Andrew Morrison

Michelle and I went for a Kitsilano Adventure with our boy today (4th wedding anniversary ) and I checked out the building in it's current skeletal stage. Some possible nicknames I'm considering: Stalag Kits. The Gulag Architectureno. Sing Sing Bistro. Alcatrazium Wine Bar. Juvi Fusion.

Any data on that? They say they "use" the very best local and organic produce. That leaves them with a lot of semantic football fields to waffle within. Without including the word "exclusively" on what you see as their offending front page, your point just dries up and withers as a baseless accusation. The only thing I know about Ch'i is that it's a business - and as such they'll do their very best to persuade. I agree that the world of restaurantdom is full of asterisks these days (which would make for an interesting topic in itself), but singling out one to weather your storm is offside by a yard or two. This is not a case of "rolling back odometers", but that of you warming to your own Talented enthusiasms (and that's fine).

This is going too far, I think. (smilies in this post are in no way intended to assert any measure of butchness) Your accusation of a "cleverly constructed ruse" reminds me of the dirt diggers in the blogosphere. What's next, Raincity Grillgate? A city-wide search and seizure of all menus? If you're looking for some absolutist's ideal of honesty in the restaurant community, call me when you find it, Keith. Are they referring to pineapples and cherimoya in their harmless little blurb? Is it the mint they use? The tomatoes? We don't have the requisite window into their kitchen and their roster of suppliers to so flippantly toss out that kind of Cheney-esque barb. I assume you are just as clueless as I am as to the "provdence of their produce", at least more so than the folks at Ch'i, so what's the deal? I realise the thread is about Ch'i, but do you really want to single out one restaurant with a from-the-hip shotgun blast I'm sure was meant for the broader restaurant community? As for the aesthetics of lower case letters, whatever turns one crank often riles another.

When it first opened I was peeved at the info-light website, but that is no longer the case. As of this past week, they've amped it up. Check it out.

First time I heard his name since a rumour about him opening up next to La Regalade, but that apparently caplumphed or the rumour was caplooey. Glad to hear he's resurfacing after Beach Side. Cyril confirms this over at Eve Vancouver. Can you please post what you found, Moosh? Oops, nope. Gianna was apparently involved in the development but has left the company. The chef is Ryan Zuvich (formerly Riley Waterfron Cafe, Sugar Daddy's), and they open June 10th.

Shades of American Psycho, Keith. At home, I am the absolute worst entertainer ever and I don't consider it a character fault or a sign of disrepect. Me and the bare minimum are big buddies. "Uh...do you guys want some toast or something?" Or, I make hotdog rolls: cheese whiz, weiners, white bread rolled up, sliced to scotch tape width and baked until brown. Irresistable! Beyond that I keep a healthy collection of single malts and cigarettes. Pan ain't got nothing on me. I've lived in both worlds, and I can say I don't give a rat's ass what's served to me at dinner parties or little get-togethers among friends.

Re: Lift Isn't this their target market? Middle-aged to antique urban money is what I'd aim at with those kinds of costs. BTW, I've been hearing the food has greatly improved in the last little while. But in the end it's about the food. I like that they take unique approach (though stemless glasses make me crazy ). I hope to check it out again soon. I'll report back. With the weather being the way it is, Lift's gorgeous patio is calling me, even if the the only person there younger than me (on Any Given Sunday) is the hostess.

OK - Nice thread. My two cents: Stemless wine glasses are the devil and should be treated harshly wherever they are encountered (no lawsuits please). People from outside North America who abuse their own stigma as shit-tippers even when they know our societal norms should be deported (I don't care if you're from Mars or Holland - you don't eat in a fine dining restaurant and play the French/Brit/German card with 3%). Hostesses who are hired for one reason only. What the hell happened to the Maitre'd? Beyond that, I wonder at the future of sous vide, foams, and lab food.

Though I'd prefer a shoot from the hip kind of approach I'm no stranger to the fact that every restaurant has good days and bad days. Still, I don't think I'm going to add up percentage points and calculate on a grading scale based on set criteria. I'm still considering how to go about it, but thanks for the question - it puts another bee in my toque that wasn't there two minutes ago. Bzzz.

Yeah, here's a thought Arne.... An idea for a panel review format has been suggested to me, and that might be fun to go in small eGull groups from time to time. I'm open to just about anything, including: I'm so down for playing in net. Whatever happens, I just want it to be fun. I love eating out and I love the culture that surrounds it. If it wasn't for eGullet - and I mean this very sincerely - I wouldn't have gotten the call. Thanks all for your kindnesses.

I love my job and will stay on. There is no conflict that I can see. I will never mention my restaurant in my column (it's also outside the circulation area). As for the pay/budget structure, I wouldn't think it wise for me to go there. That being said, donations are accepted at the following address: The Cupboard Under the Stairs (not that one...the one with the computer!)

