Keith Talent

Who cares how they find each other, just be thankful they do. Better they travel in a pack as opposed to scattering their social ineptitude around the greater populace as a whole. Yeah, it sucked to be Neil for one night, but you're contribution to the greater good is now made, freeing you up for more pleasant pursuits, like advertising for waitresses, non-ex Earls employees need not apply.

If I was a better member of this community and not just a me first greedy asshole, I'd have posted a followup to the whole hog experience before now. I got the pig from Fraser Meats on Main, no no just kidding, on Fraser. $170 (+/-? I forget, it was almost a year ago.) The pig was superb. Everyone without exception was impressed and satified. Weighed 50 pounds? I dunno. Boned, except still maintained in an essentially piggy shape. Dozen ribs on either side were left in place, and was the only downside as some unfortunate words were exchanged, knife play was engaged in and some old friends ceased to be in an effort to grab more of the ribs. Would be nice if they'd genitically engineer a pig with like thirty ribs a side. Skin was incredibally crisp and tasty, plentiful too which did help with the mediation of various simmering rib disputes. I've got some great pictures of my oldest friend dismembering the poor beast on the bar in the kitchen, transfering great slabs to waiting platters. Kids liked it, adults liked it. Total win. Only downside is the strage Filipino sauce they throw in gratis, and has no redeeming fearures that I could tell, still got a couple bottles in the pantry. It's not hot or spicy, just mildly sweet and inoffensive. Made with bread crumbs (?!?) palm sugar water and vinegar. Doesn't add anything. Totally superb, totally recommended for a party of 40-50 people.

See? More eco doomsaying that makes anyone that is on the fence, or takes a middle road position say to themselves, "screw these loonies, pass the negitoro rolls." No fish? What about the species that are so prevelant that you couldn't swing a dead haddock in a circle in the middle of the Pacific without hitting at least three of them, species like squid? It's like the plot of that idiotic new Micheal Criton novel brought to life, find extremeists so far detached from sane rational thought as to totally alienate anyone that isn't already a zealot. Granted, everything I know about agriculture was learned at the petting zoo at the barns of the PNE, but if your going to claim that sea lice is such an insurmountable problem that all salmon farming sound be suspended is ludicrous. I'm certain that in the previous 60 centuries, commercial agriculture has faced problems that have seemed insormountable, thank God previous generations of farmers didn't have Dr. Suzuki wagging his pious finger in their faces telling us how technological advancement is wrong, because a few wild fish might meet an unfortunate end. I dunno, according to Eric Schlossers "Fast Food Nation" the steak I ate last night was covered in feces at the slaughterhouse, so a few leeches probably wouldn't bother me much. Squeemishness isn't for the avowed omnivore. The bread I ate with dinner was made using flour that contained ground bugs, the salad had more than a few whole bugs, however small in spite of washing. Sea lice look no worse than oysters, maybe they're delicious with a nice tart mignonette and crisp steely chablis.

We're getting homework assignments now? Screw that. The central point of the Courier article was idiotic, in my opinion. The damnation of fish due to the loss of energy inputs required to harvest is a deeply flawed piece of thinking, and dangerous as it automatically turns off anyone not of a radical environmental agenda. If we are going to insist that our food provide more energy than goes into the creation of it, enjoy your diet of winter rye in your backyard, because that's pretty much all you'll be dining on. I watched a documentary on PBS about fish farming, I wish I'd known about it before it aired, as it would have been excellent for those interested to view. While it was certainly biased, anytime David Suzuki is being touted as an impatial source of information, you know that you're witnessing some bias it did allow both sides of the story to be told. I thought the most interesting point made was by a representitve of the BC Fish Farms Association stating that yeah there are problems, but bear in mind that it's a new form of argriculture, land based agriculture has been in exisytance 6000 years, salmon farmed for thirty, there's a learning curve to everything, and to completely dismiss it will not allow the development and perfection of techniques.

One quick point of clarification, those rates are per term, a term being a weasle word for half a year. Agian, screw the restauranteur that has a south facing patio on a rare nice winter day, don't you dare drag some tables and chairs out into the sun. You didn't buy your winter permit. We don't want people enjoying themselves outside without a permit. The rats nest of cigarette butts and inveterate addicts in front of Starbucks is cool year round though. Vancouver is totally loony.

