Foodie in Vancouver

It might be too far out of your way but what about Aji-sai in Kerrisdale? The only downside is the small space - but more than compensated for by the excellent sushi. It is hard to find if you don't know where to look - but it is in what I can only describe as a mews - that is a sort of sidewalk running through the block from 42nd beside London Drugs to the alley and then out to 41st Avenue. I think the sushi there is wonderful; certainly fresh. The only thing they don't do is tempura. But I don't eat tempura so I have never seen it as a downside.

Where do you live? Helps us understand what unique might be in your context. Anything you don't like? And, how expensive are you thinking - sky's the limit or cheap, cheerful and really good?

I have to cast my vote for the Globe@YVR. I have eaten 2 dinners there in the last month while waiting to depart on overseas flights. The food is really quite good as is the wine list. In addition, the bar is also highly recommended. If you were going to be there in the afternoon I would also recommend that you consider the Spa facilities in the US departure area. I have had several treatments at the Absolute Spa while waiting for flights and I can tell you that it is the only way to deal with delays! I just checked and you will there in June so it will be light and the restaurant has a great view of the mountains - you will get to see dusk descend over the mountains while having good food and wine. Unbeatable combination in my opinion

Lately I have been thinking a lot about how much I love Granville Island Market and how I have become complacent about its existance. A recent thread about how to regain the edge and visits to other cities and markets have made me realize how lucky we are to have such a terrific resource so close at hand. So this Sunday I shunned the local shops and headed down to GI to do my shopping. We got a parking spot right outside the front door and headed in for breakfast - a scone from Terra Breads and lattes from JJ Bean. Usually the line up at JJ Bean is about 10 minutes so we decided to divide and conquer. Who knew that there would be about 10 people in line in front of me at Terra. More time to contemplate their wonderful breads and sweets. I ended up with the 2 scones, 3 types of baugette, 4 pieces of foccacia, Italian cheese loaf and 4 Italian cheese bread sticks. And all I really wanted was 2 scones. Next stop was the Turkey Shop for chorizo - I know, there is no such thing as turkey chorizo but it was an attempt to acknowledge the need to cut down on the amount of fat/calories. I later made "Toad in the Hole" with the sausages by first cooking pieces of the sausage in mini-muffin tins and then pouring in Yorkshire Pudding batter. They were delicious and a great Easter brunch snack. Next stop was South China Seas for "stuff" like mirin, red curry paste, wonton wrappers, ginger and pomegranate syrup. Then off to the grainery for raw pistachios, 2 kinds of brown rice, pecans and crystalized ginger. Fruit and vegatables were next. One of the great things about the Market is the fact that if you don't like the look of the asparagus at one vendor then it is off to the next one to see if they are any better. On Sunday, the fattest asparagus were at the Okanagan fruit guys stand. I like the fat ones way better than the skinny ones Last stop was at Long Liner Seafoods for halibut. Based on the fact that Arnie used to work at Long Liner this is now my go-to fishmonger. On the way out stopped for beans at you-know-where and some milk at the milk store. Here are 2 of the meals we ate based on our Sunday forage. (I hope the images post because this is my first attempt at pictures - if it doesn't work I am going to have to bribe the dessert sisters with chocolate and get them to show me how to master the technigue.) The first is our dinner on Sunday which was the Brown Rice Salad with Pistachios from the April/May 2005 issue of Fine Cooking. Delicious but it sure makes a lot of food. We will definitey be eating Rice Salad for lunch all week. We also had snap peas with a Romesco sauce from a cookbook called Grazing. The wine was Blue Mountain 2001 Pinot Gris Stripe (although that is a bottle of Blue Mountain 1998 Pinot Noir in the picture. Also note that 1 of the baugettes did make dinner as well while the rest went into the freezer for crostini at a later date.) Dinner tonight was Pan Roasted Halibut with Red Curry Sauce, Jasmine Rice and Roasted Broccoli. The recipe was from the March April issue of Cook's Illustrated. Wine tonight was a Tinhorn 2001 Gewurtztraminer.

