DB Bistro Moderne
Posted by Janeen Leynes on Monday, January 26th, 2009Tags for this Article: DB Bistro Moderne, Dine-out, restaurant, review, vancouver
Fellow Foodists Steph, Todd, my husband and I had a great dinner at db Bistro Moderne a few nights ago. I was really looking forward to dining there, and seeing what the designers did with the décor in the transformation from Feenies. DB has a classic French bistro feel, but I couldn’t help but miss the lively, Montreal style modern décor of Feenies.
We were there for Dine Out, and that being said I go in with a different set of standards. After working in restaurants, I learned that Dine Out has its limitations for the kitchen. The dishes also need to be prepared in advance to allow the kitchen to keep up with the set menu and the amount of people in the restaurant at any given time. This is a fine balance that db Bistro Moderne has achieved. We started out with the Moroccan Tuna Tartar, which was wonderful. Each element of this dish had a purpose, and contributed to the overall taste. The part I love about fine dining, is the artistry. I equate the feeling with standing in front of a painting at an art gallery, trying to understand each stroke of the artists brush. The entrée I chose was the Seared Arctic Char, which was a unique experience. The grenobloise butter, with the sweetness of the raisins really brought out the natural flavor of the Char. I finished with the chocolate mousse with coffee ice cream, and in my opinion this dessert was average. The texture of the mousse was too soft, and needed more chocolate. I am already looking forward to going back to db Bistro Moderne after Dine Out to try some of their other dishes.
Photos: Steph Co
db Bistro Moderne is located in Kitsilano at 2551 W Broadway
Vancouver, BC; (604)-739-7115, www.dbbistro.ca
The char and the dessert were excellent, we were not as much of a fan of the tuna (a little bland and boring).
The highlight for me was the duck pate.
Pictures here.
P.S. As we found out later, we were actually at a nearby table, but I didn’t notice until we were headed out :P
I had the duck, the arctic char, and the chocolate coupe. I loved the raisin/crouton/caper mixture that came with the char. I’m reserving final opinions until we hit the place again tomorrow.
However, I do think the chocolate coupe was *way* too big. It could have been such a cute, elegant little thing, but it came across as clunky and awkward.
I have to echo the comment Boris left about the Country Duck Pate, which in my mind was leaps and bounds better than the tuna tartar.
I also had the Vegetarian Potato Gnocci, which was a refreshing contrast to the Arctic Char that sat around the table.
The word on the street is that DB has extended their Dine Out menu until the 12th of February, if you can secure a reservation, I suggest trying it out.
I havent been to DB and I know dine out is a pain in the ass for chefs and cooks, but i cannot belive that Daniel boloud would put his name to a desert like that, it looks like somthing feenie would come up with.I also know that it is possible to serve elegant tasty interesting deserts for dine out after working with Rhonda viani at WEST for 4 years.