2roost

Sadly the practice is illegal and any establishment which does allow it is risking losing its' liquor license. Unless you are a serious regular or friend of the family it is unlikely that you will find a licensed restaurant willing to help you out.

Ahh the Scholefield years , that glorious era in B.C. when the constant over purchase of fine Burgundy, obscure Bordeaux and excellent, though little known, Vino de Tavola led to the annual "March Madness - 50% off sales". I miss those halcyon days.

The bulk food place on Granville Island has a number of different salts, also the spice place (I'm so good with names - I call my house "the living place") on the Island has a number of different salts - prices are much better than "Should I take out a second mortgage for a Leg of Lamb?" Meinhardts.

Fleur de Sel is harvested by hand off the village of Guerande in Brittany in July and August, when the sea is calm and the weather conditions are just right. It is a waste to cook with this salt. Sea Salt is a catch all term as it may be highly specialized as in Fleur de Sel or as ordinary as Morton's the only stipulation being that it must come from seawater therefore not "mined". Kosher salt has no additives and is crystaline therefore has a large surface area, and some say. a distinctive flavour. I advise buying a box of both fine and coarse sea salt - something inexpensive to start (Italissima is reliable) and experimenting.

What would be the labeling issue in the US if the source is exclusively genuine rum ? Just wondering.

Stroh is actually available in a number of different proof levels - here in Canada we get "54" which is definitely not overpowering.

I have faithfully purchased Brie/Camembert and Balderson 3 year old ( our everyday cheddar, I prefer it to 5 year old) from Costco for years. I have no shame about standing in front of the cheese cooler squeezing rounds of Brie or Camembert to find nice "gooshy" ones. As for chevre - Save On Meats usually has it for stupidly low prices, perfect for cooking or salads, but my penchant for Downtown Eastside Butchers is well documented elsewhere. Parmegiano and Romano I use sparingly so small quantities are usually purchased on Granville Island or at Les Amis.

Please tell me where I can find those rums in Vancouver area, preferably Richmond. I've been only able to find Barbancourt 8 and Appleton rums thus far... Knowing that something better is available makes this hard to bear... ← The BCLDB "Mother" store at 39th and Cambie, also try asking the manager at your local store to bring it in - it might not work but if enough people ask the smaller stores will stock premium products.

183 - that's just the ones "in use", I estimate I have at least another 350 in my storage shed.

Peanut Butter and mayo on toast. Beets in any form. Fruitcake - my mom ships me one every year at Christmas and I make it last all year - shaving off wafer thin slices once every couple of weeks. Processed cheese on my burger please - don't waste the aged cheddar, I prefer processed (but only on a burger or grilled "cheese" sandwich.

Hmmm - fried tortillas topped with salt, aren't those called tortilla chips - I think 8 billion people a year eat them but most don't bother top make them "from scratch"

I think it probably a screwed up version of the "historical" punch recipe mentioned in stretch's reply. Many of the 18th and 19th century punchs sound incredibly strange in today's context, and no I am not going to be the first, or last, to "rate it".

Summertime - 10 - 12 oz a week, usually Havana Club 7 year old with soda and lime. Winter - very inconsistent, I will go weeks without rum but probably average 2 oz a week, usually a snifter of something old and rare (much like myself) by the fire in the evening.

You may wish to take this up with Stroh or their holding company Eckes Stock International both of whom clearly identify the brand as Rum. Perhaps you can launch an EEC tribunal "the ministry of beverage triviality" to expose this shameful marketing of a product "as something it is not". If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck and sounds like a duck - it's a duck.

There is a restaurant in Los Angeles who charges $50 per head on no shows (via credit card authorization) , then sends the guest the equivalent in Gift Certificates. Sort of having your cake and eating it. Can't remember the name of the establishment, read about it in the Los Angeles Times sometime last year.

Doesn't Yaletown Brewing fit the bill ? It's been a while since I've been there.

Rum is still the forgotten spirit here in the Great White North but at least we have access to Cuban. Labels are different the world over and Canadian bilingual laws make it even stranger. The British Columbia market actually offers some nice choices but the prices are "monopoly" high: Cruzan 12 year old Single Barrel $49.95 (roughly $37 US), Barbancourt 15 year old $59.95 ( $51 US) and Matusalem 15 year old Grand Reserva $39.99 ( $34 US). Personally I stick to Havana Club 7 year old $28 ( $23.8 US). Ontario also carries Stroh 54 - a personal favourite at Christmas - but I'm not sure of the pricing.

Isn't this a market driven issue ? 10 years ago everyone had a whisky list and the consumer only wanted to drink MacCallan and Lagavulin so why carry $1000 worth of inventory. Whisky lists will come back when the dining (drinking) public demands them. I want to know where the good Rum lists are.

Try The Kingston - Richards near Granville (the old RAT) pretty good snacks, decent winelist and good tap selection.

Is that "O" as in "O No - I forgot the stem ?"

Lift Bar and Grill The much anticipated restaurant on the water in front of the Bayshore has acheived permit status and should open before Christmas. I have toured the site and it is a stunning room and with Keith Krentz and Dave Jorgenson manning the fires the food should be first rate. With three or four months to sort out the kinks before Patio season it could be "the" summer restaurant of 2005 (and beyond?). Check out the website http://www.liftbarandgrill.com/ for more details.

Grilled CheeseFood Sandwichs dipped in ketchup Boiled hotdogs topped with chunky bleu cheese dressing Wendy's Bacon Double Cheeseburgers (hold the tomato - it's a texture issue I love the taste of tomato) and perhaps most disturbingly ..................... Peanut Butter and mayonaisse on toast.

Last year while working at a major downtown restaurant we had over 30% no shows during Dine Out - despite confirming reso's 2 days in advance. It is the no - shows who may eventually kill the event, nobody minds having a full room at discount prices in January - it brings in new business, it exposes the establishment to new guests etc. but when 1/3 of the room is empty at 7 pm because on Dine Out no shows then some serious rethinking is done. Dine Out is a great event but people must be responsible, I know of people who make 3-4 Friday night Dine Out reservations each week then decide at the last minute which one to "honour". Don't kill a Golden Goose.

Try SandBar - plain steamed Dungeness Crab and much less than $50 - their chef is also a fan of Old Bay

Vancouver Food needs. 1) Great Deli - actually I'd settle for good Deli 2) More Neighbourhood restaurants, little (30-50) seat trattorias and cafes etc. that are not on main parking challenged, noisy traffic arteries, are family friendly and serve honest food with reasonable pricing. Hachi Bei on 16th is a good example. 3) More respect for the industry, we still put waiters and bartenders in the "when are you going to get a real job" bin, it's getting better but still has a long way to go before we create a culture of professionalism. 4) FISH MARKETS & LOCAL BUTCHERS That is my initial list but it is Sunday and I'm a little sleepy.