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Chef Metcalf

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Everything posted by Chef Metcalf

  1. That was my first choice, but kitchen facilities won't really accomodate it. Think small space, with ^ mucho limited equipment.
  2. Fried baby calamari is my first choice (Italian style beach food), but kitchen facilities won't accommodate it (fridge, bbq, microwave, induction burner) and squid supply stock could be iffy at best. Casual outdoor Italian themed dinner party. Creative input is greatly appreciated.
  3. Thanks for taking the time and effort to write and portray such a wonderful glimpse of what many of us dream about. Amazing photography, commentary and observations Judith. Carpe Diem indeed!
  4. Glad you made it home safely and enjoyed the rest of your trip Chufi and Dennis. And I'm really thankful that we didn't lose Dennis down the 300 foot cliff on the trail to breakfast, on day two. Noodles at Golden Szechuan were called Dan Dan, I think. I could have eaten another 3 bowls they were so good. And Chufi, I'm amazed! You just got home and have downloaded this many pics? That's awesome!
  5. Well said Irish, and by the way, you had absolutely nothing to apologize for upthread from what I can read. All the sell out nays just sound like jealousy speaking to me.
  6. Will you be taking that with you on any vacations Abra?
  7. Try Zoolander oil. It will give you a really really ridicoulously good looking and well seasoned fry pan.
  8. Has anyone tried the Ikea copenhagens? Highly addictive.
  9. They may paper, but we thought it suited the casual atmosphere. Chilled gazpacho with croutons The tomato flavour was as intense as the smell of a freshly picked tomato from the garden. Green asparagus with King crab salad and sea urchin dressing. I agree that this one was a little underwelming and I never didn't get any taste of sea urchin in the dressing. Poached baby kussi oysters with French Echire salted butter I can still taste the butter, and the oysters were sweet and fresh. But I would have enjoyed this dish more if I didn't have to detach the oysters from the shell myself (sorry, but I have a strong aversion to any sort of food prep at the table while dining out unless I'm in a much more casual place). It was great to be close up to watch the action in the kitchen with this sort of a dinner. As I said upthread, the service from our waiter and the serveral other members of the staff, including the sous chef, who brought round courses for us and answered numerous food related questions was topnotch. Egg cocotte topped with a light mushroom cream sauce Amazingly soft, creamy and lucious. If they were open for breakfast we would have been waiting at the door. Slightly smoked salmon served warm with watercress dressing I enjoyed the way the peppery watercress played off the smokiness of the salmon. Free-range quail stuffed with foie gras and served with truffled-mashed potatoes Okay, this one was our absolute favourite. It's now on our top ten list and if we went back we would order the dinner sized portion ($25.00 small plate, as seen above, or $45.00 for the dinner sized portion roughly twice the size).The quail is marinated in a soy and garlic combination, then the foie is done separately sous vide, then stuffed in the marinated quail, then sous vide to finish. The sauce had a perfect hint of the soy garlic flavours. Truffled-mashed potatoes were as rich and decandent as you would imagine. Strawberries flavoured with basil, Tahitian vanilla bean ice cream. I'm missing a picture of the dessert course prior to this which was an assortment of red fruits with tequilla sorbet. The Tahitian vanilla bean ice cream was perfect. Many thanks for the head ups on this one nightscotsman.
  10. We were in last Wednesday and the service was extremely attentive, to the point of answering all my food ingredient and procedure questions to the extent of the sous vide temperatures that were used. Although I will agree with you that a few of the courses were lacking in robust flavours (crab and asparagus), once the foie stuffed quail came out, all was forgiven. That was an amazing dish. Pictures to follow. Edited to answer someone's query above about the price of the tasting menu...$125.00 per.
