Daddy-A

I would love to hear more about Sharkeys. I'm a born-and-raised Burnaby boy. Sharkey's came into being just as I was old enough to drink ... but not in time for me to have enough money to do so properly. It was indeed in the old Royal Oak Funeral Home chapel. The building was originally right on the corner of Royal Oak & Kingsway. They moved it back to its current location as part of the reno for the restaurant. The big thing I remember about Sharkey's was the hours it kept. It was open until 5am! We'd stop by for Nachos, Deep Fried Mozarella Sticks and (believe it or not) Pasta Salad after a night of dancing at ... wait for it ... Coconuts (Kingsway & Gilley) or Diego's (formerly Sev's, formery The Gay Paris). Neil, I'm sure we crossed paths, although I'm sure I would have kicked your young punk ass back then for wearing turquoise. Burnaby guys wore navy. Sharkey's closed right around Expo, and evolved (or de-evolved) into a series of sports bars. Lame lame lame. The building went dark until 1990 or so, when it became the first of at least 3 Korean BBQ's ... all worse than the last. I lived in the tower in behind (Burlington Square) and can attest to all sorts of bizare smells that came wafting in through my balcony door. On a geographically-related note ... the KFC beside the old Sharkey's is one of the original KFC's in the lower mainland. It's been there, same building (same grease?) since at least 1965, as my neighbour and babysitter worked there since before I was born. A.

... which I still have in my fridge, along with two slices of the Pave. A.

As noted in the Vancouver Sun article, Rob Feenie served a tweaked version of his Iron Chef menu to guests invited for Sunday night's screening at his restaurant. Not sure if he has any plans to continue running it as a special. ← Chef Feenie also speaks about adding the Iron Chef items, including the Crab Panna Cotta in this radio interview (courtesy of CKNW). Fast forward to about the 35:15 mark. Some really interesting behind the scenes stuff ... and some dirt on Morimoto leaving in a huff! Thanks to CanadianBakin' for finding this! A.

This has to be my #1. My culinary experience has really only matured in the last 4 years or so, but the Granville Island Market was part of my life from about 1985-1988 when I worked at Longliner. There I was exposed to the world of fresh, local seafood thanks to Jim Moorehead and his wife Pat. Much like Bourdain's revelation in the south of France, my first oyster was experienced out behind the shop with a Granville Island Lager (my first exposure to micro-brews.) Jim insisted we try everything in the store at least once ... lucky for me I had already experienced pickled herring as a child! Having La Baguette just outside the back door didn't hurt either! Shrimp sandwiches on fresh baguette were a mainstay. My first fresh pasta was from Duso's, where I also discovered pesto. I don't remember the food being all that great at Expo. I agree completely with your point about it bringing expansion. Just think what 2010 holds for us. What about Joe's, or any of the dozens of espresso joints on The Drive? What about The Drive? Even today Commercial Drive introduces me to something new almost every time I'm there. Does The Cannery enter into the equation here? And speaking of Granville Island, what about Mulvaney's or Johnathon's? These places pre-date my culinary knowledge, but they seem to have played some roll. A.

I heard rumour you might have been eating that for breakfast! Colour me jealous. Then again, I was able to enjoy a nice Nutella Croissant this morning at the new deli in Yaletown, accompanied by a very excellent americano. A perfect start to another gorgeous day in Lotusland A.

Yes, welcome indeed! And thanks for reminding me once again that I have no talent. Lovely work, both the food & the photo. A.

Dean!! The language! I agree completely with your remark about using smaller one-two person operations. You still have to be careful with them ... sometimes they spread themselves too thin. But my experience is that the smaller outfits tend to take more responsibility for their work (or "pride" as Varmint put it), and for somebody like me who uses a given trade several times over a year, it makes it easier to establish a working relationship (i.e. they understand how I like things done). Happy Anniversary!! And Happy Birthday to the eldest Little Varmint. My youngest just turned 11 ... come to think of it, we took him to a steak house as well? (Umm Dean ... are we spoiling these kids?? ) A.

J & I may be going on Saturday with friends. I'll be sure to take notes. A. ps. I'm with you Keith! If it ain't gin, it ain't a martini.

Good question, I asked it - in a much less entertaining way - myself. I think the mid-eighties was a turning point for the better, but that may just reflect my vintage. Have we really turned a corner - I don't know. I think one "turns a corner" when one stops wondering if they have. A.

Sorry, I should clarify. Not all his comments are post ... obviously the stuff he does where he interacts with the chefs is "live", but the little snippets of information that get cut-in mid battle will have a different audio quality to them.. they're less ambient and are done in studio. This may not be fair comment as the original Iron Chef was completely post-production in that is was dubbed. For me, Iron Chef's appeal is the fact that everything is spur of the moment ... true they may have a good idea of what the secret ingredient is ahead of time, but all the prep/cooking/plating is done in one hour. That's pretty impressive when it takes me 15 minutes to make macaroni & cheese from a box! I think the show is much better because of the spontinaity, and if Alton or Kevin or one of the judges mess up, so be it. Nobody allows the chefs to do a re-take ... A.

You guys are sooooo slow! I even got the link in there too! A.

Andrey's at Parkside, a fave of this group to be sure! A.

