canucklehead
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Posts posted by canucklehead
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Great travelogue - its like one of those "what I did over summer holiday" presentations in school. And like I was back in Elemetary School - I am going to raise my hand and say that I was pulling weeds and getting yelled at by my mother. *sigh*
Really - thanks for showing me a part of the province that I never seem to make my way to.
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Stinky - where do you like to go?
I like topanga overall. I like the appetizers at las margaritas (mini chimis rock), but the entree's not as much. Torta subs at the place on Hastings across from the Sears tower are great. So are their little soft pork tacos. I've tried some other places, but I do not prefer them enough to return.
There is a decent place in Seattle upstairs on broadway, and another in West Seattle that has picnic tables inside.
I wish there was more to like, i just can't find anything else that "floats my boat". That is why i feel there is a void in the market for Mexican and/or Tex/Mex style food. Haven't you noticed that anywhere that is half decent is always very busy?
Mexican foods in Vancouver are one of those cuisines that I give an 'A' for effort for the most part. La Casita makes alot of their things from scratch and I like the home made touches in their food. However - I agree with you that there is'nt a stellar place in Vancouver for Mexican.
I think that an underlying reason for this is simply a lack of a large latino population in Vancouver. For many chinese people - going out to eat is by default means going to a chinese restaurant. This keeps turnover and standards high. For mexican places - most of the time - they are getting people who are 'in the mood' for mexican food. So turnover is lower and the economics of making everything from scratch gets tougher. I mean - even Taco Del Mar is shutting down locations - if can't get people to eat the fast food version of the food - well then it an uphill climb.
I've noticed though - that there seems to be a increase little places opening up - clustered around the english language schools on Hastings. So - I try out these places and support them as I can.
You know - I've seen Whole Foods selling all sorts of dried chiles and even cactus. I wish someone like Shelora could do a demo in their store as to how to use south of the border ingredients (hint hint)
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Okay - this may be off topic - but there are not alot of threads on this forum on drinks.
As it may be obvious - I am not a big drinker - but I would like to starting having good mixed drinks. This is especially the case when I have people who are from out town and I am trying to have a grown up (and manly) drink. Whisky sour, manhattan - or should one stick to the straight stuff.
So - what is your favorite bar these days and their best drink?
What's with my drinking fixation all of a sudden - I've been seeing all these Suntory Whiskey commercials and that sound of ice rolling around in a good highball glass just seems so grown up to me. Now - where are my cigarrettes?
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Stinky - where do you like to go? Even though I lived in California for a number years - I must admit that I am a Mexican food novice.
I think that La Casita is really overwhelmed right now - I did say that they ran out of food for Sunday lunch.
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Does'nt Thrifty's have a branch in Tsawassen? Surely they must stock some organic chicken?
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I don't think anyone's mentioned Bisquit - come on! The stuff rules.
One of the first things I made when I was in college - Cheddar Cheese Bisquit Biscuits - they were good. Have you ever made their magic quiche. You mix everything together - pour it into a baking dish - pop into the oven - and voila - a quiche. Genius (and creepy).
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I've driven past La Casita a couple of times (Cordova and Abott) and have been meaning to try it out. Apparently the Georgia Straight (dead to me!) gave it a good review - which would account for the busy crowd. My brother tried to have lunch there today - but they had run of food to serve(!).
I thought that it was very good. Ceviche with chips was very fresh tasting with sweet cod and a citrus tomato dressing. Ceviche creeps me out - but this was very good. I had the tortilla soup which started with a rich chicken stock and came with tortillas, avocados, and cheese - nourishing and satisfying. For my main - had the oinion and potato flautas - crispy rolls napped in crema and crumbled cheese. Again fresh and clean tasting.
The place has a scrappy vibe and feels at home in the neigbourhood. Worth checking out.
The night I was there - I could see these people walking past the window of La Casita heading to a club all decked out in S&M/Bondage gear. Not just the tacky 'Kink' crap - but really nicely put together well made leather wear. Who says people in Vancouver don't put in some effort when they go out?
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I would be careful about any preparation that would eating the liver rare or pink. This should only be done with very fresh liver (from a young pig ideally), not frozen.
The liver pates may be the ideal solution... I don't know though - a delicate like liver may not survive freezing too well.
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Has anyone been to Sweet Revenge?
I think I like the intention of the place - to provde a cozy, homey place for dessert. The execution though is well... weird.
First off the room is closer to Bates Motel than cozy grandma (unless your grandma was the Blair Witch).
The service is odd - a table of 4 of us got seated right away - but it was because the waiter/host asked a the pair sitting at the table to move to another spot. The pair was then asked AGAIN to move to make way for a table for three. At that point I would have thrown my cake and tea at the waiter/host.
The desserts were decent - I had an oversoaked Black Forest Cake (Woodward's World Of Food - how I pine for your Black Forest Cake) because they were out of my first choice. Apparently it is very common for them to out of your first choice - not matter what it is you want (weird magic I say). My vanilla robois was so chemically tasting - it was like an International Coffee Moment.
