jamiemaw

Don't mess it up? Leonard C GM ← Leonard, I believe that Andrew was referring to the chequered food reputation of the developers of the Watermark property on Kits Beach They also run the Elephant annd Castle pubs.

Thank you, Jamie, for educating me. Vancouverites it is! Since you invite some further outlander thoughts, here goes. The "tourist" issue is probably more acute at the Reading Terminal Market than GI. It's located under the convention center. (A bit of explanation. The RTM is a former outdoor "High Street" market which the Reading Railroad enticed to come indoors when it built its grand terminal in downtown Philadelphia more than a century ago. The market has, since 1892, occupied the space underneath the terminal's train shed. When the train system was rebuilt there was no more need for the terminal, but rather than tear it down, which was a real possibility, the terminal headhouse and trainshed was incorporated into the design of the new convention center.) There are probaby on the order of 1,000 hotel rooms within two blocks of the market. I think the answer to preserving and improving what we've got, both in Vancouver and Philadelphia, resides in putting our money where out mouth and stomachs are. The more people who shop for their weekly food needs at public markets, the more they will outnumber the tourists and encourage the vendors to serve our needs. Sure, you've got to overcome transportation issues (in Philadelphia, it's parking), and other impediments. But if we make the effort to take advantage of the offerings, perhaps the merchants will be encouraged to cater to our needs. ← Thanks rblikind, the history of the Reading Terminal Market was very interesting. By the way, what's the name of the beautiful railroad terminal where we would have arrived from Lancaster? I'm a fairly frequent visitor to your wonderful market; my business partners live in Philadelphia and I visit several times a year. Because I'm a Canadian loyalist, I'm forced to stay at the Four Seasons, but I generally make a beeline to the RTM for a pork sandwich and other treats to decorate the mini-fridge. In addition to the market, one can't help but be impressed by the newly scrubbed city, rife with excellent restaurants and bars. Your city's architecture is also fascinating, and it's terrific to see so much activity coming back, especially after dark. I think it's really quite under-rated as a destination, although a visit to The Old Guardhouse on the Main Line reminded that Ike and Mamie food is still extant in the northern suburbs. And just so you know, as I write this I'm looking at a photo of my fiancee and I wolfing down a Gino's cheesesteak. I also used Ralph's in South Philly as a set up for an article on red sauce joints. The premise was that I was on an Anti-Atkins Diet--pasta, beer and bread for six weeks. I lost one pound: SOUTH PHILLY, WHERE IT ALL BEGAN A great Wise Guy meal in South Philly a few months ago is where my concept began—at the legendary Ralph’s, the 104-year-old home of red sauce and raffia bottles of nasty Chianti and swarthy chaps with bulges under their mohair suit jackets. Resting up for the big night, I dined lightly that day on but a single cheese steak at Gino’s. Then a brisk walk limbered up the dining organs and that night I loped up the stairs into Ralph’s. The waiters were suitably timeworn, raspy and rude, the clams casino excellent, the roast pepper and anchovy salad and platter of spaghetti and meatballs huge and hugely satisfying. This was the full-Bertuzzi of red sauce dining (we drank the very good local Yuengling beer), and right at centre ice, where it all began, in a packed-out dining hall of Atkins denialists just like me. And the good news is that the diet worked at Ralph’s: I left lighter, if only by about about 25 dollars. The rest of the article is here But I digress. As I said in an earlier post, I always start a city tour with a visit to its markets. It's a sure way to look iside a culture. And more than once I've found that a quality fishmonger knows a couple of quality fish restaurants. A vist to Granville Island, as well as to Old Chinatown, allows a fair bit of knowledge, pleasurably learned. So too in Philly, with a few hours spent walking around chatting with the vendors, especially during off peak hours. And unlike what some of the more xenophobic remarks on this thread might suggest, they didn't seem to mind at all that I was a tourist. Overall though, there have been some excellent suggestions on this as to how the market can be improved, with many thanks to you and Andy Lynes for the extra sets of eyes. Jamie

Just wait till you try the HSG House Signature Free Range Lemon Meringue Pie.

