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VIVACE.BEL   981105

BCEATLUG Restaurant Review

Restaurant:

Vivace Ristorante
60 Semisch
North Vancouver, BC   V7M 3H8
984-0274

Type: Italian

Ratings (1=bad, 4=good, in our opinion)
Portions (1=small, 2= medium, 3=full plate 4=AYCE)              :2
Food Quality (1=airline, 2=McDonalds, 3=Mom, 4=chocolate)       :3
Service (1=huh?, 2=adequate, 3=attentive, 4=mind readers)       :3
Decor (1=cube, 2=meeting room, 3=executive, 4=view of mountains):3
Dress Code (1=Upper Canada, 2=Society, 3=family, 4=geek)        :3
Noise (1=hurts, 2=Muzak, 3=easy conversation, 4=monastery)      :3
Access (1=no wheelchair, 2=limited parking, 3=close, 4=delivery):2
Cost (1=mortgage, 2=do-able, 3=could live there, 4=dirt cheap)  :2

General

Following a very unfulfilling meeting with suits from the local office
and regional executives, the BCEATLUG executive (rather than a full
general meeting) repaired to North Vancouver.  A preference being
expressed for Italian food, the honorary member recalled a
recommendation for Vivace.  The source of the suggestion was somewhat
questionable, but BCEATLUG members being adventurous (and not having
any other ideas) we went.

Okay, first time out, and we're already breaking the "more than one
visit" rule.  We figured we had to start somewhere.  It's a real nice
place, and we'll try and get back.  We'll issue an update when we do.

Portions

Portion sizes were about average, or slightly above.  Despite having
been deprived of a dinner by the suits (by the time we got to the
restaurant it was quite late), an appetizer and main dish (and the
waiter's liberality with the bread basket) sufficed for all except the
Chair (of course).  (The waiter was very good about the bread basket,
but the initial serving was rather small.)  The appetizer salads
reasonably filled dinner plates.  The roasted chicken was a full half,
and the vegetables, while not exactly bountiful, were more than the
garnish deemed acceptable by all too many restaurants.

Food Quality

The executive voted unanimously that the food here was good.  A mixed
garden salad was the usual mix of greens, but with a delicious
raspberry vinaigrette.  One member requested kalamari, and was told
that the deep fryer was broken.  However, the waiter checked with the
kitchen, and suggested, as an alternative, fried kalamari in a tomato
sauce.  The first whiff immediately reminded the member of his Italian
grandmother.  The Chair was intrigued at the first Ceaser salad he'd
ever had with tomato in it, but the dressing was a light treat rather
different than the spiced mayonnaise that comes out of bottles.  The
stuffed chicken breast was covered with a very aromatic mushroom and
red wine sauce.  The roasted chicken was neither undercooked nor
excessively dry, and nicely spiced.  Vegetables were cooked to
tenderness, but not into mush, and were lightly seasoned.  The pasta
was fresh and nicely done (although the staff are obviously used to
having to explain to guests that "maccaroni" bears no resemblance to
the little curved tubes that come in Kraft Dinner [TM] boxes).

Service

By the time we got to the restaurant it was well past the usual dinner
hour, so the sole waiter who was on was not pressed.  Still, service
was attentive without being pushy, and friendly without being
intrusive.  Explanations of dishes were careful and complete, and
suggestions for alternatives were thoughtful.  The business of the
meeting was not disturbed, but the meal proceeded without undue
delays.  The withdrawal of the waiter, after food was presented, was
rather abrupt, but is possibly explained by a desire to ensure that
the needs of all diners in the place were attended to without delay.

Decor

Vivace is on, or just off, Esplanade, near the Seabus terminal, and
just west of the Esplanade 6 cinema complex.  Once inside, however,
you could be miles away from the bustle that surrounds it. 
Immediately inside the entrance is a lounge with a comfortable
arrangement of armchairs.  There is also a piano, and our waiter told
us that there is live music on the weekends.  Tables in the dining
area had reasonable amounts of space between them and good elbow room. 
The pillars and furnishings in the main dining area have an elegant
simplicity that we, in an attempt to be erudite, decided must have
Etruscan influences.  (The honorary member did additional research in
a hugely upscale furniture store at Hastings and Granville and found
the style labelled as "future/Euro - not a style, but a way of life.") 
Frescoes in the dining room portray musicians playing a piece that is
in, of course, vivace tempo.  The main front wall of the restaurant is
one long window, looking out over Waterfront Park, the inner harbour,
and the lights of downtown Vancouver.  After fighting with suits all
afternoon, we enjoyed the restfulness of it all to the max.

