Mooshmouse

you guys are good! saury pike it was and though it looks a little on the burned side It was one of the best I have eaten. ← Chalk up my guess to an episode of the original Iron Chef featuring a Saury Battle as I've never tasted it before. What's the flavour and texture comparable to?

It was a veritable pasta extravaganza at this evening's Serious Foodie cooking class. Linguine with Broccolini and Prosciutto Wine Pairing: La Vieille Ferme - Côte de Lubéron Blanc We focused our pasta-making skills on the tortellini that is to follow and used Rustichella in putting this dish together. Additional ingredients inlcude pine nuts, chili flakes and torn mint and basil leaves. Two more pasta dishes followed; because of time constraints, however, we split the fruits of our labours with another group of classmates. Our group was responsible for a meat-based pasta dish. Tortellini - Before I'll lay claim to folding the really cute ones in the back. Turkey/Ground Pork/Smoked Cheese Tortellini - After Wine Pairing: Cono Sur 2005 Pinot Noir What really made this dish was the addition of smoked gouda and smoked provolone to the filling. Delicious. Prawn/Leek Tortellini with Vodka/Lemon/Cream Sauce This was, far and away, the evening's standout dish. Large chunks of prawn in the filling that you could sink your teeth into, wonderfully accented by mint and leek, and topped with an exquisitely delicate sauce. I'll be repeating this dish at home, that's for sure. We also made biscotti flavoured with hazelnuts, cornmeal, lemon zest and anise seed. Although these were intended to be our dessert, I'm saving mine until I can enjoy them properly with my morning cappuccino.

You missed two of the best anecdotes, Wes: Chef Tony doing his "I-Am-A-Piece-Of-Pasta" dance and, "Punch out a couple of eye holes and, voila, it's Pasta Man!" For me, the best part of the evening was stuffing and folding the tortellini. It was as zen-like as kneading bread dough, especially once you get into the rhythm. First thing's first, however. Linguine with Broccolini and Prosciutto Wine Pairing: La Vielle Ferme - Côte de Lubéron Blanc Because it's about 7:30 or 8:00 by the time we get to eat the first dish, it always disappears the most quickly. This linguine was no exception. Wonderfully flavourful yet still quite light. Turkey/Ground Pork/Smoked Cheese Tortellini - Before To clarify one of Wes's photos, the browning meat was for the tortellini filling. The pasta rectangles that you see to the left are pasta testers that enable us to check for doneness without sacrificing an actual tortellini. I'll lay claim to the really cute tortellini that you can see in the background. Turkey/Ground Pork/Smoked Cheese Tortellini - After Wine Pairing: Cono Sur 2005 Pinot Noir Rather than combine our two pastas in one dish, we took a suggestion from one of the professional student assistants and plated each of them separately so that the sauces wouldn't compete with one another. Ground pork provided an added layer of flavour, but the combination of grated smoked gouda and smoked provolone was the real icing on the cake. Delicious. Prawn/Leek Tortellini with Vodka/Lemon/Cream Sauce This dish was, IMHO, the winner of the evening. Large chunks of prawn in the tortellini filling to sink your teeth into with such a lovely delicate sauce. I'll be repeating this one, without question. A photo of my biscotti will have to wait until I can properly enjoy them with a cappuccino tomorrow morning. I will say, however, that they were flavoured with hazelnuts, cornmeal, lemon zest and fennel seed. Took a tasting preview before the second bake... fantastico, even before dunking them into coffee.

Kristin, my guess would be saury.

The Vancouver Courier Monday, October 24 edition Healthy, but tasty, cuisine at cafe – Tim Pawsey makes a rare find in Serenity Natural Foods Cafe on West 4th Avenue, "a truly good cafe that comprehends the need for tasty and genuinely nutritious food."

Whoa, Daniel, your friends were just as fortunate as we were (recipients of Deborah's dinner). Three cheers for you!

My tart was really good, although I'll admit to the pastry being a bit tough. That being said, I wasn't responsible for said pastry, so I can honestly blame it on someone else. ← Our group's pastry, which was rolled by someone other than me, turned out quite well. And the lemon curd was fantastic: creamy, not too tart, not too sweet.

Was at the Kolachy Shop yesterday for a quick mid-errand-run afternoon snack and realized that a bagful of these would be the perfect food to have in hand while watching the game in front of my own 34" flat screen. No muss, no fuss and a relatively good projectile to throw at the television set when the Flames score. Alternatively, very easy to smuggle into the game and a helluva lot cheaper than synthetic GM Place fare.

I can certainly attest to the fabulousity of both the hostess and the dinner itself. Much love and care went into prepping this dinner and both really came through in the food. Standouts for me were the mushrooms, the duck which was remarkably tender and flavourful, and the Bosc pear which was, to be quite frank, akin to sex in your mouth. Outstanding Deborah. We are lucky friends indeed.

Damn, my late-night posts... I meant salty!

Yetty, one of my favourite simple desserts is served at Hapa Izakaya, a local Japanese restaurant. It's vanilla-bean ice cream, topped with sweet adzuki beans and chunks of senbei (rice cracker). Sounded weird the first time I read the menu description, but the textural combination coupled with the sweet/sour dichotomy is deliciously good.

