Keith Talent

Claiming Vij's is the best Indian food in the city is akin to saying Wild Rice is the best Chinese.

Best post ever. No other reason for quoting other than to give Sam a shoutout for not being afraid to buck the weight of the increasing amount of group think around here. Cheers. And I dragged the monsters to All India Sweets last night. As usual, very good considering the bill for three of us was eighteen bucks plus change. Naan is dry and tired there though, chutney selection is excellent. I love the pickled carrots.

I thought the same thing Cardamom, I didn't realize everyone but me has been to India. For what it's worth, in my experience when you ask an Indian where the best Indian food is, they'll uniformly reply something about Grandma or Mom. For whatever reason, the Indian community doesn't think that highly of local Indian restaurants. I may be wrong, but I've always thought that the problem is that Indians don't really have a restaurant or dining out culture like other asian groups do, thus the under-representation on the local restaurant scene in terms of per capita numbers of ethnic Indians. The best food is served in private homes. Based on nothing but my own tatstes, I like Maurya.

You can buy Horchata powder in grocery stores in Bellingham, mix it into milk or water. It's not the reals deal, but is not bad either.

Saigon Star is now gone, replaced by another generic chinese joint. (I only say generic from the outward appearance, it may be the greatest thing since a Vietnamese was hungry and all they could find was a baggette and few slices of leftover ham, I dunno maybe I'll take a look inside sometime.) We've been frequenting Ph Ca Va at the corner of Saba and I don't know Avenue. It's on that new street behind the Richmond Public Market. It's okay, prefered Siagon Star.

Try Enterprise Paper.

And thus the reason you've fit in so quickly and easily here.

Pho Lan? Surely you jest. Pho Lan might be the best pho restaurant for white people, but the best in Richmond? I don't even think it's the best on that block. It's an old adage, but I think it's also quite true, ideally you want to be the only caucasian in an asian restaurant, and Ling, lets be honest, you'd be the only asian in Pho Lan. Hell, you're probably the only person there that's had pho more than once. That place is like pho for newbies. It might be the dirtiest pho restaurant in Richmond. It might be the the skimpiest on the meats. The only positive is that they are not stingey with the basil.

This may seem a little obvious, but did anyone happen to go through Jaques Rogges bags prior to his leaving town?

My wife fell and broke her ankle requiring plates and screws in either side at some now defunct joint on Granville while dancing in what is now acknoledged as inappropriate footwear. Babalu perhaps? I was in San Diego at the time, and she was to meet me in Palm Springs. She wheeled herself out of hospital onto the plane two days after the surgery. She took what could in retrospect be considered an untimely smoke break while transfering flights in Seattle, missing her connecting flight. Her judgement was undoubtably clouded by the massive quantity of painkillers she was downing, or perhaps the ceasars she was using to enhance their effect and wash down the pills. She eventually got into LA at 2 AM, I drove to pick her up, two hours in either direction. Sadly, this story isn't so far enough in the past yet to be funny. Because as we all know the only difference between tragedy and comedy is time. I'm certain we'll laugh it up at our fiftieth anniversary.

The best line in the whole story; "He said he is determined to replace every single one of the stolen bottles, despite the cost" to his insurer.

Shit, sorry everyone, that last post was supposed to be a PM, I hit the wrong button by accident.

Yeah sure, Coop I'd love to come over this weekend and drink some of this new wine you just aquired and emailed me about.

No one is judging you, we're just wondering why you're so conservative compared to the rest of the group. You're going to stick out like a satisfied customer at Bis Moreno in that get up, people'll be like "why'd y'all drag Ward Cleaver out with you tonight."

It's true! Once you've eaten it, your life becomes a junkie's nightmare, dreaming of the blissful dish, trying to get all your friends hooked so you'll have more opportunities to go, compulsively planning your next fix... I'm gonna regret posting this ... This Gingerbread addiction has to be a chick thing. Don't get me wrong ... it's awesome. One of the best desserts I've ever enjoyed. But an addiction? Not for me at least. Get a grip girls A. ← Come on, you are amongst friends here, embrace your inner girlie man and declare your undying love for the gingerbread. The gingerbread know you love it. The gingerbread loves everyone. All hail the gingerbread. ← I liked the gingerbread, but me? I'm a hanger junkie. No steak will ever taste quite the same again - so - not quite the sugar high, but Neil still retains his power Oh - and I'm a chick. ← Stop it with the embedded quotes, you're giving me a headache.

