Chocoholic

Big problem: you can clear the table next to us but don't spray it with windex. I will never come back. Ever. Pet peeve: if you bring bread and butter, I appreciate it but please, fresh bread and not butter straight from the freezer. I don't like having to hack little pieces off with my knife and destroying the bread while trying to apply shards of frozen butter to it... When you serve tea, please spend a little extra money and get some decent loose-leaf tea. I hate to see the baggies of tea substitute that you get at Costco's for $10 per 500. I am actually surprised by the amount of high end restaurants that serve you great food but then finish things off with the crappiest tea you can imagine. The last time this happened was at Morton's, $50 for a steak followed by a 5 cent tea bag in a cup of hot water...

Last night: Hamilton Street Grill or HSG to the initiated. (Am I really the first one to post about this? Am I missing a secret thread somewhere?) This was Mooshmouse's eGullet meet and greet, hosted by Neil and his staff in the private dining room of HSG. The idea was for some of the old school eGulleter's and some of the newer members to meet each other. We mingled, chatted, ate and drank. Food came at a steady pace in the form of platters of appies, it all started with some steak sushi, followed by lamb burgers (my favorite of the evening), little white cheddar and onion tarts, hanger steak satay-style, marinated morsels of tuna on crispy wontons and battered deep fried oysters. It was perfect food for an evening of chatting with fellow foodies, something I thoroughly enjoyed. Also, the food was an absolute steal at $20, much cheering and enthusing in Neil's direction for this one! Thanks to Mooshmouse for organising the evening, to Neil for hosting and everyone who attended for a great evening of food-related conversation.

Sigh....cheese. In Holland there are specialised cheese shops in every town. Cheeses of all ages, sizes, shapes and flavors will be on display. Visiting the one close to my parent's house is always the first thing I do when back there. I usually emerge clutching a bag full of cheeses, heading back to mum's kitchen to raid her bread box. By the way, they will wrap the cheese in special paper suitable for the type of cheese and will give you a bit extra for home cheese storage. Now I visit Les Amis often, haemorrhaging money from my wallet every time. The good thing about Les Amis is that after you buy your cheese you can go across the street and see up close what a $400,000 car looks like. It will take many wedges of cave-aged Gruyere to pay for one of those

Hmmm sausages...I get really good local sausages (Oyama in Granville Island, Vancouver) and regularly have them just by themselves as a snack or a lazy dinner with a good Portugese bun, some sweet pickled peppers and a pint of stout...yum...

Sunday: good old fashioned chili or an interpretation thereof depending on who you ask. I love using chipotle powder and a lovely chimayo style chile powder from the Santa Fe School of Cooking that I visited during a Southwestern road trip. I order from them on-line whenever I run out. I use the chile powders, cumin and oregano for the spice base, then ground beef, onions, red peppers, carrots, ground tomatoes and kidney beans. All simmered for a couple of hours in a heavy pot. Smoky, spicy and hearty goodness in a bowl. I make a small side pot without the chile powders for the little one who inhales the stuff. Monday: chili leftover, even better after an overnight in the fridge. Yesterday, change of region. Red Thai curry with chicken, lots of garlic, sliced shallots, green onions and snowpeas. I buy baggies of very tasty curry sauce from a local vendor (Thai Princess in Vancouver) so it is a quick chopping / stir-frying and sauce adding job. Served over broad egg noodles. Warming, spicy (a trend in our household!) and very yummy. The little one gets some noodles with a wee bit of the sauce, he is actually good with eating spicy food already. He tried the snow peas but was very puzzled by the strings (I attempt to remove most of them) and decided not to eat them anymore. Home made double chocolate chip cookies for dessert

It turns out I am too early, I saw somewhere on the web that BC strawberry season is May-July this year which prompted my inquiry. However I just called Driediger Farms and the lady told me I have to wait another month.

I am thinking about taking the family out strawberry picking this weekend. Does anybody know a good place for u-pick strawberries at a reasonable (<2hr drive) distance from Vancouver?

Current fridge beer content: Grolsch and Hoegaarden. It is getting sunnier here in Vancouver so sitting on my patio after work with a Hoegaarden (squirt a wee bit of lemon juice in the glass before pouring) is most enjoyable. Fruity, crisp and immensely refreshing. Grolsch is a more generic lager but with enough body to make it stand up against whatever I am snacking on, ususally while cooking dinner in the evening. This is my staple, I usually have one every day. This has something to do with being Dutch I'm sure.

