Holiday Treat - Visit my Christmas!

A day in the life of my Christmas Holidays! Visit my sentimental tree and my trip to the Vancouver Christmas Market.

Happy Holidays to you all! 
Wishing you a wonderful holly-jolly Christmas and a healthy smooth-sailing New Year! :)

Lots of love,

Ca-moment

(Photos taken with a Canon Rebel T2i)

DINE FINE - CIAO BELLA - DOWNTOWN VANCOUVER

I have the "judge a book by its cover" syndrome. Ciao Bella bit me in the butt but surprising me and making me eat my words.

Ciao Bella is very simple on the outside. A small wooden door, red, white and green canopy, for me it was a  restaurant that I passed by numerous times but never had the urge and curiosity to enter. A good friend of mine suggested going there for dinner one night, and little did I know I was in for a treat. 

AMBIANCE | Inside the restaurant is amazing. It is very small with a large mirror on the left giving an illusion of twice the size, very smart designer. Nonetheless, the ambiance can be described as one word - romantic. I honestly couldn't come up with a less cliche word, but trust me. The piano in the corner, the leaves around the windows, the dim light, the draping blinds, red table cloths it was all contributed to a positive aura of romance - cozy and warm.

FOOD | Of the Italian Restaurants I have been to, most seem to be the generic sauce, meat and pasta of choice, fool proof checklist. This time, instead of a traditional pasta, I decided to order 3 appetizers, lynching off bites of my friend's pasta. By tasting completely different dishes, I was able to satisfy my taste buds and better comment on this restaurant's performance - and I have all the great words to speak.

We ordered (Party of 4)

Melanzane All Parmigiana - Baked Eggplant, Tomato basil Sauce with Mozzarella and parmesan Cheeses

Lumache Alla Provinciale - Escargot baked with garlic lemon butter topped with parmesan cheese

Zuppa Di Arogosta - Lobster Tomato Bisque with a hint of Sambuca

Boscaiola - Spicy Italian Sausage, sweet peas & mushroom tomato basil

Tiramisu

4 course meal featuring Agnello Ciao Bella - Grilled Lambchops

4 course meal featuring Fagioli Nuro Linguini - Diced chicken breast linguini pasta

The 4 course menu for $29.95 amazed me. For many restaurants, $29.95 only serves you one dish of pasta, let alone Ciao Bella's quality surpasses many high end Italian restaurants. Portions are also very large, remember to bring tupperware for leftovers. 

The Escargots were my favourite of the night, I see myself coming back for this over and over again. My heart is lost at Le Crocodile, but these are a great alternative for a fraction of the price.

703 Denman Street

604-688-5771

DINE FINE - ITALIAN KITCHEN - DOWNTOWN VANCOVER

 I try not to compare restaurants. Each restaurant should possess its own style and character as I am sure no chef would like to be compared to another based solely on nothing more than my own personal preference and taste bud mood swings. 

PART II - ITALIAN KITCHEN VS. NOOK

That said, because I found many similarities in the types of dishes Nook and Italian Kitchen (of Glowbal Group) had to offer, I decided to do two posts, as best as I can, to describe similar things of the two restaurants. I hope my comments offer you some help.

AMBIANCE | I mentioned in Nook's posting that I thought Italian Kitchen's decor was too "cookie cutter". Well, for me, it feels like another Milestones, or another modern, savvy black and white restaurants with a cool chandelier inviting you in. Italian Kitchen makes you feel like you are in the city, while Nook creates a "little shop in Italy" feel. Both are very different, incomparable. However, despite Nook only having two waitresses, and despite their heavy workload, Italian Kitchen's service is absolutely terrible. The waitress who was serving me consistently made me wait. Wait for my water, wait for a side of tabasco that I needed to ask several times. I can give her the benefit of the doubt it was busy there for a sunday lunch. But when I asked her for the credit card machine. She gave me an impatient look, and came back 10 minutes later, still with an impatient look on her face. Worst of all, she did not say thank you, nor smile. Merely typed in the bill, handed the machine over to me, ripped the receipt off and left. Rather highly suggestive of me to not come again. 

We ordered - Party of 2 

Pizza - Prosciutto de Parma - arugula, tomato sauce, buratta

Truffled Spaghetti Wagyu Meatballs - truffle cream, herbed ricotta

Red Wine (I can'r remember what we ordered)
Mimosa

FOOD | PROSCIUTTO PIZZA - The pizza was mediocre compared to Nooks. Italian Kitchen's pizza was cold (probably due to the waiting...) and the pizza was far too wet at the bottom. The flavour was decent, but I could not get past how soggy the pizza was. Given that Italian Kitchen does not have the authentic stone oven Nook has, I thought the quality of the pizza was rather poor. I prefer Nook over Italian Kitchen.

