Scout Magazine » Deana Lancaster

Deana Lancaster Does Shrooms And Eats Horse at L’Altro Buca

Deana Lancaster — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 22:54:52 +0000

by Deana Lancaster | It’s autumn. Curled and broken leaves layer the sidewalk like sodden paper mâché, and a cement sky is gray with rain. It’s my favourite season, but still, it weighs heavily. Time to pull the crock-pot from its hiding place behind the toaster and load it with browned meat, fistfuls of herbs, and wild mushrooms that taste of the forest they were found in.

Even better: to slip into the quiet, art deco elegance of L’Altro Buca in the West End to satisfy my craving for crispy-skinned meats and the lusty flavours of fungi at Andrey Durbach’s annual Game and Wild Mushroom Festival. The ingredients that Durbach sources – locally foraged morels, chanterelles, matsutake, porcini and field mushrooms – are more varied and pristine than what I can dig up (figuratively, if not literally), and his cooking is much more refined than I can accomplish (with crock-pot or not).

So I was happy to oblige when offered the chance to sample my way around the festival menu, which also runs at Durbach’s two other restaurants, La Buca and Pied-a-Terre, until October 22nd.

It was near impossible to make choices from the 15 or so dishes available.

Diners can order a la carte, or by three or four-course menu ($45 and $50 respectively, with wine pairings extra). I could happily have loaded the table with them all, but then might have been stuck there to hibernate until spring. So we picked.

Plump Hokkaido scallops, seared to golden, were arranged with crispy boar belly, cauliflower purée and the pungent sweetness of balsamic vinaigrette; they paired beautifully with the soft bubbles of Pasqua Prosecco.

Like tiny treasure chests of dough, we found handmade porcini mushroom gnocchi hidden in the wild mushroom soup, under a velvety slick of herb crema, all of it well matched with a bright and buttery glass of Prato Grande Chardonnay.

The funny thing about a mushroom menu: so much of it is brown and unassuming looking. Its appearance gives no hint of the deliciously rich flavours contained within.

Like the spiral nest of beige chestnut tagliatelle, coated in earthy mushroom purée, buttered cabbage and melted Taleggio cheese; or the modest-looking crescents of foie gras tortellini floating in a deeply satisfying brodo that filled the nostrils with its heady aroma.

This menu is about more than just fungi. The brawny list of game includes bison, rabbit, boar, venison, pheasant and even horse. I’ve read about that last – horsemeat is lean, high in protein and has regained popularity in Europe in recent years, since horses are not susceptible to mad cow disease – but I’ve never eaten it. But I can’t do this much-envied gig without a willingness to sample whatever’s cooking; hesitation has no place here.

So I made my husband order it.

Grilled to medium rare, the tenderloin was meaty and dense, served with sweet garlic purée, roasted field mushrooms, Chianti and olive oil. It wasn’t unpleasant, but we struggled with the slight aftertaste, and I suspect, with our own bias about it. A glass of full-bodied Accordini Valpolicella certainly helped.

An ample breast of pheasant — poached and roasted, juicy and tender — was much easier, the plate artfully studded with foie gras-stuffed morels, Parma ham and vin santo sauce. It was perfectly paired with a gently spicy, berry-hued Renero Pinot Noir.

We finished the meal, this ode to Autumn, with zeppolini, pretty and perfect Italian doughnuts dusted with a fine sugar, nuzzled into soft caramel and poached pears.

Fall was tardy this year, letting us lull through late summer with sultry, sunny afternoons; and sneaking in a side entrance much later than usual. But we’re into it now, and there seems no more fitting way to welcome it.

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Deana Lancaster is an authentic pop culture vulture who will cop to an addiction to EW.com that is as insatiable as those she has for all things gourmet, great shoes, cool tunes and the Huffington Post. A 12-year staffer at the North Shore News, she serves as the paper’s food & wine editor, features editor, and dabbles in some selective freelancing. If she’s not at her computer, she’s likely hanging with her family — or depending on the season — surfing at Long Beach or snowboarding Cypress.

