DB Bistro Moderne

Classy and romantic, and less $$$ than Lumiere.
I am sad this place has closed down too… =(
They had the BEST Arctic Char, which was so creamy and scrumptious.

A-​OK I think sums up my experience last night. It was lovely but there were a couple of things that could have been improved.
In my head, I always celebrate Valentine’s Day with a good friend of mine. Significant other or not, we hang out. Really, this was just our second year, but it seems like for forever. So, a few weeks ago, I cruised the dessert menu at DB and immediately made a reservation for 7pm.
We arrived and the hostesses were super nice and asked to take my coat. Our little table was right by the entrance to the kitchen and washroom area, which made it a little busy but not bad. While deciding what we would like to drink, a little stool appeared at the side of our table and one of the managers informed me it was for me to place my giant purse on. Lovely touch, though originally made me think someone was coming over to join us.
We decided on wine and the apple bourbon sour to drink. My cocktail wasn’t as sweet as I had expected but the strong bourbon taste quickly grew on me and it was very good. A little bread basket with foccacia, sourdough, and french bread was brought out for us to sample. All were very good and I liked that the butter was sprinkled with sea salt. For dinner, we ordered the coq au vin and steak frites. Our server was very patient with our multiple questions and always ran to the kitchen to check if he was unsure of the answer.
Our meals were quick to arrive and looked delicious. My steak frites came with a little side salad and my friend’s coq au vin came with a little cast iron dish of spaetzle. My new york strip steak wasn’t the most tender and other than the peppercorn sauce it’s served with, didn’t have much seasoning on it. The side salad was delicious and had little crispy fried onions thrown in it. The fries would have been good but had so much salt on them that my mouth was burning after a couple of bites. More salt on the steak, less on the fries please! The coq au vin arrived in a rich sauce and the chicken was well done. Not very moist but had a nice flavor. The skin wasn’t very appetizing but was easy to push to the side. The spaetzle was delicious and the dish included wild mushrooms and pearl onions.
We were most excited about dessert and it definitely did not disappoint. I had the pumpkin sundae and my friend had the chocolate salted caramel tart. My sundae consisted of a pumpkin mousse, crumbled pie crust, ginger ice cream, and a crème brûlée whipping cream. Everything was delicious, though I didn’t find the ginger ice cream to be very gingery. The chocolate tart is unsweetened chocolate and is a bit of a bitter taste, though goes well with the salt. Their listing of ice creams you could order looked fantastic and I was pretty sure I should have ordered a bunch of desserts for dinner instead.
By the time we left around 9, the restaurant was packed. Overall our server was very informative and we were checked in on by the management several times to ensure we were enjoying ourselves. I would definitely return for dessert, especially around brunch for their bottomless champagne cocktails. Mmmmm!

Went to DB’s for the winemaker’s dinner with my boyfriend on a Tuesday night. I was really looking forward to a nice meal because of the food and wine pairings. We sat at the table and had dinner with three other couples.
I started the evening with a cocktail called white lady and it was pretty good. However that couldn’t be said for the first food and wine pairing course. The rose was flat and the flambee ddin’t have much ingredients on there. I couldn’t decide whether the wine was opened and used for quite some time or the wine itself was just too one dimensional. Others agreed with me.
Next came the cassoulet. The portions were tiny and quite deconstructed, so there wasn’t much to eat. The red wine was ok because it had a short finish. After that they brought the beef duo. Personally found the beef to be too raw and a bit tough. My partner agreed with me. They should asked how cooked we wanted our beef but they ddin’t do that. The braised beef was pretty good because it had a lot of flavour and it was moist too. The wine was amazing. It went really well with the beef.
For dessert we had chocolate tart with a glass of Banyul. Both were pretty good.
At the end of the day, I felt it wasn’t that memorable. Thank goodness I had great conversations with other diners at the table.

