Daddy-A

Sounds like you have some experience there Keith. Anything you'd like to share? A.

I second that motion. All those in favour... ← Me thinks I'm going to be gaining a pound or 2 this year .... A.

Basil ... good. Tomatoes ... GOOD. Cheese (cottage) ... GOOD!. Cottage cheese is kinda like bocconcini that just didn't quite get it together . A.

Okay, but then aren't you giving credit to the "culture" and not to the chef? It's the corporate machine & the culture that creates the food and the environment to keep it consistent. I agree with you that it's consistant and I know I can't recreate it at home. But it's not the pimply faced "chef" that's responsible for that. He/she puts a burger on the grill, pushes a button, and flips it when a buzzer goes off. A. ps - You're on for lunch. I'll confirm they're open tommorrow.

Chef, McDonald's/KFX/J-Box? Really? I see where this fits into the "can't duplicate at home" criteria (although I can't imagine why you'd want to) but I fail to see where a pimply-faced fry cook working for minimum wage is putting his soul into anything. You'll be happy to know that Big Al's was open last I checked ... which was this afternoon. At least the signs were still up. He's at Renfrew @ First ... hardly the skids Brian! A.

Minor issue here ... all martinis are gin. Everything else is a cocktail. Now, onto the subject at hand ... I think those people you speak of live in Montreal Does anyone know what the criteria is for making this list? If Chambar is any indication, you need at least a year to get your act together. A.

When I was sales manager for a local kitchen cabinet company, I sent all new sales staff to work in the shop for a week, and then out with the install crew for the first two jobs they sold. Designers are notoriously snooty at times, especially towards trades ... this approach leveled the playing field, and also gave the trades a better understanding of the sales staff as well. Without good trades, my career as a designer would be over. So it is I suppose with FOH vs. BOH. A.

OMG!! Jamie got scooped! Feenie's? Really? I mean it's good and all. But top 10? Maybe if I had the benefit of trying every new restaurant in Canada last year (pause while I dream) for comparison. Then again, I can't think of anything off the top of my head that would take it's place. A.

Or at least try not to match the wood panelling at HSG! A.

Silent aution items are posted. CLICK HERE A.

Isn't this a case of captive audience and lowest common denominator? I no longer ski, but was a twice-a-weeker at Whistler/Blackcomb for years. The on-hill food was never great ... not even good. Once the tourist gates opened up wide (Intra-West and all that) it simply meant prices went up, and that some of the food "pretended" to get better. I'll never forget the $8 bowl of Red River cereal I had at Araxis in 1988 ... twice as outrageous as Fogg & Suds charking $5 for a box of KD! Places like Pete's Underground (good value for medicore food - only in comparison) couldn't deal with the overhead jumped ship. In a way, the magnificent terrain and awe-inspiring vertical (can you tell I'm jonesing to strap on the boards?) is Whistler/Blackbomb's culinary enemy. As long as tourists come for the snow, they'll eat whatever crap is thrust in front of them. The skiing is that good. The cuisine hasn't developed because it doesn't need to. What little has evolved in the village has done so in spite of this, and perhaps because summer-time visitors need a bit more than soggy fries. The comparison to Europe, or at least the Europe I have skied, is not a fair one. Whistler is alone in this part of the world. Don't even try to mention Grouse in the same breath. The number of hills around Ste. Moritz or Wengen gives rise to competition. Food becomes a way to attract the client. Then there's the whole "culture of food" thing So in the meantime, a visit to Whistler will see me with a backpack filled with cheeses, trail mix, bread, Nutella, and a bottle of tawny port. A.

Okay Paul ... West, then Chambar?? I see where this is all going Just promise us you'll give us a running commentary as you eat your way through Vancouver. Extremely jealous, A.

Are Tater Tots becoming the new LARB? I'm having Curried Potato-Leek soup myself ... with a nice tapenade-topped crostini floating in the soup. A.

Cobbs is to bread what Starbucks is to coffee. I bought some of their cinnamon buns a couple weeks back and was informed I'd "won" a prize ... 3 of their multi-grain buns!! (Who the f**k buys buns in 3's???) The cinnamon buns were okay ... not the best but certainly nowhere near as tastless and pasty as the mult-grains. We broke them up and put them out on the patio for the birds. A weeke later I was cleaning them up off th patio. Smart birds. A.

Do I hafta answer that Keith?? I agree with you, that's why I posted. I thought perhaps I was just going to the wrong places. The only decent breads seemed to be from the farmers' markets (can't remeber the vendors' names). Cioffi's carries Eco il Pane which I tried a couple weeks ago ... it was good, but not great. Keep the recs coming ... I'll post my findings. I also like Foodie's idea of a tasting. Perhaps we can work in some olive oil as well? A.

For God's sake Coop, only eat what is required to soak up the alcohol!! Neil & Brian are gonna put on a spread! BTW .. peppyre has it right. A.

Damn! You know my neighbourhood better than I do! Let us know how North Van worked out. A.

The Famer's Markets have closed, my stash in the freezer has almost run out, and I'm at least a month away from a trip over to Wild Fire. I have been unable to find a new supplier of good bread. The kind of bread baked with a nice crust that can be enjoyed without anything on ... the bread. Help, oh please help! I may have to resort to Wonder Bread! A.

Tricia, Up for a trip out to Burnaby?? Traditional Fayre and Meats 4022 Hastings Street 604-299-4912 They do haggis & black pudging and all that groovy stuff. A late co-worker of mine, born and raised in Glasgow, swore by the place. A.

And where else could yours truly get to enjoy the results of that experiment?? A.

Butter or Marge? ← [bart] Aye Carumba! [/bart] I'll 3rd the no-Coors vote, and I don't even need Tana's reasoning to support my decision (although it is now added to my ever increasing list of companies I avoid). How about some live Dover Sole to represent the Kerry "flip-flop"? A.

eGullet changing my life? You can't be serious! It's just a web site. We’re a collection of food geeks who tell anyone who will listen about what we eat, where we eat and why we eat. Our day is made if we spot bourdain lurking in a thread we started … our year is made if he posts in it. We know what spatchcoking is, see nothing wrong with owning more than 12 varieties of oil, and are more than willing to spend time helping somebody 3000 miles away from us figure out what to make with 1/2lb. of ground lamb, two gherkins and a Hershey bar. So it’s more like a club. Gathered together, we shed the “geek” moniker and become lovers of fine food and drink. Maybe I’m not so odd. A craving for real barbeque leads to a wealth of information, and even an on-line course. Cuisines spread across borders mixing with new cultures. Soon pulled pork is on the menu in Oslo, larb is served in Houston. Community. Definitely a community. We have a personal food critic in thousands of cities around the world. We wait anxiously for the next installment in the weekly blog … and not always for the descriptions of food. If we need support it’s there, if it’s asked for, we give. We gather together on-line and break virtual bread. Like a family. A.

Information re: the Silent Auction at Big Night is now post HERE A.

How about a kitchen designer??? And here I am having had a really light lunch to save room for a special dinner. You're killing me! Any sangria to wash it down? A.

One word for you ... JELLO! A.