Never a fan of Beuaracracy (or spell checkers, apparently), but the regs seemed reasonable, until this; Sidewalk Patio (Large) Rates: * Downtown = $5.21 per square foot per term * Outside Downtown = $3.70 per square foot per term * Minimum Annual Fee = $284.00 What. The. Fuck? That's horrible. In a city that has tourism as its' only thriving growing industry?

Yes, I'd trade three Go Fish! to Seattle for one Salumi, maybe four. I've always been interested in renting the place for one of their dinners. Seats a dozen, you need to buy the restaurant for the evening. Someone needs to play culinary matchmaker, introduce Oyama, Amis Des Frommage and Ecco Il Pane, let the three of them spend a boozy night in a cheap motel. The result of the union would be pleasantly Salumi like.

This is exactly why the avante garde is valuable, the trickle down of good ideas into the mass market. For every one hundred failures, you get one really good execution. Foams are the first legacy of this movement, I'm certain there will be more.

When we were in Honalulu last summer, I was curious why no one ate outside in the most glorious climate known to man, apparently the city has a no sidewalk dining ordinance, that is insane, apparently they feel it makes the city look trashy. Heaven forbid Waikiki go downmarket like those shitholes Paris, Rome or Seville. There's rarely logic involved in local politics.

So, anyone have any guesses when the fad for lack of a better term, molecular cuisine will hit Vancouver? Are we too down to earth to buy into this trend? Is anyone really interested in twenty course tastings consisting of globules of beef marrow essence suspended in a flavourless pure protein gel? I see from the TO board that Czehoski's is going in that direction. Chicago and NY both have multiple examples, even here on the board the development of one has been documented.. Anyone know if any Vancouver chefs are looking in this direction?

There's another board that discusses Aeroplan with the same interest we have in frites? That is f'ed up. What the hell do you discuss? "You ever hop Delta #451 from YVR straight into O'Hare?" "Yeah, it's pretty good at the start, gets kinda dull over the Dakotas then totally rocks over Minnesota and Illionois. 1452 Skymiles, too."

I was going to say White Spot. I've gotta admit, that egg sandwich thing isn't bad. Not as good as the supremely greasy Eggs Over My Hammie at the always interesting Denny's though. Anytime you can enjoy a bad pun and more fat than in ten Big Macs in the same meal it's a good start to a day. A day you're going to spend feeling quesy mind you, but anytime I've been to Denny's, the balance of the day being spent with mild nausea and ligtheadedness was alreay a foregone conclusion, so really nothing to lose.

Kolatchy are Czech. I'm certain they've been mentioned here before. And I don't really beleive that Vancouver has an extraordinary large Czech population.

I for one am glad that we've seemingly collectively agreed to not be critical of our betters any longer. I promise to stop mocking Ben Affleck for his work in Gigli, and lets face it, he's a far better actor than I, has acheived more in the field than I and I agree with the sentiment that it's presumptous of me to be critical of his work. And recognizing Whitre Spot as a fetid pile, embodying the worst aspects of a mass market chain does not make one elitist, just a realist. Cheap shots about where a poster is posting from might be though.

Oh oh. Rob, seriously, call. Someone should have vetted that script for the "does it make me look even dorkier than the dancing", factor. I haven't actually seen the spot, but I just heard it. That was enough. Rob as an old west gunfighter, theme from "the Good, The Bad and The Ugly" in the background. Some inane dialogue, ends with Rob giving his compliments to the chef and eating some crap salad. (Not that the salad is actually made of crap, nor have I actually tried it to confirm it's crapitude, but past experince tells me it consists of brown at the edges romaine, and a sickly sweet dressing. Probably a deep fried element too. Rob likes it, I'll take a chance and declare it bad.) I'm predicting John Bishop is in a Dickens-esque spot, I'm not clear on the setup, but the tag line will be; "Please sir, can I have some more."