Just read the excerpt - loved it and can't wait for the book in August. I'm the type of person who just has to know the what and how of stuff. For instance, I can remember the first time I encountered a fax machine - I refused to use it until someone explained how it worked. So as someone who loves food, dining out and all that entails, books like yours, Kitchen Confidential and the Fourth Star are fascinating. And based on the excerpt, no small delight - your writing is wonderful. I won't mention names but I have tried to read other so-called behind-the-scenes books that were pure dreck. Congratulations on such a great work; I am confident that it will be well received and not just by the eGullet crowd.

Yes, we all love Granville Island, but what do we need to do to get a decent wine shop and make the busses park off Island? I'll sign the petition.

Not necessarily the last 3 restaurants but 3 nonetheless as I wrote about Chi in that thread. Cru I needed somewhere to recover after a week in London where it snowed everyday and the prices left me breathless. Mark and Dana delivered and wowed our guests, who despite living within walking distance had never been to Cru. Needing comfort and cosseting I ordered my old familar friend - the beef carpaccio (I know that is the incorrect spelling - when are we going to get Auto Correct? Should be a feature for eGullet Society donor ) I then had the beef shortribs and neither selection disappointed. Service continues to be a standout at this restaurant as does the winelist. As my husband and I don't always gravitate to the same parts of the menu (the only differences we have) we rarely can order a bottle of wine with dinner. This restaurant not only gives you lots of choice but gently nudges you in the right direction so you always get the wine that works with your food choice. Definitely the restaurant to head to when you need some soothing stability and comfort. Fiction We have now been to Fiction 4 times - and three of those times with our daughter. Great room and very friendly, knowledgable staff who cheerfully help with food and wine selection. Our daughter has made it her restaurant of choice (when we pay) and is always angling for an opportunity to return. The small plates theme seems to work best for our family; even when we dine at home we often find ourselves making several options for dinner and literally grazing on them over the course of several hours. Fiction has lots of choices that work well for all of us. Our daughter loves the tarts which are a rectangular filo pastry with 2 toppings. She likes the goat's cheese/artichoke combination. It is light but flavourful with just the right combination of textures - crispy flaky crust and the savoury, creamy topping. The pickup sticks are fun and easy to share. You get a choice of 3 of the 4 options which range from pear/cheese (I think) to Guiness marinated beef shortrib with seafood/chorizo (paella on a stick) and the 4th??? Can't recall. We always get the endive and spinach salads and then combine them for what we think is the perfect salad. And, thankfully, never too much dressing. Last time I had the scotch-cured salmon and the scallops. Both were full of flavour and just enough food to get all the texture and taste but not too much leaving one room to try more. When my husband is with us we also order the yam frites - they really are terrific and filling. Job well done, Sean. We will be back for more very soon. Hamilton Street Grill Beringer Wine Dinner We were lucky enough to get a spot at this dinner on Monday night. I am so hesitant to post about it because if I tell you how wonderful it was, I run the risk of never being able to score a place at the table again. And that would be tragic. Neil and Brian really pulled out all stops on this dinner. IMHO it was the equal, and possibly better than the Big Night Dinner. Nels and I were so eager we arrived an hour early so we scurried off to Blue Water for a cocktail and suprisingly had a wonderful time chatting away as there