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Paul B

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Everything posted by Paul B

  1. Has anyone else become addicted to Parrano? I got it on sale at Les Amis, and have found it at Whole Foods, but it's not in my cheese bible: Steve Jenkins' Cheese Primer. I THINK it's an especially old Gouda, but at this time of the night I may be hallucinating.
  2. Bistro 1734 on Marine Drive in West Van has closed its doors. I don't know if that's a shame or not. When it first opened it was great, but the last two times I've been it was sub-par. The space has already been snapped up. It's going to open as an Indian restaurant. Hope it's good. I would love to have someplace that sells butter chicken and sag panir within walking distance of my house.
  3. Paul B

    Heirloom tomatoes

    I've been eating heirloom tomatoes from Whole Foods for the past three weeks. They're expensive, but so worth it. Two main ways I eat them . . . #1, in a sandwich. Fresh sourdough bread, a bit of mayonaisse, think slices of tomato, some anchony filets, and lots of freshly ground pepper. #2, in a tomato risotto. I peel the tomatoes, core and seed them, then blend them. Put the pulpy juice in a pot and heat it gently right beside the pot that contains the chicken broth for the risotto. As I make the risotto, I alternate ladles full of broth with the liquified tomatoes. Makes a very rich and tomatoey meal.
  4. Use them to top a pizza. Instead of using a tomato sauce, coat the top of the crust with garlic-infused olive oil, then sprinkle a mess of the little tomatoes (all cut in half) on the crust. Top with cheese and, when the pizza comes out of the oven, fresh basil leaves.
  5. This topic has come up in other threads, but I have to back up the Savary Island Pie company in West Van once more. There bread is simply the best around: the Italian can be eaten as a meal in itself (my boys do); the sourdough (only made on Thursday) is perfect for big sandwiches; and the soda bread is very authentic (I lived in Ireland). COBS, in comparison, is bland bland bland. And while I shop at Whole Foods more than I should, I find most of their bread to be dry and/or stale. Savary Island or bust.
  6. Go ethnic. The Palki is v. good for Indian food and there's a Thai place (can't remember the name) that's not bad. There's a Memphis Blues outlet on mid-Lonsdale for pulled pork. There's also the Zupa, a Spanish tapas place -- a homely room, but the food in not bad and the live music and dancing on Friday night is great.
  7. Mark does make a good point about Capers -- the one Dundarave, at least, has been pretty bad for quite a while. The produce is banged up, especially when compared to the spectacular produce at Whole Foods (I've been pigging out on their heirloom tomatoes) and some of the people behind the deli counter are downright surly. Whole Foods may be a monster corporation, but they provide a nice (though expensive) product and shopping experience. I won't miss Capers if it goes under.
  8. I just took an out-of-town friend who was staying at the Sheraton for lunch as Azia and she was very impressed. Tasty and pretty food; nice room; not too expensive.
  9. Dim Sum at the Floata last Sunday. Just fine. The sargeant-major woman at the door actually graces us with a smile now that we're regulars Fish at the Fish Market in Dundarave last Tuesday. Had the great spicy squid then some very nice sea bass. I love that restaurant. Sushi last night at Zen in Dundarave. What a disappointment! Zen is West Van's fanciest Japanese restaurant. The food is fine, but over priced for what it is. And the service was terrible. The huge menus and the used hot towels were left on our table forever. Our orders came in no particular order. The server stalked off while I was conferring with my wife about what we should order to drink. To make matters worse, the tables have these sticky wooden edges that catch at your sleeves and the chairs are uncomfortable. We will not be going there again.
  10. Seems to me I've had zaru soba at Nikko on Granville. Can't remember if it was any good. When we lived in Japan, lo these many years ago, we became addicted to the stuff, especially during the sweltering summer months. I second the idea of making it yourself. It's dead easy and better than you'll probably get in most restaurants. Come to think of it, I was once served zaru soba on JAL. And it wasn't bad...
  11. Zen, in West Van, right beside Le Regalade. Serious sushi and a great sake selection. But, as was mentioned before, it might be an idea to take your guests for some serious West Coast cuisine. I lived in Japan and learned that it is a country of gourmands. Why not take them to the Beach House at Dundarave or even Le Regalade. An equivalent meal at one of those places would cost a fortune in Japan.
  12. I use mine specifically to cut the back bone out of a raw chicken when I want to flatten it for grilling, or open it over a bigger container of stuffing.
  13. I have the luck to live only a few blocks from Savary Island. I'm there every Sunday morning buying muffins for breakfast and the Italian bread for lunch. The latter bread is actually nothing like the various breads I've had in Italy, but is so good I always buy two loaves since my teenage boys will eat one in five minutes flat without butter. I am all in favour of them expanding out of West Van so that other denizens of the lower mainland have to face the same waistline challenges that I do thanks to the bakery's proximity. Best pie there? Lemon buttermilk with berries.
  14. My wife is an avid gardener and I always encourage her to plant things I can eat. We have herbs in our front and back yards; a quince tree and an Italian plum tree as well as a columnar apple; rhubarb and various forms of lettuce. But the best thing to grow, I think, is tomatoes since no store bought tomato will ever come close to the taste of one plucked hot from the vine (and served on warm bread with mayo, a few anchovies, and lots of ground pepper). She ordered some heritage seeds from the Gulf islands this year and has started them inside along with some from seeds we picked up in Italy years ago. The seedlings are doing well and should go in the ground in a month or so, depending on the weather. Fingers crossed for a hot summer with few slugs or, for the sake of my plum tree, bears.
  15. Whole Foods carries organic (!) charcoal. Johnstone's has everything, including one of the best steak sauces I've tasted. I use a gas grill but I'm thinking of buying a smoker. Right now I do the planking thing when I want a real smokey flavour. Fave thing to grill? Anything that my guests don't expect. Foccaccio as a starter is always a big hit, and for a side dish I do teriyaki rice cakes (I make sushi rice the night before, press it in a plastic wrapped pan with a weight on top, then cut it up and brush it with sauce). Lately I've been cooking New York strip steaks marinated in a honey-mustard sauce and they've been terrific. As for doneness, I use a timer. Oh, and best tip? Use a ball of foil to clean the grill.
  16. I would add the Dundarave Fish Market. A very cool place, with nice specials and a menu that let's you (or your) dad combine any sort of in-season seafood with any preparation.
  17. Every summer my friend Ian and I hold a paella party in my back yard (see the paella thread for pics). I'm in charge of the stock, and we need lots of it since we make a HUGE paella. I save chicken carcasses from meals for months, throwing them in the freezer, meat and all. Then, a day before the party, I get out the stock pot, briefly cook some onions, celery, carrots, and bay leafs in a splash of oil. I find this first step makes for a richer stock. Then I throw in some peppercorns, all the chicken bits, and lots of water. I let it cool all day, then let it cool, and spend a great deal of time straining it. This makes for a very cloudy, unrefined, but damn tasty stock. It is sometimes so rich that it jells. It all gets used in the paella. For more fancy cooking, I'll be much pickier about what goes in the stock, just using the bones. Now, I just took a Thai cooking class. The teacher had some large, bone-in chicken breasts. The first thing we did was bone them, then take the bones and put them in water to boil. She insisted that in oriental cooking no vegetables are added to the stock. Anyway, the bones simmered in the small pot for about an hour. We then drained off the stock and used it in our Tom Yum soup. So you don't have to get fancy when making stock.
  18. I've seen fresh ones from time to time at the Metrotown and Richmond T&T's. Maybe it is a matter of hit and miss? Or try Crystal Mall in Burnaby, they've got a few butcher shops there. Or Chinatown, but having spent much time there I don't know of a particular shop. ← The Chinatown T&T had fresh tongue a couple of weeks ago.
  19. Just back from a few days in Calgary. Most of the time I was in the Sheraton Eau Clair hotel and just grabbed quick bites, but one night seven of us went to the River Cafe on the island. It was, apparently, the first night of the new menu so there were no specials, but the menu was impressive and expensive. Some of the beef entrees went as high as $42. And the wine list was brutal. It took a great deal of searching to find a reasonable bottle for $40; most everythinig was in the $60 and up range. That said, the food was very good. I had a mushroom and leek tart opener, a roast pork entree, and a cheese plate dessert with a glass of tawny port ($12 for the port alone). My friends enjoyed dishes like bison-hump soup, bison roasts, and various pieces of beef. I had hoped that the cheese plate would offer local artisanal cheeses, but most of them came from BC (hey, I live here!) and France. The service was fine, if a bit slow. The room itself is beautiful. The only real downer to the experience, besides the Manhatten-like prices, was room temperature. The staff insisted on keeping the patio doors open for the few keeners (and I guess smokers) sitting outside. As a result, everyone inside froze. A server actually had to bring one patron a blanket. Hey, when I'm paying that sort of money, I want to be comfortable, so they should shut the damn doors.
  20. Paul B

