Mistral restaurant

Mistral on broadway

As a special treat we decided to come here around Christmas time for some nice and heavy French fare.

Our sitting was at 7:45 on a Friday and the restaurant was packed when we arrived. We were printout seated and given the menu to peruse. we decided on 3 appetizers and 2 mains.
Escargot , chantrelle mushroom salad, large charcuterie plate.

large charcuterie plate

Chantrelle mushroom salad

Escargot

We like that the appetizers were served swiftly. Although they were very busy, the server was attentive enough to refill.our water and bread for the first round quickly. I loved that there was a diverse selection on the charcuterie plate. My favorite being the duck pate and the bison prosciutto.

Braised rabbit

Seafood stew.

Of the 2 mains, the rabbit was the winner. There was more depth to the dish whereas the seafood stew was just overpowered by the heaviness of the cream.

The winner for the night was the pear tart. Fresh crispy pastry with thinly sliced pears and caramel sauce and a side of vanilla ice cream.

I loved the attentive service and intimate setting, but IMO some of the dishes were not that unique. Given the price point there are other french restaurants in the area that offer better quality and value. I do like this restaurant but there are other options that win over it.

Homemade Moussaka

Moussaka, a combination of the recipe from Michael Smith, plus the bechamel sauce from Ricardo.

I can't take any credit for this as it was made by my bf. Although a little heavy on the cinnamon, the dish was full of depth and had a little spicy kick to it. The bechamel sauce, (which I made) used sharp goat Gorgonzola as well as some fresh mozzarella. The goat Gorgonzola had enough sharpness to replace the Parmesan that the recipe asked for.

The addition of mushrooms to the top layer of the dish also helped to make this a very substantial main.

We paired it with a quinoa, squash and zucchini salad and some spagettini. Both sides were great with this dish.

Portland food carts

Portland is a city full of food carts. We were hungry and decided to try as many as we can. At Mississippi marketplace (4233 N Mississippi Avenue ) where a group of food carts make up an outdoor food court, it seems many locals come to enjoy the outdoors and the good food that is offered.


Garden State: Offering burgers and other fried foods we tried the fried baby squid and fish balls. The fish balls seems burnt, but the squid was just tender, although on the oily side.




Native Bowl : This is a vegan cart


Alberta Bowl : Grilled tofu, house-made fire breathing dragon sauce (with sesame and sriracha!),
jasmine rice, shredded cabbage, carrots and scallions.

I found the vegan food cart to be the best in the batch. Having a new twist on healthy food, it was both flavorful and refreshing.




Big top waffles offers breakfast choices.




The amazing fun guy waffle. The waffle was made from a cornmeal mixture. The heaping serving of mushrooms eggs and sausage was just what we needed to complete our meal.

I love the idea of an area for food carts to gather, although given the wet weather here in Vancouver, it would be hard to find a permanent place for these venders to setup through the winter.

Hana by hana sushi

2236 NE Alberta st, Portland, OR 97211. We came here today thanks to a good group coupon deal. We arrive here on a Friday night at 9:30 and the restaurant was about 1/4 full. The restaurant closes at 10.

We selected a seafood ramen, sashimi A combo and J special 1 and 2.

This is a Japanese restaurant opened by Koreans. Located on a street with an assortment of different restaurants, it seemwas not noticeable from the street.

Selection was clean, a large rolls selection and a short selection of sushi, sashimi and other small plates.

The ramen was a failure as it looked, and tasted like instant noodle. The small scallops and the 1 shrimp and mussel makes this an expensive an unappealing dish.

The sashimi set had a good presentation, but we realized the sushi rice was a little undercook and the sashimi was fresh, but lacking in flavor. It seemed the fish flavor was masked by a lemon scent.

The last item we ordered was the J special 1 and 2, which is grilled cod, and salmon with some spicy sauce and topped with a spicy fish paste. This was the most original of all the dishes and the combination of spicy and savory was balanced.

What I liked:

• Large restaurant, short menu.
• Beautiful presentation for the sashimi
• Nice decor, with a bar area and flat screen TV.
  

What I did not like:

• Instant noodle served as ramen.
• Sushi rice undercooked
• Sashimi was treated so there was no freshness to the fish.

As I am used to the high quality sushi of Vancouver, IMO I find that this restaurant, although may be well positioned to cater to a more westernized palette, is not up to our standards when comparing freshness and price, I would not want to come back to this restaurant given the many choices along the same street.

Trader Joe's Cresents

I've never tried crescents from a can before. Bought this on a whim the last time I was at Trader Joes.

Instructions were simple


One can of pastry makes 8 rolls. Instructions say to roll each triangle pastry sheet into a crescent shape.


Bake at 350 C until golden brown and voila.


What I liked:

• easy and fool proof
• has strong buttery flavor
  

What I didn't like:

• crescents did not rise as much as I expected
• bit too salty for my tastes

I would love to try some other brands in order to compare this product with the ones from other brands

Trader Joes margharita pizza

At under $4. This fresh made pizza from trader joes offer more value than most frozen off the shelf choices.

Heat at 475F for 8 minutes, this thin crust uses fresh mozzerella, cherry tomatoes and basil. I love the fresh ingredients.

The thin crust was slightly crispy and holds up well against the flavor of the pizza. The tomato paste adds depth and the slight tartness from the fresh tomatoes complements the fresh cheese.

This is another winner from Trader Joes

Cattle Cafe 牛仔餐廳

Cattle cafe located at 4885 Kingsway in Burnaby.

This restaurant was formerly a death by chocolate. First impression is that it is very small. I came here early for lunch on a Sunday morning.

The menu is that of a Hong Kong style cafe and gives the atmosphere of a bubble tea place.

Apart from the make your own noodle combo, all the other menu items are very standard for a Hong Kong style cafe

My noodle and hot drink combo was 7.50. I like the large portions. The noodle was cooked just right, slightly chewy, a sign that this was not sitting in a pot somewhere for a long time. The fish stock soup base was light but had good flavor and most importantly no MSG. I like that they have the non MSG option, although there were only 3 choices, compared to the other 8.

What I liked:

• Small and cozy location
  
• Clean and welcoming design
• Fast service

What I did not like:

• Parking area is small and the entrance is difficult to find
• Tight sitting not suited for large parties or small children
• Menu is plain

This place warrants another visit to try its other menu items.