Ducky

A few of us recently conducted a critical comparative tasting of the Pho Tai at Au Petit Cafe, Kim Phung and the place at 39th and Victoria the name of which I keep forgetting...and certainly as far as the Pho Tai goes, Kim Phung remains the benchmark. The other two were not even close. Au Petit Cafe may be great for sandwiches, but you are much better off with the Pho at Kim Phung.

That rather nicely sums up the molecular culinary avant garde. It's like a lot of avant garde art: very interesting, but would you want to have it on your wall and have to live with it? Would you rather put on Mahler - or even the Stones - after a hard day at the office, or a Kurt Schwitters atonal sound poem? I rest my case. Yes El Bulli is important and interesting for the contribution it makes and the role it plays in pushing the envelope, and if you can you should try to eat there at least once. But my guess is the novelty of the place is probably more of a draw than the "greatness" of the cuisine. When we lived in Europe we met many people who made the pilgrimage to El Bulli once. I haven't met anyone who has made it twice. The difficulty of getting a table aside, I cannot imagine saying to the missus "Honey let's go to El Bulli tonight, I really feel like some deconstructed south sea scallop foam." Call me old fashioned.

...and the valet will be happy to park your zimmer frame...

Well, quite a number of items at the Cambie Street liquor store appear to be on sale at the moment....

I would second the fois gras and veal with morels recommendations. Also highly recommend the pepper steak and the venison.

Our view is much the same as yours Chocoholic. We have put together a list of places that do not participate in DOV - and that is where we can be found during this period. I suspect that there are quite a number of "DOV refugees" like ourselves who just do not want any part of this hassle. We also like to think that we are not snobbish - but we just do not like the hassle of trying to book a table at DOV restaurants. Nor do we enjoy the large and loud party tables that seem to flourish during DOV and the frenetic atmosphere that reigns among servers and kitchen staff.

Well you can find them all over France in goofd knife shops, or on the internet, and probably also in Vancouver - but I don't know where. The problem - as discussed on another thread - is that there are many cheap imitations around. Laguiole is a small village in the Auvergne - and not a trademark. Authentic Laguiole knives are things of great beauty and will last a lifetime. Sadly there is also a lot of rubbish on the market that carries the Laguiole name. (As used to be the case with "Sheffield"). I would not buy one of these knives over the internet. You really have to hold them in your hand to be able to discern the ones with the real craftsmanship. If they are authentic they will be exquisitely weighted and balanced and finished - like something that belongs in a Cartier shop. Oyster Guy: I'll bring my knife in one of these days and you can take it for a test drive.

If you really get into shucking and are looking for a serious oyster knife, I can highly recommend one from Chateaux Laguile. I picked mine up about 15 years ago - and it is a jewel and still looks like new.

We were recently invited to a private, catered party at the University Womens Club. It's a bit run down - but a splendid property nevertheless. I understand they will rent space to private groups - and will also cater - or you can arrange the catering seperately. The cost is very reasonable - but you would do best to check this with them directly. After a few drinks the slight tattiness of the place disappears, and you suddenly find yourself in one of this city's finest old mansions. Worth checking out.

Utah gets my vote. An entire state where you cannot have wine with your meal? WTF?

Don Francesco has long been our favourite "under the radar" restaurant in Vancouver. I mean on eGullet there are thousand of posts about Kolachies, and Feenies, and Chambar and such - but where, until just recently, has there ever been any discussion about Don Francesco - a serious temple of good Italianate cuisine? DF is of course not trendy. The ambience and the clientele may be a touch too Las Vegas for some - but we have always found the absence of the Yaletown crowd rather refreshing. Manolo Blahnik's and cleavage make a nice change from Doc Marten's and black turtlenecks. One of our favourite restaurants anywhere is Emilios in Zurich. While there last November we got into a conversation with the adjacent table and when they heard we were from Vancouver the Swiss gentleman excalimed "Ach Vancouver - then you must know Don Francesco's". Thus are fine friendships born. It turned into a very long evening and even longer weekend. We consider Don Francesco and Cioppino's to be two of the finest Italian/Italianesque restaurants anywhere - and they are right here in our sleepy little town. If you haven't tried the Vintner's Duck at DF - well it just doesn't get any better. I fully expect to see the flashes of eGulleteer cameras on our next visit.

The Cannery, Primo's, Rooster Quarters, Fish House in Stanley Park, Salmon House on the Hill, Seasons in the Park, A Kettle of Fish, Il Giardino, Hy's, Chartwell, Hon's Wun Tun, Elbow Room, Pink Pearl, The Ivy, Himalaya.....

A coffee mug full of 15 year-old McCallan single malt and a bowl of Hawaiian garlic macadamia nuts. And what a splendid lunch it was!

