14 - bridas,

Entertainment —

August 2b,

1OX7T - North Share News

tep out to the
for a ni

THE MEDICE DINING ROOM
AT THE COACH HOUSE INN,
700 OLD LILLOOET ROAD,
NORTH VANCOUVER, 985-

3141.

THE COACH House Inn
has never been noted for
cuisine even remotely hauie.

It has instead built its reputation

international belly flop cam-
petitions, highway-side conve-
nience and, more recently, bevies
of exotic dance specialists.

on

Most North Shore residents have
sampled the peculiar Canadian
tradition of draft beer entertain-
mert in the wide open expanses af-
forded by the Coach House in its
position as border checkpoint be-
tween the principalities of North
Burnaby and North Vancouver.

It also has the dubious honor of
being the gateway to the famous
Premier Street dump.

But the new highway configura-
tion that has knocked four lanes
through to Capilano College to
help speed the cause of local
education has circumvented the
Coach House and left it trying to
flag down business tike some
commercial hitchhiker on the
Trans-Canada Highway roadside.

New ownership, which took over
the hotel in April, has begun to
make a pitch to upgrade the Coach
House’s culinary profile and
thereby attract more than just the
draft beer and pickled egg crowd.

The Medici Dining Room is the
first step in that attempt.

Tucked upstairs beyond the
Coach House’s garish wrought
iron and costume jewelry
chandelier foyer and just cast of
the Coach House's Carriage Room
cafe, the Medici Dining Room has
begun life as what appears to be an
afterthought: no signs proclaim the
restaurant’s existence and no
maitre d’ (at least not on our re-
cent visit) was standing at the
ready to herald in prospective
patrons.

But beyond such tentative first
Steps, the Medici Dining Room has
a reasonably interesting menu and
serves food that is far above the
average roadside fare.

The majority of entrees are in
the $9 to $13 range. Selection has a
strong Italian influence, but more

Ay
Ci aw

Fine
Continental
Cuisine

generico continental dishes ure
available.

The Medic Dainese Room looks
out over the Coach House's pleas-
andy manicured courtyard. the
scene Of the pow internationally
famous belly top extravaganza
which splashed on to the pages and
screens Of newspapers and televi-
sions Aug. 16.

As the Medtci’s only custamers,
our three-man Table Hopping par-
ty felt like off-season guests at the
Shining’s Outlook Hotel.

With a bottle of Chianti Classico
Reserva Ducale ($17.50) to keep
aways any possible lurking spirits,
we tested an Antipasto plate
($4.25),

The dish was a colorful pres-
entation of white and yellow
cheeses, red salami, proscuitto
ham, black olives, pale yellow ar-
tichoke hearts and green Romaine
lettuce.

My main Medici entree,
Spaghetti Stravestiu: ($8.50), was a
lively combination of chicken
breast, black olives, mushrooms
and hot red peppers.

Ordered extra spicy, the dish
had good overall flavor and subtle
bite, though spaghetti, once the
king of pastas, is now perhaps one
of the more inelegant and rough
hewn members of the massive
pasia family.

Also tested was an evening’s
special, Steak Neptune ($10.95).

The meat, a touch tatty, wes sers-
ed beneath a eenerous portion of
shrimp ina pleasant creani satice.

Tough we remained the restau-
rant’s only customers for the even-
Ink, service Was somUWhat stow. as
occasionally happens in the vrey
wilight of the service trade when
the whir of the kitchen) fan is
louder than the shouts of waiters,

The mellow strains of Howie
James watting from the adjacent
Coach House lounge provided us
with a Top 40 serenade to help our
direstion.

Open from 5 pam. esery night.
the Medici is a quirky restaurant
appendage to the draft beer and
roadside services offered by the
Coach House Inn and is werith
making a detour to sample.

TASTY MORSELS
THE ORANGE DOOR,
119 EAST SECOND,
VANCOUVER, 986-1355
An error in fast week's column
had this long-standing take-out
Chinese food restaurant affiliated
with the Li Gardens, which shares
the same building. The two restau-
rants have not been under the same
ownership for the past 24% years.
Profuse apologies are in order.
The error results from unswerving
faith in the permanence of North
Shore traditions, as the two res-
taurants were once under the same
ownership.

REAR
NORTH

House Ina.

| 1301 Lonsdale Ave. N. Vv.

NEWS photo Mike Wakelleid &

Medici Dining Room chef Giovanni Racchi displays a plate of famous
Spaghetti Stravestiti on the balcony overlooking the pool at the Coach

“JOIN US”

FOR

DINNER or SUNDAY BRUNCH

DINNER — TUES.-SAT. 5:30 ON
BRUNCH — SUN.11 AM - 2 PM

LA TOQUE BLANCHE

4368 MARINE DRIVE
WEST VANCOUVER

RESERVE NOW

926-1006

i 2c

RESTAURANT

Serving authentic indonesian Cuisine
and Continental Food

_INDONESIAN BUFFET

Friday & Saturday $950
Rice Table Available

CHS
ine

Friday

Frgay 8 6-8:30 pm

CMyer Loc Poy pr: Percatan Galt Ga? Bate

Free Parking at Rear

SUIMIMER MADNESS
SPECIAL

Get one free entree when another of greater or
equal value is purchased. $7.00 maximum value.
Lunch or Dinner. Dining in only. Not valid with
other offers. Maximum 3 coupons per party of
6 or more.

Expires August 30, 1987

OPEN 7 DAYS
EAT IN * TAKE-OUT 731-0117
UNDERGROUND PARKING AVAILABLE
1980S WEST 4th «an La coLiace)
RESERVATIONS: 731-0042

“Best Continental Bostaurant

in Vancouver”
James Barber

“Place With Personality”

A. MacGillivary

“A Grave & Correct Persona —
conceals a wit drier than
straight Tanqueray”

g q y CHOQM, Lyndon Grove

“ | ”

Superbly Prepared Food the Province

“The Restaurant at 819 is a

good piece of work”
Jurgen Goethe

Barry Lee .

“Restaurant of the Year”
The Vancouver Sun

MON.-FRI.
14:30-2:00 LUNCH
MON.-SAT.
6:00-10:30 DINNER

MY Haccfia Street
Vancciuter .* BG.

OP G-YI7G

FOR RESERVATIONS