Tags
belated Christmas gift, blogging, Food, oysters, prawns, scallops, sea bass, Stonegrill, surf & turf, Vancouver, volcanic stone
I really do admire those people who can blog everyday. I have often sat in front of my computer with full intentions of blogging something. However, writer’s block tends to settle in as I click on the “Add New” button.
I meant to blog about this dinner earlier but just have not done so yet. No, not since Christmas — just the end of May. Vince and I meet up for dinner from time to time and as he didn’t know what to get me for Christmas, he opted to take me out for dinner sometime. I’m usually the one who has difficulty finding gifts for other people but apparently in this situation, I was the more difficult one to buy for.
Due to our remarkably different schedules, meeting up with Vince isn’t always an easy task. If it’s not a practice that he has to attend, then it was a weekend course that I was taking. Or maybe it’s that business trip that he was on or the dinner plans that I already have with other friends. After weeks and months of comparing schedules, we finally managed to meet up at the end of May for my belated Christmas gift.
Vince let me pick the place but knowing that he had never been to Stonegrill before, it wasn’t a difficult choice. I should point out that I don’t like the Stonegrill website. Well, I don’t even know if Stonegrill Vancouver has its own website. The only links I found after a bit of online searching included a number of diner review websites and one site that almost seems like a “this-is-the-stonegrill-concept” website. Nothing that could help me determine what food is offered or what their menu looks like. Having said all that though, I have been to Stonegrill at least 3 times over the last 6 years and I think the menu hasn’t changed much overall.
Stonegrill
view outside of Stonegrill
Vince was really excited about going to Stonegrill. I think I can confidently say that he was more excited than me. How did I determine that? Well…. usually I am the one who totes around the camera strapped to my wrist taking pictures of almost every dish in sight. In this case, I took a few scenery and food photos then returned the camera to my purse. Vince, on the other hand, was constantly taking pictures — mostly of the scenery, but he definitely took many more photos than I did.
Instead of ordering the set dinners, we decided to order appetizers and entrees separately. I opted for a fresh salad and went on the recommendation of the friendly server. Apparently Vince likes raw oysters. I have never been a big fan of raw oysters. I tried one before but they have never been very appealing to me. Eew… However, being a good sport, I did try one.
our appetizers
Vince’s seafood chowder
oysters
my fresh salad
the oyster that I tried
Shortly after the appetizers were cleared off the table, our entrees were served. Vince picked a surf & turf while I went for the prawns and scallops. The raw meat and seafood were served to the table on volcanic stones heated to about 400 degrees Celsius. At my first visit to Stonegrill years ago, I ordered the sea bass. It was very tasty but I remember spending the first few minutes fending myself from the splattering oil. That is… until my friend pulled the sea bass off the stone for me. This time, I picked something that was less likely to attack me.
Vince’s surf & turf
my prawns & scallops meal
prawns & scallops
Although it took a long time for me to collect up my Christmas gift from Vince, there were definite benefits to having the dinner in May. With the increased hours of daylight, it was still quite light out after our dinner.
aquabus
still light out after
Thanks again for the Christmas gift, Vince!
I love the volcanic stones idea! (although I recognize it can be dangerous…) and the food looks so fresh. Too bad about the website, such a major ommission in today’s world, as I always like to check out the website of a restuarant that is new to try, unless I have a good recommendation from someone I trust (like you!).
It’s a great concept but definitely not recommended around young kids. (Not recommended around young kids by me.. not sure about anyone else.) I have to laugh when people say, I’m paying so much but I have to cook it myself. Well.. yes, you’re paying for the novelty, but you’re also paying for the view AND more importantly the oven they have to bake that volcanic stone to 400 deg Celsius.
I might not be going there frequently because of the price. However, they are in the Entertainment Book and do have free parking in a downtown location.
I’m glad that you finally got your Christmas gift from him.
Phew, this post was thrilling and challenging for me to understand when the event actually happening, as if I was reading a mystery book. I re-read some of the parts three times. Good practice for my English comprehension skill. Hehehe.
Anyways, you don’t like oysters, eh? If you don’t like not texture but taste, you might want to try Kusshi osyters, which I found are more sweet, compared to others, and smaller so that you can just chew one time and swallow.
As for the restaurant, are you required to cook food on the grilled stone after serving?
Oh, was it confusing? Sorry… Here’s the summarized version – Christmas gift collected May 2012.
Unfortunately, it’s both the texture and the taste of oysters that I don’t like.
But thanks for the suggestion, I will keep that in mind if I find myself in another raw oyster-eating situation. 
Oh yes, the restaurant serves the raw food on the hot stone and gives you a quick lesson on how to cut and cook it. After that, you are on your own. You can eat it as quickly or as slowly as you want. You should try it some day. Just make sure you have an entertainment card so you can get the entree at 2-for-1 price.
Oh no! That’s because of me. I’m not good at reading (and answering to) “not” sentences.
That’s OK for oysters tasting. That reminds me of people that I met at a camp site. The family came to west coast from Saskatchewan and got a lot of oysters. They offered me and my boyfriend oysters cooking on the Hibati. Yet, when their adult-kids tried, they spit right away. I was the most happy person to eat them, I believe.
Grilled oysters? Sounds interesting…
Pingback: Les Faux Bourgeois with the Girls « Food for Thought