Tuc Craft Kitchen

I met up with a friend from California visiting Vancouver for the first time and she chose Tuc Craft Kitchen in Gastown for dinner. The food at Tuc is simple and rustic. Our group ordered a bunch of dishes to share! Many of the dishes are things you can find at pubs, though it's a bit pricer at Tuc Craft Kitchen.

Pork belly crackling.

Crispy bacon and egg.

Mussels and clams in white wine with pork crackling and croutons.

Parsnip fries.

Orange glazed lamb ribs with jalapeno pepper and orange glaze.

Steelhead salad with fennel and green apple salad, tabbouleh and panissa bread.

Cabernet braised beef cheeks with red wine glace, gratin potatoes, shallots and wilted spinach. A bit sour on the bottom, I wasn't too big a fan of this dish.

Dine Out Vancouver Festival 2015 - Cork and Fin

With the end of the Dine Out Vancouver Festival coming to an end, I thought I'd share some photos from the restaurants I went to! There was definitely some good food to be had, and I'll be looking for the 2016 festival!

The first restaurant I went to was Cork and Fin. Located in the heart of Gastown just outside the entrance of Blood Alley, this restaurant offers fresh seafood and a quaint little place to dine. For the Dine Out Festival, they offered a 3-courses of savoury dishes, for $28.

Lobster bisque - brandied apples, charred scallions.

Smoked ricotta croquette with spiced tomtato jam, leeks, potato.

Octopus and chorizo, with salsa roja, toasted brioche.

Arctic char with gnocchi and edamame.

Flank steak with confit potato, braised purple cabbage (+$3).

I thought the food was good, though some was a bit burnt. The service was a bit slow, and my friend wasn't satisfied with the portion size so we ended up going to another (two) restaurants for more food and dessert. Cork and Fin might be a good place to go for oysters during their happy hour, where they offer 2-for-1 oysters!

Christmas Party at Al Porto

Even though it's very early in December, my company had it's Christmas party already yesterday. The party was held at Al Porto (321 Water St), an Italian restaurant located in historic Gastown. I actually had a bit of trouble finding the place because there is a small hallway that leads to the side entrance! We had a private room downstairs for our festivities.

There was a four course set menu that we got to choose from. I ordered the smoked salmon, gnocchi, sablefish and tiramisu. The food was very good! First of all, you can't go wrong with smoked salmon. The gnocchi was small and the tomato sauce worked well with it. I opted for the sablefish - the texture was very smooth (which I like!) and it flaked nicely. Yum! Of course, the part of dinner I look forward to is dessert! I chose the tiramisu because I was told it was delicious, and it was! The chocolate ganache torte was also very good - very rich and chocolatey! Everyone had a great time at the party and enjoyed the food. Definitely a great place to go for a night out!

Smoked salmon with capers and onions.

Organic mixed greens with dijon and olive oil vinaigrette.

Gnocchi with mushrooms and shaved parmesan.

Pan seared sablefish with lemon and tarragon sauce. Zucchini, eggplant and mashed potatos on the side.

Grilled beef tenderloin with green peppercorn sauce.

Tiramisu.

Chocolate ganache torte.

Delicious Food at the Gastown BBQ & Chili Festival

I checked out the Gastown BBQ and Chili Festival on Saturday and Sunday this weekend, hoping to sample some of the BBQ and Chili in a cook-off between twelve restaurants. Saturday was the BBQ but unfortunately, I arrived too late and all the food tickets were sold out. I did walk around and take a few photos (see below). Everything on the grill looked and smelled so good, my mouth was watering!

I managed to make it back to Gastown on Sunday to the Chili cookoff. This time, I made a beeline for the food tickets. Tickets were priced at 1 for $2.25 or 10 for $20. It was a little pricey to me given the small sample size, but some proceeds also go towards a charity, Athletics 4 Kids. I only purchased four sample tickets, and had to pick the most delicious looking chilis.

I decided to try the chili's from last year's winner (Rogue), last year's People's Choice winner (Calabash), The Blarney Stone (since they are the host), and Save on Meats. Out of the four, Save on Meats definitely had the best chili. It was very hearty with chunks of meats and corn, and it wasn't spicy, which I really liked!

This is the first year that The Blarney Stone hosted the Gashtown BBQ and Chili Festival, but based on the success of the weekend, I think the festival will likely happen again next year, so if you missed out this weekend, keep your eyes peeled next summer!

Flipping those patties!

Constructing a slider.

Looks delicious!

On fire!

Chicken wings.

More chicken wings.

The street was crowded with people sampling the BBQ.

Money went towards the Athletics for Kids charity.

On Sunday, I was able to get four food taster tickets!

The first chili I tried was from Save On Meats.

I thought it was the best chili out of the four I sampled. Not spicy, very thick and hearty. It's got my vote!

Chili from Rogue, sprinkled with parsley and cheese. This was a little too spicy for me!

The Blarney Stone chili. They also threw in a tiny piece of chicken.

There were a lot of beans, but it was really runny, which I didn't really like.

Chili from Calabash - lots of meat inside. There were a lot of spices in it too, which gave it a different flavour.

Calabash served their chili with a fried coconut dumpling, which tasted sweet and really helped cut down the spiciness of the chili!

Again, the streets were crowded with Chili eaters!

Both days, there was a band performing and people dancing in the streets!

Gastown BBQ & Chili Festival (Sept 1-2)

A BBQ and Chili Festival is happening this weekend on September 1 and 2, 2012. Twelve Gastown restaurants will be competing in a BBQ and chili cook-off! Admission is free for the public. Proceeds from sales goes towards a charity, Athletics 4 Kids. The BBQ competition will be happening on Saturday, while the chili competition is on Sunday. They both sound mighty tasty to me!

There will be celebrity judges, with the awards handed out for the best BBQ and Chili on Sunday evening. This event is happening on Carrall St (between Cordova and Water St). Bring your appetite!