*Deborah*

I have to say, it's really a shame about the bog, but at least the smoke smells better than a tire fire or something. It's very reminiscent of whiskey!

You're power-blogging now, Moosh! Only 24 hours to go!

More than likely just my lack of familiarity with using fondant...when I was putting the layer on top, I realized it was thicker (and a little prone to cracking) but I wanted the top to have that smooth finish and the rounded corners. I basically just crossed my fingers through that whole process, I think I was as nervous as the bride. Wendy has asked me to make a "demo" thread about that cake, and I can share all my first-time faux pas with you all.

It IS good! (thanks for the kudos, Ling ) Everyone I have made this cake for is blown away. I add 1 TBS Chambord Royale per lb. of chocolate (about 2 parts Callebaut semisweet to 1 part Scharffen Berger unsweetened or bittersweet is a ratio I've had good results with), and then serve with unsweetened whipped cream and raspberry sauce made by forcing defrosted IQF raspberries through a fine sieve, or with fresh berries in season. The 6 inch x 3 inch size is nice if you don't have a lot of people to help you eat it, too. It's so rich, you don't need big pieces. Thisis a record I made of making a two-layer Oblivion cake for my best friend's wedding cake. Have fun!

Not waitperson per se; any person who is not a friend.

I'm quite sure I've written about this here before...don't touch me unless we're friends/know each other well, don't chat me up about the weather unless it's germane or I ask, and if you put smilies on my check, expect me to roll my eyes, not think "Aw, how sweet!" These things will make me lower, not raise, my tip percentage.

Oh! Central Bistro on Denman has a great "martini" list! I have tasted many of them, to good effect and the food is good, too! linky (disclosure: I have done some work on the menus...and nothing that is not a Martini is called a Martini. Just so you know. )

Ugh, at the risk of boring you to tears, I have to report yet aNOTHer excellent dinner at...Parkside. (I picked my dad up at the airport this afternoon, offered him some options, and he said "Well, of course, Parkside is only my favourite restaurant on the planet!" Who am I to complain?) Sooooooo good. I was looking at the menu and wine list etc. before we left the house (between doing my hair and dressing, actually--I am so easily sidetracked). Came across this Ch Clarke Edmond de Rothschild Listrac-Médoc 2000. Looked it up online, looked it up in my Hugh Johnson, and discussed the possibility with my dad en route to the restaurant: Mummy and I had had a budget bottle last night, after all. Wine: check. We arrive, we settle in, Garolsteiner, Charles (oh, sure, I somehow thought his name was Chris, and it's not. I apologize for bollocksing that up for such a long time, and after all the lovely cocktails you have mixed me. ) made me a lovely little Pisco Sour, and two teeny-weeny ones for the parental units to get a taste (they had had a cocktail back at the ranch, when I was getting ready/researching the menu--I had to catch up!). The Chateau Clarke was decanted, very nice, less of a whack over the head than I often drink, but you know, I suppose the odd Bordeaux now and then won't really kill me. I need to branch out, too: seldom are Pauillacs in my budget. We order our starters: heirloom tomato salad with grilled radicchio and 20 y o balsamic for my dad, spinach and ricotta tart with some sort of artichoke salad for my mum, and (can you guess?) parfait de foie gras for yours truly. Served with these gorgeous toasted slices of brioche, warm, tender yet gently crisped on the outside, out of this world. Tried unsuccessfully to get my dad to try; he just doesn't understand that it has NOTHING to do with liver. For mains, my dad had the pan-roasted sole with citrus sauce and veggies, which he ate everything except most of the potatoes (he tries to follow the Zone diet to keep his cholesterol in check, so seldom eats his starch, much as he loves it). My mother begged an order of suckling pig out of the Johnny Depp Waiter (more on this later), it was a big seller the night before, and had been removed from the menu. I shocked all present by having the medallions of veal with a beautiful cognac sauce, chanterelles, and porcini papardelle rather than the duck grande-mère. That veal...so juicy, flavourful. And the herby sauce. Le sigh. A thing of beauty. My mother snagged the last of the wine, so I had a glass of Banyuls with my dessert. We were brought a little intermezzo of the sorbet crème fraîche with the sour cherries from the warm chocolate cake hiding beneath....wow wow wow. Sometimes I feel that trying to cook if one is not Andrey Durbach is simply futile. (ETA: not to cast aspersions at other excellent chefs, just directed at me!) Our proper desserts followed: Mummy had the tarte fine of plum and almond, with eau-de-vie ice cream. I was desperately distracted by my assiette de caramel though: left to right: dulce de leche pudding with...was that Mascarpone on top? it seemed richer than mere cream; maple walnut caramel ice cream with...something that I am forgetting and chocolate sauce beneath; and two little biscuits sablés avec une crème lá-dedans...sort of a caramel mousse? and a dollop of dulce de leche (the thick stuff) on top. The JDW walks by to check if I'm alright...This is indecent, it's so good, I manage to mumble. Ye gods! I know my description is incomplete...all I can say is that if you have the opportunity to try it, do so. I will have to forego lunch tomorrow in order to do justice to the lovely Aurora dinner tomorrow, I fear! but holy cow, it's worth it! So after the bill is done, we're about on our way, I say to the JDW, you know that you have been immortalized as "the Johnny Depp Waiter," don't you? (this is based on the fact that he knew it was my birthday last time I was there, although we hadn't said anything--I figured they were eGullet lurkers). He said, yes, he did. He didn't seem to mind much (well, what's to mind? ) but I would like to clarify that his name is Michel, and he's damn good at his job. And he has cut off his long locks, so has less of a resemblance to Jack Sparrow than previously. (I have to add that I constantly give people nicknames when I don't know their actual names, although most of them haven't made it into my eG posts. So sorry Michel! henceforward I'll remember your actual name. ) Whew! that's it for me for tonight.