    Barbecue Sauce

    Okay, this is not tomato based, but it can be adjusted many ways. Take equal portions (say a cup) of low sodium soy sauce, brown sugar, and vinegar. Put them all in a pot and heat until just simmering and the sugar is melted. Now, in a separate bowl, whisk a table spoon or more of corn starch into a couple of shots of whiskey. I like bourbon, but you can use whatever works or you can use something like apple juice. When the starch is dissolved, stir the mixture into the other pot and bring to a boil. It should thicken up nicely. If not, add more corn starch & liquid mixture. That's your base. You want tomato? Add tomato paste or even ketchup. You want garlic? Saute some and add it. You like it spicy? Throw in some red pepper flakes. Whatever. Just don't apply it to the meat early in the process. This sauce, like most BBQ sauces is full of sugar and will burn. Brush it on near the end.
  21. Find the Aberdeen Centre in Richmond. Now find the north end of the Aberdeen Centre. Right across the street from that end is a small strip mall and beside a field / parking lot. The last store on the east end of that tiny mall is a restaurant supply store. I can't remember the name (which is why I'm giving you these odd directions). I've bought quite a bit of stuff in there. It's all reasonably priced and, the last time I was in, they have a good collection of woks.
  22. I would second Red Square. It's off of Marine Drive near Boundary in south Burnaby. They also have perogies and a variety of hearty, eastern European breads.
  23. Gee, I had brunch with the family at Griffins over a year ago and it was just fine. Guess it's really gone down. Anyway, I would second Feenie's. I've done brunch there twice, once with friends and once with the kids, and both times it was great. But hey, why can't I find a place that serves pickled herring and sour cream with brunch? Back in Toronto (at least at the places I frequented) it was a staple.
  24. Hey, let's not forget Crispy Creme. Most of Surrey is malls. There's one mall that have a sort of fake Ikea in it. Maybe someone can remember its name. Anyway, if you can find this mall there's an Indian place there run by a Muslim family that makes (despite its rather austere decor) tremendous food. There's also a good Indian place on Scott Road near the big mosque. Sorry that I'm not being more specific, but I only go to Surrey to visit my mother-in-law.
  25. The lobsters are still $12.99, and man are they big. One of those things would probably set you back at least $50. Another reason to go to T&T is for the fresh noodles and Chinese sausage. They have the best selection of both that I have seen.
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