  11. Wow Deb, you pulled off quite a feat considering the circumstances. You're a brave woman and the results look fantastic. Were you happy with the way the smoked duck recipe turned out prior to adding them to the potatoes? And did you add any rendered duck fat when mashing? Just for good measure of course. cm
  12. I thought that may be the case about the jackets. Thanks for the pm. I've cancelled Ogden and booked L'Atlier. We're open to any other suggestions also instead of Sensi for a more casual night if anyone has any ideas. cm
  13. I'm going to Vegas tomorrow for a few days and while I'm there I wanted to look for some chefs jackets at a uniform supply store. I've googled but am not having much luck. Can any chef's make any recommendations? I'm looking for high end/quality jackets. Foodwise...we've got two nights that we are free to go out to dinner and we've chosen Bradley Ogden's and Sensi. Are these both still good bets? We wanted one high end and one not so much. Thanks for any help you can give me! cm
  14. The cassava pone sounds heavenly! Yes to your question about the waxy coating. Here are two ridiculously easy recipes for cassava-based desserts: bibingka cassava and cassava cake. Both insanely good. ← The bibingka is really very similar to the Caribbean version of pone, until you get to the part about the cheese on top. What kind of cheese do they use? Do you ever buy raw cassava and bake with it? I think I'd be scared to have the cute munchkin around that. Both recipes sound good. What's the texture like in the finished product?
  15. I think we've all met some who aren't. (edited for size...
  16. Yah, me too Lee. I think I'd rather just use the cassava flour. Moosh I want to try making a Caribbean cassava pone. It's a moist, very dense sweet cake with coconut and almond flavour. We took the leftover pone and had it as French toast the next day with papaya and nutmeg jam. Did I mention that we soaked the pone in rum overnight? So is it sometimes sold with a waxy coating on the outside? If so maybe I have seen it out there. How is it used in recipes in the Philippines?
  17. Anybody know where I could pick up a stove top smoker in Vancouver? Any brands you'd recommend? Also looking for cassava root. Is this available in Vancouver? Thanks, cm
  18. Virginia replies... "Hello, Just returned home from the deliveries into the "big city"!! Delivered to P-3, Aurora, then West Restaurant!!! Thank you for the connections!!! As far as selling to the public....since we have made contact with P-3 Natural and Exotic meats in North Vancouver, BC....this should be the outlet as far as retail is concerned. If another retail outlet is interested...of course I will sell. It is so far out..and so far in for just one or two birds....It is better that I deliver several cases at a time and the general public can buy one at a time? Thank you all for your encouragement!! The man to voice your concerns about getting better quality poultry is Bill Vanderspek, GM of the BC Chicken Marketing Board ....and then the Gov't agency protecting the Marketing Boards is FIRB ( Farm Industry Review Board) Jim Collins. The public just has to speak up, because what is being ordained right under their noses is outrageous. Lyle Young on Vancouver Island stepped up to the plate when no corporate would....and has gone into debt $1.2M in order to accommodate Provincial Inspection rules to process poultry on VI. The BCCMB must support the local processors, but has decided to hand out just 5 New Entrant quotas to VI. However they are to produce just "mainstream" product and must be sold to Lyle Young for marketing board prices....presently at $1.19-1.39/kg. The cost to grow poultry on VI is higher because of transportation costs for feed, higher heating costs etc. The large quota holders are all selling their quota into the Fraser Valley (more factory farms)....and why is that? Because, even after owning the quota for years (probably paid for by now) and producing product does not make them money!!! So how on earth does the BCCMB expect to hand out little quotas....50,000kgs/annum live (35000 kgs dressed) and expect the little farmer to survive?? What happened to the "specialty"....who's growing the higher quality food....without stress, animal protein and antibiotics?? Did you know that the quota is being sold presently for $65/bird ( they now calculate this figure in kgs, but this is the general cost). then one has to buy the land, build the barn and equip it..break-even is around 20,000 birds. (65 X 20,000 = $1,300,000) .I believe in supply -management, but the quota has become a commodity...and has nothing to do with farming!!! Now do you see why no young families can get into the business unless they have help, or family already in the business. How is that helping our country?? Something is very wrong with our thinking in this province....but we have so much abundance that it is not a top priority. If one stops to think that we could have an environmental catastrophe any time....earthquake etc...the best way to survive is to have your food produced within a few hundred miles of the major centres. If factory farmed food is all one cares about....I guess then maybe I am out to lunch....but I think we all need better then what is being forced upon us these days!!! Do we stop and question the ingredients in all these convenient articles on the grocery shelves?? We should, as it is causing a lot of problems to human health....but I could go on and on....must go feed my spring lamb babies....they are bouncing in the field and calling my name!!! :-)) Thank you for all of this, Virginia"