Most of my recent dining has been covered elsewhere (the Drucker dinner in Richmond--thanks again, canucklehead, for putting that together! and Ezogiku ramen earlier in the week with Moosh and Junior Mouse ). I have been on a budget kick, actually even bringing my lunch to work 3 out of 4 days last week--unheard of! so there haven't been a lot of other meals to talk about. Yesterday, though, my Mum came to town, so we went out. I was astonishingly indecisive about where to go. I had a 7:30 show at Richard's so wanted an early meal, and wanted really to be nearby...I looked at some prix-fixe menus around, and looked in my "Embarrassing Admissions" entries to see some of the places I hadn't been to that I ought to have been to, and looked at some more menus, and just couldn't make up my mind and didn't want to get all dressed up to then dress down for my show. Long story long () we ended up sneaking into the HSG for an early bite. We had a budget bottle of Quail's Gate 2003 Old Vines Foch, not my very favourite, but I could drink it again. Especially for the price ($45). I had gone in there intending to have maybe two appetizers, didn't want to eat too much. Then I looked at the fresh sheet, and the immortal words Surf & Turf looked back at me. Sirloin, Dungeness Crab...aaaaahhhh. So that's what I had. I ended up with a steak I would have had trouble finishing at the best of times, and half of a crab that was more than I could finish on its own! Whoa! Lovely lovely crab, I've been on this total crab kick lately. And to start, my mum and shared the crabcake She had her usual sirloin and Caesar. For dessert, divergence! I had the GBP, it had been too long. Mummy had the special huckleberry crème brûlée. And a GBP to go which she demolished for breakfast this morning. And I brought home most of my steak and the best crab leg of the bunch, with the claw Thanks for another delicious meal, Neil!

All the good ones really are taken! ← That's the truth! Not only does he have an age-appropriate girlfriend, he also has a stable of Older Women at his disposal: Peppermint Tea, Ling and I are all absolutely his slaves.

Oh, Dude! the Cassava Cake!!!!! The Turon !!! Tasty times.

Sort of related to mtigges' response is mine: crowded conditions, and tables that are so close together that you can't help bumping your neighbour and/or their table when exiting a banquette, for example. Granted I am not as slender as once I was, but I wouldn't say I am outside the norm of humanity (except perhaps in Yaletown ), and not much except a really skinny date makes me feel as graceless as bumping into furniture when circumnavigating my table. By the same token, it's not always amusing to have one's eyes at others' immediate...hip level. Unless, presumably, one has paid for the privilege.

Fujiya for cost-efficient sushi tray? I usually make quesadillas when I need to feed a bunch of people for a relatively small amount of money. Or those potato puffs with white truffle oil! Good luck!

You should know that the Eggs over my Hammy was created by none other than Jacques Pepin and Pierre Franney just prior to the end of their tenure at at Howard Johnson, the concept was then sold to an upstart Denny's just as a young Phillip Roth was interning as a copywriter at the ad agency hired to name the egg/ham/cheese/sourdough sandwich. A little respect please. ← Never mind that: it's the Chuck-E-Che Cuban Darts Pub that I'm looking into.

Your boyfriend, Noah?!?! Noah stands on his head for me!! Looking forward, Joie!

They have a nice private room, as well. They also have excellent non-seafood options. Frank Pabst was my first favourite chef in Vancouver, when he was at Bistro Pastis. My budget doesn't let me eat at Blue Water often, but what I have had there since he's been has been excellent.

Wow, we have a higher yuppie/redneck ratio than Ontario?

Henrik in 1B as he is a little less of a Sedin since he lost that bit o' finger?

Pretty good, although marred for some by the whole wheaty nature and general additional fiberosity of the buns. The onion rings were nice and battered, and the fries were of the slender variety, pretty good. The burger, with fried onions, and fries, very juicy: The onion rings: They were kind and brought out our food, and didn't complain one bit when we commandeered half of the tables in the room to seat our multi-generational party. It really is all about the view, though--I jumped up twice to grab light and photo ops. The sun comes through the clouds and lights up the city: The sunset:

To me, it looks like a pizza trying to be a souvlaki pita. Without the foil. I'd rename it the "Shirt-Wrecker Pizza Cone" Bleah.

My preferred hockey viewing is a can or three of Heineken in Section 117, row 14...but alas I have no budget this year for such frivolities. This year: a 6 of Corona in front of my 32-in. digital! snacks optional! BYOB!

It was pretty good! well attended by the under-10 set, and with the sun breaking through midway through supper, I got a few pretty pictures, but I have not yet uploaded them. Anon.

I was once served an Eskimo Pie with a candle at Skoah after a Birthday facial. So you should talk to them, Neil!

Sin tax. Sin tax. The only thing you can get here for less than $10 is utter plonk. Honest. Of course there is the dollar differential. Here is the provincial liquor store website, so you can see how our prices vary for the stuff you know, which might keep you from thinking some of our BC wine is pricey.

Obviously! it's the kid-friendly event Junior Mouse and Vancouver Lee Jr. have both attended meetings. I am juggling my dollars till payday, but if you and all the other Wyles will be attending, I might reconsider my priorities. What I really want to know is why Moderne is closed, they've been on my list for quite a while