I tried DB for brunch. Reservation was straight forward via open table. I went in at 11 and most of the place was empty on Sunday. It did get packed around noon. I just ordered the DB burger as I really wanted to have good burger after a while. They have bottomless Caesars for 20 $ and 27 $ fixed for Champagne cocktails. I decided to stick with the Champagne drinks. Service was prompt and courteous. They did take some time to bring the burger which gave me more time to work on my Kir Royale :)
When the burger arrived it looked pretty good I had ordered it medium as I am a bit apprehensive ordering ground beef rare (I do eat all my steaks rare though) it looked beautiful. I decided to try the fries first which were just right IMO. The burger showed some short-​rib stuffing. With a small piece of Foie Gras. I am Foie Gras luver but couldn’t taste it in this burger. The burger was very nice a juicy. The bun was nice and did well to catch all the dripping juices. Good burger 4 star IMO. Foie Gras is being wasted and I wish they just put it on the side :)
I did enjoy all their champagne drinks though very good value IMO as I don’t think anyone else serves Champagne cocktails for this price and this good. I wanted to cleanse my palate afterwards so I ordered the trio of sorbet. unfortunately they only had piña colada and raspberry. I like the raspberry piña colada was ho hum. Good option for brunch in my opinion specially if you want to drink Champagne :)
I will come back for sure.

Came here to celebrate my friends birthday. The food took awhile to come out, but with a group so large, that can be expected. What I didn’t expect was not being able to pay the bill when I needed to leave.
When I asked for the bill the server offered to split all the bills equally but that was a preposterous offer, with some people ordering bottomless mimosas and others coffee. It just doesn’t make sense for the non-​drinkers to pay for the drinkers. We told him we would like to pay for our portion of the bill. Then waited… and waited.
After 30 minutes of waiting I walked up to the perturbed-​looking server and told him I had to leave and needed to pay. He said I’d have to wait as he was dividing up the water on each bill. I was not aware that we ordered water, so I was surprised that this was why it was taking so long, but let it slide. It couldn’t have been too much, right? I mean, we were all drinking other things, with water there as the staple offering. It didn’t make sense why it was so hard to divide.
I waited longer. I went up a second time and told him that I had to leave and needed to pay ASAP. He told me the bill would be ready in a few minutes. It wasn’t.
Finally the server brought out some individual bills to seats. The first group saw their bills and then protested the addition of water on the bill. It turns out DB was charging our table for over $ 200 worth of water!
Some of the frustrated crew protested the water charge, as we had not ordered bottled water.
The Maître d’ was frustrated (he had been helping the server to pore over the apparently difficult math problem) and insisted that the birthday girl ordered the water. The birthday girl insisted that she didn’t, and when offered sparkling or still, chose still, assuming it was tap water. It was a wrong assumption, fair enough. But $ 200 for water? Come on.
I just wanted to leave (I was quite late at this point for my appointment). With attitude, the Maître d’ insisted that he would not take it off our bills, however more frustrated guests complained and he begrudgingly gave in, and with a snarky voice said that it would now take even longer to wait for our bills.
Completely frustrated (I just wanted to leave, and didn’t care about the water charge) I insisted that I didn’t have the luxury of waiting to adjust the bill and needed to pay now. He started to ring me in at that point (finally) and he did take the water charge off (but the annoyance had already been caused). I was so frustrated at being held up for so long and treated so poorly. I haven’t received such bad service all year. I will not come back.
When you’ve got to go, you’ve got to go…

This restaurant is acceptable. However it does not live up to my expectations. The madelines of course are amazing and the Gnocchi was fantastic. But I have had friend who have complaints about the fish. The chocolate desert is much too rich and dense. I would say 3.5 stars. Its a nice place to go for just a dinner out but save your special occasions for somewhere better.
Comparing it to ‘Daniel’ in New York… its not even in reach…

