Bart, with $10,000 we’d be millionaires!
Apr. 21st, 2010 09:30 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sarea
So, Canlis. We had a good time, but neither of us would go back.
The positives: The restaurant itself is gorgeous -- it doesn't feel stuffy, it's nicely/comfortably appointed, there's a view of the water, etc. The service was very good and not overbearing (as many of the online reviews indicated). Even though their Web site says, "You can't be overdressed for Canlis" they were more relaxed about the dress code than we were fearing (possibly because of the Restaurant Week promotion, they weren't expecting all the people who were coming for that to be as super formal as they usually expect?). The portion sizes were decent. When we were done with our meal, we got our coats and our cars were waiting for us. That was possibly the best/most amazing part, that they're so detailed that when your table's paying the check, etc., they're already readying your vehicles (which we did not get tickets for or anything, btw -- we have no idea how they knew).
The negatives: A lot of the seating is side by side, which is kind of a pet peeve of mine -- if there's no choice, it's okay, but otherwise it's so lame -- so K. and I sat side by side, which makes conversation slightly awkward. At least they ask if it's OK though. The food was good, but not outstanding. The halibut we had was $38 on the regular menu -- definitely NOT worth THAT. The appetizers were weak (cold smoked cauliflower soup and their house salad) and the desserts (rhubarb shortcake and creme brulee with guava sorbet) were totally uninspiring. The entrees were decent, but Mistral Kitchen was better. There's no parking anywhere nearby, so you have to use their valet parking, and they charge $5 per vehicle and it just shows up on your check. Their Americanos cost $5 each, which is a bit excessive for an Americano (which wasn't even very good). The amuse bouche was a cold gazpacho, which was frankly too similar to the soup offered on the 3-course menu. The after-dinner sweet (I can't remember what that "course" is called -- it's like the opposite of the amuse bouche) they offered was good, but was better at Crush the time I went.
So overall, there's not much value in going there versus another nice restaurant (and definitely not for their regular dining menu), especially if you're not into dressing up (which we aren't). It's not super convenient, the food is only decent for high-end dining, and there are a lot of little extras you end up paying for. I kind of wish we'd tried their truffle fries, though, which looked really good and were only $8, but we were quite full by the end.
Still, we were glad we went, if only to experience it once, and not have to wonder if we were missing something really special.
Now I am really looking forward to Crush, which is tomorrow. Had a great time the only other time I've been there. So far K. and I have been to 3 of the RW restaurants, and they've all served halibut, lol. This is the problem with going to restaurants that pride themselves on serving local, fresh, in-season ingredients, back to back -- you get very similar menus because of what's in season!
As a physician, K.'s advice re: my lip problem is to use 1% strength hydrocortizone on them twice daily and see if it helps (she also says that I might need prescription strength to make any difference, but given the area she'd try something mild first). My appointment with my doctor isn't for another week and a half, so I might as well try. I also tookslitherhither's advice and bought some Dr. Hauschka lip balm. When K. saw me picking it out at PCC she was like, "Hey! That's what all the celebrities like Jennifer Aniston use!" Which was of course news to me as I'd never even heard of it before. For what a lip balm cost, I can see why though, lol. B., you have good taste. ;) Actually it's perfect because it's all natural and all the Internet research I did kept telling me to avoid chemicals like typical drugstore brand chapsticks and Vaseline (which, of course, was all I used), that the skin of lips needed to breathe, etc. Hopefully the hydrocortizone will heal and the new balm will soothe, and I won't even need to see my doctor at all. Though part of me wants to get a referral to a dermatologist anyway so I can figure out what the heck caused it in the first place.
I just ordered a pile of new cookbooks. >< It's all David Lebovitz's fault, him and his new dessert book and his taunting video of delicious chocolate chip cookies. Gah! I am but a mere mortal! I can't be expected to resist such temptation! I also got one for Thai cuisine (gasp -- I know, but I'm wondering if maybe I can make my own not-so-sweet Thai curry, I might like it more), yet another Vietnamese one (it IS one of my favorite cuisines, after all), and one that is totally self indulgent because I can't see any practical application at all, really: Charcuterie: The Craft of Salting, Smoking, and Curing. I'd love to read all about it, even though I don't own a smokehouse (and wildly guessing that I probably never will), and I can't imagine going through the effort of curing my own meats. Finally, I also got Western Garden Book of Edibles, for help with my garden. Also, even though all my links go to Amazon, I actually bought them at Buy.com because not only were the books a bit cheaper there, but they don't charge me tax. I love Amazon, but why do they have to be based here?!
