PaoPao

You're joking right? Fried chicken & watermelon? Hey, let's perpetuate some more food stereotypes ... no grits in there? Black eyed peas perhaps? Jeesh. A. ← Wow, I didn't know people were so threatened by Fried Chicken being served with <gasp> watermelon! Please elaborate on just what you find so offensive and why you believe this is stereotypical...

We ate at Diner last night and a new menu item is their "Bucket 'O' Fried Chicken". 2 Large fried thighs served in a little red tin bucket. The chicken was pretty good, really liked the potato salad and Watermelon that came with it.

← "Gritty". Is that supposed to be a good thing? Does it mean they won't clean the place very often, or what? ← We ventured to Republic the other night for dinner and drinks with a few friends. First impressions were "wow", great liquor setup behind the bar, plasmas everywhere, cool interior, and a gorgeous wait staff. Lasting impressions were, mediocre to bleh food and overpriced drinks. We had the Chips w. Cheesy Salsa, Yam Fries, Burger, Salmon, Roast Chicken, a "rosemary" infused drink, and a few beers. It was only their 2nd day open so I'm sure kinks are being ironed out like our waitress not knowing what items were on their menu and artwork falling off the walls. Walking by on Saturday night was a bit funny, with a line-up outside at 10:00 PM and the place maybe 40% full. The space was the most impressive though with upstairs and downstairs bars, and a pretty industrial look / feel. Lots of attitude from the un-knowledgeable staff combined with the other negatives above = probably won't be back.

Is Chilo's still in business? On the past two Wednesday nights we have gone out there only to find it closed. Looked in the windows to what appears items scattered around and disorganized. Both times we instead had dinner at the other Mexican / Salvadorian place two doors down on the corner which has been very good. Its a great sign to me when everyone else in the restaurant was Spanish beside my friend and I.

A sure thing is Urban Fare. They have daily specials ranging from Roast Chicken to Prime Rib. All plates come with veggies and potatoes or rice for around $12. They also have a pretty extensive selection of items you just need to heat up in their refrigerator case.

Anyone know what’s happening with Chiyoda on Alberni? Is the closing temporary or permanent?

A few more: - Tropical Carrot Cake - Picnic - Tiny Steak Sammies in the bar - Morton's - Cheese Danish - Mckinnon's Bakery - Portuguese Egg Tart - Michelle Bakery - Chorizo Nacho's - The Whip - Croissant Donut - Davie Safeway - Spinach Salad - Capone’s - Ginger Beef - Szechuan Chong Quing - Patty Melt - Diner

Yesterday, I was thinking about this as I was buying my favourite Oatmeal Choc Chip cookies at Dish on Davie. If by chance I would never had stumbled into Dish to see what it was all about, I would never have tasted what I consider an amazingly good cookie. IMHO the best in Vancouver. I haven't heard anyone mention them, never read about them here, and that got me wondering .... what else are people keeping to themselves? Obviously individual tastes vary but still .... great items can hold their place with demand. So, I'm curious, what specific dish(s) or items do you consider amazing but have rarely heard promoted?

Mmmm.... a thinker of a topic ... lemme see: To start would be dessert .... the Coconut Cake at LK and an Oatmeal Choc. Chip cookie at Dish would do. Washed down with a Macallan Elegancia. Then a fantastic Japanese course of Sushi and Soft shelled crabs from Toshi's eaten off of a naked horizontal Halle Berry. (Don't worry, my wife is all over this too ) This while drinking some very nice Hot Sake. ahem .... then a couple of inferno pizza slices from Marcello's, while interchanging Hoegardden and Stella while watching some UFC. Then off to Northern Dynasty for some Alaskan King Crab and xiao lin bao. A quick stop at Lee's for a couple of drum sticks of their spicy fried chicken paired nicely with an assortment of Trappiste Beer. Finally ending up at the Irish Heather where a plate of Neil's Yard Dairy cheeses and an assortment of fine Scotch's await for me to devour them while going towards the light on the warm musical waves of William Whitmore Elliot singing "Lift my jug to the sky".

Last night we had dinner at Century and we very impressed. When we arrived at 7:30 the place was about 3/4 full. We started out with the Jamon, a Spanish version of an anti-pasti platter with very interesting and tasty items. Then had a Caesar Salad that was prepared with Quail Eggs, and langoustine’s. For the entrees, the 3 of us had the Black Cod, Sea Bass, and the Braised Short Ribs. All of these were done very well. I had asked the waitress which she preferred between the Short Ribs and the Latin Cassoulet with Rabbit. She said that she has served many more of the Short Ribs and strongly recommended them which I am glad I listed to. Although when we go back next time the Cassoulet dish will be what I want to try next. For Dessert we had a Sampler Dish as well as a Chocolate Trio. I think the sampler Dish was the clear favourite with a very interesting dollop of Cream Cheese and Key Lime Syrup, a Cookie with a very rich topping, a shot glass with tapioca and pineapple juice and then flambéed bananas. Throughout this amazing meal we sipped Sangrias with these fantastic mini-kiwi's in them. The service was some of the best I think we have ever had dinning in the city. We were seated promptly, greeted by our waitress, and proceeded to be pampered throughout the entire meal. During which we met Mike who came over and introduced himself, and then we saw Sean again and talked with him for a bit as well. He's the consummate host and between him, mike, and the great staff the place was running like a fine clock. The wait staff who delivered the food would with each plate describe in detail everything on it, this was very impressive and they did a great job with that as well. The food, beyond being very tasty, was also brought out quicker than we expected for that type of cuisine to be prepared. Not meant as a criticism by any means, actually it was a nice surprise and we didn't feel at all rushed. The restaurant itself is just over the top jay dropping cool. I was telling my wife and our friend that all it needed was some large verandas that opened up onto a small bay in small town in Spain somewhere whit a nice warm tropical breeze flowing through. We finished up close to 10:30 and by this time there were so many people packed in by the bar that people had to sip their drinks by the front doors. On the way out Sean said to us to peak into the vault room that he transformed into a private dining room. Very cool. So it was a fantastic evening and a restaurant that I'm sure will become one of Vancouver’s favourites very shortly.

