Foodie in Vancouver

Try abebooks.com for used books. I have ordered several books from this site and as well as from Amazon.com. In my experience, even with the CAD/USD exchange it is cheaper to order from Amazon.com. The only exception is if there is a free shipping promotion on the Amazon.ca site - occasionally that tips the scales in favour of the Canadian site. I price out both the US and Canadian Amazon orders everytime I order (as recently as this morning) and have rarely order from the .ca site. The other thing I have noticed is that the orders from the US site are delivered way faster than the Canadian. Once for fun I split my order - I was ordering 2 copies of the same book for my daughters- and the one coming from Amazon.com arrived almost 2 weeks sooner than the book from the Canadian site. Go figure! And as for duty, I have never, ever had to pay duty when ordering from Abebooks or from Amazon. com. Interestingly, Abebooks is a Victoria-based company that links used book sellers so even though they are Canadian, everything I have ever order has been from a US-based bookseller. One note of caution - check the publication dates on the books you order. Sometimes you end up with a very old edition of a book that might not be the edition you were looking for.

Thanks, CNSPriggs for clarifying my intent. Yes, I am trying to find out what others base their tip on when the liquor has already been marked up and then the tax is included in the total as well. Like you, I sometimes feel annoyed that with a hefty mark-up on the wine I am also expected to tip on the mark-up. And I heartily agree with you about the small but busy establishments where the wait staff certainly appear to be sweating it out more than in some of the higher-end restaurants where the tables turn over less-often and there are more people around to minister to the diners needs. If I get great service then the amount of the tip is never in question. It is when the service is just ordinary - they bring you the food, the food is good and then they bring you the bill. No interaction, but no complaints. This is when you become conscious of what you are leaving as a tip, notwithstanding that the kitchen did their job. And then there are the tip jars at coffee shops! A whole other topic. I have heard that the Starbucks staff hate the Starbucks cards because customers don't have change to toss in the tip jar when they use their card. I have seldom been moved to tip in Starbuck's. The service is good but this is one instance where I feel the cost of service is definitely included in the price of the product.

Just had a wonderful meal at Vij's - lamb popsicles for me and the seafood for Mr. Foodie. Then we had the discussion about the tip. Should you calculate the tip on the total or should you calculate the tip on the food minus the wine and taxes? I feel like such a cheapskate if I don't calculate based on the whole amount but Mr. Foodie is convinced that we should only tip on the food total. Would hate to insult the wait staff but on the other hand, hate to leave more than I need to. What do you do?

Gee - hate to rain on the parade but I have eaten twice at Blue Water. The first time was so-so and the second time was one of my worst dining experiences ever. Incredibly rude service, meals came out one at a time from the kitchen with long waits in between so that it was about 10 minutes from the first plate until all of us had our meal. I had skate with all the bones in - once I had the meat off the bones there was almost nothing to eat. And I had probably the best food of all of us. For seafood and guys - what about Rodney's Oyster Bar if what you want is more casual. If you really want extraordinary seafood you can't go wrong with C. And from my perspective, any of the better restaurants in town do great seafood. And there is always sushi. I just think for the money, go to a really great restaurant and order seafood. I think you would get better food and a better experience.

Just have to add my perspective. We have been going to Cru since they opened last July and have always had great food and service. I realize, however, that eating at a restaurant can be both subjective and a factor of what else is going on in the room, the kitchen and with the server on any particular evening. We were there on Saturday night and as usual had a great meal. I love the tuna tartare and my spouse can't seem to stop ordering the Cellar Door Caesar. My braised short rib, paired with the Peter Lehman shiraz was wonderful - full of flavour and falling-off-the-bone tender. For us one of the great things about Cru is the ability to easily pair a glass of food with every course and to have just small tastes of several flavours in one meal. I can never eat a full main course and always order from the appetizers. From my experience, this is usually where you get the most creativity and adventure in flavours. And at Cru I have found this to be very much the case. Other dishes we have enjoyed include the scallops, wonderful - carmelized crust, tender and always inventively paired. The Mongolian lamb chops; several of the fish dishes, including the soup. Perhaps the stand-out on Saturday was the foie gras. Heavenly - melt-in-the-mouth flavour. Truly a splurge - who can justify the fat-calories on a regular basis but when you do, it makes the hours in the gym worth it. As for the room, for us it reminds us of all the wonderful small rooms we have eaten in NYC. The feel for us is that wonderful mix of neighbourhood, edgy and interesting. I for one don't mind the narrow space nor the closeness. But there are times when I want a different experience and I opt for a more tranquil room. We have never had a concern with service- prompt, friendly to the extent that we need perspective on the food or wine and there when I need more water or more wine! But I know that it is entirely possible for me to go to a restaurant that others rave about and have a truly awful experience - for me it was Blue Water Cafe. Nothing will ever induce me to set foot in that restaurant ever again. (Ditto Glowbal!) But many of my dearest friends love it. It is all personal - I love wine others hate and I have often fallen in love with the lesser priced wine. (Unfortunately, not often enough - I still can enjoy the expensive stuff!) Perhaps you might consider a return visit and give it another chance but with all the choices in the city it is hard to take a chance on repeating a less-than-stellar experience.

