Capones Restaurant & Live Jazz Club

Man, I swear my reviews are getting shorter.  Anyway, Hubbs & I decided at virtually the last minute to go to Capones for dinner; we figured that we'd like it since we like jazz and we like food.

When we arrived for our reso, we were seated front and center at a little round table smack in front of the live jazz band.  The amp was jacked to the max and we were right near the speakers so of course we couldn't hear each other, and we weren't fond of our location.  It then took the server 10 minutes to come and take our drink order.  Strike 1.   When I saw that a booth table had freed up, I requested to be moved.  Server guy left to go ask if the table was available, and then he ignored us for another 5 minutes.  Strike 2.  We finally had to flag him down to check if we could move, and gave him our drink orders.  He said yes, and after we moved to the new booth table, our drinks never arrived.  Strike 3.

Thankfully, another server came by and took our drink order again.  She was way more efficient and came with our ice teas shortly afterwards; turns out the first server figured it wasn't his table anymore so he didn't bother to pass along our drink orders to our new server.  Thanks.

We ordered the Capones lasagna and the Godfather pizza.  I was worried we'd be hungry but Hubbs figured this was enough food.  He was right.  The lasagna came out in a small plate and I thought, uh oh, this won't be enough, but it was hearty and filling.  The pizza, about 10" in size, was also loaded with meat and quite filling.  In the end, I could only finish half of it, and Hubbs had all of his lasagna (save for a few bites that I stole) and 2 pieces of my pizza.  We still have 2 slices left over. 

The music that was blaring was still super loud from the booth/table (since it was right at the front near the stage) but at least Hubbs & I were able to sit beside each other in the booth and hear one another talk.  Then the band went on a break for 30 min., giving us time to rest our poor eardrums.  When they returned to the stage, their next set was a bit more mellow to start out with, allowing us to readjust our ears to the loud loud music.  I must be getting old, since I don't recall loud music ever bothering me before.

Overall, the food was pretty tasty (there was foie gras in the lasagna and duck on my pizza!) and the music was good (albeit loud).  Service was hit and miss depending on who served us, and prices weren't cheap (~$20+/entree, $14/app), but it was an experience that ended better than it started.  Our server also told us that they've come under new management and now the menu changes every so often, and they're trying to improve to their former glory.

Looks like they have their work cut out for them.  First step: fire that first server.  He's bringing them down.

Service: 3 out of 5 (4/5 for the second server, and 2/5 for the first)

Food: 4 out of 5

Shuraku

Hubbs & I are on a quest to find our favourite sushi joint in Van.  We may have inadvertently discovered it on a recent visit to Shuraku.  

We made a reso online a few days ahead of time, and showed up to a lovely hostess/server who knew my name as soon as I mentioned my reso.  The menu was extensive in terms of their sake collection, but because Hubbs & I are both on meds for our coughs, we had to stick with their tea options (there were 3).  We stuck with the genmai green tea, the standard, and it was one of the least watered-down genmai that we've had in a while.  

Because we weren't 100%, we opted to eat light.  This meant we only ordered 3 rolls (the Roulette, the Rainbow, and the Red Torch), 2 Monkfish Liver nigiri, and an order of gomae because I wanted some "greens" in my diet.  The gomae proved to be the most flavourful gomae ever; just thinking about it makes me want more!  Their servings for some of this stuff are izakaya sized, so the gomae wasn't huge (though you know they probably had to go through a lot of raw spinach just to make one little bowl of cooked spinach).  Hubbs ended up having half of my gomae because it was just that tasty!  

Our nigiri came next.  I liked the monkfish liver though of course it was cooked so it had a pate-like consistency to it, which was an interesting combination to pair with rice.  I might want to try it as an appie next time, just to see what it's like on its own.  

Our rolls came out altogether.  The favourite for us was the Roulette Roll; the negitoro's green onion flavours came out very well although the chopped scallop was far more subdued in flavour.  I liked the crispy lotus root chip on the top, too.  We really loved the taste of this roll, given our partiality to negitoro.

