NEWS photo Mike Wakefield

TU CASA VA suh... Elias Kashfia (left) and cook Shahrog Shahrogy mas the grill at the new Lons-

dale restaurant.

Tu Casa making things
interesting on Lonsdale

Ta Casa Mediterranean Restaurant, 1315 Lonsdale Ave., North
Vancouver. 986-1510. Open everyday for lunch and dinner. Visa
and MasterCard accepted. Take the kids or cail a babysitter? You

could do either.

IPES! Central Lonsdale has gone mad.

First it was cappuccine
bars that stay open after 6 p.m.,
now it’s a Mediterranean bodega-
style restaurant.

What next, pedestrian traffic
after dark? The Teabury shuffle at
13th and Lonsdaie?

Lord knows what’s happening to
this normally drowsy part of town.
But one thing is clear: things are
getting interesting.

_ Tw Casa opened without fanfare
in June in what had been a Lons-
dale hair salon.

It promised Mediterranean

cuisine. To the world-weary diner ,

who has supped on his share of
forgettable food bearing that
somewhat generic regional
description, such a promise could
mean anything from spaghetti and
meatballs to siale unieavened
bread.

Fortunately, Table Hopping staff
make a point of travelling the
sunny side of the street of life. Op-
timism is our code.

On closer inspection, Tu Casa,
we agreed, had potential.

For one thing it did not serve
pizza.

For another its menu listed a
host of items bearing Spanish in-
fluences: Picada Picante (hot
ground beef baked in pita bread,
$3.95); Spanish Tortilla ($3.50);
Pollo Asado (grilled boneless
chicken served with Spanish tor-
tilla'and special rice, $9.25); Avilla
de Marbella (veal tenderloin,
served with fried potatoes, rice
and special sauce, $14.95).

Tu Casa‘s open grill greets diners
at the door, as does the restau-
rant’s host, Eisa Kashfin, he of the
full Spanish moustache and the
gentle, obliging manners.

The food served is well turned
out and comes in good-sized por-
tions.

On a recent Friday night, pre-
meal breads included a
wholegrain pita and an excellent
round Spanish loaf with a chewy
crust covered in sesame seeds.
Both had been baked on the

I

Timothy Rens.
TABLE HOPPING

premises.
~ Asampled Solomillo de Ternera
($11.95) came with a strip of
barbecued beef tenderloin atop a
large leaf of Romaine lettuce.
. The beef, prepared with garlic
and onions, was tender and full of
grill flavors. It was surrounded
with servings of two types of rice
— one white, one herbed — a
thick slab of excellent Spanish
potato pie and a serving of cole
slaw.

A Spanish Paetla ($10.25) was

MITCHELTON SEMILLON
CHARDONNAY. 1990. $10.35
(Australia).

The more of these Aussie
blends | try, the better they seem
to get.

Purists may quibble that adding
semillon to chardonnay is like
feeding steroids to an athlete; a
short-cut to achieving heft and
complexity. But in the wine
game, only results count.

This is luscious wine, the fruit
and floral accents of the char-
donnay anchored by the distinc-
tively richer texture of sernillon.

Let purists pucker over their
pricey Pouilly-Fuisse. Pshaw.
Prosit.

CASTILLO DE ALMANSA.
1987. $9.50 (Spain).

A new vintage of this previous-
ly recommended product — and
in the nick of time, The last cou-
ple of ‘85s sampled had suddenly
gone a bit thin and legless, as
even more upscale Spanish reds

also tested.

Again the portion was generous.
The seafood in Tu Casa‘s version
of this traditional! Spanish rice dish
included mussels, clams, some
squid and prawn meat.

The dish also had chicken
pieces, vegetables and the tradi-
tional deep saffron yeliow.

There was, however, no hot
chorizo sausage to add zest, and
the serving tasted as if it had sat in
the display case cauldron too long,
which was unfortunate because
overall the dish had potential.

Tu Casa has a simple wine list
with choices of Sangria ($3.50 per
giass, $22.50 for a carafe), Spanish
rioja ($16.50), focal red, white or
rose ($14.95) or Special rioja ($42).

For desserts, flan, ice cream, tar-
ta and a daily special are offered
($2.25 and $2.95).

Though still very much in its in-
fancy, Tu Casa already has a good
internal feel to it.

With a wider selection of
Spanish tapas, a lively gazpacho,
and perhaps a Spanish guitarist, I'd
say it could really fly and add to
the resurrection of mid-Lonsdale.

Who knows, there could be life
after 10 p.m. on North Vancouver
City’s main urban strip yet.

seem to do if stored at room
temperature.

The '87 is a reprise of this
wine’s youthful, vigorous style;
lively and intense berry flavors
against a tannic background
that’s just a touch leathery
without being chewable.

(There are some ‘86s mixed in-
to the bins | haven't tried, but
you might risk a splash, since
we've yet to see a truly ‘‘off’’
vintage of this wine.)

— by John Moore

Wednesday, August 12, 1992 - North Shore News - 19

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741 Lonsdale Ave., N.Vancouver- 986-2088

"THE AMBLESIDE INN

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