Bin 941

Mom and I just got back from a fantastic weekend in B.C. I thought I would recap our adventures in the form of a restaurant review.

Bin 941 Tapas is an absolute must if you find yourself in downtown Vancouver, B.C. Mom and I walked in about 7:30 and were offered a seat in the main dining area or at the chef's bar. We chose the bar (this is a rule of mine--it's like having the Food Network right in front of you!). Anyway, we took a seat at the bar and began to peruse the wine list.

I have a lot of rules and another one of them is I don't drink California wines (unless of course it is served to me by someone...I don't refuse free booze!) so as we were reviewing the list we wondered aloud about the quality of B.C. area varietals. The waitress overheard us and exclaimed that she couldn't believe we had never sampled the local fare. She recommended a pinot gris from Kettle Valley and we both ordered a glass (excellent!).

Next we got down to business and again on the waitresses recommendation we ordered three dishes: the roasted beets, crabcakes and duck with potato and fennel mash. Again, all excellent--my favorite of the evening was of course the duck--all cooked to perfection and accompanied by one of my favorite things (potatoes!). The crab cakes were served with bok choy and a burnt orange sauce the tartness of which offset the crispy seafood flavor of the cakes very nicely. The beets were a perfect starter topped with honey and pinenuts that brought out the rich flavor of the yellow beets.

The best part of the whole evening was the show going on in front of us--we got to watch the sous chef and the chef plate almost every dish on the menu--the fanciful combinations, the use of molds to enhance presentation and the masterful way they orchestrated the dishes were a sight to see!

We topped the evening off with coffee and liquer accompanied by a flourless chocolate cake accompanied by a latte carmel sauce. There is not much more I can say than delectable!

Vancouver was a great destination for a quick weekend getaway so I highly recommend that you grab your passport and take a trip up and make sure to check out Bin 941 if you have time!

The details:
www.bin941.com
941 Davie Street
Vancouver, B.C.