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So Your Kid Wants To Be A Restaurant Critic?

Deana Lancaster — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 19:24:27 +0000

I’m not as appalled as the Slate magazine writer who complained about the emergence of the child foodie movement. Actually, the NY Times story about 12-year-old restaurant critic David Fishman is a gem. Clearly, he’ll have to get sorted on the note-taking while on the job — these days, most critics are using their smartphones — but otherwise he’s on the right track…especially by sampling the tripe. A chicken fingers-only diet won’t cut it if you want to be a food writer — you’ve got to be willing to sample the surprising, the intimidating…the downright unappetizing. So I’m not feeling threatened in my own food editor gig. The number of North American youngsters who will opt for offal over McMeat is infinitesimal, frankly. I am more befuddled by the magazine’s feature, Cooking with Dexter. Are we to believe that this four-year-old drinks “two ounces of good, strong coffee” every morning (after grinding his own beans, to boot)? His dad, and writer of the piece, Times dining editor Pete Wells, is obviously unhinged. Or at least, he soon will be, with a pre-schooler all hopped up on caffeine running amok.

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Defrost The Visa For Economic Stimulus’ Sake

Deana Lancaster — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 03:07:57 +0000

All this talk of economic stimulus is working. . .I’m stimulated already! My fingers are all a-tingle to defrost the Visa and go shopping. Must. Hold. Back.

The BC Home + Garden Show is not where you’d expect to fall in love. Well, with a hot, toolbelt-wearing contractor perhaps, but not with a necklace. And yet, that’s just what happened when I was there late last month. In the mini Portobello West marketplace I found North Shore jewelry designer Trudy Wynans. She’s the creative force behind Toodlebunny Designs; and don’t let the cute name fool you — her alluring work has some feisty rock-and-roll edge. I fell hard for a slender tusk on a long gold chain . . . I’m putting it on my wishlist for spring. The rest of you are free to peruse and purchase from her many other pieces: multi-strand necklaces, mismatched earrings, offbeat charm bracelets. If you’d like to look at her work in person rather than online, make plans to attend the first Portobello West Fashion & Art Market of the season, March 28 and 29 at the Rocky Mountaineer Station.

Joe Fresh Style cosmetics

New at Superstore this week: Joe Fresh Style cosmetics. I was there picking up cereal, and tossed a tinted lip balm and eyeshadow trio into my basket. The packaging is sleek, the products feel and smell lovely, and they make the grocery budget: they top out at $8.

Score Tahari, Tracy Reese, Michael Kors, Rich and Skinny. . .my fingers are getting fatigued here, so I’ll leave you to discover the other designers at the Wear Else warehouse sale yourself. Thursday March 5, 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.; Friday March 6, 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.; Saturday March 7 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. 28 West 7^th Ave., Vancouver.

If you’re cruising around Coquitlam this weekend (and if you’re not, you may want to head in that direction. East, I think.) be sure to hit the Marilyn’s warehouse sale. Among the lines offered at 50 to 80 per cent off are Betsey Johnson, Nicole Miller, Rock & Republic, Paige, Joes; plus there’s an extra 20 per cent off on Saturday. Friday March 6, 10 a.m. – 7 p.m; Saturday March 7, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Executive Plaza, 405 North Rd., Coquitlam.

Nanette

Now let’s be clear, while I am an ardent admirer of the work that many of today’s top designers do, I can’t afford it (seriously: $2,000 for a purse?). I’m more likely to troll the blogs, surf the websites, and shop the sample sales than pay full retail. Or I’ll style my look after theirs, using my own thrifty ways and means. Let’s take Nanette Lepore for example. I heart her. And perhaps because it’s an unrequited sort of love I entertain regular fantasies about her pretty colour palettes, ruffles and delicate beading details. Her spring collection is no exception. Forget the mood-killer of dour deflation colour schemes, this “exotic garden” is a lovely jumble of apple green, poppy and turquoise, balanced against warm cocoa brown. Delicious! I’ll be looking for ways to emulate the line when I shop my own closet, and if she ever does create budget clothes with H&M or Target, I will beat you all down to get there first (yeah, that’s right…I said you). In the meantime, if I meet you at a cocktail party and you strike up a conversation about this very column, please understand that by Recessionista I am not referring to 10% off a $1,000 suit at Holt’s. I get excited when I score $6 lipgloss at the grocery store (see above). That’s what I’m talking about.

