Before heading to a Canucks game last month, we checked out George in Yaletown for some pre-game bites. Although better known for their club/lounge scene, I figured their association with Brix upstairs should bode well in terms of food. Neither of us were overly hungry, so we opted for just an dish each. Both were seafood, but that wasn't planned.
Purely gratuitous shot of Complimentary Bread. What was interesting is the butter, rather the location of the butter. On one side of the dish is oil and vinegar, okay, I get that. On the other side of the dish is oil and vinegar again, but with a dollop of butter. I can't help but think that it should have been just butter, or am I wrong, is this a new phenomenon that I've completely missed? For a starter, we started with the PEI Mussels, steamed in an Okanagan pinot blanc broth. They also had some shallots, bacon, cherry tomatoes. Rounding out the flavours were some roasted garlic and fresh & basil. The deep-fried potato string was a fun touch. I would have liked this to be served in a deeper bowl but that is purely a presentation preference and nothing to do with the flavours. It was surprisingly good. The flavours were well developed, the mussels were juicy and plump, and the broth was great with the slightly sweetened bread. For more of a main course, this is the Seared Yukon Arctic Char. This is a lightly flavoured fish, a cross between the richer salmon and the milder trout. The texture is very delicate and when cooked perfectly, which this was, flakes off nicely. Also, there isn't any fish aftertaste. The skin was very crispy and was a wonderful contrast to the fish. The fish was served with a love risotto, complete with some chopped prawns and snap peas. The flavours and textures really blended well together. The sauce was nice and tart and gave the dish a further unexpected dimension.
Take Note:
The place is really quiet before the witching hour, so service is attentive
The food is better than you would expect from a "lounge"
Great option for pre-event bites if you're in the Yaletown area
From now until October 27, Yaletown is hosting their Taste of Yaletown event. With over 20 participants including: Glowbal Grill, George Lounge, New Oxford, Hamilton Street Grill, Society, Yaletown L’Antipasto, Caché Bistro, Killjoy, and Minami, you just know there will be some good eating! They were all packed into one location, MINI Yaletown. As part of the event, you get to take home recipe cards of many of the items offered, as well as have chats with the chef about the dishes they are serving. The first dish I tried was a Crispy Duck Confit from George ($25 menu), complete with crackling. There was also some deep fried vegetables and some truffled brussel sprouts on the plate. The duck was really moist and the skin was extra crispy, quite a feat considering this was laid out buffet style and not made to order. I found some of the vegetable a bit oily, but that is likely due to the dishes sitting out. From Cache Bistro ($35 menu), this was one of my favourites, a little Pulled Pork Cornbread Slider. This was melt in your mouth pulled pork and the bun and almost a brioche feel, definitely not your average corn bread. The sauce was sweet but with a great smokey flavour as well.
The offering from Glowbal Grill ($35) was pretty tasty too. It was a Canadian Prime Rib-Eye Medallion with some roasted root vegetable, and a very (almost overly so) generously pat of cafe de paris butter. The beef was cooked to a perfect medium rare, but I found the veggies a little bland. The pat of butter on top didn't melt as expected and ended up being left on the plate. I'm sure in the proper setting, the butter would have melted onto the steak and probably helped to season the vegetables too. This Bison Flat Iron Steak Crostini is from Hamilton Street Grill ($25 menu), and was really quite tasty. The marinade had some rosemary, juniper berries and black peppercorns. Topped with a bit of pecorino cheese, this was an excellent amuse bouche. The actual menu has this as an entree, sans the crostini. And onto my hands-down, standing ovation favourite of the night, something that involves a torch! This is the famous Salmon Aburi Sushi from Minami ($35 or $45 menu). You've got salmon on top with special miku sauce which gets a great sear after being torched with some charcoal. You see the salmon on top, but there is salmon in the middle too! And all topped off with a sliver of jalapeno for a kick of heat. Folks, this tastes better than it looks, and it looks pretty darn good!
Accompanying the aburi sushi was a Beet Salad with some Figs and Creme Fraiche. The salad was refreshing and was nice and light. I am not normally a fan of beets but the this little portion was just right for me. The fig was very sweet and I liked the mixture of the two together. A close up of the Salad and Aburi Salmon. What a great couple! And my final dish of the night was also from Minami. Served as two courses on their Taste of Yaletown menu, this was the ultimate surf and turf on a plate. On the left is the Soy Braised Angus Short Rib, ontop of a Yukon potato puree. On the right, is a piece of Saikyo Miso Baked Sablefish, cooked to a perfect doneness. Saikyo miso is a white miso that is more rice based than soy based, so the saltiness factor is lessened, making it a perfect marinade for delicate fish such as sablefish. The potato puree was butter smooth and the greens on top helped give the dish flavour. Of the 9 restaurants that participated, I enjoyed Minami the most. However, there were many restaurants that didn't take part in this premiere event, so be sure to browse iYaletown's website for all participating restaurants. With these prices, it's a good time to try something new or revisit an old favourite.
Take note:
Taste of Yaletown on now until October 27
Images shown are for sample sizes and not indicative of real portions served
After a disastrous dinner, we decided to end my trip on another "G" named restaurant. We found ourselves at George on Queen. It would be my last meal in TO for a while...let's make it a good one.
Ok...so I remembered to take a picture of the bread basket! Woo hoo, and it was as good one.
I had one martini here...and it kicked my ass!
The amuse bouche...god, I wish I could remember what this was!
My appetizer...BC salmon ($19) with fiddleheads, my first time ever! There are some two other additions here that I have never eaten in a western restaurant before...
A poached quail egg...and a raw clam...yes, a raw clam...weird, but good! It was rounded out with Pistachio Farro and a mild apricot Aji Vinaigrette
We also tried the yellow fin tuna($19) with three different salads...sorry folks, lost my notes!
My main course was the Rack of Lamb ($25)...served with fresh peas and a potato torte...pretty good.
The other main course was the Pacific Halibut ($23) with a brazil nut curry and a cauliflower salad.
I wish I have a better recollection of this meal, but without my notes, I can only say...best damn martini ever!
For a starter, we started with the PEI Mussels, steamed in an Okanagan pinot blanc broth. They also had some shallots, bacon, cherry tomatoes. Rounding out the flavours were some roasted garlic and fresh & basil. The deep-fried potato string was a fun touch. I would have liked this to be served in a deeper bowl but that is purely a presentation preference and nothing to do with the flavours. It was surprisingly good. The flavours were well developed, the mussels were juicy and plump, and the broth was great with the slightly sweetened bread. 
For more of a main course, this is the Seared Yukon Arctic Char. This is a lightly flavoured fish, a cross between the richer salmon and the milder trout. The texture is very delicate and when cooked perfectly, which this was, flakes off nicely. Also, there isn't any fish aftertaste. The skin was very crispy and was a wonderful contrast to the fish. The fish was served with a love risotto, complete with some chopped prawns and snap peas. The flavours and textures really blended well together. The sauce was nice and tart and gave the dish a further unexpected dimension.
