Bar Bricco, Edmonton, Alberta

Downtown Edmonton, (close to Corso 32) Bar Bricco is a tiny 30 seat Italian wine and Spuntini Bar (which i believe means bites, noches, refreshments..etc)

Not much to the eye at first...if you are lucky to get a seat on the weekend then yay!!

I had no idea my mind was going to be blown....the little secrets and treats they are hiding should probably be illegal.

First i was introduced to sparkling red wine..yes RED wine!! Omg, thank you Teri (my bff) she ordered us each a glass of  2012 Medici ‘Concerto’ LAMBRUSCO, Emilia-Romagna.
So friggen delicious! Ruby red in color, dry but fruity and fresh, very different, very sparkly, very nice :)

Then we ordered a cheese tasting plate, cause honestly how can you choose just one cheese??
For $28 we received heaven on a plate......all i can say is, Black Truffle Moliterno! It's an aged sheep's milk cheese veined with black truffle paste......along with house made crusty almost burnt but good burnt bread, fresh creamy and nutty olive oils and Pear Marmelatta...olives and honey....

I don't remember much after that, i was in pure bliss...this place is a girls dream....well a foody girls dream....Be patient and wait for a seat!

I will be back, again and again and again.......



Natsha :)



http://barbricco.com/

Departure, Portland Oregon

Located downtown Portland, sky high on the 15th floor of The Nines Hotel.
Supposedly breath taking views of the city. We were there for dinner in the winter so going outside was not an option.....

So its pretty "funky" in a 60's meets 90's meets Asia?....haha
Definitely some fusion going on here.

The chef Gregory Gourdet (made it to final two on Top Chef) has had fun adding to the modern Pan-Asian menu, from fancy Sushi Rolls to Dim Sum to Kushiyaki (a protein grilled over petrified charcoal).

We enjoyed BBQ Shortrib Buns, some colorful rolls including Beef Anago Tenderloin and Shrimp with Caviar.
My favorite was simply the Wok Fired Brussel Sprouts with chili, lime and mint yum!

I love nothing more than eating small plates, spaced out over hours, small tasty bites not being overwhelmed with huge portions.
Unfortunately our plates all came within  minutes of each other...so we had a tiny table for two overflowing with plates, not very enjoyable at all...
I had confirmed with our sever prior to ordering if the food came out slowly and spaced out, she assured me it did......not.....
So that was quite disappointing.
Hard to enjoy your raw sushi rolls with sizzling beef in your face :o

Really uncomfortable chairs, tiny tables for two....
Too close to your neighbors, you feel like you are on a plane and your knees could touch at any moment....
I feel we were over dressed even though its claimed to be "high end" it does read "elegant but relaxed", so i suppose the child coloring on the floor next to us would confirm the "relaxed, refined' atmosphere....odd....again with the fusion...

So the food was good but did not blow me away. Perhaps sitting outside would be more inviting, maybe we will try that next time if we land in Portland again soon......



Natasha :)



http://departureportland.com/