Seattle Dining: Brunch at Scout

Scout at Thompson Hotel

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If Grizzly Bears in the wild were a patchwork of different plaids I think they would be less terrifying. Don't get me wrong they would probably still maul you and rip you apart Revenant-style, but their warm tones would relax you before your untimely demise. When you enter Scout at the beautiful Thompson Hotel the first thing you see is just such a whimsical Grizzly Bear. It's a first impression that stays with you as you're guided to your table past immense 10 seater booths and gorgeous tables entrapped in elegant, twisted wood bird cages. A lovely space!

Scout Brunch Menu

Kale, spinach, celery, cucumber, parsley, lime and apple juice doesn't sound like a flavour experiment in which my participation would be deemed voluntary. Healeo, a local Seattle company, makes a very nice cold pressed juice it dubs the "Green Drink" which I found refreshing and invigorating. I also ordered a mimosa which is also invigorating, but for more traditional reasons.

Healeo Organic Green Cold Pressed Juice

I can always tell immediately whether you've made your Hollandaise sauce from scratch or prepackaged. Don't get me wrong I don't mind either, but you can really tell the difference when fresh ingredients are used and care is taken. At Scout they care about their Dungeness Benedict. Like a lot. Forgoing the usual English muffin for a crab cake base with a poached egg on top they nailed this dish. Hints of cilantro, subtle onion and lime zest round out this plate which also boasts some very lovely fried potatoes.

Dungeness Benedict

$2 beers are always a good idea! I'm not sure how profitable it is, but at $2 it wouldn't break the bank to have 10. Maybe 20? At Scout you can enjoy an ice cold, frothy Miller High Life for a twoonie. That's a $2 coin for my American readers. It's a brunch special with real potential to make an indelible impression!

I ordered a fried chicken sandwich with kettle cooked potato chips. "You can taste that it was made inside... (long pause) the kitchen". Yes, Jenn, you sure can! What I think she was meaning, folks, was that the chips were made in-house. She asked nicely I not include this in the blog, but I felt to get the true sense of our meal it was essential. And funny. Honey dominates this chicken burger, in a very good way, and the bun, also made in-house, was very fresh and tasty. The slaw added a nice crunch to the burger and it disappeared quickly. Jenn ordered an avocado toast, as she is prone to do whenever she see it's on a menu, and it was buttery and rich and the togarashi gave it a nice kick and, with the crunch of the pine nuts, rounded out a lovely experience. Avocados contain good cholesterol, give it a Google, and is a very healthy addition to any diet.

Fried Chicken

Avocado Toast

The Scout cinnamon bun is more like a cinnamon dog bed. A chihuahua or a Shih tzu would have a comfortable sleep atop this behemoth! It is worth a trip all by itself. Cinnabon has got nothing on Scout! My only experience at Scout is their delicious brunch, admittedly, but I perused the dinner menu and, knowing their propensity to make everything fresh, in-house and with top notch ingredients, I can say without reservation that it would be a good culinary experience regardless of the time of day. Speaking of reservations you might want to make one as the word is out and Scout is in!

Cinnamon Sticky Bun

Words: Scott Allan
Photos: Jenn Chan

Staycation at Trump Vancouver

Gazing up at the $275 million Holborn Group built, Trump branded, twisted tower of glass and steel it is difficult to fathom the sheer scale of such a large project. Where do you even start to build such a behemoth? Who do you hire? How long will it adorn the majestic Vancouver skyline? Where did all that money go? When you walk in it is immediately apparent where the money has gone; details. Marble, crystal and dark woods everywhere. Custom made furniture, floor to ceiling windows and 180 eclectic pieces of art by local Vancouver artist  Miriam Aroeste commissioned specifically for the tower. This is luxury.

Our staycation experience starts long before we enter the doors to our sensational hotel room. It starts with service. Bobby Bissessar is a prime example of someone you want to be customer facing if you run a luxury hotel, a Fortune 500 company or even a hotdog stand. The term people person gets thrown around a lot in this day and age. It equates to someone who genuinely likes people; who is humble, affable and accommodating and Bobby is all these things and more! As the Marketing and Leisure Sales Manager he is our point of contact and we are grateful for his professionalism and friendship.

