paul mitchell

Brenda thanks for the heads up - I went and checked out the new deli (Nestvog) next to my favourite liquor store - I like vaccuums as well but not as much as rye - seems they are making some sausages so I picked the Hungarian ones and made some soup - we'll see how good it is when everything gets to have a chance to rest for tomorrow.

....I knew it! Finally someone else puts up a post so I don't have to blatantly sell myself on e-gullet - thanks Mr. Maw! - my friend and I manage a couple of properties in Whistler where he does the cheffing side and I play the affable butler - we are always looking for city gigs if anyone wants to pm me.

It's all in the frying folks.........hash oil!

......well here's one guy who swears by Domaine Combret wines! - what I like about them is their commitment to aging their wines - I think it is their 1994 Reisling that was aged for 9 years before being released last year - not for everyone but a beautiful amber colour reeking of seville oranges and good old diesel - I like that they focus on crafting beautiful Cab Franc's instead of the typical merlot, pinot, cabernet that most BC wineries rely on as staples - I believe the 2001 meritage is their innagural blend and it is interesting as most BC meritage's rely on a typical blend of 50% Cabernet, 40% Merlot and 10% Cab Franc - Combret's is reveresed with 50% Cab Franc and I think equal parts of the others - If you haven't tried their Cab Franc's your missing a gorgeous, silky, white pepper spice filled violet fruit bomb!

I always love the farmed salmon debate - everyone lists off the enviro problems but seem to forget that farmed salmon is gross - even when the supermarkets try to disguise it by smoking and dyeing it red it's awful. Kudos for Boston Legal for filming at Craig Murray's Nimmo Bay - Craig is a great guy and has partenered with my resort (Clayoqout Wilderness Resorts) in which we'll offer a Horespower Safari next year - check it out at ww.wildretreat.com - one of the reasons he decided to partner with us is that we've undertaken a $3 million environmental legacy program at our Outpost on Bedwell River - after a century of mining and logging in the area we have mapped the river and are re-building the origional channels and off-channel habitat for salmon - when I left the resort two weeks ago we had our first fish just entering our newly built salmon spawning channel - it was awesome.

I don't know about availability but last year we purchased three boxes of the Estate Chardonnay in a verticle from 99 - 02.

So you need some Nota Bene - funny you ask as I foolishly decided that with my wine pairing last night I would do a vertical tasting of the 01, 02, 03 and decanted 2 bottles of each - the hilarious part is that the group of guests we have in got into my secret stash of absinthe before dinner and between the 18 of them polished 3 bottles alongside all of the beer and cocktails they were drinking - by dinner (at 9:30pm) they wouldn't have known the difference if I had poured them Farnese.

........snap up the Nota Bene's, Kettle Valley's "Crest" Cabernet and King Vineyard merlot - Domaine Combret's "St. Vincent" Cab Franc - Sandhill's #3 and Barbera - drink locally, act globally.

Here at Clayoqout Wilderness Resorts you can eat Nanaimo Bars until your blue in the face.......we've got two hotel pans of them in the walk-in. I could actually do a wine pairing with them as well. Maybe start with a '98 Dellile D2, then a '97 Phelps Insignia, maybe a Vertical of Nota Bene from 01-03 and finish with a '60 Dow's.

The Crow and Gate has to be one of the best pubs in the province. Fond memories of sitting out in their garden, forgetting about the time good english beers consumed and then having to catch a $75 cab back into Nanaimo. My Dad was the principal of Cedar Jr. back in the day and I have fond memories of his office parties there. I'd tear around the property and of course everytime had to explain to my Mom how I accidentily! fell into the moat again!

You should take me, especially if you have some single European females that you'll be visiting - my doctor has confirmed that my body's fluid on average contains 23% Crown Royal - that's a hell of a lot more than you'll be able to get past customs - of course I'd be more than willing to smuggle the 15 pounds of fiddleheads / chantrelles in my shorts.

I lived in England for a bit - my "local" was the Boater on Great Pultney Street in Bath - not only did they have all sorts of interesting munchies at the bar and a full on proper dinner menu but if you brought your dog in they could sit on a stool and drink beer and chips out of one of those ridiculously large plastic ashtrays. So after my few years in England I've always been on the lookout in B.C. for good bars / pubs - with my prowess in the field of drinking I can assure you that I've no problem getting myself loaded but when one gets to that point of no return one's priorites tend to turn to food - or rather, pub grub. Today I was at my Nanaimo local pub - I was a few beers in and decided it was important to eat something as I had to relate with my family later on at my "real dinner" - it turned out that it had to be my old "go to" of Hot Wings - $7.95 for 9 measley wings deep fried and sloshed in Frank's Red Hot - I just should have ordered a couple shots of tequila and pretended that I was eating something. My best bar food memory is of the old Westin Bayshore Lounge in the late 80's and of course the smoked tuna wrapped scallops at the Wick's "On the Rocks" Lounge - where and what might be your favorite bar / pub / lounge snack in this great province?

