Daddy-A

My thoughts exactly ... although the final judgement comes down to taste doesn't it? Another question ... how does this qualify as "molecular"? Other than a couple dishes with "caviars" I didn't really see anything El Bulli-esque. The price seems a little steep for lounge food too ... but then again that's unlike any other lounge food I've ever seen. Seems adventurous enough to me at first take. A.

Really looking forward to this Mike! [host] I'm going to ask that discussion of this episode takes place over HERE in the Food & Media forum since the rest of Canada and the US (on Fine Living) will be able to see the episode as well. Thanks A. [/host]

Just wanted to let everyone know that the "Opening Soon" episode featuring Century Restaurant in Vancouver will air for the first time on Monday the 20th at 7:00 p.m and then again on Tuesday at 10:00 p.m. There's an eGullet connection here as member ssherwood is one of the owners, and Mike Mitchell is the manager. HERE is a thread on Century currently running in the Vancouver/Western Canada forum. A.

Here's a challenge for Burger-Club members ... Burgers Etc. is holding a Burger Eating contest CLICK. My word of advice ... make the treck out to Burnaby and try out their burgers before you enter the contest. They're big ... I just want you to know what you;re getting yourself into! A.

I believe it's Chef Tony's youngest son who washes dishes. A.

Since I'm not familiar with the real estate market in your area this is a tough one to answer. What I can tell you is this: Kitchen & Bathroom remodels will almost always give you the best return on your investment. Our real estate board lists the returns at anywhere from 85-110%. Only worry about resale if you plan on selling within the next 3 years. Personally I ignore resale. Trends change, and you have no way of knowing what a potential buyer is going to want in a kitchen. You can invest $10K into a new kitchen only to have the new owner tear it out and put in what they want. What does this all mean? Remodel because you want to, and invest what you feal comfortable with. There is no hard and fast rule ... it's all personal. I'm sure that you (Wendy) would pay much more attention to baking facilities (e.g. ovens, rolling surfaces, etc.) than I. I work much the same way that's already been mentioned. I do my initial estimate (with customer provided dimensions) for free. This gets you a couple hours of consultation, a look at the plans, and a detailed estimate. My "retainer" is anywhere from $1500 - $2500 dollars and gets you more consultation, as well as a detailed set of plans and elevations. This fee is deducted from the contract if the client chooses to proceed with me. Honestly, it's not about the fee, it's about putting some "value" on the service. If I charged nothing, the customer would value it as such. For me it's a qulaifier, and separates the serious clients from the tire-kickers. This is NOT to say I don't give out a lot of free advice. About 50% of my time in the showroom is spent talking generically about customers' homes and what they can do. Wendy, I'd use the NKBA web site (www.nkba.org) to find some CKD's (Certified Kitchen Designers) in your area. Phone them up and see how they work. At the very least, go in armed with a budget. I can't stress enough how important that is. Even a budget range (e.g. $10-15K) is helpful. A.

I'll respectfully disagree with you on this. Would you expect an architect to do a preliminary design for free? Thanks to the big box home centres this seems to have become the norm. Of course, with big box, you get the experience you pay for. A.

Okay now I'm curious. I've had some bad meals with both of you, but nothing that's ever elicited this sort of repsonse. Do we get a blow by blow? A.

This is a really important point. Thanks for making it Melissa. This is exactly how I work. I need to design to get an idea of price, and to see what is possible in your kitchen, and what is not. Keep in mind too that the layout portion of the design process is the most important. I always start with the design, then work on the style afterwards. Wendy, from a designer's point of view, the best thing you can bring to the table is a budget. I know this is difficult when you likely don't know how much a kitchen costs. However, you probably do know how much you want to spend ... an investment amount you feel comfortable with. Take that number and back it off 20%. When you visit with a designer make sure they understand that's your budget and you can't surpass it. Understand that the project will likely "creep" up a bit (that's the 20%) but as far as the designer is concerned, stick to your guns on budget. The second thing you should do is start a clipping file of some sort. Go through magazines and catalogues and start clipping out pictures of things that catch your eye and show the look you want to achieve. Use post-its to identify what it is in the picture you like ... you'll have forgotten a week later when you look at it again. This clipping file will be very useful to your designer. Not only will it help him/her with your look, but in conjunction with the budget it will help determine if the budget is realistic. I have often told clients that their budget isn't realistic and that they should wait until they can afford what they want. Ultimately there are shortcuts, but most will yield results that are dissappointing. I forget the exact wording, but there's a saying that goes something like "The price of something is long forgotten after the quality wears out." A.

Speaking of Main Street ... Had my sons with me today as it's Spring Break and all. Just before lunch time Matt asks for Bahn Mi, and Ryan for Pho. It was early enough to give Au Petite a try, and we were lucky enough to get the last table! I know Au Petite is well known for their Bahn Mi, but the pho is pretty damn good too. In fact, for a bahn mi - pho lunch, I'd give Au Petite my #1 spot. My favorite pho in Vancouver? Kim Phung (43rd & Victoria) ... but be sure to ask for the spicey broth. A.

Nor have I, but I've had similar "soda & meat" style dishes so I had some frame of reference. Considering I had red wine to "balance the sweetness" I think it was fine. In the meat itself, you could taste the root beer, but that would be only because you knew it was there. In the reduction ... now that's a different story. Very root-beer-y ... and if balanced, not sweet at all. I'd make this again just for the looks I'd get from dinner guests when I mention root beer A.

Yeah, I wish! Deep frying gets done in our house once a year for arrancini. However, the leftovers from last night were just consumed at lunch ... shredded in a sandwich with a fennel/apple slaw. A.