was almost no one else in the restaurant. It was a lovely start to the evening which simply got better and better. There were 8 courses and 5 wines over the evening. We started with a wine tasting seminar given by Jerry Comfort, Director of Wine Education for Beringer. Jerry is charming and a delighful speaker but what was so amazing was his demonstration of how tastes in wine and food actually work. We all got a plate containing apple slices, a lemon wedge and salts. Jerry then led us through how these flavours alone and in combination affected the same glass of Founders Estate Sauvingnon Blanc. Extremely well done - not too long, not pedantic and great information. I really loved this approach to wine and food pairing. And then the food. Whatever I say won't do it justice so please understand that this is an understatement of how wonderful the evening was. I will lead with the wine and then tell you the food that followed: Beringer Founders Estate Sauvingnon Blanc 2001- Duo of Fresh Tuna - Hawaiian ahi and BC albacore with a duo of sauces - roasted red pepper and creme fraiche grainy mustard. Quite simply perfect. I love tuna and I love it raw so this played right into my fantasies. Beringer Napa Valley Viogner - Then came the Lamb Curry with basmati rice, sweet mango chutney and frizzled leeks. Interesting how the lamb worked so well with the wine but the chutney completely muted out the wine. Perfect flavour on the curry - not too spicy so the fruit of the wine still came through. We were seated with a woman who doesn't like lamb but she polished off her portion promptly. Chateau St Jean Sonoma County Chardonnay 2001 - Spinach and Watercress Salad with crispy proscuitto, goat's cheese and grilled fruit vinaigrette. Oyster Fritter with oven roasted tomato ragout, scallion aioli and black olives and grapes. Nels loved the oyster fritters so much he ate mine We also were treated to the latest in Reidel stemware with this course. They were beautiful and I am sure contributed to the fact that I really liked the Chardonnay - not a normal course of events for me when it comes to California Chard. Two Tone Farm Merlot 2001 - Veal and Pancetta Cannelloni. If there were a God, this would be on the regular HSG menu. But I appreciate that it would be impossible given the complexity of the sauces, the meat filling and the fact that this was homemade pasta. All I know is that I would have cheerfully sold my children for more of this dish. The sauce with it was a beurre rouge ver jus but I swear it looked green in my bowl - but perhaps that was because I had already had several glasses of wine and a martini. Preserved Lemon Sorbet - not a perfect match with the wine but fun, nevertheless Chateau St. Jean Cinq Cepages, Sonoma County 2000 - Angus Beef Tenderloin with gruyere risotto and a veal reduction. Neil has a way with Angus beef and this course was a standout as well but the real star was the wine. We recently opened our bottle of the 1996 vintage of the same wine and despite the fact that it was wine of the year I think this vintage is its equal. But that might be the effect of pairing it with such magnificent meat. Cheese plate - featuring Neal's Yard cheshire, asiago and chevre. A tremendous evening and, as always, Neil's careful stewardship of both the kitchen and the FOH results in perfection. I have learned so much from watching how Neil is so attuned to all the nuances and details. There is no doubt that absent Neil the HSG would just be another restaurant. It is he who propels it onto the next level ensuring that all the elements combine, no details are overlooked and everyone leaves having experienced the best of food, wine and service. So thanks to all who worked so hard to make the evening perfect - Beringer and Jerry, Neil's kitchen staff (including Brian and HK Dave) and the service staff who managed 8 courses for each of us as well as 5 wines with never a slip or mis-step. I had a wonderful evening and will definitely be back to the HSG and will buy more Beringer wines.

