
Chef Metcalf
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Everything posted by Chef Metcalf
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Fahhhbulous bread at Dahlia Bakery
Chef Metcalf replied to a topic in Pacific Northwest & Alaska: Dining
Sorry, double post. -
Fahhhbulous bread at Dahlia Bakery
Chef Metcalf replied to a topic in Pacific Northwest & Alaska: Dining
Two weeks ago we discovered Dahlia's while staying across the street in the Hotel Andra. We enjoyed every bite! Best quality croissants we've had since Europe...and the roast beef baguettes were tasty too! Cornbread sounds wonderful, wish we could have tried it! Chef M Vancouver, BC -
We were at the Pike Place Market in Seattle this weekend and noticed that they had Hanger Steak (yes, the real stuff). It was $3.89 a pound so if you happen to be down there you could pick some up....just remember that it's illegal to bring it back into Canada. cm
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He wasn't qualified to be a fry cook let alone a head chef. And the most frightening thing....the condition of the food in his fridge. Did they mention the name of the cooking school that he attended? Imagine being the proud administrator of that fine establishment! Definitely going to tape that one (but I can't imagine him finding a chef worse then that poor sod). cm
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What an enjoyable evening! It was really nice to meet all of you. It truly was a great group of people and we look forward to the next one. Thanks to Neil and Bryan for all your hard work and the wonderful array of food! Hans and Frans
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Okay, I'll post them after we get back from dinner.
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I have some good shots of last night's festivities. Does anyone have any objections to them bieng posted on the site here? If I do post them and you hate the picture I can delete it at your PMed request. cm
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There's a new show starting tonight on the Food Network. It's called Blind Date Food Party. Show description " an anonymous group of food obsessed people meet over the internet, then meet in real life at a highly acclaimed Vancouver restaurant to see if there's any food fights or cross dressing." Partental Warning: Course Language, Alcohol Consumption, Snake Bile Tequila Shooters, Men in Pearls and Food Fights. I'm looking forward to watching this one! cm
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Since they are in Albany, Oregon, Chef Metcalf might be able to drive down and take it through customs himself. I'm just not that obsessed to make a 14 hour driving trip (plus getting through customs twice around election season) to get a plant...not yet anyway! Although, you may think I am slightly deranged because kaffir lime leaves are readily available in Vancouver.... but I just want my own plant! All my food obsessed chef/cooking enthusiast friends would love a miniature tree for Christmas too! I would call your local Cooperative Extension office (a county office) or the Master Gardner Hotline. Great suggestion. Thanks. Why didn't I think of that? Posted a message on the Vancouver UBC board today. Seems there is a few other obsessed Thai food chefs looking for the same thing. DwarfCitrus.com Excellent. That takes care of Texas. They can ship it right to your door (if they can find it through all those passion fruit vines) Judith! Is it possible that they do not have seeds? Brings up the proverbial question of "what came first....the chicken or the egg?" Although in a way you are right....apparently the seeds don't germinate all that well and propagating clippings it the way to go. This seems like a good place to ask this question..i remember reading somewhere that the "k" word is quite derogatory and offensive to a certain ethnic group Yes, you're right, however I am referring to the common name of the plant (Kaffir Lime) instead of the botanical name of "Citrus Hystrix" My apologies if I have offended any person or citrus plant. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Other cool trivial facts found from my googling search last night. Will be of most interest to gardeners trying to propagate cuttings or Canucks... From the kind people at Richters... (and by the way...take a look at the various herb seeds you can get shipped to you...all sorts of Thai basil etc.) Does Richters ship Kaffir Lime Seeds within Canada? We don't have seed available. If not any idea where I might find them? I wish I knew where to find the seeds also. In the many times that we have tried seeds we have succeeded in germinating them only twice, which the seeds were very fresh. That's the problem -- it's impossible to source fresh seeds. Or could I propagate from a fairly fresh cutting that I buy in our local Chinatown? We grow them from cuttings, but they take months to root. You may have success with the cuttings from Chinatown, but I suspect not. But it is probably worth a try anyway. We had hoped to have enough plants to start selling them in the 2005 season, but at the last moment we decided to take another year to build up our stock. Sorry, we can't help you, not yet at least. With best wishes, RICHTERS ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ From the friendly people at... J.L. Hudson, Seedsman Star Rt 2, Box 337 La Honda CA 94020 USA Can you ship CITRUS HYSTRIX (Kaffir Lime) seeds in a plain envelope to > Canada? I don't want to hassle around with duty and custom brokers for a 2 > buck pack of seeds! >> Let me know. > Chef M We don't carry Citrus hystrix seed, and don't know where you might get it. Sorry! Most Citrus seed is very, very short-lived, which is why you generally don't find it available. We send small shipments of seed into Canada, and into most countries around the world, every day. Packages under 1 lb in weight do not even need a Customs sticker declaration on the package at all. I believe the rule for Canada is any seeds imported in less than 100 gram quantities per type of seed, are enterable without a permit, etc. Our customers receive the seeds with no problems, and without getting an import permit or needing a Phytosanitary Certificate, without Customs brokers, etc. The only problems we have had in sending seed to Canada comes through slow mail delivery once in a while, but we have not had any customers report seizure from Customs in years. Small shipments are quite easy and safe. -- J.L. Hudson, Seedsman Star Rt 2, Box 337 La Honda CA 94020 USA ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Hope this helps everyone out information wise. Now I have to go and make Pecan Apple Crisp because someone is nagging me and apparently we need sugar for the election outcome!
