Daddy-A

Just received this from Calvin at Burgers Etc. Anybody see the piece? A.

Just came back from a nice evening in the lounge at Rare. After all, there were two conflicting reviews in the papers this week, so J and I decided to check it out for ourselves. It was just drinks and snacks for us this evening ... we have a lengthy weekend of eating coming up and need to fit into our work clothes on Monday! Chef started us off with an amuse of beef cheeks and garlic foam (aka "spit" in the kitchen). I feared they might be stringy, but they melted in my mouth before I could find out. There was also some tuna tartare with a clever little crisp of parmesan cheese. Kinda like a grown-up tuna melt. Seriously though, not a mix I would have thought of, but worked fine by our palates. Tuna & cheese seems to be the "in" thing these days, because Chef sent us out a cheeky little dish: It was a seered ahi tuna and Spanish cheese (so rare the server had trouble naming them - odd since it was Chef Fowke) served together in a croque monsieur style sandwich. The little salad was potato. What a wonderful treat! We asked chef what it was called. "It's a Gillwich" he replied ... or did he mean to say "Gillwitch?" We finished the evening with olives, Danish ham (who knew the Danes did more than cheese & pickled herring?) and more parmessan crisps served with slices of Thomas. Drinks were my standard Negroni (remembered by Jesse after only 1 visit!) and French 75(s) for J. By the time we left, the dining room was full, but surprisingly not an eGulleter in sight ... and I have the master list, so I KNOW these things. A.

[host] I've just removed a number of posts that have been dealing with the identity of a certain eGullet member. This thread is about RARE and dining experiences had there. Thanks, A. [/host]

I've been wondering when all this exposure was going to come and bite someone in the ass. I'm just sorry it had to be Brian ... but then again, if anyone can suffer the slings and arrows of Ms. Gill, it will be the Pastrami King! [host] Yes ... READ CHEW DISCUSS. Let's remember to keep this discussion on the food, and in this case, the recent reviews of the food. Whether or not Ms. Gill is correct when she said "Ahem! Would anyone on this site dare say anything critical? " is off topic (and incorrect if she had only scrolled upscrean to read Lord Balthazar's comments on the beef cheeks). Keep it civil folks! A. [/host]

Burgers Etc. in Burnaby. If you can't drag yourself out past Boundary Road for a great hamburger, then fine! I'll keep them to myself. A.

Add another voice that says NO to city park. A couple of thoughts ... how about Knox Mountain. It may not be very lush and faerie-tale like, but the views are amazing! During August the tourists kinda have the run of the rest of the city, so finding someplace quaint and quiet may be a challenge. Another vote for Carmelli's. GOAT-gonzola! The comments about staying away from Whistler I'm going to guess are coming from that part of us that is just tired of the place. Is it touristy? Yup. But it's also an incredibly beautiful place, and I think any trip to BC would be incomplete without it. I can think of a number of better fly-fishing places than Whistler, but I'd have to kill you if I told you about them. Besides, I don't think you had tenting and mosquitoes in mind for your honeymoon. A.

[host] Let's keep this thread on topic folks. I don't believe anyone is pretending this is anything as serious as survey as The Golden Plates <-- closest thing to a sarcasm smiley I could find ... but at least it's a discussion about regional cuisine. Eye rolling is not. [/host]

[host] I was thinking the same thing. Funny ... I thought the same thing last year too! So, in an effort of public service, I have combined all FIVE threads on the Golden Plate Awards. Enjoy. A. [/host]

Well, any good kitchen designer or architect will have a wall-stretcher. I don't have a Liebherr, but have installed many of them over the past 2-3 years. They are highly recommended by those that own them. I think their biggest downfall in North America is that few people know about them. LG also makes a couple 24" fridges, but they are "cheaper" in qaulity than the Liebherr IMO. What size sink are you planning, or is this not negotiable. Kitchens this small benefit from a single bowl sink, which frees up more room on the countertop. This is the only downside to using a larger range ... less counterspace. Can you live with the Kuppersbusch combination (induction ROCKS btw!)? That would maximize the work space. A.

[host] Ahem ...... Golden Plates? Remember them? Let's get this thread back on track please. A. [/host]

I've been rushed out of restaurants of many nationalities (was it something I said?? ). Bad service is bad service, regardless of the cusine or nationality. Has it occurred to anyone that the server in question may have been mis-informed on the availabilty of the bananas? I'm not denying the possibilty that the restaurant lied (although that would really surprise me. I dine at that location at least once a week and the service averages a 7/10) but to assume that was the case because they wanted to rush someone out is presumptuous and a little narcisistic IMO. A.

Welcome flowbee, and thanks for the rec! Their soup is one of my favorites as well! A perfect way to spend a rainy lunch in Gastown. Anybody read Ms. Gill's take on Mexican in Vancouver? LINK. Mostly a review of Red Burrito and Chocoatl (nice to know you're still reading Angela ) but others like La Casita and Burrito Bros. mentioned as well. A.

