Daddy-A

This was about 20 years ago, so the details may be sketchy ... I was recovering from a 4 week bout of mono & pneumonia. During this time, my appetite was non-existent ... I lived on dry toast and vanilla yoghurt, and lost almost 30 pounds. One morning, I woke up with the most incredible craving for a large salad bowl (yes, that specific) of Raisin Bran with orange juice instead of milk. Once I had convinced my mom I wasn't kidding, she brought me the Raisin Bran. One mouthful later I had lost my appetite again. DA

AMEN to that! Lamb, chevre & vodka ... that'd be my trinity. DA edited for spelling ... too much chevre

Wife & I were just in Portland ... My ramblings are posted here. I'd definitely put Park Kitchen on your list, and The Daily Cafe does a pretty good breakfast ... not decadent but good. Oh yah ... Low's for ribs at the market, but you probably already knew that DA

Barbara-Jo is sponsoring the event. Perhaps Mr. Bourdain would be interested in sampling some of Chef Fowkes efforts ... especially considering the great post that started it all.. There's several eGullet angles to be sure. DA

Hehe ... I think we can get some pastrami there too???? DA

Friday afternoon, mid-October shouldn't be too bad, provided "mid-October" is not the Thanksgiving weekend There are typically extra sailings on Fridays & Sundays in the off-season. Also, since they've improved the terminal at Horshoe Bay, it's not like you're waiting out on the Upper-Levels Highway like you used to. Once inside the terminal, if there's a wait, you can always drop by Troll's, Ya Ya's Oyster Bar, or the Boathouse in Horshoe Bay while you wait. I'd allow 5 to be safe. Kamloops is an easy 4 to Vancouver, and Horseshoe Bay is an easy hour. Traffic over the Iron Workers' Bridge is not too bad during the evening rush, even better if you're coming through midday. DA

Day 2 - Saturday I don't sleep well in the heat, let alone with much beer, wine, and port in the belly. All I can say is thank God for A/C! Breakfast was at the hotel ... continental style ... granola, yoghurt, fresh fruit ... everything one needed to purge the gastromic evils from the night before. An hour later (we chatted with a nice older couple from FL who were in town for a niece's wedding) we hopped on the Streetcar ... the Historic model no less ... and made our way to PSU and the Farmer's Market. A quick note to anyone considering visiting Portland ... use the transit system! Our transit system (oxymoron) in Vancouver could learn a thing or two from Portland. Not only is it efficient & cheap, it's a pretty decent way to see the city. The Portland Farmer's Market. What a treat! We've been discussing "farmer's markets" in the Vancouver, BC forum recently. One of the drawbacks we face is the number of non-producers that show up. I'm talking about crafts, services, etc ... things that aren't really farm or food related. Speaking with the people at the Portland Market, I discovered that on regular market days, all merchants must also be the producer. Only once a month or so do they allow"other" vendors in. This little bit of information would cause us a small challenge later on. All the great things we had to leave behind It was thanks to Nick's web site that I found out about the market, and his picture of the morells that made me want to go. I have never seen morells that big! The produce in general seemed bigger, and more varied than what we were used to. Unforunately, since we had an international border to deal with the next day we were unable to bring anything home. What we did do was sample some amazing baked goods and cheeses. From the Pearl Bakery we grabbed two panini: one chocolate, and the other fig and star anise. For me, this was an unfair comparison. Chocolate wins all the way. Nice dense bread with small chunks of melted bittersweet chocolate. The crust was nicely chewy, but not jaw-busting. The bread in the fig/anise panini was equally good, but the flavouring kinda missed the mark. Perhaps it was just the one we bought, but there were only a couple small bits of fig, and I couldn't take much in the way of anise. Lots of cheeses for sale ... one stands out, and that was the Crater Lake Blue from Rogue Dairy. I had just read about these guys in Northwest Palate so it was a bit fortuitous to find them at the market. I'm no cheese expert, but I know what I like in a blue. The Crater Lake was much smoother than other blues I've had, but still had that wonderful tangy-ness. Approaching noon, we started looking for Nick, who we were supposed to meet at Jim Dixon's place. Remember that market "rule" about producers only? Well, Jim is an importer, so he wasn't there. Too bad for me ... I was hoping to broker some time in Tuscany! Fortunately I remembered one of Nick's must-do's at the market .... Low's lamb ribs. While ordering Sampler Platter, I mentioned to the owner we had come all the way from Vancouver, BC to try these ribs. He clued in, and pointed Nick out to us. So Nick watched while J & I chowed down on the most wonderful BBQ I've had in a long time. We don't get real BBQ in Vancouver (Memphis Blue notwithstanding) so this was a real treat. We spent a couple hours with Nick, learning about the market and Portland in general. It was thanks to him, and other eGulleters like Jim and so many others that helped shape our trip. If I haven't said it already .... THANKS! Dinner after the Brewfest was SUPPOSED to be at clarklewis. But the wife and I aren't big on firm plans when we travel. Instead, we ended up in East Portland at a place called The Delta Cafe with a bunch of PDX'ers we met at the Brewfest. When in Rome, right? Sorry, no pix, was too dark "Delta" refers to the Mississippi delta I assume, as the food was a pseudo-Cajun theme. I say "pseudo" because A) I don't know that I've ever had authentic Cajun, and B) I don't think Cajuns drink Mojto's, or at least not Vodka Mojito's. I did. Not bad. My gumbo was pretty spicy, the andouille sausage was a little over-cooked but the prawns were nice & fresh. Prices looked pretty reasonable, and that's coming from a Canuck who's paying an additional 35 cents on the US dallar! The funniest part of the evening was one of our hosts, who upon tasting his Jambalaya informed the waitress he found it too hot, and could he please have some sour cream to help cool it down. The waitress replied that she TOLD him it was HOT, and that sour cream would only ruin it! He ordered another beer and di what he was told. Day 3 by Monday ....

