Sorry chef, undercooked is undercooked...

So last night we went to a new restaurant in Vancouver called Applewood. Jen ordered a lamb chop and I a pork loin chop. The chef was obviously trying to present like a fancy French restaurant but the food left much on the table, no pun intended. The portions were VERY small. My Polenta was good but tiny, more of a garnish than a side. The Risotto that Jen had was nasty, the flavors all clashed making a rotten taste. The bread that was served with dinner was good but you don't go to a restaurant for the complimentary appetizer. The worst part of all was the undercooked meat. Jen's lamb was so very raw, not rare but raw. My pork was undercooked as well. When the waitress came with our check she noticed we hadn't eaten our food and asked if it was OK. Jen mentioned the undercooked meat and the waitress took it to the chef. The chef stated that it was "rare" not raw and was fine...

Let me explain something, the goal with any meat is to ensure all bacteria is killed so you don't get sick. Generally you want your meat cooked until there are "CLEAR" juices not blood. As tender as possible with clear juices is always my goal. The bone-in versions of meat cuts are more likely to harbor bacteria, Jen's lamb was bone-in. There are multiple bacterias that can be present. The most likely to be found in lamb is Campylobacter. Campylobacter is the most common in the U.S. ahead of salmonella. Campylobacter will cause the typical cramping, nausea, diarrhea, etc. The scary thing about it is it's not like other food poisoning, it takes 2-5 days to become symptomatic. And infection can develop into Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS), which can leave people unable to move for months. Meat must reach 180 degrees to kill this bacteria.

Then there is salmonella, E. Coli which can cause kidney failure and bloody diarrhea, cryptosporidia, Staphylococcus aureus, Giardia lamblia, Shigella, and Clostridium botulinum.

Add to the list trichinosis parasites from the pork and suddenly eating out becomes Russian Roulette.

Here are the pics of our undercooked food....