For our 5th anniversary weekend, J and I spent the weekend at Point No Point Resort, just north of Sooke. Mostly we at in our cabin (DINING details HERE) on some items we picked up at Choux Choux and Wildfire on the way in. Before we left up island, we met with Shelora for a leisurely lunch at Daidoco: Grilled Rice Balls, Gomae, Inari, Ahi The ahi was amazing ... simply melt-in-your-mouth with a sweet sauce whose ingredients I never discovered. This place is not fancy, but the flavours are clean and honest. We also had a couple orders of toro maki. Again, deliscious. The meal we had at Point No Point was similar in many ways. The room is not fancy, but the view makes up for that. The food is not as haute cuisine as its neighbour in Sooke, but neither were the prices. Potato & Pancetta Soup Garden Salad - My vote for nicest salad plating in BC. Lingine w/ Grilled Portobello Mushrooms - Perfectly cooked pasta, with a very "light" cream sauce. This was my main. Chicken Confit w/ Roast Taters J's main .... I'm so proud! We had a bottle of '03 Delas Viognier with lunch ... and then took a LONG walk afterwards. A.

I didn't see the link for this on the main Dining Out For life page .... but Kelowna is participating as well. LINK is HERE A.

I promised myself I wouldn't get entangled in this debate Lucy nailed it. The word "particleboard" has a nasty connotation to it. Truth is, in most situations it's a better, stronger material than plywood for kitchen cabinetry. The material goes by many different names, but make sure the board being used has 100% wood fibre. Many will use other post-consumer waste, and it just falls apart once a screw has been installed. The material we use holds a screw as well as plywood. Also consider the surface. If you're using plywood with a veneer surface compared to a melamine surface (on plywood or fibreboard) the veneer will wear out long before the melamine. The old cabinets that swell when they got wet were likely cheap particleboard with a glue-on vinyl surface. A good melamine covered fibre-board won't suffer the same fate unless you soak it for a day or so in water ... something that will also dammage solid wood and plywood. Finally, once those cabinets are installed, there's really very little difference structurally between any material. Focus on good hardware (hinges, slides, etc.). A.

Water Nutella Coffee ... in that order. A.

Just finished watching the Century episode. Disclaimer, I know Sean ... and Andrew for that matter, so I (amongst others here) have a little background on the show. I found the "tension" between Sean & Michael to be a little "staged" ... okay, a LOT staged. Unfortunately the lack of any real drama left the episode a bit lacking. And for crtin' out loud Andrew, staighten your glasses! Was there a reason they didn't talk to Remi that much? To me the show spent so much time on the room (they didn't deal with the banquettes where I understand there was some REAL tension) and not enough time dealing with the food. Having said all that, Century comes off looking pretty good. However, now that I know it's a place for "trendy young trend-setters" I'm not sure I fit in! Great shots of Vancouver, both sunny & rainy. A couple of really nice shots of City Hall. And I agree with Sean ... the pork bellies ROCK! A.

Me? I use alcohol. I agree completely with regards to magazines, etc ... I receive kitchen design magazines all the time. Most of them end up in the recycling bin without me even looking at them. After all, their job is to sell magazines, so they tend not to be very "cutting edge" ... more mass market. I try to find influence in places outside my comfort zone ... fashion design is a big one, as well as the tactile arts like ceramics and sculpture. I find youth-culture a good source of inspiration as well ... underground comics & videos, X-Games. And then once I have all these ideas, I typically put them away and churn out yet another Shaker kitchen. *sign* This is where the alcohol comes in. A.

We love Matt's! This was our view last time we were there! I think our cook was better lookin' too! Really enjoying this Henry. As a kitchen designer, the parallels between my craft and cooking are a little more obvious, but I look at my work much in the same way as you. A professional question: How do you keep your work "fresh" and do you find that same technique translates into your cooking? A.

[host] Time to remind everyone that this forum is for the discussion of food & cuisine that is LOCAL to Vancouver & Western Canada. Please keep the discussion in this thread focussed on St Patrick's Day celebrations in Vancouver & Western Canada. Ireland & its cuisine can be discussed ad nauseum over in the UK forum. A. [/host]

Just returned from Point No Point for our anniversary weekend. Had lunch at the dining room there on Saturday (pictures forthcoming.) Very relaxed afternoon with a breathtaking view and really wonderful, well executed dishes. J had a beautiful garden salad and a chicken leg-confit. Potato-pancetta soup and portabello linguine for me ... all washed down with a Delas Viognier. Didn't hurt that the weather was outstanding! If you're ever over near Sooke, and you'd like a less expensive dining option to Sooker Harbour House I'd add this to your dining list! A.

Yes it is. CLICK [Groovy Flash opening too!] A. Do you trust this? How much does it add to the cost of a laminate-plus-dropin sink arrangement? Yes, I trust this as far as I trust the installer. If you purchase the ring pre-mounted in the deck, then it's virtually fool-proof ... but again, it all comes down to the installer. As as as costs go ... a "ring-in-board" sets me back about $250 plus about $50 for the epoxy (and you NEED to use their epoxy for warranty purposes). It's not my favorite option, but that's only because I don't like laminate. If you're going to use laminate, I wouldn't hesitate to reccomend it. A.

I agree, from a TV POV. It was a snoozefest. From a "personality" standpoint however, the worst IMO was The Geisha House ... bunch of Hollywood ... um ... never mind The best part was when one of the owners walks into the kitchen to tell a sushi chef with 12 years of experience his California roll needed more mayo! A.

Yes it is. CLICK [Groovy Flash opening too!] A.

I just bought some of these to finish off dinner we are having at our place with Daddy A and the Michael and Hiedi from Joie tonight. I'll tell J to skip her afternoon cookie! A.