Pete McMartin wrote about businesses in the city that were suffering as a result of the hockey imbroglio. He mentioned Wilson's repeatedly throughout the article but referred to it as "Winston's" throughout. They can't seem to get a break from the media.

Did the locals mind that you were a tourist?

How very sad. And that fish looks like Yasser Arafat's death mask. Salmonella?

Nu will be in the old Riley's space beneath the False Creek Yacht Club -- just a grilled free-range sardine toss from C. One difference between the two locations: while C is oriented to the view across to Granville Island, Nu will look more westward through the bridge and will no doubt be a little breezier.

Where, no doubt, you pichet a little woo? I can hardly wait to hear from the Hon. Mr. Talent--I suspect that Chatters will figure highly. Or he'll ask me to refrain from the posting of what he considers cheap and irreverant puns but what my family and friends actually recognize to be tired and recycled puns.

The Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival, one of the world's largest, runs this year from March 14th to 20th and features the wines of South Africa. You can read all about it here. This year there will be 117 wineries representing 17 countries. The South African wineries (the very last on the list having easily the best name) are: African Terroir / Tribal Bellingham Beyerskloof Boekenhoutskloof Farm De Wetshof Estate Delheim Wines Fairview Estates Fleur Du Cap Forrester Vineyards Glen Carlou Graham Beck Wines Jardin Kumala KWV International Laborie Wine Estates MAN Vintners Meerlust Estates Morgenhof Wine Estate Nederburg Plaisir de Merle Robertson Winery Rust en Vrede Saxenburg Wine Farm Springfield Estate Stellenzicht Swartland Winery Van Loveren Vergelegen Villiera Wines Warwick Wine Estate Winery of Good Hope

Not in my books it does not. I have said so on this board before as to how frustrating it is to have people walk five abreast, oblivious to the growing line up of people behind them. Other than declaring shopping a full contact sport, what is the solution ? Just grin and bear it and be thankful we live in such a wonderful and desired city ? Neil - father of two little kids - Wyles P.S. I have found that knocking the person with the wheel of the stroller about three times in the Achilles tendon generally gets the message through. That is my little secret to survival on G.I. ← If that doesn't work Neil, have you considered pieing them with an HSG House Signature Classic Lemon Meringue?

I have very fond memories of the restaurant where your proprietors started out in Vancouver--Le Chef et sa Femme. It was, as I recall, near 4th and Macdonald. I also admire their reluctance to franchise or expand their Stock Market operation, even if it's a question often asked. I couldn't agree with you more, Ann. Any look at other urban markets in North America, and many in Europe, allow that GI functions at quite a high level. Frankly I think we're a little spoiled, and as my early morning forays there prove, like you I can find superb local product. And good on your Dad for his time in the trenches as a Trustee. I know firsthand the long hours and dedication involved, and, conversely, also that the people who bitch the loudest are typically the least likely to do anything about creating positive solutions. But now, the 'tourist conundrum'. Certainly one solution to the tour bus trainwreck will be somewhat resolved when the Ocean lease expires. But it raises another question. When I arrive in a city, usually the first place I head to is the local market--it's a great way to read how the locals' food culture describes their broader one. But taking some of this discussion to heart, perhaps I shouldn't go there, because I'm a tourist, after all, and I might confound the locals' ability to stuff their own gaping maws. Great post. Jamie PS--I hope that a few of our friends in other cities (see the excellent post from Philadelphia, above) who have visited Vancouver weigh in on their relative opinions--I think more parochial Vancouverites would be pleasantly surprised to more fully comprehend just how good we've got it.

Well, question answered, although they seemed pretty popular pre-publication too.

You are forgiven.

With pleasure. PS--the name of the new Kits Beach restaurant is Watermark.

Like many of you, it was with surprise that I read today of Chef Neil Wyles' (aka the Professor of Steak) aversion to mustard. Who would have thought? I mean after all, a tangy dollop of Keen's Hot is pleasant respite from horseradish shotgunning a quality T-bone. Very shortly after reading that, the future Mrs. Maw, after a hectic workday, produced a superior roasted chicken, potatoes and peas in a seeming instant. I immediately and reflexively reached into the groaning fridge door for a favourite condiment--Mrs. H.S. Ball's Hot Chutney. Question. What makes your fridge door sag? And what, pray tell, are the three--that's all three--condiments or bottled sauces that you simply couldn't live without?

