Stop in for a specialty cheese or frozen main dishes for yourself or the whole family
Mia Stainsby
Sun
Two of Les Amis’ best-selling dishes: Campa’s Chorizo Corn Chowder (foreground) and macaroni with secret cheese sauce. Photograph by : Ian Lindsay, Vancouver Sun
Last time I went to Les Amis du Fromage, succumbing to my weakness for Brillat-Savarin triple cream cheese, I made a detour to the freezer case. And there, in solid block state, are umpteen ways to avoid cooking dinner — particularly on those nights you’re on your own. There are two branches of Les Amis — one in Kitsilano and the other at Park Royal South.
Mom-and-daughter owners Alice and Allison Spurrell were caterers before establishing themselves as the go-to place for cheese. Once they got the cheese shop running smoothly, they started carrying home replacement meals which come in small (for one person) and large (for two or three).
They have 13 soups on offer as well as chicken, pork, lamb, beef, veal, seafood and vegetarian dishes. And though they’re mostly comfort dishes, they don’t suffer the cruel fate of many — they’re not at all stodgy or heavy. In fact, they’re light and lively.
Soups include cauliflower Stilton, chorizo corn chowder, portobello and balsamic onion and sell for $4 for a small and $9.95 for a large.
Main dishes range from $7 to $14 (for the crab cannelloni) for singles and $14 to $27 for multi portions. Their best-seller is the macaroni dishes: either a four-cheese blend or the Jura macaroni made with Comte and gruyere cheeses, roasted ham and peas. Chicken shepherd’s pie features flavourful chicken topped with a parmesan potato crust. Crab cannelloni is gently constructed with an equally gently flavoured tomato cream sauce.
Other choices include beef stroganoff, Swedish meatballs, Thai chicken curry, eggplant roulade and chicken with mustard sauce.
Of course, while you’re there, you’d have to be on a very focused mission not to notice the cheeses. And if you are a fromage freak, you might ask about their cheese-wine pairing events, like the one coming up at Park Royal on April 16 and 17. The theme will be French cheeses (25) and they’ll be paired with French wines. The cost for the tastings is $65. Sounds like a slice of heaven to me.
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LES AMIS DU FROMAGE
1752 West Second Ave., 604-732-4218 and 518 Park Royal South, 604-925-4218. www.buycheese.com
© The Vancouver Sun 2007