The BC High School Boys Basketball Championships led me to try out this recipe. The inspiration? My son had a root beer, and we were going to be passing Cioffi's on the way home so I could pick up some short ribs. You should have seen the look in the butcher's eyes when I told him what I was going to do with the ribs! Seared ribs and the root beer du jour ... a playful little bottle with hints of anise. Finished plate with yams (mashed with a little yoghurt and chicken stock) and sauted green beans (with Senhor Rooster's Mango Chile Sauce) Proclaimed a winner by the family. Next time I'll have a bit more time to reduce the sauce. I took some time to reduce some of it after dinner and will use it later on some short rib sandwiches. Thanks for the help Jeff! A.

You have a special named after you at a Food Court place? That's just sad. Get a puppy if you crave attention that much. Like Pao Pao, one of my "uncoomon" faves is a cookie. The Coco-Loco cookie at Tomatoe Fresh Food Cafe on Cambie is without a doubt my favorite cookie anywhere. Even better than the PB cookies mom used to make. The Pork Tomales at La Salza deli in North Burnaby are worth the trip, but their home made salsas guild the lilly. The shoestring fries at Havana. They usually come with the Tito Puente, but I'll often order a plate of them and a mojito, sit on the patio and watch the freaks go by A.

This is yet another example of "just because you can doesn't mean you should" Put me down for (D) A.

[host] Time to get this thread back on track. We're here to discuss the food scene on Main Street. Further discussion of reviews or reviewers will be removed. There are many many many ... discussions on reviews and reviewers over in Food Media and General Foods. Fill your boots over there. Trust me, Ms. Gill isn't the only reviewer pissing people off. A. In case you're wondering ... I have a buzzer that goes off every time the word "Gill" turns up in this forum [/host]

I don't think I can post in the calender thread but is the $62.50 per person on top of the ingredients brought to the restaurant? Just double checking! ← fud, You're right, you can't post in the calendar. The cost of the food for the "black box" is in addition to the $62.50. The $62.50 does include all the wine, one cocktail and coffee/tea. A steal really! A.

If you want a really special 30th birthday dinner, how about THIS Black Box dinner? A surprise for both you AND the chef! A.

Damn you Wyles! I just spit coffee all over my keyboard! Yeah, and I made up for your lack of drinking! I'm glad you said that. I wasn't disputing what LB said, just contrasting it to my experience. A.

Another Rare experience ... J & I arrived for our 8pm reservation (yay! Open Table!), were seated promptly and left with the cocktail/wine menu to peruse. J ordered a French 75 and I a Negroni (which Tim informed me was almost left off the menu until he read about the Negroni on the menu at Nu ... courtesy of eGullet). Ordering was easy ... since I've known Brian for a while (disclosure) we simply left the food up to him and Chef Quang, and the wines up to Tim ... the ultimate way to have a relaxing evening. I don't have a blow-by-blow of our meals as I refused to bring the camera, and we enjoyed way too much wine for coherent note taking. However, there were some stand-outs I remember ... Seared Foie Gras served on Mushrooms (chantrelles?) and Greens (arugula?). J is not a fan of foie, but the citrus sauce served with this dish cut through the richness and made this my favourite foie dish ever. J finished all hers ... 'nuff said. Quali stuffed with Sweetbreads. I promised Quang I'd be returning to have this for breakfast provided he'd poach me a couple eggs I agree with LB that this dish could rival any in the city. Braised Beef Cheeks. This is where LB and I differ. The cheeks we had were fall-apart tender. Seriously, I could have used chopsticks to eat this dish ... and LB & I were there on the same night. Give it another chance because it was awesome. Only improvement for me would be a bit more marrow. Spanish Cheese Plate. Let me echo my wonderment at Quang's enthusiasm for these cheeses! Surely a sign of great things to come. Unfortunately, the Spanish Blue I liked the best has been scooped up by Rare. Diabolical. Service ... like I said, I was there the same night as LordBalthazar. I experienced the same service ... but unlike LB I would say it was "leisurely" as opposed to "slow". Fine line I know, but it's all about what you're anticipating. Speaking with Brian & Tim I surmised they're hoping to create a more relaxed experience ... take your time, the table is yours. Will this work? Time will tell, but IMO they'll need to address those diners who are looking to eat in under 2 hours. They exist, and will dine at Rare more often than the 4 hour group. I won't over-analyze at this point. It's too soon. But J & I really enjoyed our first experience. A.

Us too Rachel ... although they were a little small this weekend. Oh well, two heads are always beter than one A.

You have an address Gerald? Congrats on the addition to the empire! A.

My mother grew up in Kelowna, so pretty much all of my summers as a kid were spent there. What do I miss? Wooden boxes of apricots that my brother and I would devour as we returned to the coast via the Hope-Princeton in our old Chevy II station wagon. Somewhat related ... the small independent fruit stands that dotted the old highway up to Vernon. Flinstone's Bedrock City too Karole ... I'm renting space in the Subaru! It may only hold a dozen cases, but it's better than nothin. A.

By "other reviews" do you mean reviews of Habit, or reviews by Gill? Both would be correct mind you ... A.

Man, this would be the time to blow it out of the water!!!! steak, lobster, lots of butter etc/ ← My thoughts exactly! There would have to be some "forbidden" foods that you'd indulge in since it was to be your LAST meal. For me? Easy ... a bowl of my wife's chicken-corn chowder, pulled pork from my smoker, and chardonnay-braised lamb shanks (from Vancouver Cooks) ... all enjoyed with my wife and kids. Thanks goodness I don't need to worry about it untill January 17, 2058 A.