Claudia Kwan/for Metro Vancouver
Chef de cuisine Kevin Schmitz is a friendly face at Raincity Grill’s summer takeout window. Meals are served up in biodegradable containers with aspen wood cutlery.
Raincity Grill
1193 Denman (between Pendrell and Davie)
604.685.7337
Window open 11 a.m.-7 p.m. daily
Dinner for 4, including tax, tip, and drinks: $105
Lunch for 3, including tax, tip and drinks: $40 and drinks $95
*** 1/2 (out of 5)
www.raincitygrill.com
When you pick a book for beach reading, you want something yummy that won’t require too much digesting.
The same is true for eating at the beach, so on a stroll down Denman on a heretofore-rare sunny afternoon, I make a pit stop at Raincity Grill’s summer takeout window.
It’s straightforward: $10 gets you a sandwich, salad, and daily sweet, and you can add on bottled water or organic pop for another $1.60.
I’ve brought along the Beach Gang to help me try out most of the options, and we end up hanging out on the sidewalk while a cheerfully busy chef processes our order and payment.
Perhaps if the window gets busier it might be an idea to designate someone specifically to working it.
Minutes later, we’ve spread out our impromptu picnic at English Bay, and are divvying up the goods. The ham and cheese is really Gruyére and a massive stack of thinly sliced and gently salted lean ham from Oyama (a Granville Island sausage and meat shop reviewed in Metro Feb. 16), dabbed with some mustard and grilled inside a baguette.
The same bread is used to hold tomato braised pulled pork, which is a little bland, and chicken with smoked mozzarella.
We also have a crisp and simple Caesar salad, and potato salad, which turns out to be softly boiled whole organic baby nugget potatoes set off by bits of briny sea asparagus.
Delicious.
It’s all rounded off with two different kinds of cookies. It looks like the coleslaw and vegetarian sandwich of roasted eggplant, onion, bell pepper and hummus will have to wait until next time.
Aside from the prices and portions, the best thing about the takeout is that it follows Raincity’s philosophy of buying locally, sustainably and responsibly.
The meals are served up in sugarcane fibre containers that are biodegradable, compostable and recyclable, and are supposed to be dished up with B.C.-made aspen wood cutlery (although we get plastic forks; maybe they’ve run out.)
It’s carefree consumption that leaves you free to enjoy the sun, sand, and surf — what a perfect recipe to enjoy the beach.