What about a Vancouver eGullet dinner after Opus? Enough choices in that part of town to be sure From what I've read in his books, and seen on TV, I doubt I could keep up with him in the liquor department! DA

Including Moderation. I learned that from my father. Someone here quoted Julia Child when I said something similar to docsconz's "anything in moderation" The reply was: "I believe in moderation, and lot's of it!" That is SO my motto! DA

This from Barbara Jo's Books to Cooks latest newsletter: Anyone coming with me?? DA

I'll get Day 2 up by Friday ... these longer posts take quite a while to do! I have a new respect for the bloggers The soup was just like eating a fresh cucumber ... I'm sure there were herbs in it. Mint or selantro, but very subtle. I would have taken better notes .... but you did see the Negroni, right? And I'm sure I mentioned the Brewfest DA

I'd be concerned about the pine as well. Some designers say that with the stains and dirt the pine develops a "patina." I call it stained. It sounds like you don't want to change the wood in the kitchen, and I agree. Looks like you ran out of one wood and substituted another. CVT is cool. Have you considered linoleum? The good old stuff they used in schools and hospitals? One brand name you can look for is Marmoleum. Terrific stuff, and practically indestructible. We have 2 kids and two Jack Russel Terriers and it looks as good as the day we put it in. How about cork? I don't know if it is used where you are, but it was very popular with my clients 4 or 5 years ago. Looks good, wears well, and is easy on your feat. DA

