Daddy-A

Wow! Talk about raising the dead (the post, not the restaurant!). 3 posts in 3 years. So how about it? Has anybody been to Star Anise lately? It always seemed to me to be one of the better places in town, but that was before I was ever really able to dine on South Granville. Now it sounds like things are just ... sad. A.

Oh I'm sure that was the case. I agree, from Badiane's previous posts I have no question that there was/is no alterior motive here. My apologies if I implied otherwise. My comment, which I still stand by, was that the statement (highlited above) was not a description but a statement of fact. Saying that the "scum" on the mayo only comes from sitying out over night is the same as saying that they did in fact leave it out over night. Again, there is no proof of this unless somebody saw it. I don't disagree with the storage of the mayo ... but it's never tasted bad to me. My issue was not with what you said, but how you said it. Nit picky I know, but there it is. A.

At the risk of sounding like a shill ... on what do you base this opinion? One visit? I've been numerous times and have only experienced mediocre fries once. my emphasis This is the kind of comment that drives me nuts. I have no problem with you not liking the tartar sauce or the coleslaw. But to speculate like this is just irresponsible. Unless you work there, or saw the tartar sauce sitting out overnight, you have no way of knowing. Perhaps you like less oil on your coleslaw, perhaps the coleslaw was oily on that day. Those are all fair comment. Speculation is not IMO. Honestly, this isn't fine dining and I hope I've never presented Go Fish! as such. It's simple food, well done IMO. Maybe you expected more. A.

Returning to the original question .... Do you foresee this type of cuisine coming to Vancouver? Are we "ready" for it? Is there anyone currently on the radar who would undertake such a venture, or would it have to be someone new? What kind of molecular dishes would a Vancouver "el Bulli" offer, considerng our local ingredients? A.

What was he "not too pleased" about. His patios, or you asking about them? A.

I just don't think I've fully explored "normal" food enough yet. Once I've done/eaten it all, then I might venture into the world of Adria-esque food. I'm pretty sure it would be completely lost on me. It might be cool, and even deliscious but would I appreciate what went into it? Even Adria touched on this contact with "normal" food in the documentary, and also when he did the Q&A on eGullet. Interesting answers if you get a chance to read it. As to the likelihood Vancouver will see such cuisine ... if somebody can make a buck at it, I'm certain of it. A.

The family unit and I Sky-Trained it down to the dome this afternoon for Eat! Vancouver. Met up with Ling, peppyre and *Deborah*. Chef Metcalf had been there earlier, jamiemaw was "working" the show, and Edible Vancouver and wife were seen later in the evening. The joke on this thread was to go down and heckle Bob Bloomer. I wanted to, really I did, but when I saw him wandering around BC Place ine his PJ's ... well it all just seemed a little sad. Besides, the crowds he drew wouldn't have appreciated my sense of humour. The man has fans. We ended up watching Spicey Steve instead of Bloomer. Some of the others went to see the pjamama-ed one, but returned once he started making mac and cheese. Steve was awesome! He made this fantastic Prawn Sambal Curry ... very gracious man. We also saw Justin Ault (owner) & Takahiro Toyoshige(chef) from Happa Izakaya, David Hawksworth from West, and Ron Shewchuck's programme as well. Ron's the BBQ guy, and an eGulleter waiting to happen! Mark my words! The highlight for me was the BBQ guys outside! I so want one of those big smokers! We even met a nice group from Olympia WA who are not only champion BBQ'ers, but own a restaurant in Olympia as well. So we have a place to visit on our way down to the Brewer's Fest in Portland! I liked the show this year. The exhibitors were better than previous years. The big grocery stores were there but not at all dominant. The chef competitions were fun to watch as well, although some of the "hosts" need to work on their mike techniques. If you go (ends tomorrow) please take something for the food bank! It's a great cause and you'll save $2 off the admission! A.

There is a location just up the street from my office that over the past 5 years has gone through at least 3 different incarnations: Chinese » Steak House » Dim Sum » Thai. Each one of these places has been CASH ONLY, which leads me to believe a) it's a tax evasion thing, or b) the business is unable to qualify for credit services. A.

Wow! Nobody has ever copied one of my meals before! I'm honored. Looks really good too! A.

