paul mitchell

Well if you've got $15,000 CAN per person for a week you can check out "Adventures for the Gourmet" at www.entreecanada.com. A culinary whirlwind of coastal british columbia.

In our dining room we have taken the plunge and replaced our lengendary frites with yam, yukon gold and candycane beet gaufrettes. People love them.

Audrey thank you for the Tantris Sidecar recipe. Brilliant. I have a bar in which i can order whatever I want and I got in a case of chartreuse and didn't know quite what to do with it - was actually on here straining for recipes - I'd been making an ok martini with citadelle gin, contreau and chartreuse - but I just made yours and it's dynamite - similar to my champange cocktail with grand marnier and hennessy xo.

We just got in Poplar Grove's cab-Merlot and Pinot Gris - I have been serving both for two weeks solid in my wine pairings at our resort and people cannot believe it comes from British Columbia - there cheese kicks ass too.

It is a small world Tofino, will say hello when I drop in on my next days off - I'm in on a 21 day stretch and another whirlwind tour of my favorite spots in town will be well deserved.

The brewpub hasn't opened. Heard they were having some trouble finding investors. Disappointing because there is a real need in Tofino for a good pub / wine bar. There is one nightclub that's sleazy and the Weigh West pub isn't much better. Other than those two there is no where to take a friend for a drink in a nice setting in Tofino. Someone would make a killing over the summer and then it would be rancho relaxo in Costa Rica over the winter.

I think I served Chris aka Tofino (the concierge at the Wick) and his date last night at a function we had in our Longhouse for the Tofino Business Association. If that was you Tofino thanks for the grease!

Well it turned into afternoon appies / wine at the Wick - what a dining room and view - especially after a walk on Chesterman beach with the waves, sun and surfer girls in bikinis - now I want to know who this Chris fellow is that goes by "Tofino" - maybe it was the Chris who is the sommelier at the Wick whom I spoke with about a truly organic Benzinger wine and the merits of Grant Burge ? So had a bottle of Poplar Grove Pinot Gris - just like drinking flowers - perfect for such an afternoon - at my place of work we smoke / cure salmon in innumerable different ways so the smoked salmon, four ways, was routine - but alongside it they had this wicked cucumber relish - I could have eaten that alone happily - am still trying to figure out the technique - cause it was sweeter than the salmon, completely translucent and an interesting crunch - and of course I ate scallops - not on the menu but asked if they could sear a few off - no garnish, no sauce - as is! Went and had wine with a friend at Cafe Pamplona - what a friggin room and garden - I'd never been and now am pumped to check it out again - not that I have been, but having seen pictures, the place and gardens reminds me of Tetsuya's (sp?) in Australia - just what I was thinking of when we sipped wine on the Terrace. Dinner was at 9:30 at Shelter - a big assed Rib Eye, fat oyster mushrooms and frites - good days out here on the coast.

The sun is out - it is freakin hot - a perfect tuesday afternoon to laze about in Tofino - just walked down to check out the new Tofitian espresso / internet / wheatgrass / herbal tonic joint next to everyones favorite Sobo which is closed today so no fish tacos - am so sad - but Adam Buskard, the propieter of Tofitian, is making me an iced Lavazza coffee that will hit the spot as I bang away on egullet - this little stop along the highway is getting to be quite the place - Sobo, Beaches Grocery, a little fish and chiper w/ corn dogs (maybe after my walk on Chesterman Beach) - dinner tonight is at the Wick - have got $350 in my pocket that I had set aside for a rainy day and will see how far into extravagance and gluttony it will get me in that beautiful dining room - will post a review - you got to get out here folks - life couldn't get much better.

5 oz champagne splash grand marnier splash hennesy xo = $25 cocktail

How is the Hart House on Deer Lake doing in Burnaby? I just remember going there a few years back and having this incredible brulee that had a chocolate brownie in the middle of it.

I am looking for somewhere in Vancouver where one can eat a good meal and bust a rug with their significant other. Rossini's is out. Any suggestions?

Jesus %$#$%#$% Christ.

