eatrustic

..and another place to buy lots of the basics: Los Guerreros "su tienda latina" #102 - 3317 Kingsway (near Joyce) You really have to look for it as the shop blends in with all the other little nondescript places. This reminds me of something I would see in Mexico: grim lighting, craggy owner, but there are lots of good latin ingredients here and about 5 chest freezers with all kinds of hard to find items. They even have Mexican style pastries, which are nothing to rush down for if you have never had them, but they do bring back the memories. The pepper selection is better at El Sureno (thanks Shelora for the gentle correction on spelling and proximity). On the weekends they make a few little Pupusa style items from the tiny kitchen in the back. Not to sure (quality) as I haven't tried them yet.

Welcome to the neighbourhood! You can find what you are looking for at Il Sireno on Commercial Drive (near 1st) They have a very good selection (for Vancouver) of all the basics. Check out this link (sorry I can't do the hyperlink thing) of our Mexican discussion farther back. http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=56326&st=0

Thanks for the suggestions. I should clarify as well that although it does sound blasphemous to be adding a single malt to something like marmalade there is very litttle needed to give a distinct flavor (less than a teaspoon per jar) and the varietal characteristic does show through. (Normally I can barely allow myself to add even a few drops of water to my collection of scotches, bourbons and tequilas so I definitely approached this from a historical perspective and I think it is worth the sacrifice!)

Every year at this time when I make up my different marmalades I do up a batch of Seville with a bit of scotch added. I remember reading somewhere that this is a classic technique. I've been using my favorite sipping scotch: Bowmore 17, because I like the balance of the peat and the sweet. It seems to complement the bitter orange quite nicely. Any suggestions as to which other drams would be interesting to try?

That's an interesting and very honest point you bring up Vancouver Lee. "Good but not great" and why you feel that way. You certainly can't blame the Ordinary for overselling their name if that's the way you feel. In fairness to any establishment, if you are going to post about them in a negative manner (or lukewarm) you really need to ask yourself if you have given them a fair shake based on the level of experience offered for the money you paid. It must be very hard, after being spoiled be Chef H. at West (in one of the best places in Canada) for DOV prices, to feel anything else will be comparable. Any decent critic will go at least a couple of times or more to get a true feel for an establishment and ensure the level of experience is accurate. Most of us don't have that luxury but you don't always have to post right away about an evening if it was intangibly not to your liking. If the service and food were brutal by all means do so. Given your comments I would have said something like " My dining companions raved about their evening and as for myself I'd like to give it another try to get the true feel of the place." As has been pointed out there are peoples livelihoods at stake here. Like most quality experiences there is a bit of a" breaking in period" while you get to know the staff and they you so perhaps it is worth another try before deciding once and for all. (I say this because it appears that a lot of the elements were there but did not quite click.) Not every dining experience needs to be magic, nice as that would be.(Unless the price tag is in that category.) Sometimes you just need good quality in a nice warm atmosphere. The twice a month outing instead of the twice a year one.

I have to imagine that Sean is now the "rock god" to many chef and restaurant owners (with similar philosophys) in town (and beyond) who wish they had the cojones to take a stand and let 'er rip. If it wasn' t already I bet the Heather is the new hangout for industry people paying homage.

No, Jackfruit is from the Breadfruit family. No where near as stinky! Thank god for that. It does sound like a promising beginning, thanks for the review.

I thought that they were closed and in the process of being renovated by the former chef of Cin Cin (Romy).

Tim Pawsey in today's (Feb. 2) Courier talks about DOV issues as well., echoing much of what has been said here. One restaurant had 40 no-shows one evening (he didn't say who)! That beats La Gavroche's 25.... Sick!

Nobody here should worry about "walking on eggshells" as long as the policies of this forum are respected. There is a point, though, with criticising an establishment, where if you want to really get into opinions vs cold facts. i.e the chef is a bitch vs it took 35 minutes for the apps, that you need to put your name on your document and not hide behind your handle. Fair is fair. I personally had no problems with Oyster Guy's comments, they were not mean spirited or over the top.

On...square Donut Plant Donuts....NYT Dec. 8, 2004. See photo of said square donuts. (Just the jelly ones.)