Day 1 - Friday So after much anticipation, Step-Mommy-J & I packed up the Subaru Legacy Wagon and headed off for Portland and the Oregon Brewfest last Friday morning. I only mention the Subaru as it seems this is the official car of Portland. Seriously … check it out the next time you’re walking around the Park Blocks. We thought we had left late enough to avoid the morning rush here in Vancouver, BC, and early enough to miss the evening rush between Seattle and Tacoma. Unfortunately, nobody told us the Sea-Tac rush NEVER ends. Needless to say, by the time we arrived at The Inn @ Northrup Station (really nice btw!) we were both thirsty AND hungry. We had a quick shower and caught the Streetcar to Tom McCall Park. I’ll deal with our visit to the Brewfest in another post (link here). We walked from the Brewfest ... did I mention it was over 100 degrees that day? …up to the Park Blocks to seek out Park Kitchen. We chose Park Kitchen based primarily on the recs I received in this forum. I only hope I can return the favor to the same degree to any of you wanting to visit Vancouver. We were seated outside where I was able to enjoy an amazing display of 3-point shooting at the basketball court across the street. Step-Mommy-J started with a Manhattan made with Wild Turkey instead of Canadian Rye which we use up North, and I enjoyed a Negroni. Generous sized drinks = a good start. We opted for several small plates, rather than the appetizer/entrée routine. We usually dine this way at home since it allows you to cover a lot of territory. We started with the Salt Cod Fritters, Cold Cucumber Soup with Smoked Salmon, Cured Sardines w/ Fennel & Lemon and Flank Steak with Blue Cheese and Caramelized Onions. The Fritters showed a bit of whimsy I really like in this type of dining. They were served with a malt vinegar sauce and presented on brown paper reminding me of so many fish & chips dinners I had as a kid. I know vinegar & potatoes (or frites) seems odd to some of you, but it tastes like home to me. The Sardines won me over as soon as they were set on the table … I LOVE shaved fennel, lemon and extra virgin olive oil (sorry, can’t bring myself to use evoo), and the Cucumber Soup was the most refreshing thing I had enjoyed all day … including the Watermelon Heffeweisen at the Brewfest. BTW, by this time it was about 10:30pm, and still about 95 degrees! The Flank steak was something of a departure for me … I eat very little red meat, and rarely order it when dining out. But this had a healthy portion of blue cheese (sadly not from Oregon) crumbled over it! We could have ordered another without hesitation … but there was more of the menu to explore. Two glasses of Sokol Blosser Rose were ordered along our next round of plates which included some Tomato Braised Artichokes w/ Chorizo, and a salad of Albacore Tuna, Green Beans and Moroccan Olives. We weren’t completely sure about the wine, but our server Anna assured us we had chosen well. We now have 4 bottles of the stuff in our wine cellar which tells you what we thought. I’m not a wine expert, so you’ll forgive my clumsy description: Quite grapefruit-y (pink, of course) with a smooth finish (I was expecting crisper), hints of vanilla as well. Dinner finished with a Nectarine & Blackberry Crisp served with Almond Ice Cream, a glass of grappa for Step-Mommy-J, and some port for me. It was a wonderful meal despite the heat, and a terrific end to our first day. Park Kitchen has a permanent place in my PDA. It was now almost midnight, and still 95 degrees. A short (for us) walk back to the hotel (NW 20th & Northrup) and we rested up for the Farmers’ Market. Day 2 coming soon ... DA

My showroom in Vancouver is very close to a large collection of condos ... and if you think 1800 s.f. is small, try 400 to 600 s.f. in some of our bachelor suites! I tend to work with suites larger than that, but the kitchens are pretty small just the same. Yet, the most efficient kitchens I design are the small ones. No room for wasted space I suppose. Any of the cabinetry that employs "full-overlay" (commonly called European) construction will give you the maxium storage you are looking for. I have my own cabinet builder, so I've never worked (directly) with Siematic, Bulthau or Poggenpohl, although I am quite familiar with them. The next time you indulge yourself, ask about the "Blumotion" drawer glides from Blum ... the drawers won't slam shut. Before they close fully, they stop, and them slowly close themselves. Kessebomer also has some amazing accessories. DA

Dear GOD! I just discovered this thread today! Please tell me there's some pastrami left!! What makes this even better is that I live in Vancouver! Gotta make a phone call ... DA

