Ugh. Ive never started a column like that before, but really... ugh. The sound is a sad onomatopoeia from the soul made when our associated minds consider how the leaves are already starting to turn colour and that our kids are no longer talking about going back to school with dread, but with anticipation. The end is nigh, friends. Fall approaches.
As much as I love summer and am loathe to see it slip away just when it seems to be getting rolling (thanks for nothing, July). Its not as if Autumn is completely devoid of entertainments, especially those of a gustatory nature.
Upon reflection, I think its the most confident slice of our food calendar. Like Vivaldis piece of the same name, it starts in our kitchens with a comforting assuredness, as if our chefs have been waiting for this, the time of year when they really come into their own. It may get willowy in sections (cue the harpsichord), but on the whole its downright meaty, offering up slow braises, mushrooms in abundance, root vegetables galore and sauces that stick to our bones with the urgent intensity of fortissimo violins.
Its only natural that some do the season better than others. Here are my picks for the five restaurants that play it best.
Chambar has always excelled at every season, but fall seems to be when its executive chef/owner Nico Schuermans shines brightest. As with most of the restaurants on this list, theres no telling what the menus will look like come the middle of October when the rain will be battering its Beatty St. windows and the pre-game rushes welcome a sea of Canuck sweaters (its next door to Rogers Arena), but the current menu sees many autumnal flickers, like the peppercorn crusted bison striploin laced with smoked tomato Bearnaise and strewn round with chanterelles and caramelized fingerling potatoes ($30). The rooms atmosphere is in complete lockstep, boasting a red and woody interior that causes one to imagine a floor covered in a carpet of damp leaves.
For some reason I always associate risotto with fall. Its a dish that I enjoy making at home because it takes a lot of time and nurturing to get it just right. Unfortunately, it is an altogether uncommon thing to find a restaurant that serves up a good one. Because of the time commitment it demands a la minute, corners are often cut (the addition of cream, for example) in order to get it out to tables in a timely fashion. Truly, I have more fingers than I do memorable restaurant risotto experiences, and nearly a full hand of these have come from La Quercia on the West Side. Theyre always wet and stocky (as they should be), and the studding accompaniments, be they mushrooms, peas or whatever chefs Adam Pegg or Lucais Syme fancy (it changes daily and is always served for two), never overpower.
If there is one Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»chef who personifies Fall, its Andrey Durbach, the co-owner of Cambies Pied-aTerre, MacDonalds La Buca and Mains Cafeteria. While all three admirably exemplify the autumn characters of their respective cuisine types when the time of year demands (French, Italian, pan-European, respectively) Id zero in on Cafeteria, which concentrates on comfort food more than the others and changes its menu daily (its also more affordable, with no dish exceeding the $22 mark). The menu come Halloween will read like a litany of bold flavours and unapologetically in-your-face richness, but at the time of writing theyre already plating whispers of things to come. Think raviolis stuffed with potato, onion and Taleggio cheese smothered in mushroom flecked cream and duck confit saddled with bacon hash.
Few dishes tell of Fall more succinctly than a good noodle soup. Though I was raised on cans of Campbells chicken noodle, my emotional ties to it have been cut in favour to big, steaming bowls of Japanese ramen. Ive just about tried every ramen house in the city, but Denmans venerable Kintaro warms me like no other, and cheaply (roughly $8 a bowl). The thought of going there on a hot night in August strikes me as a little repulsive, but give it two months and there will be no place Id rather be than in from the cold with my glasses steamed up by pork vapour as the cooks ladle out broth from the massive pots behind the bar. The miso ramen is my favourite, and still the best broth Ive ever had in Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»(restorative with huff-worthy aromatics). They dont skimp on the noodles either.
This South Granville institution is one of the powerhouses of Canadian cuisine during all four seasons, but Im particularly excited about taking a gander at the changes that will be coming its way this Fall when its new executive chef, Quang Dang, takes charge of the menu. Its a complete mystery to me as to what hell conjure up, but with Wests lengthy tradition of uncompromised excellence and Dangs wealth of relationships with BC farmers, fishermen and meat suppliers, not to mention his keenness to blow diners away with his first foot forward, his arrival here in September is something worth looking forward to.
