Daddy-A

Once upon a long ago I shared a townhouse with 3 other people while we were attending university. It was a happy place. Many long evenings studying hard ... sharing ideas ... beers ... and really really large bags of Cheezies purchased at Costco. Healthy? Perhaps not ... Cheap? Damn straight! I left that townhouse over Costco bills. Sure we saved tonnes of money (I think our per Cheezie cost was lower than .5 cents!) but oh God did we consume! We had 20lbs to eat! After a while I got tired of consuming ... Today ... Costco is great for bulk staple items (tomato sauce, San Pelegrino, Nutella ) but lousy for produce. My one exception is the tub of organic mixed baby greens for $5. If you're a family of 4 or better it can work okay if you are carefull. Fewer people than that you run into the same problem I had in university. Sam Salmon'.s experience is typical I agree, shopping at the farmers markets and specialty delis is much more rewarding (Cioffi's on Saturday is a ritual)... but dang it, sometimes time and convenience wins out. DA

Talent - Yeah, well, I figured it'd be over Costco. Call it my one weakness for big box retail and accept my most humble and sincere apologies ... except for the big box of organic mixed baby greens salad! I guess if I'm royalty I don't have to apologize! BTW ... the Himalayan is at 50th ... so it must be All India Sweets at 49th. I thought Jenna would have been more a butter chicken girl ... DA

I'm no expert ... but any thoughts on Kaplan's Deli? I had a corned beef on rye there a couple weeks back that I could barely fit into my mouth! Split it up over 2 lunches. Nice dill pickles too. Knish anyone? DA

LOL! I love your posts Keith. And I agree with your assessment of "hardcore". My brother refers to the food found around the Pujabi Market area as "ghetto". I'm more a student of the Tony Bourdaine school of eating ... if it's good enough for everyday folk then count me in! I hope that's All-India Sweets and not the Himalaya you're talking about! The samosas at the Himalaya are IMO the best nosh value in the city. 50 cents each! I'm not talking gourmet or even healthy here ... but pure unadulterated chowhound nervana. Add a 6-pack of your favorite IPA and eat yourself silly. I grew up about five minutes from there. The restaurant is called Govinda's - 5462 S.E. Marine Drive, Burnaby; 604-433-9728. The statue still freaks me out. Kinda like going to Temple Square in Salt Lake City though. I agree with Keith ... average. But cheap. Other favorites ... Del-Hi Darbar (dosas!) ... Vij's (of course), Rangoli (3 times I agree with Jamie???), and another "ghetto" spot in Burnaby ... used to be "Planet India" (complete with neon paint & planets on the ceiling!) which is now part of the "Handi" group. One other small find ... probably going to get flamed for this ... but Curry-in-a-Hurry packages up pekoras and samosas for Costco. My kids like them anyway. DA

We haven't seen the new IC up here in Canada yet ... or at least I haven't ... being without an illegal sattelite dish and all. However, also being an impatient Canuck (waiting for Christmas morning still almost kills me) I have thoroughly enjoyed the comments in these threads. Trout ice cream? Can't wait! I have read the Tony Bourdain suggestion in a number of posts ... brilliant! Alton & Tony are my two favorite FN people. So, do we start a petition ... a movement? Thanks DA

Tip on take-out? I almost did a double take here ... but tryska makes a good point. I think it would depend on which take-out place we're talking about. For example ... My fave fish & chips place has different prices depending on whether you dine in or take out. The sit-down prices are slightly higher, I assume to compensate for the staff they need to serve it to you, clean-up, etc. However, the take-out portion of the place is a separate entity. I may tip a modest amount in the "tip jar", but I'm not taking anybody away from their job. If the restaurant in question did take-out as a courtesy (i.e. they don't advertise it as part of the norm) then I'm likely to tip a bit more as per tryska's comments. Hell, I leave any change that's not a loon or a toon in the tip jar when I buy my americano.

Thanks Owen for starting this ... Rather than start in the heart of Vancouver where coffee shops abound, I thought I'd mention a little spot in my neck o' the woods ... North Burnaby. In a part of Burnaby known for its Italian population there are starngely very few places to get a good shot of espresso. A few have come and gone (perhaps experiments gone awry) but Papagallo Cafe (6696 hastings - SW corner of Hastings & Sperling) has been pulling shots of espresso for over 10 years now. Originally in the Kensington Square mall, they were "encouraged" to relocate when a larger coffee chain decided to move in (sorry for the editorializing ... still kinda peeves me tho'). Their new digs, although smaller, are more "quaint" and IMO better suited to a shot and the morning paper. The coffee Pappagallo serves is nothing trendy. No "shade grown," "ethically traded" or "hand-picked by your favorite underprivelaged ethnic-group-du-jour" beans here. That's never been the point. Pappagallo coffee tastes like ... coffee. The latte, cappacino, machiatto crowd better like the tast of joe 'cuz that's what you get. For me. it was the presence of that slight bitterness in the coffee that won me over. It was a great change to Brand-S where everything pretty much tastes the same. The owner Pat, his wife (been going for over 10 years now and still don't know her name!) and son Rene have cultivated a loyal group of followers, many of whom still journey over from the mall. They offer a decent selection of baked goods ... their cheesecakes (home made) are INCREDIBLE. They also offer some light breakfast/lunch options ... my wife and I walk our Jack-Russels up there on Saturday for a latte and a breakfast bagel. Parking can be a bit if a drag ... there's a bit around the back. Otherwise you're toughing it out on the streets. Pappagallo Cafe 6696 Hastings Burnaby, BC

Wow g-pimp (or can I just call you G?) that was poetic. Well written ... truly. But somewhere along the way I think we have lost the intent of the thread. I don't think there was ever a question of IF we should tip ... but HOW. In an earlier post I mentioned about how I don't believe a tip should be expected, rather it should be earned. I suppose that might sound cold and heartless ... except I failed to explain how I ALWAYS tip the 15%, and that better service than basic gets a better tip. Haven't I been hearing the same musings from the teachers and the health workers? Hospitality is a thankless career at times, true. But that is hardly a justification for the need to tip. If working conditions were appalling as a result of bad tips (the lefty in me makes an unexpected visit) maybe we could make the connection. Like most occupations, the cream of the wait staff crop will rise to the top and make our forrays into the culinary worl all that more enjoyable. To those precious few I say a sated "Thanks".

Good topic ... My rule of thumb is simple ... take the GST on your bill & double it. Of course you need to adjust for service (or lack thereof) etc. 7% x2 = 14% I come from a time where a 15% gratuity was the norm ... not sure where 20% comes from. I sure don't believe in the concept of the tip being "part of the wages" of the wait staff. A tip is for service plain and simple. DA

Troll, actually

I agree completely! I express my opinion with my wallet ... not only by not returning (or suggesting it to anyone else), but also in the gratuity. The subject of tipping is probably another thread ... but it comes from the phrase "To Insure Prompt Service" (you all probably know that ... hey look at the know-it-all ). If I don't get prompt/good service ... no tip. Coop ... bad service at Brix? Last time I was there (about 3 years ago) it was okay. You aren't the first/only person to have reported this on this or other boards. Duly noted. DA

Ha! I know all about that smell! Try living over a butcher shop sometime! Or spending 4 summers working at a seafood shop! Seriously though, unless you're prepared, walking into this jewel of a shop can feel a little like a kick in the chest ... Then again ... I do like a bit of stinky cheese ... a pungent ghastly piece of stinky cheese! DA