First stamp in the passport... but not my first time out of the country:o) hahaha... Even if I was only there for 2 nights and 1 1/2 days, here it is:
On our second night/our first real night in Out in Vancouver, I decided we try the restaurant my sister recommended... It's called Coast Restaurant (1054 Alberni St, near Robson St)--the ultimate of seafood restaurants. They even have sushi on the menu! Apparently, the fish and chips are to die for in Vancouver/British Columbia. But I chose to go with the fish that doesn't get much love--the Arctic char. Wikipedia tells me it's commonly comparable to salmon and trout. It's a meatier salmon--if you've ever heard me describe it. Po ordered a big o bowl of mussels. I'd have to ask her what was in it because I don't remember. What I did find interesting was that both my fish and the steak were served with this curiously large tomatoes (see top left photo). They were really good tomatoes--sweet and tangy. As I reflect on it now, it disturbs me a little because it doesn't show much creativity in the taste/seasonings department.
The next morning, even though we didn't get the chance to enjoy the patio seating--we had breakfast at the Bellaggio Cafe, it's across the street from Vancouver Art Museum. I don't know about you but there is something about high ceilings that really open up the room. Despite the fact that I was sitting up in the corner up to the window, it didn't feel too crowded. If you're wondering what that monstrosity of a breakfast dish is at the top center... well, I'm gonna tell ya: They call it Neptune's Benedict. It's a eggs benedict but instead of ham, they used smoked salmon. It was quite delicious.
More recently, I'd like to discuss the Crab Cake Benedict. Honestly, maybe it's always been around and I am just now noticing. O-M-I-G-O-D... whoever invented the Crab Cake benedict took two great things and put them together especially for brunch. Squat and Gobble (San Francisco) makes a filling, tasty Crab Cake Florentine--on the menu, it's listed as a benedict with hollandaise. But I could have sworn they did the hollandaise different than usual. Instead of light and buttery--it was more of a tangy and orangy color. The other can be found at Sacramento's Tower Cafe. The Crab Cake Benedict can only be found on the weekend Brunch menu. The crab cakes are made with both Dungeness crab and shrimp with an avocado spread and a bernaise sauce! There's a poached egg in there somewhere... And all these flavors just come together. There isn't a thing out of place in this medley. My only critique would be that they make their bernaise a bit lighter (than Squat and Gobble's) and it works otherwise I would think that the avocado spread is too much.
Websites to reference:
Vancouver, British Columbia
http://www.coastrestaurant.ca/
http://www.bellaggiocafe.com/
San Francisco, California
http://www.squatandgobble.com/
Sacramento, California
http://www.towercafe.com/
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