Yes, Culinary Capers is the way to go. We have been very pleased with them in the past.

Since it hasn't been mentioned previously in this thread I recommend MFK Fischers wonderful little book entitled "Consider the Oyster" to everyone with a serious interest in these bisexual bivalves. It was out of print for years - but can now once again be found at Amazon and perhaps even at Barbara Jo's. We are great fans of Rodney's. We also recently spent a splendid afternoon watching Oyster Guy in action - and this is something not to be missed by eGulleteers. Well worth the drive north. Further afield - we used to stop at the Oyster Bar on the Chuckanut Drive - but the last few times have stopped instead at the place just after the Oyster Bar (travelling south) - at the bend in the road - and liked this very much. Further afield still - and most of all - we love the oyster bar at Shaw's Crab House in Chicago. And if you have made it that far - you might as well carry right on to the oyster bar at Grand Central Station in NYC.

Beach House is always a good bet - if you can get in. What about Star Anise? I haven't heard squat about it in years and had assumed it had disappeared...and yet, driving down 12th the other day - there it was. Has anybody been lately? Does it need to be rediscovered?

You are right Stephen. There is no gastropub scene here as such. There are the one or two places you mention (Spinnakers etc) but that is it. The concept of "pub" in Vancouver has something to do with bad food and television - and that is a shame. When we go into a place and see TV screens with hockey games - we turn around and leave. I mean who needs this noise and distraction when you just want a drink and/or a small meal? The gastro-pub scene in London and Sydney is highly evolved and it would be great if this concept could be transplanted to Vancouver. It's very odd how things here evolved from dingey beer parlours with seperate mens and ladies entraces that served only pickled eggs and salt and vinegar chips - to peeler bars - an finally to sports bars. We had visitors from London recently who asked what people do here when they don't want to go to a sports bar or a Starbucks. "Stay home" was our reply.

Ouch!

Many fond memories of bak kut teh. There are two distinct version as I recall: one very plain (just pork bones essentially) and the other - the Nonya version - highly aromatic with star anise, cinnamon, cloves and a host of other spices. I haven't found a source in Vancouver - but please let me know if you do.

The "herbal health soups" we know from Asia are almost all clear broths with just one or two solid ingredients such as chicken, mushrooms or herbs etc. The places that sell these soups usually specialize in them - and these shops are a cross between a restaurant and a pharmacy. The menu will identify the medicinal property of each soup - and in each case the soups are baked in individual clay pots with a lid sealed with wet paper. There are lots of these shops around in the Chinese communities in Asia and we had hoped to find at least one such shop in the lower mainland given the size of the local Chinese community. We are hoping to try the Korean place mentioned upthread tomorrow. Much appreciate any further leads.

I could not agree with you more on all the points you noted with the exception of the foregoing. You are entitled to believe what you would like. As I have noted above I am only passing on information that people may be interested in knowing. ← This is probably just a question of degree and perception. If you are ever in the restaurant in the Badrutts Palace Hotel in St. Moritz, and you look around the room and realize you are the only male guest who is not a Russian gangster, and the waiter comes to your table and begins to open a $5,000 bottle of champagne without even asking...and then swears at you under his breath in some unrecognizeable language when you decline and ask for a beer - that's unacceptable to a polite Canadian like myself... although it is of course entirely acceptable among the smart Russian set in St. Moritz.

The wine mark-ups at the BB are undoubtedly on the high side at 300-400%. On the other hand this place has a reputation as the best restaurant in Whistler - and one of the best in North America - and in resort towns there is always a monied clientele that wants to eat and drink in "the best place in town" and money really is no object. The BB fills and exploits this market niche nicely. The place was absolutely packed with Europeans and Americans flashing their platinum and black credit cards when we were there over the Xmas break. Someone has to take their money! Take the most expensive (and best) restaurant in any resort town and compare it with the BB - and the BB will probably appear to be a bargain. I really find it hard to believe that the staff was hard-selling. This is not their style, and they simply do not need to. The place sells itself.

I can confirm that I recently had 5 knives sharpened at their Oakridge shop - and these knives were returned to me duller than when I took them there.

Not to hjijack the thread - but what exactly is it that attracts people to Choices - the store? We live very close to one on West 16th - but every time we go there we swear it will be the last time. Their produce, fish, meat and cheese selections are very poor and almost everything in the store is seriously overpriced compared to competing stores. Yes they play up the "local" and "organic" factors - but for these you are much better served at Stongs (which has to be one of the better kept secrets in this town) and Capers - or the GIM. Wolfgang Puck soup? Paul Newman salad dressing? The "plastic or paper" mantra at the cash register? Why exactly are people shopping at Choices?

Where in Burnaby is this place?