-
Posts
263 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Everything posted by Paul B
-
I was at the Red Lion Pub in Dundarave, West Van, last night. The soup of the day was New England clam chowder. It was pretty darn good. Might be worth checking out, but call ahead because it's not a regular menu item. Off topic, but the Red Lion is a great addition to West Van. Serious beers, nice atmosphere, friendly owner, Rafe Mair hangs out there and pontificates, and the food isn't bad for pub grub. Last night I had the special -- a pork osso bucco which was tremendous: tender, full of flavour, and a bargain at $12. My wife had a steak that she really enjoyed.
-
Excellent. If you like it, I'll pick some up early next week. Cassoulet is just about my fave meal in the world, but I've never had any real success in making it myself (although I have a new recipe from Cook's Illustrated that I'm going to try soon). Bon chance.
-
I have had the cassoulet from Oyama, though I didn't know it was part of a festival. They make it up in every November and you have to order it ahead. I did last year and I found it . . . a bit dry. It comes packed in a foil baking pan, but does not include the sausage or duck. You buy those and mix them in with the beans, then cook it up. Not bad, but not as good as stuff I have bought in a jar in Paris or had at Cafe de Paris on Denman. On the other hand, I may order it again this year and try adding some stock and duck fat to kick up the moisture content.
-
For a quick bowl of chowder on the North Shore you can do worse than Screaming Mimi's in Lonsdale Quay. They make it in front of you, you get the choice of Manhatten or Boston, and it's cheap.
-
Many thanks for the reports! Sounds like major fun. Now I'm finding out that we might not be able to get reservations. Yikes.
-
My son came home from lunch downtown with his friends one day a couple of months ago and said he'd had a deep-fried Mars Bar from some place on Denman. He couldn't remember the name of the restaurant, but he claimed the bar was delicious. I dunno. I like sugar, chocolate and fat as much as the next guy, but this strikes me as culinary overkill.
-
I'll throw in another vote for Wild Rice. A couple of months ago I was with my family in that neighborhood and we stopped there for a meal. We could only get seats at the bar. The kids felt rather awkward (never having eaten at a bar before) but the bartender was great to them and the owner made a point of coming over and talking to all of us.
-
Friends of ours are proposing a night out at an Italian dinner club on Commercial. Apparently this place has dinner, dancing, and a high kitsch value. I don't know the name of it but I was wondering if anyone had heard of it or been there, and if so, thumbs up or down? Many thanks.
-
I have to concur on the Tomahawk. Gotta love the funky decor, the old fashioned non-pretentious service, and the fact that they give you a choice of organic or 'normal' eggs. Love taking my family there.
-
Best Pizza (anywhere) for a chain has got to be Me N Eds. In North Vancouver they are located on Lonsdale on the corner of 21st. ← You know, I did suggest Me 'n' Ed's since it had been recommended to me (I still haven't tried it) but he didn't like it. I tell ya, these Californians are such snobs. What's he need? Hand tossed crust, duck sausage, and beluga caviar?
-
We celebrated our 21st at Chambar and they couldn't have been nicer (I started a small thread about that evening -- it should be somewhere in this forum), but it might be a bit loud if you want romantic. We kinda like loud.
-
Many thanks for the advice. I've already passed the recommendations on to my friend. He's tried, and been impressed with, Pudpong. I'm sure he'll get to the other places. But now he's complaining that he can't find good pizza on the North Shore. He should do what I do and make his own. . . .
-
A colleague of mine who recently moved to North Van was complaining to me that he can't find any good Thai food. He's originally from L.A. and has been expounding the virtues of that city's ethnic food scene. I've defended Vancouver but can't offer him a brilliant Thai experience on this side of the inlet. Any recommendations? Or does anyone know a good Thai place right downtown, say near the Seabus terminal? Vancouver's reputation as a culinary capital is on the line.
-
Beautiful! I got turned on to Epoisse when I was living in Ireland. There was an excellent shop in downtown Galway that imported cheeses and other goodies from the continent. When I got back to Vancouver I tracked the cheese down and have been turning friends on to it ever since. Steve Jenkins, in his essential Cheese Primer, lists Epoisse as one of the great cheeses of the world. Man, I got to get back to Europe...
