Seasons In the Park

Well, it's that time of year when my buddy Eric is in town, and whenever he comes back here, I always find myself in a place of fine dining.  He first introduced me to places like The Teahouse, and Le Crocodile when I was just out of highschool.  After all the years we've known each other, I look at him like the big brother I never had, and the other night was probably the first time I had a chance to pay him back for all the times he took me out.  I wanted to go to Le Crocodile, but it was closed for some reason....disturbing.....

Anyway, Seasons in The Park is a pretty nice place, and though I've walked past it so many times, I never thought about what it would be like to eat there.

When I stepped into this place, I was blown away by the view.  You can see the entire Vancouver skyline from there.  I had no idea there was that kind of vew from Q.E. Park.  If you want to take your lady someplace breathtaking, this place does it. 

The special of the night was Prime Rib....I was happier than a pig in $*#! but the menu was as far as I got.  By the time we ordered, it was sold out.  It was only 7pm and it was sold out already.  I was a little perturbed.

I even got my Chivas Regal to go with the prime rib that would never materialize.

The comp bread was good, freshly heated, but it came with some cheap pats of butter, unlike the whipped variety seen at some other places. 

I ordered the Truffle Mushroom soup ($7).  It was a bit bland, and I would have preferred a creamier soup.  This one was essentially a mushroom puree, which didn't even appear to have been run through a strainer.  The carrot soup at Le Crocodile is way better, even though it's two completely different soups.

The Carrot Ginger Soup ($7) was pretty much in the same boat as my Truffle Mushroom.  The ginger was a little overwhelimg and to me, not a good combo with carrots in a soup.  And again, it could have used a touch of cream....tasted like liquified carrots and ginger.

I also tried the Stuffed Mushrooms ($12).  These were rich and creamy, but a bit saltier than the ones at The Teahouse,  I was racing for a glass of water when I was done these.

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The Seafood Linguine Carbonara ($20) tasted good for a few bites, but got really salty after a while as well.  I only sampled a little bit and I found myself thirsty afterwards.

Since the prime rib was sold out, I ordered the 12 Oz Rib Eye that isn't on their current online menu (and the the Filet Mignon Netpune is no longer an option).  I ordered it the usual way I like it - fat and bloody which in my mind translates to Blue Rare to Rare.  Here's where my disappointment really set in.  It came medium to medium well.  And it was overseasoned. 

The tomato caps were ok, but the string beans barely saw any heat and were pretty raw.

Eric ordered his steak medium but it was practically well-done. 

I don't know why, but we ordered the Little Brownie Mountain ($8).  I thought the brownie would have been heated up and cold ice cream dumped on top, but it was all cold, and remineded me of Uncle Willy's.  The brownie was way too sweet, so ordering a cup of tea really helped.

I've heard a lot of good things about Seasons in the Park, and the view is fantastic.  The service was okay, but anything the servers said seemed very canned and prepared.  The food was definitely a miss this night, and made the experience a little dissappointing.  Food and service-wise, I think I'd rather go to The Teahouse....but the view.....Seasons has that one hands down.