Mooshmouse

West, hands down. We celebrated our anniversary there last summer and I'd choose it over Lumiere in terms of warm, attentive service for such a special occasion. If you discuss your concerns about dairy sensitivities directly with the restaurant, Chef Hawksworth and his BOH crew will deftly accommodate them without the least bit of sacrifice to the quality of your dining experience.

News, in a nutshell.

Especially if they're either Manolos or Jimmy Choos.

Chris, there is a vast difference between the way that Alexandra Gill excoriated Diva in her 'professional' capacity and the way that we "amateurs" as you deem us relate our dining experiences at a restaurant. First and foremost, we are paid neither to dine around town nor to share our experiences in print. We eat out because we love food and, in most instances, we love to gain new inspiration for our own home cooking efforts from the dishes that come out of restaurant kitchens. When we write, our aim is not to sell publications but, rather, to share our meals in a virtual way with others who may not have had the opportunity to dine at a particular establishment. For the most part, we are not vitriolic; on the contrary, I find us to be reasonable, intelligent adults who are rather measured and honest with our remarks. If a restaurant catches our fancy, then we'll return. If our dining experience was riddled with missteps, we'll either be truthful about it or opt to 'plead the fifth' on the eGullet boards so to speak, and we may give the restaurant a second or even third chance. But, come on now. Many of us are not of unlimited budget or resource and we have to maximize the benefit of our dining dollars when we spend them. In short, we food enthusiasts congregate here because we relish the opportunity to share our collective dining experiences. And, let's face it. You post here. You take the time to read what the amateurs are saying... unless you skim through a topic until either Andrew or Jamie's or Neil's or Leonard's name catches your eye. The professionals write the reviews, but the amateurs' money pays the bills. Edited to improve upon an amateurish choice of words.

Nice post TFA. Mind you, I'm biased since Prado Cafe is my neighbourhood coffee haunt. Thought I'd provide this link to the Prado pictorial from my foodblog for those of you who are curious. And a note on their beans of choice: organic fair-trade from 49th Parallel Roasters (Caffe Artigiano). Flavour profile is a custom blend of Timor, Peru, Guatemala and Venezuela (decaf is Peruvian).

Chris, you've outdone yourself. This description coupled with your photo and Bill's kitty-barf-purple-Freudian extravaganza have given me my belly laugh of the day. And Bill, I have little else to say except, "My. Oh my." Grub, thank you everso for starting this thread. Whenever I find myself getting far too serious about life in general, all I have to do is scroll through these posts and it all disintegrates into silliness again.

Just drove past one of Vancouver's ubiquitous hole-in-the-wall noodle joints yesterday: Kinda Japanese Ramen. I wonder what the word 'Kinda' is referencing? Is it implying that the provenance of their noodles is Japanese-Trinidiadian or Japanese-Danish? Or are their soup dishes actually a combination of ramen and tagliatelle?

In the vast wasteland of space otherwise known as the Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal, there is a beacon of light otherwise known as Salt Spring Roasting Company. Well, there and the gelato place in the summertime. Whenever I'm forced to dine on BC Ferries, I usually end up choosing a shrimp salad and an Island Farms vanilla/mango yogurt; it's a helluva lot better than most of the other alternatives. But, when in the mood for hot food (and I use the word 'food' loosely), then I'll order a chili dog. If you're gonna eat crap, then eat serious crap, I say!

