...Po'Boys Diner (Calgary)

As I am writing this, I found out that Po'Boys Diner is now closed.  We are saddened to see a restaurant that just opened, close so quickly.  We hope to see a form of it again in the future.  Since Po'Boys is now closed, we would just like to highlight the positive points of our experience.

We were invited last week to try out Po'Boys Diner.  There are not a lot of options when it comes to Creole and Cajun food in town so we were intrigued.  When we called to make reservations, Po'Boys seemed family friendly so we thought we would bring S along.  Upon walking into Po'Boys, the dim lighting and long bar on one side of the room makes Po'Boys feel like more of a pub/bar than a diner.  However we saw another family with children and we were told by our server there was another baby in earlier that evening.  S was also thoroughly entertained by the staff and were kind about the mess she made.

The complimentary appetizer platter had a selection of their most popular items including crab cakes, boudin balls and pork belly stuffed jalapeno peppers. Each item was perfectly deep fried and not at all greasy. Our favourite was the stuffed jalapenos which had just the right amount of spice and filled with a generous portion of melt in your mouth pork belly and cream cheese.

Our main course included the 'Peacemaker' po'boy and the house special jambalaya. The 'Peacemaker' was the star of the show and makes our mouth water to this day at its very thought. To start, the roll was nice and soft while still retaining a thin crusty exterior. The fillings included cornmeal fried oysters and large sauteed shrimp. The veggies were simple, but fresh helpings of  iceburg lettuce and tomato. A creamy and tangy mayonnaise based creole sauce called remoulade, rounded out all the fresh seafood flavours. 

                           

Jambalaya is a classice creole dish of seafood, sausage and rice tied together with spices and a tomato based sauce. It isn't a dish we have seen done in Calgary in an authentic way until now (our only comparison thus far has been the 'Jambalaya rice' at Bourbon Street grill). As with all the dishes we sampled that night, the balance of spice was perfect with just the right amount to leave a slight sheen of sweat on your brow without overpowering your tastebuds. 

Cornbread

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...Raw Bar (Calgary)

Overall - 8.5/10
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Food - 9.5/10
Service - 8/10
Ambiance - 8/10

Raw Bar located in Hotel Arts has recently had an overhaul of both its menu and decor to reflect a focus on modern Vietnamese cuisine or 'Vietmodern' as they call it. The interior definitely reflected the modern aesthetic with cool blue tones and the clean lines of the furniture.  In our opinion, Raw Bar has more of a party/bar kind of ambiance and less of a couples/intimate atmosphere, which we prefer when going out for our weekly date night.  However, this didn't detract from the fantastic food.  The food was the embodiment of what modern asian food should be. Every dish had an abundance of unique flavours and contrasting textures to make each bite interesting from start to finish.

Their menu is divided into three columns; seafood, meats and vegetables. Each column is then divided into small and large plates allowing you to craft a non-linear dining experience beyond the usual appetizer, main and dessert routine.  They also have an extensive cocktail menu from which I chose their well known "Derelict", a dangerously sweet mix of vodka, lychee liqueur, pineapple juice, plum & clove jellee and lemon.

We started off our meal with a series of small plates from the meat, seafood and vegetable columns which were great to share amongst the two of us. The squid a la plancha was perfectly seared and topped with nori flakes, a house chili blend and a tart lime aioli sauce. Unlike the usual fried calamari  appetizers found elsewhere, this dish was light, tender and popping with flavour.

The beef short rib steamed buns are another great shared dish that allows you to fill your own soft steamed bun with as many tender morsels of beef, green onion and chili aioli as you wish.

One of the dishes that was a surprising favourite was a crispy taro and mango slaw. The crispy fried shoe string taro root was mixed with a combination of green mango, tomatoes and cucumbers and then topped with fried shallots, peanuts and a citrus dressing. It was the freshness of the vegetables and mounds of fried taro that made this dish so memorable.  The flavours of salty, sweet, spicy and sour were perfectly balanced.

The larger dishes were also great for sharing and our favourite of the night was the lemongrass roasted half duck. The breast was thinly sliced and the meat from the leg was slowly roasted until tender and then shredded. The meat which was perfumed with the aroma of lemongrass was served with thin rice flour pancakes allowing you to create your own wraps.

