Mooshmouse

Some of my fondest vacation memories was the 5 days that we spent in New Mexico just after Christmas... I can't believe that 10 years has gone by since we took that trip. We had some wonderful food experiences there, and I can't wait to follow your blog this week!

That certainly was my laugh of the morning... thanks Andrew!

What a great topic! Though I remembered about 75% of what we served, I hauled out a copy of our dinner menu to refresh my memory on the specifics. Instead of going the big blowout wedding route, we decided to have a more intimate 40-person wedding and made it a weekend-long event. We were married in August 1998 on Salt Spring Island; my husband's family have owned a summer cottage there for 20 years, and we wanted to share this special place with those closest to us. Our reception was held on the lawn of an oceanfront cottage as there wasn't enough room on our property to accommodate everyone. With a jazz quintet playing on the deck, we dined al fresco under a summer's evening sky. Passed hors d'oeuvres included: - Grilled Salt Spring lamb skewers with minted yogurt sauce - Caramelized apple and blue cheese walnut filo purses - Grilled marinated prawns and fresh pineapple The buffet dinner consisted of: - Grilled seasonal vegetables atop a mixed wild greens salad with balsamic vinegarette dressing, pine nuts and asiago cheese - Thai breast of chicken in a lime and coconut marinade - Grilled Chilean seabass in a ginger-wasabi marinade with mango salsa - Baby new potatoes, buttered and minted - Lemon rice pilaf - Poached asparagus with olive oil and romano cheese Wedding cake details are hazy, but it had some kind of chocolate in it and was definitely delicious. Tea and coffee were also served (beans from Salt Spring Roasting, of course). We most definitely served wine, both red and white though I can't remember what, and champagne for toasting. Lots of beer... after all, it was an outdoor summer wedding... as well as rum and vodka with assorted mixers. However, I distinctly remember a bottle of very expensive and very tasty tequila making the shot rounds later in the evening. Do we remember eating? Heck, yeah... and we each went back for seconds! Would we do it again now even if it was more expensive? In a heartbeat. It was a phenomenal evening... now you've got me thinking about repeating it for our tenth anniversary. Hmmm.

A cob of the season's first peaches and cream corn, fresh out of the pot and as hot as your fingers can hold it. Something about that buttery sweetness always says "summer" to me. Fried plantains, buttered and sprinkled with brown sugar. A steaming bowl of sweet peas with a generous pat of butter melting down through it.

Yesterday: A dessert-sized portion of Gaufre de Liege. Beautiful Belgian waffle with warm chocolate, blueberry compote and vanilla ice cream. That little bit of crunch from the pearl sugar. Delicious in its simplicity.

Tired. So very, very tired. I'll endeavour to post some dining notes but can't guarantee any significant measure of coherence. Recently got home from our 8:00 p.m. DOV reservation at Chambar. Great dinner overall, but found it somewhat exhausting to converse rather loudly with our dining companion in order to be heard over the din of a jam-packed restaurant. The lineup was nearly out the door when we arrived; fortunately, our table was ready and waiting, so we bypassed the standing crowd. The Tourelle de Crevette et Crabe was my first course: a tower of baby prawns, crab, candied ginger and avocado salsa topped with tobiko and served on a bed of shaved fennel with pomegranate. Delicately flavoured, with little hits of candied ginger scattered throughout and 'pops' of tobiko to surprise the palate. I refused to share. Ian and our dining companion started with the Salade Folle: Belgian endive, watercress, pear, caramelized pecans and blue cheese with walnut dressing accompanied by toasted fig bread. Excellent flavour balance in the salad; well-proportioned amounts of blue cheese and dressing weren't overpowering at all. Beer pairing for the salads were the Hoegaarden and the Chambar Ale; I selected the Grey Monk Pinot Gris. For our main dishes, Ian and I shared the Lamb Tajine (braised lamb with honey, figs, cinnamon & cilantro, served with cous cous and zalouk) and the Moules-Frites Congolaises (mussels cooked with fresh tomato, smoked chilli and cilantro with a touch of coconut cream and lime). Probably the two strongest flavoured main plates offered for DOV. Ian declared them to be a good duo, whereas I preferred my girlfriend's Moules-Frites Cocottes (mussels cooked with white wine, bacon, vegetables, garlic and a touch of cream) as a milder taste counterpoint for the lamb. Les pommes frites were okay but not stellar in my book... Le Crocodile and Bistro Pastis take top honours for the city's frites IMHO. Of the two beers that Ian ordered with his main course, he enjoyed the Leffe more than the Saison Dupont for its full-bodied, round flavour. Unfortunately, I thought the Township 7 Merlot was a disappointing pairing as it seemed a bit too reedy and tart to stand up to the spicy boldness of our two main dishes. Peppermint tea was a lovely accompaniment for our Gaufre de Liege (Belgian waffle with warm chocolate, blueberries and vanilla ice cream). Gotta say, plunk's comment about pearl sugar adding a rather delicious crunch was bang on the money as the waffles were delicious. A small portion, to be sure, but anything larger would have been difficult to finish after such an enormous dinner. Service was as good as it could have been in such a crowded room. According to our hostess, they're averaging 3 turns a night for DOV, 3 1/2 on weekends. (On a tangential note, in checking Chambar's website for the specifics on Ian's beer selections, I found their music loop to be remarkably annoying. But, to each their own.) Chambar was a fabulous DOV choice. Thumbs up from both of us for a great overall dining experience in a hip, well-appointed room. It'll be nice to go back on a weeknight when it's a little more relaxed so that we can enjoy the atmosphere without having to yell across the table.

