eatrustic

I was actually wondering about it because I've stopped going there after 2 or 3 incidents where I no longer thought the food was safe. Now that I have taken some time to search a bit further I have found that my instinct was 100% correct: http://www.vch.ca/environmental/docs/food/..._closures06.pdf Apparently they were closed on August 9th for poor maintenance and unsanitary conditions. The exact reason I stopped going there, and the reason for my initial inquiry to the board. My apologies if my accurate gut reaction to a closure offended you. Cheers! ← Believe me Vancouver I'm not offended and there may have been a 90% chance that your "gut reaction" was right. It still is irresponsible to conjecture on a public forum as to whether a piece of paper is a health department notice when it could have been about a dozen different things. I know nothing about the business you are referring to but you should either pull over and go see what the paper says before posting about it or simply state that they are closed and you saw a notice and wondered why. Like I said, rumours start way too easily and it's a shame when hard working people are having to defend themselves for (in some cases) no reason.

I think it is kind of irresponsible to wonder if a piece of paper seen from a distance is a health board notice. It may simply be a notice stating that it's their annual vacation. This is how rumours start.

LOL!!!Just thinking the same thing m'self. Going to have to sell a helluva lotta pizza & noodles to pay for those renos. ← I stopped in this evening for a quick pizza and a pint. They may end up paying for the renos at Rocky Mountain quicker than you'd think. The pizza price range is $17. - $27. for a 12" pie. Lunch prices are less but so is the selection. $17 gets you their Classic: roasted cherry tomato, goat cheese and asiago. $28. gets you marinated lobster with smoked steelhead, artichokes, creme fraiche. I had a half and half with the roasted cherry tomatoes etc. on one side along with organic chicken, red onion, pesto and red peppers on the other. That along with a pint came to $27. (including tax). The menu is seriously focused on organics and does some pastas, soups etc. in addition to the pizzas. I liked the "Classic" portion of my pizza and the flatbread crust is interesting. More crackerlike than a regular pizza dough but not offputtingly so. It has a Ryvita kind of flavour to it. The chicken I will reserve judgement on as the portion was a lot more than I usually want on a pizza and I believe they are in the process of adjusting this one. The pizza could easily be split by two if they had a salad. It will be interesting to see if the organic only crowd will patronize a place that is making the effort to rise above the "granola" image of most entry level restaurants. They also have a small but very nicely put together wine list: 7 whites, 9 reds all available by the glass or bottle.

On W. Broadway, medical building row near London Drugs. (Right across from Tojos). Why do I cringe when I see gourmet and mexican in the same phrase in an area that is almost uniquely fast food? One can only hope I guess.

Rocky Mountain Flatbread Co. opened Sat. Aug. 12. on the site of the original Bread Gardens, W. 1 near Burrard (across from the Smoking Dog). They've done a pretty serious reno of the double space and have two decks (shade side though) and their deal is wood fired organic pizzas. They also have a bar. Noodle Bar up on W. 4th near Burrard is coming along and should be ready fairly soon. Menu boards are up and the space is looking good. Lots of $$$ spent on both N.B. and Rocky Mountain.

If you don't luck out with donations then the best prices I have found are at Superstore and Canadian Tire (their larger stores). Both have non Bernardin jars (that are universal) which are just fine and a dollar or two cheaper per case compared to the Bernardins.

What's the emoticam for a sigh of exasperation?!! Enjoyment should be primary and the prestige aspect can be easily attatched if so desired, at least in my book. There are too many people grimacing as they choke down something they are not particularly enjoying just because it's got an expensive label. On the lighter side, I had to laugh when I mistakenly thought that Chef Koo was referring to the Monte Cristo as the sandwich and not the cigar for his poker game.

I'm thinking that the Stilton Cream will have a slightly muddy look to it so I would put the cream (or a bit thicker) on the bottom with the poached figs on top (you could brulee them and not just the garnish). Or just drizzle the Stilton Cream over the figs so that they are accented. Port sounds better than Sauterne for the poaching (and more cost effective). I would think that there should be some acidity in the poaching liquid so that the already sweet figs do not become too sweet - even with the bite of the Stilton cream. Sounds like fun!