Last time we were in Scotland, not only did I learn that Lager and Lime is disgusting (which to be honest I could have probably deduced without the emperical eveidence), I also learned that you don't try to explain the fallacy of the logic of having another drink to sober up to a Scot that's a half dozen rounds into the evening. Again, I could have probably concluded that without putting the theroy to the test, then again I was probably a half dozen pints in, and the logic would have escaped me at the time.

I have never been to the Irish Heather, nor have been following this thread, so I have no vested interest one way or another, but please, please tell me the above is a typo. Ribenna? In Guinness? I thought it was disgusting when my wifes Scottish cousins ordered us a round of Lager and Lime to help sober up (???) last time we were in Glasgow, but Ribenna/Guinness? That seems like a mortal sin against a gift from God. And I don't want to hear that it tastes better than it sounds, Guinness is perfect just the way it is. Maybe throw the odd black and tan into the mix, perhaps a Black Velvet in the middle of March, hell the next thing you know they'll be selling the stuff in bottles. That's very very wrong.

I am sooooo glad I never took you up on your breast cancer screening offer now.

Some people really like kidney? And Coop, you find a hint of tar a defect in wine, yet enjoy your kidney with the distinctive hint'o'urine, which isn't an odour reminescent of urine, but actually is urine? The world is a complex place, the older I get the less I understand.

Just returned. My interest in productive labour today is slim, hit the mother ship at 39th and Cambie first, then lunch at Kaplans. Best hot dog ever? Yeah, but being the best hot dog ever isn't that great an acheivement. It was exactly as pictured, except with even more toothpicks, enough to recreate the Bridge over the River Kwai model Higgins was working on before Magnum destroyed it. It think it copuld have used more sport peppers, (which are a relatively thick skinned, quite mild very vinegary pepper, I'd have liked more and seen them hotter. I've had a very similar pickled pepper with Fijian food.) It also could have used more celery salt, which was detectable with the first bite, but slowly faded into the background as other flavours asserted themselves. (Look at me! I've now eaten a total of ONE Oprah-ville style dog, and I'm feeling capable of critiquing it, does my hubris know no bounds?) Poppy seed bun was good, poppy seeds added a distinct element. The wiener itself was superb, as one would expect at Kaplans. The only disturbing part was the relish was a flourescent green, the colour that is natures way of saying "DON'T EAT ME", I did anyway, and feel no worse. I'm now off to wash the hot dog smell off my hands, I've scrubbed then four times already, it's one of the most pervasive odours in the world. Quick word on the service. The waiter was a real pro. When I asked him if they had any papers laying around, he said no, but quick as can be ran to the gas station next door and got me one. The world needs more people like him. I'm not going to add the Chicago dog at Kaplans to my lunch time rota, I'll eat my next Chicago style dog in Chicago, walking to to see the Cubs play, that's where'd it'd really be good. In a reastaurant, on a plate it certainly loses something that would be gained having relish splatter on your shoes eating it outside. It was a worthwhile experience though.

Yeah. I'm stupid.

Scout! Merci Beaucoup! Any of the Chicagians (Chicagoites? Chicago-lenos?) want to vet the pic and confirm if it looks right?

Don't get too excited about trying absinthe. If you're going to Lumiere, have a Sauzerac at the bar prior to dinner, the only good use for absinthe that I've yet found. (And just so no one thinks I'm completely insane, Fay Jai asked about Lumiere on *another* board.) And if you have a car, and love French, La Regelade in West Van is a must, certainly in my opinion the most Parisian bistro in town. And forgive my brain deaded-ness today, someone want to help with the name of the cafe in the Acedemy Francais at 6th/7th and Granville? I've only been there maybe ten times, I've got a mental block the size of a La Regelade casserole today. It's a reasonable lunch spot, less successful for dinner. Cheap, and about a scenic half hour walk from Robson & Granville. Good steak frites at lunch.

whoopee pies? And this is probably a stupid question, but I'll not let that deter me. Is West in the space (or hell, even the same block) that Szasz was?

I hate Yaletown. Actually, I like Yaletown, just have a problem with the people therein. If I have to hear one more time how good that new elementary school is, I'll kill a vegan. Oh, and here's a tip for you fashionistas. Your precious Urbane Faire is a Save On Foods with double markup. There's nothing at Urban Faire that isn't stocked at half the price at any Richmond Save On except for that one stupid loaf of bread everyone is so taken with. And the Roundhouse isn't really round.