Last summer we had a fantastic meal at Black and Blue rooftop patio, certainly one of Vancouver’s better atmospheres.

We celebrated my birthday at Hawksworth, one of two excellent restaurants owned by David Hawksworth here in Vancouver.

Our Christmas party was at Joe Fortes, a long renowned Vancouver establishment named after Vancouver first official lifeguard.

And this weekend we finally got into Elisa, recognized as one of Canada’s finest steakhouses.

The restaurant itself is warm and inviting and it’s buzzing in here tonight. Yeah it has that calm, efficient and organized air of many of the higher end dining establishments I’ve been in.

Lets get things started with a G and T, and as you’d expect they have an excellent gin library here. I’m going with Monkey 47 from Germany, a crisp and dry gin that uses 47 botanicals. One of the great gins on the market today. I have yet to add it to my collection though. It’s not the easiest to find in stores.

Some very nice bread was brought to the table.

Nice touch with the butter and EVOO in one little dish, the bread was rustic and fresh, a bakers dream.

As it would be improper to enjoy what is sure to be a great meal without a nice bottle of wine we asked for recommendations and went with a Malbec from Argentina, Colome.

A high altitude, full bodied wine from Argentina with notes of blackberries, chocolate and vanilla, the taste lingers on your palate, finishing with a smooth, day finish. It paired extremely well with my short ribs.

Fork tender short ribs with Hubbard squash and Crosnes. Squash I’ve had, Crosnes was a first for me. A Chinese artichoke with a mild flavour and crunchy texture, they are similar to Jerusalem artichokes. I really enjoyed them. The short ribs were delicious and the sauce blew me away. I have made short ribs for years but never have achieved a sauce of that quality.

I did start with Dungeness Spring Rolls.

Served with a chickpea and coriander sauce and Rayu, adding a pleasant heat, they had a good crunch but were lacking a little in crab flavour. I found the salad on top a little out of place and it detracted from the initial visual appeal but once it was removed I was able to enjoy it.

We decided to do dessert family style. Creme Brulee and a selection of Macaron.

Three flavours, raspberry, yuzu and matcha. I enjoyed them all, but the matcha was my least favorite.

And as I ofren do when I see creme brulee on the menu I finished the meal with one of my favorite desserts.

Not your classical take on the dish, it served on a sable crust rather than in the traditional ramekin. With flavors of Apple salted caramel and bergamot to complement the exquisite custard, this truly is a high-end dessert. Certainly one of the more elegant presentations I’ve seen. Yes alone might be worth a trip to Elisa.

And of course a great latte to go along with dessert.

So perhaps tonight I made a mistake. Not in the way you might think though.

I certainly can’t complain about my meal. The service was beyond reproach. What I did eat was fantastic. They recommended a perfect wine for our food. The atmosphere is awesome.

Yet I walked away with a tang of regret. I actually came to one of Canada’s highest rated steakhouses and didn’t have a steak. Was that wrong?

I guess I’ll have to fix that by coming back and getting a steak next time.

10/10

You should eat here.

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