Are you sure it's Typhoon?....As this place sounds very much like the location of Monsoon. Which I used to enjoy when they first opened....later, things got dicey. ← Nope, Irish, Monsoon is still open for business (good or bad) right beside Soma the coffee shop. The former Typhoon space is about 1 to 1 1/2 blocks south of that.

Yuji's Japanese Tapas, one of my favourite under-the-radar restaurants here in Vancouver, serves maguro and avocado together in a number of ways as noted here on their menu. If you click this link and scroll down to the bottom of the page, you'll see a photo of their Maguro Avocado Crepe. Delicious.

Lo and behold: a Dilly Bar... chocolate-covered ice cream on a stick. You're not missing anything unless you have a huge love for Dairy Queen's heinously sweet soft-serve ice cream.

Have camera, will travel as an eG representative. No funds however... I'll take you up on that $20 contribution. *continues to pass the hat Chris did say "she", didn't he? You gonna take one for the team and go under the knife to qualify?! Of course, you'll have to shave your legs too...

I'm not Andrew, but: Habit is going into the space formerly occupied by Typhoon on Main Street: 2610 Main Street at 10th, east side of the street. Sciue is downtown: 800 West Pender Street at Howe. Yagger's is at 433 West Pender; as Andrew said, across from Cassis and next to the Ramada. Sansafir is going into a space on the 1000 block of Granville Street. Century will be in the Richard's Street space formerly occupied by Lola's and Up & Down (the latter was formerly Ballantyne's): 432 Richards Street to be specific.

Lik 'Em Stix is what they were called here. I loved them too.

She? She? Did I hear the word "she" in conjunction with the words "digital camera"?

The Vancouver Courier Thursday, October 20 edition BC wine scores big out East – Our province’s winemakers stacked up well against Ontario’s best in the recent “Canada vs. Bordeaux” competition. (Tim Pawsey) The Georgia Straight Thursday, October 20 edition Best Eating: Om cooking – Angela Murrills discovers “peace, quiet, and solace for jangled nerves” at Dharma Kitchen. Best Eating: Tarts and other recipes don’t have to be lemons with the addition of citrus – Elizabeth Caton takes a closer look at tart treats. Uncorked: Would you like some wine with your snack? –Jurgen Gothe offers wine pairing suggestions for “a handful of [his] favourite tasty treats.” Food of the Week: Gevalia Delicatessen – Sky-high sandwiches on the North Shore. (Judith Lane) Drink of the Week: Thirsty Beaver Amber Ale (Jurgen Gothe) Straight Goods: C is for chocolate – Tri-Cities’ Chocolate Festival on until Saturday, October 22. (Judith Lane) Straight Goods: Greek Daze – 28th annual Greek Food Festival at the Hellenic Community Centre this Friday, Saturday and Sunday. (Judith Lane) Straight Goods: Kitchen clutter buster Clean out your cupboards and donate to the Vancouver Community Kitchen Project’s kitchen-equipment drive. (Judith Lane) Straight Goods: Mumbo gumbo – Get acquainted with Cajun and Creole cuisine at Ouisi Bistro’s Annual Gumbo Festival from October 22 to 29. (Judith Lane) The Westender Thursday, October 20 edition (Lifestyles section) With these WiFi eateries, you can kiss old ‘net’ cafes goodbye – Andrew Morrison goes in search of restaurants and lounges that are “wired to the gills.” A whole cellar full of good taste: Foodie Q&A – Profile of Michelle Bouffard, resident sommelier at Marquis Wine Cellars and current head of the Vancouver Sommelier Guild. Terminal City Thursday, October 20 edition Simply Red: Home cooking, Ethiopian style – Jason Webb finds “a singular sense of comfort” in the food at the Red Sea Café

Beautiful photo as always, Yetty. Pleased as punch to see you back.

Nothing to add to this thread, but I'm glad that you posted this absolutely hilarious story... you had us all in stitches at lunch today!

Wow. Welcome to the nuthouse, Anchoress, and brava for an outstanding first post. It's always great to add another East Indian restaurant to my limited repertoire; thank you for providing such a detailed writeup of your experience at Best Quality Sweets. I'm looking forward to reading a lot more from you!

Ian and I traipsed on down to Nu last Thursday night for a welcome opportunity to decompress from all the unpacking we’ve been doing as of late. To say that the joint was jumpin’ would be an understatement since every table in the house was occupied. As a main dish, we both enjoyed the Caramelized Lamb Cheeks: meat was extremely tender, sauce rather rich and flavourful with the fresh radish and mint topping offering a lovely taste and textural counterpoint. Unfortunately, truth be told, we were disappointed with our overall dining experience at Nu, due largely to a number of service missteps and a couple of unimpressive side plates. To Leonard’s credit, though, he was certainly responsive to our feedback when he asked for our comments that evening. I’ll likely give Nu another shake, perhaps for lunch one day to sample the oft-lauded Gruyère Onion Soup. However, I think I'll wait for a while until the opening buzz subsides and the freshman kinks are ironed out.

And then there's Spam, Portuguese sausages and eggs on rice featured on the breakfast menu at Hawaiian McDonald's.

Read more about The Inspiration dinner and An Encore Performance in Tim Pawsey's article in Monday's edition of The Vancouver Courier.