Open the door to any hotel room in the tower and you will be awed by its modern features and beautiful design, but open the door to an Executive King Suite and prepare to pick your jaw up off the floor! An immense tv sits at the foot of a heavenly soft yet supportive king sized bed with an enormous, white leather headboard. Sizing things up I estimated the headboard alone to be worth upwards of $10,000; details. A well appointed desk sits adjacent and Jenn spends a lot of time there editing these beautiful photos you see above. Just beyond that is the bathroom that wouldn't look out of place in a high end spa. A stately, standalone tub dominates one corner and, to the right, double sinks precede an all glass shower with a luxurious rain head. With a push of a button all the blinds close for privacy. The balcony, one of the iconic oval outcroppings on the tower, is spacious and has a very comfortable patio couch which offers a nice peekaboo view of the Vancouver Yacht Club and beautiful, supernatural Stanley Park. Staying at Trump will make you feel pampered and ready to explore the splendour that is Vancouver!
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Enjoying a Nespresso on the Balcony

Fresh Bottled Water & Chocolate Truffles

Trump Champagne & Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Fitness Centre

In-room Dining Breakfast in Bed

Scambled Eggs with Caviar

Trump Rainbow Smoothie

Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict

Words: Scott Allan
Photos: Jenn Chan

Notch8 New Spring Lunch Menu at Fairmont Hotel Vancouver

Notch8 at Fairmont Hotel Vancouver

"Sometimes you wanna go where everybody knows your name and they're always glad you came." I'm blessed to be able to gaze upon the beautiful Fairmont Hotel Vancouver as I lay in my bed. We're neighbours and I'm lucky to get to spend a lot of time at Notch 8! So when Sophia welcomed us by name it felt nice. When Kristina greeted us at our table with a warm "you again?" it felt nice. Dining at Notch 8 feels nice.

Our lunch started off with a couple of cocktails, but don't judge us it's after noon. The Lavender Corpse Reviver and Lillooet Daisy helped to shake the cobwebs from a Sunday spent touring Vancouver's craft brewery district. The former a gin centric tipple with citrus undertones and the latter a well balanced blueberry and elderflower dominant offering. Delicious!

Lillooet Daisy & Lavender Corpse Reviver

Close on the heels came our starters; the Sunchoke Soup and Roasted San Mariano Tomato Soup as well as Notch's world famous honey wheat bread. Chef Will came out personally to grate fresh truffle on the Sunchoke Soup which Jenn found very "hearty and Earthy". It was loaded with truffle and artichoke and had a very nice broth. The tomato soup is a revelation! Campbell's soup ain't got nothing on this, sorry Andy Warhol. Sweet, fresh and served piping hot. An added bonus happens every time your spoon returns from the depths loaded with Notch's incredible fromage frais!

Warm Honey Wheat - honey loaf, fig, walnuts, Fairmont honey butter

Roasted San Marzano Tomato Soup - tomato oil, fromage frais

Roasted San Marzano Tomato Soup - tomato oil, fromage frais

Sunchoke Soup - truffles, artichoke,sunflower butter

At Kristina's suggestion, executive order really, I partook in the Canada 150 Maple Leaf cocktail. Bourbon, maple syrup, lime and apple. Way to perpetuate Canadian stereotypes Notch... Everyone already knows Canadians love lime. As I was enjoying my first sip out comes out entrées: Prawn and Crab Risotto, Lingcod and Steak Frites. Yes, Jenn, all 110 pounds of her, ordered two entrées. My California cut steak came out the perfect rare, first box checked, and the meat was exceptionally tender and fresh. The fries, thin in the MacDonald's style, were unsalted and crisp; very good. In all the dish is a near perfect 9/10! Jenn claims the risotto was the best of her life: "flavourful, filling and the seafood is super savoury". Well summed up! The Lingcod, also a Jenn Chan selection, was very "flaky and it melts in your mouth". "The combination of garden vegetables that surround the Lingcod adds a certain depth to the dish". The pea and nasturtium velouté formed the perfect base of the dish and it disappeared quickly!