-
I don't have a food processor (it broke and it was so much trouble to clean I never replaced it) so I use a bread machine to make pasta. Here's the deal: I put three eggs, a tsp. of oil, and two cups of regular flour into the bread machine. Start the machine on the dough cycle, keeping the lid open. As it churns the stuff around I add a bit of water and occasionally push any stuff stuck in the corners towards the middle with a spatula. Soon enough it starts to form a ball. Once it's nice and firm, I turn off the machine, take the dough ball out and let it sit until it's time to run through the pasta machine. Works a charm.
-
We're facing the same problem, though not all of our green tomatoes are cherry. Apparently if you pick them, wrap them in newspaper and put them in a dark, cool place they will ripen on their own. We're going to try it.
-
I have said it before and I'll say it again, the king of cheeses is Epoisse. The last time I did a cheese platter with an Epoisse it was the only cheese that my guests finished every bite of. Throw one in your cheese course and serve with a gutsy red wine. L'Ami carries Epoisse, as does the Cheese Shoppe in Park Royal.
-
Celebrating a Western Canadian Thanksgiving
Paul B replied to a topic in Western Canada: Cooking & Baking
L: It's not so much the taste as the tenderness and juiciness. I've been converted to brining by reading Cook's Illustrated (religiously) and they've run all sorts of tests that prove that birds that are brined lose less weight during cooking and stay nice and moist, important for turkey since the breast meat tends to dry out. Now I regularly brine chickens and turkies before I roast them. I do not, however, use quite as much salt as they call for since it can make the resultant gravy a bit salty, by my standards anyway. The Cook's Illustrated book, Best New Recipes, has a whole section on the science of brining. Check it out. -
Celebrating a Western Canadian Thanksgiving
Paul B replied to a topic in Western Canada: Cooking & Baking
I'm a bit stymied about this year's Thanksgiving. Normally we have my in-laws and other friends over and I roast a huge turkey. This year no one is going to be around so it's just me, my wife, and the boys. I've ordered a small organic turkey from Windsor Meat, but can't imagine that I'll make the full meal I usually crank out: roasted turkey (brined before hand); stuffing with dried cranberries; garlic mashed potatoes; glazed carrots; lots of gravy; and my wife's pumpkin pie. On the other hand, if I don't make it the kids will be bitterly disappointed so I guess I had better stock up on freezer bags. Interesting side note: some years ago I found a recipe (since lost) for a turkey that was brined overnight in oriental spices. This made for a delicious and unusual meal that brought east and west together in an interesting poultry detente, but my kids prefer the traditional style so I've put that recipe to bed. -
You can get okonomiyaki in the fast food court in the Aberdeen Centre in Richmond. They sell it at the stand that specializes in takoyaki. Can't remember what the stand it called, but they do Japanese treats and noodle dishes. I love their curry udon.
-
Out here on the North Shore, you can get duck confit at Windsor Meats in the Caulfied Mall. It's actually a great butcher shop. Can't remember how much the duck costs.
-
There's also a Kin's Market in Park Royal. I hit it regularly and especially when I need a lot of something. That's where I got most of the vegetables for the monster paella I made earlier in the summer. On the topic of West Vancouver produce, there's always Whole Foods: expensive, yup, but usually very nice and, of course, organic. The original Capers in Dundarave also has a good organic produce section. Most people I know, however, could give a toss about their produce being organic and so they go to the anti-Whole Foods, Sun Jim's Market on Marine drive just west of 17th. Not fancy, maybe not that clean, but cheap and friendly.
-
I'm not a big fan myself, since I find it too sweet, but my son has been turned onto it by a Chinese friend of his who recommended the little stand in the food court in the Yoahan Market, Richmond. They do a passion-fruit slushy thing with pearls that my son swears by.
-
You know, I don't agree about the shop in Park Royal. Yes, it's fancy, but I've always found the staff to be very agreeable and helpful and they have a selection of all the strong cheeses that I want. And as someone who has done the comparison shopping, I can tell you that it's $2-3 cheaper per cheese than the same product at Whole Foods right next door. Now that place is so pretentious that I don't want to go into it anymore. So check out the Cheese Shop in Park Royal south. (They always have Epoisse, the king of cheeses).
-
Jokes aside, the fries at Cafe de Paris are the closest to the frites I've had in France anywhere in Canada, much less Vancouver. They get my nod. As a matter of fact, I wish I had some beside me right now...