The 4th Criteria - Fuel

My dining experiences are based on 3 simple factors: food quality, service, and ambiance. For me, I don't care much for the ambiance as long as the food quality and service are good. I expect what I pay for. When I'm going to a Chinese restaurant for a $10 meal, I don't expect much for service or ambiance. But if I'm paying $50 for a main course at a fine dining restaurant, the food better be good and the service better be greater.

I always go to Fuel with the highest expectations, and I never come out of the restaurant disappointed. Since it is about to Refuel (it's new name), some friends and I decided to go for one last dinner... but it was kind of disappointing. The quality of food was not on par with our previous visits. I had the Brodo and the Ribeye steak. Both were so salty that I find myself drinking my wine everything time I took a bite out of my food. Chef Robert Belcham prepares the most amazing scallops in town, but the ones that Bu, B, and Snoopy ordered were overcooked and the doness very inconsistent. - Points deducted for food quality.

We brought it up with the hostess when she asked about the meal. She kept saying the restaurant is known for its heavy flavors, but she didn't seem to want to accept our suggestion that the food could be too salty. All of us, combined together, must have been to Fuel on more than 15 occasions, and I've had my share at various fine dining restaurants that I think I know heavily seasoned food and food that's too salty. To be fair, the hostess was very friendly and nice. - Points deducted for service.

The manager later came by to explain why we may think the scallops were overcooked. The restaurant actually received some fresh scallops that morning. Fresh scallops have a firmer texture compare to frozen and thawed ones. So that explained the difference in texture, but that still didn't explain the inconsistency. I was surprised by the manager's honesty, saying that it's one of those nights where they probably just screwed up. To me, that's better than suggesting that my taste buds are wrong. - Points awarded for service.

Furthermore, he brought us dessert wine, and tons of desserts. Amazing bacon ice-cream!!! - More points awarded for service.

The next day, I talked to a chef from another fine dining restaurant. He said to me, "With so many new restaurants popping up in town, you have to be perfect everyday to keep your customers coming back. You cannot have a day off." ...I thought that is very true. From now on, I think I need to add a 4th criteria before I will proclaim a restaurant is good - consistency.

Stay tune for my next blog on the new Pourhouse in Gastown.

Casual Dining vs Fine Dining - Mis Trucos

Looks like high-end, fine dining restaurants are a dying breed. Mortons, Cannery announced their closings recently. Fuel is revamping to provide food at a more affordable price. CRU, Voya, and Lumiere are all offering 1000 rewards points on Opentable. On the other hand, the smaller, more affordable restaurants like La Quercia or Le Faux Bourgeois are almost impossible to get into without making reservations at least a few days in advance.

Bu and I can never make up our mind on where to go for dinner till the last minute. So we need to find a place that doesn't have a crazy crowd. In comes Mis Trucos, a Mediterranean tapas near the corner at Davie and Thurlow. It's not the most obvious place to find since it's hidden on the second floor, reached only by a flight of stairs on the side of the building. But when you walk in, you'll find a spacious, simple, and cleaning looking room. We love the relaxed atmosphere as it's not one of those crowded and noisy restaurants where you have to shout at each other to have a conversation.

Sitting at the bar has its perks. I have zero knowledge in Spanish wine, so the bartender let us taste two different bottles. We went with a big, full body red that's quite fruity. One the menu, the restaurant added a tapas section recently. These are small, individual bite-size pieces. It's definitely a challenge if you try to share them. They're currently doing a special 3 for $6 between 5pm to 7pm, and 10pm to 12pm. We ended up ordering 4. I'm a sucker for mousse and pâté, so my favorite was the Duck mouse and onion jam on crostini. Before I could finish that, Bu gobbled down the Crispy bread-wrapped wild gulf prawn already.

Last time we were here, we ordered the serrano ham with slow cooked egg from the small plates section. But Chef Kris Barnholden has replaced it by having the slow cooked egg swimming in a bath of melted cheese served with warm, perfectly toasted brioche. Like the bartendar says... it's diabolical. The special was a wild venison carparccio. Its cut is slightly thicker than usual, which gives it a meatier feel. It's definiltey one of the more flavorable carpaccio that we have ever tasted. The roasted pork belly with potato and leek cannelloni, and onion puree in the large plate section, and the house made gnocchi and lamb shoulder are to die for also.

Mis Trucos is definitely one of our favorites at this moment. It definitely separates itself from the bistros and trattorias with its Mediterranean flavors. Less than $140 before tips for a bottle of wine, 4 tapas, 1 small plate, 3 large plates, 1 dessert, 1 dessert wine, 2 fully stuffed stomachs, and 2 happy customers, now that's what I call a good deal! What're your favorite restaurants at the moment?

(Yes... I know... Pictures worth a million words. I think I need to download a flash program for my iPhone so I can get some good pictures even when the light is low.)