wattacetti

In Chinese a second character defining meat is added to the animal name. Ergo, beef is referred to as cow meat, chicken as chicken meat, pork as pig meat etc. This doesn't apply to fish though.

The potato came out of the brine intact and I've steamed it: the edges are slightly salty but the rest is a regular unsalted potato.

High school English teacher kept insisting that it had to do with the Normans coming across the Channel and stomping the Saxons in 1066. Pig went to pork from porc, sheep went to mutton from mouton, and cow became beef by way of boeuf. She never talked about fish and chickens though.

Intriguing. I've just plopped a potato into some brine: can't wait to see what happens in a couple of hours.

Le Bouchon de Liège is a small-ish 24-26 seat restaurant on St-Dominique and Liège. Directions and contact information here.

I think Carswell had started a similar thread a while ago talking about what we'd seen in the local markets. Yuzu I haven't located yet though I did see curry leaves at the Kim Phat in Brossard.

Doesn't this depend on the situation at hand, in particular with the company the meal is being shared with? I remember one great dinner with Stanley Prusiner where we sat around and talked about BSE, vCJD and how the labs could initiate a research collaboration. Not something that the other diners were interested in or pleased with, but it was something that engaged our table. On the more flippant side, I've also had good meals where my raison d'être was to just sit there and listen to friends b*tch about anything and everything.

The Alberta government takes a standard cut on all buttles as the governing body but it isn't the wholesaler or the distributor.

I have no gopher, which probably goes a long way towards explaining why I lean so heavily on cuisine du marché. I also bail on a recipe if I realize that I'm missing something and will transform the ingredients into something else if I can think of it fast enough. Otherwise, "learning experience". Hummingbird tongues sounds like something to include as a really small amuse.

The Alberta experience has shown me that competition from privatization results in more choice, but not necessarily lower prices. National brands (e.g. Mission Hill, Blass etc) pretty much sell for the same thing in Alberta as it does here while labels which have sparing availability across the country (e.g. Casa Lapostolle Clos Apalta) can have highly variable pricing in Alberta. The Clos Apalta was actually cheaper at the SAQ. The LCBO - a monopoly - has lower prices on many things in both categories. So, privatization may improve accountability, but it certainly won't do anything for consumer pricing. One thing in favor of Alberta's privatization: you can get Roennfeldt Road in Alberta, which is something you can't do in the East.

I think my experiments with making demi-glace, doing Granville Island cuisine du marché and Groundhog Day pretty much have me saying "whatever speed is necessary for the task". I think I'm slowest when thinking up menu plans since that activity constantly changes when I realize that the ingredients for what I want to make aren't available at the market. Once everything's settled menu-wise, I'm very fast with mise en place and breaking down large cuts of meat or fish. Actual cooking speed is whatever the ingredients or preparation would call for, though I'm better at manipulating multiple items now that I've stopped trying to do overly complicated things. I am slow when it comes to plating because I want the plate to look good. The exceptions: I whip through the process whenever I'm asked to make something I don't like, and I am very slow when I make stock and demi-glace because I want the stuff to come out as best as possible.

The onglet listed on the menu was very good the last time I had it. There is also a larger version which is occasionally available (server advises you if it is), which they are less adept at preparing. Lemeac's gets my $20.

Meat.

This is a potential entry for the "Worst Meal in Someone's Home" thread. Did you take a photo?

Pépin's Complete Techniques? The organization could be better and there are some things which I don't think most people would have opportunity to try (e.g. prepping a bunny starting with the fur) but it's actually quite easy to follow. Since you're also interested in plating techniques, might I also suggest the eGCI Plating and Presentation course. There are many other eGCI courses which offer a wealth of information too.

Haven't been but you can at least start with the website: http://www.alos.ca

Right here. Love raw tenderloin carpaccio, steak tartar, beef tataki, striploin that's stayed less than 30 seconds on a grill… all that good stuff. Never did the raw hamburger thing since there was always a question regarding the pre-minced hamburger itself, but tartar's better anyway since the bun just gets in the way.

