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DINNER WITH... pairs interesting Vancouverites with top notch restaurants. We want to showcase the minds and menus of some of our favourite people and establishments. We'll pick their brains, while they devour their dinner, and hopefully YOU will come away inspired, enlightened and hungry... |
And we're back! And it's a...
DINNER WITH... BRICE FERRE!
Brice is another one of VIA's talented photographers - shooting for our LOVE is a Four Letter Word series, as well as some of the Vancouver's Most Awesome posts. And funny enough he and his wonderful lady were subjects in the LOVE series, (which I photographed) so this was not our first meeting!
Brice and I have been trying to have this dinner at West in our shared neighbourhood (South Granville) for a LONG time, and it finally happened. Let me tell you, it was worth the wait. Everything from the staff to the food was perfect...and in fact we spent FIVE HOURS there. Bliss...
I'm always afraid I'll fill up on bread, but these warm housemade buns were too amazing to pass up.
West's Cocktail Menu is EXTENSIVE, I had a drink called a Brown Derby (left) and it was brilliant.
For our dinners I went with the Seafood Tasting Menu, but was almost swayed by the offer to let the chef just cook for us! Brice took the mystery box and we were presented with feasts fit for kings. Above is Brice's Fois Gras and below is my Citrus Cured Steelhead Trout. My mouth is watering just writing this...
Brice, like myself, is a freelance photographer living in Vancouver - you can check out his work here - so naturally we chatted about that!
And food...we talked a lot about food and how I would get nice and fat if I lived in France eating cheese, bread and wine all the time.
But Brice says he likes a lady that can eat so, THERE.
(above: Spring Pea Ravioli -- below: Vancouver Island Octopus)
(above: [amazing] Shellfish Bisque)
Then I asked Brice the 3 standard Dinner With... questions!
Favourite Foods?:
"I'm going simple: Cheesecake. Or chocolate fondant. I could do that everyday. Add coffee into the mix and *muah*"
Favourite Restaurants?:
Bao Bei, Ouisi Bistro ("They have the best cheesecake, it's to die for. You can quote me on that."), "...and West, everything is perfect".
(above: Blackberry Crusted Peace Country Elk -- below: Haida Gwaii Ling Cod)
Between the cheese platter (above) and the sorbet (below) we finalized Brice's last answers to:
If you could have dinner with one person, who would it be…?:
"Besides you?
...Marty McFly....or Doc Brown, not sure if I'd have enough to talk about with Marty. Depends. Maybe Michael J. Fox...maybe I'm just a fan."
"Chase Jarvis, but I've had lunch with him before...does that count?"
"Helmut Newton....Annie Leibovitz (I'd pick her brain)...Can I get a group dinner?! a LOT of people at my dinner, a few actors in there...Joel McHale would be good to go to dinner with. If I could bring the cast of Friends, I'd bring them in a second. Or Joey Tribbiani and Chandler Bing. Those two."
"Last two.... Conan O'Brian - he'd be at the top of the list actually. and James Lipton- I hope you know him! [Me: 'That would be amazing!'] Full table there, James knows everything about everyone! That's it. Nailed it!"
(DESSERT! - above: Warm Marjari Chocolate Pudding -- below: Tofu Cheesecake Wrapped In Omelet Crepe)
Chocolate!
We'd like to thank the incredible staff at West for hosting us and feeding us some AMAZING food.
Stay tuned for the next installment in our Dinner With… series, set at another one of Vancouver’s best restaurants with another one of Vancouver’s best humans.
