March 1 2008
EVENT PLACE
Salud Chile O’douls Restau rant. Vancouver B.C.
Part of The Vancouver Playhouse Annual Wine Festival
A parking spot right in front of the restaurant welcomed us to this much anticipated food event. The last time we had attended this celebration was 4 or 5 years ago at this same restaurant and it had been a very enjoyable affair
Champagne and raw oysters greeted us as we were the first in the line to bolt into the food and wine room. ( Cuda’ had somehow drifted to the front of the line-up while I broke a $100 dollar bill for parking change at the front desk)
Our eyes greedily scanned the room as we planned our Attack. Would it be white wines and seafood first or should we cherry pick the choice dishes and best wines We decided on a geographical campaign starting in a counter clockwise direction. We very quickly completed our first assault on the
Delicious plates and beverages. Waiters floating around with Trays of sable fish appetizers and smoked albacore tuna fueled the food bacchanalia. Everything was delicious, from the crisp Royal Miquage oysters, and the new executive chef’s tantalizing halibut ceviche to the buffet table of lox and exotic cheeses. An outside barbecue grilled kabobs of tender AAA beef and sockeye salmon.. A well-groomed lama stoodSentry post in the ajoining room.
It was time to revisit the oyster bar and cleanse our palet with more champagne. Cuda had brought our special appetizer plates with the wine stem holder. These attracted the attention of many of our fellow food and wine aficionados who recognized the huge advantage of being able to free one hand for processing morsels more quickly from table to plate to mouth. A bar attendant politely fulfilled our request to clean our coveted appetizer plates, Then we continued our campaign.
This time it would be food and wine pairings.
Shark had take a caffeine/ephedrine performance enhancing substance earlier in the morning to facilitate the 4 work estimates he had to perform before going to the feast.
This had supercharged his wine and food senses. The first round of sampling had merely warmed up the great engine of food and wine annihilation .Shark was ready to shift gears.
Cuda had sampled the wares with more discretion and much more reservation in respect to the size of her portions. However she was ready for another go, what a trooper. This time we shuffled between tables to assemble oysters, lox, cerviches, mussels and smoked albacore before proceeding to the vergiones and chardonnay. Conversation now was permitted
With the hosts serving the wines now that we had completed a first course, and were in no danger of being denied any tastings
The wine offerings were not as spectacular as we expected and had remembered from previous events, however a few big Reds stood out. A Chilean “Bordeaux” blend of 50 year old syrah vine grapes, with merlot and canniere especially stood and deliscuously paired with the tender beef kabobs.
Another memorable red was a big cab sauvignon under the Santa Rita label.
What do you do when you have had enough? You go back for more raw oysters and champagne of course. Damn-it the oyster bar was desolate and no more bubblie. Desserts were now being brought in to mark the winding down of the show and still no live band has had been promised in the brochure. We were disappointed in the broken promise .Some Chilean muscic would have added more charm to this classy event. Oh well
All in all it was a great event, with good food, great service and not too crowded. On the way out we had our picture taken with the lamba VIVA CHILE!