3.5 stars.
I went to Lumière the last time I visited Vancouver and had one of the best meals of my life, so naturally, I wanted to see if their sister restaurant db Bistro also lives up to the Daniel Boulud name. The space is decidedly more casual than Lumière, but still very sleek and modern. Lining the front of the restaurant are floor-​to-​ceiling windows that allow ample sunlight to spill into the dining area. Natural light makes me happy, and happy Steph has a big appetite :)
I started with a virgin Caesar (
). [I’ve been obsessed with this drink ever since I found out you can’t get them in the States. Seriously.] They season it a little differently and it was one of the tastiest Caesars I’ve ever had, with just the right amount of spice.
My mom and I started with «appetizers» of BRIOCHE FRENCH TOAST (
) and BELGIAN WAFFLE (
). I absolutely LOVED the French toast! The bread was sweet and so incredibly moist it rendered the maple syrup almost unnecessary. It had a custard-​y texture that made me think of a super soft and moist bread pudding. The Belgian waffles, on the other hand, were just meh. I would’ve liked them bigger and fluffier.
We then had the bacon & onion TARTE FLAMBE (
), which although not on the brunch menu is available by request. I liked this a lot – from the crispy thin flatbread to the smoky bacon and tangy and creamy fromage blanc. Eat it fast though, it’s not nearly as good once the flatbread gets cold and soggy.
For our «mains» we got the DUCK POUTIN LYONNAISE (
) and SMOKED SALMON CREPE special (
). The duck poutine was a nice gourmet take on traditional poutine (another dish you can’t find in the US). I loved the duck confit, duck jus, cheese curds, and sunny side up egg all mixed together – very, very hearty! The homefries were cooked well and the duck was salty and delicious – I just wish there was more of it! My favourite dish had to be the smoked salmon crêpe though. Filled also with two perfectly cooked sunny side up eggs (with GORGEOUS bright orange yolks that made me think of boobies), heirloom tomatoes, goat cheese, and basil, the flavour combination was absolutely amazing. The pièce de résistance had to be the Hollandaise sauce it was smothered in, which had the most wonderful kinda caramel-​y flavour. But, again, I wished there was more smoked salmon.
We ended with two desserts: the FIG TART (
) and their special STRAWBERRY FLAMBÉ CREPE (
). To be honest, these were a bit of a let down. I love figs, (like really LOVE figs) but cooking them kills their delicate flavours and textures. Plus, the ice cream was unremarkable and the pastry crust a little dense and not very flaky. The saving grace was the sweet crème anglaise with loads of vanilla flavour. The strawberry crêpe was served with mascarpone mousse, toasted almonds, basil, and ice cream. It was actually pretty tasty, but nothing all that special and definitely not worth $ 14.
It was a good enough brunch, but not really worth a return visit – especially since I already ate most of the dishes I wanted to try =P

I don’t think it deserves a 5-​star, nor do I think it deserves a 4-​star, but Unilocal doesn’t allow ½ stars. So consider this a 4.5-star review.
To begin, the chef brought us this amuse-​bouche. Cannot recall what it was called, but it was this little spicy fried fritter, sitting on a little bed of spicy sauce. It was delicious, the hit of spice was just right, it was not overwhelming in the least. My only complaint is that once finished, the server swooped in to clean the plates, while I wanted to finger up the remaining sauce.
For starters, my dining partner ordered the soup de jour, a joyous bowl of Chilled Gazpacho. Really flavourful. The cucumber note really added to the refreshing coolness of the dish. Yowzers is probably the best way I can put it. A 5-​star soup. Tremendous.
I ordered the Wild Mushroom Tartes Flambées as my starter. The Alsatian Flatbread, upon which the mushroom rested, was unremarkable, just a crisp flatbread. Some sort of seasoning encrusted into the bread would have been nice. One could say that seasoning the flatbread would have taken away from the delicate flavours of the wild mushrooms. I think I’d disagree, and suggest that proper seasoning would have complimented the wild mushroom topping. A 4-​star starter, in this case.
For main courses, I had the Bouillebaise Provencale, while my dining partner had the Top Sirloin Burger Filled with Braised Short Ribs and Black Truffle (aka The DB Burger.)
The bouillebaise was a little meager, basically one type of each seafood (though a couple mussels) and the broth. It was incredibly tasty. I did indeed finish every last morsel and drop.
I will agree with my dining partner that a burger should be able to be eaten as a burger. Not so with the DB Burger. It has to be ate with knife and fork. That is a quibbling complaint, because it was delicious. The pork and black truffle stuffing was very nice, though I could have done with a little more truffle taste (I’d gather there’s not much in the way of actual truffle and more in the way of truffle oil.)
The service was impeccable. And don’t be fooled by the «dressy» dress code people are giving to this place. It is more business casual. A golf shirt and some khakis would do fine here. This is Vancouver after all.
I would return here. Not soon, far too many other places to try, but I would return again in a year or so.