But - the guys who run the place work very very hard and there is an underlying spirit of generosity that seems geniune. It makes me think of places like Harry's - places that are too successful for their good which seem to cause big problems in execution.
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As a general point - why are restaurants so crazy noisy? Many places have no soft surfaces - and the noise seems to reverbarate and build on itself. I have often sat at Chambar and thought if anything could be done within their decor. I absolutely love the place and food - but sometimes conversation is no longer possible.
Maybe it is the cranky old man in me.
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You know - Costco may just suprise you. I find that the meat is excellent quality (though the butchering is not much to speak of) and they are carrying more and more organic items. Their olive oil is quite good and cheap enough to be used in everything. They stock local guys like Que Pasa in bulk. They also have really great cookbooks on sale at prices that are insanity.
They only make a 15% margin on all their products and make a point of paying their employees well and given them very good benefits.
In fact - if they started stocking organic meat - Whole Foods would see alot less of me.
Good luck with your party - $200 for all those people - wow.
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[i trust that will forgive those of us with a monthly deadline. I cracked off four visits and filed mine before Alexandra and still hope to shed fresh light on the mysteries of smelt corn dogs. Besides, it might offer some relief for the fabulous Wilson bros.
J.
Jamie - I read your review in VanMag and really enjoyed it. Though your displeasure with the food is consistent with many of the comments here - I am glad to see that you gave Chef Larouche some due respect that has been earned in a number of decent restaurants throughout Vancouver.
Not sure how they will turn things around - but citing SF tourist dependent restaurants is a good call. Places like Boulevard, No1 Market, and Palimino serve good food and attract a sizable tourist (and local) following.
Hope they can pull out of the nosedive they are in. But, as a layman, I am not sure what a restaurant can do, on the fly, to address all these problems. A shut down and relaunch? Or is that suicide?
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Pleased to see people trying and liking Shanghai Wind. Just don't forget, it's our little secret.
Saw two interesting/strange/weird dishes there last week, was hoping someone could help with a little background. First was "Crispy rice" which looked like large flat sheets of rice crispies, broken and eaten like a giant taco chip dipped into soup. The second was meatballs, straight outta Nick Spaghetti, two bocce ball sized orbs in a hotpot surrounded by bok choi. Has anyone ever heard of these? I've never seen them before.
The crispy rice dish is called wo-bah (okay this is the cantonese transliteration) - it is basically rice crispies that should be crazy piping hot and then a sauce is poured over it. The sauce can be seafood based or whatever - it should be fairly lightly flavored so that it does not overwhelm the crispy toasty rice. You may want to try it instead of the usual fried rice / noodle starch. Kids tend to really like it.
The meatballs - that I think you are refering too is called 'lions head' because of the shaggy look of the bok choi. They are usually a slow braised pork meatball that is quite rich - served with a rich brown sauce over vegetables. I really love the stuff - you have it with a bowl of plain rice.. mmmmmmm mmmmmm goodness!!!
Both of the these items are classic Shanghainese dishes.
I was at Shanghai Wind last week - and it was good. Real good. Note - no pictures, no chatty commentary, no nothing - the place is busy enough. You guys are on your own.
That being said - I think that I liked the soup buns better at the now defunct Shanghai Yan Yun better - the Shanghai Wind ones have a slightly cured ham flavour and I preferred the cleaner pork taste of the old place... perhaps nostalgia is fogging my judgment....
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I remember when I was eleven - I saw someone put a pat of butter in their White Spot clam chowder and I thought to myself -'what a gourmet!'
Is Rodney's chowder New England or Manhattan? I must admit that I like the red stuff more. To often, the cream style is so thick it looks and tastes like a clotted pudding.
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Hmmm - do I dare admit to buyer's remorse? I went on Sunday - my pockets about $80 lighter and was rewarded horrible debilitating indigestion. Had the donuts, whipple chips and perogies and I was DONE. I thought I was going to need a stomach pump.
For the same expenditure - I had an excellent excellent meal at West the week before.
So - I am not sure if there is any good reason for adults to go to the PNE. It needs to play up more of the country fair aspects - less of the juvenile hall on a field trip elements.
edited to add - That PNE Prize Home must have been some sort of architectural boobey prize - it was ASSpirational in the worse possible way.
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Bluewater Cafe - good sushi and that giant tower of seafood.
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Aagh!
This may belong on the open/close thread - but I just heard that Hoi Tong in Richmond (on No.3 road) has just shut it's doors. The sign on the storefront says 'closed for holidays' - but really, when does a Chinese Restaurant close if it can be making money?
Chef/owner was in his 70's so it was hard for him to keep up with the demands of cooking for the place. The food was really homey and not too pricey- I will miss it.
Here is the kicker - rumour has it that the reason why the restaurant shut down was that the Chef's wife caught him with her sister!! The wife refuses to let the place re-open. I thought it was the cooking that had him tuckered out.
Well - hopefully they can get things settled so that we can enjoy the food again.
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I drove by Lolita's tonight and they are packed to the gills - so I don't think that what is said here is going to sink their boat (in fact I don't anything is every said here that is going to put anyone out of business).
