Review: The Reef

I’ve been wanting to visit The Reef ’s new location on Commercial Drive for some time, and finally got the opportunity the other day. It has a great beachy vibe, complete with seagrass on the walls, a tiki-esque bar and a small patio overlooking The Drive.

Mr. Gee's Rude Boy (in coconut shell) and B'nanas Smoothie

The food we tried on our first visit was great, and their drink selection was fabulous. Lots of high-end rums (like Don Matusalem 15-year old and Pyrot) and some great tropical drinks. We sampled the B’nanas Smoothie, made with dark rum, coconut rum, pineapple and banana; and Mr. Gee’s Rude Boy which is served in an adorable coconut shell. It’s made with dark rum, coconut rum, triple sec, orange juice,  grapefruit and pineapple, and flavored with a dash of bitters and nutmeg and it is DELICIOUS.

Baked jerked wings

For starters we tried baked jerked wings and a Caesar salad topped with a tomatillo and lime dressing and fried capers.  The jerked wings were delish and just the right amount of heat. The Caesar salad was good – light and refreshing. For dinner we had the Maracas Bay mahi-mahi seared with curry and lime and served with coconut rice and veggies. We also tried the jerk chicken tacos (actually from the applie menu). These were pretty standard fare, but we added some of the restaurant’s own great hot sauce to spice them up a bit.

The verdict? Definitely great food, drinks and service all around. We will visit again soon!

Have you visited The Reef? Please share your comments.

1018 Commercial
604-568-JERK

Trout Lake Cookbook Swap

If you’re an aspiring chef in need of some new inspiration, you won’t want to miss the Trout Lake Cookbook Swap Saturday July 19, 2008 at Trout Lake Farmers’ Market.

Christian Gaudreault and Star Spilos, co-owners of the Tomato Fresh Food Café, will be on hand signing As Fresh As It Gets, their award-winning cookbook. Amrita Sondhi, author of The Modern Ayurvedic Cookbook: Healthful, Healing Recipes for Life  and Jeng Suratin Rianpracha, whose self-published book, Thai Princess: Vancouver Cookbook, will also be signing.

Saturday July 19
9 am – 2 pm
Trout Lake Farmers Market
15th Avenue & Victoria Drive, in the Parking Lot of Trout Lake Community Centre
Map of Market Location

DiVino Wine Bar

The old Dolce Amore gelato shop has given way to DiVino – a new wine bar that serves wine (by the glass or the bottle), cheese and charcuterie in the small-plates tradition. The kitchen is headed up by Hugh Carbery, former sous-chef at Aurora Bistro. (Dolce Amore has been conveniently re-located to a modern new space next door.

I will be checking out this place soon to write a full review. In the meantime, has anyone visited DiVino? What do you think?

1590 Commercial Drive

Commercial Drive culinary tour

Culinary tourism operator, Edible British Columbia, is holding a Commercial Drive Culinary Tour next Saturday, July 19, 2008. Led by local chefs, they’ll take you to all The Drive’s foodie hot spots, from the best place to buy fresh buffalo mozzarella and free-range poultry to Italian specialties such as olive oil and vinegars.

The chefs will introduce you to the local vendors and you will make stops at many places including:

• A traditional Italian coffee house where they roast their own beans
• J N & Z deli (great sausage!)
• La Grotta Del Formaggio a (known for their world-class selection of olive oils)
• Fratelli’s Italian bakery
• Trout Lake farmer’s market.

The tour starts at 8:30 am and costs $65 per person, plus tax. Register online or call 604.812.9660 to register.

Commercial Drive street banners recycled into shopping bags

Every year the Commercial Drive Business Association dresses up The Drive with colorful nylon street banners. While the banners look great and liven up the street, once they are reach the end of their life, they used to end up in the landfill. No more! This year, they were transformed into cool, reusable shopping bags. Designed and manufactured by Dream Designs, the bags come in two sizes ($9.95 and $14.95) and are available at the following stores along The Drive:

They are available in 2 sizes ($9.95 & $14.95) and 10 different colours from these Commercial Drive retailers:

A Small World Shop and Gallery, 2120 Commercial Drive, T: 604.215.0279
Barefoot Contessa, 1928 Commercial Drive, T: 604.255.9035
Donald’s Market, 2279 Commercial Drive, T: 604.255.1440
Drive Organics, 1047 Commercial Drive, T: 604.678.9665
Kali, 1000 Commercial Drive, T: 604.215.4568
Lucky Rooster, 1706 Charles Street, T: 604.251.9119
Mintage, 1714 Commercial Drive, T: 604.871.0022
Riot, 1395, Commercial Drive, T: 604.254.5073
Spa Kwus, #102-1638 E. Broadway, T: 604.879.8367
Spank, 1027 Commercial Drive, T: 604.255.1131
10,000 Villages, 1204 Commercial Drive, T: 604.323.9233
Unityoga Teahouse, 1672 E. 10th Avenue, T: 604.708.8369

Spank Shoes

Spank Shoes is The Drive’s newest shoe store. In fact, it is only one of two shoe stores on Commercial, the other being Kalena Shoes which specializes in high-end Italian leather footwear. 

Anyway, Spank carries trendy and fashion-forward stuff; brands like Jeffery Campbell, Seychelles, Poetic Licence, London Underground, etc.

I spotted this adorable eco-friendly polka-dot sneaker by Simple on a recent visit. The outsole and bottom are made from recycled car tire , the foot form is 100% post consumer paper pulp and they’re made with organic cotton. They’re also made without any animal products or byproducts, so supposed to be vegan and veggie-friendly. Love ‘em!

1181 Commercial Dr.
604.568.1229

Review: Timbre Restaurant

Banana Nutella French Toast

I am loving brunch at Timbre Restaurant these days. They have this incredible Banana-Nutella French Toast ($9): four slices of French baguette, battered, then covered with Nutella, bananas, whipped cream and sprinkled with sugar and served with syrup. I loooooooove this stuff.  They’ve also got a great veggie hash, plus a bunch of omelettes, various benedicts and steak and eggs.

In the evenings when it is busier I find the room is a bit awkward – tables set to close together, etc – and the service can be a bit slow. But, they have a Sangria night on Thursdays which is worth checking out, and they make a great poutine with blue cheese. Definitely worth checking out if you are in the neighbourhood (though probably not worth a special trip just to come here, IMHO).

2068 Commercial Drive
604.215.7515
Mon to Sun, 11 am to midnight