Keith Talent
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Posts posted by Keith Talent
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I heard yesterday that there will be a grand total of 63 different food vendors at this years market...sounds like my kind of place.
Where does one park? Is there a shuttle from somewhere? Public Transport of any kind? Can anyone recommend the least stressful method of getting there and then getting out again?
Go early, half hour before it opens is ideal. Trust me, a small thing like "opening hours" never disuaded an entrepenurial asian from doing a little business. There is onsite parking, it fills quickly (as in generally before the official opening) after that it is an endless parade of circling vehicles looking for open spots. Surrounding merchants allow parking on their lots for a nominal fee (two/three bucks last year.) Street parking is scarce, but occasionally you get lucky. The easiest/best/least stressful way is to throw your bikes on the back of the car, park wherever and ride in. Parking isn't bad if you're prepared to walk a little.
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I love night market. I hate the swarming crowds of clueless dumbasses. Why do peoples IQ's seem to drop about fifty points prior entering a crowded area?
Dragon Beard is the single greatest invention since internet porn.
It also used to be better back in the day when you could pickup advance preview copies of todays popular theatrical releases on DVD. There are still about a million fantastic things to eat there though. I like the cherry tomatoes on a stick covered in a hard candy shell. Weird and tasty.
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You should see my new business cards, they're spectacular.
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It's all about respect, whether you're putting out snacks that you actually thought about, maybe put a little effort into creating or recognizing that you're going to be in close physical proximity to strangers for the next umpteen hours and endevoured to at least make yourself presentable. It's a matter of taking just a tiny bit more effort than the bare minimum.
No one is claiming that you need to serve Y'quem and foie gras, Spanish bubbly royales sound quite nice. You tried. You could have poured a little ribena into some ginger ale, but you went to slightly more effort.
I guess in retrospect, it isn't how much a hosts efforts cost, but how much they thought about pleasing their guests that matters. Throwing down some rain forest crisps and premade humous doesn't say to me at least "I've been thinking about you".
I can't believe that I'm arguing that we show love and respect to people that are important to us through food/ drink/hospitality on this board of all places. Maybe some old time posters are right, this place has become more shallow.
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My apologies. I never want to piss anyone off, maybe consider alternate viewpoints, maybe overstate my case using hyperbole to make someone question thier opinion, but certainly hurt anyones feelings. I learned that lesson the time I made Arnie cry by calling him bald baldy bald bald bald. It was sad, a grown man, tears streaming down his red hot cheeks.
Honestly, my comments were directed at those of use lucky enough to lead comfortable middle class lives. There are plenty of people that work a hell of a lot harder than I do, for far less, something I am thankful for every day. I recognize the role luck has played in my good fortune.
Pan-O-Pan isn't marketing itself to hardworking saints however, it's directed at lazy self indulgent yuppies (present company excepted, of course.) Big difference.
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That's complete BS and you two know it. That's the same attitude that has led to people feeling comfortable wearing flip flops and shorts on aircraft. The attitude that "it's good enough". Bull. You know what's good enough? Your best. And that's it. When I invite someone over, I provide them with hospitality that says "I enjoy your company and am willing to be inconvienced to spend time together." I'm willing to do some work. And the cult of busyness isn't going to work here, on a board we all waste valuable time on.
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We've checked this place out are were somewhat less impressed. Most of the prepared food is stuff that can be made with such a minimum of effort, as to not be a worthwhile purchase if you have even the most minimal knife skills. Hummus? You ever make hummus? It takes longer to type hummus than it does to make it.
I don't wish anyone ill, but found the foods to be somewhat unispiring. Nice packaging though. I guess some of my dissapointment was that it was described as the ultimate prepared food resource, cheap and delicious, makes the kitchen totally extraneous. That wasn't the case.
One last complaint. It's a pet peeve to be served prepared food misrepresented as homemade. The implication that something was prepared especially for you when the reality is that it was purchased seems dishonest and an insult. Buying food and putting it on a plate kinda seems to me like saying "hey, thanks for coming over, if I'd have been able to go to less effort, I would have." It's like being served Farnese which says that the host would have served a cheaper wine if the liqour store stocked one.
Some nice kitchen/bath/furniture stores in the neighbourhood though.
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And if I was more eloquent, I would have said exactly what bavila did, it's kinda pathetic to have to rely on strangers to clarify your thoughts.
I also don't think locally grown produce is a fad, but that the cache surrounding it will die down and come into proper perspective. For several reasons local is better, but that's not everything.Thanks.
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[i'm confused. Are you saying growing local food in a concious manner is a false conceit and yet it tastes better? If the organic/local movement is creating better food, what is the problem? I'm missing your point, I think.
I think making a big deal about the method of production is a trend that will look somewhat dated in the future. Agreed that organic/local/blah/blah is the way the generally get the best, but it's not the best in and of itself. We should trust our restauranteurs to procure ingredients in an ethical sustainable manner, and not have to be constantly reminded that the food we're eating makes us morally superior to the slobs buying hydroponic yams imported from Sweden.
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I just finished reading Alan Richmans collection of recycled columns "Fork It Over : The Intrepid Adventures of a Professional Eater", which in retrospect seemed to be an exercise in mediocrity, but that isn't the point of this post. The book was somewhat dated, cullinary fads were reviewed in the heat of the moment, not with the clarity of hindsight. That made things seem funnier. Edible flowers. Tuna Tartare. Calling sauvignion blanc fume blanc. It occured to me that we must be living in the middle of an age full of cliches, as vibrant cross pollunating restaurant scenes would seem to encourage this. My question is this, what are the current standards dining that will seem cluelessly quiant or overly trendy in ten years?
