Keith Talent

"Keith, I reread the piece and ask what projection of the proprietors you disgreed with? Or was it something in the way we reported it/them? " From the article; "they offered a return approximating 20 percent per annum—that is, every dollar invested over the initial five-year operating period is forecast to return the initial investment plus four dollars." 1 dollar, over five years at 20% yields 1 dollar (slightly more because of compounding, but lets not get too detail oriented), plus repayment of principle. What am I missing? (As an aside, I can't really beleive I'm becoming this old of a crank, this seems like something my grandfather would do, if he knew how to use the internet, and wasn't dead)

So you haven't seen "Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels" then? And for what it's worth, (and damn this is an embarrassing admission, but you stepped up and admitted you listen to 1130, so as long as we're all sharing,) I heard the sixty seven grand on 'NW, so either they both employ lazy copywriters, or the number came from somewhere else. I'd say the bigger issue though is we're both listening to AM talk radio.

I'm calling bullshit on everyone involved. First the Vancouver police said that the cafe was doing thity grand a DAY in business. Bull. Even remedial math skills like mine figure that it's impossible. Do the math. 30000 / ten hours a day = 3000 an hour. average transaction? Lets estimate 25 bucks. That's 120 transactions an hour, or someone walking out odf the store every thirty seconds with a twenty five dollar bag of dope in their pocket. You know how much front end staff is required in any business that wants to complete a transaction every thirty seconds? Never mind the fact you're making change for hippies that stopped attending school in grade eight. So, bullshit on the VPD for totally blowing out of proportion how big a problem it was. And the store was run by obvious Mensa candidates too. Apparently 67,000 dollars was siezed. I guess it's true, constant weed use does make you stupid and lazy. I'm not a drug dealer, but if in the course of my business I came into possesion of seventy grand CASH, I'd probably takea stroll to the bank, or better a safety deposit box. Dumbasses.

Jamie - Slap your editor down at the Magazine. There were some dodgy finacial projections in the article in question on Chambar.

How what can survive at ten dollars a head? The only good thing about the PNE were the two latin women in Carnivale costume giving out beads in front of the A Marca Bavaria beer garden.

You ate all that? We took the monsters to the PNE Friday afternoon. There is NOTHING worth eating there. You may have fond memories from your youth, but then again I have fond momories of Shakey's Pizza and I won't look forwrad to going there again. Let nostalgia remain, don't sully your momories bt eating there. Jimmy's Lunch served perhaps the worst burger I've ever had, onions and all. How you manage to get "meat" that gray and flavourless, I'll never know. The buckeye rootbeer is only special in that for the same price you could be drinking a real, albeit flat and watered down beer at the beer garden. The only almost good thing I had were the wipple or ripple or whimple chips. Essentially fresh potato chips. Would have been about a million times better however if they had plain salt to add, instead of those weird flavour powders you get on store bought chips and now at the movies to put on popcorn. ANd I had an outstanding ear of boiled corn, put that hardly justifies the trouble getting there. Better minds than mine have observed that you can't go home again, that pretty much sums up attempting to recapture the tastes of youth at the fair.

No I haven't been, because I refuse to stand in line for anything. I might stand in line to eat at a Russian restaurant, just to kinda get that pre-glasnost feel. Although that's not entirely true. I stood in line last Friday at Salumi in Seattle for like 45 freakin' minutes. With kids. And you know what? I'd do it again in an instant. I used to frequent La Grec back when it was where Bukowskis on Commercial is now, that was the last time I would reccomend a greek joint in town.

And what are the lineups at Stepho's on Davie all about?

I can't beleive I'm going to allow myself to be drawn into an actual conversation about food... Disposing of the cooked vegetables may help make the dish more elegant and refined, but for the home cook I think doing this and replacing them with less cooked versions of themselves is well sorry, no offense, kinda pretentious. And certainly wasteful. In my opinion, rustic is superior to refined in a home kitchen. Different crieteria are used judging a dishes merits at home vs. a restaurant. One of the things that's cool about dining at someones home opposed to a resaturant is that things are less formal, to try to recreate a Lumiere version of osso bucco at home seems strange. Damnit, re-reading above I see I'm having a problem articulating my objection. Maybe something to do with amatuer food preperation should be more about good times with loved one rather than chefly tricks of the trade? Screw it, I'm not getting my objection down. Forget it, lets leave my last word at the vegetables should be left in because they taste damn good, almost completely melted into a rich beef tomoto sauce. Now someone pass the gremolata please.

Damn that Jamie Maw for beating me to the punch. Actually damn the stupid Spectator for changing the date on the article to Aug 17/04. To be honest I remembered something similar to this, but thought the date meant it was another and/or significantly updated piece. I'm going to start getting my bizzarely skewed wine scores somewhere else from here on out.

Wine Spectator feature on the Okanagan

That's easy, I actually thought you'd all figure that out by yourselves. You just tell her that I was slow. It'll be the only thing that said to her all night that won't result in a cocked eyebrow and a slow breathy "really?"

Spouses will probably get along better than we all will. "What? You're married to an opionated idiot that spends way to large a part of their day worrying about what's for dinner too? I can sympathize, you poor thing." That should be the only crietria for membership here, have you ever discussed dinner while still lying in bed in the morning?

First rule about food club, no talking about food club. Seriously, do not share your e-gullet habit with your spouse, unless you want snide questions about how your friends at e-mullet are doing. I think we're coming to the Hamilton Street Grill, we're leaving on holidays the next day, so our attendence will need to wait a while longer for confirmation, but if we do show, I'll be telling her that you're all old friends from university. I'd appreciate it if you all played along. If you're noticeably older, and she questions you on it, just tell her you were slow. You could try telling her you were a professor, but God help you should she discover your lie, far less risky to stick with "I wasn't very smart back at school."