3.5 maybe 4.
I was sold the burger as the best in the world. It was good, very good, but not amazing. But then again I am a purist, the pizza margherita guy so perhaps I don’t get it. Beef with short ribs and fois gras? Too much.
Good apologetic service, as necessary and as you’d expect. Attentive and ready to step in (for their shortcomings).

I love this place!!! I would fly here once a month if I had a lot of expendable cash and plenty of spare time. I’m so glad that Lumiere was fully booked and couldn’t take any walk-​in reservations forcing us to stumble upon DB.
I want to first start off by saying how beautiful the restaurant is and how accommodating and pleasant the serving staff is. In the beginning I didn’t feel like we belonged, but the serving staff was so welcoming it made the experience comfortable and easy going.
For my meal, I ordered the three course Prix Fix Dinner. The soup du jour wasn’t that great, that might be due to the fact I’m not a soup girl, but the other two courses was a dream come true. The main course was a coq au vin w/​spaetzle topped with a Peach Sundae for desert. Believe me when I say OMG!!! I had coq au vin before, but never like this, it made me fall in love with food all over again. It was the perfect meal, perfect balance of ingredients.
Now that I’ve tasted good food I can never go back!!! Darn you DB, you’ve spoiled me.

Had a somewhat disappointing meal here last weekend on our trip to Vancouver. We started off by deciding to order a couple of cocktails instead of go with wine. I tried the Police Gazette and my wife tried the Aviation. Mine was so-​so, but hers was not very good at all. Neither of us could finish it and we decided to switch to wine after that.
For our meal, we started with Gruyère and Bacon flatbread and the Duck pâté. Both were ok but neither were great. For our meals, we had the NY’s original db burger and the bouillabaisse brovencale. The burger was pretty tasty, but the fries that came with it were mushy. The bouillabaisse broth was great, but some of the fish served in it wasn’t so hot.
The location seemed kind of odd, but the service was pretty good. I don’t think we would go back were we ever to come back to Vancouver.

It’s no secret that I enjoy BIG wines. The only thing to pair with big wines is food that will give you a heart attack. That said, THE BURGER at DB Moderne is out of this world. Sure its pricey, it has to be once you see what they put in it.
I truly look forward to my next opportunity to shorten my life-​span at the hands of the master that makes this dish.

What an Awesome Experience. Ive always wanted to come here in the states. Who would of know I would go to canada and try it there? Our experience was soo good. I ordered the original db burger. It was perfectly cooked, perfectly seasoned. Perfect everything. The chef even gave us a complimentary smoked salmon crêpe with hollandaise. Perfect start along with duck confit poutine. Another heaven on a plate dish.
I was so impressed on how everything worked in the burger. I cant wait to have another. Also the service was on point! very nice and friendly waitstaff.

