Small Barrels Magazine » Restaurant Reviews

Gotham (Vancouver, BC)

karin — Wed, 03 Nov 2004 16:50:24 +0000

There’s something dark, elegant and suggestive of extravagance in the name Gotham. Gotham Steakhouse and Cocktail is a high-end steakhouse in downtown Vancouver, Canada. As its name might suggest, the interior of the restaurant is dark, elegant and yes, even somewhat extravagant in its brooding glamour. Tones of rich, chocolatey brown abound on the walls and in the furnishings, larger than life artwork evokes a stylized version of the swing-jazz era.

The menu is brief and honest as should be expected from a restaurant under the same ownership as Hy’s Steakhouse. At Gotham, there is even more emphasis on serving the best version of traditional steakhouse fare. You are offered simple appetizers, like shrimp cocktail, fried calamari, oysters, crabcakes, beefsteak tomato and red onion salad with blue cheese. We highly recommend the Caesar Salad; we’re always seeking out a version with the best spin on this familiar recipe (must include copious quantities of garlic, of course). Gotham’s take on Caesar was a hit.

Gotham Steakhouse & Cocktail Bar

Accompaniments to your steak main course (would you really choose anything else?) are served “family style” to share. To put this in perspective, even the potato was supremely shareable and at the recommendation of our server, this is precisely what we did. Half of an enormous, Baked Idaho potato was served to each of us. Even looking at this beast gave me carpel tunnel syndrome. We soon stopped gawking and started eating as we drowned this perfectly baked treat in butter and sour cream.

The steak was quite divine. Devoid of decorative sauces or distracting spices, we were served generous portions (the porterhouse being consumed next to us nearly tipped the table) of perfectly medium rare, beefy goodness. Definitely a steak worth writing home about and coming back for.

We accompanied this much anticipated meal with an absolute treat – the Torbreck RunRig 2001 (Barossa Valley, Australia). This wine is a true gem – a deeply-coloured, full-bodied shiraz with intense flavours of berry, espresso and spice and a wonderfully long finish. It is sure to please palettes that seek out the bold and the beautiful! You need something big to go with your honest-to-goodness steak at Gotham, so go large and get the RunRig or something like it (if you can!).

We recommend Gotham for its swing-era ambience, friendly service, and food that does not pretend to be anything other than it is – simple, top quality, and awesome.

For more information or to make reservation, call (604) 605-8282 or visit www.gothamsteakhouse.com.

California Grill (Disney World, FL)

admin — Mon, 15 Dec 2003 14:59:03 +0000

Located in Walt Disney World’s Contemporary Resort overlooking the Magic Kingdon, the California Grill is your destination for contemporary American cuisine. The menu is aptly described as “Pacific Coast melting pot” with its contemporary Californian creations and in-house sushi chef.

The dining room itself is dominated by the large open, “on stage” kitchen concept. Food preparation is a performance in plain view, with energetic chefs slicing, dicing and shouting orders, and kitchen staff rushing around with lots of hustle and bustle. The décor is contemporary but warm, with lots of dark granite and rich woods. Lantern-like lamps are hung throughout the restaurant adding a pleasant, amber glow.

The perimeter of the dining room consists almost entirely of windows affording a unique of the expansive Walt Disney World property, especially the nearby Magic Kingdom theme park. You may wish to request a seat close to the lounge area where the Magic Kingdom and particularly, its incredible nightly fireworks display are best seen (check the schedule for fireworks show times as they may vary). Though you will not be assured a prime window seat when you make priority seating arrangements, apparently you may have some success by arriving a few minutes before your seating time and putting in a request. We didn’t bother as the restaurant was incredibly busy, particularly by the coveted prime viewing area. And as it turned out, we had a great view of the fireworks after all. When the show began, the restaurant lighting dimmed, the show’s music was piped into the dining room, and, at our server’s urging, we joined several other fellow guests who moved to a more advantageous viewing point. We stood and watched the beautiful display from this vantage point “above” the show for a few minutes; no “window seat” was necessary for this unique glimpse.