Commercial appliances ... true commercial appliances ... are almost impossible to install in residential applications here in BC simply because of building codes ... in particular ventilation (HVAC) and fire codes (built-in sprinkler systems). The one professional chef I worked with who requested commercial grade Wolf ranges in his kitchen ended up scaling things down to "commercial looking" (but very nice just the same) when he got the quote for ventinilation and make-up air. There are many commercial looking appliances for those of us without buckets of money to invest. IMO, many of them cost extra simply because they are clad in stainless steel. Function should win out over form ... make sure it does what you need. I'm sure I'm preaching to the converted here. By the way ... nice kitchen robyn. The cabinets look European (10" high kicks). Siematic? DA

I guess it goes without saying that you'll have to make sure the flooring goes INTO the dishwasher opening in your new kitchen. Not that a new DW will EVER break down right?? DA

Yay Rachel! Couldn't have said it better myself. Of course there's also the whole stigma people have with regards to gas ovens & sticking heads therein ... I actually had a client pay thousands of dollars to have a 60" Garland range converted from gas to electric! Yep, there it was, this piece of culinary monstrosity, fit for a chef of far greater talents than the owner, retrofitted with ELECTRIC COIL BURNERS. I damn near died. I've had convection for 3 years now and would never change. It's perfect for baking (4 sheets of Peanut Butter Cookies at the same time!!) and it does a darn fine roast too. You'll have to adjust temperatures and cooking times, but with use it becomes second nature. Can't help you out with the ice maker. In Canada we just go out to the back yard and cut a new chunk whenever we need it. You may want to consider one that can accept door design panels so it will blend in with the cabinetry. DA

Okay ... I may regret this, but then again I'm a sucker when it comes to helping out .. Have I mentioned I'm a Certified Kitchen Designer? Mayhaw Man, I just got back from Portland (Brewfest) so I won't get a chance to check out all your questions until tomorrow after work, but for now ... Go with the bottom mount freezer ... most fridges today are equally as energy efficient, and I NEVER suggest a side-by-side unless it's at least 42" wide. Anything less and the fridge side isn't wide enough to be usefull (think party platters). After working with a fridge at an orgonomically proper height, you'll never go back. My sig has a link to my work web page if you want to check out my credentials DA

This is from the Molson website: The second part is of particular interest here. Aside from the fact that the Bavaria TV ads are damn HOT (thank you Molson!), the aquisition of Kaiser & Bavaria shows a trend towards market growth. I've had a bottle of Marca Bavaria ... trust me, they didn't buy the company for the taste of its beer! It's all about moving units. DA

Must be a Naomi Klein thing I guess we Canucks like good baking or we can recognize Atkins for what it is ... a diet craze. I can report a similar situation here in Vancouver. However, we are also seeing a rapid influx of the Cobb's chain out of Australia ... about 6 stores open in the last month! Nothing against Cobb's but I still frequent my local bakery. When it's time for birthday cakes, I'd rather spend an extra few bux for real butter cream as opposed to the oily mystery-filling they tend to use at the coporate level. DA

Tojo's, Parkside, and 3 babes at Skybar. I hope you're not looking for any sympathy here Andy! That's the kind of abuse I could deal with. Bring on the Okanagan! DA 3 days until the Oregon Brewfest!

God forbid. File Horton's under vile swill in the glossary. DA

I can't speak for all Vancouverites (despite my best attempts) but in our wine cellar we have about 75% BC wines. There are 3 general rationals for this: 1) "Provincialism" We like to buy local to support the region 2) Simplicity. Given there are vast numbers of wine producing regions in the world, and that focussing on more than a couple would be an injustice to all of them, we have selected BC as one of those regions. We also have wines from Australian, California, and 2 or 3 others. 3) Cost. We ain't wealthy by any stretch, and the local stuff tends to be better value for the price. Personally, I'm not all that concerned about "kudos" for the wines I order ... but I have received many upon ordering some of the better BC labels. DA

Oh, they'll be back. Sooner or later, they ALL come back.