Being back in Nanaimo for a couple of weeks I'm reminded of all the good restaurants around here - I'm sure egullet folks are on vacation soon so if your ever through my town check out: 1) Sake House - Not the first sushi in town (the Grotto was the first - which I worked at for six of it's 34 years) but damn good. 2) Delicado's - down on Wesley Street and by Woodgrove Mall - mexican wraps, tacos, burritos and everything spicy. They will have a location in Ucululet in 2006. 3) Gina's - the original Mexican cafe in Nanaimo across from the courthouse. 4) The Dinghy Dock - catch a ferry from the harbour over to Protection Island and kick back at BC's only floating pub - ask for Karen at the bar. 5) Mahle House - sourcing local ingredients for decades. In Cedar and has the cheapest dynamite wine list in BC. 6) Triskell - Parksville french place just past Mickey D's. It ain't Le Crocodile but you'll appreciate it for all the reasons that it isn't. 7) ACME - downtown Nanaimo across from Port Place shopping mall (origionally Harbour Park) Peter Ertsos has worked his butt off to create a casual hip eatery for all those Nanaimoites that can't stand the usual franchise / chain spots. Check out Dorian who man's the sushi bar......you might not be able to sit there because he has quite the following of young Island women. I hope some of you might make it to Vancouver Island over the summer - of course welcome, and I'm sure you'll enjoy yourselves. Paul

Glenterra is in Cobble Hill on the road down to Shawnigan Lake. 3897 Cobble Hill Road. The one in Port Alberni is called Chase and Warren Estate Winery. I was actually through Port yesterday and saw their sign from the highway but alas I had a car filled with junk to put back into storage in Nanaimo for the summer. Moving $@&%@#%^! Plenty of time to drink wine soon.

I was just down Island and stopped in at Glenterra Vineyards. The winemaker John Kelly was telling me that he's trying to get organic certification for his vineyard and new vines are being planted as we speak. Had a chance to try his Vivace blend (15 varietals if I remember correctly) which I think that I'm going to use with a spot of cassis as a refreshing summer sipper. Had a chance to try his 2004 pinot gris from the barrel and can't wait to see how it comes to fruition in the bottle. If you haven't tried his meritage style Brio your missing the best red to be produced on the Island.

Editor, well of course the more the merrier....but......I would need some real convincing to believe that someone's "inexperience" affords them credibility. Sure I can see the transparency of some poster's negative comments but can everyone pick up on that? I think it's dangerous to have folk prancing around as "authorities" at the mere mention of e-gullet membership. Also a little funny to tell you the truth. What if this site was about personal health and people took the direction / advice from posters pretending to be doctors?

I think Sean's post is brilliant. I really appreciate and respect the fact that he called people up on their criticisms. What's really disappointing is that after a post like this (february) we see another similar one (Feenie's Manager) in which the Chef in question feels the need to explain and defend himself. I cannot even explain how rude and with such a lack of common courtesy and respect to a Chef that feels it's got to such a point that he needs to do this. I applaud Sean and Rob Feenie for doing so in a sane and diplomatic manner. If it were me, heads would have rolled. I really think that when your on e-gullet you should continually question what sort of "authority" or "credibility" you believe you have simply for the fact that you have access to a computer. I have worked in this business for 17 years and I'm only 30. I don't feel I have the right to be a "reviewer / critic". I simply don't know enough yet. Sure I can go out and if I have a good experience somewhere I'll mention it on e-gullet. But I don't know enough to cut someone's business down. I manage a wine program with 4500+ bottles and over 400 selections but I wouldn't dream of walking into West and telling Jay Jones a thing or two about their cellar. One,I wouldn't have the guts because he's a big guy and has one of those freaky tough guy handlebar moustaches. Second, the dude knows so much more than me after years of working with the best at West and Araxi. No one likes the person in the front of the class that says stuff just so they can hear themselves speak. Same goes in the cosy little Vancouver thread.

This thread piqued my interest - I have seen gooseneck barnacles popping up on a couple of menues and was wondering whose harvesting them? I know the fishery was closed for three to four years but opened up in 2004 (although this may have been a test fishery)

.......the only problem with going to White Spot Keith is that I'm not sure that they have any Laphroig in their limited bar selection - I'm sure they have a gallon or two of Grants that could do and we'd, in a complete lapse of judgement, subject their dining public to some bad dancing.

Keith: How about brunch at Feenie's on Sunday? Paul P.S. - Bring you resume.

Good show Keith.

Good for Rob Feenie. I think it's a little "elitist" to cut a guy down from the safety of your suburban basement. Because Mr. Feenie has done well for himself should that mean he is up for public ridicule? So does that make someone like Thomas Keller, Ferran Adria or even Umberto up for defamation? Just because someone feels like they have the "authority and credibility" because they post on e-gullet? Would it be fair to have one of Mr. Feenie's busboys come on to e-gullet and ridicule his boss? You know say things like he knows so much more than him, that he's a funny dancer and a big joke? No, because the second he stepped foot back into Lumiere Chef would destroy him. There is a full circle of consequence.

So what your saying Fanny Bay is that your doing comparable bbq in your backyard pit? Memphis Blues is what it is. BBQ. Last time I went was with a friend of mine. We're relatively savvy on the food scence and thought that the Elvis Platter had to be the best deal we'd seen in a long time. $60 for two! That's appies at the usual joint! And dirty.....awww come on. You sound like the hippies at the hippy college I went to in Boulder, CO. While they were eating their rice, beans and tofu burgers in the cafeteria (check it out at Naropa.edu) I was walking down the block to Daddy Bruce's......the dirtiest one room, 8 seat (makes room for the piano) bbq place with the best brisket and ribs on earth. ....and last time I was in Memphis blues which was mid-morning before lunch actually started.......asking for a pulled pork sandwhich.....the owner was nothing more than pleased to help me out.

You guys all have to get out to Tofino where after the initial fishing liscence the salmon are $0 a pound!

Come on folks....your missing the best oyster mingoette - beluga caviar! - bing cherry and chamagne!