I'm reminded of the early responses to artisan breads when they first became popular at then unheard of prices for "simple" breads. (North America of course). People either "got it" by understanding that here was an individual who could be making more money in another career (and have a life) but who chose to be really passionate about making the absolute best quality of product they could. This came at a cost and some people would completely lose it with ...."$3.00 for freakin' flour, water and salt!!?" It's all a matter of personal values. I'm sure we all have at least one area of extravagance that makes no sense to others (let's see.. cigars, caviar, $500 designer shoes...) and as previously stated $2.00 for a product that is made in relatively small quantities with the best ingredients and that is almost twice the size a regular donut doesn't sound particularly over the top to me. I like to think of these kinds of indulgences as permission to fall off the wagon with food categories that we have either outgrown, forbidden ourselves or have severely cut back on due to mediocre quality . Hey! This is eGullet and anyone who uses Vahlarona chocolate, gold dust, rose petals or can just plain reinvent the jelly donut by making it square with a hole in the middle gets my vote for originality and commitment. The problem comes, as with true artisan breads, when the purveyors of mediocrity (fill in your choice) decide that this is an opportunity to slap a couple of pseudo ingredients in the mix and jack up the price. ...by the way congrats to SethG for having the courage to admit a change of heart.

Another place that used to sell small and commercial quantities of the white anchovies is La Grotto de Formagio on Commercial.

I'd try Bosa or Continental. If they don't have them they should know where to get them if they're available. White anchovies are super tasty!

Butter : Gelatiamo is on 1400 W. 3rd Ave. Just up from the Pike Market.

I bef to differ Skyfkyer 3 but I would have to say that Gelatiamo in Seattle has the best gelato this side of the PNW. I've never found anything in Vancouver that comes close to the Hazelnut Gelato they have there.

......and way back the Malone's location was a Red's. an all chicken concept. Before that a gas station I think. The Ordinary location was home to the late great Santa Fe Cafe (remember the famous pan fried prawn linguine?) The Juliet's on Cornwall was a Vina for years.

I was at Urban Fare Sunday and they are something like $12.00/lb!!! They might just as well use a mask and gun at the till. (While they are collecting for those stale loaves of Poilane bread at the same time.)

Capers has them as well. I think that Whole Food's is a bit cheaper if it's worth the drive. (They also make a killer salsa for Panko crusted oysters!)

That is quite the technique andiesenji . The first problem is : I don't have a microwave although I could obviously get access to one (and will try it)... and the batch size is a bit small. I usually make batches of 18 oranges at a time and leave the peel in the syrup until needed . I then drain and chop. That aside do I need to use so much sugar if the peel is going to be removed from the syrup and cut up for baking? When blanching the peel, what am I looking for in "doneness" before proceeding to the syrup stage? It sounds like my 7 blanches are overkill. Something I just thought of (and will try): What about using some of the orange juice to make the syrup or will this give a "cooked" flavor? Thanks!

You only need to blanch three times? Even if the peel is the thick kind?

Yes, a more intense orange flavor. Sevilles will be nice (perhaps more of a bitter note than is usually needed for a lot of baked goods though) but that only works for a few months and I can only stockpile so much. Believe me the Sevilles, Blood Oranges and Meyer lemons will get a good work out now that marmalade season is just about here.

I use a lot of candied orange peel (homemade) in my baking throughout the year and was wondering if my technique can be improved upon to intensify the flavor. This technique differs slightly from peel that would be eaten as a confection. I generally use thick skinned oranges (organic when possible) that I juice, scrape the pulp and membrane out of, cut in 1/4's and blanch the usual 7 times (changing the water). I go by the tenderness of the peel to decide if I have blanched enough as well as tasting to see how bitter it is. Correct? My syrup is much lighter than that which is used for making garnishes or dipped in sugar. Generally I use 1 part water : 1/2 part sugar and poach for about 10 -12 minutes. Ialso recycle the old orange syrup with the new if it is fairly recent. Anything I can do to make this better???? Thanks

Holy crap! This naked portafilter thing is some cool geeky stuff. Alastair's coffee speaks for itself( if you wonder whether it makes a difference or not) although there is more to it in that as far as technical expertise and quality of beans etc. For the sake of continuity and for those who will do searches in the future is there somone who can merge this thread with the original coffee house discussion?l

Wow, glad I picked the prosperous choice! We made the Pork Shoulder Roast (Porchetta) from Judy Roger's Zuni cookbook. Did it up with the dry rub two days in advance and slow roasted it (my variation) for 5 hours while finishing errands. Couldn't have been easier, and great next day sandwiches.