  19. I went into 3P this afternoon to pick something up and she'd already dropped some ducks off, so try there if you're around North Van. Not sure if they sell direct to the public or not. 3P Natural and Exotic Meats 103-233 Mountain Hwy North Vancouver 604-986-5606
  20. We will also inform our clientelle and pass on the link to contact the marketing board ← I think Virginia will be very pleased to hear all this Jeff. As I'm sure you know from talking to her, she's very passionate about the subject of raising organic poultry and farming. cm
  21. Here's Virginia's reply... "Thank you for letting me read the responses from E-gullet. I tried to join e-gullett, but they are not accepting applications until March 12th. Meantime...fire any questions and I will respond directly to you. Yes, we are the farm that had our chicken flock seized December 8th 2004 by the BCCMB. If one wants to take the time and read the FIRB report....(it is actually like a court hearing, where both sides give testimony)...they will find that we actually won the case....but the BCCMB and all the marketing boards are very powerful and offer a lot of money to Governments in power. We sold our big farm on Vancouver Island in order to continue growing and have our birds processed in a Federal processing plant because of new meat processing rules....and VI at that time did not have any facility. We asked the BCCMB for permission to move....they said "yes"......then after moving, and growing three flocks they swooped down one night before Christmas and seized the flock!! Just before Christmas....large 7-8 lbs birds, fed and all vegetable grain!! (PS. Don Cayo, Vanc Sun Business Reporter did two articles on our situation Dec 9th and 16th 2005 and is doing a follow-up this month again) The Provincial Gov't had just started what is called "a Specialty Review". The marketing Boards are not pleased about being "told" what to do and what to grow. We believe we were singled out in order to "make a point"!! The Marketing Boards believe that in a perfect world, all food should be grown in factory farms. However, factory farming is based on economies-of-scale.....and there is no incentive to grow quality, nutritious food. Most chicken is still fed with animal protein (that is so unnatural). If you look at the bones of the small fryers (say a Kentucky fried chicken) you will see the darkness inside the bones.....that shows how young the bird was when slaughtered....the haemoglobin has not yet changed into calcium.....and the bird has a very mild flavour....not the chicken flavour you remember from your Grandma's farm!! We give our birds 3-4 sqft each to grow in..play and romp!! We used to "pasture" our birds.....letting them out on grassy lawns to supplement their food and give them fresh air and sunlight. We will not pasture our birds in the FV because of the magnitude of factory farming that is here and the potential for Avian 'flu. We give our birds flaked alfalfa, garlic and mustard seed instead and open the doors of the barn that have screens on them in order to give the birds fresh air and sunshine. We also grow the chickens for 8-9 weeks and the ducks for 10-12 weeks. The problem is ordinary people are just not aware of what goes into their food today, how it is grown....and how it is affecting today's human physiology and health conditions. People are not aware that all the chickens being grown by "factory" farms in the FV raise very hybridized birds (that means that one rooster is the father of thousands of chicks....and also means that their auto-immune systems are compromised....so the need to inject antibiotics into their food and water), in tight growing conditions ( .65sqft....less then a foot) each for their entire lives which consists usually of 39-41 days. I could write for days about this situation.....from the incredible nutrient (litter-poop-manure) that is being created by the factory farms in the FV that is polluting our aquifers.....to the increased ammonium in the air from concentrating all the factory growing in one region.....because it is economically viable from the Provincial gov'ts point of view!!! It is not lowering our Health care costs!! But.....you see.....there is another agenda....do we really care if people are fed well or just cheaply?? A link for all to read on the Avian 'flu is : http://www.grain.org/go/birdflu We are hoping that the BCCMB will give us back our "permit-quota" to grow certified organic roasting chickens here in Yarrow. They had a Board meeting yesterday. The Board does not believe the public wants this "Specialty" product!! Meanwhile, we want to grow in a conscientious manner....that is good for my body and yours as well. We are passionate on this subject and definitely transparent on everything we do....so any more questions?? Virginia " ____________________________________________________________ We'll look forward to you becoming a member Virginia. I think you can add a great perspective from the organic farmers side of the things. Keep following along and anything you'd like to post or respond to you can email to me and I'd be happy to put it on the forum for you. cm
  22. I emailed Virginia your concerns Matt R, and she's going to respond shortly. She's not a member now, but will email me a response and I'll post if for her until she's up and running with an account. Things are not always as they appear.
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