Last Saturday we tried the new breakfast menu and just loved it. Our friends ordered the Eggs Benedict and a Veggie Omelette, Yummy had the Banana Waffle, and I had a Cheddar, Bacon, and Mushroom Omelette along with the Rum Raisin French Toast. Everything tasted awesome. Service was spot on and we left smiling and full. Later on in the day I stopped in to get a few sweet snacks and came away with a box full of Carrot Cupcakes and Cinnamon Roles. Both of which were fantastic. Today I was in for lunch, my friend had the Meatloaf Melt while I had a Spinach Salad and a bowl of the Salmon / Cream Cheese Chowder. Yum! Very quick service. Heather is a sweetheart and I just can't say enough about the food and the staff. Definitely one of my favourites places in town to eat.

Diner usually has a few pasta dishes available for lunch and dinner. One is a Penne with Sweet Sausage, and the other is a Carbonera. As an appetizer they also have daily fresh Ravioli's which are amazing good.

Heather is running a pretty tight ship and their haven't been any kinks since the opening at least for all the times we are in there. Must be at least 2x per week. 5 people shouldn't be an issue on a Tuesday, and yes it's still cash only. I've been bugging her about get a cc machine as I am missing out on alot of air mileage. We we're just in there last night again for after dinner drinks and desserts. She has a new Pear Tartlette that just rocks.

Old Lilykate now known as LK Dining Lounge is trying really hard. Different events ranging from artist venues to DJ's are scheduled each night. Last night I ordered Take Out from a new menu that they have. Spinach Salad, their LKNY Pizza (Pepperoni, Mushrooms, and Olives on a thin crust) and a slice of Coconut Cake. Got there around 7 PM and not a soul in the place. They also play movies w/ no sound projected on one of the walls. The staff were very helpful and attentive if not overly from being just bored. Their new menu has some interesting items like fondue’s and a Duck Pizza. When I made the long haul across the street home, I started with the salad. Pretty good, lots of onions, mushrooms, and real Bacon Bits. When my wife got home she wouldn't kiss me so I know it was potent. The night before last I had a pizza at Marcello's, which I thought was outstanding, so eating a pizza right after the Marcello's one was a big test. Unfortunately it wasn't that great. The Coconut Cake however continues to be a standout dessert. It's really, really good. They skimped on the frosting which made me a little sad, but my waist was surely relieved. The room there has a cool vibe and would be a great place to hang out with some friends and drink a bit while eating some interesting items.

Just noticed on Granville close to Davie in the Howard Johnson Hotel next to Crush is a hot wing place called Wings. With 12 flavours and .39 cent wings from 2 - 6 pm I'm sure they'll do pretty good there. We went to the other location about a year ago on Main ... thought they were average. But with the news that I just heard that the owners of Hooters are changing names to get rid of the franchise, this maybe the next best fix. Maybe they could put all those uniforms to good use as well .....

In general when going out on the town in BC our tips are in the 15%-30% range. Some very close friends of ours who live here and family is from HK tips about 10% on average when eating in an Asian Restaurant. She was shocked at how much I left for a tip last time we ate at an Asian restaurant in Richmond together (20%). She had said 10% is expected and thats all you leave. Is that a HK thing or is she right?

Is it the same people I wonder ? Same concept ? ← Outside appearance wise it looks exactly the same. When we venture for dinner I hope to find out a little about what happened .......

Milan Bistro is now open again. It's located a few doors down from Coast on Hamilton. It closed for about a year and then all of a sudden opened last week again. We're planning on trying them for dinner soon ....

When we were at EAT Vancover earlier this year we came across Hills Foods Ltd. who specialize in providing all types of Wild Game. I haven't called them yet but their whole menu looks really interesting.

← Yes, they closed a few months back and are moving to a new spot. Not sure where the new location will be but they said they wanted to stay around the same area.

Cafe D' Lite is one of our favourite places for eating Hainanese Chicken and Lahksa. They also have a delicious Beef Brisket. As far as I know the new location that they are moving to is still closed. A couple days ago we just tried their phone # to get some new info without any luck. Many people I know also enjoy the Banana Leaf. But we prefer Cafe D' Lite.

Have to say one of the most tasty ribs I've had was at Ouisi Bistro on Granville. Great place to take your honey bunny and help make sure to all that spicy BBQ sauce doesn't go to waste.

I've got a nice 2"x1/2" one on my inside forearm. This was from Broiling Unagi but I like to tell people it was from a surfacing tape worm and watch them gasp.

^ Yup, they are open at 11:00 AM.

Man, I feel I am late to the game finding this place. Was walking by on Robson to go to Future Shop and decided to stop in and try their pies. I bought one Butter Chicken to go and ate it at home a bit later on. When I took it out of the bag it was still nice and warm with a fantastic golden flakey crust. I offered some to the wife, which she declined, and dove in. Oh man, it was delicious! Just the right portion for a large snack. Flakey, chewy crust and a mix of spices in the butter chicken that really hit the mark surrounding big chunks of white and dark meat chicken. If you happen to be in the area, do your stomach a favour and stop by.