Pier 73

Michael turned another year older recently and of course we struggled to decide where to go eat. I would say it took us the whole good evening to figure out where the guy wanted to spent his birthday.

We decided to go to Pier 73 located at 3500 Cessna Drive, the website says its located in Vancouver which is really confusing because it is located at the Delta Airport Hotel in Richmond.

I have been to Pier 73 once with my mom but never returned and it was Michael's first time, I honestly don't know why we never thought about coming to the place. Pier 73 is located near the Vancouver International Airport, right by the Fraser River on the edge of Richmond. We can see the boats floating around and it was nice to have a view during the night. The restaurant is quite big and it felt like being in a dome when we were inside because of its high ceilings. 

I would say Pier 73's atmosphere  is a combination of bar and lounge. Like family fun meets raging hockey fans. Of course it serves the standard hot wings, nachos, and various other bar appetizers but it has some upscale meals as well.

Three Cheese Crab Dip 

One appetizer caught Michaels attention was the Three Cheese Crab Dip ($12). It was crab meat, roasted artichokes, basil, mozzarella, and cream cheese. Along with nachos and toasted baguette on the side. Surprisingly the dish was actually filled to the brim with crab, we thought it was just going to be swamped with cheese and only tiny bit of crab. But nope we were certainly wrong. There was a strong sweet crab aroma that we knew for sure these ones were the fresh ones. The sweetness of the crab complimented the creaminess of the cheese very well. The nachos and baguette was of course an incredible combination.  I loved the crunchiness with the soft gooey crab and cheese.

Although this was an amazing appetizer, Michael and I wished that there the amount of nachos and baguette was enough ratio for the crab dip. We ended up just eating plain nachos. Yum?

Smoked salmon fettuccine 

Moving on to entrees, as I mentioned in a previous post I promised myself I would try and eat more healthy this summer. Of course I had considered the healthy route but Michael convinced me on the pasta. So I thought okay fine, tonight will be my cheat day and tomorrow I will go back to being healthy. Anyways, I ended up getting the smoked salmon fettuccine with a creamy white wine sauce ($18). I must say the white wine sauce was very creamy but its a shame that the flavour was also a bit bland. But since the smoked salmon was rather salty I would think it was a fair enough pairing.

Steak and lobster

Michael on the other hand really enjoyed his meal. He had the prime dish - the steak and lobster. For less than $30, Michael thought the dish was appropriately portioned. The lobster shell was flipped inside out as a dish decoration with the meat still attached, which actually made it a little awkward to eat. Pretty though. The steak itself was cooked medium rare as requested and arrived perfectly cooked.

I really enjoyed going to Pier 73 with Michael, they have a great ambiance and I had a lot of fun dining there with Michael. I would love to go back and try out other delightful goodies on their menu.

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Flying Beaver

I know some of my friends like coming to the Flying Beaver to grab a beer at night and relax by the lovely view of the water. The pub is located off of the Vancouver International airport at 4760 Inglis Drive. You can check in for your seaplane to the island and have a meal at the bar before you leave. Michael and I often go to Flying Beaver when we don't know where else to go.

It's a typical bar but their menu is rather more fancy than what most would be used to. I love the interior of the bar because it is all wooden and has snowshoes and various other Canadian pride items displayed, which I think is a little witty and fun.

Caesar salad and garlic bread

I was originally going to get a sandwich today but I quickly changed my mind when our waitress told us about the specials. How could I  resist their specials menu's mac and cheese? The dish arrived served with little steak bites with caesar salad and garlic bread on the side ($13.95).

Mac & cheese

The mac and cheese was actually rather light even though it was oozing with cheese everywhere, maybe because the cheese sauce was runny instead of thick and heavy. The steak wasn't too tough but was a little chewy. I would say it was pretty good. The caesar salad tasted classic with Parmesan shavings on top, but the garlic bread didn't taste very garlicy. I did enjoy dipping my bread in the mac and cheese sauce though.

Prime rib with scalloped potatoes and asparagus

Michael had the prime rib with scalloped potatoes and asparagus. He thought the meat was a little tough, but for its low ($15.95) price, it had a ton of flavour and was worth every penny. Michael especially liked the scalloped potatoes, he said they were cooked with just enough crunch and were sliced thin enough to make every bite delicious.

Flying Beaver is fun place to eat at and we think that its a great place for casual dinners for the days where you have no clue where to go for dinner.

