butter

For me it's really hard to say whether a meal is worth it's price. Many factors are involved. When I sit down to eat I generally tend to not just think about the food cost, but the location, time spent there, staff, decor, service, chef's experience etc. I especially think about the staff. There's a lot of sweat, blood, and tears invovled when you choose to be a cook. For those chefs who have spent their whole lives training and learning, I really don't mind paying the dollars for all that education and hard work. But the problem is you are never guaranteed that the person making your food is the one you thought it was. How do you feel when a just graduated culinary student is making your $400 food? It helps to find out whether the chef/owner or exec chef will be present the night of your reservation. I don't mind if a student is cooking for me as long as the head chef is overseeing it all. It really comes down to your personality. For example, just last night I was at an event where a chef was demonstrating making paella. He talked about the cost of the saffron or olive oil and he asked how many people buy an expensive ingredient then when they go to use it they only use a tiny bit so it will last longer, but end up with a dish with no flavour. What's the point of a paella with saffron if you can't taste the saffron? I like to taste the saffron.

Automatic doors. Agree completely with the street food suggestion, my dream street food vendor would be selling takoyaki (wheat flour dumpling containing bits of octopus, ginger and green onions or cabbage with a sauce and sometimes mayonnaise) and taiyaki (a kind of waffle filled with sweet bean jam).

Couldn't resist this one. Your wife won't have to kill you, she can let the burgers do it for her.

I remember the o-seibo season well as my Japanese husband had a small business. I wasn't ever able to use up all the cans of tea we received and my husband laughed at me when I didn't want to throw the beautifully designed cans away. My first year there as a married "gaijin" was full of ignorance and bliss. O-seibo season is wonderful until you find out that you also have to send gifts too not just receive them.

When I lived in Japan, about 5 years ago, I had the most delicious sweet "mandarin" (not sure if that's what they are really called) oranges. Now that I'm in Canada I can't get the same sweetness and the amount of white, stringy pith is too much. I have bought boxes of these just to be very disappointed each time. Someone told me that perhaps I need to look for boxes that say "from Japan" (others come from Korea or China) on them so I did, but still not happy. Just wondering if you are all enjoying the same sweet oranges I did years ago or has the quality gone down? Or are we just getting the lower quality crops here in Canada? Last year, a flight attendant friend, brought some back from Osaka, and they were so juicy, sweet, and delicious. Some friends have never had the pleasure of the Japanese oranges, so they are quite satisfied with the ones we get here. Ahhhh, I miss the food in Japan, it is always done so well. (The exception is bread, but that's another topic.) Thanks in advance for your comments.

La Bodegas last night because there was an hour and a half wait at Bin 942 at 9:30 p.m. Too starved to wait. Had chicken livers in a cream sauce, (sorry can't remember the Spanish names of these items) which was great for dipping bread in, paella (very dry and tasteless), garlic prawns (okay), and baby squid with another good bread dipping sauce, and patatas bravas (yummy). Although the food is very basic and can be made at home easily, I really like the warm atmosphere and it's comfort food. Re: Go Fish. The fryer was down when I went there too a few weeks ago. Service was slow, I wonder if the same guy is still in training, but the smiles and laughter from Chef Gordon made up for it all. What energy! Great halibut.

Coop, was the Big Alfredo a pasta dish? If so, I wonder why you would order pasta in a fried chicken place? Just wondering. I had the gumbo and it was very seasoned. Although I thought the fried chicken was good, I won't miss it much either as I only went once when it was open. Has anyone tried the place at Main and 11th for fried chicken? I can't remember it's name.

Zacharry's on Oak at 16th makes good takeout/delivery pizza.

I've heard good things about Aurora's bistro for brunch. The Reef on Main St. is also good if you are looking for somewhere very casual. I'll second Sophie's as long as the line up isn't too long. There's also a similar diner on Main St. called Slickety Jim's. It's always busy, but I've been twice and found the food tasteless. These are all casual spots...more details on what you are looking for will help.

I agree with most that has been posted here and although my beef is directed to the customer, it is the people I am dining with that really get me revved up. I'm a customer who will complain at a higher end restaurant because I feel the staff, both front and back, should have enough expertise to provide a better than usual dining experience and the fact is that that is what the customers are paying the high prices for. When I complain, I don't expect my meal to be complimentary or any other kickback as it's just my personal opinion and I usually don't complain unless there is something clearly wrong like it's overcooked, it tastes off, or there is a hair or bug in it. I just want them to know why I'm dissatisfied and it will hopefully improve on my next visit. My fellow diners do not, however. They will try the food and complain about it to the rest of us at the table, but when the server asks, "How is everything?" they remain silent. Is that the polite thing to do? Say nothing and never go back? If so, perhaps servers shouldn't ask that question anymore.

Coffee at home is my choice unless Mr. Talent opens his new one. I would probably be a regular as that's all I want, straight, brewed black coffee or an espresso. (Could this be my German/Swiss DNA?) No lattes, no mochachinos. I haven't been to a coffee place yet that serves a decent espresso (like I had in Europe) or a delicious muffin, scone, pastry etc. Tend to buy beans from JJ Bean at G.I. and have been to Bean Around the World on Main St. (really liked the atmosphere, staff, and customers there), but found their baked items leave a very unpleasant coating on my tongue. I'm assuming they don't use butter. La Petite France on Arbutus (at 10th?) serves a very tasty small cup of Illy and their pastries are the best I have found so far and worth the extra cost. Starbucks obviously rules in Vancouver though. They are everywhere and very convenient and consistent. In this case, location is everything. Their baked goods are awful, who is their supplier, anyone know?

