Daddy-A

Welcome to you new addiction mangez! I'm just wondering how we'll be able to distinguish you meaningless & silly posts from everybody else's meaningless & silly posts? peppyre ... you should ask for one of those new "pod" coffee makers for Christmas. I'm assuming they'll use the Illy pods, which in my experience make pretty damn fine coffee. Dear Santa, I've been a very good girl this year, but suffer from bad coffee jitters. Please bring me a new coffee maker so I can stop shaking. Love, peppyre ps. Can I get hanger steaks from a reindeer? A.

Yeah ... I had a small panic attack on my way into work (after I posted) when I remembered that! Nothing like making a blunder in front of the whole world to start your day! A.

I actually got my VCR to work this time! I'm no big fan of CC, but this show was kinda fun to watch. I'll give her (or her staff) credit for being prepared for the "interview" ... she asked some pretty intelligent questions. One exception - she kept mispronouncing the name of the book (lay-all instead of laze-all. Tony looked tired! You TO people need to get the Red Bull into him early! Or at least some of that calvados! A.

I feel so .... used! Wonderful summation of why I love this place ... and why I enjoy the company of all of you. I'm just afraid of all the food nerds and geeks, mouth-breathers and wonks that will wash up on shores now that the secret's out! A.

Until December 7, the fine folk at JJ Bean are having their annual Customer Appreciation Sale. Buy 2lbs of beans, get 1 free. And as usuall you get a free coffee when you buy their beans ... I was at the Granville Island location, so of course I had to scoot over to Lee's for a glazed old-fashioned I picked up a 1lb Nero Forte (nice & dark ... what I use for espresso most mornings), 1lb Palomino Espresso (something new to try tomorrow morning) and 1lb of their Christmas Blend which I will be serving on Sunday. Neil, you're close enough to JJ ... no excuse for buying bad coffee. Incidently, Starbucks owns SBC. It's just wrong on so many levels (sorry, it's the Naomi Klein in me ...) A.

First of all Ling, we must cure you of your Starbucks habbit. Once you try really good coffee, you'll wonder what sort of swill SB was putting in your Eggnog-extra foam-half whip-tripple shot-vente latte-for here. Espresso is typically enjoyed with sugar ... although I prefer mine without. Espresso with a bit of steamed milk is a machiatto (Italian for "marked"). You can vary the amount of milk ... but the idea is to taste the espresso. For me, I like steamed milk and espresso in equal portions. The foam is really just for show in my case ... if I'm making coffee for myself I tend to avoid it. Try this sometime ... go to Artigiano and order a single latte, a machiatto and a regualr shot of espresso (add sugar to the espresso). Try each in succession (latte, machiatto, espresso) ... finish them if you want to be wired for the rest of the day. Somewhere in there will be your coffee. On another note .... Has anyone noticed the change in service at the JJ Bean on The Drive? Apparently they've changed management ... to their detriment IMO. Service and coffee quality has really dropped off. What happened to Mary?? This has really fowled up my morning routine! First we lose Finezze Di Federico to Cobbs, and now this! I want answers now dammit! I need coffee ... A.

I was afraid this might happen ... Could be as bad as the big AOL flood of '95 when AOL started offering "The Internet" as part of it's basic service. Hi, my name is Daddy-A, and I'm an eGullet addict ... Guess we'd best order another box of decoder rings ... A.

Shelora, let us know when you've put a little thought into this okay? With food this good, I don't think you'd have a problem. As long as the place isn't draped in Mexican blankets and sombreros (i.e. cliche Mexican), I believe the West Coast palate is adventurous enough to try things out with an open mind. As long as the ingredients are good & fresh, the food will do the educating for you. Tequila is another story however ... getting customers out of the marguerita mind-set. We brought back some anejo, el Jimador & Jose Cuervo (sorry, liked the bottle), and none of our friends could understand that this was a liquor you sipped not drank out of somebody's navel. There is a small tequila culture in Vancouver, but it would need to be cultivated. Tamales! A subject near & dear to me. There is a Tamale thread over in the cooking forum. Until I get adventurous enough to render my own lard, I'll be buying my tamales from la Salza. A.