I usually stop by the supermarket on the way home from work to get the fresh ingredients for that evening's dinner. Needless to say I am always hungry when doing this shopping and will need very little mental convincing to get that baggie of chips, flavored nuts or 70% dark chocolate bar that I can munch on while cooking. Sometimes a lot of munching takes place and I am half full by the time dinner is ready! Thankfully a hungry wife and son will always polish off whatever I prepare...

Last weekend, late lunch / early dinner at East is East. I love the big lassies and shakes they serve, they make you feel nice and healthy A big platter full of curries, rotis and condiments was eagerly consumed, assisted by Chocoholic Jr. who truly loves their lentil soup. We brought a batch home for him, perfect lunch food. Sunday brunch at the Granville Island Hotel, met a friend who has a little one the same age as mine. The wife was working that day so I was glad to get some child distraction. Standard brunch fare, executed well in a nice setting. Big outdoor patio for kids to run around after the obligatory piece of toast with peanut butter. Monday evening, change of scenery. My turn to go out with friends, all male and hungry so we decided to pay Morton's a visit. I have to say after semi-recent visits to Hy's and Gotham that I think Morton's takes the crown as far as meat quality is concerned. The 14 ounce filet mignon was to die for and their sauces, especially the mushroom reduction and the peppercorn sauce are great. The setting is a bit stuffy, especially with the dungeon feel after going through the heavy dark doors and entryway. The whole song and dance routine where the server shows you the platter of meat and live lobster is a bit hokey. But the meat was great, and meat is what we were after that night.

A bit of cedar wood and a couple of smoking recipes so they can do their own planked salmon. My European relatives are always very impressed when I do that for them during their visits.

A big lump of Tamarind pulp that looks like it came out of the wrong end of a small dog. It makes curries taste good though!

You can combine your brunching and grocery shopping at Granville Island. I had breakfast at the Granville Island hotel last Sunday and their pancakes looked very good. My friend had them, I had the French toast which was also good with suitable amounts of maple syrup. I don't remember seeing any Hollandaise on the menu but I wasn't looking for it at the time. The location is also very nice with a view of the False Creek marina and a good patio outside for sunny days.

I always hated carrots (the mushy overcooked ones) until I discovered roasted carrots. Nicely caramelized on the outside, soft and sweet on the inside. Mixed with some other roasted root vegetables drizzled with aged balsamic vinegar and some Fleur de Sel. Serve this with some braised short ribs and a good glass of red wine. Perfection...

La Baguette bakery on Granville Island sells frozen puff pastry. I don't know about the butter part but you can contact them and find out.

I use Diamond Crystal as well for everyday seasoning. However when seasoning more delicate things like eggs and when using salt in baking I use a Sicilian sea salt, fine crystals. Coarse Fleur de Sel is great for finishing a plate of grilled meat, or for salt and pepper crusts on steaks. It is also wonderful in certain desserts, I make a chocolate mousse cake with a caramel base. A pinch of Fleur de Sel in the caramel sauce gives it great salty-crunchy accents. I also generously sprinkle Fleur de Sel on Foccacia bread before baking it...yum...

Hey what's wrong with Pastis?! Quite a few of us have squeamish wives so being able to order venison without the usual 'you are eating Bambi' comments or indulging in foie gras without hearing about poor little force-fed ducks is very liberating. And ordering rabbit will result in such pouting that you quickly go for the chicken instead. Trust me, I have been there. The French don't seem to have this problem.

It was also in the Vancouver Sun paper this morning, with a mention on the front page actually. His Iron Chef win surely did wonders for his media popularity since it was the first thing mentioned in the article. On another note, it is quite sad to see how this city stifles people in regulation. I grew up in Holland where every summer the center of my home town would be one big patio with every restaurant and cafe putting out chairs and tables. It makes for a very lively and vibrant city atmosphere. That is one thing I miss about not living there anymore, Vancouver's overly restrictive liquor laws, patio by-laws and whatnot make sitting outside in the summer with a cold beer not easy. I think if the city lightened up a bit in that respect it would do wonders for the summer amosphere in this city, not to mention tourism dollars that everyone is so keen on.