The positives: The restaurant itself is gorgeous -- it doesn't feel stuffy, it's nicely/comfortably appointed, there's a view of the water, etc. The service was very good and not overbearing (as many of the online reviews indicated). Even though their Web site says, "You can't be overdressed for Canlis" they were more relaxed about the dress code than we were fearing (possibly because of the Restaurant Week promotion, they weren't expecting all the people who were coming for that to be as super formal as they usually expect?). The portion sizes were decent. When we were done with our meal, we got our coats and our cars were waiting for us. That was possibly the best/most amazing part, that they're so detailed that when your table's paying the check, etc., they're already readying your vehicles (which we did not get tickets for or anything, btw -- we have no idea how they knew).
The negatives: A lot of the seating is side by side, which is kind of a pet peeve of mine -- if there's no choice, it's okay, but otherwise it's so lame -- so K. and I sat side by side, which makes conversation slightly awkward. At least they ask if it's OK though. The food was good, but not outstanding. The halibut we had was $38 on the regular menu -- definitely NOT worth THAT. The appetizers were weak (cold smoked cauliflower soup and their house salad) and the desserts (rhubarb shortcake and creme brulee with guava sorbet) were totally uninspiring. The entrees were decent, but Mistral Kitchen was better. There's no parking anywhere nearby, so you have to use their valet parking, and they charge $5 per vehicle and it just shows up on your check. Their Americanos cost $5 each, which is a bit excessive for an Americano (which wasn't even very good). The amuse bouche was a cold gazpacho, which was frankly too similar to the soup offered on the 3-course menu. The after-dinner sweet (I can't remember what that "course" is called -- it's like the opposite of the amuse bouche) they offered was good, but was better at Crush the time I went.
So overall, there's not much value in going there versus another nice restaurant (and definitely not for their regular dining menu), especially if you're not into dressing up (which we aren't). It's not super convenient, the food is only decent for high-end dining, and there are a lot of little extras you end up paying for. I kind of wish we'd tried their truffle fries, though, which looked really good and were only $8, but we were quite full by the end.
Still, we were glad we went, if only to experience it once, and not have to wonder if we were missing something really special.
Now I am really looking forward to Crush, which is tomorrow. Had a great time the only other time I've been there. So far K. and I have been to 3 of the RW restaurants, and they've all served halibut, lol. This is the problem with going to restaurants that pride themselves on serving local, fresh, in-season ingredients, back to back -- you get very similar menus because of what's in season!
As a physician, K.'s advice re: my lip problem is to use 1% strength hydrocortizone on them twice daily and see if it helps (she also says that I might need prescription strength to make any difference, but given the area she'd try something mild first). My appointment with my doctor isn't for another week and a half, so I might as well try. I also took
slitherhither's advice and bought some Dr. Hauschka lip balm. When K. saw me picking it out at PCC she was like, "Hey! That's what all the celebrities like Jennifer Aniston use!" Which was of course news to me as I'd never even heard of it before. For what a lip balm cost, I can see why though, lol. B., you have good taste. ;) Actually it's perfect because it's all natural and all the Internet research I did kept telling me to avoid chemicals like typical drugstore brand chapsticks and Vaseline (which, of course, was all I used), that the skin of lips needed to breathe, etc. Hopefully the hydrocortizone will heal and the new balm will soothe, and I won't even need to see my doctor at all. Though part of me wants to get a referral to a dermatologist anyway so I can figure out what the heck caused it in the first place.I just ordered a pile of new cookbooks. >< It's all David Lebovitz's fault, him and his new dessert book and his taunting video of delicious chocolate chip cookies. Gah! I am but a mere mortal! I can't be expected to resist such temptation! I also got one for Thai cuisine (gasp -- I know, but I'm wondering if maybe I can make my own not-so-sweet Thai curry, I might like it more), yet another Vietnamese one (it IS one of my favorite cuisines, after all), and one that is totally self indulgent because I can't see any practical application at all, really: Charcuterie: The Craft of Salting, Smoking, and Curing. I'd love to read all about it, even though I don't own a smokehouse (and wildly guessing that I probably never will), and I can't imagine going through the effort of curing my own meats. Finally, I also got Western Garden Book of Edibles, for help with my garden. Also, even though all my links go to Amazon, I actually bought them at Buy.com because not only were the books a bit cheaper there, but they don't charge me tax. I love Amazon, but why do they have to be based here?!