The place has a great vibe and is a lot of fun. The food that I sampled was delicous and their homemade ginger beer had a fresh bite. The service is attentive and they did not get flustered in the crush of people.
So - is 11$ steep for a drink? Well - luckily, I don't drink so I won't be feeling the pinch first hand - but this price range puts into the league of some serious bars (Chambar and George for example).
The ingredients may be top notch - but when I was there - the bevy of bartenders (while you can give them 'A' for effort) - were mixing off of recipe cards and the drinks were not being made with a sure hand. The owner was keeping a sharp eye on the bar and giving further instructions as needed. The night I was there - I was sitting at the bar - so I got an unobstructed view of the drink preparations.
Now to be fair - I am not sure how much this effects the quality of a drink (as opposed to food which obviously would be really adversely effected). Also - this might be part of the intial ramp up learning curve.
But - I do think its fair to question the prices of the drinks - if you are going charge top dollar - then you better be delivering a top notch product.
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I think that it is easy to brand them the bad guys just because they are big. But they pay their frontline people very well and allow them alot of autonomy. Stores are encouraged to source as much locally as possible. Seafood is sustainably fished and meat is organically and humanely raised.
They are bringing alot of the best ideas of sustainable and organic food culture to the mainstream. I think that there are some companies that actually do things well - and we should not so dogmatic about our approached to a sustainable planet.
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But clearly, Mistral will go toe-to-toe with Feenie's.
I know were I will be going. I've been to Feenie's now a number of times and only once was the service staff good. It is packed - but the clientele it attracts are really obnoxious - maybe I am getting old, but these are the kind of people who take the word 'bling-bling' way too seriously. All the women seem to in a Paris Hilton look-alike contest (only not as smart...)
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You know, I have friends who are strict veggies with a bunch of disposable income and I'm always keeping out and eye for places they could drop some cash. I was thinking Cassis would be a good place where our carnivorous family could sit down and break bread with the vegetarians and both be satisfied. Has anyone been there lately? (The menu is online).
Zuke
If you are willing to blow the bucks - West is an excellent choice for both vegetarian and meaty foods. As I have posted before - they are even able to meet the requirements of Buddist Vegetarians (meaning no garlic or onions) with some advanced warning.
I had dinner there tonight and was very very good.
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I would also try the Irish Heather in Gastown- the menu has alot of meat items (including a great steak pie) but they also have a daily pasta special that made in house and is vegetarian. It is great pub - especially if it is a little raining to sit back and recharge.
Hamiliton Street Grill is a great option for steaks - including the famous hanger steak (big red taste - satisfying chew) and there are pasta dishes that come without meat. If you contact the restaurant and let them know - I am sure they will be cool about setting you up with a nice vegetarian entree. Plus the gingerbread pudding IS very good - kind of like a dark sticky toffee pudding - but with the bite and depth of ginger.... mmmmm.
I really dislike Hon's - but other people like it so maybe I am being a fuss bucket. But for cheap and cheerful Chinese - I would suggest Congee House on Broadway and Main. If you are in that area - there is a vegetarian place (soups, sandwiches, entrees, etc...) that called Wink Cafe that looks very interesting - but I will be honest and say I have not tried it yet.
Another option may be Japanese Noodles and Kintaro on Denman. I also like Okada - they have alot of grilled veggies, tempura, salads, tofu.... as well as the usual meat based offerings. However - many of their items may be fish broth based...
I've had lunch at Simply Thai - the place is cramped - and the curries were quite good, but the Pad Thai was insanely sweet. It just seems like Thai food has gotten really really sweet lately and it is frankly offputting.
Even though the food may not be superstar quality - I think that Vancouver's casual fine dining places actually do a decent job of things. Milestones in Yaletown has a pretty good rotisserie chicken and roasted beef and has some featured vegetarian options.
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God Almighty - are those fries that they are serving with the pizza cones? This is something that even the demons at Pizza Hut have not unleashed upon us.
How are you supposed to eat this stupid thing - suck out the filling first or deep throat the thing so that you can have a clean bite without having hot cheese run down our your arm (woah... this sounds like a porno-script).
I can just see the brainstorming session on this... let's take a good thing (uh hello - calzone?) cut it open and make it really hard to eat. And then.... let's serve fries with it. Brilliant!!! Is Sandra Lee somehow involved with this?
edited to add - the website touts something called a "Kommunity" - is this creepy or just me (with the spelling - it sounds like some sort of fascist gated community). Also - did you check out were the locations were? All in Europe with a huge in Italy! WTF? I am so so so confused.
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Hanger steak eaters of the world unite and make your voices heard !
My neighbour got some press ( Skoah Spa ) in the NYT , so I was sooooooo close. Perhaps a tiny GBP ( Gingerbread pudding ) on the pillow at the spa next time.
Agh! What a great business idea.... GBP Mooncakes @ TNT! Brilliant.
In case you have not had a Chinese mooncake - they are definitely an acquired taste. Fruitcakes are like delicate clouds in comparison. But a GBP Mooncake... well sign me up.
Fish on Rice on Kingsway?
in Western Canada: Dining
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I need subtitles - what type of food and/or cuisine are we talking about here?