Unfortunately, this year's Dine Out brought along a lot of controversy as they raised their prices in all categories by $3. Although it is understandable due to price inflation and all that, many people thought that it was unnecessary to have increased the same dollar amount in all ranges. This way, the people that can afford paying $38 dollars only saw a 15% increase, whereas the poorer folk who used to enjoy the $15 dollar mark suffered a 20% increase. Doesn't seem fair, right?
Anyway, my friends and ZZ and I went to Hell's Kitchen (a pizzeria) for the $18 Dine Out. This was not on purpose, by the way. We tried to go to 6 other places but they would not take us because they were either full or they would not allow our friends' 6 month baby in because they were pubs. We were finally left with reservations in hand for Hell's Kitchen. We were a bit apprehensive because all they offered for the entree selection were pizzas! Pizza for $18 hardly seemed like a deal but we had nowhere else to go.
So, for our appetizers:
I started off with the Hell's Poutine - Hand-cut Kennebec potatoes, crispy capers, prosciutto, aged quebec white cheddar, peppercorn tenderloin gravy. I am not a huge fan of hand-cut steak fries, I prefer my fries of the shoestring variety. Super crispy fries are the way to go as my sister, GJ, would confirm. This appetizer was still delicious, though, I never would have thought of adding capers to poutine but they added a wonderful saltiness. Mmm...salt....
ZZ's appy (I use the term 'appy' purposefully here, as it is one of ZZ's pet peeves) was the Hell's Chowder - Local BC salmon, albacore tuna, shellfish, seasonal vegetables, lemon grass, lobster cream. He said it was good although he mentioned that the potatoes were a bit undercooked.
And for my entree, it was a pizza called The Soprano - Spicy capicolla, prosciutto ham, fresh basil, chorizo sausage and provolone cheese.
Delicious with a thin crust and lots of cheese. Some bites were a bit spicy for my tastes but it was good and HUGE! None of us could finish our pizzas, bringing home at least three slices or more.
There was another pizza available that GJ would have laughed at for me: the Aphrodite - Pesto (which was made with walnuts), smoked chicken, sun-dried tomatoes, roasted almonds and asiago. Why would GJ laugh? This pizza is death on a plate for me as I am severly allergic to nuts and peanuts. No Aphrodite for this CC!
Last but not least, our desserts. ZZ had the TiraMisu - whipped mascarpone, sabayon marsala, espresso-soaked ladyfingers, cocoa and whip cream. It was as it sounds - awesome!
As for my dessert, I had the creme brulee with Madagascar vanilla bean. I would have preferred it a bit more burnt on top and the custard could have been warmer but it was still delicious. I was most impressed with the bottom of the ramekin where I saw a layer of actual vanilla beans that had sunk! That was nice, they could have easily gotten away with supermarket bought vanilla extract but they really did use real vanilla beans.
Overall a very enjoyable meal for $18! Oh and I forgot to mention my double lychee Mojito that I got to compliment my dinner. Cool, minty and lychee-ey, it was great. Unfortunately, I sipped it slowly throughout dinner and therefore escaped any buzz it may have produced. Oh well, next time!
Sounds delicious! Especially the Aphrodite. I've been in love with pesto on pizza lately.
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