I think the question I get asked the most often being a chef is “so where is a good place to eat?”

Instead of saving this knowledge for family and friends, I figured I would share reviews of where I eat with everyone. Welcome to the first of many restaurant reviews. My goal is to give my readers a review from “an industry insider”. Having the ability and knowledge to cook almost anything on most places menu, going out for dinner or even appetizers and drinks can be a challenge and sometimes a let down.

I will look at various aspects of my visits to the establishment, such as menu choices, wine/beer lists, price point, service and decor/atmosphere.

The first reviewable visit was to Red Card Sports Bar & Eatery (http://www.redcardsportsbar.ca/) on Smithe in between Richards and Seymour. Red Card is the latest offering from the Moda Hotel, Uva Wine Bar and Cibo restaurant group.

Service:  Upon arrival we were pleasantly greeted by a hostess and sat at an impressive 8 person booth with high backs and padded leather. I found our server (Leila) to be very knowledgeable about both the wine/beer list, as well as the menu. She made great recommendations, including the Bortoli ”Petite Sirah”, which at only $7 a glass offered excellent and complex flavour and easy drinkability.

Menu: The menu at Red Card is carefully crafted and compacted to include a nice variety of primi, insalate, pasta, panini, pizza & secondi but not be too long and verbose. True to form the menu is that of an upscale European Sports Bar. While you find variations on some pub classics, the menu is distincly more thoughtout and upscale.

We shared the arancini (fried risotto balls), bruschetta al funghi (mushroom bruchetta), the prosciutto e funghi pizza and the ravioli con spinaci e ricotta (spinach and ricotta raviolis). While the arancini ($8) had a great crust and the risotto inside was cooked almost to perfection with nicely separated al dente kernels, there was a distinct lack of flavour and seasoning. The chili (version of a salsa) served with it tasted like canned tomatoes, with a strong tin aftertaste. The chive aioli was nice and light with good seasoning and saved the arancini from complete failure. A little salt and pepper and/or stronger stock in the risotto would go a long way.

The second dish was the bruschetta al funghi ($9). The house made bread reminded me of Sunday dinner with my grandma’s homemade potato bread. The crust was nice and crunchy while the inside was tender and well seasoned. The mixed sauteed mushrooms seemed to be only sliced crimini and buttons mushrooms. Again there was a lack of seasoning, and the grana padano was too light of a grating under the mushrooms to really come through. If it wasn’t for the house made bread, we would have sent this bland dish back. I am all for delicate flavours, but the food needs to be able to stand up to drinks, it is in the end a sports bar.

There was a bit of a mix up with the pizza ($14), we originally received  the salsiccia, funghi e asiago (sausage, mushroom and asiago), but this was caught by our server after our first slice without us even mentioning it, she brough out the correct pizza and left the other at no charge. The pizza’s outer crust was nice, flat and light with good texture, but the rest of the dough was a little undercooked or oversauced. Unfortunately the sauce suffered from the same fate as the first two dishes, lack of seasoning. The prosciutto was questionable as to its origin. It definately was not from Parma, it tasted more like deli ham than prosciutto. The texture was too moist and lack the distinctive dry salty taste of prosciutto which would have elevated the dish from pedestrian.

The star of the night was the pasta dough for the ravioli. It was definitely hand made, by someone who has seen a sheet or two of pasta in their day. The attached photo shows the ravioli dish as presented by the server. Both the texture of the dough and the light creamy filling of the raviolis stood out. The sage butter finish was nice, but could use some slight improvement. While the use of black pepper would ruin or improve (depending on preference) the bland white-out look of the dish, its peppery bite was needed to cut through the richness of this dish. A further consideration of using browned butter to not only add color and flavor depth but to bring out the oils in the sage leaves would elevate this dish to a level more consistent with Uva and Cibo’s offerings and skill level.

Drink Menu: Red Card boasts a well selected 3 page beer menu and compact but varied wine list with offerings ranging from $6 and up. The mixed cocktails were playful in name and mixed with an experienced hand with the flavors in balance. I had the Murphy’s stout ale, a kettle one martini (extra dirty) and a grey goose martini. All well mixed, executed and great temperature.

Decor/Atmosphere: This area is one that definitely needs to be addressed, as all 6 of us at the table commented on the same things without prompting from me. The lighting was distracting and atmosphere stifling. With the great high ceilings, open kitchen, splashes of red and the mix of old and new construction, Red Card has a great base to build on. However the lights were quite bright throughout most of the night, when combined with the over 15foot ceilings it made the room seem too large over bright and killed any potential mood or quaintness. The bigger issue was three lights pointing directly at our booth. These lights would go from full bright and dim to dark at set intervals; the other issue was their placement, right at the dinner’s eyes. We would be in mid conversation then the “interrogation” light would flare up, slightly blinding us, then fade out, followed by the other two doing the same but at different angles.

The booth as mentioned was a great size to fit a larger group, comfortable, the only complaint was that when the exterior door opened, a draft would come down from atop the booth.

There were plenty of TVs, which were very tastefully hung and sized throughout the eatery, all showing various games and sports.

Final Thoughts: Red Card has a great beer list a compact but quality wine list, lots of TVs, plenty of seating, good location and friendly/knowledgeable staff. If you are going thinking it will be like dinning at UVA with the hockey game on, you will be disappointed, if you are simply looking for better food than most pubs in town have to offer and a bit more upscale atmosphere, Red Card will not let you down.