Dude, I'm bringing a marching band.

Aw, shucks fellas. Thanks very much. The column is called...uh...WAITERBLOG, and my first foray into the realm of the printed word is June 2nd and once a week thereafter. Thanks again and I hope you'll be gentle.

I called yesterday to enquire about their expansion and they've double up inside and out, from a 25 seat patio to 50. I'm eager for a report, too and will make a trip down soon to see for myself. In the meantime, I must contend with their website here.

Waylman asked for a Victorian equivalent of places like Chambar and La Regalade. Brasserie is an obvious choice, and Temple does do great food. Pity about Sunday, though. Brio is good, too. If you get the chance to have brunchj or lunch, try out Mo:le on Pandora by Market Square. Hadn't considered Fire and Water, Matt. Good idea, disclosure and all.

If that's what you like then there are only two that I can think of that are comparable. Brasserie L'Ecole Temple Have fun and say hi for me. Ah, but it's Sunday. Neither of them are open, dude... Trying to convince a Victoria restaurant to open on Sunday is like trying to get an elephant to hang off a cliff with it's tail wrapped around a daisy (I think I've said that before).

Speaking of Fiction and Wild Rice, I mentioned other venues were in the works... "A Taste for Fiction" is game on. I'm guilty as all hell of doing just this. Whenever I'm working I have to remind myself that there are people within earshot of our banter. But hey...it's a bar, right?

9 times out of ten I sit at the bar when I dine out. It is often the best vantage point to survey how a restaurant works. I never get tired of the fact that servers ignore the patrons at the wood as if they don't exist, coming up to the bartender and talking shit right in front of you: "Where the fuck are my martinis for 63, dude? I ordered them, like, 15 minutes ago, assmonkey. Your tipouts gonna suck if you don't step it up, newb. Now work it, biyatch! Pour those muthas!" "You call these espressos, Bungtard? They'd shoot you in Italy, you know. Jesus!" "You see that chick in the 50's? Seat 4. The blonde. Posterwoman for silicon, bubba. Now give me my champers before I tread water on yer nads, you dumb lemming diddler." And I agree with Mr. Maw that you never lose track of who is serving you and you get to hear the news. Josh and David at Chambar are awesome. I've enjoyed the bar at Lift the few times I've been in, though there seems to be so many people behind the bar that it's tricky to get a handle on who is who. Fiction is great. The folks downstairs in the Opium Den at Lucy Mae Brown are chatty before it gets too busy. Mr. Jones at West (is he still there?). Adesso (if you're tall enough to sit on the bar stools and not feel like you're from Lilliput) just to watch Travis work his stations. I love restaurant bars. If they were a day long, I'd have a great day.

I like it simple and straightforward: Spaghettini Alio Olio. Make it at home in a jiffy. I could eat a pound of it.

I don't know if a "history" of Vancouver restaurants would sell, but I'm positive a stylish soft-cover coffee table book on the best of Vancouver would. A decorative Eating and Drinking Guide.

Let's write the book, Keith.

Keith, while I agree that no Dungeon Master worth his weight in Gelders never leaves his mother's house without a 20 sided die, I do protest at your chosen monikers of "nerd" and "geek". I'm really quite down to Tatooine, as Greedo likes to say after too much Jawa Juice in the cantina. Just a regular guy. I'd be more succinct in Klingon, but since we are among the cool kids, I shall continue to translate. I haven't been posting very much because work is a madhouse what with the patio and all, plus come July another young Jedi will soon be upon us and we are preparing the Falcon for battle. Which reminds me, if anyone is remotely interested in being a guest blogger on waiterblog (reviews, commentary, etc.) please PM me as I'll be away from the restaurant world for a spell. We Fetts like to nest. And by the way, Legolas was far too tall to be a proper elf and I'm far too short to be a wookie. Written under a canvas tent on a wifi laptop in line for Revenge of the Sith...Man, these idiots know shit-all about food...bunch of nerds!

I'd argue that our vision of a diner is just that, a throwback. Can a diner possibly be authentic today if it was built in the last 20 years? I don't think so. Today, a diner is about harkening, not so much for a vision of a specific dining, cultural, or cuisine concept (Arne's meatloaf), but rather for an aesthetic - yes, the formica, the chrome, and the kiss my grits style of service. Diners are dead, and those we mistake as the "real thing" have been styled as such. Ma and Pop are more savvy than we give them credit for when they open a "diner". They're massaging a nostalgic nerve.

Sophie's Cosmic Cafe on 4th (disclosure: she's my Godma). John's Place in Victoria (disclosure: I used to work there). Templeton on Granville (never been but my wife loves it). Modern Burger (is it still out of commission apres fire?).

Gusto di Quattro is within walking distance.