SPAGHETTI - This was the bomb. This was amazing. I have a love for ricotta cheese. At home, I add heaps of it into my spaghetti. Together with herbs and cream and a luxurious wagyu meatball, this spaghetti was delightful. I had Nook's pasta sometime around last year, and it wasn't anything memorable, hence I always stick to pizzas at Nook. But Italian Kitchen's spaghetti is delicious. However, I have to critque that Italian Kitchen's spaghetti may be delicious, but it does no taste like authentic Italian. It tastes very universal, and well, Glowbal group is a chained restaurant. I prefer Italian Kitchen over Nook.

Hence as I round up the scores.....

I prefer Nook's Antipasto and Pizza.

I prefer Italian Kitchen's Pasta.

But because of Italian Kitchen's busy and unfavorable service, I probably will choose Nook.

1037 Alberni Street
(604)-687-2858

DINE FINE - NOOK - DOWNTOWN VANCOUVER

 I try not to compare restaurants. Each restaurant should possess its own style and character as I am sure no chef would like to be compared to another based solely on nothing more than my own personal preference and taste bud mood swings. 

PART I - NOOK VS. ITALIAN KITCHEN

That said, because I found many similarities in the types of dishes Nook and Italian Kitchen (of Glowbal Group) had to offer, I decided to do two posts, as best as I can, to describe similar things of the two restaurants. I hope my comments offer you some help.

AMBIANCE | Nook is very cozy. It is, at best, one-third the size of Italian Kitchen. Nook unfortunately, does not take reservations. As they are so petite inside, there is almost always a lineup. They write your name on a chalkboard close to the door and you wait outside. If you are taking someone on a first date here.... well, its a hit or miss. You can chat while you wait, gambling whether or not the weather is cold haha. Nook is dimly lit, and there are only two waitresses. I can't say the service is at its best, but certainly good for the few hands they have. But the overall mood of Nook is very authentic and simple. The stone oven is visible, and the staff is friendly, I prefer it over Italian Kitchen's modern and cookie-cutter decor - the standard mirrors with hints of black and white - seems sort of distant to me, but then again, its my preference. 

We ordered - Party of 4
Daily special Antipasto (its always the same one with prosciutto)
Pizza Prosciutto - Arugula and roasted garlic

Daily special pizza - Pesto
Tiramisu
Panna Cotta Dessert

FOOD |Antipasto - the best in Vancouver. Lot of prosciutto, lots of cheese, fine tuned with hints of pepper and olive oil ontop of a crispy warm toast. I cannot leave Nook without eating this dish. It is a Godsent. If you enjoy Italian and enjoy prosciutto, this dish must be ordered. I prefer Nook over Italian Kitchen.

Pizza Prosciutto - I always order the antipasto and this pizza. I have been here many times, we almost always order the same thing. This pizza, is completely and utterly covered in prosciutto. Hints of garlic really bring out the flavor of the salted ham. The use of prosciutto from the antipasto and this pizza may be the same, but the flavour is brought out different. In the antipasto, the prosciutto was sweet and light, casted with olive oil and pepper. The garlic in the pizza really brought out another side to this ham. I prefer Nook over Italian Kitchen.

Pizza Pesto - I have not been a fan of pesto since the last time I had it a year ago at a random restaurant that spoiled the sauce with too much salt. Nook's pesto however, is a perfect blend with the pizza. The flavour between the Pizza Prosciutto and Pizza Pesto are so different they work as a great compliment to each other. I place the Proscuitto pizza before the Pesto, but if you are here with a large party, I recommend both.

Tiramisu - One of the most authentic tiramisu's I have ever tried. The cake is cut to expose the perfect layers of Lady Fingers, and soaked in the right amount of alcohol. Again, this dessert must also be ordered.

Panna Cotta - Not bad. The taste is light and fresh. Not as filling as the Tiramisu - which technically makes it the better choice for dessert.

781 Denman Street, Vancouver
(604)-581-4554

LUNCH MUNCH - McCORMICK & SCHMICKS SEAFOOD RESTAURANT - BELLEVUE WASHINGTON

I popped by Bellevue recently to pick up a few things from the wonderful Bravern, thus going to one of my favourite venues for lunch. I always spare an hour to visit McCormick & Schmicks when I come Bellevue. I love the clean wooden decor, complete with textured glass, wine displays and individual private booths. The nautical feeling of this restaurant is fine and inviting, truly completing my vacation mood. 

Clearly this restaurant is very photogenic!

We ordered:

Smoked Salmon Benedict - Smoked Salmon Lox Topped with Poached Eggs and Hollandaise

Crispy Fish Tacos - Cilantro Aioli, Southwest Jicama Slaw, Charro Beans 

The bread tasted like a sweet blueberry cake! It was quite a delightful addition to the meal. Overall, the food is pleasant to average. I am hesitant to try their dinner, but for $11-15 a lunch entree, complete with such a lovely atmosphere, the M&S company never ceases to disappoint me. 

700 Bellevue Way NE
Bellevue, WA 98004
425-454-2606