........End of the night (14 hour day and asked Chef if he worked with James Kendall at the Aerie - lots of laughter and "how the f-ck do you know that" - today I cleaned the yellow cedar beams of our 3000 square foot authentic native longhouse by hand - washed all the dishes, glasses and odds and ends of its kitchen with no hot water or soap - also hauled a cord of wood by wheelbarrow about a 1/4 of a km down the dock and into the lodge (fun stuff) - we have all of our new staff coming in on thursday afternoon - at four on friday we have a group of 13 couples coming from chicago to do yoga and be spoiled - I didn't do the planning but I am sure that a half-day wil be enough %##%@#$ time to train newguys nad newgirls to serve - why can't I have a day off so I can fly to Van and have lunch at West and drink a couple bottles of Cakebread to figure out how I'll deal with this one.

Funny, cause I was just sitting on top of our smoker having of all things a smoke before checking out the computer. Have you ever smoked dungeness crab? That is the cats pyjamas.

Well no luck is really needed with the tourist rush Merlin as we don't do more than 32 people here a day. When people are paying $1400 a day per person we don't have to wack 'em and stack 'em. We like to take it easy. Cheers.

First computer chance I have had in awhile. Funny to read about the slow food posts as I have been writing a slow food manifesto for our dining room's menu. My life over the past two weeks has been straight out of that food network show "Opening Soon" in preparing our dining room for the summer season. Today I sanded and stained all the bar doors, worked on our new wine cellar, turned a confrence room into a library / lounge in shabby chic westcoast rustic style (I am going to patent this), skimmed fat periodically off the duck stock as chef is out getting a grocery order, polished 200+ Riedel wine glasses (I refuse to do more than one type of glass a day - tomorrow being 150 ice wine glasses), smoked a ton and am ready for a lot of beers. So to make a long story short, sorry for not posting on my Victoria trip Merlin. The Victoria trip was good. We were sad that Brassiere L'Ecole wasn't open, laughed at that fucking bed in Temple (it was empty on a Friday night at 6) and were sorry that we missed a lunch at Zambrizi's (sp?) cause we got too wasted by noon and had to nap. We did go to cafe Brio and I was disappointed. Spent about $600 for four people and left hungry. Was pissed that they didn't have any duck confit cause that's what I heard they did best. I had a nage of scallops to start. 18 bucks for two scallops that weren't even Weathervane's. My chef had sweetbreads and they were overcooked. I had halibut for my main and to tell you the truth I cannot even remeber how it was served and by that time was wasted and probably didn't care much. Had an awesome dinner at Il Terazzo. Probably because a good friend of my chef is the sommelier there and he really showed us a good time even though it was a busy night. They have some great house smoked Tuna and even though it wasn't a technical masterpiece, a nice hunk of veal tenderloin wrapped in good smoked bacon just made my night. Drank a lot of bottles of Blue Mountain Pinot and Black Hills Nota Bene that night. Stopped in Shawnigan Lake on the way to Tofino. My companions knew this couple that owns a place there called the Sunflower Cafe. A little hippy backyard patio place but incredible food. They do brunch / lunch and then have a small but cute dining room for dinner. The highlight was halibut topped with chopped spot prawns and then juliened potato served on organic strawberry and spinach salad. In Tofino ate at Shelter. Jay and Mattie are the warmest people in the world and anyone visiting Tofino should check them out. Just say Paul for Clayoquot Wilderness Resorts recommended you and they'll treat you like gold. Also had a funny instance in the local grocery store. Our friends we were staying with at the Tofino Swell Lodge had bought a new barbecue so we decided to get steaks . So we went to the store and asked the guy for four 35-40 ounce t-bones. So he goes back to his other meat cutting partner and relays the info. The guy yells "Are You Fucking Serious?" and half the store stops to check out the commotion. People started coming over and filing by taking a look at our steaks being cut with this bewildered looks on their faces. But the best thing about our trip was now we are back at the resort and the "what's for dinner conversation" goes like this: "You mean we have to eat duck again, no more dungeness crab, I don't like ling cod in the rigamortis stage, oysters again?" To say the least we are pretty spoiled - but such is life.