Just back from dinner at Chi. Overall, excellent. Standouts were the crabcakes, sambal green beans with prawns and the spicy squid. We had numerous dishes but I truly can't remember all that we had - late hour etc. The only off notes were the jasmine rice - soggy and the lemongrass tart which was tasteless and gummy. But the savoury dishes were all very good to excellent. Service was good. On a really picky note - the Japanese style chopsticks were quite annoying. They are so shiny that they make it difficult to manuever some of the food and they were constantly rolling off the plates. Wine list is very good - interesting and unique selections, fairly priced. Definitely would go back again - even though it is quite off the beaten path for some of us.

Oh dear - I'm spouse-less tomorrow-does that make me even more of a loser?

Stong's, the wonderful grocery store on Dunbar and 28th, sells Creme Fraiche. They make it themselves, I think, as they call it Stong's Creme Fraiche. I use the Creme Fraiche but can't comment on how authentic it is, as I haven't tasted the 'r real thing'. They sell a number of items they make themselves which are excellent so it should be reasonable.

I took out a subscription to Flavours magazine after seeing it in a wine store in Alberta - but apparently they have started to give it away for free at the BC liquor stores. My luck - I pay for what others get for free. But I haven't see a copy since before Christmas so they might have gone under already.

Hi Andrew- if you are thinking of making any of your own meals might I suggest you pick up a really good bottle of French Chablis before you go and then once in Tofino get some fresh crabs and have a major meal of crab and chablis. We were staying at the cottages at the Long Beach Lodge and that was one of our stand-out meals. I am sure others have swooned about Sobo so I won't bore you - but if you don't have their shrimp cakes you are seriously deranged. Enjoy your well-deserved vacation sans children.

I concur with Butter in terms of being grateful for what we have. As I noted earlier, I was at the Borough Street Market in London earlier this week and at the Portobello Road Market today. Neither offer anything close to parking that's for sure. The food quality at the BSM seemed to be quite good and I was practically in tears over finally finding a good coffee at the Monmouth Coffee stall. They don't have as many 'day vendors' as we do but certainly there is a lot of pride in local, sustainable type of product. And there is Neal's Yard Dairy. But, the topic did ask us for our thoughts on the market - and to my mind, being able to get in and out of the Island would enhance it for me, as would not having to constantly try to manouevre around gawking tourists who don't spend a nickel. But, I can assure you, I know I live in paradise and I am very, very grateful for that.

I love GI and I hate GI - I love the options, the ability to get a wide variety of fresh everything in one place. But I have to steel myself to go unless I am there at 8 am on Saturday. I can never shop during the week because of work so I only go on the weekends - but if we are entertaining that evening, shopping in the morning means I get a late start in the morning. What do I hate? What everyone else has also mentioned the tourists and the parking. Arghh. But, speaking as a tourist currently in London as I write this - where did I go today? Borough Street Market. It is lovely but in some ways not nearly as nice as GI and if you think the parking is bad at GI - you have to see Borough Street Market. Not a parking spot in sight. So markets are a tourist draw and I always seek them out where ever I go. And the tourists - man oh man oh man. We need a line of dance in the aisles. I try to zig round them and they immediately zag right into my path. But, unfortunately, I can't think of what can be done to make it better. I can't tell you the number of times I have headed into the Island after 9 am on a weekend only to see a line-up out to Carter Honda and I have done an immediate turnabout and headed to Stongs. But, if the Island is perhaps heading into a rough patch maybe I ought to brave it and patronize the Island before it's gone.

I am currently shivering in a residence room in Herstmonceaux (East Sussex) waiting for my daughter to finish her Art History class. Then we are off to dinner at the Lamb Inn, a local pub with several of her friends. Tomorrow we are off to London and a chance to sample some of your wonderful suggestions. As I am sorely in need of a good glass (or two) of wine I am thinking of the Ebury Wine Bar for dinner tomorrow. My daughter has not yet discovered the joys of wine - still preferring beer to wine, so I have to have my wine by the glass. Not always easy to find restaurants with good wine-by-the glass selections. Another meal will have to be Italian or something "non-spicy" as the boyfriend has a very tame palate. That leaves one additional dinner which will likely be Indian or perhaps Thai? Again, many thanks for all your assistance. My only quarrel is with the weather - I may be Canadian, but I didn't need the snow to make me feel at home. Besides which, I am from Vancouver - we don't know what to do with snow.

I know this is verging on off-topic, but the best salsa I every had was a fresh salsa sold in the Palm Springs Costco. Ever since this experience I can no longer even attempt the canned/jarred stuff. There really is no comparison to the vibrant flavour of a good fresh salsa. It literally dances in your mouth. We now return you to your regularly-scheduled program. (apologies for the OT interruption).

My understanding of the reason for the demise of Boletto is that there was a divorce and the 2 businesses were split (Ecco and Boletto). She got the bakery, he got the bistro and it closed not too long afterward.

Yes, a good Caesar is a thing of joy. In the "old days" all the best restaurants made them tableside but sadly that has been replaced by watery, tasteless lettuce drowning in horrid, white dressing devoid of flavour. The best Caesar I can remember having was at a Ramada in Laughlin, Nevada in a train-themed restaurant. That was almost 10 years ago. Who would have imagined? It was made tableside by a waiter of suitable vintage. It really was wonderful - tangy, crunchy and full of flavour. My favorite recipe comes from the Surreal Gourmet - you can usually find it on the Food Network website but it is referred to as the Seizure Salad. Alas, I rarely have Caesar salad any longer - I refuse to order them in restaurants - I know I will be sorely disappointed and I cringe at the fat content when I make them myself.