I don't disgree that the tour bus traffic can be overwhelming--the merchants who benefit are not typically selling produce or fish. And I should probably declare myself Sam as I was intimately involved in the evolution of the Island for many years when my wife, Andrea Maw, and best friend, Angus Stewart, were Island Trustees for almost a decade. (I also drove my concrete mixer truck out of the Granville Island depot for quite a while, but that's another story). I also financed the development of the Kids' Only Market. So I've actually spent a fair amount of time considering the options for the Island, its limited land area, and the continuously evolving tenant mix. I think that Ron Basford's, John Keith King's and many others' vision for the Island has been well-fulfilled, but equally I think it's always healthy to reexamine how public facilities can best accomodate growing and changing needs. Needless to say, the relocation of the Emily Carr School of Art to the island was a superb mix of uses. I also recollect with amusement your comment from last year regarding a self-professed aversion to tourists in general. I'm afraid that the Island, and especially the Market, will continue to be strong tourist draws and that local residents legitimately interested in the Island's livelihood will continue to find ways to co-exist. Mine, by the way, is to go early but to help people with maps. I should probably also declare that I was a director of and ultimately chairman of Canada Place from 1984 through Expo to 1993, and subsequently a director of YVR during its privatization and expansion. Turns out we get the odd tourist in those facilities too. Like Granville Island they were explicitly designed to be accessible, competitively-priced and interesting public facilities for locals and visitors alike. I hope that you continue to enjoy them all.

Very interesting to hear kayaksoup's literal insights (from what I think is still the top-grossing space on the Island on a psf basis, if not in all of Canada) and yours too eatrustic. I agree, as I mentioned at length above, that the Island Trust and management need to create more access for locals, especially by asserting the 'Best of BC', i.e. the satellite ops of top-drawer provisioners all available under one roof. More accessible hours might assist.

ROTFLMAO!!!! God Almighty man are you drunk??? ← Not yet. But once again, and beyond your duck-in-a-barrel potshots about the island, Sam, what would you do to improve the Granville Island Market?

I believe that disallowing cars on Granville Island would quickly prove its death knell--it would quickly assume characteristics of the Granville Mall, the greatest urban planning disaster in the city's history. And given the circular drive on the island, I don't think partial vehicular access is an option either. Personally, I've never had to wait more than 7 or 8 minutes for a spot, even at prime time--and, for this Scotsman at least, it's free. And we all know about Canadians and line-ups. If there weren't any, we wouldn't go there, much like an empty restaurant.

What would you do to improve Granville Island, Sam? What are the examples of the "tourist tat and worse" that you mention?

Harry Kambolis of C and Raincity Grill has shared the name of his new False Creek casual -- Nu. Now there's a tricky word. Nu sounds like new in English, but francophones know better--it means naked. And I believe that's where the philosophy of Kambolis and chef Robert Clark will take it--great ingredients then get out of the way--a minimum of intervention. It will be interesting to see the trial menu shortly. Goodness knows there's lots of horsepower behind the sourcing, with the two Roberts at C and Andrea Carlson (ex-C) now returned from Sooke Harbour House to replace Sean Cousins at Raincity. Cousins has decamped for the Vancouver Club where GM Philip Ireland is quickly assembling one of the best kitchens/FOH in the city. Coincidentally, the topping off of the new and controversy-dogged Kits Beach restaurant was held today. Now they assemble the guts to open this summer under manager David Richards, ex-The Prow et al. It's a product of the Barnett family who began the brassy (and lamentable) Elephant and Castle pub group. Let's hope the new generation gets off on a more solid footing, with much less interest in the deep fryer and much more in what lies right in front of them. The last thing Vancouver needs is another predictable MOR oceanfront seafood house with 26% food costs and $7 pints--the math of the anti-Christ. There's been next to no mention on these boards of another splashy waterfront restaurant opening--Lift. But here's a complimentary tour; you'll have to pay extra at the newstand to read the review without the typos. Lift cost $6.5 million; summer will spell if it really takes off but certainly the hordes have been finding it so far. We also review Henry's Kitchen (nifty even if the crowd looks like a Crofton House PTA meeting) and Fiction Wine Bar where we entertained friends (Tim Castle, the coffee broker who supplies Artigiano) from Los Angeles recently. On a three stop night (Baru, Fiction, Lumiere Tasting Bar)--they rated Sean Sherwood's Fiction highest.

