Redhead

Lonsdale Quay. Little greek guy who runs the Greek deli place in the food court, the one with the nice, long glass display case. Check the smaller glass display case to the left of the cashier, and you'll find small plastic tubs of the MOST amazing, creamy rice pudding with cinnamon. With or without raisins. We eat it straight up from the fridge. Addictive. I can't believe I'm sharing my secret source.

WOW! I'd purposely been avoiding this thread ever since I first checked my calender lo these many months ago and realized I couldn't pull a rabbit out of hat and magically appear in two places at once. I would take the e-Gullet crew and a few minutes with Tony B. over a family birthdayparty almost any day.... only the sad, sweet faces of my offspring would haunt me forever..... Glad a fantastic time was had by all! Thanks for photos and the menu description. Shucks, someone got to kiss AB not once but twice???? Did someone say shortribs? Dang, I missed it!

Personally I'm not a fan of Cobbs, either --- isn't it pathetic to find a Cobbs just a few steps away from the fabulous "Cheese Shoppe" at Park Royal, what an insult to the cheeses --- but I have to admit that the two large loaves of sandwich bread (one white, one whole wheat) I bought stood up amazingly well on a camping trip this summer, especially when compared to the horrible WonderBread-style our American friends brought along. Discerning kids may prefer your pricey French patisserie, but mine went bonkers for these loaves. Soft, springy, politely bland in flavor but with enough homemade appeal to put Dempsters, et al, to shame. My kids prefer the loaves from my bread machine, esp. the version made with unbleached white and a cup of Anita's organic rye flour (sold in brown paper sacks at Capers). A bit of Maritme molasses, some brown sugar, water, yeast, salt and a splash of vinegar -- voila, a wholesome brown bread with great texture, addictive when toasted.

"The food here justifies the constant accolades it gets from the media (thanks Jamie) that many other places that are subject to local media group think aren't." Another Phnom Penh convert! Let me just add that former CBC Radio restaurant critic and Vancouver magazine editor Scott Mowbray was the first to sing the place's praises 10-plus years ago. Nobody had heard of it up until then. The Chinatown location has always been preferred over the Broadway, in any case. More squid, more squid. It IS good, isn't it! edited to add my list of places I'm ashamed to say I haven't eaten at yet: Lumiere (have eaten next door at Feenie's, however) Villa del Lupo (past its prime or still list-worthy?) any of those Japanese bar-food joints, i.e., Guu, Hapa-Izakaya, etc. Sun Sui Wah (waiting to go with a crowd)

We've had good luck with Windsor Meats (Caulfeild location) -- they carry an organic line of beef that includes a really outstanding flank steak. Jolly the Butcher in North Van (a little challenging to find, but worth it) is the best for pork products, including dressed roasts, baby back ribs, Swedish and Danish-style cured ham, etc. Not bad on beef items -- we just tried two "Australian rib-eye" steaks from there, pretty good. Nice price, too - about $10 for two large steaks. And a place I haven't tried yet, but WANT to www.bluegoosecattle.com They have warehouse location on Welch St. in North Van. Not sure if you can just drop in and buy a small amount, or if there's a minimum purchase (say, half a cow?) or you have to shop by appointment. But it sounds yummy..... Some eGulleteer should try this out and report back. FYI, Keith. Windsor Meats sells some nice, pounded and lightly breaded chicken strips -- not the pre-cooked, chopped and formed rubbish, either. Ask for them if you go.

LOL! I normally reserve that description for my friend's homemade "kit" wine.

Cool, does Clayoquot Wilderness Resort have a cellar? I've only been there once and the entire operation was built on a floating barge.... what with the Outpost accommodations added, etc., I guess the resort is really humming now!

Make a ferry reservation! I wouldn't risk stopping for a bite in Tsawwassen without one. And you'll still need to be through the payment booths and parked in the line-up at least 30 minutes prior to sailing. Details on the BC Ferries website. I think there is supposed to be some beach concession in Tsawassen or White Rock that's really good -- others have posted about it here last summer. That would be a good choice if the weather is right, given that you're travelling en famille. Others on this board are sure to have suggestions. On Mayne Island, there's the dining room at the Oceanwood B&B, but since the B&B is adult-only, I wonder if that applies to the restaurant, too? The food was terrific when I was there, but it was a fairly quiet, upscale room. There's a casual burger and fish 'n' chips place beside the dock where the float planes land -- I think it has "Spring" in the name? We've had some decent lunches there, sitting on the deck, and I've seen lots of kids there. I believe Pender Isl. has a new B&B -- Poet's Cove? Might be worth checking out. Welcome to B.C. -- we love your U.S. greenbacks here!

Well, after a morning exploring Stanley Park (look, the Hollow Treeeeee.....), Granville Island (fab Lee's donuts, airy and not greasy) and the mudflats at Spanish Banks, we repaired to Moderne Burger for big, juicy burgs dressed with thick slices of tomato, thin slices of red onion, a bit of romaine and a dollop of sauce (some mayo/ketchup/bbq hybrid, I think) and served with mounds of very good fries. The Japanese girls split one burger and ate daintily with knives and forks. A dozen serviettes later, we boorish Canucks polished off a burger each (but only 1/2 our fries) and a Cherry-Lime soda with a Vanilla Milkshake chaser (kids couldn't finish the shake, haha). The place was hopping. We reminisced fondly about a previous eGullet dinner here and were glad we returned.

Thanks for all these suggestions. Given the gas prices, I think we'll save the Steveston idea -- that's a long haul from our place. I think some burgers-to-go, eaten on the beach, sounds right. I'll stick a little Cdn. flag into the fries.....

Yes, it's that time of year when we host a couple of giggly Japanese teenage girls for a weekend so they can experience Canadian home life.... So, where should we take them for a "Canadian" lunch? I know they'd love the novelty of eating White Spot off a long tray in my car, but it makes me weep handing over good money for such mediocre food. I'm thinking Granville Island? Isn't there a fish place down on the docks somewhere? Or maybe Moderne Burger? Good food, funky diner decor. Must be somewhere cheap, kid-friendly and non-Japanese. FYI, we once took our homestay kids out for dim sum lunch and I could tell they HATED it, although they were too polite to say anything. They ate almost nothing. White Spot the next day was a big hit, however. Sigh.

try the website at www.eatmagazine.ca or call 250-384-9042

How annoying.... why would they order California berries when local ones are in season? Surely the California ones aren't cheaper, given the transportation cost?

Generally speaking, if an item is on sale at Save-On-Foods, it's the same price and sometimes cheaper than the same item at Costco. But for certain things we KNOW we're going to use up (Dijon mustard, real maple syrup, Heinz ketchup) that we don't mind buying the BIG containers of, Costco is our preferred store. Hubby likes the cheese prices (bags of Baby Bel gouda, big rounds of that soft, peppered French stuff that's good in mashed potatoes) and we've had some decent steaks, too. One has to be disciplined to shop in these places, lest one ends up carting home entire cases of KitKats, cheesies and gummy bears. I always stay away from the fresh produce. Looks like it was trucked in from Patagonia -- the price may be right, but I'd rather put my Costco savings towards buying fresh, regional produce at a farmer's market or Caper's. edited to say, I'm mostly referring to bulk or case-lot items on sale at Save-On....

Coop, those Parkside group menus look awesome. Any chance we could get a group of eGulleteers together to take advantage of this? Redhead