The Vancouver Courier Wednesday, October 12 edition Great Cab for the bucks: no bull – Tim Pawsey shares a steak and a glass or two of red with Australian winemaker Hamish McGowan The Georgia Straight Thursday, October 13 edition Best Eating: Now that’s good readin’ – Angela Murrills asks whether “the market for food books reached saturation point? To judge from the quality of the stack on the kitchen table, [she]’d say not, and what’s particularly heartening this season is the number of regional authors.” Uncorked: Of cranberry wines and a turkey of a cocktail – Jurgen Gothe recounts stories of choosing the top 25 wines for this year’s Cornucopia in Whistler, of his recipe for cranaquavit and of the winning drink recipe from the World Cocktail Cup Food of the Week: Laughing With My Mouth Full / Tales From a Gulf Island Kitchen – A new local offering for “you diehard cookbook fans” (Angela Murrills) Drink of the Week: The Hite (Fresh Taste Beer) from Korea – Bunny’s Black and Tan (Jurgen Gothe) Straight Goods: A is for apple – UBC’s 15 annual Apple Festival this weekend (Judith Lane) Straight Goods: B is for butt shredders – Sample the wares of Rockin’ Ronnie’s Butt Shredders on October 16 at HSG (Judith Lane) Straight Goods: P is for party – Top local chefs dish on how to plan the perfect dinner soiree at the Vancouver Home & Design Show, October 13 to 16 (Judith Lane) Straight Goods: And pumpkin pastries too – Check out Chef Peter Fong’s new fall lineup of sweet treats at Ganache Pâtisserie (Judith Lane) The Westender Thursday, October 13 edition (Lifestyles section) Earl’s Paramount a prime destination for the hockey crowd – Andrew Morrison finds “plenty of excellent value and a much vaunted consistency [at this downtown hockey-night haunt]. Everything is over the top with a bang.” Mushrooms, meet dishwasher: Foodie Q&A – Profile of Adrienne Woolfries, co-owner of Citrus Cafe and Catering Co. Terminal City Thursday, October 13 edition Thanksgiving Dinner on Gossip Island: Home Cookin’ Gulf Island Style – Sarah When enjoyed her holiday meal in true west coast fashion

Roland Tanglao's VanEats blog had a quick mention of sciue. Opening soon on West Pender at Howe, it'll be serving what the proprietors have dubbed "Roman street food." Anyone walking by this location have a progress update?

Prior to Googling the recipe, I always thought there'd be either ground sweet potato or cassava in this. Go figure. The batch that I brought home the other day was pretty disappointing. They didn't have as rich an orange colour as these in the photo, meaning that they either shorted on the sugar or used one that wasn't rich enough. And they were too floury (is that even a word?) tasting, kinda puck-like and not gelatinous enough. Meh. That teaches me to buy from a source outside of the tried-and-true whenever I have a craving.

Thought I'd resurrect this thread and post a photo of some Filipino rice flour cakes. Kutsinta This is one of our household favourites; whenever I bring some home, I have to squirrel away one or two for myself before my husband and son demolish them all. Click here for a recipe.

Interesting you mention that, Ducky. I hadn't brought it up because of the change of ownership, but we always preferred takeout food from Original Tandoori King on 65th. I was steered towards that choice by a couple of East Indian friends and, after trying Tandoori King on Fraser Street once, stuck to ordering from the Original. Have you tried the food at Original Tandoori Kitchen since it changed hands?

BEHOOOOLD!!! Bernaise is the smartest woman ALIVE!!! Damn... that sounds so good. That should be the official snack of PMS. ← Years ago, on a weekend in La Conner, Washington, I found a heavenly PMS snack in a local candy/chocolate shop: black-and-white chocolate-dipped ripple potato chips. One end was dipped in dark chocolate, the other in white. The result was genius, sheer genius. Alas, the last time I visited La Conner, neither the candy shop nor the chocolate-dipped potato chips were there any longer. My hormones sighed a collective sigh of mourning.

A bit late to this topic, to be sure, but I thought I'd add this photo of a dish that a few Vancouver eGulleters made last Monday in the Serious Foodie Class being offered by the Northwest Culinary Academy of Vancouver. Seared Halibut with Piamontese Gnocchi in a Basil/White-Wine Broth We tried three different methods of making our gnocchi: with a board, with a fork and with the two-fingered technique used by Andy Garcia in Godfather III (cheesy movie reference courtesy of Chef Tony Minichiello). Chef Tony intimated that Piamontese-style gnocchi are lighter than those to which most people are accustomed. All in all, I figure that the gnocchi turned out fairly well for my first attempt; now I won't be so cowed by the prospect of trying to make them in my own kitchen.

Before the restaurant on East 65th Avenue was sold, these two restaurants were owned by feuding members of the same family. The one on East 65th Avenue is now the Original Tandoori Kitchen, part of a five-restaurant chain; though this is the location our family preferred, I haven't tried its fare since the ownership change. However, you can't go wrong with Tandoori King at 8017 Fraser Street. Clear as mud, no?! And don't forget about Grand View Szechuan on the west side of Fraser at East 26th Avenue. Was just there for lunch last week and the food was every bit as delicious as it was when they were on West Broadway. They're also fantastic for takeout; be sure to grab a menu Zuke, as I'm sure you're well within their delivery area.