This was inspired by a post in the "Flavour" magazine thread, and a similar thread in the Montreal Forum. It seems we have some very strong opinions of the services and products (or distinct lack thereof) provided by our local liquor stores. What's wrong with the LDB? What's right with it? Is one store better than another for specific items(West 39th for example)? What are the best work-arounds to the LDB (i.e. private wine stores, VQA stores, etc.). Members in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba feel free to add your experiences so we poor BC'ers can read how it should be done! A.

8 out of 11 for me ... although I can't remember the last time I heard an Inuit burp. Kinda hard to hear anything over all the snowmobiles! A.

Two words for you Coop: The Himalaya Not as good a deal as the Sikh temple, but at 2 for a buck you can't go wrong. 49th & Main. A.

Jamie, once the link is up on the Vanmag web site, we've got to post this in Food Media & news! Can't you just feel the fame & glory?? A.

On a positive note, you're now perfectly suited for a career as a cat-burglar! Near disaster in the Daddy-A household as I was making demi whilst prepping for cookie making and at the same time ripping Christmas music into the computer (for Sunday ). Luckily J noticed the demi getting dangerously close to the roof-tar phase. A splash more stock and disaster averted! No I'm not making demi-cookies! A.

I knew we were "research"! The article doesn't appear to be up on the web site yet ... guess I have to go buy the silly thing. Maw owes me a beer for this! A.

Moosh & I seem to be stalking each other in the food department .... Yes, there I was at The Kolachy Shop. Noah wanted me to take him over to Dix for a beer and some pulled pork, but I fear his mother more than he does so I thought better of it Really liked the kolachy (indeed it was a Reuben - I must have been Jewish in a previous life), but the borscht was excellent as well. Thai Away Home is just up the street from my office, so I eat there a lot. I have tried many of their lunch items, but have found them all inferior to the Pad Thai. The Pad Thai is such good value too ... $5.50. No sign of Moosh, but I'm sure she was around somewhere. Wanted to take my sons to Go Fish! on Saturday, but made the mistake of waiting until 1:30. The parking lot was full ... of people! Is Vancouver devoid of fish & chips shops or is Gord slipping something into the coleslaw? On the upside, the boys now believe me that Go Fish! is in fact in business. We ended up at Kim Phung for Pho'. I am happy to announce that I have converted 2 more to the Pho' cause! (Pho Shizzle!) Even fussy R. made a huge effort to finish the whole bowl. Another reason this was a fortunate diversion ...I was looking for chicken parts for stock and there is a really cool Chinese/Vietnamese grocery just up the street. Moosh, you'll have to have Pho next. A.

[sing]Did you ever know that you're my hero???[/sing] I suffered through overdone roast, devilled eggs & assorted cheeses (each slice thoughtfully unwrapped) at a familly birthday party. I'm torn between awe, hatred & jelousy. A.

Tom & Gerry's on Hastings???? God, how the mighty have fallen! A.

We're not worthy! We're not worthy! Awesome. Truly awesome! A.

Stick to the food peppyre La Salza Mexican Deli 4140 Hastings Street Burnaby, BC 604 299-6485 Not so much a restaurant ... but really good food. The kids & I LOVE their tamales. A.

Chef Fowke (where is he these days anyway?) and I were reminiscing about Big Al's Soul Food on 1st Ave a while back ... not that this helps your search for greasy empty calories Keith Big Al's is closed now ... anybody have a clue where he's gone? I miss the cheesey grits and pork chops in gravy. A.

I've got the pizza, just no bottle The Firewood Cafe does really good pizza, but doesn't have much in the way of a dining room per se ... not a liquor liscence. 3005 Cambie Street ... right beside this cool little kitchen design studio A.

Taryn, Thanks for the details ... makes it easier I'll second Aurora. They do a really excellent brunch. Also consider Feenies. Other suggestions can be found here. butter, you've hit Jim's dead on. The things I like there are the run of the mill things ... Juevos Rancheros. Stuff anyone can do. I really want tolike the place, but kitch-factor alone just doesn't cut it. A.

Taryn, You'll likely get more/better responses if you give us a bit more details: How many people? How much do you want to spend (per person)? What part of town are you looking in? Any particular type of food? Help us out and we'll help you! A.

Thanks for reminding me about him merlin! He was a un-frikkin-believable! Reminded me of an electrician I once had. Me: Is that circuit live? Numnutts: (sticks screwdriver into socket) ZAP Nope A.

You should call it Caffeine Nazi ... No coffee for you! One month! God I missed you Keith! Welcome back. A.