The food gets a solid 3.5−4 stars. The pork terrine appetizer was amazing and perfectly executed. All the condiments were made in house. The flavours were all so great and it was so artistically plated. The bread doesn’t seem to be made in house though. For mains, I had the rock hen duo, which was good. The best part about it was the smooth mashed potatoes. The hen was perfectly cooked though and the flavours were all just right. The dessert was nice – Tarte au Citron or lemon tart. It was a bit sour but it’s the nature of the dessert. I especially enjoyed the cassis sorbet with this.
But here are the few drawbacks that cost the extra star:
When we first arrived, they were behind schedule and we had to wait for a while, which was okay. When there was space to sit in the lounge, we were sat there and they said we could order drinks. However they didn’t bring menus until at least 10 – 15 mins later. And then before they could come around to take drink orders they sat us at our table.
Then, the last thing was that we had sparkling mineral water, which our server then topped up half way through our meal with tap water. Not even a mention of if we would like another mineral water.
In summary, the food was okay-​good. Service needs a little improvement.
Oh an on a final note, the Reina Rosa cocktail was fantastic! I highly recommend it!

Tonight we tried db bistro for the first time. It was one of the best dining experiences I’ve had in a very long time.
First — the space is gorgeous, it’s sleek and modern but very warm and inviting at the same time. I loved the black glass sliding door.
The service was fantastic. The host staff was very friendly and all greeted us with a smile, which is unusual in Vancouver. After they took my coat, I sat down and waited for my friend to walk in. They didn’t hassle us right away for drinks — we took time to go through the extensive bar menu and got GREAT recommendations from one of the staff (not sure who he was — wasn’t a waiter and I don’t think he was a manager…). Let the games begin!
Le Scandale — A cocktail with earl grey, bitters, absinthe, and other good stuff. It tasted like a less harsh chinotto — I would say this is the best cocktail I’ve had in Vancouver.
Le Frenz Muscat — oh holy hell this is the best muscat I’ve had in a while. it paired very very well with my dessert (see below).
Tarte Fine Provencal — beautiful. The puff pastry was light and airy with the right amount of eggplant, cheese and tomato. The peppery touch of the arugula made it one delicious mediterranean bite after another.
Pork Terrine — again, delicious. Fresh, flavourful and just meaty goodness.
Rock Hen Duo — the potato purée was smooth and creamy. It didn’t taste starchy at all. Now comes the good part… the hen. Perfectly cooked — juicy with crispy skin, lots of flavour.
Potato Gnocci — light as a cloud these little bites of magic burst with flavour in your mouth. Mmmmmmm…
Rhubarb Sundae — yum yum yum. A huge helping of whipped cream, rhubarb and oatmeal crisp.
Tarte au Citron — the lemon tart was phenomenal. It doesn’t hurt that lemon is my favourite dessert flavour. It came with a meringue-​type topping and cassis sorbet on the side. Light and refreshing, the perfect way to end a perfect meal.
Overall, this place lived up to everything I heard. I admit I’m a little surprised only because we went during Dine Out where all these places have to pump out copious amounts of the same dishes. They did not sacrifice anything tonight. Mad props to the chef, the wait staff and the whole establishment. I will definitely come back for real.

Lured in by the prospect of trying the db burger for a relatively mere $ 28 CDN (compared with $ 32 USD — hey, makes a difference when the CDN is weak!), I decided to make a trip out to the Moderne while I was back home.
The burger was a rather bulbous concoction at first glance, but skillfully cut down the middle to reveal the remarkably filled patty center. Just within the edges of the patty lay a generous layer of braised short rib, which added a nice textural contrast and flavour to each bite.
The center of the patty showcased an unexpectedly large piece of fois. However, it was not as lush as one would expect, and did not do much more than impress me with the fact that they just crammed an expensive piece of engorged duck liver into a hamburger patty.
Although the fois did not distract from the burger, I can’t say that it ultimately added much to the experience. I may not have the most discerning palate around, but with all the fat and flavour already in the mix, I can’t say that I could taste the black truffle that was allegedly blended into the beef.
BTW, thank you for the amuse — but why are you charging me $ 9 for petit fours?