Canada 150 Maple Leaf - Bourbon | Maple Syrup | Lime | Apple
A toast for our birthday!

Lingcod - lavender honey ash crusted, green pea & nasturtium veloute, spring vegetables, meadow flowers

Prawn & Crab Risotto - BC shrimp, dungeness crab, spring peas & beans, goat cheese, micro shiso

Steak Frites - California cut striploin, shoestring fries, pepper jus house steak sauce

Our most avid readers would hypothesize that now is the time when we move onto some random smattering of mouth watering desserts. Notch won't let you down in this regard either! A quick google of their website shows several selections, many really, that I would fill a child's ball pit with and dive in. Normally we would indulge, but, as previously mentioned, I had occasion to visit no fewer than a half dozen craft brewers during the annual Vancouver Hop Circuit and my bed was beckoning me home. Satisfied we hugged our server goodbye, as people do, and skipped merrily out. We'd be back was out comforting thought and, hopefully, we'll see you there!

Afternoon Tea Series: Bacchus at Wedgewood Hotel

The Brut from Blue Mountain Vineyard and Cellars is a wonderful sparkling white with a dry, citrusy finish. We had been sitting no longer than a few minutes when Mr. Kyle Johnstone, the energetic Bacchus manager, brought us a couple of glasses of Blue Mountain's finest. Sitting in opulence, dark wood panelled grandeur, we sip our sparkling wine and watch our fellow patrons laugh and enjoy their meals. To say the atmosphere is upscale, the drink program amazing and the food way above average wouldn't be putting it firmly enough!

Blue Mountain Sparkling Wine

We are at Bacchus to preview their afternoon tea ahead of Mother's Day and decided on the Thunderbolt Darjeeling and Lavender Earl Grey. Mr. Johnstone has been covertly trying every afternoon tea around town to get inspiration for Bacchus' offerings and it shows! The presentation is top notch, the food hearty and plentiful and the tea is magnificent! I found the Thunderbolt Darjeeling more fruity than floral and it's packed with caffeine. There's a bit of a dryness, happily, to it that I found very satisfying and I thoroughly recommend it. For a period of about a decade I would not dry my clothes without a lavender scented dryer sheet. Ditto dish soap requiring a lavender hue. Shampoo, air freshener, body lotion... you get the idea. Having bucked the compulsive trend I still find myself partial to the sweet, soothing smell. The Lavender Earl Grey is as good as it sounds; the perfection that is Earl Grey augmented with the delicious, curative lavender. Worth a trip all on its own!

Bacchus Afternoon Tea Menu

Thunderbolt Darjeeling & Lavender Earl Grey

Three tiers of deliciousness are then placed in front of us.  Egg salad sandwiches, smoked salmon and cream cheese spirals, tandoori chicken sandwiches, shrimp salad sandwiches and cucumber sandwiches make up the bottom tier. I have had some bad experiences with egg salad. Think of the apprehension you have of tequila the next time you partake after it has done you wrong... this is the hesitation with which I took my first bite, but it was the best I have ever had and quickly disappeared. Smoked salmon is incredible, I think that's universally recognized? Cheese is amongst the best things on Earth and when you combine the two, as one should, the result is a perfect 10/10 sandwich; delicious! Tandoori chicken runs a close second to butter chicken in the hierarchy of Indian food according to Scotty and this sandwich doesn't disappoint. The shrimp salad sandwich was excellent and you can tell the shrimp was very fresh and supple. While I am a self proclaimed carnivore I have to admit that I found the cucumber sandwich very delicious. A cool, crisp and refreshing offering!