So now the question is - are you going to take the job and relocate? And if so, where - Vancouver Island or Vancouver? Good luck!

I'm with the majority- if I didn't try out new recipes for guests, it would be an endless round of the same old, same old. I pore through the magazines and have purchased ridiculous numbers of cookbooks so if I didn't try something new all the time I couldn't even begin to justify the hours, not to mention the money I spend on my food-porn! And, besides I am almost always cooking for friends - they are here for the friendship and have never complained if every dish isn't a success. Like the saying goes, "If you don't like the food, drink more wine."

I can't resist and just have to chime in on this. I too, in the past, have thought that no good can come from buying or drinking BC wine. But I must confess, that following a trip to the Okanagan some years ago (1997) I decided to bring my nose down to sea level and give BC wines a chance. We now have a sizable cellar of BC wines and I can heartily recommend many wines at all price points. In particular, I love the Blue Mountain wines - the Pinot Noir, the Gamay Noir and the Pinot Gris. Their Brut is a staple in our home and we always serve it with appetizers. It is just plain wonderful. I am a big fan of Ian's Pinot Noir and have never been disappointed. We still have some 1997 Pinot Noir Stripe label and recently opened a bottle - it was wonderful paired with a beef tenderloin. We also really enjoy the La Frenz wines - the Vigonier, the Semillion and the Pinot Gris are wonderful. So far, however, not very enthusiastic about the 1997 Cab but it was the first year for this varietal at La Frenz and we are hopeful that the other vintages we have will "come good" as the Australians say. Red Rooster is always an easy wine to drink and I agree with the previous review about the Meritage. Their Gewurtz with the takeout food from Vij's is a made-in-BC delight. For everyday drinking their Merlot is good, but I still think the Tinhorn Merlot is one of the most reliable and just plain old delicious every-night wines we drink. I always enjoy opening Tinhorn wines and can vouch for the Pinot Noir and the Gewurtz as well. I have recently come to appreciate the Sumac Ridge wines - prior to the Vincor acquisition so I hope nothing changes there. We are going to have a vertical tasting of a 96, 97 and 98 Cab from Sumac tomorrow as well as a vertical of the Merlot and Meritage. I will let you know what we think. As has been mentioned by others, the Note Bene and Burrowing Owl reds are also very good and are very food-friendly wines. A true find are the Fairview Mountain reds - and they are improving with every year. I agree that I can buy wine as good and likely better from Aus, France or Calif for the same price perhaps. But to me, that isn't the point. For me, the delight I get in spending time at the winery, learning about the industry and understanding what actually went into the bottle I am about to drink makes all the difference. I have an office job, albeit in an incredible risky business, but I certainly don't put in near the sweat, blood and tears my dear friends, the Okanagan wineries, put into their product. They are, when all is said and done, farmers. They are subject to the whims of Mother Nature - frost when you don't expect it, rain when you don't need it and on occaison, too much sun and terrifying fires. But they struggle through and put their product in the bottle for me to enjoy. Then they have to deal with our arcane tax structure, a ridiculous marketing monopoly and our fear of acknowledging home-grown talent. So, when I have a choice, which I do when I drink wine, I choose to drink BC wine to support my local community. I am grateful that I can get in my car, drive for 5 hours and get to talk to people who love their product and want to share it with me. I can't do that with the Australian, Californian or French wine. I also try to buy BC produce, fruits and meats for the same reasons. If I have a choice, I want to encourage those who take far greater risks to earn a living than I do as a salaried employee. I don't particulary see myself as a blind loyalist - I just believe that BC wine is good and I want to encourage them to stay the course. I know that they will continue to improve and I will be the beneficiary. I hope that others will give BC wine a chance and open their minds as well as their palates. Not all BC wines are great, but I promise you will find some you like. And by drinking locally, you help to ensure we continue to have broad and diverse choices, not what some corporate campaign can sell at the provincial wine store. Support our local industry and they can and will improve.

