Hog Shack Cook House: Why are my ribs so dry?!

Craving some MEAT today, and Adorables managed to find a coupon, so here we are!! =)

Restaurant: Hog Shack Cook House (visit their website here)

Location: 160-3900 Bayview Street, Richmond
Cuisine: American, Barbecue
Price range: $20-25





Date of visit: October 18, 2013
Atmosphere: 4/5
Staff/service: 4/5
Food variety: 3.5/5
Food quality: 3/5
Buck worthy? 3/5

A very family-cozy-feel establishment, we were at first ignored by the waitress, but eventually were seated. Their menu selection was limited and we just looked for items recommended by online reviewers. Since I'm staying away from beef, we decided on the Hog Shack St. Louis Style Side Ribs- Half Rack ($17.00). They noted that it was meatier than the back ribs, so I'm glad we got this. The flavors were smokey, BBQ sauce, and meat. I found it rather dry though, not very juicy-- perhaps that's how it's made St. Louis Style? Anyways, the sides were good though. Veggies were varied and cooked properly. And YAM FRIES. They were pretty amazing-- very fresh, crisp, soft and fluffy on the inside.

We also ordered 2-Piece Fish and Chips ($14.00), where the pieces of fish were decently sized, should have just got one (but it was a $3 difference I believe). Anyways, this was really fresh and your typical good fried fish. The fries on the other hand were mediocre, sorta dead and old =/

Of course, we couldn't finish all this food, but either way, it was an enjoyable visit-- will I be back? Maybe. The waitresses were very friendly though!

Trattoria Italian Kitchen: Pasta craving satisfied-- deliciously!

Had a craving for pasta and Adorables suggested this! Bonus that it was their Tuesday pasta special, so all pastas were only $11! =D So. . . why not? ^-^

Restaurant: Trattoria Italian Kitchen (visit their website here)

Location: 1850 West 4th Avenue, Vancouver
Cuisine: Italian, Pasta
Price range: $15-25





Date of visit: October 15, 2013
Atmosphere: 4.5/5
Staff/service: 4.5/5
Food variety: 4/5
Food quality: 4.5/5
Buck worthy? 5/5

Luckily for us, there was a table quickly available, it was super busy for a Tuesday night! (as compared to many other restaurants). Ordered some drinks to start the evening. Adorables ordered a Citrus tea ($3.50) for me to try, and it was decent. Came in a nice package, the tea itself was fragrant and tart-- none of the bitter tea taste, not bad to accompany our meal.

He ordered a Trattoria Lemonade Passionfruit flavor ($3.50) and I tried some-- it was amazing! So many flavors exploded in my mouth. First it was just tart and bubbly, then came the sweet and fragrant tastes of fruit (passionfruit, pear, and I couldn't figure out what else-- those are guesses too haha).

I was rather torn between a few pasta options, but finally decided on the Tagliatelle Nero Vongole ($11.00-- regularly $17.95). Basically it was a squid ink pasta with clams and tomatoes. The pasta itself was al dente and flavorful. But the highlight of the dish was the clams. They were so fresh and full of clam flavor-- it was amazing. I couldn't stop myself from picking them out and munching on all of them first (I refrained after a while). A bit on the oily side, but the dish itself was overall very satisfying.

Adorables decided on the Truffled Spaghetti and Signature Meatballs ($11.00-- regularly $22.95). Simple as this dish may seem (spaghetti and meatballs, pretty much), I loved the creaminess of the sauce after the cream and tomato sauces were mixed. I thought it would be too saucy and thick, but it wasn't overwhelming at all. It came with three pretty giant meatballs, which were not bad, there was some texture to the meat and the flavors weren't too overwhelming-- matched well with the whole dish.

Finally, to finish our wonderful meal, a Tiramisu ($7.95) was ordered. I felt the chocolate on top did little to enhance the flavors, rather it was too grainy and affected the texture negatively. Otherwise the display and taste was well executed. The quality just didn't justify the price charged. However, the biscotti on the side was beautifully delicious.

Friendly service, delicious food, pasta specials, amazing company-- a very memorable and awesome evening indeed. I shall be back on another Tuesday to try their other delectable pastas! Adorables also ordered a lasagna (only available on Tuesdays) to go, which he said was average-- it came with a side salad though! ^w^