I would add Bacchus to your list.

My restaurant experience was at the Old Spaghetti Factory in Gastown in the early 70's. I was a student nurse at VGH at the time and was walking through Gastown when I was approached by a woman who asked me if I wanted a job. (Turned out she was Lee Pulous' wife - I can't remember her first name but I seem to recall her last name was Morningstar) Even though I had a 'job', I jumped at the chance for some real money. So for the next 2 years I regularly worked the 7 - 3 shift at the hospital and then hopped the bus downtown to put in a shift as a waitress at the OSF. If I was on afternoons at the hospital then I worked the lunch shift at the OSF. I had a blast and between the two jobs I saw all that humanity had to offer. And I got introduced to such landmarks as the Faces club where we used to go after work. Some nights I simply went straight from Faces to my shift at the hospital - stopping only for coffee and several minutes of oxygen. I even made enough money to buy myself a Trimuph Spitfire (used, albeit).

I think the reason why, as kids, we were told to wait an hour to go swimming was because the grown-ups didn't want to have to leave the table so quickly and come and supervise us.

I like the Hard Bites as well. I think they are made locally - in Chilliwack or some such place. My other favs are Tim's Cascade - especially the Jalapeno. But I truly believe that they tasted better about 8 - 10 years ago. They don't make me swoon like they used to when I first discovered them. We would drive from Vancouver to Haggen's in Bellingham just to buy them. I can't see myself doing that now - they just don't taste good enough to cross a border for. The best potato chips I ever had were from a street vendor in Seville, Spain. He would make them right there using olive oil and lots of salt. We would sit at the side of the road and each of us would eat a bag and then order another 2 bags to take back to the hotel room to have later, with wine. Every time I think about them I can still remember the unbelievable taste and they feeling of the hot sun as we sat on the roadside stuffing our faces with chips.

Can't remember the name of the restaurant that used to be in False Creek on Leg in Boot Sqaure but I think it was something like Fish? It opened in the run-up to Expo and then died out about a year afterwards. Manny was the GM. Can't remember the name of the restaurant - driving me nuts.

The Raintree was definitely a 'tipping point' for me with respect to the impact of fresh, local ingredients on the taste of my food as well as the ability it gave chefs to produce creative, innovative cuisine. I was never able to accept dull, muted and ordinary tastes after that. As for Chinese, reaching way back in the mists of time, wasn't there a restaurant called the Orange Door or was it the Green Door? I can't remember if this happened here or somewhere else. My recollection of those years is somewhat impaired. The other place I have to remind us all of is The Old Spaghetti Factory if only because I worked there when it was first opened by the Puolos family. Gastown was a different place in those days.

I will be in London for several days in early March to visit my daughter who is attending university just south of the city. She is a typical university student with no money for meals out, thus has no idea where to eat in the city. She likes good food but isn't interested in meals that are too much in the vein of "fine dining". Not knowing anything of the food scene in London I have absolutely no idea where to start. I like good food and have access to some wonderful restaurants here in Vancouver so have reasonably high expectations, especially for food that is fresh and made with well-sourced ingredients without pretension. I don't have an unlimited budget so please don't suggest wildly expensive options - they are out of my range. And I am sure my daugher wouldn't appreciate the experience enough to warrant the cost. I have also been warned by my daughter that I should plan to do some things on my own and wanted to check out some foodie highlights. We recently went to a cheese and whiskey tasting here in Vancouver which featured cheeses from Neal's Yard Dairy so I was going to try and visit their shop in London. Any other suggestions for unique or interesting food related places/shops I should visit? Can anyone help a fellow eGulleter? I promise that if you are ever in Vancouver I will make sure you know about the best that the city has to offer and sample as much of our plentiful bounty as possible. Thanks very much in advance,