Daddy-A

While looking for some new ideas for rubs in my new Cook's Illustrated Guide to Grilling & Barbecue, I came across a "recipe" for Beer Can Roast Chicken. I've read about this before, but never tried it. As I was already smoking some chickens, this was the perfect opportunity to use up some of the leftover coals. "Resting" Roast Chicken Its "Perch" (I would have rather had the Stella to drink, but it was all I had in can form) Beer Can Roast Chicken, Roasted New BC Potatoes w/ Taragon (from our garden), and Collards Sauted with Bacon The chicken was AMAZING. Easily the moistest, most flavourful chicken I've ever done. This was also my first attempt at collards, so Varmint & Mayhaw and any other Southerners can: a) rejoice at the fact that collards have found another friend in the North, and b) be kind to me if it looks like I cooked them wrong. Wine was a La Vielle Ferme Rosé. A.

The Campari-Litchi is da bomb .... word. A. That looks even geekier in type than it sounds!

Doubtless the doughnut shop has a name, but I know not what it is. I will be through on the long weekend though, and should be able to tell you then. It's an independent, AFAIK. If you take the 2nd Merritt exit (heading north on the 5, where the McDonald's is) The Home restaurant is past the Petro-Canada, on your right. I believe it's past the ABC Restaurant, but it's similarly situated in a motel. I suspect the donut shop is a Robin's. I think this photo from the eGullet surveilance satellite should help us out: Yep ... that settles it. A.

Oh, I re-use them allright, if there's enough to re-use. I have a bucket off to the side where I toss the "keepers." I was asking more about the ash. After an overnight smoke there's a lot of ash to deal with. The Norwegian in me says use the ash to make lye, and then make lutefiske. Then the Canadian in my reminds me I don't really like lutefiske. I'm hoping for something inspired like lutefiske ... but I may have to settle for the compost pile. A.

I like the really really big Husky station in Chilliwack(?) for fuelling up. As kids, we were allowed to get a can of pop, a bag of chips and the latest issue of Mad or Cracked ... no Sick was ever allowed. We had standards. Today, we try to make a lunch ahead of time. Barring that, I agree with Deborah re: the Home restaurants. However 90% of my experience is with the Hope restaurant (old highway), which is on the way to and from our family cabin. No gas station is attached. For gas station food I guess the "best" IMO would have to be Chevron with the assortment of Bread Garden goodies ... sushi notwithstanding. A.

Bit of a drive for you I think ... it's Papagallo's, and it's in North Burnaby at the corner of Sperling & Hastings. A.

Okay gang ... time to get back to discussing Chinese food in Vancouver. Canucklehead's reactions (real or imagined ... last time I checked Skytrain was driver-less) to MSG belong in the General forum. editted because I apparently don't know the difference between Chinese food & a butcher shop. A.

I've bought buffalo at the Marketplace I.G.A. in Garden City Mall (corner of Blundell and Garden City), in the past. Perhaps phone them first to check? ← Thanks for the tip cayenne. Welcome to eGullet! A.

My experience is that many places won't cook it any other way than "well done" even if you ask them to. Our experience last night at Feenie's however would indicate that a med-rare burger is allowable ... either that or I just bought Chef Feenie a mess of trouble. Ironically I received my burger slightly-pinkish, yet I was never asked how I wanted it cooked. Damned if you do ... ← On the menu, it says that the burger is served medium. so I guess it's OK to serve a burger that's slightly pink in Vancouver after all? ← Yes, I now realise it did say "medium" on the menu, so now foul was comitted. Still, if they'll cook it medium, it would stand to reason that they would cook it med-rare? A.

One of the side-effects of grilling and smoking with charcoal is the plethora of ash and partially burnt briquettes at the end. When camping or at the beach, there's usually a disposal bin specifically for ash. But at home, I've just been dumping them in the garbage (after they've cooled down of course .) I've heard the compost pile works, but we don't compost (space & rat issues). Is there a better way? A.

I was thinking the server came to your table with a large glass jar, and the ingredients. Ingredients are tossed into the jar, and then ... ummm ... shaken. Don't credit me with this brilliant idea (please! ). KFC came up with the idea a while back CLICK A.

You've obviously never been to a Vancouver/Western Canada Burger Club dinner! Thanks again for all your efforts Andy. A.

My experience is that many places won't cook it any other way than "well done" even if you ask them to. Our experience last night at Feenie's however would indicate that a med-rare burger is allowable ... either that or I just bought Chef Feenie a mess of trouble. Ironically I received my burger slightly-pinkish, yet I was never asked how I wanted it cooked. Damned if you do ... I'll post pictures later, though judging from the number of pictures Moosh took, it probably won't be necessary. The burger at the Feenie's edition of Burger Club was by all accounts, very good. Meat was nice and moist, but most importantly tasted like beef. Toppings were simple (mushrooms, cheese & bacon), and I liked the little condiment trays. Mustard was an obvious omission IMO, but the two aiolies almost made up for that. The bun was excellent, second only to the Portuguese buns like Neil uses at HSG, but that can be put down to personal preference. Fries were a bit of a letdown for me ... but again, personal preference. This was not the penultimate burger I was expecting, but I suppose few things live up to their hype. I was eternally grateful for "J"'s presence at the table, since she, not being an official Burger Club member, was able to order something other than a hamburger. We split the burger, and the spaghettini (which was tasty although a bit stingy on the seafood). A nice way to avoid burger overload. Dessert was a shared assortment of gelato and an ice cream soda (thanks canucklehead ... it wasn't so girly after all! ) As far as an overall restaurant experience goes ... not bad, but not great. I try to avoid critiquing service when dining with a large group (we were 15). However, they did know we were coming, so I thought they might have put more than 1 server on our group. A table of eGulleters is not easy to handle once we get chatting, but our guy did pretty good. Still, he could have used some help. As an aside, thanks to Foodie in Vancouver (Karole) & Nels for hosting us before Burger Club. With no disrespect to Feenies, I could have easily spent the evening in Karole's back yard sipping "Tragically Vidal" and stuffing my face with that amazing bread! A.

