Daddy-A

I know you asked this of Megan, but after my recent visit I thought I'd add my two cents' worth ... I think in overall quality, French baking is way ahead of the game in North America. Like most things food related, bread is part of their culture. People walking home from work with a few bagettes tucked in a hand bag are a common sight. While it's true that not all the bread we ate in France was excellent, none of it was awful. The same cannot be said for the bread found around Vancouver. The best bread I've ever eaten comes from Victoria (Wildfire Bakery for those interested), but I've also some gummy crap from bakeries that shall remain nameless. A.

Christ Morrison! You're not looking for MORE work are you?? A.

I suppose it depends what type of readership you're looking for. If you're looking for readership that wants light-hearted pieces, then stay the positive route. If you want to attract "serious" diners, then you have to be honest, and "tell it like it is" with your reviews. Either way you'll piss someone off. Don't worry about it. Whomever you piss off is not your target audience. A.

If John Boo's is as expensive in Montreal as it is in Vancouver, I totally understand why you want to give them a miss. Fact is, while Boos is really well made, it's extremely over-priced. Some options: 1) IKEA. Believe it or not, you can get pretty good butcher blocks from the Swedes. They use rubber-wood rather than maple, but for the price they're a bargain. Buy 2 or 3. 2) Ask your local cabinet shop. I had my block custom made, and it cost less than $100 for a 2" thick board, 18" x 24" ... end grain maple. A.

Well, considering it's also used as flooring, I'd assume it would wear well for a cabinet door. I have no long-term imperical evidence of this, I'm just sayin' ... You should also make sure the bamboo "veneer" is as thick as possible. I believe the doors I saw had veneers that were about 1/8" thick. As far as looks go ... you'll know once you you see it if it's your kinda thing. Bamboo, like cork, has a very specific look. I like it a lot, but other designers I know don't. What I would do is perhaps break up all the bamboo with a section or two of painted slab doors or some other material. A.

Made the trek to the Winter Market today with J and my one son who has yet to find the joys of having a part-time job. Pros: Continued supply of Bad-Girl (Christmas Truffles!), Big Don's (Corn Relish), Little Qualicum (Sans Parei & Bleu Claire) and Bruthaus (Winnipeg Rye!). Cons: The Wise Hall on a wet Saturday morning is a crowded, humid little hole. When we arrived they were letting 20 people in once 20 people left. I know, the rain wasn't their fault ... but really, how unlikely is rain in Vancouver in November? All in all a good start. But maybe I need to make it my life's work to find the market a decent place to hold an indoor market ... preferably with lots of parking nearby. I'd even pay for parking. Looking forward to next month ... and to the Christmas Market at Heritage Hall. A.

Thanks a lot Karole! I went to the Broadway Maple store today looking for 5 bottles of a red wine someone recommended to me (I think it was you!) and lo and behold there were only 4 on the shelf! Greedy greedy greed!! Thank God the BCLDB is there to save us from buying too much! A.

My order's in. I'll pick it up along with the epoisses I've been dreaming about for the last 3 weeks! A.

You might want to check out the Vancouver Island Thread or this thread on what lies between Victorian and Nanaimo. I'm a big fan of the Szazz's ... his mastery of charcuterie is nothing short of amazing. A.

While I use bamboo primarily for flooring, I have seen it used for cabinetry. It has of course a very distinctive look, and as far as I know is only available in a "slab" door-style (i.e. no raised panel doors). Was there anything in particular you wanted to know about it? A.

Nope. Was the Jolly Genie for a while. Not sure what it is now. Why Chuck's Neil? Feeling nostalgic for urine-soaked ball rooms? A.

How about a restaurant serving nothing but cheese & charcuterie? Salt Tasting Room - Vancouver, BC I guess we're just early adopters ... A.

Not very unusual ... but Bachus Lounge at the Wedgewood has always been a favorite. edited to add: I agree with James ... NU, definitely. A. ps - Love NW Palate.

Megan, Sounds like our experiences at Aux Lyonnais were more similar than you might think ... Clue quotes aside. Our best meals during were not in Paris, and the best measl in Paris were not where we expected them to be. I chalk a lot of that up to experience (or lack thereof) but while I enjoyed Aux Lyonnais, I probably won't seek it out next visit. Yeah, we ran into that too. Fortunately I heard (and understood) the announcement before we reached Abbesses. We jumped off at Pigalle caught the Metro to Anvers. The cool thing about walking in from Anvers is that you pass all the "thrift shops" along the way to the funiculaire. The locals might not enjoy it, but there's nothing like watching middle aged women fighting over 10Euro shoes! A.

