A snail brings his shiny new sports car to an auto detailer and asks the staff to paint a giant “s” on the side.
A guy at the shop says, “Sure, come back tomorrow.” The snail crawls away. The next day, he shows up at the shop and admires the new addition to his ride. The guy at the shop can’t help himself and asks the snail why he wanted the work done.
“Well, you see,” explains the snail, “now, when I’m bombing around town, people will point and say ‘Look at that S-car go!’”
My six-year-old daughter Blondie giggles as she finishes telling the joke, looking up at our server, her sole audience member and incredibly good sport throughout the evening. Blondie gets a chuckle for her effort and feels decidedly adult, having engaged a restaurant professional in an interaction beyond the requisite “pleases” and “thank-yous” that accompany any meal out.
This scenario recently unfolded during a recent meal at Gusto di Quattro, one of the North Shore’s consistently excellent Italian restaurants. Blondie was decked out in her favourite pink dress, the one with the velvet upper portion and flowing, pink chiffon skirt. She chose a silver locket and black kitty-cat clutch as accessories.
If you had told me less than a decade ago that I’d one day be enjoying a fine Italian meal with a little kid, I’d have laughed. I have since learned that how kids behave and what they’re capable of is largely determined by what you entrust them with. Our server never patronized Blondie, but treated her like any other guest in the place. As a result, Blondie rose to the occasion and behaved (more or less) like, well, any other guest in the place.
Blondie’s joke was immediately preceded by a bite of escargot in garlic butter and persillade, our second shared appetizer of the evening. A handful of plump snails, immersed in clear garlic butter, were accompanied by three large, succulent prawns and two generous wedges of grilled bread to mop everything up. It was a classic, undeniably old-school dish, but one I am glad is still available.
Our first course was a lovely and fragrant dish of pesto, one of the evening’s specials. Gusto di Quattro offers a nightly variation on pesto, available as a half-order for $14 or a meal sized-portion for $23.
Our half order featured an ample portion of house-made, broad, lasagna-style noodles tossed in thick, heady, tangy pesto with toasted almonds, topped with thin ribbons of sharp Reggiano. A glass of Burrowing Owl Pinot Gris, with its characteristic melon and subtle citrus notes and reserved acidity paired nicely. For her main course, Blondie ordered mac and cheese from a dedicated kids menu.
A generous helping of creamy, cheese-rich macaroni arrived in a rectangular casserole dish. The pasta was finished with a nicely toasted layer of buttery breadcrumbs, providing some textural contrast to a very rich dish. The pasta proved to be sufficient for two meals and we left with a weighty little take-out box. She paired this course with a glass of chilled pineapple juice, bursting with fresh acidity and, um, tropical notes?
I selected Pistachio-crusted Sablefish for my entrée. Buttery, expertly cooked (read: moist and tender throughout) sablefish, coated in a quarter-inch crust of delicious, toasted nuts, sat atop a substantial bed of mascarpone risotto.
The risotto was drier in style than I anticipated, with each grain of rice discernible and cooked al dente. The approach worked well; an overly creamy risotto would have competed with the signature richness of the fish.
The accompanying sweet pepper sauce offered a nice burst of herbaceous freshness. I paired a glass of Blue Mountain Chardonnay with this course; its round, toasted-oak and ripe orchard fruit palate proved to be a suitable match for the fish. And then there was dessert. I am not really a dessert guy, to be honest. If I still have room after a meal out (which usually includes more than one appetizer as I love to try as much of a menu as I can), I will often opt for a cheese course, if available. But my dining companion was rather insistent on this occasion, moved by our server’s description of the flourless Chocolate Redemption Cake.
I’m not clear precisely what was redeemed by this evil, decadent, soufflé-like chocolate shell with its oozing liquid chocolate centre and bobble of velvety chocolate gelato, but its execution was flawless. Some might suggest this dessert, known by many names, including molten cake and lava cake, has been played out. Indeed, in the late ’90s and early noughts it was nearly inescapable on Vancouver menus.
However, it quickly became apparent back then that not all lava cake was created equal. Poor versions abounded, with dense, chewy pastry, barely-melted centres, or superfluous additions like nuts, fruit, and caramel, and the dessert largely fell out of favour, going the route of Baked Alaska, Zabaglione and Panna Cotta.
Gusto’s version, however, is of the original, beautifully rendered variety and, like the escargots that preceded it, demonstrates why some classic dishes still deserve a spot on menus today.
Our meal was $120 before gratuity. Gusto di Quattro is located at 1 Lonsdale Ave. quattrorestaurants.com 604-924-4444
Chris Dagenais served as a manager for several restaurants downtown and on the North Shore. A self-described wine fanatic, he earned his sommelier diploma in 2001. He can be reached via email at hungryontheshore@gmail.com. North Shore News dining reviews are conducted anonymously and all meals are paid for by the newspaper.
