eatrustic

I've found Vera's organic burger to be a tad on the dry side but I had the classic Vera Burger the other day and for a well done it was acceptably moist (juicy would be pushing it).

So they said. (Custom made that is). I thought it looked like the Bupkiss 3000 myself!

Across from the Urban Fare in Yaletown (actually right across from the Starbuck's) is a new coffee place called Cito (I think that's the spelling). They are definitely trying for serious coffee house status with an elegant interior and a custom made espresso machine from Seattle. The coffee is very good and worth checking out .....although it doesn't beat the gold standard - Elysian Room.

oh yeah, 9:00 - 10:00 is prime pickings time, after that the really limited stuff is gone.

If you require lengths of linen that you can cut into the sizes you want try a local artist's supply shop. They often sell the exact same untreated linen (that baker's use) by the yard/meter and often much cheaper than through a bakery supply.

My vote as well is for the couple who run the stand in front of Future Shop on West Broadway. (And until the new food/lifeguard "complex" opens at Kits Beach they're also there with a second unit on sunny days.) Everything is good, but my favorite is the Turkey Smokey. The condiments aren't as elaborate as downtown but they're more than sufficient.

Not to dump on Vintropolis but what was the rational behind the choice? I would love to here Jamie's take on this kind of thing as it happens often enough. Is it : a lazy writer who called a contact in Vancouver for a recommendation and got the publicist for Vintropolis? : the desperate need to have a never before mentioned food establishment so as to look cutting edge? Granted Vintropolis has a decent wine selection with a nice little wine store attached but the food is certainly not at a level that would elevate them to world status by any stretch of the imagination.

Hell's Kitchen is way too over the top in comparison to RKN, which although probably staged to a certain extent was edgy vs painful to watch. Combing a couple of seasoned cooks with a bunch of wannabees and trying to pretend that this will be an even competition for the big prize just doesn't seem to make much sense. The abuse heaped on these poor sadsacks would have been laughable if it wasn't so painful. The bootcamp analogy would have been fine if the series had been structured to bring the "prodigies" along in some sort of progression towards excellence but not the nightly trainwreck that they have been set up for so far. Sure the candidates may have had some small inkling as to what was going to happen (although probably not to this extent) when they signed on but the bottom line is it just ain't entertaining to watch these lambs being led to the slaughter. On RKN it was professional vs professional (sort of) and the abuse was well deserved. Now that I've understood that the customers are all actors I have no more interest in where this series is going.

Yes, MB is expanding into the bookstore.

It looks like Moderne will be open for business in the next 10 days or so if all goes well, and.... they are also reno'ing the old book store next to them and will expand in sometime after that!

I've been away for a bit but noticed that Burrito Bros on 1st beside Addesso has been open for about a week. I tried the Chicken Burrito Bomber from a fairly short menu. There are three main choices : Taco Trio, Burrito and Burrito Bowl with about 6 ways of doing each. The Burrito was $7.00 and weighed well over a pound, Cali-Mex style . The Burrito was tasty but a little on the mushy side and came with a little side of tasty salsa. The only fish available for the tacos (at this point) is deep fried cod so maybe once they get comfortable we can try to cajole them into being more adventurous. Drink-wise there is a nice selection of Mexican beer but to my great disapointment the only Margs will be out of a slush machine. Definitely fun for the neighbourhood (nice little terrace) but unless they evolve a bit more not really worth a drive across town.

Since most of the good bitch points about the inside of the restaurant have been taken I'll talk about the outside. Two of the things that turn me off about any restaurant with pretensions of quality are:- filthy awnings, if you want to make a statement with a chic black awning then build a cleaning schedule into the budget to remove all the dust and bird doody. -the other thing: places that go to the trouble of planting the outside and not maintaining, especially planter boxes that are all dried out or are generally neglected. All this tells me there is a probable lack of good management and attention to detail going on inside as well.

I haven't seen the Maker's Mark Black Label in my market area for awhile. Although I prefer their classic version for every day sipping it's nice for a change every now and then. Is it still in production?

Congrats on the new gig Andrew. Does this mean you are giving up the waiter beat? (Conflict?) Do you actually have a budget for your reviews? If I recall Robin Mines did not have a budget and had to barter dinner for reviews (although this theoretically did not guarantee a good review the conflict was obvious).

I've always referred to the linen for proofing baskets (as well as for proofing baguettes and other free form loaves) as French linen but I suppose that Belgian is similar. It is the unbleached, heavy (almost coarse) linen that works as a natural non stick material for doughs. There are many forms of linen, many of them falsely named, made with synthetic materials. Others are much finer and are not meant for doughs. (Think of the difference between raw silk and delicate refined silk.) These other linens will not act as a non stick substance and in the case of free form loaves (loaves not requiring a basket) will not offer the necessary support when folded between each loaf.