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Had no idea that we had an album option ! Nothing like those kitchen lights to make everything look bland PS I used Japanese Sticky Rice. What type do you suggest using? It's got a very interesting flavour, nutty kind of. I actually enjoyed just tasting it with nothing else. CM
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Snowangel, as promised... The larb was fantastic, although we both agreed I over did the chillies a little. Great combination of flavours. This was the inaugural run and next time I will play a bit with the ingredients....more lime...more nampla....way less chillies. I used a tablespoon of ground fine dried red chillies.....whoooohooooo...hot! Don't get me wrong, we like it hot, but this was a bit much. I have a jpeg, but I can't figure out how to post it. When I hit IMG it says "enter the URL". Where is the "browse my files" prompt? in Vancouver
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We really enjoy the boule from... Le Pic-Nic French Breads and Pastry 1443 Clyde Avenue, West Vancouver 604-925-2880 Limited supplies so phone ahead. Crunchy crust, soft and tasty on the inside...total bliss . No need for butter even....but it's better with! We pick it up frozen (she undercooks it by ten minutes) and throw it into a 375 degree oven for 10-15 minutes. Spray it with water prior to baking if you want an even crunchier crust.
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There is one in North Vancouver. I have never been into the store, but here's the info. The British Butcher Shoppe Ltd Specializing in Sausages, Bacon & UK Products (604) 985-2444 711 Queensbury Ave North Vancouver, BC
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Love those Japanese-Italian fusion places. Sort of like the new Tojo's/Vij's co-venture that's being touted: Yakisari. ← Does this mean Vancouver can now enjoy the wonderful Japanese/Italian treat of corn and bonito on pizza?
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I have never eaten at Bishop's, West, Feenie's (although yes to Lumiere), Phnom Penh, William Tell or Parkside. I have eaten at McDonald's...last time twelve years ago on a drive back from a weekend in Whistler (nuf said). And I promise....it will never happen again! Just for some added trivia and to procrastinate my computer work even further tonight .....McDonald's is pronounced Makudonaldo's in Japanese. Back to work.
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After a full day of shopping in Seoul with no sustenance (too dubious of the word "bulgoki") we chose to eat nothing. 12 hours or so later, this thought was a distant memory and we were prepared to chow down on anything that was offered to us in a language that we could slightly understand. Imagine our delight upon seeing a sign in English that read "Kentucky Fried Chicken"! We hauled our sack of poultry back to the economy hotel room for blonde shoppers and dove into the freshly fried fowl. Twelve hours.....no food.....yum.....chicken....burp! Then, in a horrible flash of poultry 101, we realized that none of the bones in front of us were familiar...burp....queezy feeling. What the hell had we just been eating....whoof, whoof? Of course, it did taste just like chicken....but had we just eaten a neighbourhood pet? Ten minutes later, we felt full and happy, albeit a little queasy mentally from eating an unfamiliar animal and decided that what did it really matter? We eat our meat from a supermarket.....familiar meats...so faced with an unfamiliar one? what's the difference really.........supermarket packaging? And you know what.... deep fried cock roaches are really quite tasty in Bangkok. So what the hell.......you have to try everything once......right.....(except for maybe pudding and souse....because a pig's ear really just tastes like you would expect a pig's waxy ear to taste) not that there is anything wrong with the taste of a pigs waxy ear. cm
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Changing the direction of the subject ever so slightly....why is there no Robata-Yaki restaurants in Vancouver? When I lived in Japan these were always some of our first picks. The chef would sit/kneel in front of a grill. Around the grill was all manner of fresh fish and vegetables that could be chosen by the customer to be grilled. The customers sat semi-circle around the food and grill and watched the chef cooking then passed your fare to you on a wooden paddle. Some of my best food memories of Japan come from Robata-Yakis ( and dining at Paul Bocuse for an outrageously expensive but wonderful seven course lunch one day). Are there any in Vancouver? I think I have seen robata on a few signs, but are they authentic with the chef sitting in front of the customers? Or is that just too much for the Vancouver Health Board to