seanw

He could do worse than head west, where there is a dearth of good restaurant writers, such as the trail blazed by Alex Gill(who isn't afraid of upsetting the apple cart, which is refreshing from the general lovefest that prevails)

I think that Chinese, Izakaya & Vij's are probably Vancouver's best conceived & well managed food options. Does anybody else recognize the limitations of the most successful spate of restaurants in recent memory that revolve around french onion soup, tomato soup(veg option), beet & cheese salad, burger(gourmet) & fries overcooked, mussels, steak etc....... How banal, thank god for the ethnic food restaurants, although they can be much alike too. I wish there was a little more imagination.

At least I can respect her methodology, by not being conspicuous you at least can get an average diner's perspective, (her recent review of Society is a good case in point). There are a number of reviewers who do not hold to this standard & must surely lack relevancy, is it any surprise that some of the most highly regarded restaurant critics, such as Bruni, Maschler, Durack etc. operate in such a way, to the benefit of the consumer not the restaurateur. Within some cliques of restaurants the relationship verges on sycophancy, a money/power thing I guess.

addendum: Dont know why the city/province wouldnt utilise this resource in their midst (assuming he wouldn't mind of course)????

You could always try michael ableman's foxglove farm, or visit his stall at the farmers market. This guy supplied Chez Panisse in Berkley & writes intelligently on food systems, since he knows a little about such matters.

Interesting topic. Oceanwise has been a very useful enabler in the debate of informing the consumer & restaurant in what exactly constitutes sustainable fish. However it is not perfect, a far more rigourous standard is offered by the Marine Stewardship Council, whom l may add are looking at the certification of BC Sockeye, Pink & Chum species & should produce their findings soon(not soon enough!!!). The MSC do not certify aquaculture yet but have identified links with the Soil Association in the UK (which has become a leader in developing organic aquaculture standards ,a surprisingly new & evolving process). With better research consumers & chefs alike will be able to make more informed decisions. Will it matter to local wild fish populations who not only suffer from overfishing but environmental issues too??? Yep a crapload of BC's catch goes abroad, & that demand is unlikely to wane unless the GOvt. does something about it. And really are the feds, prov. & city govts. going to effectively limit development to econmically important river systems that happen to have fish in them. The feds refused to recognize the particular sensitivity of decline in a number of select runs of salmon in BC waters by not granting protection status. I guess as consumers the option exists in promoting & valuing other species, such as the Spiny dogfish(yummy fish & chips!!) which is deemed a sustainable source. Another could be artic char which is farmed within a fairly efficient closed system but as with farmed salmon a rethink is needed with it's food source(which aint sustainable) the Soil Assoc. standards seem to offer a desirable alternative. Farming of shellfish within BC is becoming increasingly significant & desirable as a foodsource & not enough local menus reflect this IMO. Perhaps as with a carbon tax a salmon tax could be applied to salmon fished locally(irrespective of domestic/international market consumption, in fact lets tax the foreigners more) Such revenues could be used to subsidize(dirty word i know) local fishers to fish less & perhaps used to protect particularly sensitive habitats. I could ramble on but i wont got to cook some ling cod for dinner.

Um, may i suggest Gastown- buy a spot now & develop- 2-3 years should be plenty of time(planning,design & building would take a while). Perhaps a smaller space without restaurant & costly kitchens, the area is pretty well served for restos.

better demographic? I assume you mean alternatives to ass cleavage.

Wild Food, by Roger Phillips. Beautiful photography, nice research & interesting recipes.

Nope Sam, all imperfectly male i can assure you. Link didnt work. I have cooked them in such a state & have not been impressed. I agree prawn eggs are really good, just hope that plenty more is available.

Hi, this is somewhat off topic but relevant i think. Sidestripe shrimp sold at Granville Island with alot of eggs. Ethical purcahase or not???? I really think personally that shrimp should not be sold in such state on eating quality alone. I think that shellfish purveyors should also take a look at their practices too. Fuck crabs are eating each other at Granville Island .

I really like this book. The photos reveal much, especially so considering the austerity of style that is displayed in many. Dan's remarks of the architecture of the area resonate. But really through the people & produce a sincerity rings through, you can see it in the faces of the staff at the back of the book too. The guy himself, speaks as a leader of people with just standards & motivations. I'm inspired to return back to Italy, last time was spent in Sardinia- holy crap the seafood was friggin amazing, & no fucking around with it. Dan, did you take the photos for Baker & Spice book??? cos this is a vast improvement.

Gavin, Another Bras protege, Alex Bourdas was the technical director here(not sure if he is still in the position tho') Fantastic chef who originally opened Michel Bras in Toya, Japan.

^Bluegoose is available @ Wholefoods, however they demand the product not to be dry aged, which is a necessary step for good, complex tasting beef.

I think Monoprix are on a par if not better than Waitrose. I like Capers tho', they have a good local emphasis(tho' that's difficult to tell at this time of the year) & fairly sustainable practices(moreso if you consider SPUD's ecological footprint approach). A more discerning customer that demands better choices & then supports it with their wallet will ensure improvements. Afterall the UK & pretty well much everywhere else benefits/or not from the weight of it's history(which Canada lacks,no offence intended). I should mention something about Irish ingredients, in Chile i saw tons of Irish butter ,that was a result of infamous CAP policies, on the shelves of supermarkets for really cheap prices. A country with all the capabilities of Canada should be able to produce decent butter.