They were open at the beginning of June ... in time for Hats' Off Days. Stuck my head in to have a look at the menu, but haven't had a chance to eat there yet, bu my neighbour (who first suggested Bombay Bhel to me) says it's a good burger. I'll go once my calendar opens up A.

Ringo & Gromit will be pleased. I on the other hand am only looking forward to not having to use the Jiffy-Johns between volleyball games. A.

Welcome to eGullet makan²! (sorry, lazy typist). I'm not sure if an italian sausage on a bun counts ... but they're damn good! Our local coffee place does them during the summer. Perfect with a Stella! A.

Damn! That's a hell of a menu! Looking forward to the next series of posts ... performed with over-fed and tired fingers I'm sure. Congrats from the West coast of Canada. A. ps - PICTURES! We want PICTURES!!

Time For Road Trip 2005!! Yes, the Canucks are back for the Oregon Brewers Festival. We arrive it Portland on July 29th, and leave on August 1 (which is a holiday for us in the Great White North). I've brought this thread back to the surface rather than starting a new one since there were so many good rec's my first time around. The full report of our trip last year can be found HERE. To summarize: we ate at Park Kitchen, The Delta Cafe, The Daily, and visited the Farmers' Market at PSU. We'd like to return to Park Kitchen, and will be trying clarkelewis this time around as well. The Canuck buck is a lot healthier this year, so the exchange is not as big an issue. Where else do we need to visit? Paley's has been mentioned a few times, and is really close to our hotel at Northrup Station. I also heard Low's no longer does the BBQ thing at the market. MAJOR DOWNER! Any alternatives?? Any and all help is appreciated, and as always, I'll be happy to return the favour should any of you come to visit us in Vancouver, BC. A.

I quoted Susan, not to pick on her, but because after reading her description of "church potluck" food, I said to myself "But I like scalloped potatoes and ham!" Not that I have a problem with introducing my friends and family to new foods, but I sometimes think I get a little too caught up in preaching about the "cult of food" to those who aren't interested in listening. It's like a friend of mine who loves golf. He's on the links every weekend, driving range a couple times a week, and most vacations involve golf. I know I look at him the same way some of my friends look at me when I wax poetic about the butt I smoked last week, the artisan cheese I picked up at the market or the week I'm spending with my wife visiting Okanagan wineries. I feel the only people in my life who I am obligated to share this joy with are my children (my wife comes along for the ride willingly ) It is my job to introduce them to all the varied aspects of life ... including food. But in the same way my friend can't make me like golf, I can't make my kids like good food. Fortunately they do ... and my little world rejoices However, in the spirit of Susan's post and this thread, I can tell you my wife & I did turn Christmas dinner on its ear a couple years back. It was less about wanting to introduce "good" food, and more about wanting to get rid of some of those dishes that appeared purely out of tradition, yet nobody seemed to like. Everyone really enjoyed the dinner, but the following Christmas, when it was my aunt's turn to host, the same old meal returned. My point? I cook and eat for the joy it provides me and those I love. I'm not trying to convert anyone. I just want to have dinner. A.

I expect most burger places in BC would be happy to cook your burger to doneness if they were permitted to by law. A.

Malcolm, I know... We LOVE our slurpees around here. That's not even takign into account how many 'slushes' are sold at Mac's Sev even gives out bumper stickers about it being the Capitol. ← The statistic I heard was that each 7-11 in Manitoba sells an average of 8500 Slurpies per month ... which is the most of any region 7-11 services. What I find fascinating is considering the winters in Manitoba (when I wouldn't think there would be a lot of Slurpies consumed - Pam?) that means the consumption in the summer months is even greater! A.

I was thinking about the same thing over the weekend. My son & I were camping on the coast of BC, and we were looking for oysters, or at the very least a decent fish monger where we could get some clams or something. Best we could do was a "fisherman" with a freezer full of salmon. (not saying there were no fish mongers, just that we couldn't easily find them) Yet on the same trip we were able to go to the local grocery store and get mangoes, papaya and dragon fruit. It just seems wrong. A.

Vera's has Hebrew National??????? I am so there!! Sorry, back to your burgers. A.

I don't believe I'm adding fuel to this fire ... "J" received this from Aeroplan today: Can someone explain this? Rob? I'd get it if this were Chapters or some place he could promote his cookbooks ... but Future Shop? A. editted to add: I found out Rob is there to sign cookbooks. Future Shop sells cookbooks?

You betcha they are. My son & I stopped in for a few Stella Bays before we took the ferry over to Langdale on Friday. Very fresh! What exactly qualifies as a "fish burger"? Does it require a patty of some sort, or will a fillet do? The grilled salmon & grilled tuna sandwiches they serve at Go Fish! are pretty awesome ... a perfect alternative when I'm not into the battered stuff. And, they'll cook it to doneness for you as well. Just ask. A.