maxmillan

I haven't found other pastry shops that are as good as this one on Commercial Drive. Which other ones within close vicinity do you recommend? I forget the name but there was a bakery that was sold to an Asian family (north of Frederico.) I use to buy my Saint Honore here but now it tastes like crap and so does the rest of the baked goods.

It seems like whenever I ask a serious question, my thread gets bombarded with comments which strays from the original question. Sorry guys, but I'm not amused. Anyhow, I ventured to Save-On-Meats today and had a plain burger with fries for less than $4. The owner of the store rents out the eatery to a family to run their business. The people working there are very friendly and seem to know a lot of the customers. We chatted with some of the customers and decided that breakfast is something to try, which BTW is served all day for what I think is the best deal in town. For those daring, I suggest taking a bus or walking it you're close by. Generally, I think you need to venture out to find some good eats. BTW, Cassis is very close by but no one seems to comment on the neighbourhood. I feel safer here than in Surrey.

My friend had a very good hamburger platter at this place. I had no idea they served food, let alone offer cheap cuts of meat. Apparently, it cost him only $4.50 for a 1 lb+ hamburger and fries, and they serve steak as well. Anybody buy meat here? Has anyone eaten here?

It's on 1748 Commercial Drive in Vancouver, around 2nd Ave and Commerical Drive. I had their huge ricotta and peach muffin, very good; marscapone lemon tart, yummy; a slice of mille feulle, lots of cream. I found the presentation very good but the price is what drew me in. Comparatively lower in price for something of similar quality elsewhere. I will definitely have to go back and try the rest of the pastries. Tried the baguette but wasn't too impressed, but it still beats Cobbs Cardboard. This Italian owner also has a restaurant down the street. They are opened M-Sat and closing Sundays due to low traffic. www.finezzedifederico.com

I thought I was the only one rolling my eyes about this I know we have many regional restaurants in the Lower Mainland but I think there are way too many Japanese restaurant. I had a relative who opened a Japanese restaurant in the West side. I assume they did very well as they are able to close and travel after a few years. Frankly, if cheap raw fish and rice and bastardized hot food is all they have to offer, then forget it. But it seems like newbies like the "westernized" Japanese food, hence, the proliferation. I'm still looking for real Japanese food that a friend once made for me...now that was authentic and there was no sushi!

Thanks for the suggestions. Looks like the possibilities are endless. Got to find out what Zatar is though. I don't want to spend the effort to make clarified butter, wonder if melting store bought Ghee give the same result?

I agree with Mix Bakery. I bought a pumpkin loaf which I ate on it's own. Their baguette had a nice thin crust with a velvety inside. Terra Bread is also very good. Fieldstone is good if you want to make the trip. All the suggestions above are good. Cobbs is definitely like cardboard and their sweets are mediocre. I make my own bread. If you do it often enough it's not a chore at all. Ive been experimenting with a spelt bread recipe which takes a little over an hour to mix and completely bake! Maybe you could do this with white bread. My recipe entails only one rise, in a warm oven. Then I crank up the oven to 350F without taking out the loaves.

I got myself one of those popcorn popping pans with the rotating handle. However, I need flavoring and would like to make my own. Butter is my favorite and I like to use a spray bottle to distribute the melted butter but think it will clog. I heard of spraying with flavored oil to use in the spray bottle but haven't seen one better tasting than butter. The spray bottle allocates less fat than pouring it onto the popcorn. Any suggestion how to spray the butter? I thought of spraying healthy oil, such as flax, and adding a powder flavoring. Any suggestion for flavoring? I like savory so sweet is out of the question. Thank you.

Went on Sunday to show my friend how good Go Fish is and they were closed as Daddy-A stated above. Too bad. Went to eat Vietnamese instead but I was sure looking forward to seafood taco.

JM, thanks for the info on Vancouver Cooks. Had the halibut fish and chips at Go Fish...very well done. It was the least greasy f&c I've ever had. I was the only one eating at 2pm. The fellow behind the counter said last Sat and Sun was a zoo and if the weather holds out, this weekend should be busy. Next time I go, I'm going to order the salmon and cod. The salmon is fresh off the boat but the cod and halibut is brought in. The Fish Taco won't be available for awhile. Looking forward to trying the grilled sockeye sandwich, grilled fish with glazes, salsas and coleslaw. I overhead "poor boy" oyster. What's that? I was told they open Tuesday to Sunday from 11:30 to dusk

I'm off to lunch at Go Fish the first moment I get. Thanks for the update. BTW, I was living in a cave. What is this book, "Vancouver Cooks" about? Is it a restaurant guide? recipes? Thanks.