Hmmm. There's also Saveur, formerly Piccolo Mondo, and Bacchus in the Wedgewood Hotel. Both rather client-worthy.

Yesterday: Had a craving for greens, so it'd have to be my giant bowl of last night's dinner salad. A mixture of butter, green leaf, and red leaf lettuce tossed with shaved carrots, halved Concord grapes, green onions, halved grape tomatoes, sliced orange bell pepper, sunflower seeds and pine nuts. Dressing was sesame and shitake vinegarette by Annie's Naturals.

This afternoon, my Uncle introduced me to the Mayan Art Cafe, a brilliant little coffee shop in Port Coquitlam of all places. Located in PoCo Place, a strip mall at the northeast corner of Lougheed Highway and Westwood, it's owned by two friends from Mexico City who have taken a cultural approach to their coffee. The cafe is tastefully decorated with reproduction Mayan artifacts and wall scupltures. Cushy chairs and subdued Latino music made me feel like I was lounging in an art museum rather than a PoCo coffee shop. Shade-grown, fair-wage organic beans from the Palenque region of Mexico are fresh roasted daily on site. My Uncle deemed his americano to be fabulous, and my latte was pretty damn tasty too. Apparently, they use traditional Mexican chocolate paste to make their special hot chocolate, something I'll have to try on a future visit. Having just finished lunch, I could only find room for a chocolate-toffee-chip cookie, but their food board listed some delicious-sounding sandwiches; chicken mole is the only one I can remember. Open since November, I'm sure that this suburban gem will only get busier over time. I'll certainly be back. Mayan Art Cafe In the PoCo Place Mall 2275 Lougheed Highway (at Westwood) Edited to say that, NO, I'm not shilling... I just had a really great coffee this afternoon!

Yesterday: a heavenly dish of Khurri squash risotto at West Restaurant. Absolute bliss. And a simply perfect cappuccino to cap off the evening's meal. Today: relatively "meh" in the food department as all else pales in comparison to last night's dinner at West. My morning latte is probably tops on the list.

Though I'm late to weigh in my thoughts on this thread, I've got nothing short of sincerest thanks and effusive praise for Chef Hawksworth and everyone at West who contributed to our superlative evening. And certainly to Tricia for organizing our group of rabblerousers! Fantastic dining companions always make food taste that much better, and Arne and J. certainly didn't disappoint in that department... punctuated by the fact that we somehow ended up being the loudest table in the restaurant! Everything I tasted was outstanding. Sharing plates is, indeed a good thing. However, the standout taste of the night for me was, without question, the Khurri squash risotto. Phenomenal. An absolute party in my mouth. Thank you again Chef Hawksworth for such a wonderful treat. And our cappuccinos, care of Darryl, were lovely and creamy and delicately sweet... I'd have one every day if I could. I echo Arne's sentiments that I would've liked more time to chat with many others, especially those of you who are new to our local fold. But there'll definitely be a next time... sooner rather than later!

So much good food, so little time! Wednesday: Chambar Saturday: Circolo Wednesday: Bistro Pastis

The roasted garlic and shitake mushroom omelette that I had at brunch. And the king-sized latte that I drank with it.

My thoughts exactly FIV. Thanks Ling for the warning. I think I will cancel my rez. Mike ← I'll chime in to third this sentiment. Actually wasn't that impressed with Bis Moreno's DOV menu. That, dovetailed with mediocre to bad reviews from friends, makes me glad I gave it a miss too. But you'll have a stellar dinner on Sunday evening at West which will more than compensate!

