2roost

Here's my list. 1) AH Hirsch 16 year old Reserve 2) Rip Van Winkle 12 year old 3) Eagle Rare 10 year old ( a revelation for the price) 4) Knob Creek 9 year old 100 proof 5) Old GrandDad Straight Truth be told I should rank Woodford Reserve ahead of Old GrandDad but price considerations make GrandDad my "House Bourbon" so it gets the #5 spot.

Nice article - I wish him well. Personally I prefer my beer "on tap" or canned, for all the reasons stated in the article PLUS cans cool down faster when placed in the fridge/ice chest. I'm drinking a can of Pilsner Urquell while typing this post.

Most wines improve on an upward curve and then generally plateau for a period of time before beginning to decline. It's sort of like a Bell's curve with a flat line on the top.

Most imported beers are initially supported by their own cultures, Spain is much more "wine-centric" and as a result there seems to be little demand for Spanish beer abroad. More surprising to me is that Vancouver, where I live, has a large Philipino population and yet it is virtually impossible to find San Miguel anywhere.

I tip 10% on take out at a full service restaurant because somebody is tipping out or paying tax on that order. I also toss a buck or two in the jar at my local Pizza place when I pick-up because they discount for pick up and always make sure my order is perfect - so they deserve an extra $1 or $2. As a server I do worry that we are becoming "tipped out" as a society.

Anything above 25% is "a large tip" in my books - there are no "embarrassingly high" tips. Anything under 15% is inadequate and deserves an explanation. There is no such thing as "over-tipping". You tipped what you did because you wanted to so how can it be "too much"?. As to "service charges" they should always be clearly indicated however in many cases guests may wish to supplement the service charge (which may be as little as 15% of pre-tax depending on house policy) and that is why credit card slips are left open.

Not in the wineshop but.......... Many years ago (early 1980's) I was the beverage manager/wine buyer for a large restaurant in Vancouver, these were the days when California "Chablis" were still the rage and varietal labels were still a bit of an oddity. One of my servers took a glass of Chardonnay to a table, I observed a little banter, and than she returned with the glass of wine intact. When I asked what the problem was she replied that the guest had told her "he wanted the Red Chardonnay". I promptly poured a glass of Pinot Noir and told her to take him the Red Chardonnay which he quite happily consumed. To this day I am occasionally haunted by the fact that this person may be traveling the world telling people that he had Red Chardonnay in Vancouver and why can't they get it for him.

Pilsner Urquell 500ml can at home post-work, a Sapporo Draught big boy (600ml) shared with my neighbour while making the BBQ sauce for tonight's ribs.

I have some serious doubts about Choices even surviving the Capers opening, plus I think if anyone (Save-On or Whole Foods) open in the Cambie corridor it will be the end for the Safeway in City Square - probably the worst Safeway in creation. Personally I would welcome Whole Foods or Save-On with open basket - competition has a way of benefitting the consumer.

In British Columbia guests are allowed to take home wine if it has been recorked. I rarely see this happen but it is a nice benefit, about 10 days ago I served a couple who were really enjoying their bottle of Coudelet de Beaucastel and wanted a second one but didn't think they could/should drink 2 bottles. I explained that they could take any unused wine home with them and they happily ordered the 2nd bottle, drank 1/2 and took the rest home to enjoy the next night. The end result was 2 happy guests and a full bottle sale for me as opposed to maybe 2 glasses of something else.

Much controversy has been raised regarding the Reidel "O" Series glasses. I recently dined at a restaurant (Lift in Vancouver) which uses the "O" series for wines by the glass, I thought it was a great way to allow the restaurant to use a high quality glass and limit the breakage (most glasses break at the stem). In a discussion with my server later I was told that the use of the stemless glasses had been reviewed negatively by the The Globe and Mail's entertainment section and that about 1/3 of the guests rejected the glasses - preferring non crystal stemmed glasses. I am interested if any other restaurants are using this glassware and what general opinion is of them. The complaint in the Globe was over the wine warming but unless you sit with your hand wrapped around your wine glass I fail to see the problem.

How about The Cannery? We were there 6 weeks ago and the food was very good, service very good and boy is that wine list broad and deep. Plus you get to feel like you are going into pre glasnost East Germany trying to get there.