I did try the Kobe beef, but it was a mistake how I used it. I layered it in a cylindrical shaped croquette with poached pears and a small amount of blue cheese. Unfortunately, the blue cheese flavour was too strong and the beef flavour was lost not to mention by the time I got a golden colour on the outside, the beef was no longer rare. The layers, however, looked beautiful when sliced open. It was a recipe from an Art Culinaire book...I think this is more of a food styling book. Live and learn.

My brother runs a ranch in the interior, I'll mention it to him. Probably wouldn't be a great business idea as generally, us Canadians, prefer price wise hanger steaks to Kobe beef. Wouldn't it be great to go to Japan and get a tour of a Kobe Beef massage parlour!

How do you manage this? I'm like a hyena when starving.

You mean the TH protest isn't for real! As I have family members in a small town I passed this thread on to them as we are always discussing these matters. Unfortunately, they don't have many choices...A&W, Subway, TH etc. My one sister replied after reading our thread, "discussing TH bread bowls reminds her of when she was interested in dog training; like 30,000 ways to contemplate your navel".

We, too, just tried this bakery about a month ago. Cobbs strikes again, sigh. I don't know if I'll protest Tim Horton's with Jaimie (good place for families in the burbs to have lunch), but Cobbs is another story as it is also in my neighbourhood on Main St. They shape the same bread in various styles add a few raisins or nuts here and there, but it basically all tastes the same, or should I say, doesn't have any taste, like cardboard. Heard Starbucks is coming to City Square too. Grrrr. I wonder if they have contacted Gord Martin yet, to set one up next to his Go Fish. I have to admit, SB is a great place to rent a chair for an hour with a friend for the price of one small black coffee. They must hate customers like me. Do you think this is where Vancouver is going? Starbucks, Tim Horton's, Costco, Wal-Mart?

Went to Nikuya Meats Ltd. on Hastings and bought Kobe beef. It's $5.50/100g or 24.95/lb. The premium one is $6.50/100 or $29.48/lb. I asked her if it is from the U.S. and she said, "yes". Don't quite understand this, but I read a story in the fall issue of Art Culinaire about "Kobe World" (a top secret ranch in New York City). Quite amusing if you get the chance. They feed the cattle smoothies instead of beer and along with massages get "the latest in spa services such as aromatherapy, marine algae body wraps, and deep tissue treatments where medium to deep pressure is used to address tension problems the cows might have from digestion or swatting flies." Anyway, it's nice to know a source for the next yakiniku dinner as Nikuya carries thinly sliced meat and one of my faves, beef tongue. Thank you to those who recommended it.

Shame on my Japanese husband for not knowing this. All he thinks about these days is bossa nova music. Gee, meat is far more important, isn't it?

Want to try new dishes from my Art Culinaire book that use Kobe beef and am wondering what grade and cut of beef can I use as a substitute? Some will be served raw. Anyone? Thanks in advance.

I forgot to add, Chef Fowke, how was your trip to SOM?

2roost, I don't think it was implied the meat at SOM was of poor quality (maybe one or two members). It was more about the lower price in an area where addicts are homeless (unlike Shaughnessy, Kerrisdale, Kits etc.) However, one of the discussions at dinner last night was about the taste of beef here compared to in Europe. It doesn't taste the same and this may be because of the hormones/antibiotics we use in our cattle here. (Do they not use them in Europe?) Should I start a new thread about this? Obviously nothing happened to me last night at Blood Alley. Had an incredible meal at my friend's place which included sea urchin, raw oysters, prosciutto and basil wrapped gorgonzola, beef tataki, scallops, jumbo prawns, agedashi tofu, pink grapefruit granita, half a quail and a duck breast, a Grand Marnier souffle, followed by chocolate truffles on a bed of edible pebbles and concluded with an expensive cheese board being served, which even the 4 French friends couldn't find room for. At least 40 drunk people outside the Blarney Stone when we left at 2 a.m. and once in car around the block noticed one man obviously on quite the drug trip. He actually looked like he was having a wonderful, somewhat epileptic seizure, of a good time. I don't think he would have been able to hold onto a gun. I will definitely frequent the area occasionally for a feast like I had last night, then and only then.

A few Sundays ago, around 9 a.m., an out of town guest gets off bus looking for my friend's very cool loft across the street from Blarney Stone (very near Blood Alley and Pigeon Park) where he will be staying for a few days. Suddenly, he is being shot at, so he thinks, and huddles under some bench, more gun shots and a man nearby collapses to the ground (dead). Within minutes police show up and he spends the next 5 hours at a police station being questioned as they are suspicious about him being in the area at that time (I guess it's fairly quiet there then.) and he didn't see the person with the gun. Whoops, wrong time, wrong place. I am going to said friend's loft for a dinner party tonight and I'm nervous about it. Just hoping there is parking right outside and lots of people lined up at the Blarney Stone. Feel safer in numbers, but still won't go there to just buy cheap meat.

Oops again.

Something happened when I posted my message and I don't know how to delete my postings. Although it said "error". Sorry for posting three times.