News

As stock markets roller-coaster, the U.S. economy teeters on the verge of collapse and conservative congressmen in the world's citadel of capitalism scramble to come up with yet another socialist solution for bailing out banks, it seems subversively fitting that we feast this week on the bounty of Marxist-Leninist kitsch.

Red{+2} is the diminutive of Red X Red (or Red Squared) Tapas Lounge. The Soviet-themed vodka bar and restaurant is located on the southern edge of the culinary gulag otherwise known as the Granville Street entertainment district. It's owned by Syndicorp Group (which also owns the G Sports Bar and Grill next door).

I know it sounds slightly dodgy, but trust me, comrades. This red-lit room is almost as sexy as a Russian Bond girl. And the food coming out of the kitchen tastes like a fresh blast of glasnost, throwing off Vancouver's increasingly burdensome chains of homogenized menu conformity.

Let's face it. Free market creativity doesn't always thrive in a dedicated local food economy.

But here at Red X Red, whose chef hopscotches all over Eastern Europe for inspiration, you won't find a single piece of miso-marinated sablefish or boring old tuna tartare.

Instead we have kasha (buckwheat porridge) fries with red pepper preserve ($6.50), Thuringer summer sausage made in-house, with grain mustard spaetzle and red cabbage sauerkraut ($10.75), and duck confit pierogi ($14.50).

Doesn't it all sound deliciously different? I can't remember the last time I got this turned on just by reading a menu.

The drinks are equally tempting. Red X Red boasts Vancouver's largest selection of vodkas (80-plus) and nearly 30 cocktails and martinis.

The Kaiser ($9) is a chewy twist on the Caesar, made with "secret" juice that tastes like fresh tomato purée, a touch of cilantro, a Montreal steak spice rim and a smoked oyster as garnish.

But my loyalties lie with Uncle Ho ($12), a two-ounce shot of premium Hangar One kaffir lime vodka, simply adorned with a few extra lime squeezes, a sprig of cilantro and a dash of ginger simple syrup.

Mmm. This small-batch craft vodka from California is amazing. The product is new to British Columbia, and the exotically scented kaffir lime flavour (pot-distilled with fresh fruit, not infused) really makes my balalaika ring (apologies to the Beatles).

The front room is a long, narrow space with an eclectic assortment of crystal and red silk chandeliers hung from high ceilings.

The brick walls are adorned with gilt mirrors and slate chalkboards.

It's all very baroque and boudoir-like, except for the huge hand-painted portrait of Lenin and the flat-screen TVs, which are all playing a Final Fantasy animé DVD. (I'm not a gamer, but I'm beginning to understand the crack-like appeal everyone talks about as I try to wrest my eyes away from the moon-faced heroines on the screen.)

I love the candles on the tables and the dim, red lighting. But if they're going to keep it this dark, they really need a better font for the menu. We need to run our candle up and down the page to read it.

Chef Chris Dignan and sous chef Jesse McCleery both hail from Vancouver Island's Café Brio, which must be where they acquired the knack for making their own cured meats and sausages, breads, noodles, pickled vegetables and preserves.

This is lusty, flavourful food made with careful attention to texture and seasoning.

Golden beet borscht ($6.25) is thick and sweet, and served with a fat spoonful of crème fraîche on the side. I suggest you stir it with an order of chewy, braided breadsticks ($6.50) pocked with anise and served hot out of the oven.

Pierogi gets its very own section on the menu. We were almost seduced by the duck confit with apples or the Dungeness crab with mascarpone, but are glad we went for the soft dumplings stuffed with sweet potato ($11.50) sprinkled with fried sage and loose chorizo sausage.

Russian sea scallops ($16.50) are far too interesting to resist. They're big, meaty, come from the Kuril Islands on the East Coast of Russia and are "Ocean Wise." The texture is less fibrous and more firm than our local diver scallops. The chef sears them golden on the outside, keeps them rare in the centre, and heaps the plate high with a sweet-and-savoury ragout tossed with speck ham, buttered Savoy cabbage and golden raisins. Ah, amazing.

Boneless beef rib stroganov ($15.50) is a hefty rib-sticker slathered in a rich, slightly vinegary, brown sauce stewed with garlic, mushroom and onion.

The meat is tender, but keeps its shape on the plate next to an accordion fold of long, luscious lasagna noodles.

Service is friendly and swift, although we were there on a quiet (almost dead) Sunday night. I imagine it might get a bit rowdy when the club hooligans start swarming in.

I hope it doesn't get overrun by kids.

And I hope there is enough demand for interesting food on Granville Street to keep the menu from defecting over to the bland side of predictable uniformity.

Red X Red Tapas Lounge:

1216 Granville St.; 604-408-6352.

***

Side dish

PANE ROMANO IN YALETOWN

Sciue Italian Bakery, home of the famous pane Romano (rectangular slices of thin-crust pizza sold by weight), has opened a second location in Yaletown. Expect the same great coffee, panini, pastries, pastas and brunches with an outdoor, cobblestone courtyard seating area next to the Roundhouse: 126 Davie St.; 604-689-7263.

CHEESE CELEBRATION

Les Amis du Fromage celebrates its 21st birthday with a 10-per-cent sale on all Canadian and Swiss cheeses from tomorrow to Sunday at both locations. But you'll have to wait a few more months for Au Petit Chavignol, a new 40-seat wine and cheese restaurant that the venerable shop will be opening alongside a new store at 843 East Hastings early in 2009: 1752 West 2nd Ave.; 604-732-4218 and 518 Park Royal South, West Vancouver; 604-925-4218.

FRENCH-CANADIAN FLAIR

FigMint Restaurant & Lounge goes French-Canadian for tomorrow night's instalment of the monthly tasting series On the Wood. Sidle up to the bar where La Fin du Monde Golden Ale will be paired with tortière and Riopelle triple-crème cheese, while Éphémère apple white ale finds its match with Chèvre Noir cheddar and crabapple beignets. The cheeses are being provided by the new Mount Pleasant Cheese Shop (3432 Cambie St.; 604-875-6363), which stocks only Canadian products. Tickets are $25. FigMint: 500 West 12th Ave.; 604-875-3312.

GROWING CHEFS FUNDRAISER

Growing Chefs is a non-profit society that pairs local chefs with elementary schools to help plant classroom vegetable gardens and nurture an appreciation for healthy, sustainable foods. Growing Appetites is its first fundraiser. The $225, six-course dinner, prepared by 10 local-leaning restaurants, will be held this Sunday at the Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts. Tickets: regonline.com/growingchefs.

Alexandra Gill