This may have been mentioned last season but it bears bringing up again : Right now is the time to buy wild White Spring Salmon. It is a great and underappreciated member of the salmon family that is every bit as good, if not better, than regular wild spring. It is also called Ivory Salmon and best of all it usually sells for $2 - $3 dollars a pound less than regular old Spring. It is usually available at all the Granville Island fishmongers as well as the Seven Seas fish store on W. 4th and probably most other seafood stores. The only problem (for me anyway) is that the filets are sometimes quite large and.... as they do not always sell as fast you have to watch the freshness. They should look just like the other salmon, firm, shiny filets and of course that nice fresh fish smell. A couple of weekends ago I was in Whole Foods and they were specialing them out and discontinuing them because they were not selling. Pity!

We stopped in at Nu for an early snack and a cocktail a few days ago. What a pleasure it is sitting on the terrace watching the boats go by. (Although those party boats are something else with the sound from their discos blasting and bouncing off the condos.) As usual a bite and a drink turned into dinner. We started with a Hemingway Daquiri and glass of wine. The Daquiri was the classic kind (not a slushy) and delicious. For starters we had the Goat Cheese stuffed Chicken Wings with Chile Gastrique and the Scallop Ceviche. The Wings were tasty enough for a snack but I couldn't find much goat cheese and the gastrique tasted of classic Canadian sweet and sour chinese. The Ceviche was nicely presented and tasty. Still thinking I wasn't having dinner I had the Frisee Salad, croque monsieur, poached egg with warm bacon vinagrette (all one dish). OMG! If ever there was a perfect breakfast, lunch or dinner dish this has to be it. Nestled inside the frisee was a mini croque monsiuer sandwich with the poached egg sitting on top. Total comfort food! At this point my wife had seen the Chilled Seafood Salad Nicoise Style go by and had to have it. It is very impressive looking, served on a long plate with a lovely selection of fresh seafood and greens with just a drizzle of dressing to set it all off. I, now accepting that this was dinner, ordered the Parisian Gnocchi with Braised Oxtail. This was a mistake. I should have had the Salmon. The plate was a big mound of gnocchi with bits of oxtail mixed in and basically a garnish of sauteed red onion, red and yellow pepper. The dish was bland and uninteresting and I told the server but did not want anything else. The overall experience was quite pleasant (especially not having to sit in the designer posture chairs). I have to say though, that the menu has way too much of a Fall/Winter feel: Duck confit, Gruyere Cheese Soup, Wine Poached Pear and Walnut Salad, Pork Belly with sweet potatos and pears. The Pithiviers with Beef Bourquignon or Navarin of Lamb. I mean c'mon, there a lots of trendy ingredients like Duck Confit and Braised Pork Belly that could be used in a more seasonal way but it looks like the menu has not really changed since the Fall (with a few exceptions). Although this is picky there is also a lot of baby frisee used in many of the dishes that need a salad element. If the choice is the ever present and done to death mixed greens or frisse I will always take frisee but there all kinds of cool greens available now like Purslane, or Lambs Lettuce that would be nice for some variety. After saying all this I would not hesitate to go back as the deck is so pleasant and the food for the most part is tasty and well presented. Two days later I was a guest for dinner at the Sylvia Hotel and Holy Crap! what an embarrassingly amateur rip. It made me appreciate how nice Nu is and a world away in Vancouver cuisine and style

Stoney Paradise - Milan the tomato guy Here is his Trout Lake Market Schedule available on the Farmer's Market web page. He is scheduled to be at Trout this coming weekend but whether he has tomatoes or not is anyone's guess. The rumour around the market was that he lost a ton of seedlings early on and was in trouble but then anyone who knows him has heard this story every year. He loves the drama of keeping his public guessing. First up should be Sungolds and whatever interesting veggies he has grown this year. Be there before 9:00am and get in line or risk the dreaded Sold Out sign. Sapo Bravo always has a great selection of heirloom toms (once things start) so if the line is too long for Milan jump into Sapo Bravo's instead.

I have been an avid NYT Wednesday Food Section reader for many years and the sad fact is that even on it's most banal days (and there have been some of late) it is head and shoulders above 95% of Food Sections in N. America. (I also have great appreciation for the L.A. Times Food Section- online.) The section in my local paper -The Vancouver Sun - B.C. - (a region bursting with interesting, food and wine worthy news items) is an embarrasment like so many other food sections across the continent. My question is why is this such a common problem? The food crowd, although varied, has for the most part a relatively large disposable income and as such should attract the advertisors and budget necessary to give us (a least once a week) interesting and varied food and wine coverage. If I'm willing to go out of my way to reserve my copy of the NYT every week from my local news stand then there are surely a sufficient number of local foodies who will drop .75 for the local paper and support it's advertisors.

