canucklehead

My last two meals have been at Waterfront restaurant which is located in the new condo developments at the edge of downtown Kelowna. I must say that this place is my favorite so far... Chef Mark Filatow's food is simple but sophisticated. Home style cooking with deep flavors balanced with freshness and brightness. It's the kind of food that most appeals to me. Small Plates Crispy Prawns (excellent!), Frites West Coast Chowder - creamy, fresh seafood, tarragon flecked - not a trace of flouriness, Pancetta Rissotto - goooood Main Plate Braised Short Ribs (sorry about the bad picture) - came with onion rings and was served on the bone - which I like the best. Rich and delicous, a nice bite of horseradish (I think) - I coudn't finish it one go. Really great food, nice cozy room, and super friendly service. You can spend as much or as little as you want - a nice place to relax after a day of counting apples. Also - the restaurant is attached to a wine shop - so there is a great selection of wines (unfortunately - my wine knowledge is nil). This place is definitely worth checking out.

I was passed a bag of the friendship cake - and it was freaky. There were raw eggs in the batter - and I remember thinking that there was no way that I was going to eat it. But - other people did and seemed none the worse for it. Good luck.

It will be interesting to see what sacred cows are sacrificed or new gems unearthed during this process. I lived in the Bay Area for a number years and though there are tremendous restaurants - I don't think there was a good critical guide (or critic) to seperate hype from substance. It will be interesting to see how the birthplace of California cuisine shapes up under closer inspection. Is L.A. next? Chicago?

I don't think the social or offline friendships have clouded people's judgements. But we have recognize that everyone involved with the Vancouver eG forum seems to have become much more leary of confrontation between members. Alot of these discourses go a long way in setting the tone and conduct of how critism is raised and resolved. If an issue is raised by a diner, industry people should feel free to challenge and address those concerns. The diner should also be prepared to intelligently discuss his/her criticisms. The discussions can get messy - and you know what? - that should be okay. That's the nature of a forum that promotes free and open discussion. The real issues will be separated from the bullshit like wheat from chaffe on its own. In the absence of real (impassioned, hot-headed, and god forbid - impolite) discourse - a vacuum has been filled with nicey nice chat. We don't call bullshit on eachother - we need to be allowed to call bullshit on eachother. And that is our collective fault.

I like the fried pork in sweetened mayo, though. I've had it at Deer Garden in Richmond, but I think they changed chefs a year or so ago? ← Here is the deep fried pork chop with sweetened mayo. I had this at the Landmark Restaurant which serves very home style cantonese food. I know it looks weird (schmeged really) - but it is good. Give it a chance.

I remember when UBC's cinnamon buns were legendary. The topping is good - but when I was at school (many moons ago) - they would really underbake them to keep them soft. Ech! Never been a fan of raw bread dough. Has anyone had them lately?

Imperial Court is located at 6360 No. 3 Rd # 6 - correct me if I am wrong. $8.80 is ridiculously low!! That must be a lost leader of some sort. Also - if the yee mein thing is included - that is another score. It is usually an upcharge to get noodles tossed in the sauce (I paid $15 for that). Good deal Makanmakan.

If only THAT were my problem.

Yes, very yummy! As the wife doesn't trust how restaurants weigh them, she started buying from T&T and cooking them at home. ← You know - I have the same suspicion also. We got an extra 4 pounds - but the amount of legs we got seemed to be same as the table beside us. But we got way more deep fried body and fried rice (with a huge crab shell). Is it hard to cook at home? I don't think that I have anything close that would hold the amount of legs I want to eat.

I am still looking forward to visiting Rare and trying things out on my own. I've got a ton of respect for Brian's cooking and I am excited by what he is trying to achieve. I think that I will asurvive if there happens to be a lack of chocolate desserts on the night that I am there. A.Gill's job to spark a little controversy and so be it. Odd that she goes after eG and Blogging so hard - at times going for the personal jugular in such a public manner. But I'd wish she'd stop lurking and just get out here and post. She'd be funny and certainly no push-over. I guess it is easier to hide behind a newspaper column. Is this what is meant by eating your cake and having it too?