Lee, thanks for your review, which was pretty bang on my experience. I'll add that the quiche, although expensive, was very good. The Tomato-Basil soup was good, but I'll make the trip down Hamilton for Neil's soup over this one any time. And what was with the "PA" system? Minor issue (but quite annoying for me) is the stereo playing in that cavernous room ... echo-city! I have been to my share of Rush concerts ... if the Pacific Colisuem can get the sound right, so can LilyKate. A.

Too bad, I heard the secret ingredient was turkey. At least this time he would have had some time to think about it. I'm going straight to hell for that one A.

You mean no chef koo? A.

That's pretty common in the granite industry. Some granites are given different names by different fabricators to differenciate "their" stone from another fabricator. Example: Absolute Black = Absolute Noir = Nero Absoluto = Nero Asoluto = Zimbabwe Black Same stone, 5 differenct fabricators in Vancouver. Depends how exotic you want to sound I guess. A.

Well done! Since I'm too lazy to search through the thread ... what's the name of that granite? A.

Awesome idea for a new thread A.

Thanks for the feedback Rob (and to Andy for relaying it.) The fact that you made the effort to get this message to us even though you aren't a member speaks volumes, at least to me. Now, as for your membership in the society ... get on that will yah? A.

Aside from their "control issues" Sean, what reasons (if any) have been given as to why the umbrellas are verboten? Sounds like it's time to get Mayor Larry a plate of truffled scrambled eggs, a couple kolachy, some GBP and a bottle of Stolichnaya, and then camp his ass on the front lawn of city hall with Mooshmouse & the Lunch-Mafia. Umbrellas would be removed in the event of a downpour. A.

I think you live the closest peppyre ... you or Vancouver Lee A.

Somebody oughta ask Latin Quarter if they want to team up with Feenies and fight this. How frickin' drakonian! A.

An extensive article in yesterday's Vancouver Courier titled: The Price of Sushi. Discussion includes environmental costs of seeking out the fish required to satisfy our huge appetite for sushi, impacy on the local fisheries, and farmed fish . A good read ... A.

Okay, after this, nobody better be bustin' my chops for having Persian tea with my wife! A.

That sounds like a great trick. Whose names? Might have to try it sometime. ← Maybe she mentioned eGullet.

You poor poor poor man! Nothing a good week in sunny Vancouver won't fix! A.

Today, I finally made it to Phnom Penh! What the hell have I been waiting for? Shared a bowl of pho, the Papaya Salad, Garlic Squid and Baby Lotus Shoots in Garlic with a co-worker. Needless to say, neither of us had afternoon appointments The squid lived up to its reputation (the dipping sauce was amazing!), but the star for me was the papaya salad! I felt like a bit of a knob wondering where the hell all the papaya was, only to realize the shredded bits I thought were cucumber were in fact papaya. Time to get a large group together and really explore the menu! Monday evening Mooshmouse and family brought dinner from Da Francesco to our place after Ian and I returned from our bike ride. Enough pasta and pizza were consumed to virtually negate the exercise. Food was good, company was better. What was name of the scotch Ian brought? 'Twas very smokey! Monday lunch was at HSG with Neil. Cob Salad and a club soda. Gotta branch out from the tomato soup Saturday ... Happa Izakaya, again with Mooshmouse, Ian and their non e-Gullet friends for Ian's birthday. I really really really like this place, and was glad to see their remodel has not affectected the service or the ambience. Does anybody know what the "secret" room behind the new bar is all about? Many Kirins were consumed along with neggitoro, a couple of those rice-in-the-stone-bowl dishes (Asian names are tough for me to memorize ), Kobe beef carpaccio, and a mess of other dishes. Really need to visit Happa more often. A.

Chef Metcalf & I dropped by the Whole Foods in West Vancouver to have a look at some of the "stranger" produce. She handed me a Watermelon Radish and said I should buy one ... they looked "really cool" inside. Inside of a Watermelon Radish Add to that a belb of fenell, some evoo, fresh orange juice, salt, pepper, and you get this: Fennel & Orange Salad w/ Watermelon RadishL The radish tasted like, well, a radish. Nothing remarkable there. But the colour was amazing! A.