clear? Jamie But are the Chinese high end restaurants really authentic? Seldom are the meals here ever as good as what I have eaten in Hong Kong and I always feel that they probably go back to the kitchen and notify them that the customer is a farang/gaijin/whatever. Case in point.....last night we went to Kirin Mandarin. We ordered a couple of dishes that should have had heat. They were tame at best (although the lobster in garlic tomato sauce was very good....there was no zing). The spicy tangerine peel beef, bland by my heat standards. I guess I always think of how Chinese food was horribly Westernized by the Chinese restaurant owners to please our sensitive lilly white pallets that grew up on TV dinners and Macaroni and Cheese (or in my case, pressure cooked vegetables...no wonder I started cooking). I think I need sleep, this is just drifting in all directions. Ciao
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Maybe this plethora of Japanese restaurant openings is similar to the influx of Chinese/Asian Style restaurants that sprouted up in the 1920's through 2004? The good survived, the mediocre did not. Perhaps the same will run true for this epidemic Sam? Chef M
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Good idea newguy. Excellent! Maybe lemon dust mixture. I'm getting there! Chef M
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I should have been more specific. I don't want it to be a gratin, no breadcrumbs or cheese. I was looking for a granular substitute for the sugar. I like fistfullaroux and fifi's suggestions to add salt to the sugar mix. Perhaps, sugar, salt and paprika. I think it would be best served room temperature, tepid or warm...not cold, but we will try that too. Might as well test them all. peppyre It won't be spicy...think lobster bisque reduction custard and chucks of lobster meat. mnebergall....I pm'd Todd and he thinks they just use sugar and is checking it out for me. Thanks for the suggestion. Suzanne, sounds wonderful! I will definitely try the sugar. Thanks all! Chef M
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A traditional crème brulee is topped with sugar and blow torched or put under a salamander until caramelized. What ingredients could you caramelize/torch on the top of a savoury lobster crème brulee? Any suggestions, ideas or brainstorms would be gratefully accepted. Chef M
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I know this an old thread, but here are some of our favourites from a few years back... Kupu Kupu Barong...For cocktails on the deck overlooking the Agung River...spectacular view...just outside of Ubud...five minutes maybe and a must see. Cafe Wayan...on Monkey Forest Road in Ubud. Fantastic Balinese and international cuisine. The owner was invited to California to do a series of cooking classes. Excellent food and on Sunday they have a Balinese buffet which is delightfully authentic. Casa Luna...run by an Australian woman and her Balinese husband. Janet's Balinese and international dishes are outstanding. She had a cook book out now but don't remember the name. Lotus Cafe...overlooking a giant lotus pond. Peaceful and relaxing Ary's Warung...good food although it can be a little noisy as it's on the main drag Ibu Rai...casual simple Balinese and American offerings with the coldest beer in town. Used to be one of the cheapest too, but don't know about now. In Kuta try Made's Warung. Excellent food and a good place to people watch or just sip a cold one in the scorching heat. CM
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I took my knives to the House of Knives for sharpening........it took two months for me to remember to put them in the car to take them there, and two weeks to get back knives that were dull as when I dropped them off. I started using Knifex two and a half years ago and have never had a problem. Razor sharp, and they come to you. Takes about 10-15 minutes to get five knives sharpened for about 20 bucks. They do half the restaurants in Vancouver and Whistler. If I phone in the morning they are usually there the same day, sometimes within a few hours. CM
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Found it! Pizzeria Romano Sabatini in the Suncrest building next to Bell Commons 2-13-5 Kita Aoyama, Minatoku, Tokyo 3402-2027 Closest subway station is Gaienmae The restaurant was authentic Italian in cuisine and decor with a nice selection of antipasto, homemade pasta etc. If you ever go or are familiar with it, let me know if it's still worth a visit. CM
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Jim The sushi was always excellent, although it's been about 13 years since I was last there. Ate there two or three times a month for about six years. Usually a 25 minute wait for a table. If you do get a chance to go, I would appreciate you posting a review here. Thanks. CM