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Unloading At Joyce Ma And Narcissist

Deana Lancaster — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 19:15:34 +0000

Local designer Joyce Ma is unloading past seasons’ styles for all four of her lines: Tension, Sweet Chemise, T by Tension and Coy Cat at up to 80 per cent off retail, at a warehouse sale running Jan 29-31| Thursday 12–8pm, Friday 12–8pm, Saturday 12–5pm at 112 East Third Ave (enter through the back alley). Also, as mentioned in another post on Scout, don’t miss the Narcissist Annual Warehouse Sample Sale, (dresses as low as $29 and $39), from their warehouse in Gastown. Jan 30-Feb 1 | Friday 12–8 pm, Saturday 11am–6pm, Sunday 11am–4pm at #307 – 340 W. Cordova (at Homer).

My Favourite Things

Nothing screams summer, and drops you back in the melting heat of it, like the scent of Hawaiian Tropic tanning oil. But slathering myself in it before I layer on tights, skirt, two sweaters, a coat, hat and gloves might garner a few raised eyebrows from my coworkers. Instead, I’m happy to indulge in the more subtle, but equally exotic fragrances, of Pacifica perfume. In late summer a pal bestowed Hawaiian Ruby Guava spray and Waikiki Pikake solid upon me, and I turn to either one when I need a lift. Best of all, they’re affordable: find them at gift shops for about $15 – $25. The line also includes candles, soaps, lotions and more.

Enter McQ

Set the alarm on your iPhone kids, because you don’t want to be asleep at the keyboard on March 1. That’s the day the collection designed for Target by the hooligan of English fashion, Alexander McQueen, hits stores and target.com. As the first participant in Target’s Designer Collaborations (different from the retailer’s Go International program, which focuses on young or emerging designers), McQueen told Women’s Wear Daily he is eager to expose a new customer to his aesthetic. McQueen’s muse for the collection — called McQ Alexander McQueen for Target — was Leila Moss, lead singer of The Duke Spirit. Her style has infused the designs with a rock ’n’ roll–punk vibe: look for lightweight sweaters, skinny jeans, a grey denim cropped studded jacket, a men’s wear-inspired tuxedo blazer and a color-blocked one-shoulder dress with bubble hem. None of the pieces will cost more than $130.

Here’s Looking at You

Grey and gloomy January, coupled with a spending freeze on the clothing budget, doesn’t loan itself well to rocking a fresh look (really . . . what else can I wear with these boots?) If you too find yourself in need of a spark when getting your gear on, check out lookbook.nu. As much photo gallery and guerrilla fashion mag as it is a “source of fashion inspiration,” it’s not hard to get past moody self-portraits and poorly constructed headlines to reap divine ideas from the clever self styling. So, when next you see me, I’ll be working it.

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What To Buy When Cashing In Your Grow Op

Deana Lancaster — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 00:07:11 +0000

I know at least a couple of guys who are Volkswagen van aficionados (ahem, Andrew Morrison). Get them together in a room and they are soon talking technical specs…and repairs, of course. Now I can one-up them.

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Meet the Verdier, a solar and ground-powered camper made in California (of course). True, it’s $129,000 USD for the model that’s fully kitted out with a hybrid engine, solar panel (with sun tracker to maximize power yield), pop-top, swivel door with cooking range and table, two gazebos, folding furniture, refrigerator and freezer, but damn, it’s cool. Fits right in with my plan to retire early and travel the coast for half the year. Now the only thing left to sort out is whether we go for my husband’s pick of the Woody, or my first choice, the tropical ocean-hued Blueberry.

For all the info on the Verdier, visit http://www.verdier.ca

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