The rainbow roll was (according to Hubbs) the best rainbow roll he has ever had.  It was also fresh and tasty.  The red torch roll was unique and had a bit of kick from the kimchee on top.  It wasn't overly spicy though, and the texture of the BBQ salmon skin offered an interesting contrast to the soft rice, the crunchy cucumber, and the fatty roe. 

Generally, the rolls were not particularly wide in girth, but because of that we could really taste the filling of each roll and weren't overwhelmed by rice (which many places tend to do with their specialty rolls).  I liked their sizing although I know some might balk at the rolls being diminuitive relative to other places.  The pricing was also moderate; I wouldn't say it was cheap since the rolls averaged about $12 each, but our total bill (given we didn't have sake and we didn't try the dessert) was only $50, tax-in.

I totally will be coming back.  The server was super sweet and very efficient, and Hubbs and I both enjoyed the rolls.  The decor is very clean and a bit more upscale than the traditional-looking sushi houses in the city, and I appreciated the more contemporary feel of the place.  It wasn't overwhelmingly noisy and Shuraku had a warm and lively vibe to it.  It's a great date night sort of place.

Service: 4.5 out of 5

Food: 5 out of 5

Blue Water Cafe

So I can't believe I never posted a review of the Blue Water Cafe (before today, that is).  It is a personal favourite of Hubbs and I and we've been here half a dozen times since his birthday 2 years ago.

Anyway, our most recent visit happened while my Superstar Jo sister and SpaceMax bro-in-law were in town.  We made our reservations early and they had a booth lined up for us upon arrival.  Our server was awesome, timely, and friendly.  When my sis & I wanted fruity non-boozy drinks, she had the bartender specially-design a citrus drink for Superstar Jo and the "Berrylicious" bevvie for me.

The three of them ordered our usual favourite, the "Seafood Tower" while I opted for the beef tenderloin (due to shellfish sensitivities).  We also went with some starters: hot & sour lobster soup for Hubbs and duck confit salad for the rest of us.  Hubbs loved his soup and I quite enjoyed my appie, although I would have preferred a crispier skin on the duck.

Next up were our mains.  This is a small pic of the seafood tower; I took this pic on our first visit to Blue Water but you get the idea.

There was actually a *process* to putting down the eating tools for this thing.  It's quite an exhibit, really, and fun to watch and experience.  During our most recent visit, the Dungeness crab on the top tier was replaced with a 1-pound lobster.  There was also a jellyfish salad on the bottom tier that was once a little plate of escargot (in shell).  Aside from a few minor changes like that, the tower was essentially the same as ever, and (according to my fellow diners) as fresh and decadent as ever.

My tenderloin was perfectly seared and very tasty.  I particularly like macaroni-and-blue-cheese accompaniment that comes with the tenderloin.  It is rich and creamy, flavourful and indulgent.

After our mains, we decided to stay for dessert; in the past, we've sometimes opted to go elsewhere just to experience a different, more casual setting, but on this night we chose to stay.  Hubbs had the profiteroles, which he proclaimed to be one of his new most favourite desserts.  I had the warm Cuban chocolate cake, which was rich and tasty but perhaps not quite warm enough.  Superstar Jo had the fruit brulee which I found to be a bit tart but I think she liked, while Space Max had the Mont Blanc, which I assume he also very much enjoyed since he announced he wasn't going to share with us (jokingly, of course). 

All in all it was another wonderful visit to Blue Water for us.  The price tag isn't cheap and the place is business-casual at the minimum, but you get what you pay for, and the dining experience is exquisite and a good way to impress a date or entertain business associates or celebrate special occasions.  We'll be back again, and likely soon.  We want every member of our immediate families to have a chance to experience the awesomeness that is the Blue Water Cafe; that's just how we roll.

Service: 5 out of 5

Food: 5 out of 5