6/28/2010

I think things might be picking up for the kitchen/service at the Cellar.  

Granted, the music was so terrific that it is hard to be totally objective, as Beki notes, but a couple of things:

They were totally up front about the $15 food/drink minimum- so it was not a surprise.
The hostess called me when I was running late to ask if I wanted the table held and she was *not* rude about it.  That's a hard phone call to make without being cranky- I was impressed.  
All of our food was tasty, albeit slow coming from the kitchen.  
One of us had some flavor of house-made girly martini that was extremely, extremely delicious.  Next time I am having one (or more) of those.  

So, yeah ... it's not a cheap night, but things seem to be picking up service-wise, at least compared to the most recent reviews from six-nine months ago.  

Yelpers having a positive effect on the (dining) world?

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9/20/2009

I wish I could say, go for the jazz, skip the food and drinking all together, but alas, there's a $15 minimum per person on food or drink, plus your $15 (ish) ticket price. That's one steep night for a 45 minute set (although I was told we could stay for both sets)

Things that made me go hmmmm:

-The pile of dirty, half finished plates that graced the table next to mine for well over 1/2 an hour before half of them were finally taken away.

-Seeing the surprised look on a guy who was served a can of Guinness, sans glass.

-Waiting 15 minutes before our drink order was finally taken while one server hovered over a staff table and took forkfuls of food and the other walked by our table, ignoring our signals to come over.

-Watching someone pick at their food, a look of disgust upon his face the entire time

I couldn't have been happier that I had eaten pre-show. But the feeling of being jipped lasted through the whole evening. If it weren't for the minimum charges, I would have easily given the Cellar 4 stars, but being forced to pay for crummy food and drinks over and above the ticket price has left me with a less than harmonious tune inside my head.

Listed in: A Happy Vancouver Day On West…, Humming and strumming along

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9/25/2009

Hey! They invented this stuff called WD40.
Put it on your squeaky kitchen doors. Because they are so loud it can be heard over the live music in the back.
WOW.

Not impressed with the extremely shotty wait staff. Many tiny tables had dirty dishes piled up leaving a few precious inches of clear real estate for drinks and hand holding.
$74 without tip is straight up ridiculous for an hour of jazz + 3 glasses of wine and two special coffees. Are you kidding me?
I really felt out of place here. Not that the music was bad, they were great. It's just that every other part of this experience totally sucked.

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10/8/2009

Playing jazz for the rich seems a staple nowadays, and with the "world renowned" cellar in Kitsilano, its no different. Their food and drink minimum and cover charge will make you wonder if perhaps jazz musicians are finally the most highly paid artists in the world (although from knowing quite a few of them who have career highlights such as "janitor" and "telemarketer", this is simply not true) or if running a jazz venue means paying for the tuition of the bar staff.

The food is nothing amazing, but at least the bar selection is extensive. The acoustics of the room are nice, without echo and can make the instruments sound slightly more vibrant, but that's also because of how small it is. There is no bad seat in the house to watch the acts either. The art is can hold your interest, but it seems like a faux pas to wander about the room and browse it. Might be worth coming to see a very interesting jazz combo, or to be known as a connoisseur of this clubs ambiance, or to take a date out for some "city culture."

Listed in: Dance to this music

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8/7/2008

It's what it is -- a good jazz club with a good menu for small intimate shows.

We went a while back, and saw a canadian flamenco jazz band (no, really...I might have to edit this later to get it right). Canadians are very shy, but also very talented, and they put on a good show that night. The place is almost too small for larger acts, but we had great seats, so we couldn't complain.

When you sit that close, however, you usually have to order food. Food in these venues usually isn't very good, but I was quite surprised -- the steak was done well (medium rare, as opposed to overcooked), and everything seemed really fresh.

Listed in: Up in the Great White, er,…

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12/13/2009 3 photos

i was going to give this place 5 stars.... when i realized that i was mostly basing it upon the amazing band i saw that evening.  take the band away and what do i have.......?

small intimate venue to listen and appreciate great talent... i like.
really tight tables with little room to maneuver around with comfort... i dont mind since it gives me opportunity to chat with my neighbors at the next table..or the table across from me?
very indistinguishable staff... which is ok, but who do i ask to take my food or drink order?!?!  do you work here? oh, you are just standing because there is no more sitting room, sorry....

now my experience...
when we got in, it was already packed full...the band was flying through an exciting number and everyone in there was groovin.  i instantly liked the atmosphere and the crowd this place attracts.
our friend was performing so they had a huge table right in the centre that we were able to squeeze into.  then we noticed another empty table right beside the stage, there were jackets and everything piled around it but the nice man sitting beside it, quickly moved it and invited us to sit there since there was more room.  (hmm... he wasnt an employee so the cellar doesnt get credit for that)
we just had some appi's...nachos & yam fries.
the food we had was absolutely delicious, piled high with toppings and generous amounts of dips, i really enjoyed my nachos.   and the fries, just as good.....but seriously, who can screw up yam fries???
i had asked for water (and got it in a nice wine glass) but never got another refill until near the end of the night when i asked someone. =(  

the cover charge was a big B.O.O. but i can understand since the show and the talent was sensational.   the cellar needs to step it up.... with such amazing shows, they should show off an amazing restaurant as well.

Listed in: HOT spots

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