Keith, We really must bring you up to the Valley for some red infuriator. Please bring your Nyquil tastevin. The reds are improving with each vintage: J-T, Black Sage, La Frenz and many others are rolling out some very good bottles--especially the meritages. We'll plan on a well-stocked day, J.

You're absolutely right--they are just a good laugh. Which leads me to think there's probably a bigish book to be had in collecting the best howlers. KaffirLime proposes these: Reminds me of an 'Italian' restaurant in Hawaii when our bleach-blonde surfer dude waiter bid me to "Enjoy your awesome bucco!" Unfortunately, my new contract restricts me to but three overt sexual references per column, so I am exploring new metaphors. The Hockey Strike has helped.

It was my fouth visit, excluding the day I worked in the kitchens. The other three visits were all wonderful, which is what made my meal with Jamie so depressing. ← And all this time I thought it was me. Truth be told, though, there was that inescapable hush (equal parts knee-trembling awe and then simpering respect) when Andy first strode into the room--the kind that preceeds him in all culinary temples as the most famous international food and wine writer currently working in Brighton, England. So I'm pretty sure that it was just nerves that saw them deliver two bowls of olives off the draw. But this raises another question--as to how British critics deal with their lack of anonymity. In this case, the indigo-blue Bentley Sport double-parked at the Michelin House curb, the large security detail (who were fed in the kitchen) and the sycophantic entourage to whom Andy so graciously donated the extra bowl of olives. I must add that Andy was also unfailingly gracious in signing autographs for the cognoscenti and a few tourists, albeit at £5 a go.

I noted that Alan and Betty-Ann Lee (of Mr. Lee's Donuts) was pictured in the piece. His plight re longer opening hours may be the most dramatic as I would imagine that he sells the prepoderance of his (excellent) product earlier in the day. But wouldn't it be smarter to open and close an hour later, i.e. 9am to 7pm? Those tenants who want to, could still have flex-hours--many locals know to go before 'official' opening anyway. First--what works: Granville Island is defined in some respects by what it is not, especially the vision to not allow fashion (other than Island-grown) and souvenirs onto the Island, unlike many of the festival marketplaces in the U.S. GI is really a superb example of mixed-use commercial/retail. The $1800 sales per square foot supports this. Conversely, it's only natural to see enhanced competition via Caper's, Nestor's, Urban Fair, Meinhardt's and T & T swipe some of GI's early thunder. Interestingly, because GI extols locality, it operates at a slight disadvantage. Second--what needs improvement: If I were a tourist in Vancouver, I'd be fairly loathe to drag a salmon back to my hotel room. That's why I think that an expanded VQA store, more packaged goods (the 'Best of BC'), and other in-hotel and takeaway treats would be a sound way to amplify sales. Is the Best of BC represented at GI? For the most part, it gets pretty close, especially on summer Farmer's Market mornings. Oyama, Terra, The Stock Market, Lee's, Longliner, and several of the produce markets are certainly as good as it gets and strong pulls for locals. But there is ample room to draw more high quality specialist provisioners and I hope that the GI Trust and management look at this. GI, and the market in particular, do require a facelift, a brightening. Although it's far from run down, there is a slightly tired look. A shutdown and speedy, well-planned refresh next January, with rent forgiveness, wouldn't be out of order. Next, the restaurants. They are, for the most part, tourist-friendly, but again, there are none that are in the Best of BC category. It would be terrific to see a cold seafood bar in the market, like the Swan Oyster Depot in San Francisco, and you might second guess why Go Fish! had to locate off campus. In summary, GI is certainly not broken, but it could do with a little fixing. The longago vision for it was exemplary, and let's trust it continues to prosper. I look forward to hearing your further thoughts.