Merlin, Will post that Victoria report when I get a chance - have got back to my resort and as I am sure most folk on here can appreciate I have been pulling 14 hour days for the last week and not wanting to do much but drink six beer over half an hour, crash and then wake up and do it all over again. Paul

As a Canadian waiter who has basically a bottomless cellar of icewines to push I tend to turn guests towards late harvest reislings. They are about a third the price of an icewine that has the certain brix level to be declared that (can't recall the # at the moment). I find that late harvest reislings aren't as sweet as an icewine and they have this lemon / lime acidity that will cut through the sweetness of desserts and thus marry beautifully.

Keith: The still in the garage is a great idea - you could sell the stuff and then be able to hire Varmint to roast the pig for you. P.S. - My sister is a school psychologist for the district of Richmond so I can always refer your kids to her if you ever did put them through the trauma of pit roasting animals in the backyard.

Just checked it out stovetop and looks like an interesting spot. It's funny that I had never heard about that resort. I thought I had the island cased. And to Merlin, thanks for the heads up on L'ecole being closed on Sunday. We're going to stop in Cowichan Bay and do a couple wineries and then dinner at the Masthead. Seems my chef has ex-aerie co-workers that have taken the place on. I checked out their menu and it looks interesting.

Keith: There are certain times in a marriage that you've got to put your foot down - and I'm being completely hedgemonic here but if you don't yet (being the operative word) have a ridiculously expensive sports car that gets shitty gas mileage or an 85 foot Sunseeker Predator yacht that you bomb around English Bay in a completely irresponsible manner fueled by Grey Goose and repressed life lost or spend your weekends away from the kids cracking golf balls at Nickalus North picking the caddy that is 18, female and wearing those 'short' shorts I think your wife should let you roast a pig - go out there and build a pit Keith - I am sure you are a great father and husband and your intentions are for the family so go do it - I understand that it is a completely hedgemonic thing to do but I am sure your fellow BC egulleters - and hopefully some Albertan brothers - will be behind you - this is what family history is made of - when your children recount in a few years you toiling over a whole motherfucking pig in the backyard while their friend Jermey's usually really cool Dad, who drives an Aston Martin, was barbecuing a pansy little set of previously boiled safeway babyback ribs on his $30,000 backyard grill - christ, you will be held in kid envy forever and probably be feared the neighbourhood over - do you think that if the neighbours ever have a problem with you that they'll be able to muster the courage to peer over the fence and confront you? - I doubt it - you barbecue whole animals in the backyard - people will start gossiping and saying that your with the Hells Angels - your house won't be broken into for as long as you live - Keith, you owe this to your kids.

Merlin: I work at Clayoquot Wilderness Resorts which is 30 minutes from Tofino by boat - you can take a look at us at www.wildretreat.com - we offer a "dinner cruise" in which we pick you up in Tofino and you come and have dinner at our floating resort and then we boat you back to Tofino later in the evening - we also do a lavish dinner with a band in our authentic first nations longhouse each week - you can also come out for a spa day and lunch - I presume you had met Jay (from Shelter) - if you want any further information you can always e-mail me. Paul

Great info and review Merlin - I'll be eating at Brassiere L'Ecole on Sunday and then Cafe Brio on Monday - were also going to go peek in the windows and maybe get some grub if they're rolling at the Brentwood Bay Lodge - I have had plenty of dinners when Brock WIndsor cheffed at the Bearfoot Bistro in Whistler and am interested to check out his new gig - after Victoria we'll be heading to Tofino as work is finally calling at our resort - though we'll have a dinner at the Wickaninish and with the Shelter crew - thanks again.

Thank g-d you've got some good old Vancouver Island weather for your Victoria trip Merlin - I am sure you would have moved here if you had seen the sunny temp's we'd had for the last couple of weeks - now were back to good old rain - I'd be interested to see your take on Temple - I've been by it a couple of times but it just looked like 'the place to be' - but I'd love to sway my chef on our visit down there - he's the ex sous chef at the Aerie and has definite ideas of what he wants to go, eat and drink - again, any review would be appreciated.