What about chocolate curls or chocolate leaves in white and dark chocolate?

It is a business dinner so we aren't too price sensitive, within reason. ie it doesn't have to be Earls but Lumiere is probably a bit too much. As for numbers, somewhere around 12 - 15 people. Cioppino sounds good - other options like that would be great. It would be useful if the Vancouver Mag restaurant guide indicated if private rooms were available. I can't be the only person that wants to find a good restaurant but have some privacy to conduct a business dinner.

I am looking for good restaurants in Vancouver that have private rooms suitable to take business associates. Any ideas?

Just back from 3 days in Tofino. We stayed at the Long Beach Lodge Resort in one of the cottages. The accomodation was wonderful especially as the kitchen was well-equipped and we were able to cook 2 of the 3 nights. We celebrated Valentine's at the restaurant at the Resort and were truly underwhelmed. The kitchen is open and the first table we were seated at was unbearably noisy and right in the traffic path. Dinner for 4 with wine was $375 based on a prix fixe menu. The appetizer choices were interesting but portions small. Mains were a choice of salmon, lamb or beef. The beef was just adequate. And the service was barely there. All in all disappointing for the price. BUT the food at SOBO was beyond compare - what a find. We ate lunch there every day and everything we ate was fabulous. Lisa and Artie are clearly enjoying themselves and it comes through in the food. What was so wonderful? Shrimp cakes with a great mustard sauce, oysters with the same sauce, chicken sate with peanut sauce, tofu pockets with sushi rice and smoked tuna, Texas chicken chili, fish tacos and a southwestern caesar salad. SOBU is literally a catering truck in a parking lot and you eat at driftwood log picnic tables. But the food is out of this world - Artie says it is the second best thing you can have in a parking lot. For dessert, suggest you try Chocolate Tofino which is in the same parking lot, at the other end. Gordon Austin has worked as a pastry chef at places such as the Wickinninish Inn and is now indulging himself as a chocolatier. His products are wonderful, inventive and taste divine. One night we had crab, purchased live from a local crab fisherman. We paired it with a premier cru chablis and were in heaven. All in all a great weekend. Can highly recommend the cottages at Long Beach Lodge Resort, Chocolate Tofino and SOBU.

If fruit isn't a food, then I have to say cheeries. Especially in the depth of winter. Can't you just taste them - the juice on your lips....

We even have Costco in Canada but we don't have the wine - boo-hoo. I am definitely in on the virtual Costco dinner. I am a big believer in their meats - quality and great prices. Just wish we could get the wine. When we go to Palm Desert our first stop is Costco for the wine and secondarily, the food.

We are heading over to Long Beach Lodge on Friday, Feb 13th. Does anyone know the phone number for SOBO so we can make reservations for dinner? Having read the other posts I am assuming that SOBO is the first choice for dinner, followed by Rainforest Cafe and Cafe Pampalona. Other musts? Thanks for the help.

We tried several venues in this year's DOV and there were some highs and lows. Like previous posters, we were very disappointed in the meal at the Blue Water Cafe. I too tried the vension flank steak and it was inedible. Incredibly the waiter told me that they had served almost 300 of the meals so far and mine was the first complaint so maybe it was just me. Notwithstanding, I won't ever return. And it wasn't just the food but the attitude of the wait staff which was surly, inattentive and borderline rude. Small things but they added up - we asked repeatedly for more water for the table without success. Orders brought out piece meal so that we had to wait for 5 minutes or more for the rest of the order to come out. Unfortunately it was the soup that arrived first. On a more positive note, we also ate at Aria at the Westin Grand. Based on the meal I would return. I had the caribou medallions and they were wonderful. The portion size was more than adequate and the wine pairing (Inniskillin Pinot Noir) was good. Our dinner at Cru was fabulous on all levels as was the meal at Diva. DOV is an excellent promotion that keeps the restaurants full and introduces diners to new options at low risk. I hope that the restaurant industry sees it as a positive event and continue to run it.