Afternoon Tea Set

Tier 1: Cucumber, Smoked Salmon & Cream Cheese, Prawn, Egg Salad, Tandoori Chicken

Egg Salad Sandwich & Prawn Sandwich

Cucumber Sandwiches

Tier two boasts a lovely English Fruit Cake, Almond Tart, Lemon Chiffon Cake and Fruit Tart. Fruit cake isn't to be feared. This isn't your aunt realizing her fruit bowl is going bad and using up everything in a "fruit cake" and freezing it to give as Christmas gifts 5 months later. This is fresh, fluffy and sweet fruit cake and I would have eaten a pound of it. Almonds are filled with protein. 21 grams of the stuff per 100 grams onto be exact. Ahhhhhhh so this is how vegans don't waste away to skeletons. I love them and this tart made me want to eat a garbage bag full! The chiffon cake was the perfect sweetness of lemon, not too tart and not diabetes inducing and the fruit tart was delicious and packed with vitamins. Who said dessert wasn't healthy?

Tier 2: Mini Bakewell Tart, Seasonal Fruit Tartlet, English Fruit Cake, Lemon Chiffon with White Chocolate Ganache

Tier three, the top tier, is where the Atkins diet goes to die. Carbs, with carbs and some sugar. Scones, eclairs and macarons  with a heavenly Devonshire cream and fruit preserves. I have often waxed poetically about Devonshire cream and Bacchus does it as well if not better than most and it really complimented the fresh scones. Eclairs are luxury donuts, long johns packed with surprises. In this instance a rich cream that was so incredibly thick and fresh, delicious! The macarons were expertly done and the flavours, as is sometimes not the case, were well balanced. I mean at some places you'll see 'rose petal, watermelon, pineapple, crab apple, road apple, lemon, chocolate macarons'? Just stop.

Tier 3: Chocolate Éclair, Freshly Baked Scone, Devonshire Cream & Fruit Preserves, Macaron

The Wedgewood Hotel is a luxury boutique hotel just off Robson and Burrard in the heart of Downtown Vancouver and across the street from the Supreme Court of BC and the Vancouver Art Gallery. The Bacchus Restaurant, as Wedgewood's prestigious lobby bar, is frequented by lawyers, doctors from the nearby hospital, businessmen, professionals and celebrities. It is an excellent place to people watch, eat and drink or just sidle up to bar and watch the game. I would very highly recommend checking it out and maybe make a night of it, book a room upstairs and go wondering the paradise that is Vancouver!

Words: Scott Allan
Photos: Jenn Chan

Fairmont Olympic Hotel, Seattle

Like a scene from a Disney fairytale a smiling valet, in a gleaming uniform, was smiling at my door within moments of pulling into the regal Fairmont Olympic Hotel in beautiful downtown Seattle. "Good afternoon, sir, welcome to the Fairmont Olympic, may I help you with your bags?" "Yes, thank you very much!" And we're off!

The first thing that strikes you as you enter the Fairmont Olympic lobby is the incredible, seemingly 5 mile long, rug that dominates the centre of the opulent lobby. A two story space, resplendent with giant chandeliers and 1920's luxury, that still satisfies modern notions of taste, high end style and comfort. The domed roof gives the space a real sense of vastness and I spent many pit stops between activities enjoying quiet time and taking it all in.

Service. It's the reason a burger at a 5 diamond restaurant costs $50 and at Five Guys, where they make one hell of a good burger, one will set you back $10. That and Grey Poupon, but I digress... The beaming face I was greeted with at the reception desk is the Grey Poupon of the service industry! The booking is in order, credit card info taken, recommendations on activities are given and we're off to the 10th floor and our king executive suite!

I've recently invested in a very expensive California King bed with a NASA-eque, technologically advanced mattress and Fairmont, true to form, boasts comfort that rivals that to which I have become accustomed! Tasteful greys and whites mix with accents of sunshine yellow and the room and its accoutrements are modern, warm and inviting. Everything you would expect in a property dreamed up by the Seattle Chamber of Commerce to bring a world class hotel to Seattle following WWI. The Italian Renaissance structure was completed in 1924 and dubbed "The Olympic" after the Seattle Times held a contest to name it. Its elegant, castle-like design has made it a Seattle landmark and it was designated as such under the National Registry of Historic Places in 1979.

