, I reversed my steps and decided to see if I could still get lunch. The decor was inviting with warm copper tones and an usual lighting fixture. I took a seat in the outer Bar Room rather than the main restaurant. I liked the touch of the red-gold orchid on the table.

Sarina brought me the lunch menu  which includes a section of bar snacks, appetizers and main courses, served in both the restaurant and the Bar Room area.  As it was just over an hour and a half before my dance class I did not want to overeat and just  selected two of the appetizer dishes.

The first was a foie gras torchon served with brioche, wild strawberries and anise hyssop. Both the latter are very strong aromatic herbs that I thought might overpower the foie gras but not at all. I savored every lingering taste of the dish. Foie gras is definitely one of my weaknesses. I would choose it over cake and cookies anytime.

 DBGB Kitchen and Bar
299 Bowery
New York
Ph: 212-933-5300

As mentioned in Part I of my  NewYork 2009 travelblogue our lunch visit to DBGB Kitchen and Bar was spur-of-the-moment as we walked by the restaurant en route to pick up our luggage before heading off to Brooklyn Terminal for a four night Labour Day Getaway Ballroom dancing cruise. On hearing that we had only a short time for lunch,  the staff seated us  at a comfortable table, promptly brought water, bread and the menu, and assured us that whatever we ordered would be right up.

We were seated in the outer bistro section. The decor was simple with a minimalistic style that appeals to me. The menus were painted in white on large wall mirrors round the room.  Our waiter, Frank, told us that this bistro in the Daniel Boulud group of restaurants, had only been open since May.

We decided to share four appetizer dishes, all of which were quite delicious.

The tuna tartare was served with a sesame-harissa sauce. Harissa is a hot red chili pepper sauce of North African origin, and it added a nice kick to the dish. The tuna tartare  was served with sliced cucmber, radish and crispy rice.

Our other fish choice was  the DB smoked salmon with crispy potato latkes and sour cream - nice but the portion seemed a bit small. Or maybe the plate was too large!

Braai
329 West 51st Street,
New  York
Ph: 212-315-3315

My attention was caught by the name of this restaurant when I was deciding which of the many eateries I should sample in this too short visit to New York. Braai is a South African term for barbecue, and just reading the name evoked pleasurable memories of my childhood. So how could I not try this? My reservation was for 6 pm and I was heading to the theatre for an 8 pm show. 

I almost walked past the entrance, but then noticed the steps leading down below street level to the restaurant with a small courtyard adjacent. There were three small tables in the courtyard and I was seated at one of them. I liked the touch of fresh rose petals scattered around the candle holder.  To expose the public to a wide selection of South African wines, they feature three white wines by the glass and change the selection each night. I chose a glass of 2008 Steenburg Sauvignon Blanc.

The sliced bread came with olive oil for dipping, and an interesting blend of Malay spices called dukka  - in this case, sesame, fennel and cumin seeds in a light curry powder. Nice.

I was amused by the menu headings which were in a sort of pidgin English/Afrikaans mix. There were the Istatahs or appetizers and the Main Kos or entrees. They also offered a prix fixe with choice of appetizer, main course and the ubiquitous (in South Africa) Malva pudding (a cake-like pudding flavoured with apricot jam and served with warm custard) for dessert. 

I was specially interested in the game dishes. They offered sosaties of ostrich and venison as well as chicken.  A sosatie is the Cape Malay term for skewered marinated meat,  blending the terms sate for skewer and sous  for spicy sauces.

Glass House Tavern
252 West 47th Street,
New York.
Ph: 212-730-4800

One of my missions on this trip was to find new restaurants in the theatre district that served contemporary fresh and light cuisine of the kind that is now everywhere in my home city of Vancouver, British Columbia. It was a pleasure to discover the Glass House Tavern just around the corner from the Longacre Theatre where I was going to see  Burn the Floor. According to their description, Chef Craig Cupani provides contemporary American cuisine, emphasizing fresh seasonal ingredients. Sounded just what I was looking for.

I was warmly greeted by the manager, John Lynch, and shown to a window table  from where I could see the Barrymore Theatre across the street, and watch the crowds streaming  by to the Rock of Ages show  - one that due to time constraints I won't get a chance to see - too bad.

When John dropped by to chat during my meal I learned that the restaurant opened only 12 weeks ago,  in June, and that they had interviewed around 3000 applicants for the various positions in the restaurant. From my experience with my server, Alain, they picked well. An experienced server, he was informative and attentive, and proud enough of the restaurant that he took me on a quick tour after my meal.  .