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ABC Cafe

ABC Cafe, not exactly an original name with pretty mediocre food. Michael decided to go to Aberdeen Center in Richmond today and he got hungry after going on a hunt for some shoes. There were a few restaurant decisions but we ended up choosing the cafe at the 4151 Hazelbridge Way mall, tucked away in the property's back halls. It's not a very visible location and seems like not a lot of people would venture down to its corner. Michael and I have been to the restaurants at this location before ABC came along, but all these restaurants all ended up disappearing sooner rather than later.

ABC Cafe is suppose to be a classic Hong Kong diner menu with set menu with soups and drink and various other a la carte meals such as baked spaghetti, rice and noodle dishes. But ABC added a fancy element to the restaurant and also serve king crab and lobsters, which we found a little odd because we rarely see fancy meals like this served at a Hong Kong diner. The restaurant was not busy at all, which is not surprising because of its location, although the unit is pretty big.

Penne with Italian sausage

Although I wasn't hungry I didn't want to order something big, but Michael  insisted that I order the set menu because it's cheaper and comes with a drink. So I did, lately I have been craving to eat pasta but never got around to fulfilling that crave. I got the spaghetti menu ($9.50), I love tomato sauce from Hong Kong diners because they tend to taste creamier than the tangy taste from western restaurants. I picked Penne with Italian sausage, although I thought it was going to be spicy like chorizo, I think it tasted like regular sausage.

Hong Kong borscht

Michael got the sizzling grill menu ($12.95), which is when the meal is served on a hot plate. He got to choose two dishes and a side dish. It also comes with a soup and drink. Michael chose the Hong Kong  borscht. Which is made from tomatoes rather then the traditional Russian borscht made from beats.

Steak and chicken with mushroom sauce, served with rice

The server said they don't have the hot plate today though, so Michael was disappointed and found it very odd. He chose the chicken and steak and rice with mushroom sauce and thought the chicken tasted very good, the skin was crunchy and it came in a big portion. But the steak on the other hand was not that great. It wasn't seasoned that well but the mushroom sauce did help it a little.

Hong Kong style sweetened ice lemon tea

Michael and I both agree that we can live without coming back here. The restaurant seem like they don't serve the greatest food and for Hong Kong diners, Michael and I think we have visited better ones.

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Neighbour's Restaurant

We've got another food adventure inspired by John Catucci from You Gotta Eat Here on the Food Network. Michael and I went to Neighbour's Restaurant Pizza and Pasta House with my fabulous aunt, located on 6493 Victoria Drive in Vancouver.

The inside is dimly lit and blooms a cozy feel

I have a childhood friend who lives really close to the restaurant, so if she is reading this I wanted to say hello. When Michael and I walked in to the restaurant it seemed really cozy, like a family style restaurant. I liked that there were pictures of John Catucci around the establishment and on their menu.

The menu at Neighbours is really big, there is so much to choose, from pasta, pizza, a combination, or Greek food. It was such a big menu that the three of us, Michael, my aunt and myself, couldn't decided what we wanted and took a good 15 to 20 minutes to decide what we wanted.

Their most popular dish - baked lasagna

I initially thought I was going to order the pizza because that's what John got, but everything changed when I saw the menu. After a long time deciding our linner (a combination of lunch and dinner), I got the baked lasagna ($14.95) since the menu claimed it's their most popular dish. It tasted a lot more cheesier then an average lasagna, that was a major plus, and the meat sauce with the lasagna wasn't overwhelming, so everything went really well with the combination. I would describe the food as smooth and very flavorful from the gooey cheese and the light taste of the meat.

Chicken Mediterranean Dish

Michael got the Chicken Mediterranean Dish ($15.95), and thought the chicken was nice but it was a little over seasoned and a little salty for his liking. But there were lots of the chicken so that was nice. He said the mushrooms in the chicken was a nice combination as well and that the rice pilaf on the side was very enjoyable - good flavour and mixing well with the chicken. The salad was nice and light, with sprinklings of cheese giving a little creamy taste.

Canadian bacon and pepperoni pizza

My aunt got the Canadian bacon and pepperoni ($19.95) pizza, and was ever so nice to let me try. I thought the pizza was really good, meaty and cheesy, and the pizza overall was light so it didn't feel too overwhelming after finishing. I usually leave the crust behind when I finish a slice, but the Neighbour's crust was light and it was far from being dry.

Overall, Michael and I really liked Neighbour's and we wouldn't mind going back to try some more different selections on the menu. For the price that we paid, the amount of food we were served is outrageous. We left the restaurant really full and we can't wait to go back for more food.

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Beachside Forno

This is our last place for Dine Out 2012. I still didn't find the "knock my socks off" feeling, but I think tonight's restaurant might have given a slight breeze to blow my socks in the right direction.