I am back in Kelowna to finish the project that I have been working on. Just north of the airport is the Jammery. It is one of those classic roadside tourist attraction restaurants. I drove by suspiciously until I saw the sign "All You Can Eat Waffles" For about $8 - you get all the fluffy crispy waffles you can stuff down your craw. You have your choice of plain waffles with various fruit toppings or blueberry waffles. Very good! The waitress said they are made from scratch (vs. a dry mix) and the record for consumption for one person was 7 orders. This is a very nice family oriented place and the atmosphere is distinctly 'Anne of Green Gables' - so no lounging around with a double latte while purusing the weekend Globe. The crowd seems to be a mixture of the after Sunday Service crowd and tables of big hockey players taking advantage of the all you can eat waffles. They also have a big selection of jams made on site - including alot of sugar free products. I know that these places are aimed at tourists - but I am an easy mark - I love these places!

Went to Burger Etc.. in Burnaby this past weekend. Had the basic burger platter: The burger is served medium well and is quite good in the basic burger way. Fries were fresh cut but a little heavy. Overall - it's the kind of burger that you would be happy to have made at home. The price seems a little high though - two burger platters with two sodas came to $25. Worth checking out but I would say Vera's is a better value and a better burger.

Wow Lee! We know that you can give Ling a run for the money when it comes to culinary grazing but you outdid yourself there! ← Urp!! Here are pictures of the star attractions of the Jade King Crab menu: Crab Legs Steamed with Garlic Fresh and briny - perfectly cooked. The garlic was sweet and mellow. Deep Fried Body with XO Sauce - note the garlic chips mmmmm Portuguese Fried Rice served in Crab Shell Portuguese Fried Rice means a coconut milk curry sauce in HK cuisine. The fried rice was huge and rich with crab meat and tomally. Has anyone else had King Crab this year - it looks like it was a good season.

Interesting article on Ethical Bean in BC Business. Who knew all the permutations on getting fairly traded organic beans?

I was lucky enough to join Moosh for the dine-out dinner and it was my first time at the Pear Tree. The room is beautifully understated and comfortable - really nice. But the main event was the food - and the food at the Pear Tree is very good indeed. I started with the lobster cap - extremely rich and the lobster was just cooked through. My tenderloin was perfectly cooked and tender. The dessert was also very good - and I enjoyed the fleur de sel ice cream. Overall - Scott Jaeger's cooking is in the realm of Feenie and Hawksworth IMHO. Technically perfect and well presented. This place is a real gem and deserves more attention then it currently gets - should be in the top 5 of anyone's list. My only minor complaint was that it was all so serious - almost to the point of solemn. All the dishes were deeply flavored and expertly executed - but there needs a brightness or spark to really lift the flavors to the next level. I know people who know Scott - and they say that he takes cooking very very seriously - and it shows. A small dose of Aurora style wit and experimentation would have been gone a long way. That being said - I really enjoyed my first Pear Tree meal. Stepanie Jaeger really does a great job making sure the FOH runs smoothly. She checked in on us over the meal a couple of times - a really warm and friendly hostess. Looking forward to additonal visits.

Just wanted to give people the head's up that we are at the very tail end of Alaskan King Crab season at Chinese Restaraunts. Jade in Richmond is serving them ala carte for $13.88 a pound or as part of a set menu. On Friday, I had the Jade menu for 10 people which had the Crab three ways (steamed legs with garlic, deep fried body in XO sauce, and Portoguese Fried Rice served in the Shell), Peking Duck two ways (Skin with steamed pancakes and Meat with Lettuce Cups) along with other dishes. The standard menu is $368 - great deal. I asked that yee mein (soft white noodles) be tossed in the garlic/crab juices left over from the steamed legs - and it was fantastic (a $15 upcharge). I'll try to post some pictures later - but get out there a try some now. Jade has menus for 4 or 6 also - but Sun Sui Wah also has set menus (as reported by Jamie Maw in VanMag and Stepen Wong in the Straight). It is a seasonal treat that is worth checking out.

