Daddy-A

Sorry, couldn't wait for Thursday (apparently neither could Jamie ) I was having a bad morning and needed some cheering up. Nothing like deep fried fish for that Not a full menu yet at Go Fish!, but a good start. Started with the Salmon Wonton soup ... awesome! Perfect for a drizzly Vancouver afternoon. Salmon stock with ginger, cinnamon, spring onions ... very Asian with a nice bite. The wontons were excellent as well. I like salmon a lot, and the flavour came through, unencumbered by a lot of seasoning. A perfect contrast to the broth. Next was Cod & Chips. A lot of people like halibut better in fish & chips, and I'm one of them. But halibut is an easy fish to cook. The flesh is so firm it tastes pretty good even if not handled properly. Cod is another story ... succeptable to oily-ness. I figured if the cod was good, it would bode well for the halibut. Gord's batter is tempura style ... perfectly cooked and not greasy at all. The cod was very flaky ... a little "wet" though, although in my experience that can also be a product of the fish itself. Not a problem, just an observation. The fries (keeping in mind I haven't been to Chambar yet) were probably the best I've had in 10 years ... since the concession at Kits beach was taken over by the Parks Board. Fish and chips are accompanied with coleslaw: jicima, celery root, red cabbage and chinese pea sprouts. I'd go back just for the colesalw & fries. Go Fish! has the usual "just-opened" bugs to work out ... Gord forgot the wonton spoons, and they'll be switching to the Georgia Straight for wrapping take-out. They'll also be adding an awning, heaters and a wider counter in the weeks to come. Gotta stay warm and dry when you're eating lunch in January! Seafood selection will be fresh whenever posisble, so there should be some terrific seasonal treats to come. A.

First off, the IKEA end grain cutting boards are made of rubber tree wood, or at least the ones in Canada were (can't find them anymore ) Rubber wood is tropical and as such really soaks up enything you put on it. The purpose of the oil is to block the wood cells and prevent them from holding on to bacteria and such. As it turns out, the enzimes in woods like maple are pretty good at killing bacteria as well. Not so sure about rubber wood. Check out the John Boos website and click on the TIPS menu. They have a very comprehensive list of Do's & Don'ts for your cutting board, or countertop. Boos suggests a good cleaning and re-oiling "every few weeks depending on use." As far as how many applications ... I recently installed a 36" x 108" x 2.5" thick maple butcher block top on a kitchen island. We used 4 applications on unfinished wood at the beginning of the day, and another 2 at the end of the day. A week later, my client called and said the board was dry already. Luckily, I had left a whole bottle of Boos' "Mystery Oil", which I suspect is mineral oil. Hope this helps A.

Coop, Are their prices on Global any good? Some of my knives aren't worth saving so ... Christmas could come early. No Parkside since July? I hope it wasn't something we said Arne

You guys are awesome! Granted, I was hoping for an answer closer to: Once they're sharp, Lee Valley will be my next stop. Love that place!! Arne

I'm looking for a place to take my knives for sharpening. Turns out Corian cutting boards aren't so good for them ... who knew? I've heard of Knifex but they look to much like Coit vans. Not sure I trust them ... they might try and sell me a franchise. Any thoughts? Arne

So I made another trek by Go Fish! this morning ... and the windows were open and people were inside cutting fish! I cold have gone for some cod & frites at 10am, but thought better of it. Gord told me they had in fact had a small openning on Sunday and were giving away samples. Back at 12:45 to find the tiny (6 spots) parking lot full and a number of people milling about on the patio. A woman (I'm assuming his agent) was apologizing to a small group of people (I'm assuming press/media ... Jamie was that you? Never met you face to face so I don't know ) Gord muttered something to me about a "soft opening" and then rushed off to his tortila press (from San Fransisco aparently). I've seen enough episodes of Opening Soon to know a soft opening means "we'll get you your food as soon as we can, and after the VIPS are fed." Everything smelled good anyways. The menu was a collection of fish tacos, fish & chips (cod, halibut, salmon ... whatever's fresh & local) as well as a raw bar. Anyone want to join me Thursday for lunch? Arne

I'm a Cheerios and banana kinda guy ... and I have to make sure I have a banana in the very last bite. I'll often eat all but one of the banana slices at the very beginning of the bowl, leaving that last slice 'til the end. I'm surprised nobody mentioned how they eat their Oreos ... frosting first of course! Arne

After visiting my first Whole Foods in Portland this past summer, I was anxious to have one in my own back yard ... or at least only 1 bridge away. Then J reminded me there would be no aisles brimming with wines and micro-brews, and alas my enthusiasm waned. My last hope is they will carry the Polenta Chips I am unable to source here, and developed an addiction for in Portland. Arne

