Well we sure can't complain about the table - probably the best one in the house, with a view of the inner harbour and legislature.

It took a little while to initiate service, leaving me without a cocktail for sometime, but once the service began the pace was steady.

However, since this is the second time recently that I've had this experience, this time I need to rant. The rule is: the person who orders the wine, tastes the wine. A simple rule, that seems to be forgotten lately. I realise, that occasionally the odd servers will still struggle with women taking charge of wine orders, but that's where the rule comes into play. As you might guess, our server on this evening struggled with the wine service. The situation seemed awkward, so I pulled my glass forward, I thought clarifying the situation for him. He then walked over to the men's side of the table and asked who was going to taste the wine...ahem! Lesson seemingly learnt, he had it together for the second round.

As for the wine list, I was happy to see a lot of mid-priced wines and categories dedicated to 'interesting' wines. I was disappointed by the absence of vintages.

For our fist course Patty and my brother Hew had the Wild Mushroom Chicken Roulade with sundried cranberry and green tea chutney. Patty asked the server to clarify the method to which the roulade was rolled and he was able to clearly explain the dish. Upon arrival, Patty described the dish as, "good for chicken breast." Indeed the chicken was moist and the flavours of the accompaniments enhanced the dish as a whole. Hew similarly thought it was executed well. My sister-in-law Krista and myself both had the Roast Parsnip and Pancetta Bisque with pear chips and pumpkin seed dust. An enjoyable soup, although the pancetta was not evident and I thought it could have handled more parsnip flavour, but the pear chip was a winner.

Everyone but me had the Beef Two Ways, pepper crusted sirloin and braised boneless short rib, truffle mashed potato and root vegetable hash. Everyone agreed that the steak portion of the dish was cooked perfectly, a challenge since they were fairly thin pieces of meat. Hew and Patty thought that the meat was well braised, quite beefy and the two agreed that the sauce/ braising liquid could benefited from a stronger flavour or seasoning, such as booze or a strong flavoured herb.

I had the White Bean Cassoulet with a winter vegetable medley, crispy tofu and pepper cream. First off, I was delighted to see a vegetarian item featured on a Dine Around menu. Vista 18 has several vegetarian items on their regular menu, that all express a legitimate interest in meeting the needs of people looking for a meat alternative. After a half dozen Dine Around dinners in the past two weeks, I was certainly ready for a meat-free meal. The concept was interesting, I don't know if I would have called it a cassoulet, since I associate cassoulet with a lot pork and duck. The root vegetables in the dish had prominent flavour, but it was the shitake and oyster mushrooms that really made the dish, giving it the depth that is often the struggle with vegetarian cuisine. The crispy tofu was nice, but I thought the strong Asian seasoning was a little mismatched with the rest of the dish.

The desserts were not exactly mind blowing, but served their purpose. I had the Pumpkin Spiced Crème Brulee, it had a strong pumpkin flavour, but I thought it could have been a bit creamier, more like a traditional creme brulee. Hew and Krista had the Apple Stuffed Molten Chocolate Cake with cinnamon ice cream. Hew thought the ice cream needed more cinnamon, but Krista thought it had plenty of cinnamon. Patty had the White Chocolate Bread Pudding with raspberry vodka syrup and  kiwi compote. The bread pudding was rich and buttery, but Patty thought it would have been better with either the raspberry syrup or kiwi compote, not both.

Overall it was a good experience and successfully peaked our interest in returning to sample their regular menu.

Value of Food: 86/100

Quality of Food: 79/100 (top notch vegetables)  

Service: 70/100 (courteous and friendly, not spectacular)

Ambiance: 70/100 (great view, hideous table cloths and upholstery)

Wine and beer list: 79/100 (good prices, limited vintages) 

  Reviewed: February 26, 2006

 

$25 Set Menu Appetizer: Roast Parsnip and Pancetta Bisque -with pear chips and pumpkin seed dust Or Wild Mushroom Chicken Roulade -micro greens, sundried cranberry and green tea chutney Or Winter Spinach Salad -fresh pea shoots and spinach with caramelized mango, crumbled Salt Spring Island goat cheese and maple balsamic vinaigrette Entree: Maple Glazed Sable Fish -apple sweet potatoe pave, miso corn broth Or White Bean Cassoulet -winter vegetable medley, crispy tofu, gypsum pepper cream Or Beef Two Ways -pepper crusted sirloin and braised boneless short rib provincial, truffle mashed potatoe, root vegetable hash Dessert: White Chocolate Bread Pudding -raspberry vodka syrup, kiwi compote Or Brandy Pumpkin Spiced Creme Brulee -ginger snap, seasonal fruit Or Caramelized Okanagan Apple Stuffed Molten Chocolate Cake -cinnamon ice cream