Rock star dinner.
I’d love to say that we came here because it was highly recommended and widely acclaimed… I’d love to say that we came here because it’s consistently ranked amongst the best restaurants in the country… but that would be a complete and utter lie. The honest truth is that we ended up coming here because my initials are DB and for some stupid reason I gravitate towards things with my initials on it. It’s the same reason I ended up on the damn German railroad for a month.
That being said, what a phenomenal restaurant.
Upon walking in, even though the Canadian Men’s Olympic Hockey team was in the room, we were treated like the most important customers in the restaurant. That’s an outstanding trait for a place of this caliber to have. Every patron is truly an important guest. We were amazed at how well we were received and how warm a welcome we were given. It set the tone for the entire evening.
The drink menu is outstanding and the bar is well stocked. Several creative cocktails are made from in-​house ingredients. Victoria Gin, Absinthe, Whisky Bitters, Salivation, more, more, more.
Our Maitre’D was absolutely perfect. Conversation points were delivered in a non-​intrusive manner while providing an educated glimpse into the cosmopolitan scene of this wonderful city.
The atmosphere of this gorgeous space is active while being relaxed. The food is delivered in generous portions and is flavorful and rich. Service is impeccable. I wish that I could eat these words as I write them.
Undoubtedly the best part of the night was our unrushed conversation with the proprietor of the restaurant, David, who provided us with outstanding insight while making us feel at home.
Strongly recommended.

Definitely one of my most memorable dinners, everything from the food to the service was top notch. I have to give this review one star short of WooHoo cuz I wasn’t super pleased with our table which was smack in the centre of the restaurant. Tho I could’ve ask for a table change, the other options weren’t any better cuz by the wall tables had only a few inches between them and that is a pet peeve to be within spitting distance from other diners. Anyhoo, having said that, they deserve EVERY single star for their stellar food.
We started with tarte flambé and boy oh boy, it was a perfect appy to have, freshly baked with onions, bacon and cheese sitting on top of thin crust, I cannot rave enuf about this dish, if you go, order this as an appy. We had the lobster salad and the pork chop as our entrees. And I can honestly say I have never had a better pork chop cuz I have never had pork this juicy, literally so tender I could cut with my fork. A thick cut sits on top of fava beans and a creamy green pea coulis, it was tres tres delicious! My spouse who almost abhors pork gave it a try and ACTUALLY asked for another piece from me. I have no idea how pork could be this tender.
We ended our meal with a simple flourless chocolate cake reminiscent of the lava cake (my favourite) and it was accompanied by tiny scoops of chocolate and vanilla bean ice cream, a perfect ending.
Service was amazing, attentive but not imposing.
While we were walking out, I was completely sated and cannot wait to return, just to have that chop again.

I think this urban restaurant belongs in Downtown Vancouver along the likes of Market and Italian Kitchen. It’s a lunch spot for corporate bigwigs. But I can’t complain they opened in Kits. With abundant free parking around the area, I’m actually glad they did.
I’m sure we all know who Daniel Boulud is by now. I’m very sad I am not able to watch his «After Hours» TV show here in Vancouver. Are there any plans to bring Mojo HDTV at all? But I digress.
Let’s not fool ourselves and beat around the menu, we’re first and foremost here for the original db burger. It’s not your run of the mill patty. It’s a top sirloin burger filled with braised short ribs and black truffle (truffle!) for a whopping CAD28.00 the width of a dollar menu burger item, but the height of a few burgers stacked on top of each other. The burger arrives split into two with a plate of fries.
I went there for brunch so my review is reserved for that. How else can you compliment a burger, but by pairing some belgian waffle and a classic eggs benedict. The taste is delicate and light. There’s no over-​powering of one spice which makes it perfectly well balanced, in my opinion.
The price is as expected for a restaurant with a name attached to a highly acclaimed chef.
Ambiance and décor is definitely top notch for a bistro. Perfect for lunch. Perfect for groups and family gathering especially for Sunday brunch.
Will definitely be coming back and definitely recommend the place.

