Daddy-A

These are my favorite pictures (food-wise) so far Brian! It looks like a Star Trek deli! This is my second favorite! That is what a meal in the south of France should look like! Really enjoying this! A.

Well said. The Vancouver food media (all four of them ) tend to be very "flavour of the month." So does this forum. That's something I hadn't taken into consideration when reading the review. Probably because I was too busy, like Andrew, trying to figure out just who was doing the reviewing. Fair game is fair game and the honorable Ms. Gill (No reviews for comps? Good for you! ) is certainly entitled to write her impressions. In this case however, most of the impressions seemed to come from Ms. Morrow. The whole review just left me feeling like I'd just witnessed a couple of bullies picking on the school chess team. To quote Neil "what was the point?" A.

There's been a bit of talk lately about The Pear Tree (4120 East Hastings Street, Burnaby) and it's new remodelling efforts. I drove by yesterday to have a look: It's the grey "block" in the middle. Believe me it looks much better in person ... very clean, and far too hip for that block! Stephanie was outside supervising a delivery and told me they're hoping to be open next week! Same menu for now, but new items coming as soon as time permits. Stay tuned! A.

[host] Just a reminder from your friendly-neighbourhood host that the discussion here needs to be about where to procure chocolate regionally and not about chocolate generally. There are numerous chocolate discussions over in Pastry & Baking as well as Cooking. Off to buy me a Snickers! Thanks [/host]

Perhaps that there were not better cooks in my family. Other than that I have no regrets. Every culinary nightmare I may have had to endure in my life has brought me to where I am today, so how could I regret them? I was always an adventurous eater, so I didn't pass on anything put in front of me. Grandma didn't have any "secret" recipes, so there were none to learn. I know that's not in the spirit of this thread ... but I guess I'm pretty lucky. A.

You should ask in the Cooking forum. More people to reply. A.

[host] Enough has been said about the web site, and I've pruned a few posts that focused on just the site (some remained for continuity's sake). Tune in next week when we can actually critique the FOOD! Seriously, let's move on. A. [/host]

Well you didn't say anything about weddings! J & I went to a wedding there a couple years back and it beautiful. The food was excellent, the service near perfect and the setting can't be beat. Besides, it's in my 'hood so it'll be easy to crash A.

Now THAT's immediacy. God I love this site. A.

[host] Meanwhile .... Remember that topic? Let's stick to it please. A. [/host]

Lee, remind me and I'll bring you my Cooks Illustrated that has an excellent explanation of brining. Brining rules! Blunders? Get real dude! That food was awesome. Easily the best turkey I've ever enjoyed. My sons were still raving over the dinner yesterday. I have pictures which I will upload soon ... hopefully tonight. Thanks to you and yours for a wonderful evening! A.

You're right. You can't. But I don't think that claim was ever made. Sand out scratches - YES. Repair deep dammage - NO. A.

I'd say she's a keeper Chris! Happy anniversary! A.

Check HERE for a previous discussion on Edmonton eateries ... A.

That was better than one of the "shocking plot twists" promised on Survivor!!! Don't worry Chris, we still love yah! A.

Nothing sinister here as far as I can tell KT. Maw thought he'd mentioned Sam in the article ... he hadn't. Although I know of at least one earlier VanMag article where both Sam and Keith are mentioned ... fame is so fleeting. My earlier comments about having someone besides Jamie write the article had nothing to do with his abilities which are, without doubt, stellar. I only thought it would be a good chance to illustrate the contibutions Mr. Maw has made that he might be to humble to discuss himself. Andrew has made a good start at that up thread. A.

Chris, You're either brave or crazy ... blogging and hosting at the same time. I'm sure Andrea and Zeke are going to miss you this week! Very envious of Miss Silvia. What's the coffee culture like in Providence? Are there enough choices to make it difficult to discipline yourself to use your machine, or are you better off not going out? Good luck! A.

Hey...I don't even like chopped liver. ← Well, I just searched the article Andrew ... I didn't find Sam. Take heart in knowing that you not only got mentioned, but upthread, you're a "class act." A. uber-dork

The latest issue of Van Mag is out ... the cover festooned with the headline "10 years of Maw." Aside from the stunned look on his face in the "head on the platter" photo I enjoyed the article, although much of it we have been forunate enough to have read here already. I found it quite interesting that Van Mag would have Mr. Maw write the article himself, rather than having one of the new up-and-comers like Alexandra Gill or Andrew Morrison take a stab at it. LINK to the complete article [CLICK] Thoughts? A.

I'll second the Comte, and throw my favourite blue into the mix: Fourme d'Amber. A.

HERE is a discussion of last year's evet. You can also check out the Cornucopia Web Site. Anybody with any inside info for this year's event? A.

I think you hit the nail on the head there-it depends on what you feel is acceptable, as well as your own personal definition of beauty. I look at the scratches as character, as evidence that the counters are broken in and used. In the design industry, we refer to this as patina. As in, "After using your new soapstone countertops for a couple weeks, you'll notice they've developed a nice patina." Feel free to substitute the word patina for any of the following: rust, yellowing, peeling, dents, scratches .... Very useful! A.

[host] I've changed the title of this thread to better reflect the content of the conversation. Carry on ... A, [/host]

Yes ... shorthand R us. A

Susan, Did you let the temperature drop in the kettle? 220F would be to much for the water-laden zucchini ... as it looks like you discovered. A question on the brisket ... as you know, I am a Bullet guy. When you use the Kettle, did you have to add more charcoal during the 13 hours smoke? If so, how do you do that with the Kettle? Also, what wood did you smoke with? Looks awesome btw! A.