After reading this post I went yesterday to see what the guffaw was about. I think the most impressive thing about this store is the deli layout and the lighting. The more mature staff seem to know their stuff better than Capers and Choices. BTW, the muffins are made by Savory Island Pie Company as well. I bought the polenta chips to see what the fuss was about. It's allright. I didn't see much difference between them and Capers and Choices as far as merchandise goes. However, I did buy some dark chocolates which they had cut up and wrapped in assorted weight; Valrhona, Callebaut, El Ray. Looked for any kind of apple dessert but the closest thing was a $20 pie which I wasn't going to invest in. So I tried their peanut butter chocolate chip cookie...it's allright. I would only shop here if I happen to be in the neighbourhood and if I'm in the mood to circle around for a rare parking space. There were a lot of construction going on so I'm looking forward to see what else is going to open here.

gala

I've seen this at the Farmer's Market. I believe it was at the Wednesday Nat Bailey's Market 2pm to 5pm and at the Trout Lake Market. She also sells garlic, too.

Stepho's -- blah! Or any restaurants where you need to line up -- blah!

Some good suggestions here as my birthday is rolling around the next month. I've always enjoyed the Keg's prime rib for both value and taste but wanted to try other restaurants. As value is top priority for me, Gotham and Mortons will have to wait. Interesting about Earl's - who'd figure? I've passed by Hamilton Street Grill many times; next time it will be a dine in. Thanks for the info.

A few friends of mine are debating as to which restaurant has the yummiest steak entre. One swears by Gotham but I think he's biased by the high price, glitz of the decor and prostitutes who eat there. Another likes the roast beef at Griffins. And another had the best rib-eye at Morton's. I don't think meat dishes need to be dressed up too much, just cooked right. Most times I ask for medium rare because I like it medium (most places overcook my meat.) Where does one get a guaranteed good meat entre in the lower mainland?

Great meat stores suggestion here. However, one bad experience with Armando's. I bought a marinated steak and it tasted off. I think they used their old cuts for this or it has been in the showcase too long. As for Costco, too many meat/chicken/fish recall for my comfort.

To keep the dough round as I'm rolling it, I turn it 1/4 to 1/3 way and rolling from center out. I turn it with cupped hands on the boards so the dough keeps a rounded shape. I do this until the circle is too large to turn with my cupped hands. So the outside of both hands are on the board (thumbs up) and my cupped hands shape the dough as I turn it. Hope that is clear enough. If the edges are cracked this minimizes it and I trim them off when I fit the round onto the plate. Thanks for the advice on freezing the pie and baking it frozen. I usually make a tester mini pie but found that the juice percolates through the edge of the crust and onto the oven bottom (but doesn't happen with the larger pies.) With this method I will make more mini pies for the freezer.

Wow, lots more to consider when making pie crust. I will make one by hand and compare it to the one made from the food processor. Before getting my processor I would cut the fat into flour but the crust wasn't memorable but that was very long ago. I bought a strange cylinderical glass bottle from an estate sale and was told that ice was put inside and it was used as a rolling pin. I haven't used it yet as I bought it for a conversation piece. I assume the ice would create condensation on the outside of the glass and render the crust too wet. But one could put their wooden rolling pin the the freezer. For a savory pie, I have some bacon fat and was wondering if this might work for a meat pie?

After many different crust recipes I've stuck with this one due to it ease of mixing and rolling. It looks very similar to yours. Yield: double crust 285 g all-purpose flour (2 cups + 2T) 2 T sugar 1/2 t baking powder 1/2 t salt 130 g unsalted butter (1 cup + 1T) 75 g shortening (4T) 90 ml ice water 15 ml fresh lemon juice Occasionally I exchange the all-purpose flour with varying weight of whole wheat, or I add wheat germ, flax seeds etc., making sure not to compromise the gluten with the sharp grains. I use a food processor to mix this, processing the dry ingredients first, then the cubes of fat, and lastly the liquid. I make two discs and wrap them in cling wrap. This way I can make a lot at once and pull it out of the freezer or fridge when I need them...very handy. One time I omitted the shortening and made it ALL butter...very yummy. I think I will do that from now on. They both puffed up quite well but was not as flaky as lard crusts. Lard will give you the flakiest crust and the most heart-blockage. I choose the healthier alternative. Good luck!

My friend helped me decide. We chose Parkside as he had eaten at Cru before and wanted to experience something different...and then we will have to try Feenies soon. But Cru is a must do as you people have said so much good stuff about it. Will let you know how it went next week. Thanks for your input.

After much surfing of this site I've narrowed down to three choices of restaurants to take my discerning friend for his birthday next week. I've not been to any of them and would like some input from those who have eaten in these restaurants only. Most importantly we want value. For one birthday we ate at Wild Rice and were disappointed. For the same price we should have ate at Bin. I think we paid for the furnishings and decor at Wild Rice rather than for the food. Anyhow, thanks for any input.

Oops, pardon my error. It IS a letter someone wrote in to the Vancouver Magazine and NOT an editorial. Thanks for the clarification. This magazine was sitting at my work's lunchroom and everyone who read it thought it was, indeed, a popularity vote for best restaurant. I will have to clarify it to them as well.

Where exactly is the Public restaurant and what is their price range? Thanks.