Sunday afternoon: Rangoli's for lunch. This is quickly becoming a favorite stop on weekends during the usual South Granville stroll with the family. The little one devours their naan bread and daal and us grown ups have lots of great stuff to choose from as well. Wash down the food with a mango lassie and you have the perfect Sunday lunch. Tuesday: Cru with a small group from work. We sometimes get people in from other studios around the world and when I work with them I usually take them to dinner in the evening. Cru delivered the goods again and everyone was very happy. It is always funny to see people's reactions to the colour coded wine pairings. Last night: Pastis for a post-birthday boy's night out. The room was full at 8:30 when we arrived and had a nice buzz throughout the evening. We stayed until the very end (perphaps a little past, apologies to the staff ), enjoying the food which is always top notch. It is good to know that classic French food will never go out of style and there is a daily Foie Gras special on the menu Now it is time to dust off the old Weber and get grilling!

Haha the same thing happens in the music industry all the time. New hip band signs contract with big publisher. Next thing you know people are calling them sellouts and shred their CDs in indignation. Never mind that their music is still great. I wonder what is next though...a Feenie line of cookware? (imagine the Feenie Peelie vegetable peeler). A reality show that follows chefs going to dance class? I don't care really as long as he keeps cooking great food, I guess that what being a chef is about in the long run. Let's hope he doesn't end up another Rocco DiSpirito but I think that is unlikely. Plus we need more Vancouver chefs in the limelight if we ever hope to put this place firmly on the global culinary map.

During my usual roamings around South Granville where I live, I noticed a few goings-on restaurant wise: The mysterious Red Pepper ('modern Thai dining') restaurant that has been under construction for a while now a couple of doors down from Cru is now advertising for dishwashers and cooks, so they may be close to actually opening. A new 'upscale Pan-Asian' restaurant (the name escapes me) is under construction on the corner across from Meinhard where the Bread Garden used to be. Nothing but plywood at the moment so I guess it will take a while before it is going to be ready. Interestingly, Picnic was 'currently closed to circumstances beyond our control' according to a sign on the door. This was yesterday afternoon when we dropped by for a treat after lunch at Rangoli. I had to go into Meinhard to get my fix, unfortunately I can never go in there without emerging with more chocolate than is good for me. Oh well...

Interesting topic! I think it is mostly a question of lifestyle. I work for a high-tech company (video games) in Vancouver and a lot of my friends either work for the same company or in the same industry. They are all young (25-35), have comfortable incomes and work and play hard. Yet I only have one friend who regularly comes out with me on dining expeditions around Vancouver. The rest of them simply don't care enough about food to spend more than $40 on a meal at a restaurant. They don't hesitate to drop $200 on a pair of brakes for their mountain bikes however, I have an old clunker bike that mostly sits in my garage gathering dust. Interestingly enough, when we do make plans to go out, the bar and quality of the drinks is usually more important to them than the food. For me, the opposite is true. As far as the restaurant scene is concerned, there are definitely different areas around the city where you will find a more eclectic crowd. Last Sunday we had lunch at The Foundation on Main and 7th. The food was great, hearty bowls of vegetarian chili, rice with beans and banana for the little one, etc. This Thursday the wife and I went to West for dinner, and I couldn't think of a more different dining experience and crowd in the restaurant. But lunch for 3 at The Foundation including a pint of beer came to $40. Dinner for two at West, 3 courses with a couple of glasses of wine cost more than $200. This makes a huge difference to a lot of people I know, including ones with 5 figure incomes. It all depends on where people want to spend their money. Quite a bit of mine goes to restaurants!

For years one of my occasional things to do on the way home from work would be to pick up some rotis from Nice and Spicy on Broadway and Yukon. They were always very yummy and the owner and staff are a friendly bunch. Imagine my surprise and dismay when I dialed the number yesterday for a roti order and I got a message saying they closed the restaurant and are now a catering business. Does the Reef do decent rotis? How about boxes of frozen patties, another thing I used to pick up there. Patties are great at satisfying a craving for something savory and spicy. Having just spent some time in Jamaica, I am still longing for the spice... (we stayed in a place that provided a housekeeper/cook and this lady cooked us the best curries and jerk night after night. It was sooo good) Any other places that do good Carribean style rotis for a quick take-out?

Well, the vacation came and went. We had a lovely time in Toronto for Easter and an even better time in Jamaica after that. We did eat at George while in Toronto and I have to say it was great. Nice room, attentive service and the food was wonderful, we were both impressed. Definitely worth the recommendation.

I really like the Rebellious Tomato. They use organic ingredients and offer some great pizzas with thin crusts. they are on 16th and Willow, maybe a tad far from downtown for crispy delivery. I live on 7th and Birch, much closer by and pizzas arrive in great shape. I can't find a direct web site for them, I got one of their brochures in the mail the other day and decided to give it a try.