We also shared the hanger steak which was served alongside a crisp and refreshing kohlrabi slaw. Hanger steak isn't something we see on too many menus, but is one of our favourite cuts of meat when we can find it due to its tenderness, flavour and value.  This particular hangar steak did not disappoint with its sweet-savoury Asian marinade.

With it's versatile menu and sociable atmosphere, we recommend going to Raw Bar with a large party so you can try as many of the dishes as possible.

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...Blue Water Cafe (Yaletown, Vancouver)

Overall - 9/10
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Food - 9.5
Service - 9/10
Ambiance - 9/10

 

We love seafood. From an early age fresh fish, lobster, crab, oysters and shrimp were a part of special occasions at our Chinese dinner table. Most of the dishes were served simply: steamed with ginger, green onion and soy sauce allowing the subtle sweet seafood flavours to really shine. Since then, our appreciation for good seafood has only grown.  Our recent trip to Vancouver had us eagerly anticipating a seafood feast at one of the cities most highly regarded restaurants: The Blue Water Cafe.

Herbed butter and chickpea spread were the accompaniments to the bread rolls

Being so close to the coast we couldn't pass up the fresh selection of West Coast oysters. That evening included the Kusshi, Sawmill Bay and Kwakwala varieties with a raspberry mignonette, horseradish and lemons. Our favourite had to have been the Sawmill Bay which had a sweetness and smokey finish just as advertised on the menu.

We followed up the oysters with an offering from the sushi bar. We thought it was a wonderful idea to have an in-house sushi bar to take advantage of the amazingly fresh seafood at this restaurant. The Stamina Roll, full of fresh crab, BBQ eel and smoked salmon was among the best sushi rolls we have had in a long time. The rice was delicately seasoned with each grain cooked perfectly and the combination of crab and smoky fish were excellent.

The appetizer selection was quite extensive and instead of limiting ourselves to one dish each, we chose the seafood tasting for two. Small tastes of four of their feature appetizers were served on a dramatic tower and included a fresh crab, shrimp, jicama and mango salad; scallop ceviche; albacore tuna tartar and finally a smoked sockeye salmon terrine. Each dish had a unique flavour profile from the tart and refreshing scallop ceviche to our favourite, the fresh tuna tartar served over an impossibly crisp tempura fried nori strip.

Our main courses continued to impress. One of our favourite fishes is sable fish which has a wonderfully buttery and rich meat. The miso sake glaze added a nice sweetness to the savoury profile of the dish.  The only thing that we felt could be improved upon was the broth and bok choy which was relatively bland and limp in comparison to the fish itself.

 The special of the evening was a seared halibut served alongside roasted brussels sprouts, chanterelle mushrooms and lentils. This wonderful fall dish was full of warming earthy flavours perfect for the season.

 If you ever get the opportunity, we would highly recommend Blue Water Cafe in Yaletown, Vancouver.  It definitely lived up to our expectations and everything a high end seafood restaurant should be.

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...Carino Riserva (Calgary)

Overall - 9/10
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Food - 9/10
Service - 9.5/10
Ambiance - 8/10

Carino Riserva is another take on it's sister restaurant Carino, which according to our server, is more Italian focused.  We enjoyed the food at Carino so we were excited to try Carino Riserva.  Tucked away in the heart of the Mission, the delicious food and friendly, attentive service more than makes up for the underwhelming interior.  If you make reservations in advance, we would recommend requesting the tables by the window.

On this night we shared two appetizers, the hamachi salad and spicy prawns & "yaki-onigiri" salad.  You know when you eat something and the first thing you think is, "Wow that's good!"?  Both appetizers did that for us with subtle umami flavours and seasonings that were neither too salty or sweet.  The hamachi salad was presented beautifully and very light and fresh.  The fish was complimented with flavours of citrus, wasabi, a balsamic reduction and soy.

The spicy prawn and "yaki-onigiri" salad was a fantastic creation.  This dish is more filling than the hamachi with the grilled rice ball, but absolutely worthy of the space in your stomach.  The prawns were cooked just right, but not spicy at all, as advertised, which we didn't mind.

The pasta dish we shared was the campenelle which is a rolled pasta that was fantastic at capturing the thick, rich wagyu meat sauce.  The meat sauce was on the sweeter side, which is how we like our tomato sauces anyway.