Why? Spend the bucks on good ingredients and good equipment and you'll always be ready to easily churn out good product. Cut corners on either (or both) and things just get more difficult. Money on eating out? For me, that depends on the eatery and how well things went. Sloppy cooking = waste of money regardless of what the establishment is or what calibre ingredients are used, but when things are good, I don't have a problem handing over the green. As for whether my friends think I'm nuts, most don't because they like food as much as I do. They don't buy first-growth Bordeaux, spend $2K on knives, take 20 minutes trying to find 5 mushrooms of the same size/weight, or make demi-glace, but we still do and talk about similar things. The cubicle monkeys that I used to work with always snickered but that never stopped them from asking when a wine, recipe or restaurant suggestion was needed (people whose only purpose in life is to deride others are always the first to come forward when they need help ). However, unlike some of you I never kept foodstuffs in my office because in a cubefarm, your place is never your own.

Got Air Miles and Aeroplan, though Aeroplan Status miles are more important overall. JAL MileageBank does routinely offer foodstuffs, but the items that interested me can't be shipped to Canada. I can however, get cup ramen or "Iron Chef" bouillon cubes, or use the miles to purchase gifts for people who live in Japan. EVA Air's Evergreen Club has something similar, but again, no joy when it comes to shipping to Canada.

First evidence that the Rapture will soon be upon us?

You've got to be kidding - the hot pot started this all? I singled that out because apart from sounding tasty, it was one of the things that really stood out in your menu as an example of something developed on the West Coast. I am now very curious to know what elements on your menu were considered West Coast. For me, I had picked the following when doing that menu review: - salmon & dungeness crab cakes - salmon & seafood chowder - baby spinach salad (for the other stuff in the salad, not the fact that it's spinach) - cedar-planked salmon - doublesmoked bacon-wrapped tuna - the hot pot - rotisserie chicken - merlot-braised lamb shanks - ginseng-infused consommé (Valentine's menu) - scallops (Valentine's menu)

No definition that I'm aware of, but there was a short (and lively) thread on what Canadian cuisine was recently. I've taken a look at your menu, and there's a lot of stuff that looks interesting, but I personally don't think "pizza and pasta" when I think of West Coast (you can whip me with overcooked linguine if you like). From someone who doesn't live there but who has visited often, I've noticed that West Coast/BC cuisine generally has: 1. The use of a lot of wild ingredients and a significant (sometimes single-minded) use of local (BC-origin) ingredients (Feenie's been lambasted a couple of times for using Alberta lamb I believe). 2. A different expression of seasonality. By this, I speak of the Vancouver restaurant scene and mean that there is a smaller impact on your menus with the change in seasons and availability of seasonal ingredients. I find that chefs in the East do better with autumn/winter ingredients/dishes, while it's been more uniform in YVR. 3. The presence of two significant culinary influences, being Asia and the First Nations populations. Both have made contributions to flavors and ingredients as well as techniques which are not necessarily found elsewhere in the country. 4. The existence/emergence of a BC-focused wine culture in spite of the BCLCB's efforts at promotion. My two cents. By the way, that seafood hot pot of yours sounds pretty good.

Hey! That's the same model of coffee maker that I used to have in the office. I'm looking forward to your blog; the only time I was in San Diego, we were locked into this hotel in Coronado (where they rent the use of the phone, not just the time) and didn't get to see anything of the city much less eat anything the city has to offer.

I have just taken a quick look at the Vintages website (click here) and it appears that the LCBO's efforts in promoting BC wines is even more lacklustre than its efforts with Ontario production. Mostly national brands (Mission Hill, VINCOR, Quail's Gate), and I only spotted a couple of PNs. Quebec is no better by the way (I think the SAQ's actually worse). The best places I've found to buy BC wines have been at the two Village VQA outlets in Vancouver and a variety of shops in Alberta. Wineries of course will also sell, but the problem with all of it is getting it to New York.

The perception is saltier; I'd equate it to the difference one would have by comparing Sifto to say sel de guérande.