Is Ashton even old enough to vote? Seriously Jason, in the end it's just opinion, regardless of who's doing the review. Why should we listen to Maw, Gill, Steingarten or you for that matter? Find someone who has similar tastes as you, and then make up your own mind. About now you'll probably bring up the credibility and credentials argument (I'm guessing that's where you were going with the Kutcher remark). Again ... if my Aunt Shirley consistently directs me to great restaurants, I'm going to pay attention, regardless of the fact she's a homemaker and not an experienced food critic. As far as En Route goes, I think barolo has it right. It's a perfect media for food writing, and one I would turn to as a reference (amongst others, including eG) for direction were I travelling to points East. A.

Since I do this for a living, I hear many horror stories. Of course, none of them involve my firm (or at least were not my fault) The only real "horror" that comes to mind was a client who had selected a specific granite for her kitchen countertops. When time came to fabricate the counters, we discovered the granite yard had neglected to reserve the slabs for the client and had sold the last to somebody else. No worries, the next shipment would be coming in in a couple weeks from Saudi Arabia. Unfortunately nobody told the Generals behind "Dessert Storm" that we were waiting for granite. The ports in that area were shut up tight, and nothing would be coming for a long while. The entire colour scheme of the kitchen was based on the granite (aptly named "Dessert Eyes") so changing the colour was not an option for the client. 10 weeks later the granite finally arrived. To this day, I check with the US State Department before ordering granite from the Middle East A.

Andrew has a new website. Don't panic. Mostly harmless. A.

Adam's Guide will be a big loss. The site format needs updating, but there's an amazing amount of information in it ... although I could do without his rants on Tapas and Paella Anyone want to talk me into investing? Or maybe UrbanDiner can incorprate it. A. ps - 3000th post. I need a life.

Y'all are just pissed that a BC restaurant got top spot. The validity of En Route has been discussed ad infinitum in these fora. Here is the thread from 2005. Sound familiar? I have no more or no less respect for the En Route awards than I do for any other awards. 100% integrity is impossible. They're a guide, and will not make up for a crappy restaurant. What the En Route awards will do is give a much needed boost of business to a new restaurant ... just ask Marc of Brasserie l'Ecole in Victoria. A.

Great news for seafood lovers. Finest at Sea has finally opened it's retail outlet. This from Ian Angus of FAS: A.

I agree Sam. We saw lots of these in France (scandalous, n'est-ce-pas?), and even packs of "juice-box" sized wines. Still, they'd be lighter than a glass bottle in your pack. I'm just sayin' .... A.

Teamboom, If you click on the Front Page Archives at Urban Diner and scroll down to October 18th you can check out an advance copy of Durbach's menu for La Buca. As for Restaurant Connor Butler, the oddness is all part of his clever marketing plan. ← HERE'S a direct link to the menu. Don't get me started on Butler! A.

After reading Keith Talent's article over at Urban Diner, I found myself able to visit the new Bosa foods store on Kootenay. First impressions were good. Nice and bright with wide aisles. Selection looks really good, but I'm not sure if that's because there's a lot of variety, or just more of each individual items. The olive section alone will have me coming back ... they even have RED olives(??) The butcher's counter has a way to go before I chose it over Cioffi's. I'll have to take Keith's word on the pricing being good ... I was in between appointments and didn't have time to comparision shop. My only quibble is that it just doesn't feel like an Italian deli. Cioffi's, Grotto del Formagio and the old Bosa may all be crowded, but there's something comforting about that. Granted, I usually visit Cioffi's earlier in the day, and unlike the Talents I don't have rug-rats in towe ... but the narrow aisles and Italian grandmas shoving their way past you to get to the bocconcini have become part of the experience for me. Oh ... the loud opera music that plagued Keith's visit was not apparent during my visit. A.

I do believe that this requires some explanation ← Yes! I did buy several cellar rats! This is for Doc: EXPLANATORY LINK The cellar rat, or rat de cave is an adjustable candle stick ... quite ingenious actually ... that gets its name from the tail-like handle of the candlestick. Oddly enough, France was not the first time we had seen these. Just before we left for France, my wife, kids and I were staying at a cabin on Galiano Island. The owner used to live in Burgundy and had several rats de cave about the place. We didn't see much of the harvest Dave, but we did see and smell the result: tractor after tractor hauling grapes through narrow streets , and the ever present smell of Pinot in the air. Awesome! Your invite combined with Lucy's will certainly play a part in our next trip! A.

No idea really. It looked like an attempt to make the city feel more "period." Unnecessary IMO, but they were still kinda fun. We took the "Black Perigord" tour as advertised. No changes. And honestly I can't think of a single change I would make to it. Our second choice would have been one of the tours in Burgundy. A.