I had the rack of lamb with scalloped potatoes. The lamb was served on a bed of peppers, zucchini and olives cooked in tomato sauce.  The lamb had a crispy sear but was tender on the inside and I couldn't get enough of the salsa verde that was served on the side.  The scalloped potatoes were very creamy but perhaps on the saltier side. 

Darrin had the striploin steak with foie gras, roast potatoes and citrus salad.  The steak was cooked medium rare and very tender.  It was glazed with a tasty soy gastrique, which is a traditional French sauce made from vinegar and sugar.  The foie gras had a smooth silky texture and a nice 'buttery' accompaniment to the steak.

Finally for dessert we shared the tiramisu which was beautifully plated with raspberries, blueberries and edible flowers.  The tiramisu had an outer layer of coffee cake wrapped around a mascarpone centre.  This was a delicious ending to our meal that wasn't overly heavy.

We can see ourselves coming back soon! 

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...JO2 (Kapaa, Hawaii)

Overall - 9/10
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Food - 9/10
Service - 9/10
Ambiance - 8/10

This past August we spent two weeks in Hawaii with family, one of which was spent in the beautiful lush island of Kauai.  There were many great eateries that we enjoyed but the standout experience was at JO2 in Kapaa.  Not the kind of place you would bring a toddler, we managed a 'date night' with the help of babysitters in the form of eager grandparents.  We reserved a table at JO2 with high expectations as my brother-in-law and his wife gave rave reviews after they went a few nights earlier.  We were not let down; everything from the service to the food was done with extreme care.  We left JO2 inspired by their ability to creatively meld Asian flavours with local Hawaiian ingredients.  After doing some research, we weren't surprised that the chef, renowned Jean Marie Josselin is a pioneer of Hawaiian regional cuisine.

Instead of the typical bread you would normally expect, we were given house made taro chips and gazpacho dip.  The chips were pleasantly crisp and went well with the wasabi infused gazpacho.  

We choose four appetizers to share: the beef rib, ceviche causa, duck confit kale salad and scallop and shrimp ravioli.  The beef rib was cooked rare but was perfectly tender with familiar bold Korean flavours that were a fine balance of salty and sweet.

This kampachi ceviche causa is possibly the most beautiful dish of food I have ever seen.  A causa is a Peruvian potato salad in the shape of a terrine.  The fish was super fresh with the citrus and the delicate flavours were not overpowered by the seasoning or the creamy potatoes. 

The duck confit kale salad first appears to be just a pile of kale, but look underneath and there is a generous amount of duck confit mixed with shiitake mushrooms, carrots and daikon in a delicious savoury toasted sesame dressing.  At first glance, it seems there is a lot of kale, but here JO2 got the balance right with the kale being wilted ever so slightly by the heat of the duck.

The scallop and shrimp ravioli were bites of shellfish heaven with the thin and delicate pasta allowing the filling to stand out.

Our mains consisted of lamb rack and beef cheeks.  The lamb was prepared closer to the rare side, but again the meat was tender and moist.  The lamb was well seasoned with a Middle Eastern spice rub, and when eaten with the jus was a delicious combination.

The beef cheeks were braised to perfection, topped with shaved crispy lotus root and sat atop a tasty combination of gnocchi, what we remember to be fava beans and braising liquid.

By the time we were given the choice of dessert, we only had space for one to share- the banana cream pie with banana gelato.  Although this was a nice light ending to our meal, this deconstructed version was not exactly our favourite as we wished it was a bit more decadent in the form of a traditional pie.

If you are able to go, we highly recommend JO2 as a fantastic fine dining option in Kauai. Even if you can't, check out their drool-worthy, awe inspiring Instagram account.  While you're there, check us out @dcfortheloveof  for more frequent updates. 

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...Hog Island Oyster Co. - San Francisco Oyster Bar

Overall - 9/10
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Food - 9/10
Service - 9/10
Ambiance - 9/10

Our week spent in San Francisco back in May seems like ages ago. The standout meal that we remember very fondly to this day was our lunch at the Hog Island Oyster Company located in the historic Ferry Building. It must have been the amazingly fresh seafood served next to the beautiful views of San Francisco Bay that make us think back to this meal so often. This casual eatery is popular amongst visitors and locals alike and does not take reservations.  We were very excited for this meal, so we milled about the entrance an hour prior to the opening at 11am to ensure we got a table especially since we had Baby S in tow. Our over eagerness paid off and we found ourselves at the head of a line that wound itself down the boardwalk 30 minutes before the doors even opened.