Daniel Boulud has come to Canada from New York (or at least his name has). Apparently some of the little things came from the States as well — the little comment card at the end of the meal is U.S. style asking for State and Zip Code. Hello? Province and postal code please? This is not the 51^st State. I wasn’t sure if I should write Canada as the state just to keep Daniel happy. But I digress…
Amusing story of the evening — they have a row of unisex washrooms that are each labeled WC. I saw an elderly gentleman that was clearly originally from overseas looking at the first door for a while, and then decide that W must mean women. He went to the next door, and decided «wrong again» and kept going down the line. He got to the end and looked desperate. I opened one of the doors for him and told him it was «ok.» He looked so relieved! There I go digressing again…
The service was precise and omnipresent. It was similar to the floating waitstaff at a very busy weekend dim sum place in Richmond. I actually appreciated that the entire team was helping each other, jumping on empty plates whenever they saw them and refilling water glasses, etc. The buzz of activity also creates a bit of an energy to the room (which was nicely renovated from the previous Feenie’s space).
The chef (no — not Daniel — local talent Stephane Istel instead) sent an amuse of gruyère and parmesan puff. It arrived warm and had a nice (but not overpowering) saltiness from the cheese. The sommelier was quick to arrive, and knew his wine selection extremely well. He was able to gracefully discuss every wine on the list and know exactly what characteristics each demonstrated. We selected a white burgundy and red bordeaux. Both were superb, and not as terribly marked up as you might expect.
The bread basket was the disappointment of the evening. Three types of breads — but they were of mass bakery quality (like a Terra breads) and not served warm. They clearly had been heated and sat so that the edges were overly hard, yet cold. Not a winner. The replacement basket was no better (although a bit warmer). They need to fix this with some housemade bread pronto! Come on, Daniel!
The tuna tartar had a beautiful plating with the tartar in a circle and covered in a raita. There were two horizontal and vertical lines of gelée (one was yuzu flavoured and the other was chipotle flavoured), and a coriander tuile. The round and linear shapes combined beautifully. The tuna was good, but had a few sinewy parts. The raita could have had a little more fermented flavour. The tuile was superb. I love the idea of using coriander like that. The gelée provided a nice accent as well. Overall a good dish.
The salad covered a mound of herbed goat cheese which provided a nice contrast of textures and flavours. Small diced butternut squash and toasted pumpkin seeds rounded out the dish.
The pot au feu was a generous portion of fork tender hangar steak that had been braised perfectly. There was a selection of root veggies including turnips and carrots. It blended extremely well. There was a promise of bone marrow as well, but I could not detect it anyplace in the dish unfortunately as it is one of my favourites. The broth was slightly over salted, but highlighted the beef nicely.
The arctic char was the highlight of the evening. It was perfectly seared so the skin was nice and crispy and the flesh of the fish was moist and tender. Perfect. It had a light butter sauce and a side of cauliflower purée. Beautiful dish.
Bruno Feldeisen’s (who has had stints at the Four Seasons in NY, the Highlands Inn in Carmel, the Wikaninnish Inn in Tofino, Malisa in SF, and most recently Senses in Toronto) desserts were superb. The blueberry lemon tart was served with a side of tart yogurt sorbet which was incredibly palate cleansing. The tart itself was served warm and had candied strips of lemon zest to punch up the flavour. The chocolate coupe was served as a sundae with a nicely flavoured coffee ice cream on top of chocolate crispy rice and topped with chocolate mouse. A very decadent dessert that was the perfect ending to the meal.
Overall there are still a few little kinks that need to be worked out, but it was a pleasant meal and I will return to give them another shot and see how things develop. I imagine they will perfect the menu and improve over time — or go terribly downhill and just trade on the name alone. I’m hoping it is the first, but fearful of the other option. In any case, if it doesn’t work out, I’m sure Daniel will be opening up plenty of other restaurants in his empire since he is now in international expansion mode!