Rob Feenie needs some sage advice, someone to help his clearly addled decision making processes. The man is a giant of cuisine. A man among boys behind Vancouver stoves. A visionary, truth be told his restaurant is one of the very best in North America, but Rob, who talks you into some of these idiotic decisions you make outside of the kitchen? You need management. Or if you have it, new management. I'm not talking about the charming articulate interesting staff at the restuarant, I'm talking about your agent/manage/ten percenter. He/she/they need to go. First we had the dancing Food TV spots. Fair enough, we've all been a half bottle of Laphroig away from some very bad dancing. In fact I'll admit to being closer than that, I've been there, not on a soundstage with cameras rolling mind you but still. But now we have a lapse in judgement so egregious that an empty scotch bottle won't explain this away. From the Globe on Friday; "And should you doubt his working-class roots, just check out the new White Spot commercials on TV next week. Yeah, that's him and John Bishop who saunter into the kitchen. "I love White Spot," Feenie says. One of the chain's restaurants sits on the same block as Lumière. "It's the KFC across the street that I worry about." From Alxandra Gill in the Globe and Mail. White Spot? Seriously? Now I like money as much as the next greedy bastard, maybe more, but White Spot? Memo to Rob Feenie, White Spot is the worst, poorly run, horrid food, bad service atroiciously designed restaurant establishment in the universe. Well maybe not, but I doubt Moxies could afford you anyways. Who helps with these decisions? The sooner we in the city stop feeling some false nostagia for this chain just because grampa got lucky once after a trip home from Marpole after chickin' pickin's the better off we'll be. How a man that can create squash ravioli can eat those soggy fries, (and I use the word fries only as there is no word in english for potatoes slowly boiled in oil) I'll not understand. Yeah, money is nice, and understandably, you've got a new mouth to feed, but do you want the new kid to look you in the eye, and prompty vomit out the brown wax disc they substituted for the chocolate coin in the pirate pack years ago? I don't think so. I'd say anything for the right number of zero's, give me ten bucks and I'll post on Daddy-A's luxurious locks. But someone need to tell Rob Feenie to back away from the White Spot money and keep just a little self respect and dignity for himself.

I pray none of his relatives read the board.

Yeah, but what if you got to heckle waiterblog too?

I would never buy crab cakes, the cake part is the easy part of the equasion. It's the extraction of enough meat to make that cakes that's onerous. If you don't want to pick crab, Or aren't lucky enough to have a spouse that claims to enjoy it. Which I have trouble beliveing, but there you have it.) Buy lump crab meat, make your own cakes. And yes, crab is super cheap right now. Anyone know why?

What's this about Bob Blumer? Anyone want to get together, get liquored and heckle? The only tricky part will be keeping the BAC at the level that encourages spontaneous hillarity, yet below the full blown English football hooligan, do violence against his person level.

For the recod, messy Ukrainian blow job is the best phrase ever. And if the self rightgeous Mr. Chatters had taken a few moments to observe his surroundings, he'd have noticed a few salient points. A) I live in what could be considered Richmond's only crack positive neighbourhood. Just having herbs, puts me a step ahead of the surrounding grow-op's. B) The big freaking red white and blue Remax sign stabbed like a stake into a vampires heart of my front lawn should have been an indicator that I could care less if my oregano did or did not make it through the winter. It's some other suckers...eerrr...first time homebuyers problem now. Here's a tip for would be realtors, when some swarthy looking andro-enhanced dude rolls up in his hummer, wearing more chain than adorned the decks of the Andrea Doria, inquirining about the amperage and where the Hydro box is located, he doesn't really care about the 3BD/3BA, with wild blueberries in the backyard, (unless of course he's willing to write a subject free offer with quick closing close to list.) .

Cardinal rule broken. As part of your user agreement you are expected to memorize each and every word of Mr. Maw's pearls. Reviewed last month, (as in the month prior to this months issue.) Someone smarter than I will be along to link you shortly.

I can tell you from a non-designer perspective, I find it incredibly uncomfortable ... especially in a skirt (!). ← Don't forget, the satay is dry/flavourless and drinks expensive.

Japone.

Sorry to horn in on your thread Deborah, but it brought to mind a question I've had forever. And maybe the answer will help you. What's the deal with Samurai Sushi on Cambie south of 41st across the street from Oakridge? The place is always lined out the door. We stopped in at seven on Sunday night. Didn't stay because of the line. The place is literally a hole in the wall. Maybe fifteen seats, primarily a takeout business. Menu was pretty standard, roll combos sushi plates, reasonable prices , not expensive, but not cheap enough to justify the lines either. Anyone know the story here? It seems whenever we go by that there's a line. Perhaps because that neighbourhood is underserved by restaurants?