Review: The Vanilla Pod at Poplar Grove Winery

Today I would like to talk to you about:

 The Vanilla Pod Restaurant at Poplar Grove Winery.

My wife and I went here for Valentine's Day this year and we were blow away by everything they did. The night started off with a beautiful crisp evening with great visibility as we drove up the mountain side to get the Poplar Grove Winery. Pulling into the parking lot we had a great view of Penticton and Okanagan Lake all lit up in the dark of night. A twinkle of night lights reflecting off the lake made for a very romantic evening as we walked up to the doors.

As we entered the tasting room of the winery we were greeted by a man whom I believe was the general manager or possibly the owner, I am unsure of which he was, and upon checking in for our reservation we were escorted to our table in front of the large glass windows over looking the picturesque lake. One of the waitresses recognized us from Tabitha's Christmas staff party from December and greeted us with a "welcome back" and some friendly chit chat as we took our seats.

A different young lady came by and gave us menus and told us of the dinner features for the evening that was accompanying the a la carte menu. I ordered a bottle of Malbec while my wife stepped away from the table to surprise her upon her return then we decided to share a starter of Mushroom Flat bread with tomato, bell pepper and goat cheese topped with Arugula. After about 15 minutes the most sexy flat bread arrived, the crust was perfectly light and fluffy yet crisp on the bottom and the toppings were bold and full of flavor. The pairing of the Malbec with the flat bread was perfect as the wine let the flavors of the mushrooms and goat cheese pop in our mouths creating a mouth watering sensation that made you crave more.

Our second course fared just as well; I opted for the Beef Tenderloin with Pomme Frites and grilled vegetables and my Tabitha decided on the Chicken and zucchini Spaghetti with a basil cream sauce. Both were tremendous in flavour and again paired well with the wine. My steak looked like a good 5 oz portion cooked to medium as per my preference topped with frites over roasted vegetables and a roasted tomato butter. OH MY! I savoured every tender bite, the tenderloin itself cut like a hot knife thru soft butter, simply delicious. Tabitha's Pasta was very good too, a perfect balance of sauce pasta and filling, she enjoyed it immensely as well. 

We were feeling pretty full at this point and although we don't usually have desert we were asked if we were interested in having on of the four options they had. I opted for the Hazelnut ganache and my wife had another chocolatey dessert that I forget the name of.  no matter as both were incredible and finished off the night and the bottle of wine well. Our mouths drooled over the flavours of the Malbec with the chocolate melting in our mouths, a true sense of flavours peaking in taste.

The final bill came and while some may seem it to be pricey my wife and I truly felt that you get what you pay for; an excellent wine, a stellar view, and exquisite meal, excellent service and fantastic service. All in all a flawless evening with the most beautiful woman I know.

Final results 5 / 5

Reality to Live By in Restaurant Kitchens

Following up on a post a couple weeks ago for Tips to live by in the kitchen I thought I would do one that is a bit more Industry oriented

• Always tip the service staff when not on duty (and don't be cheap! - they will remember!)
• If your pay checks bounce then it is time to look for a new job,,, NOW!
• Be honest, always, especially if it is about trying to get a night off from work - The chef will find out, always, especially if you lied!
• If you are not management, don't answer your phone on your day off, EVER.
• On Call shifts you should expect to come in, don't make plans until you called to see if your working
• 3 second rules (or 5 for that matter) are bullshit, it hits the floor it never is to hit the plate!
• Never sacrifice quality for speed and never put quality over speed; know the balance and get it done
• Murphy's law says whatever you just 86'd three servers are about to order it
• Communicate! Communicate! Communicate! everything.
• Know what final 5's are and be sure to communicate those to expo  and / or manager/ sous - f' it tell everyone!
• When working nights you will find that the day shift did jack shit for you during day.
• When doing day shift you will find night guys did a half ass close every damn time
• ALWAYS restock your station at end of the shift. 
• Set yourself up for success, be prepared for the busiest night ever every night.
• At the end of your shift take a mental note of how service was and what you can do in your station to make it better.
• There is a time for fun and a time for focus, know the difference!
• If your getting in the weeds let someone know before your buried not after
• Never be FOH vs BOH person, we are all a team, even that idiot server who always screws up or the server who always has the tables that are in a rush. 
• Shit rolls down hill so remember that when bitching and complaining to the higher ups.

REVIEW: The Nest and Nectar - Penticton BC

I have not done a review in a while and my wife and I have a new fave in town,

The Nest and Nectar 

One night in early October my wife Tabitha and I were out on a date night hopping from place to place trying some drinks and appetizers, Nest and Nectar was our 2nd stop that night and we were glad we did!

At first Tabitha was unsure of the place as the parking lot was empty and there was only one or two other tables in the place when we walked in at around 7pm on a Friday night. It was a new place and I knew they had opened up relatively earlier in the last month, ended up it was one week earlier and it had been a soft opening as they worked on getting everything running just right. 

We sat down and perused their menu, mainly breakfasts on one page and the other side was mainly tapas/share dishes. The very pleasant and friendly waitress told us that they had just opened up in the last week and that she was very excited for what was taking place on site. She told us of one of the specials they were working on, an artichoke and olive flat bread so we decided to have that and some wings as we both just love salt and pepper chicken wings and how can anyone do them wrong right?

The appies came and the flat bread was a good portion size and tasty even though we are not big fans of olives and my wife doesn't like artichokes we both did enjoy it. The wings on the other hand was a different story. The wings came and they looked to be breaded and were HUGE and so so tasty, we absolutely loved them! Then when we were done we were offered some fresh homemade desserts and being a former chef and a connoisseur of all things Tiramisu we just had to try it. Damn good! I might even say it is better than mine!

We went from maybe we will come back to we absolutely will come back!  

Since then we have been to Nest and Nectar at least once a month and have brought the in-laws and my mother on separate occasions, trying to share and promote this little gold nugget of a place in the warehouse district of Penticton. 

The owners are very friendly and knowledgeable and Randy makes incredible drinks, he is a master mixologist! 

We will definitely be back soon and recommend if you are in town for breakfast, brunch lunch or dinner to come and check out The Nest and Nectar and you wont be dissapointed. I mean come on man they had Baileys infused whipped cream for your Belgian waffles on Sunday Brunch. who does that!?! 

Review: A solid 4 /5!

Tips to Live by in any kitchen..

I just thought I would compose a list of simple tricks I have learned in the kitchen over the years..

• Always start with a hot pan before putting anything into it.  
• Trust your palate and the flavourings that you like.
• Clean as you go (it makes for easier clean up afterwards.)
• Learn from your mistakes and never make the same ones twice
• Always take care of the bartender and he/she will take care of you!
• Label date and organize - EVERYTHING - ALWAYS
• Make lists and be thorough
• Love what you make - Don't make something you are not proud of.
• Taste as you go 
• Always re-season your dish when you add more ingredients to it
• Always use a wine or liquor in cooking that you would drink outside of cooking 
• Always make 10 to 25% more than what you need to cover surprises (for big feast /party prep)
• Take care of your tools and equipment and they will last a long time.
• Do not wash chef knives or expensive stainless tools in dishwasher (it ruins the finish)
• DO NOT THROW OUT ANYTHING - think of making a soup sauce or stock out of the waste (when possible)
• You are only limited by your imagination.