Andrew Morrison

Wow, thanks for the great and quick responses! You guys are making my job easier this week. I'll be checking out La Regalade, too. Hapa's not a bad idea, too.

Not everyone is going to want to deal with the time-limits, the crowds, and the overall madness of the next two weeks. I'm looking for restaurants of laudible calibre that aren't doing Dine Out. Help a brother out?

Many DOV participants are starting early and running later this year in order to buttress the madness with more madness. Heard great things about Raincity Grill's DOV so far, for example. Has it been asked yet which restaurants aren't doing Dine Out? I know about Bishop's and the Bins, but are there other notables abstaining?

Nice to see you posting, Tim! Elsewhere... Sean Heather is reaching into his bag of tricks again with Limerick Junction. He also may have a Gastown winebar in the works called Alley 44. Review of Curious coming out on Thursday in the WE. Gastown. Gastown. Gastown. Is there any other neighbourhood in this town that looks half as awesome when it's been cleaned by three weeks of rain?

Website down, sorry.

The WE photographer snapped a great shot of Sean at Century for a recent story of mine. When it went to print, the photo was unfortunately cropped. One of our more esteemed members recently pointed out to me that myTelus.com bought the story from the Black Press, and it was online. Gladly, they didn't crop the photo. What do think of the mural?

It works. Don't worry. Have fun.

I just noticed that one of the photos accompanying my EAT piece had a caption referencing Bin 949. While not as embarrassing as the West Ender's "Nu Standards In Dining" mistake (when the copy guy thought it was a typo and fixed it to read No Standards in Dining - once again, sorry Leonard), but indicative enough to remind us that with all things considered, the printed word is sweet enough in its own right and that we can deal with a few imperfections. The Times Colonist, however, is just freak nasty. And what the foie happened to Monday Magazine? Red Meat is now the only amusing thing in there.

Tell me you're just messing around.

Matt, I don't get it? BTW - The new issue of EAT arrived at the West Van Capers today.

Ha! That certainly seems to be the way the neighbourood is going. I'm not sure that's what Victorians need more of: pricy antiques and polar bear paintings. Ech.

It's closed. Done. Bubye. What's next for the space is the big question...

I know. Madness.

Ha! A relative comparison as Vic doesn't really have a Le Crocodile (but both were insitutions to their respective towns).

Last night I met with Leonard from "C", Andre from Lumiere, and Quentin from Chambar. It seems I may have agreed to suit up as a waiter at each restaurant during Dine Out Vancouver. Should be interesting.

BTW, the blog for Rare One is now available through waiterblog. I'm sure some of you are wondering who of our number had the balls to go into the Bis Moreno space. I'm happy to report it's our very own Brian Fowke (and his business partner Tim Keller - a lurker of note). I think it represents a great opportunity for the public to see the process and take part in it. I hope you guys will check it out and use the comment threads to start a dialogue with them. If you ask, I'm sure they will answer. Good luck, fellas.

Er, yup. Those are dirt cheap!

Wow. That's crazy! For those who don't make it over to Vic often, this was once our capital's equivalent of say, Le Crocodile. So many great chefs and servers sharpened their skills there (eg. Jeff Keenliside). Seeing it go under is a big shock as once upon a time it was one of the best joints in town (and one of the most sought after waitron gigs). How'd it go down? I went last year (wrote some juvenalia about it here) and I never thought I'd see the day. I just hope the new incarnation of HSC changes the freakin' brand. RIP.

So would I, dude.

In my mailbox tonight from Tourism Vancouver. Are they lurking?

Boo-Ter-Moth. You know, like the sandwich spread. Cate beat me to it, but I've made mention of both blogs in my column this week. It's on pre-opening marketing. A sneak peek at the opening para: It used to be that when you opened a restaurant you’d just build the thing, make sure the ovens worked, unlock the door, and then wait for your first table. If you were media savvy at all you might splurge on a newspaper ad to announce your arrival on the scene, but most would just hope for the best. Amazingly, some still trundle that doomed route to suffer the consequences of anonymity, but others hire PR people and consultants to plan an opening strategy and reserve a chunk of their start-up budget for glossy marketing. But not everyone has the cash to that, and hope doesn‘t guarantee bums in seats on opening day. Hope, at least in the restaurant business, is dumb.

Better do some extra meez, TFA, and keep your crash helmet on for both.

Ultimate kids meal: the other night I was serving a family and the Mom asked if the chef could make a little pasta or something for their 9 year old kid. I suggested we do a very basic 1/2 order of something easy and kid-friendly, but she balked at talk of a pomodoro or an alfredo. They were having a nice dinner, she said, and the kid's horizons were blinkered enough. She wanted something interesting for him, but not too complicated so as to put him off. Chef's solution? Butternut squash gnocchi with maple cream, balsamic, and asiago. Intriqued, I had a bowl for my staff meal. Wondrously weird. Too bad it's not on the menu... . My point? If you can pass yourself off as pre-pubescent, you can get whatever you want. Most chefs do signature pasta dishes that aren't on the menu but are simple to execute. The trouble is, they're offered only as kiddie placation devices. Pity.

I was just sent the menu for Aurora Bistro by their PR person, and it looks particularly good. SO many choices. Mains look outstanding...(the one in bold raised my blood pressure considerably) ENTREES Choices: Sweet Potato Blue Cheese Strudel with Ginger Porcini Mushroom Sauce | White Spring Salmon in Dashi with Sunchokes, Parsnips and Pickled Sea Asparagus | Maple Soy Roast Cornish Game Hen Wild Mushroom Polenta, Rustic Smoked Tomato Sauce | Red Wine Braised Lamb Cheeks Potato, Celeriac and Anchovy Hash, Sicilian Olive Sabayon

Just a thought, but try checking the individual restaurant websites. Many will be posting their DINE OUT menus now that it's the 3rd. Nice to see some places are already booked. It's a whiff indicative of the homespun interest this town has in its own food scene. In the words of McD's, I'm lovin' it.