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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The Salmon House up on the Hill

Upscale and boasting a magnificent view of the Burrard Inlet, The Salmon House is an unforgettable West Coast experience. Located in the luxurious West Vancouver at 2229 Folkestone Way, it's not exactly easy to find in the hilly North Shore of the Lower Mainland. But, it was Allison's birthday and I wasn't going to let some hills ruin that.

Grilled Tostadas with Dungeness Crab

For starters, we had the house sampler, $17.50, the Manhattan-style seafood chowder, $8, and two freshly-shucked Fanny Bay oysters on the half-shell, $6, which came with salmon caviar and vodka jelly - delicious.

The house sampler included scallops wrapped with smoked wild salmon, smoked Fanny Bay oysters and a prawn and salmon spring roll, each decorated with a variety of garnishes and edible veggies.

While the dishes were a delight to see, they weren't exactly filling for what we paid. Allison filled up on appies and small plates like the Grilled Tostadas with Dungeness Crab, $13.50, I ordered the Folkestone Feast Bowl, a collection of seafood tossed into a rich and flavourful tomato broth, at $32.50. But wow did it taste good.

Folkestone Feast Bowl

Compared to a similar bowl I had in Stanley Park, this one really hit the spot. The broth was not only delicious, it had a nice, thick texture with enough punch to hit every single one of my taste buds. Definitely made the big price a lot easier to digest.

In the end, I wasn't entirely full after leaving the restaurant, but the excellent service, the delicious food, great decor and clear effort the chef puts into each and every plate made the experience an unforgettable one.

Just don't forget to visit the ATM on your way in.

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