The Early Word on Good Wolfe Kitchen and Bar

Good Wolfe opened a little over a month ago in Yaletown in the old BBQues space on Mainland Street. Industry veteran Josh Wolfe is the chef-owner, a former Executive Chef of Coast, Assistant Corporate chef of the Glowbal Group and, most recently, the man behind the Fresh, Local, Wild food truck. Good Wolfe Kitchen and Bar maintains that "all things fresh, local and wild" ethos with a dash of nose-to-tail thrown in too: veal sweetbreads and braised beef cheek feature alongside rib-stickers of Coq au Vin and European-style sausage and mash. So far responses have been overwhelmingly positive, with a few exceptions griping about price and portion size and even fewer complaining about the food itself.

The Did-Your-Mom-Write-It Good News: One delighted Urban Spoon-er wrote "Love the inspired food, the warm people, the inventive cocktails, the convivial room! ... We tried many items on the menu - outstanding for me in the appys was the steelhead pastrami, exquisite scallop crudo, and an ethereal shaved root vegetable salad. Highlights of our mains: house baked rustic bread(!), the rarely seen and so flavourful bavette cut of steak with tiny vegetables, a standard bearing coq au vin with dreamy spaetzle and the fresh made seafood pasta. Service is warm and intelligent. The owners have really created something magical!" [Urban Spoon]

The Texan Stamp of Approval Good News Declares one Yelper, "I had the steak frites: the fries were perfectly cooked, crispy on the outside but fluffy on the inside. The steak, what Canadians call a "bavette" (but what is known to this Texan as a "skirt") was tender and flavorful, which is quite a feat when dealing with a traditionally tough cut like the skirt. I am not one to praise inferior steak -- coming from Texas, I know my steak and I know how to cook it, but I will appreciate a well-cooked steak wherever I find it, and the steak at Good Wolfe gets my Texan Seal of Approval." [Yelp] ?

The Vague-But-Positive Good News Another Urban Spoon-er writes, "If you are looking for casual/upscale for a date, after business meeting to relax, or capture the feel of an authentic Vancouver 'regulars' place, choose Good Wolfe. Prices for quality of food/service/ambiance are great too!" [Urban Spoon]?

The Nothing Special Bad News A peevish Trip Advisor says, "Eight of us went to this restaurant, and while the atmosphere is great, the food was definitely lacking. Not only were the portions small for what you paid, but in most cases they were nothing special. Hopefully, the food gets better over time." [Trip Advisor]

The Borderline Sexist Good News A distracted Yelp-er tore his eyes away to write, "Overall, this place doesn't disappoint. Service was excellent, waitress was super sweet and easy on the eyes (always a bonus!) food came out quickly and everybody at our table had a great meal. I had the chicken fried oyster sandwich and its right up there with the oyster Po' boy at Go Fish. Also had a side of seafood poutine which was a lot lighter than expected." [Yelp]

The Not-Worth-The-Money Bad News A truck-loving Yelp-er says, "We came here for a bite hoping it would be as delicious as the Fresh Local Wild food truck (they share the same owner) unfortunately our expectations were too high... We had the crab cake $18 for 1 crab cake, seafood pasta was bland, braised beef cheek was good but not worth the money.. Overall food was expensive for what you get and not very tasty, I rather stick with the food truck... [Yelp]

The Foursquare Brief-But-Good News Short, sweet and delighted on the whole over at FourSquare, Dorian B "Have ANYTHING!!!!" Ryan M "Great food Chef Wolfe is a wizard in the kitchen...cocktails are a dream with Goodine and Ballas leading the charge...one of my new favorite places in the #yvr" Betty L "Pretty good food. Great steak from grass fed cattle. Squid and artichoke dip were delicious. Excellent, personable service." [FourSquare]

· All Coverage of Good Wolfe [~EV~]