There's a (or at least used to be) a Calaphon outlet in that super crappy outlet mall just over the border 5-6 miles down the I-5. We slowly accumulated a full set a piece at a time from there when we were first married, still using it, although the frying pans are almost ready to go to frying pan heaven. It's in a cafe called the Bluemoon or something similar, half the store devoted to coffee, half to deeply discounted Caphalon. I haven't been there in a couple years at least, so I have no idea if its' still there. Drove past the place going to Seattle last weekend, and noticed there were very few stores still operating there, so it too may be gone. If not some terrific buys can be had.

I love this place. In my experience it's as close as you can get to feeling like Paris while remaining in YVR, although the travel time from Richmond is close to the same. Terrific value combined with Parisan (lack of) portion control ensure you leave happy. The food is super traditional french bistro/brasserie, don't expect anything to be towered, except maybe the empty dishes on your table. The cooking is homey, and I don't mean that in a derogatory manner, dishes are prepared in a simple manner, a style easily recreated but with hearty generousity typical of the Gauls. We were last there two weeks ago. My wife ordered, not in some kinky role reversal game, but because she demanded more dishes than she could eat and thus I was expected to share half of them. Started with Moules Marnieres and then the house terrine. The mussels were fatter than a female Hungarian olympic weightlifter, perfectely cooked, incredibly tender. Served in a cast iron pot swimming in insane amouts of butter/creme/white wine etc. Terrine was thick sliced at the table straight out of the crock, served with a trio of condiments in a little server dish last seen at the Keg circa '78 holding sourcream/chives/bacion bits. It contained traditional mustard, gherkins and a sweet red onion relish. If the decision was left to me, I'd have had the Herring and potatoes to start. Brasserie classic, marinated herring served on a lightly dressed potato salad. So simple, so good. But what I want was vetoed, much like my requisitions for big screen TV's, new golf clubs etc. Onto the mains, Mrs. Talent had the seven hour roast lamb, I had the veal cheeks. Both were served in La Cruset enameled dishes, portions more than adequate to share, but we're both gluttons so that didn't happen. The lamb was as tender as lamb cooked for as long as the trip to West Van takes. My veal was excellent. Served on top of zucchini in a fresh tomato sauce. Sides came late after the bulk of the meal had been eaten, tomatoes gratin and potatoes gratin. Agian more cream/butter than a sane person would consume. I was too full for desert or cheese, Mrs. had something that was neither iles flotant or the superb looking fig tart, so I didn't pay much attention. I dunno, it was probably good, some kind of chocolate thing. I basicly hate chocolates popularity, it's the Hawaii of desert ingredients ie. shows zero imagination. Two ediocre espressos to follow. (Wow! Total shock, shitty espresso in a Vancouver restaurant! Still better than the Folgers crystals I had served to me in a demitasse cup at Milestones yesterday.) Drank a rhone with dinner. Dinner, tax, tip, desert, wine - $150.00 Seems like a deal in my book. My only complaints, the wine list could show a touch more imagination. Okay alot more. It reads like the french wine shelf in a shitty suburban LDB store, stuff you've had a million times previously, nothing that interesting. Markups are double plus a couple bucks, which I think is fair. The place is slightly shoddy in appearance, nothing a little dusting couldn't remedy. Packed full of some of the funniest self-absorbed West Van residents you'll ever see. Some cat pulls up in an orgasmically gorgeous new Aston, every table in the place summon their waiter to go take a look at the reservation book to find out who it is. Place is like Mayberry with cash. So, anyone else like this place?

We made the trek to La Regelade a couple weeks ago, I'd be interested to know if anyone feels qualified to compare/contrast the two. And I think that if you constructed a matrix referencing quality and value, La Regelade would be lightyears from it's nearest neighbour.

You know where to get good grandmother cheap? Dry aged? Do tell.

Not to be indelicate, but chicken sausage can fuck right off.

Next we need to have a sausage shootout. Cities best sausage, style unimportant. I'd say that the only criteria is it needs to be suitable for grilling. Any ideas?

Sysco doesn't call it meat, it's protein.

If you want to repay the favour, have them bring a u-haul stuffed with Texas BBQ Brisket. Maybe throw sopme Shiner Bock in there too.

Borders on silly? It's so far over the freaking line as to be insane. Particulary when forementioned tomato/onion look like they've been through a war, or at least the dishwasher. The whole meat thing shoots them in the foot, I'd think. See, I'm not a chef nor a butcher, so if you offer me a 28oz porterhouse, my reptile brain is going to say, mmm meat, gets lotsa meat. If you show me a 28 oz. porterhouse my intellect (as long as it hasn't been clouded by too many Jack Daniels on the Rocks - the perfect steakhouse pre-dinner drink, except at Hy's) will say hmmm, do you really need to spend sixty bucks on a steak that is bigger than your shoe? Maybe get the 18oz. instead. Also thta soliloqy the servers recite while displaying the meat cart is longer than anything in Hamlet and pretty much ensures I tune out everything said. Then again what do I know.

Mortons, to my mind is crap. Very little to recommend it. My personal favourite would be Hy's. Best Caesars in the world. (Not so secret ingredient, beef broth.) Well cooked sides as well as meat, and it looks like I want my steakhouse to look. Mortons looks like a ball room in a Cleveland airport Holiday Inn.

Current Yahoo headline, and as good a nine word obit as you'll ever see; Late Cooking Diva Julia Child Loved Red Meat, Gin