It seems to me that the one thing that would produce a superior magazine like you describe would be the creative/visionary force behind it; the editor and or publisher (along with whichever contributing writers they choose to hire). It is their vision that makes it work. We obviously have the palate of food and wine to choose from so if we don't have a superior "food tabloid" it is the fault of the people running them. Perhaps there is a brain drain and the better minds are being pulled into other (and higher paying) things like the numerous food mags we have in N. America. But to stay on topic: Where is the new CityFood, we are 2/3 of the way through July!!!?

Anyone know if the new CityFood is out? I noticed their website has a Summer cover shot but I haven't been able to find a copy.

There are some forums where this much yet to be deserved exuberance would be labeled... Plant!! I tried a quesadilla and while it was tasty it had too much orange cheddar melted in it to be particularly authentic. I agree about the fish taco needing to be deep fried to be authentic but I bet there are a lot of people who will prefer them the way they are. Still, this is going to be a great addition to Kits Point once they iron out the details.....and add carnitas!! With a scorcher of a weekend on the way and fireworks Wednesday after that the learning curve is gonna be steep!

Drove by Taco (whatever it will be called) next to Vera's last night and they were open. I had already had dinner so maybe tonight.

Somehow, I think that Gerald (shy and retiring though he may be) will be the first to post announcing the opening!

I've always prefered (for home use) the flat-sheet style pans for cookies and things baked in rings. I use two kinds: one is stainless and works well for cookies that need to be browned on the bottom and the other is the "insulated layer" aluminum pans that you find at Super Store etc. Both have one raised edge for easy handling. Otherwise they are flat and perfect for sliding the cookies or whatever right onto a cooling rack. Great when you have multiple batches on the go. My stainless sheet works best for things that need to brown well on the bottom but will buckle if there is not a full load on it. The "insulated layer" doesn't buckle. ...and to keep this thread regional If anyone has seen the stainless style in Vancouver I would love to buy more.

Mussels that come from red tide areas cannot be harvested or sold, period. So any legit business selling mussels is bringing them in, probably from the East Coast. I popped into Rodney's Oyster Bar yesterday for a quick drink and a bite and they were missing some things from their early menu like the $1. oysters as those were local ones but you could get all kinds of other varieties that were brought in from other areas. Just don't go scraping them off the pilings around Granville Island and you will be ok.

A mildly interesting Dining column by Tim Pawsy in today's Courier (July 12) about a sponsored trip to China and dinner he really enjoyed in large chain restaurant called Little Sheep. Apparently there is a branch in San Fran (canucklehead do you know it?) and the possiblility of opening one here exists as well.

I'm not sure that Pizzaria Bianco is worth driving to from New York at this time of year; but if I had some airline points to play with I would jump a plane without too much thought. The pizza is really good but I've had pizzas across the country that are pretty close. It's more the whole experience of a truly dedicated individual who is a really nice guy to boot. Yes, he does make his own mozzarella and bread along with the gorgeous ingredients that he sources out as if he was in California. To be honest I enjoy Pane Bianco as much as the more famous Pizza Bianco. His Paninis are made with buns he makes fresh every day and he also makes a killer focaccia with a different topping every day. Whenever I'm in Phoenix I try to do lunch at Pane and dinner at Pizza.

Great! Thanks very much Russ. I'm off to the butcher shop. I would still love to read the background text if it's around somewhere as well.

I'm afraid I've come late to this thread but I cannot find the link to the Tri-tip article. I'm registered on the L.A. Times site but no luck finding it on the list of articles that goes well past June (and the link at the top of this thread doesn't work). Thanks!

Before you can have a great Burrata you need great fresh mozzarella and before that great milk. The best fresh mozzarella in Vancouver is still Scardillo but it is less good than a few years ago. Even then it was good, not great, although light years ahead of the Tre Stelle rubber balls. In this case I don't know if it comes down to a dairy board situation or just the lack of a good artisan cheese maker who focuses on Italian style cheese. It would be interesting to find out.

And please don't forget the most important ingredient ..... Pork! Chicken and beef are great but pork (butt) has to be a player in any great taqueria IMHO. .....and when you say swap is the Flying Wedge's original location downsizing or disappearing?