Rob would be a challenger I'm assuming. They seem to have their Iron Chefs already set (Batali, Puck & Flay), unless of course Feenie becomes that rogue fourth Iron Chef, much like Kobe - Iron Chef Italian. Rob could be Iron Chef Canuck and come out holding a hockey stick and a side of back bacon. Beauty! The Ryder cup was great wasn't it? Only second best to the US Basketball team going for Bronze in Athens! Arne

Foodie, I hope you've had a chance to do that reading. Had my head burried in the New Yorker food issue for the last couple of weeks. I am admittedly a New Yorker newb, but this issue may change that. Highlights for me: Two of the Cooking Lesson articles. The first, Killing Dinner deals with a teenager trying to one-up her dad by showing she can hatchet-the-bird on her own. Funny & poignant. The second The Long Way Home deals with an Indian woman dealing with her mother's rule over the kitchen. Knowing a number of Indian families myself, this one was right on the mark. The Jim Harrison article Annals of Eating tells of a 37 course lunch enjoyed(?) by one of my favorite writers. If you've read The Raw & The Cooked this makes a nice epilogue. There should be a warning after the article; "Don't try this at home." Calvin Trillin's Letter from South Africa talks about food nostalgia from a nationalistic p-o-v. Reminded me of backpacking in Skandinavia, really craving a bowl of Cheerios. Cheerios are no snoek, but I don't need to worry about the bones that could pass as "mouse javelins." A bit of lucky detective work helped me discover the meaning of Jamie's tag hidden in Kitchen Bitch by Bill Buford . Kinda like George Plimpton in the kitchen. A Kitchen Confidential flair to this article. Made me crave lingine alla vongole or at least some really good tortellini. Lots more to read! Arne

Just as long as he doesn't jump up on the cutting board and do his little dance afterwards. Moriomotto hated it when Boby Flay did that, and now that Flay is an Iron Chef (still trying to figure that one out) he's not as happy-go-lucky as he once was. The new series of Iron Chef America is being shot using a new production crew. They plan on airng 10 episodes early 2005. Don't know where Feenie fits in. Whatever the case, ICA completely misses the fun that made the original series so great. Rob should kick Puck's ASS. Arne

Great news Andy ... I'm sure the tourism industry here is very greatful. Any chance your visit will coincide with our "Big NIght" event at Neil's place? We'd love to have you join us! Arne

Does eating at Taste of the City count as eating out? And if so, so I count it as one experience or several? I'll let my feelings on the event be known in the appropriate thread, but to quote Mooshmouse - "meh". (1) Pho Thy for bahn mi (2) Tropika for Curry Laksa (a regular lunch haunt for me ... right acroos the street from the office!) (3) Subway with my kids after swimming. I particularly enjoyed the Sweet Onion sauce, and those cookies! MMMMMM ... full of wholesome cookie goodness. I agree ... great thread Moosh! Arne

What about "small plate" restaurants ... very popular here in Vancouver? Order several small plates amongst a group. Eat what you like. Order more if you're still hungry. I don't buy the overhead argument as a reason for large portions. Many places I have been to offer "not-so-hungry" sized plates. There may be about 1/2 the food, but the price is only reduced by about 1/3. Larger portions are simply the product of the value-for-money that many people look for. My dad (aged 60) was raised by a mother who grew up during the depression. If his plate isn't FULL when we dine out, he feels he's being gipped. "Super-sizing" isn't seen as a health risk because it's seen as a bargain first. Arne

Odd that the Vancouver & Victoria dates are absent from that list. Ah well, we all know when he's gonna be here Arne

Go Fish! update Was just down at the job site where they were bringing in a couple huge LP tanks and hooking up the gas. Gord was there supervising so I asked him when he hoped to open. He rolled his eyes and said Saturday. The gas guys confirmed they will be finished today, and Gord hopes he'll be testing things out either today or tomorrow. I really feel for the guy ... the shed was late, the fan motor was wrong, permits were fun as always. But he said he's really looking forward to cooking some real food. Arne