Despite poison ivy and stuck-finger crises, the two of you have put in a wonderful week of blogging. Thank you for all your efforts... it's been fun!

Circolo is rather accommodating of cigar smokers on their back patio, or at least they used to be. I remember a ridiculously lavish business dinner from what seems like a lifetime ago which was followed up by port and cigars out on the patio... the rain that evening did nothing to dampen our merriment. Thankfully, we were living in Yaletown at the time and were only stumbling distance from home; after this dinner of great excess, stumbling was certainly the operative word.

Vancouver Magazine October 2005 edition Diner: The Mouth That Roared – After a decade in the front trench of Vancouver’s dining scene, our resident trencherman’s lusty appetites remain undiminished. (Jamie Maw) The Vancouver Courier Thursday, October 6 edition Inviting India spices up Davie Village – “With its modern style and accessible interpretations, [Tim Pawsey deems] India Bistro… a winner – an affordable, taste-packed haunt that may even require us to withdraw last week's mutterings about Davie Village being a dining wasteland.”

Taramasalata. Hey, as long as the wine wasn't retsina, then I figure you got off scott free!

Were they maple/butter pretz? They are my favourite! It has the perfect butter to maple syrup flavour ratio. If you like pancakes, you will loves these little sticks from heaven ← Cracked my first package of Maple Butter Pretz a few days ago and have been hiding my stash away from my husband and son ever since. These are fantastic! As you said, they have the perfect butter to maple-syrup flavour ratio. I also love the fact that the pretzel sticks are round as opposed to flat, giving me more surface area on my tongue to enjoy the taste.

And then there's the Vancouver WiFi Mug, a wiki focusing on Lower Mainland coffee shops and eateries offering free WiFi. The majority of these aren't licensed, but you may hit upon a gem or two.

Thanksgiving dinner is in the oven as we speak; as holiday head chef, I'm entitled to take a breather now (cocktail in hand, of course) while the other 'line cooks' in my family take care of prepping the vegetables. For 6 years in a row, I cooked both Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners for my family (translate: Ian and me, my Mom and my Aunt and Uncle). My only two reprieves were the Christmas I was in my first trimester of pregnancy (and incredibly green with morning/noon/night sickness) and the first Thanksgiving after I had Noah. Even then, I supervised the spicing of the bird and the overall cooking process. Thereafter, I came to an agreement with my family members. Thanksgiving is now annually hosted by my Aunt and Uncle, and Christmas is hosted by us. Whoever hosts supplies the potatoes and the meat -- either turkey or ham -- and my Uncle and I traditionally put together these main components of the meal. I usually do the cranberry jelly. Everyone else pitches in and brings whatever else is missing: vegetables, dessert, vino. And everyone's responsible for cooking what they bring. Best of all, since I do most of the cooking, I don't have to wash dishes afterwards. This year, we're missing one friend who was supposed to join us but was stricken with the horrendous cold that seems to be making the rounds. Nonetheless, she anted up with cornbread stuffing... can't wait to get a forkful of that. In return, we'll be bringing her a fairly hefty care package. Then there's turkey this year instead of the ham that we've had for 2 holidays running, organic baby carrots, the requisite brussels sprouts (even though these are an anathema to me, Thanksgiving just isn't the same without them), asparagus (yes, yes, out of season, but I love it), sweet Chilliwack corn and roasted garlic mashed potatoes. Since my home oven isn't yet hooked up, Ian ducked into Fratelli's today and picked up a couple of pumpkin pies that we'll serve with vanilla/nutmeg whipped cream. I brought over a bottle of Township 7 2004 Sauvignon Blanc that we'll crack at the beginning of the meal, and we'll switch to whatever red my Uncle has in the decanter. Time to check on the spuds. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Suggest that, perhaps, a friend could pick one of these up for another friend... and a Turkey Dinner one too while that friend is at it.

Oi, that's hitting below the belt... did you see what time I actually got around to posting my own photos after an evening of unpacking. Can it Salvesen!