Wanted to resurrect this thread and say what an enormous hit roasted cauliflower is with my 3 1/2-year-old son. Dipping it in ketchup is his favourite thing ever; he ate about 1/3 of an enormous head of cauliflower this evening and asked if there was any more. Needless to say, there were absolutely no leftovers between the three of us. Although he already likes broccoli, we'll have to try it prepped this way soon. Heck, I could even become a brussels sprout convert. You never now.

I rescind my earlier taste of the day. Bacon. Tops a freshly baked pineapple-coconut bun. Or almost anything else, for that matter.

Has anyone else tried Calbee Vegetable Fries yet? Our whole family has been hooked on these for quite some time now. It's frightening how quickly an entire bag can disappear before you're even aware of it. Light, crispy, not greasy and just the right amount of salt. Disappointingly, though, I've not been able to find a single box of Roasted Corn Pretz for months.

What about Fortune Garden? Same block as Cru, Velvet and Memphis Blues. With a 3 1/2-year-old son, we do our fair share of lazy-night takeout. I just picked him up from preschool, so I'll post my list at naptime.

That'd be Da Jeffy Boyz 'n Gurlz In Da Hood. Word to ya' mutha. Do they make leather chef's whites?

So far today: a freshly baked pineapple coconut bun from a neighbourhood Chinese bakery, warm from the oven.

Yesterday: the remnants of an Araguani Chocolate Tart left over from a late-night Vancouver eGulleter chocolate tart festival. Today: roasted cauliflower. And more roasted cauliflower. on both counts!

Oh lawdy. If it wasn't for sheer willpower, I'd be an absolute junk-food queen. How can anyone fail to find the appeal in grease and salt?! Or sugar and grease for that matter. Popcorn chicken from KFC. Dipped in gravy. Onion rings from A&W. And fish and chips. With loads of tartar sauce and mayo-laden slaw on the side. Sour cream doughnuts from Tim Hortons. And those bags of mini-doughnuts dredged in sugar and cinnamon that you can buy at summer fairs. Kettle Chips, honey dijon flavour. Skor Blizzards from Dairy Queen. Blueberry milkshakes from White Spot. All right. I must stop now. Just typing about this crapfestival of food is making me queasy. But hungry. Go figure.

Cooking with a hungry three-year-old as a sous-chef means that prep usually needs to be as simple and expedient as possible, and the descriptions of your meals are oh so wonderful. I, for one, will miss eating vicariously through your posts. And I'm sure I'm not alone.

Oh, you'll be eating dinner on Saturday?! It's nearly an exercise in futility to post right after peppyre since my dining experiences as of late pretty much shadow hers. HSG, Latin Quarter, Sun Sui Wah, Bravo Bistro: check on all counts. However, there have been other spots. A post-New Year's brunch at Seb's with Mr. and Junior Mouse that I've mentioned on the family dining/comfort food thread. Shitake mushroom and roasted garlic omelette. King-sized latte. Definite hit-the-spot fare on a chilly winter day. Cru for their Syrah/Shiraz Tasting and Dinner. Fabulous. Mark Taylor is a convivial and informative host. Our copy of the menu disappeared between the restaurant and the car, so I must defer to Foodie in Vancouver for actual dining notes. But the runaway winner wine of the evening was the 2002 Syrah from Township 7, with a second place nod going to the 2002 Shiraz Barrossa, Peter Lehmann. A girlfriend's birthday dinner on a monsoon evening at Baru Latino. Plantain, yam and yucca chips with guacamole as well as hogo and smoky chipotle salsas. Peruvian White Ceviche with fried capers, plantain and a drizzle of tamarind sauce. Cartagena Crusted Halibut served atop a plantain mash with tamarind sauce, roasted asparagus and cherry tomatoes. Mojitos and guajiros were what fuelled our craving for the eGulleter chocolate tart festival at Bravo Bistro later that evening. Seb's again yesterday for lunch with Daddy-A. My Lemon Pepper Spaghetti with seared scallops tossed in mango something something butter was delicious. And it was quite apparent that Arne rather enjoyed his Camembert and Mushroom Quesadilla (did I get that right?).

Fingers faster than brain. It happens more often than I'd care to admit. Stock numbers notwithstanding, I have to say that there are some pretty damn expensive bottles on the wine list. Mr. Mouse and I were speechless at the dollar figures, to say the least. A '95 Chateau Petrus won't be available at bargain basement prices. We now return you to regularly scheduled posts by smart people.