Beachisde Forno, 1362 Marine Drive, West Vancouver. Michael found out about this place browsing around Google and we decided to take a chance. The exterior of the restaurant was very West Coast, with its beach ambiance right by the water, attracting customers with warm yellow light blooming through its windows.

Onion soup

Inside, the restaurant looked very cozy and welcoming, and the small size of the restaurant emphasized that characteristic. Their dine out menu was $18 for a three-course meal and it was perfecto. I'd say it could easily pass for a $38 dine out menu.

For starters, Michael and I had the caramelized onion and chicken soup, with onion flan and crispy cheese. The soup itself was a little bit salty, which didn't really bother me. It tasted like the traditional French onion soup without the soggy croutons and mounds of cheese. I didn't realize there was crispy cheese after reading the menu, when I ate the crispy cheese it tasted like crispy air and I loved it. It was my favourite part of the soup.  Michael thought the soup could use some more cheese and the flan seemed a little undercooked.

Mussels & fries

For my entree I had the Salt Spring Island mussels and fries with house-made chorizo sausage, tomato puttanesca broth, and scallion. I thought it tasted lovely. The broth was tangy with a little kick that gets you in the back of your taste buds. The mussels were pretty fresh and very tasty. The fries they were nice, crispy and lightly seasoned with salt - a very nice combination with the mussels. 

Lamb orechiette

Michael had the braised Peace Country lamb orechiette, with lamb bacon lardons, roasted onions, "cafe au lait" sauce. Michael said that the lamb was very nicely cooked but he could have used more meat and pasta. The dish didn't use many ingredients and it was a little too simple. Just your average meat and pasta. Michael's situation reminded me of posh restaurants in New York's upper east side, where dinner is served on an enormous plate, with a baby portion of food.

Cheesecake parfait

 For dessert, Michael and I had the strawberry cheesecake parfait, with strawberry ice cream and graham cracker. For someone that doesn't like strawberries (me) I really liked this parfait. the ice cream was nice and light, while the mousse and strawberries didn't overpower any other flavours in the dish. The dish came with a cracker that tasted like mini ginger snap cookies, I loved the dessert, and it was served in a wine glass, how cute! Michael thought this was the best dessert he has had during this Dine Out experience.

Michael and I tried to look for more Dine Out deals this weekend, but sadly there were no suitable dinner times. We were originally planning to go to a bar lounge restaurant that a fabulous aunt of mine took me to during my late teen years, and I'd like to give a big shout out to her, hello! Overall I would give this restaurant a solid A, out of all the dine out places I have had with Michael this was by far the best place we had. I am pretty determined to come back to Beachside Forno but I am not sure if I am willing to sit in the car for that long period of time, it's pretty out of the way. With the end of Dine Out, we'll go back to reality and start eating from the regular menus.


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Steveston Seafood House

Me and Michael were suppose to go to a restaurant I had been wanting to try for awhile in Vancouver. But we got lazy and decided to stay local.

We ended up going to Steveston Seafood House on 3951 Moncton St in Steveston Village. This place is one Michael's favorite places to eat. They offer fish steak instead of the more usual fried fish. Tonight we ordered our regular, we started off with the Appetizer Platter for $11.25 per person, it served  prawns, scallops, smoked salmon, crab cakes, shrimp, calamari and fresh shucked oysters.

Appetizer Platter

The marinara sauce on the side went lovely together with the prawns and  cakes.  For our entree I got my usual Seafood Penne in a creamy tomato sauce, a medley of halibut, salmon, scallops, and prawns, for $20. The large plate was too much for me to eat, I did the best I could. Michael had the Misoyaki Sablefish for $25. He said that it was little salty for his liking, but other then that he had a blast eating at the restaurant. He always does.

Seafood Penne

Steveston Seafood's environment is pretty ordinary with a few fishing and boat decorations. This restaurant is not a place where I would bring a lot of our young friends to, but it seems to draw many of the senior locals around the area. With the total coming to $91.22 including tip I would say this dinner was a fair success! I know for sure Michael would want to return to this restaurant pretty soon.

Misoyaki Sablefish

On a side note, Vancouver Dine Out 2012 is coming soon. Michael and especially myself are looking forward to this culinary adventure. I am extremely looking forward to it because, out of all the times I have been to dine out I have never experienced a restaurant that knocked my socks and left me feeling WOW! and each year I always look forward to finding this experience. Hopefully this year I will get what I want from one of these restaurants. Fingers crossed.

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