Small plates get my vote. I'm close to longing for a full proper meal. Appetizer, entree and desert. I don't want thirty seven plates shared, amongst my greedy germ ridden friends of which i only get one tiny bite, because the stupid waiter put the truffled chicken liver in port demiglace in front of me. (Damn it. I tried to concoct something that sounded vile. the truffled chicken liver with port demi sounds quite good actually.)
I'd also think the organic/local movement will seem self evident in ten years and kind of a flase conceit. I coundn't care less if my tomato took the red eye in from Napoli and is still feeling jet lagged, if it's the best available, within reason, it's what I want. It is just that local food often tastes better therefore is also the best.
Anyone else spy a fad out there that is clearly part of a bubble and not a long term change in habit?
(Editted to change book title from excellent Steingarten one to mediocre Richman one. Thank you to the observant members that pointed out my mistake. Also removed reference to Vancouver, as that now seems out of place. And also edited to add that I wished I'd thought of the molten cake reference. That stuff is the equivelent of a harvest gold fridge. )
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Thanks to this thread, I've now added soup buns to my personal nutritional pyramid, that's right, they are now a staple. I turfed arugula to make room for it. It now goes off cuts of steak at the bottom (hangar, flank and flat iron), then soup buns, red wine, scotch (both blended and single malt, no snobbbery here), and crowned by cigarettes.
That's some healthy eating.
For what it's worth, soup buns do seem to be entering the common vernacular as of late. I for one am eagerly anticpating Feenies foie gras and truffle version.
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So we're saying The Ovaltine is inded the reigning Vancouver champ, followed by Primo's?
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CFL football player.
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If there's anything better than a thread about a massive Yank corporation coming into Vancouver, and the thread being co-opted by a local entrepenuer to be used as a customer feedback device, I'd like to know what it is.
You always hear from Polly Positives up with people motivational Tom Peters-esque dorks that as a business person you should embrace new competition, make it work for you. I think Gerald should be cited as a case study ina an MBA text book. Bravo.
Viva the grass roots.
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Write it? That'd be like work, right? I just want a free copy for planting the seed. And maybe a glowing tribute in the acknoledegments
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The diner thread mentions the Ovaltine as Vancouvers oldest restaurant, is that true, it's the oldest operating restaurant in the GVRD? When did it open? How has it changed over the years? Any historians care to illuminate?
That'd be an interesting article for an enterprising writer, a brief history of Vancouver restaurants. I'd think the original White Spot in Marpole would have been close to the oldest, prior to it's demise.
(edited, becuase I'm typing outside in the dark and my touch typing skills are weak, okay nonexistant.)
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The perfect fish and chips has a pint of Newcastle Brown Ale, or even better some obscure cask conditioned hand pulled naturally carbonated pint in the direct vacinity. End of discussion. No pint? Then it's not he best.
And Waiterblog is a Star Wars fan? Oh. My. Like this whole internet dork food thing isn't geeky enough, he needs top find ways to be more nerdy? I'm going to roll the twenty sided die of shame, and I'll bet it comes up with an increase to his freak level. I'll never be able to look at the guy again without imagining him in a wookie costume.
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This place is hideously overrated. Pho broth should be clear, not brown.
Is this going to be a weekly post until some poor fool (ie. me) takes the bait? Couple points; The best is pretty damn subjective, I'd agree with you that it's not "the best", but the sheer number of unassimilated asians eating there testify that it does something well, something the community that actually has eaten pho everyday finds attractive.
Wow! You've found an example of where e-gullet group think has bolstered a place above its' station? Half the places discussed around here suffer from that disease, read enough and you'll conclude that Go Fish! cures leprosy.
And the broth is "clear", it's just not water-white, which is what you seem to claim correctly made broth should be, something I've honestly never seen. Granted it is far darker than any other broth, but again the clientele, who appear to know what they're eating seem to dig it.
Honestly, when you take a look at he number of pho shops on Kingsway alone, anyone claiming to know the best is setting themselves up for critism. If you ate pho everday for a year, you'd still have places left to try. So lets conclude, it's not the best, but it's pretty damn good.
(edited to remedy spastic usage of the quote function)
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I could provide you with at the very least 6 borscht recipes, all for different types of borscht, that do not and never have, contained beets.
I think by definition the eastern european and/or jewish versions contain beets. I have heard other groups like the Mennonites that call any soup borscht. I've never gheard of a Russian/Ukrainian/Polish/Whereverastan that didn't have beets. Then again, yesterday at this time I was also ignorant of the fact that various chjinese joints were serving "borscht", so the limits of my knowledge are finite, and if you ask my spouse you'll hear they're very finite.
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Never, and I mean ever do I want to hear the words Duffins or Machata again. We need to keep a few thing secret. That place is busy enough.
Thanks
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I was going to post some highminded meditation on the most interesting question this post raises is what is the 21st century equivelent of the classic diner, then it occured to me that it's McDonalds, so screw that.
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How is it that Shelora is talking about fresh berries over on the island?Fresh berries in Victoria?
(edited to add link. Ever helpful so I am.)
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According to Wikipedia, we have no diners in BC. At least by their criteria.
Richmond Night Market '05
in Western Canada: Dining
Posted
Beware weird flash interfaces. Richmond Night Market Webpage