On the Grill

  

With Chef Todd Howard - CinCin Ristorante + Bar

As Executive Chef of Vancouver’s acclaimed CinCin Ristorante, Todd Howard’s cooking philosophy reaches deeply into the farms and ranches of the Fraser and Pemberton valleys, as well as onto coastal fish boats. A recent trip to Italy only fired his enthusiasm higher. “CinCin enjoys its traditions of quality and prime ingredients, its warmth and its exceptional service,” Chef Howard says, “but we are never afraid to take the menus and the execution to even higher levels. My philosophy is to prepare simple, flavourful and seasonal food that is totally accessible.”

Three words to describe your cuisine:
Classic Italian cuisine (with a decidedly modern approach)

What makes your restaurant unique from others?
Our guests love the ambience of CinCin – the warm décor complemented by the flames from the wood-burning oven. The wood-burning oven is one of only a few in Vancouver and the alder and apple woods we use, wonderfully unique flavours.

What is one thing in your kitchen you could not live without?
The wood-burning oven

The dish customers must try during Dine Out?
We invest a lot of thought and preparation in developing our Dine Out menus. My personal favourite is our signature octopus dish, which requires a patient cooking process. It’s tender and catches a smoky tang from the alder and apple woods that fire the grill.

One ingredient you could not cook without?
Pork belly – it’s tasty and versatile. For example we slow cook it, dice it for sausages, grind it for ragu, and cure it for charcuterie. It’s truly delicious.

Who is the unsung hero in your kitchen?
We went through more than 1,000 pounds of Tofino Octopus during last year’s Dine Out Vancouver. Perhaps it’s not so unsung anymore!

If you could give just one cooking tip, what would it be?
Home cooks should add a splash of cooking water from the pasta to their sauce at the last minute. It helps to thicken the sauce and also helps it adhere to the pasta.

A talent you possess that many are unaware of?
I played indoor and outdoor soccer for eight years before I started cooking professionally. Good footwork in the kitchen is helpful!

What is your all-time favourite dish?
The most flavour packed into one dish was when I dined at Heston Blumenthal’s Fat Duck in Bray, England. It was a dish that combined jelly of quail with langoustine cream and parfait of foie gras, and was served with truffle and oak toast and scented moss. It was equal parts astounding and delicious.

Who is your favourite local chef?
I really enjoy Nico Schuermans’ food at Chambar.

Favourite Celebrity Chef?
I travelled to Modena, Italy last year to visit with Massimo Bottura. He’s ranked as one of the best chefs in the world and recently received three Michelin stars for his restaurant, Osteria Francescana. He’s a true visionary - breaking and inventing the rules in the culinary world, as well as a very humble man.

Your biggest indulgence:
Dill pickles and bacon, not necessary at the same time, but maybe I should look into that!

Favourite restaurant you like to visit?
I would love to experience NOMA in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Best place for a cheap meal?
The Red Wagon for the best Pulled Pork pancakes – served with Jack Daniels maple syrup and two poached eggs.

Best place for a beer/cocktail?
UVA Wine Bar after work for a Bourbon cocktail.

If you could pick anyone, who would you’d like to sit down and have a meal with?
Thomas Keller. He is a visionary in the culinary world and I would love to pick his brain. “The French Laundry Cookbook” was first released in 2000 and it nearly lived underneath my pillow.

A restaurant you’d recommend to a tourist who only had one day in Vancouver?
Any visitor’s Vancouver bucket list must include Blue Water Cafe for its insane seafood towers, fresh raw bar and ‘Unsung Heroes’ seafood menu.

CinCin Ristorante + Bar
1154 Robson St., Vancouver
604-688-7338
www.cincin.net