I believe that the West 8th and Cambie location is going to be a Save-On. And then (off topic as it is) there is the new foodie store going in next to the Ridge on Arbutus.

I stopped in for a late lunch this afternoon and ordered the 1/3 lb Fatburger. Remembering Carolyn Tillie's advice from earlier on in the thread I ordered "Fat on the char" to get it grilled and also requested the other option that the onion garnish be grilled. The burger is very tasty although the patty as mentioned before is kind of skinny and was a bit dry (perhaps from the grilling). The grilled onions definitely made the burger though. The skinny fries were good as well. All in all it's a great fast food burger served by a good crew. ( I would definitely order the 1/2 lb King Burger next time though.) I can't quite figure out what it is with some orders that has them calling it out to the whole crew who all shout it back. Funny.

I agree with searing the meat and into the oven "restaurant style". My little apartment range hood isn't strong enough to suck up all the greasy smoke from a stove top and this way I minimalize the fumes. I use the same pan I seared in so as to not lose the sizzle and a 425F oven for steaks (just a few minutes for rare to med rare with a 3-4 minute rest period - out of the pan- when finished).

What are your favorite varieties of cherry tomatoes grown from containers? After succesfully growing three tubs of heirloom tomatoes on my second floor balcony last year (and having them completely take over the space) ....and losing my barbecue space to boot. I've decided that a couple of varieties of cherry tomatoes are the way to go. I'm looking for something with lots of flavor that works well tossed in a pasta or salad and hopefully (or is that the nature of the beast?) that doesn't have too thick a skin. Thanks!

We were in the neighbourhood so decided to pop in for a quick bite the other night. The special was veal osso bucco $15.95 and Pasta Fagioli (bean/pasta soup) $5.95. We ordered the Pizza Marghareta and the two specials with the soup first. Everything came at the same time: the Osso Bucco was a single piece of veal shank (med. small) with a mountain of "risotto" (more like rice with mushrooms). With the price of veal these days I don't begrudge the portion size but the meat was chewy - easily 45 minutes short of it's proper cooking time. The sauce was pretty mediocre as well. The Pasta Fagioli was a ridiculously large portion of solid beans and pasta and very bland. (No proscuitto ends added to this pot for flavour). I couldn't eat it and asked for it to go (it filled two take out containers and was excellent the next day with some seasoning, a bit of ham and some chicken stock) But, after all, this is a place with a rep for it's pizzas. The Marghareta had a great crust and (I'm with Mr. Talent on this one) the topping was the failure. Way too much dry oregano and cheese. Easily fixed next time by requesting the topping style I want. I'll leave the "fancier" dishes to Henry's Kitchen. About the same prices and vastly better cooking technique. Pretty similar decors as well!

As Ling had mentioned, Saffron on 4th near MacDonald sells a variety of oils in bulk (with a variety of containers to pour into) that I'm pretty sure you can taste. They are on the more expensive side though, if I recall. Whole Foods sells a couple of pour your own oils as well and they let you taste pretty well everything.

What's your go to e. v. olive oil? The one you use every day, the one that doesn't have to be locked up with the truffle oil and 25 year old Balsamic? For the last few year I've been buying an excellent olive oil that Stiles Wine Importers brought in with their containers of wine and sold through their family shoe store (of all places) Kalina's on Commercial. Alas they are no longer bringing it in and at $12. a liter it was an excellent everyday oil. So what do you recommend for about the same price point (or a bit more) that has a nice fruity flavour that works well for sauces and dressings?

I just picked up a Double Beet Chocolate Cake from Aphrodite to go. They don't sell it in the bakery portion, just the cafe. For close to $6.00 I got a very small slice of what is a single layer cake with no icing or other accompaniment. It tasted like a moist chocolate cake that needs to be finished. Perhaps the whipped cream helps but it's a rip in the to go category.

I'm making Pan Ramerino which are the Italian version of hot cross buns. They are made with rosemary and olive oil along with the raisins. I also make Gubana the Easter bread from Friuli which is coiled like a snail (thus the name) and has a spiral of filling inside. I too have made the Pasteria and love it with the bite of the wheat berries and the ricotta.

It's nice to hear that there has been a turn around, not only from the customer's point of view as well as the return to quality service. I wonder how many of the better tables that participated in DOV will opt out like Bis or turn the event into a just above breakeven (lower headcount) PR exercise to develop a new clientele for the rest of the year. What I'm really waiting for, though, is the on camera reunion betwee Ling and the owners of Bis Moreno as they tearfully bury the hatchet!