Kishimoto Japanese Kitchen

A few days ago my wife and I stumbled upon a great Japanese restaurant on The Drive. Kishimoto Japanese Kitchen creates food that is mouthwatering and visually enticing. Their moto is "food you can eat with your eyes".

Kishimoto has been open for just under a year but has become a favourite restaurant on The Drive. In the evening there is often a line up just to get in.

My wife and I had a vegetarian and a sashimi box. The chef was nice enough to put both on a large plater with his signature decoration. The food was fresh and flavourful and a beautiful sight for the eyes. The price is in line with the quality of food and presentation.

I give Kishimoto a 8.5 out of 10.

2054 Commercial Drive
604-255-5550

John Levine

John Levine made a lasting impact on the restaurant scene in Vancouver. Back in 1960 John opened the first "fresh" pizza joint in Vancouver called Jon's Pizzarama. His love for good wine drove him to found  the Playhouse International Wine festival. John loved wine and John's personal wine cellar was something you'd imagine from a castle in France. John was on the forefront of educating Vancouverites about appreciating great wines.

Sadly John Levine passed away Tuesday April 17th.  Rest in peace John, you will be missed.
John Levine July 30, 1938 - April 17, 2012

 Photo from the Province

Memphis Blues BBQ House

Do you remember the "Not Just Desserts" cafe located by Broadway and Commercial drive in Vancouver? The bruschetta was the best I'd ever tasted, the desserts were to die for and the coffee was great. The owners decided to retire and sell, and it went downhill from there.

Well, with the success of Not Just Desserts under his belt, one of the owners of Not Just Desserts paired up with a partner and started the Memphis Blues BBQ House restaurant. It's got such a great reputation that people from the US when visiting Vancouver make Memphis Blues BBQ House a must see.

Yesterday I sold off some old junk jewelry and with the proceeds decided to take my family to Memphis Blues BBQ House, as I had never gone there before.

The restaurant is located at 1342 Commercial Drive. We had a lunch meal called "The Elvis Platter". This is a gigantic platter. It is big enough to feed 6 - 8 people, there were only 4 of us. Needless to say we took the leftovers home. The southern comfort food style of this restaurant is great. The food selection is good. If you're a vegan this is not the restaurant for you.

Now to the nuts and bolts. How was the food? Well the sausage was good and the fries were good. The rest of the meat, chicken, ribs and beef was dry and overcooked. The potato salad and the coleslaw needed more seasoning. The cooked beans seemed "old".

Wow, now that doesn't sound like a great review does it? To be honest my wife and I were really disappointed. In hindsight we should have said something to the staff but we didn't. Our fault.

I would give our visit to this restaurant a disappointing 6 out of 10.