King Suite Living Room

Nespresso & Snacks

King Suite Bedroom

King Suite Bedroom

King Suite Bathroom

The gym is modern and functional, the spa is prestigious yet affordable and the glass domed pool and hot tub is an oasis in the middle of the concrete jungle. If you're visiting Seattle I would highly recommend the Fairmont Olympic for its service, comfort and value!

Fitness Centre

Words: Scott Allan
Photos: Jenn Chan

Seattle Dining: Trace Seattle

Trace is a beautiful, modern room. High ceilings, artist architectural details and brimming with potential! We were seated and looked after by our very kind server Loan. She suggested we try their Mai Tai, twist my rubber arm, but returned with 5 different colourful, photogenic cocktails at the behest of Trace's GM Zack. They came out just before our first courses: amazing pulled pork sliders and a seared ahi and poke plate.

The Crime of Passion has a nice passion fruit puree, tanqueray, pimm’s, St. Germain and cucumber dry soda. Thankfully helped to extinguish the fire from the seared ahi and poke dish which had a nice heat from a house secret spice GM Zack was nice enough to share with us, but we won't share with you. Ever. Critic/ client privileges. The Cactus Drop again boasted a purée, but this time a prickly pear puree, with Ketel One Citroen, cointreau and lemon juice. I have never eaten a prickly pear. In fact the prospect frightens me a little bit, but sipping its liquid offspring is not daunting. Not even a little bit. This cocktail is perfectly balanced with the exquisite Ketel One Vodka forming the base and the prickly pear providing a perfect compliment; very, very good!

Trace Mai Tai, Prickly Pear Margarita, Crime of Passion, Champagne Cocktail, Cactus Drop

The Champagne Cocktail has a blackberry puree, domaine de canton and, of course, champagne. Jenn was unable to take on a new initiative and give me her opinion on this drink. She lapped at it like a lizard for a few minutes, staring blankly at me as though mentally handicapped severally. Now, personally, as I prefer low-biscus, the hibiscus flavour is a little off putting. That was a tired Hawaiian joke I lifted from virtually every Hawaiian tour guide we encountered last year. In reality this drink was very much like a fizzy Ribena; a reference lifted from Jenn's childhood. The first thing I noticed about the drink was the expertly zested and curled lime. It's fragrance hits you as soon as you lift the glass to your mouth; delicious! The Prickly Pear Margarita has a prickly pear puree, Avion tequila and Trace's house 'sour mix'. You have to like tequila, or even solely tolerate it, to appreciate any drink in which it forms the base. This margarita was very good. Not too strong and not too fruity, a good balance.

Last, but not least was the Trace Mai Tai. Bacardi superior, Orange Curaçao, Orgeat, Bacardi 8 and lime. Orange, almond and lime. These are the building blocks of the Trace Mai Tai and they mix very well, better than you might imagine and the drink is overall: rum heavy (in a good way), hints of orange, almond (from the orgeat) and lime from both the juice and plump lime slices in the drink. This drink is a winner and Loan is a genius! 

Drinks on drinks on drinks and then thankfully our food arrived. The Pulled Pork Sliders came piled with incredible smoked pulled pork, a charred pineapple bbq sauce on fresh sesame buns. I was never a fan of pineapple growing up. I couldn't understand how they became a staple on pizza; it both bewildered and angered me. As an adult, presumably due to my taste buds mellowing, I'll take down a Hawaiian pizza. I'll savour it on my Hawaiian burger and I'll eat it like a hungry Pitbull on some pulled pork sliders! Savoury and sweet and delicious. You need these in your life! The Seared Ahi & Poké Plate come with Ogo, scallions, macadamia nut inamona and taro chips. The five spice on the edge of the seared ahi at the top with  tuna poké underneath. The hint of spice is often times better than lots of spice and always better than no spice. The two different kinds of tuna was a new twist on a tartare-like appetizer. I preferred the seared tuna and Jenn preferred the poké so it worked out very well. This dish is excellent and it disappeared quickly!