FORMER Mad Scientist? I find them a tad salty. Arne

So I guess I have very lucky terriers? They LOVE pig's ears! Arne

It's harvest time in North Burnaby ... or at least on our back patio. Now that the Vancouver rains have started we decided to clear off the plants. This was the yield: The eggplants & peppers will have to wait for another post, but the tomotoes were combined with some basil: and thyme: , drizzled with some olive oil and roasted with garlic at 325 for an hour to get to this: I borrowed this technique from Jim Harrison's The Raw & the Cooked. The rest is all me (The pesto on the right was tossed with some pasta to go with the main) The tomatoes were skinned & seeded and set aside. Onions were sauted and deglazed with some Banrock Un-wooded Chardonnay, and then the tomatoes were thrown in. Two fillets of red snapper are placed on top: and braised for 10 minutes. You're all gonna kill me, but we were so hungry I forgot to take pictures of the finished dish ... but it was yummy! We used the pesto with some linguine, and enjoyed the rest of the Chardonnay. Arne

Coop, Me too! Let me know if you hear when they're doing that, and I'll do the same. Arne

That's too funny ... I was there the same day also based on Coop's rec (don't let it go to your head ). I had the same Pho' as well as what I thought were Spring Rolls. They tasted strangely like pork ... though I'm not sure if it was pork in the roll or in the fat used to fry them. They were OK ... but the Pho' was awesome. I too used the front door, and felt very conspicuous doing so. Arne

Is the Goat Rodeo still in town? I though PETA shut it down. I'll take the over too. No hockey until Jan. When do the Ravens start playing? Arne

Jamie, Some friend ... it only takes a broken hand and you spill! All those Belgian fries are making you soft Maw. Fortunately as a long time resident of North Burnaby I have an "in" with the family. Seems the Don suffers from the occaisional lutefisk craving and my bestemor had his hook-up for a good 30 years. Nick and I sorted things out over a double espresso and a biscotti at Papagallo. Hope your hand feels better. Arne

J & I didn't start thinking about dinner until 8:30 or so last night ... and by the time the subject came up we both knew we were going out to eat. I've been driving by Osteria Napoli Ristorante on my way home from work for years, and have heard, um ... things about it. Sounds good. So we walk in through the front door of the restaurant, and travelled back in time about 50 years! Imagine every Italian restaurant you've ever seen on TV, movies, Norman Rockwell paintings, and then add rope ligting and several of those old Chianti Ruffino bottles with the wicker bases. In the back corner of the restaurant is Mr. Entertainment, a middle-aged guy with a Yamaha keyboard & drum sequencer, belting out old Italian classics from Lionel Ritchie & Peabo Bryson . The clientel for the most part is the cast from Mambo Italiano ... stereotypical yes, but nonetheless true. Bouffont hair, zebra-stryped evening dresses, and even a goodfella thrown in for good measure (more on him later). We were seated quickly, ordered wine & appetizers and perused the menu. While items can be ordered a la carte, the way to go here seems to be the dinner specials. For $27 you choose from a dozen appetizers, twenty or so entres & 3 dessers (includes coffee). We started with the bruchetta. I have to admit I'm sceptical about anything served on white bread. Too much multi-grain at home I suppose. These bruchetta were wonderful! Lots of fresh tomatoes, basil, garlic and really good olive oil. Anything darker than white bread would have distracted from the veggies on top. J ordered the stracciatella and prawns in tomoto sauce (sorry, didn't write down the Italian name). I had the atipasto and osso buco. J was so-so on the soup ... it's egg in chicken broth, and if the broth doesn't stand out, what's left? The prawns were really good though. Classic Italian Pomdoro sauce and LOTS of tender prawns. My antipasto was really well presented. Almost too good looking to eat ... almost . The prociutto was the stand-out, with the artichokes a close second. The osso bucu was good too, although I have to admitt, this was only my second time having it anywhere. To quote Tony Bourdain, I couldn't tell if it was veal, or "young cow." Both entres came with roasted carrots & potatoes. I normally don't think about the veggies ... but these were really nice. The carrots had a sweet glaze of some sort, and the potatoes with rosemary were nice and crispy. About half way through dinner, Mr Entertainment turns off the Yamaha, and picks up an accordian! It was like a scene out of Lady & the Tramp as he moved from table to table singing Italian love songs (in Italian no less). After a while he picked up the tempo, causing the "goodfella" next to us to break out into song. Not a quiet guy either ... and apparently singing causes him to want grappa. Can I fit in anymore stereotypes here? Dessert was St Honore cake for J, and Tiramisu for me. We didn't share so I can't comment on the St Honore, but this was the best Tiramisu I have ever had, nicely finished with a double espresso. All in all a great evening ... wait staff was attentative but not hovering. We both walked out well-fed, and wanting to return some day, which I feel is always a good sign. It's no Bis Moreno, but when I'm looking for sterotypical Italian, I'll take Osterio Napoli over Nicks anytime. Osterio Napoli Restorante 1660 Renfrew Street