Friday, May 07, 2010

May 5th - the Market by Jean Georges - Elegant but downgraded for Dineout

D discovered last minute that Dineout was still on.  We had thought we missed all of it whilst we were on vacation.  For the most part, we have not been thrilled by Dineout because alot of restaurants take a skewed approach to it.  The fit themselves into the Prix Fixe menus but then adjust their normal fare to that cost which I would opine is the wrong way round it.  Dineout can be a great marketing opportunity for exposure in an already saturated restaurant field here in Vancouver.  There have been a few we have been to in the past like Coast where the portions are smaller or not at the normal scale of the restaurant.  Hence, I have not been back to Coast in two years.  Bluewater on the other hand did not scale back last year and we have been back a couple of times since. 
We enjoyed our meal at the acclaimed Market by Jean Georges but I would submit that Hanger steak, which is often used in dishes like fajitas and my Snapper would not normally be on offer.  The sauces on everything were wonderful and at a that JG expectation.  The Warm Chocolate cake was nice but rather well done and not as gooey and there was residual flour on the top of mine from the baking dish.
D and I both had the same starter of the Steamed Shrimp Salad with Tender Greens, Avocado and Champagne Dressing.  It was paired with a local Brut and the pairing flight was on offer as well, but we opted to select our own wines.  We paired this with a Cordoniu Brut Rose Cava.  This was a wonderful dish and I will try to replicate this as soon as possible.  I really wish I could pindown what was in that dressing but it was velvety and bisque like. The Shrimp were cooked to perfection, I mean perfection.  MMMM

We then parted ways on the main.  D had the Seared British Columbia Hanger Steak with Gingered Mushrooms and Asparagus with a Soy - Caramel Sauce. The steak was cooked to his liking and the sauce was nice but a tad over seasoned.  My main was the Red Snapper Nut and Seed Crust in a Sweet and Sour Broth.  It was a generous sized portion for this venue but Snapper is an affordable fish.  The fish on its own was a tad over salted but within the broth it was fine.  The broth was rich and I did not finish it off.  The dish eaten whole and combined was very nice and the Snapper was well cooked.  I had a nice French Chabis which I selected over the recommended Pinot Gris to avoid interfering with the dish.


The Warm Chocolate cakes were cooked to order and I appreciated that we were not rushed.  The rush is something else that is endemic to Dineout, turnover!  There was none of that.  The experience was lovely.  The cake was a bit too cooked through and the gooeiness was only in the very centre.  As well, the Warm Chocolate cake is a fairly generic offer and we did not have a selection of two as other dineouts did.  There was a bit of flour on the outside of my cake from the baking dish which can be avoided by 'flouring' the dish with cocoa powder rather than flour. 

I would return for the regular menu which looked lovely.  The thing about the Dineout menu is that it appears to offer the dessert 'for free' compared to regular pricing (assuming the restaurant does not skimp on the meal).  We rarely order dessert so it would not make a difference.  The setting was sleek and very cosmopolitan which was refreshing.

Cost: $$$-$$$$
Staff: Professional, efficient, friendly
Location: Coal Harbour/Downtown
Wine list: Extensive and decent by the glass selection

the Market by Jean Georges
1128 W Georgia St
Vancouver, BC V6E
(604) 695-1115




Market By Jean-Georges on Urbanspoon


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