Review: Joe Fortes

Well, I didn't make the weekend deadline I'd set for myself, but better late than never.

When people think of Vancouver, British Columbia, a lot of different things come to mind. But I'm not going to talk about Stanley Park, or the friendly people, or weed. This blog is about food and Vancouver has an amazing restaurant culture.

I've been to Vancouver about half a dozen times, which isn't bad considering I'm an East Coast boy. I always went to visit friends and hang out, so I never got to see the city as a tourist until Leigh (my wife) and I went there last year as part of our third anniversary trip. And the best parts of that leg of the trip were Leigh feeling our son kick for the first time and dinner at a restaurant called Joe Fortes.

We had come into Vancouver a little late after hitting more than the expected traffic at the border. We hadn't done any research as far as where we wanted to get dinner, so I did a few quick web searches and narrowed down the promising looking places based on proximity to the hotel. I made a reservation online and we walked our way over.

When we walked into the restaurant, my first observation was that it was loud. It wasn't oppressive music or drunken revelry, but the sound of a lot of people having a good time eating.

The interior had a "club" atmosphere in the classical British sense: wood, warm lighting, checkerboard pattern tiling on the floors. It was comfortable without being stuffy or shabby.

Our waiter was attentive without being pushy. The restaurant was very busy, but he made sure that our beverages were topped off and gave us the time we needed to order without making us wait. He also had a sense of humor, but didn't force it on us.

But the real star of the show was the food.

It's been almost a year and I can still remember the meal vividly. I started with an order of mussels steamed in Pernod and tomatoes with a pile of shoestring potatoes. Leigh doesn't care for mussels, so I consumed two dozen or so of the finest I've ever eaten. Then came the entrees.

I went for seafood, seeing as Vancouver's geographic location makes it ideal for fresh fish. Sure enough, my blackened red snapper was out of this world. There were two huge fillets of snapper on my plate with a perfect blackened crust. The spices were pronounced but well-balanced, not overwhelming the delicate flavor of the fish.

Leigh went surf and turf, getting a sirloin steak with grilled prawns. The prawns were the second biggest shrimp I'd ever seen and the small bite she gave me was delicious. But it was the steak that really took the prize. It was one of the three best steaks I have ever tasted. It wasn't the same as the steaks prepared at Ruth's Chris or Morton's, but something special in and of itself. It was melt in your mouth tender and full of beef flavor.

We finished with a chocolate lava cake, split between us. It was delicious, but not extraordinary the way that the entrees and appetizer were. The fact that they served gelato rather than regular ice cream with it was a nice touch, though.

I won't lie and say the meal was inexpensive. Mind you, the bill looked a lot more intimidating in Canadian dollars than the eventual price we saw in US dollars. But it was still more than we usually spend at a nice restaurant. But I'll tell you what...it was worth every last Loonie.

Atmosphere: 9 (loud, but very comfortable)
Service: 10 (fast even on a busy night, not at all pushy)
Quality of Food: 10 (ohmygod good steaks, extraordinary fresh seafood, tasty desserts)
Value: 9 (pricey, but worth what you pay for)

Overall: 9.5

So next time you're in Vancouver, I highly recommend that you take a trip to 777 Thurlow St. and eat at Joe's. Joe Fortes, that is.

Back from the dead

Well, I think I had a good idea, but sadly it went nowhere for over three years. But I've been keeping up with the blog I've been keeping about my son (http://watchingconnorgrow.blogspot.com *blatant plug*) for over two weeks now and I'm trying to branch out. So I want to get back to this.

So I'm working on a plan. I have a backlog of restaurants to review and I'm going to start this weekend. My first review will be from a place I visited well outside of the area. In fact, a place outside of the country that Leigh and I went to while we were visiting Vancouver, BC. So expect a review of Joe Forte's no later than Sunday!

Welcome!

Welcome to 'Dining by the water'. My name is Max Baskin and I'm a freelance writer and lover of food. I've started this blog for a lot of reasons, but my primary goal is to provide resources for people in the Norfolk (VA), Virginia Beach (VA), Newport News (VA), and Elizabeth City (NC) areas who like to eat out.

I'll be posting reviews of restaurants that I go to, interviews with local chefs, recipies, and other information which I hope that other people will be able to get some benefit out of.

Why am I doing all of this? There are several reasons behind that, too. I have some small advertising links, though those don't really bring in much (if any) money. It's a way that I can legitimately expense my dining out experiences. It's a chance to demonstrate my writing abilities and help to further develop them. And it's a chance for me to help give back to the local community.

My first substantial post should come by the weekend at the latest, but if you're interested in finding out more, please feel free to contact me at gmbfreelance (at) gmail (dot) com and I'll get back to you as soon as possible.

Until later, good eating!

Max