(One hesitates to break the spell, but we were a little bit disturbed
by a couple of divebombing fruit flies during the meal.)

Dress Code

We seemed to be acceptable, and what few other patrons there were
appeared in generally casual attire, but this was rather late. 
Despite the very nice decor, there seemed to be no requirements on
dress.  Overall we had the feeling of a rather swank home, but a home
nonetheless.

Noise

The recorded music playing while we were there was a very nice jazz
album, easy to listen to without being intrusive or demanding, quite
the way background music should be.  The restaurant itself was quiet
when we were there, but even when busy it probably isn't hard to have
a conversation, although it is all one open room.

Access

The restaurant is not at storefront level on Esplanade (the main
street), and even on Semisch it isn't particularly visible.  Parking
is available behind the restaurant, although that is not immediately
evident if you don't know about it.  (Parking in that area is at
somewhat of a premium.)  We did not see evidence of wheelchair
accessability.  Being in the Lower Lonsdale sector it is quite
accessible by transit, and only a few block's walk from the Seabus and
therefore downtown Vancouver or the Skytrain.

Cost

Vivace is a little more expensive than we geeks are used to, though
hardly out of line for restaurants in this area.  Appetizers and main
course (no drinks or dessert) averaged about $22 per person, exclusive
of tip.  Food quality was equal to that in many higher priced places.

Executive Summary

Just what we needed that night.  Good food, good service, lovely
surroundings, even if a little out of our usual line.  For about the
same price as the Keg down the street, a very much more gracious
dining experience.  Okay, yes, I said it: "dining experience."  It
was.  We didn't joke quite as much as usual, and certainly didn't get
into a food fight, but we didn't miss it much, either.

copyright BCEATLUG, 1998   VIVACE.BEL   981105

BCEATLUG is an elite, exclusive, and arbitrarily subjective group of
computer geeks and geeks-in-training.  Restaurant reviews are done
from an engineering/nerd perspective: we want to eat as much as
possible, as fast as possible, to get back to the keyboard.  High
volume (mass) and low cost are prime concerns.  We therefore feel that
BCEATLUG is more suited to producing reviews for real people than
those "dining editors" who talk about the perfect temperature for
radicchio.  However, the honorary member tends to keep us more or less
within the bounds of good taste.

Our rating scale may seem strange under some categories.  Being
techies, we like to keep everything on scales where we can bar graph
them and tell at a glance what is good or bad.
Portions - size matters.  After all, we are BCEATLUG.
Food Quality - now this is going to be the most subjective, probably. 
There will be disagreements about whether olives and sardines are
considered food, or toxins.  However, we will try to give reasons on
points that might be considered debatable.
Service - another category that will be subjective.  Some people like
"Hi, I'm Lawrence and I'll be your waiter tonight."  We will try to
base this rating on whether or not realistic needs are attended to.
Decor - We had a real hard time setting a name for this category.  It
combines a lot of things, from interior design to whether there is
enough space to get out of your chair, when you need to.  Not,
perhaps, an area where we have a lot of expertise, but we may notice a
nice ambiance on occasion.
Dress Code - we're geeks, OK?  That means we do not like being forced
into suits.  Our choice is going to have to do with how comfortable
kids might feel.  This category also rates how appropriate this place
is for a party.
Noise - there can be lots of things that contribute to noise, but one
of the most insidious these days goes under the name of
"entertainment."  Even white noise can be better than that, at times. 
We like to be able to hear ourselves think.
Access - again, a lot of factors can go into this.  Disabled access,
parking access, transit access, and can you even find the place.
Cost - most of the time this will be straight cost, but value may be a
part of it too.  For example, extremely high quality (or mass) at a
slightly higher than normal price could rate high.

Given our respective schedules, BCEATLUG meetings probably won't
happen too much more than once a month.  As far as possible, we will
try to base reviews on more than one visit to an establishment (or
chain) but we're not guaranteeing anything.  (Hey--how much are you
paying for this, anyway?)

Suggestions for places to try, especially those with AYCE buffets,
should be directed to rslade@sprint.ca.

-- 
======================
rslade@vcn.bc.ca  rslade@sprint.ca  robertslade@usa.net  p1@canada.com
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