Believe it or not, beyond the views there was also food! For our own culinary adventure, we began by sampling the Sonoma Goat Cheese Ravioli with Sundried Tomato Nectar and Mushrooms and a simple Romaine salad with a mild Caesar dressing.

For the entrée, both my dining companion and I had the Beef Filet with Tamarind Barbecue Sauce, Whipped Potatoes and Snap Peas. While the filet was pleasingly tender, we were disappointed that the flavor was somewhat overshadowed by the powerful, zesty-sweet tamarind sauce. Though the sauce was hardly offensive, we felt that it could have been more subtle. Of course, we are beef purists and not everyone may share this particular predilection.

For dessert, my dining companion enjoyed the decadent hot chocolate lava cake, while I had the “homemade” pineapple, mango and kiwi sorbet medley. The sorbet was very fruity and a nice, fresh finish to the rest of the meal.

Our overall experience at the California Grill was very good. Service was friendly and attentive, although we must point out that the dining room was very busy and at times flagging our busy server down proved challenging. Take note – this is a very popular restaurant, filled with couples and families eager to experience the hip yet accessible fare, and of course, the fireworks. We certainly recommend that you take advantage of Disney’s priority seating service prior to your visit.

Overall Experience
We give California Grill 3 Stars- Very Good

California Grill is located in Disney’s Contemporary Resort (Orlando, Florida). For more information, visit http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/resorts/contemporary-resort/dining/california-grill/

Nectar (Las Vegas, NV)

karin — Sat, 09 Aug 2003 17:42:56 +0000

Trendy, contemporary, hip. These are the words that will no doubt occur to you when you walk into Nectar at the Bellagio hotel, struck with the sight of strange stalactite-like pillars and walls painted in a blend of colors. The ambience is more high energy than intimate with its open kitchen concept and brightly lit adjoining cocktail lounge, and there is a slightly crowded feel in the single room dining area, especially if you are seated at a table in the center.

At Nectar, you will find dishes typically offered in fine American restaurants, with an emphasis on interesting combinations and modern presentation. The menu offers familiar starters such as Caesar Salad, and clearly recognizable beef and chicken dishes as entrees – the usual suspects, but prepared with care and presented quite attractively. The 8 oz filet mignon, for instance, was tender and flavorful accompanied by sauteed oyster mushrooms and shallots, and potatoes romanoff with a delightfully crispy exterior. The notable feature of this dish was the intriguing rich, sweet port sauce generously dressing the beef. My dining companion had the hearty 14 oz prime rib. Resting in a pool of au jus, the beef was served with shallots, a warm corn and bean salad, and deep fried potato wedges. The accompanying creamed horseradish sauce was pleasantly zesty.

The wine, a 2000 merlot, was pleasant although not exceptional. I must say that though there was nothing wrong with Nectar, the menu was pricey, especially when compared to the exceptional menus and elegant ambience of Bellagio’s other fine restaurants.

Overall, the food was quite good at Nectar, and our waiter was exceptionally pleasant. The whole experience was overshadowed by the finest of the fine that Bellagio has to offer – a perhaps unfair comparison. You may want to visit Nectar earlier in your trip before trying the likes of Prime, Aqua and Picasso.

Another bit of valuable advice – make reservations for Nectar as far in advance as possible. We were fortunate to secure a table here after we arrived in Vegas, but unable to get into other restaurants at Bellagio on short notice. Late reservations at popular Bellagio restaurants are a gamble, so hedge your bets and book early!

Overall Experience
We give Nectar 3 Stars- Very Good

Nectar is located in the Bellagio Hotel, 3600 Las Vegas Blvd South, Las Vegas, NV 89109. For more information or to make reservations, call 702-693-7223 or visit www.bellagio.com.