a bite of brownie

- that's the name of the play we saw at Granville Island last Saturday. But before feeding our penchant for the arts,we went ahead and indulged at Joe Fortes, a really cozy upscale resto in downtown Vancouver with very attentive waiters.

The amuse-bouche was seared salmon on a bed of salad. I've now come to recognize how fancy the restaurant is and how big a hole it will burn on my wallet by this treat. My first amuse-bouche experience was at O'Doul's, that was terrific, we had three sets, and in the end spent almost a grand.

Before our orders arrived, we were treated to a bread basket with whipped butter on the side. I'm not a big fan of bread but after I tried the one at the Cheesecake Factory, I don't think this could hold a candle to that.

The menu offered a lot of delectable dishes so it was really hard to choose. Upon recommendation from our waiter, we got the Chef's special for starters, which was a succulent treat of King Crab legs wrapped in crunchy bacon. I must say this was really well done, crispy crackling bacon goodness covering a tender piece of crab legs.

I picked the Orange Berry Crush for drinks then ordered a three-course meal with Cup of New England Clam Chowder as appetizer. Have you ever wondered why they always pair it with Premium biscuits? Anyway I though the crackers were too salty so I skipped it. The clam chowder was superb, I like the big bits of seafood and crab in there. Almost comparable to Nick's New England clam chowder in San Francisco, but not quite.

For entree, I chose the Slow Roasted Beef Short Rib. This dish was fall off the bones tender. I didn't even need the knife, it just gave in to my fork. Half way through the dish I was already full, but I was encouraged by my friend's empty plate so I pushed on until I finally finished it. I should remember to bring a big appetite.
 
Tiramisu with mascarpone cream, lady fingers and espresso was up for desert. It was ok, to say the least, or maybe I was just too full to appreciate it. Anyway, it wasn't that memorable if you were to ask me, but I must admire the presentation.

Overall, the meal was excellent and our waiter was especially accommodating, I would definitely go back again if only to try the crab cakes and the seafood tower.

Verdict:

N: 4.0/5.0 [-1 because the bread wasn't fantastic and the dessert wasn't spectacular]

Joe Fortes Seafood Restaurant
777 Thurlow Street,
Vancouver, BC V6E 3V5, Canada