We started our lunch off with a half dozen of the freshest pacific and atlantic oysters we've ever had. They were served perfectly chilled with a shallot mignonette and lemons. The bread served alongside was sourced from the Acme Bakery next door and was your quintessential crusty sourdough loaf.

One of the specials that day was a marinated razor clam dish served with kumquats and fried crispy shallots. Razor clams are much more tender then their round shelled cousins but no less flavourful. This was our first time having a dish with kumquats as an ingredient but the sweet fruit and slightly bitter rind added a great complexity of flavour to each mouthful.

Next up was a bowl of steamed Quahaug clams with sausage. As expected, the clams were tender and fresh while the broth was rich and warming. Our attentive server was quite generous with the sour dough bread and ensured we had more than enough to mop up the delicious broth.

Our main dishes were the delicious seared piece of wild Alaskan salmon served with a sweet pea relish and crispy fried potatoes and a rustic seafood stew. These two dishes summed up what Hog Island Oyster Bar is all about; perfectly cooked fresh seafood and delicious but unpretentious flavours. The seared piece of salmon in particular was the most memorable due to how fresh and intensely flavoured the fish was without any hint of fishiness.

Hog Island Oyster Bar definitely has set the bar to which we now compare our future oyster bar/ casual seafood experiences. Stay tuned for our opinion on how our local Rodney's Oyster Bar stacks up!

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...Parc Brasserie (Calgary)

Overall - 8.5/10
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Food - 8.5/10
Service - 8.5/10
Ambiance - 9/10

Ten years ago if you wanted a good French meal, your only choices were La Chaumiere on 18th Ave or flying to France. Nowadays we are spoiled for choice with a number of restaurants that proudly serve classic French fare (check out our article for Food Trekkers). Parc Brasserie is another new option which has recently opened and is challenging for our favourite French spot in town. For those who don't know, a brasserie is a more upscale type of eatery that slots in somewhere between the laid back bistro and the high end French fine dining options.

Kir royale

Their menu includes an 'apertif' section of small bites that go great with a cocktail. They are reasonably priced and great for a snack or as a way to kick start your appetite for the delicious dishes to come. We chose the croquettes filled with emmenthal cheese and ham and the rillette de lapin (rabbit terrine - note that a lot of the menu was in French without English translation so review your old high school French notes or ask the friendly wait staff). The croquettes were expertly fried and lusciously cheesy on the inside while the rabbit terrine was the perfect meaty spread for the toasted crostini that accompanied.

Croquettes

Rillette de lapin

The hor d'ouevres section of the menu include your traditional appetizer type dishes and this evening we went with the escargot and squid. The snails were served in a non traditional portobello mushroom tart as opposed to swimming in small pools of butter.   The escargot was chopped up along with the mushrooms and hidden below salad greens on a tart.  I did not care for the tart which had a hard and dry texture and wished the escargot was highlighted rather than mixed with chopped mushrooms.  The squid was quite tender cooked in its own ink and served alongside a delicious olive tapenade, reminiscent of the dishes we had in Southern France.  The Merguez (spiced Moroccan beef sausage) was not served in 'chip' form as advertised and we felt this dish could have benefited from a crispy element to contrast and balance the soft textures of the squid.

Squid

Escargot tart

The 'Plats principal' are your main dishes. The canard was a perfectly seared breast of duck served with a savoury orange sauce on a generous bed of Puy lentils.  The veau was a tender veal striploin with wild mushrooms, pearl onions and wild rice was expertly done in a cream sauce and very satisfying.

Duck

Veal

 Then came the desserts, from which we chose the profiteroles and the baba au rhum.  The profiteroles looked stunning on the wooden board and tasted as profiteroles should- creamy and smothered with an expresso chocolate sauce.  The baba au rhum, a typical French dessert was a bit of a disappointment.  We had no complaints about the cake and chantilly cream which was pretty standard, but the rum was barely detectable and did not saturate the cake.  This is unlike the rum babas served in France where often times a shot of straight rum is poured table side onto your cake for a liquor infused aroma and taste.  Upon talking to the server, she informed us their rum baba indeed gets mixed reviews.

Profiteroles 

Rum Baba

Overall, we enjoyed our experience at Parc, especially the ambiance of the decor which took us back to our days in France.  We wouldn't hesitate to go back again and experience other offerings on the extensive menu.

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