It is the same phenomenon which created line ups at Chianti for a couple of years while across the street Portobello served real Italian food, with a real winelist, good service a wood burning oven and tablecloths for roughly $5 a head more. "some of the people all of the time."

While Guinness will always be my favourite stout I also enjoy Marston's Oyster Stout and , locally, Nelson Brewing BlackHeart Oatmeal Stout.

Sunday - A mid afternoon Ale (Belhaven Wee Heavy) and then a Heineken with dinner guests before dinner Monday - A Radeburger Pilsner post work.

Just a question - does service sloooowwwwwwww mean the food took a long time or that you weren't greeted quickly, drinks left empty, plates not cleared etc.

So my question at this point is - what is really being sold as "hanger/hangar" in all these restaurants. Given that by definition there is 1 steak per cow and that it weighs around 2-3 lbs before trim my math creates a problem. In another thread HSG alludes to selling 600 pounds a month , now we add in the Beast that is Joe Forte's and the BeachHouse and I begin to wonder exactly where all this Hanger Steak is coming from and if it may not just be "flank" tarted up. C'mon boys what's up - Neil is slaughtering 250 cattle a month just to placate Yaletown soooooooo - is it "hanger" or is it not ? Enquiring palates want to know.

Most good retailers sites have "best between 2006-2009" type information - try Berry Bros and Rudd as an example.

I recently tasted several 2003 Loire Valley wines and they were all superb - I won't bother with details as my notes have gone walkabout but even basic Muscadet and Vouvray were outstanding. The super hot summer produced depth of flavour that I had never before seen in these wines, I highly suggest trying out this vintage as the summer sippers we all look for.

Given your time frame (wed-sat) and that you are booked 2 nights I would suggest something along the lines of Parkside or Cru for 1 dinner and possibly The Cannery, a true Vancouver classic, for another. Do a Saturday brunch at Lift or Provence Marinaside and DimSum on Sunday (Pink Pearl or SunSuiWah). Spend Friday afternoon shopping on Robson Street and then slurp some oysters at the oyster bar at Joe Forte's before dinner. Also try and squeeze in a lunch at Il Giardino and maybe some afternoon cocktails at Bacchus and your Vancouver weekend will be pretty well set. Enjoy and please post your results later.

Spectra project on South Granville is called "Red Door" and is based on the BF Chang model in the USA. Idea is Asian food in a western dining environment - martini list, decent wine list etc. We'll keep an open mind.

Rules for bringing in a Cake. 1) Phone ahead to ensure that it is okay with the restaurant 2) Be prepared to pay a plating fee - my establishment charges $1.50 per head but plates and garnishes the cake. 3) Don't bring any rude pastries - I had a Stagette try to unveil a 12" phallus on a cake and couldn't understand why we wouldn't let them 4) If you can't abide by rules 1-3 then don't bring a cake.

CostCo - Kirkland Signature, 2 Litres for $10.99 and it is just fine for everyday use. I keep a couple of small bottles of premium oils around for serious drizzling as well currently 1 Italian and 1 Californian (Sciabica Mission Spring Release - which is really good).

I fall into both categories I guess, I am a mis en place guy because I have a relatively small work space at home and so advance prep is important. When making a new recipe or simply creating a new dish I will make the meticulous shopping list but many nights it's just open the fridge and have at it. My meal planning is pretty regimented as I work 4 nights a week but cook for my family 7 nights a week. On the nights I work dinner must be 90% finished by 3pm. my wife can then finish the main and cook the prepped vegetables. I shop for vegetables and fruit daily and generally make 3-4 visits to butcher/poultry man/fishmonger weekly. On the nights I am home it is generally 1 night "comfort" food, 1 night "something new" and 1 night fish (comfort or new). On these three nights I prep a little less as I have more time to spend in the kitchen so I can free wheel it a bit more but even then my mis is usually done well ahead of time, I generally blanch or steam veg and then finish in the last 2-3 minutes while I montee a sauce and let the protein rest (25 years in restaurants rub off) - all the while with a glass nearby.

I don't know about "the best" but the most enjoyable ones are those from La Baguette, eaten outside overlooking False Creek on a cool morning.