Garden cultivates fine Bengali fare Frem page 18 sour dish from Southern India that comes in beef, lamb or chicken varia- tions) to Dhansak (another hot and sour dish that combines beef, lamb or chicken with lentils) and the aforemen- tioned Butter Chicken. But the tandoori oven is the heart of the Garden’s kitchen. Fired by char- coal, it turns out wonderful Tandoori prawns, chicken, fish and the delicious nan, paratha and puri Indian breads. The restaurant’s rice dishes (biryani: chicken, vegetable, prawn and gosht) also come highly recommended. Our sampled Butter Chicken fea- tured thick chunks of chicken breast in a deep red tomato cream sauce. Carefully prepared for up to three hours, the sauce is almost sweet by the time it is ready. Combine it with a plate of Rice Pilau for maximum enjoy- ment. The Chicken Curry was also excel- lent. Degree of spiciness was mild, but hotter can be ordered. Ensure that your table is adequately outfitted with nan, garlic or plain, to provide superb tandoori bread for mopping up all sauces. Rahman is the main front-end man for Tandoori Garden. He delivers a polite and congenial service that is at once efficient and informed. Questions about any of the restau- rant’s many complex dishes are given careful and indepth explanation. The wine list at Tandoori is mini- mal, but the restaurant has a good selection of pilsners, which make far better accompaniment for the menu’s items anyway. Try Kingfisher. Its motto: “Most thrilling chilled.” Aren‘t we all? The Tandoori can fill fast. So reser- vations are recommended. For Indian food aficionados, a touch of the Three Tandooris in the night is a culinary concert to be enjoyed as often as possible. ‘Uneork these impressive reds ONE of the nicer aspects of the orgy of consumerism which surrounds the recent holiday festivities is __ that it extends to wine: _ your hosts splash out ~ and experiment with plonk that’s a cut above the usual ‘vin _Diable’ swilled at bar- becues and family bun- fights. - ~ "Warmest compliments of - .the season to the brother-in- law’ for. introducing ‘me to these two impressive reds: Roccato. 1993 Rocca Della Macie. (Italy) $26.65 This is one of the suspris- ingly successful blends of Cabernet Sauvignon and native Sangiovese most of the serious Italian wine firms have been experimenting with lately. We sampled several at last years Playhouse International Wine Festival and were blown away by how well this unlikely marriage scems to work. Concentrated raisin and cedary accents promise stay- ing power and unique com- plexities to come tor those with the wallet and the will to lay them down for a few years. La Cuvee Mythique 1993 (France) $19.85 Ten years ago, a fine wine from the “wine lake” of the Midi would really have been a myth. Winemakers who saw potential profits pouring down the pissoirs of working class bistros and wisely invested in world class wine- making techniques are now making world class wine and being bussed on both cheeks by their bankers. Taste-testing vinegar A good quality vinegar is similar to a fine wine. -And a vinegar tasting is much like a wine tasting with one very important exception: the acid in vinegar numbs the taste buds, so it is not recom- mended that vinegars be tast- ed straight one after another. One way to avoid this is to taste vinegar on sugar cubes, which fools the taste buds into staying open, keeping in mind a sweetness from the sugar will be detected, but can be easily discounted, during the tasting. Using the following guide- lines, compare a poorer quali- ty vinegar with a higher quali- ty vinegar such as Maitle to see what a difference quality can make, both in tasting the vinegar on its own and more importantly when it is added to foods. When comparing different brands, it is important to match the type of vinegar — do not compare a_ balsamic vinegar of one brand to a tar- ragon vinegar of another. Each type of vinegar has indi- vidual characteristics. There are four key elements to look for in a vinegar: aaah Color/appearance A good quality vinegar should be clear and clean looking. Murkiness indicates poor grapes, imperfect filtra- tion or bacterial action from poor pastewvization. ‘aste /aroma Sniffing vinegar must be done at a distance, a few inch- es away from the lass. When tasting vinegar, as with wine, a number of various flavors can be detected, depending on what the vinegar was made from. A good quality vinegar can be caten alone without overpowering the senses. A flavored vinegar should have a pieasant hint of taste. Consistency All vinegars, with the exception of balsamic, have a consistency close to water. Balsamic generally has more body than the others. Aftertaste Good quality vinegar should have a sharp, biting, yet subtle aftertaste. An — Ambleside Lunch or Dinner Medallion of Salmon, Bass, and Crabcake, Nantua Schnitzel, Holsteiner Style Old Fashoined Cabbage Roll Plate Lamb Osso Bucco, Pasta Baby Beef Liver, Lyonnaise For Lunch, Soup and Sandwich 11.95 9.95 7.95 8.95 8.95 6.95 All New Lunch & Dinner Menus Items such as - Medallions of Lamb Epicurean Curry of Lamb, Madras, Sea Bass Vera Cruz | 445-13th Street, West Vancouver 926-8922 Tt Cert ificates Available This one is Grenache based probably with Shiraz and Mourvedre tossed in -- but it’s been treated to oak aging like a Spanish reserva with similar results: massively concentrated fruit dominates now, bur it should meliow to real elegance over the next six years. Capilano Suspension Bridge Wednesday, January 8, 1997 — North Shore News — 19 BEFORE YOU VENTURE ABROAD EXPLORE THE NEWS | new travel ads every Sunday DINNER | Thes.-Taur. Excluding Dishes. Expires Jan 15/97 Quick | Buffet *9* | Lunch 12-2pm Sun & Mon 5-8pm Mon-Fri ; Open 7 Days a Week 985-5477 B GES Hours Tues - Saf 5-1Gpm, Sun & Mon 5-9pm GRR 175 E. 3rd St., N.Van. ample parting west side of building ' 2 for a Exquisite * when a second entree of equal or lesser value 35 purchased Valid untit Jan. 31/97 . al Hours: Lunch Mon.-Fri. 11:30-2:30 Dinner: Mon.-Sun. 5:39-10:30 1448 THarine Drtue, W. Msn 922-4719 a ae 3 This week (Jan 8-14) Prime Rib (English Cut) “Au Jus” with yorkshire pudding and a choice of soup or Bridge House salad $12.95 - 987-3388 - : P pidge SUSPENSION 3735 Capilano Road BRIDGE AND PARK