Pulled Pork Sliders: Tender smoked pulled pork, charred pineapple bbq sauce, sesame buns

Seared Ahi & Poke Plate: Ogo, scallions, macadamia nut inamona, taro chips

The Oxtail and Foraged Mushroom Risotto was the first of our entrées to make its way to the table. My first experience with a red wine / pomegranate reduction. A full bodied, rich and comforting dish. If you hate mushrooms you will still like this risotto. If you hate cheese... then move along. Your type isn't welcome. Anywhere. On Earth. This dish is a must try even for a mushroom-phobic. A college days delivery as a Panago delivery driver ruined me for the subtlety of fungus, but that is another blog post all together. The point is Jenn ate this, forearm curled around it like she was a jaded convict protecting her food from other inmates, as quickly as she could. Oh yes I got a few choice adjectives to help me write this: warm (it's supposed to be warm, it's a restaurant), comforting (oh...kay...) and delicious. Even after I let her know I could use only one of her three contributions she didn't waver. She couldn't. This dish is delicious!

Oxtail and Foraged Mushroom Risotto: Red wine pomegranate reduction

Jenn also deigned to order the Huli-Hulu Spiced Draper Valley Half Chicken. It came with grilled corn, red rice and was bathed in a pineapple bbq sauce. Super tender, juicy and flavourful with its incredible Huli-Hulu spice enveloping it in its entirety. Amongst the best pieces of chicken I have eaten and I have eaten enough chicken to satisfy the lifetime appetite of an 80 year-old fox. I went with Trace's Char-GrilledRib Steak. It was accompanied by some roasted winter squash and natural jus. A large, discus sized round of beef arrived at my table minutes, seconds it seemed, after we waved our entrées over to join our myriad of appetizers. A perfect rare, as requested, and swimming in a sultry bath of its own juices and roasted winter squash. I sat with this dish, as 4 others languished, for a good half hour. Tempered bites with measured portions of the mashed potatoes and squash. After that half hour I was still working away on the steak in between bites of others and several cocktails and felt unapologetic for neglecting the others. A solid 8.5/10!

Huli-Huli Spiced Draper Valley Half Chicken: Grilled corn, red rice, pineapple bbq sauce

Char-grilled Rib Steak: Roasted winter squash and natural jus

Dessert came and I almost exploded just looking at it. I was full, very full. Between the dishes and the many, many cocktails I had little to no room in my belly, but then I laid my eyes on the Warm Chocolate Cake and Washington Apple Semi Freddo. Root beer isn't for everyone and I'm not sure why. I love it! If thy made a root beer shampoo I would use it. Ditto on body wash. The chocolate cake was amazing, it's hard to screw up chocolate regardless of which form it takes, the accompanying vanilla ice cream was nice and light and fresh, but then you add a root beer sauce to the whole thing and you hit another level of delicious! Even if you head to Trace just for this cake and you won't be disappointed! A wise man once said "you never go full Freddo". Trace's semi Freddo adheres to that age old wisdom and uses the delicious Washington apples in a perfect way. My father was born and raised on an apple orchard in the idyllic Okanagan Valley in British Columbia. The area boats the only dessert climate in Canada and the apples are the best in the world; hands down! Washington, our beloved neighbour to the south comes a close second in my humble opinion. As a youngster we had a weekend property in Whatcom County just outside of Bellingham and up the street from Whatcom Lake so I know a thing or three about Washington apples. I would request this dessert as my last meal. It is that good!

Warm Chocolate Cake: vanilla ice cream, root beer sauce

Washington Apple Semi Freddo - Caramelized Apples

In all our experience as Trace was excellent. Loan was a very sweet and knowledgeable server and Zack made frequent trips to our table to make sure everything was to our standards. The ambience was lovely as a large table was celebrating a birthday nearby and couples could still enjoy an intimate candlelight evening. Boisterous chatter from the adjacent lobby bar kept the atmosphere electric and the high ceilings and modern decor made for a lovely vista. I would recommend Trace to anyone visiting Seattle and for any Seattleites looking for a new experience. 

Words: Scott Allan
Photos: Jenn Chan