So is it a given that Whole Foods did them in? I know it's a tempting hypothesis, but do you know this to be fact? k ← One of the co-owners told me that they had opened before Whole Foods and had definitely noticed a drop in business once WH started business. At the same time - I felt like there were other issues involved (inconsistent service for me as noted before was the killer). So though WH may not have been the only reason for them closing shop - it certainly must be high up on the list. There are only 45,000 or so residents in W.Van - which may not be enough people to support two full spectrum cheese shops.

The Cheese Shoppe in Park Royal is winding down - big "closing down' signs on the windows. Done in by Whole Foods and perhaps an overly high end concept. I liked their cheeses and would have liked to have gone more often - but uneven service and a sometimes snarky attittude did them in for me.

HSG immeadiatly comes to mind - they can configure their seating space (a private room in the back) and work menu requirements with reasonable requests. Plus the value equation is pretty good.

I went a visited a number vineyards today and it looks like that most of the vines are moving south to Oliver. I am not sure how much of this is due to better conditions around Oliver or the encroachment of development. It was odd and sad to see how new subdivisions were intermingled with the vines at Quail's Gate and Mission Hill in Westbank. Even as I discover the charms of the valley - it seems that many others have done so before me. While having dinner at Gasthaus - I walked by the local realtor's office and it seems that view lots in Peachland are running 350k - 400k. Not expensive by Vancouver standards - but clearly that is not a rational measure either.

This weekend - some friends came up and it gave me the excuse to drive down all of the way to Oliver. The Okanagan Valley is really gorgeous - even during this quiet time of year. It must be insane in the summer. Had lunch at Quail's Gate - the menu was focused on comfortable easy food. And all of the elements were perfectly executed. I had a clubhouse sandwich that came with dressed greens. It was abosolutely delicous - and you forget how good this kind of food can be. The turkey was perfectly moist and the sandwhich was dressed with a warmly spicey salsa - delicous. The really impressive thing was the salad - where do these guys source their goods? Each leaf was a perfect - and I mean perfectly fresh, unblemished, and dressed in with a spritely dressing. The last time I had such a perfect salad was at Bishop's. The view from Quail's Gate dining room is pretty perfect also: One of the things that I have become absolutely addicted to in Kelowna are the palmiers at La Boulagerie. They are the most perfectly flakey, buttery, melt in your mouth pastries. They sandwich fruity raspberry jam between two of these things and the result is heavenly. You tell yourself that you need to buy 6 so that you can have some later - and that you will only eat one now - but then somehow the box is empty before you get out of the parking lot. (Also La Boulangerie has a selection of raw milk cheeses and pates) Jamie should have not posted about this place while I was still in town.

Last I went to the local creperie - Les Triskells on Benard. Thin, crisp, but very hearty buckwheat crepe with ham, cheese, and a sunnyside up egg. Served a very nicely dressed salad with a tarragon vinegrette. Also had a boule of local cider to get to whole Brittany experience. One of the nicest crepes I have had in a long time - be fore warned though - the buckwheat count is very high in the batter. I mentioned TiCouz in San Francisco to the waitstaff and it turns out Franck the chef knows the owner of TiCouz also - I guess the world of Britanny style crepes is quite small. The cider was okay - I like the drier crisper french ciders. Still - another nice suprise in Kelowna.

Is there that much oppurtunity to turn a short term profit? My understanding is that the number of outside visitors during the two week period is in the thousands - nothing to sneeze at of course - but is it enough to drive a short term gold rush? In comparison didn't Expo 86 bring in millions of people? I think Eric brings in a good point in that big spikes in restaurant business will be mostly driven by corporate events. The long term win - as others have already said above - is the attention that will be given to BC as a food region.

Abra - they look delicous. Thanks for sharing the recipe - and you get to say that you had Jamie's Velvet Thighs in you mouth first.

Ann beat me to it. The two biggest differences in the food scene in Vancouver to me are Sustainable Seafood and Small Plates. Even in tree hugging California - I have not seen so many top notch restaurants embrace sustainable seafood - I think that this would be a great selling point to out of towners and hopefully raise the awarness of this issue to a world wide audience. The other thing about Vancouver restaurants is the proliferation of small plates. Vancouverites are particularly comfortable with this notion of dining - with tapas, dim sum, sushi, and izakaya restaurants all embracing the shared plates. There are times that I long for a proper three courses - but the small plates are definitely here to stay.