Nope, Ming Tsai defeated IC Booby Flay in Battle Duck. A. (typo left intentionally )

Like Ling, I've been waiting for this battle as well. As you can tell, Rob Feenie is well known in these parts, and we're just a little bit proud of the Vancouver food scene in general. Even though ICA is a bit on the "staged" side, this was a chance for the rest of North America to get a glimpse of our world. I've been watching Iron Chef for a long time now, so I think I'm a pretty good judge of how each chef is doing as the evening goes on. What impressed me most about Rob's performance was how calm and cool he was. Even Morimoto seemed a little bit frazzled ... perhaps he was a bit out of practice? The dishes from Morimoto seemed a little "forced", almost like he was trying too hard to be different ... something of which he is often accused. I agree with Nullo that the Crab Naan looked good, I just didn't get the whole cheese angle. Again, we can't taaste it, so who's to know? Morimoto provided us with the best laugh of the night as he tossed those little crabs into the deep-fryer! If you've eaten at Lumiere, you knew Rob was going to do ravioli. Dear God! Did you see all the truffles he used! The group that watched the show with my wife & I last night gasped out loud when we saw all the truffles. And then to use the white truffles with the surf 'n turf. We're hoping he puts on an Iron Chef menu soon. This incarnation of Iron Chef is starting to grow on me. I'm not as bothered as some people here about the shows being shot out of order. What does bother me is: a) Morimoto's voice being dubbed when HE'S SPEAKING ENGLISH!!! (for chissake, use subtitles if you must!), and b) Alton's commentary bits that are obviously done post-production. It compleltely ruins the "live" aspect of the show. A. ps. One small correction from last nights show. Feenie was not the first Canadian on Iron Chef. Iron Chef America yes, but not on the series as a whole. That honour goes to Chef Michael Nobel, also from Vancouver. He also went up against Morimoto, but Nobel lost.

From a designer's POV, I really like what they've done with Chambar. 2 very distinct room style that blend well with each other. I've dined on either side of the "tunnel", and like each for different reasons. The dining room in particular with its amazing baquette and cathedral windows is stunning. My only comment is more of a trend in restaurant design than it is a fault with Chambar. The continued use of hard surfaces makes for a lively sounding room. My ears, having suffered way too many evenings being bombarded with Led Zeppelin, Yes and Queen under Senheiser cans, have a rough time hearing even my dining companions sweet utterings over the din. I'd be very interested to hear how FOH feels about the "tunnel." It seems this could be a difficult room to work. A.

FANTASTIC! Gotta ask what you served with it? A.

I've been frequenting the West Van store since mid-January ... I have a number of jobs in the area and it's the best coffee on my route. My experience with respect to staff is that they are as friendly and helpful as any of the other Artigiano's, and certainly as any other coffee house of the same ilk. I've reached the point where I'm even being recognized and my drink of choice is remembered. My only comment about the West Van Artigiano (aside from the cramped space around the bar) is that the complex it's in, The Marketplace (or whatever it's called) feels very Disneyland-ish. That chic feeling you get from having a really good espresso seems out of place in the faux-Whistler surroundings. Even The Home Depot feels kind wierd. I know Artigiano has nothing to do with this ... but I'm always expecting Mickey Mouse to bring me my biscotti! A.

Peppyre, Considering we made confit at the same time (where are those pictures anyway?)I feel I can comment with some authority here I too had some of that jelly on the bottom of my dish underneath all that fat. About 3cm or so. We've eaten all the confit (well, except for a bit of cassoulet in the freezer) and nobody here is ill. The duck that was in the jelly did smell a little "gamey-er" but tasted just fine. I remembered Culinary Bear's comment about letting the confit "develop" flavour ... I think this is what he was talking about. Now bring on the perogies!! A.

Where is Prado along The Drive: towards the north end or south end? ← Prado is on the NE corner of 4th & Commercial ... it used to be a Greek Cafe. Looks pretty sparce inside ... dunno if I'd say beautiful. Minimalist perhaps? A.

Sounds like Ralph has intimate knowledge of the contents of the bar at Wazubee. What say you eatglobally? Are you involved with these folk or just really like them? No worries either way, just wondering. J & I were at Bukowskis about a year ago. Won't darken their door again Too many better places on the Drive. A.

You handled Mr. Grumpy Talent quite nicely! Realy glad to hear Wazubee has changed. I was last there over 10 years ago. Loved the food, but found the service really surley. Twelve different gins? Sorry Moosh, I have a new watering hole on the Drive! A.

I like the way you think Rachel A.

I can only think of two, and they're about as diverse as you can get Homer Simpson: Duff Beer Ernest Hemmingway: Campari & Soda A.

It should always be this fun Dean!! You've done your homework, took your time finding the right people to do the work, and have a realistic attitude towards the project. [RANT]Unlike my current clients, who insisted on ordering cabinetry before we discovered whether or not a wall they planned on removing was load bearing. It was (of course!), and in fact was 9" thick cinder block Why, oh why don't people listen to me? Now they can't understand why they should have to pay for the first set of csutom cabinets they ordered, which now won't work.[/RANT] I need more clients like Dean! A.

That's up to you. I just found it ironic that people were concerned with your unintentional slighting of whistlerfood on the way to Sun Peaks. And you having to back away from your words and apologize etc... Considering the issue of supporting Sun Peaks or not was invisible. I guess, to answer your question, i was attempting to include the link/'issue' to the discussion. 3WC ← Considering this is a food forum, the issues surrounding Sun Peaks are irrelevant. While I appreciate your attempt to not discuss it in forum, posting the link qualifies as "discussing." Read about the Policy on Discussion of Politics HERE (CLICKETY). A.