Located conveniently in downtown Vancouver between Thurlow and Robson rests Joe Fortes: Seafood and Chop house. As a student looking for cheap eats, and Joe's being on the higher end of the spectrum, I would normally not come here on the regular. But since they have a Dine Out: Vancouver menu, why not? At $38, not including gratuity and drinks, it's a good deal.
As my dinner date, B, and I were making our way to Joe's, we past a couple patting their stomachs and talking about how full they were. I have been to a few pricier restaurants around Vancouver and from what I have experienced, the bigger the price-tag is on a meal usually equals to a smaller portion. So hearing how full another couple was from their meal, I was more excited for dinner than ever.
When we got to the door we were greeted by a doorman, and promptly addressed by a hostess who was warm and friendly as well as professional; while another was helping guests retrieve their coats and jackets. We had reservations at 7:30, and despite it being a full house, we were taken to our table almost immediately. Which I thought was really nice because most of the time, even though you make reservations you probably still have to wait a while. After being seated our server introduced himself and his favourites on the menu, and took down drink orders. B had a double Belvedere on the rocks and me, not being a fan of alcoholic cocktails opted for something called a peach fuzz - which tasted mainly like a 7up mixed with peach syrup. When it came time to order, B started with the Classic Caesar Salad, Wild Sockeye Salmon with maple brown butter and the Tahitian Vanilla Creme Brulee to finish. Being crazy about raw beef, I got the Beef Carpaccio as my starter, the Sirloin and Prawns with sauce bearnaise as my main and Tiramisu as dessert.
I loved the Beef Carpaccio. Loved. Loved. Loved. The thinly sliced beef was cool, and soft; almost buttery in texture and flavour - and melted in your mouth. I wished B got the carpaccio also, just so I could steal some of his. My main, the sirloin, cooked perfectly at medium rare, was well seasoned with a smokey flavour without over powering the beef. Like the Carpaccio, the steak was soft and moist - extremely tender. Amazing as well. Prawns were nothing too special. It also came with a couple crisp stalks of asparagus and creamy mash potatoes. The Tiramisu was not too sweet, but the espresso was a bit too strong for my tastes and I wish there was a bit more marscapone cream between the layers. I had a bite of his salmon, and it was pretty good. Cooked to medium, soft, and was very fresh. Flavourwise it was a bit on the sweet side, and as much as I like sweets, I prefer my fish to be savoury. His meal came with roasted potatoes and half of a roasted tomato, and asparagus as well. The creme brulee was nice and creamy, with a hint of vanilla. The sugar topping was a beautiful golden brown but made the dessert too sweet overall. So we just scrapped that to the side and ate the pudding-y goodness on it's own.
Overall, B and I really enjoyed our experience at Joe Fortes. We had a chance to look at their dinner menu and price-wise, it wasn't as bad as we thought. Between 4-6pm, on weekdays, if I remember correctly, they have a menu much like dine out where you get a couple choices for a three-course meal for only $28.95. So if we ever get a craving for a really good steak or fish, Joe Fortes between 4-6pm is where we will be - or maybe even for the seafood tier. A couple tables over had that and our jaws dropped.
P.S. All pictures were taken with my blackberry. I wish I brought a better camera with me, I didn't quite feel like lugging around a chunky DSLR at the moment and now I regret it, but don't worry, I'll have some HD pictures soon.
