appreciator

I've heard good things about Modern Club as well, particularly their okonomiyaki. .... must get around to going there one day. As to other value places (non Asian as it turns out )..... I'd actually have to say that Topanga Cafe is pretty good value for what you get. Not trying to be authentic Mexican... but filling and usually tasty food for under $12, in my mind, that's a fair deal. Granted I haven't been there in a while so things may have changed but 18 years ago, it was a fab place to go. (I've been there more recently then that.... probably a year or so ago, in case anyone is wondering )

One day, long ago (in a land far, far away - oh, sorry, I digress ).... I heard a rumour (yes, the ugly word) that a number of well-known (and some not-so well known ) Vancouver chefs like to frequent the Fortune Garden Restaurant (Broadway and Granville) for a meal when they are off duty. Can this be true? Regardless.... I'm also curious to know where those who cook professionally, 5-6 days/nights a week, go, for a meal out. Either after your gig in the kitchen, or on your night(s) off.

Lucy...... may I just say that your blog has been a breath of fresh air I have especially enjoyed your morning routine and watching the hyacinth bloom.... It must smell incredible by now. Salut! Sarah

Can I replace the former with Crichton's Timeline - cause I just finished the latter for the umpteenth time and am feeling damned erudite as a result - populism be damned ← Okay... have you two seriously read Foucault's Pendulum six or more times? Seriously????? As to the Golden Plate Awards, I'm with Ducky. The Georgia Straight is not pretending to be the be-all and end-all in culinary commentary and so be it. Not everyone can be enjoying their coffee at Artigiano, lunching at Go Fish and having dinner at West, all the time. Though all of these establishments may certainly be superior in caliber... the places that have been chosen in the GP's have a place as well. And not just for the great unwashed who have not yet tasted the foie gras kolachy, so to speak.

As delicious as that meat looks (and this coming from a former vegetarian, it looks pretty damn good ), I still can't get past the fact that it's horse meat!?!? (I know that's obvious ) Glad to hear that you had a great meal Lee and that there are good sources of horsemeat in Vancouver for those who are interested. This topic has got me thinking about food aversions I maintain, and the legitimacy they have. Perhaps I'll see if there's a topic about this in the General Food section. Questioning one's choices is a good thing IMO.

It is amazing how you can say something so brutal about an individual you have never met. This just happens to be my cousin, so I may be a little bias. A little tidbit for you. Erin spent time in a few restaurants shadowing management and front line employees. We were happy to have Erin with us at C for a couple of nights. Remember that one key employee who left, who was so amazing that everyone still brings up. Well that would be Erin if you had her working for you. I am sure that Mr. Fuller would love to have Erin working at one of his restaurants. Leonard J Nakonechny C Restaurant GM ← You see people ...there are real people behind this show. They make their living acting on this show. Maybe if you have a problem with the show you could email the producers first. Anyway, give it a chance and balance your reviews with respect for those who make a living from this show. JB ← Ah c'mon..... What the hell happened to lett'n it rip? No doubt I'm contradicting myself in some previous post, but seriously.... You are kidding of course... right, John No doubt the producers will be more than happy to hear what we say

Is this a slag? As I am somewhat "limited" I might be incorrect in my thinking. After all, I am just a dumb cook who might not have your eloquence or witty retorts but I try to do my best. But I really can't tell as I am unsure if you are just being condescending or trying to be subtle. Please elaborate if you will. ← Well, I'm not Andrew, but I don't think he meant this as a slag. I read it as ... however limited the received purpose of said criticism might be. i.e. Give your input.... positive, negative, whatever.... the purpose of which may be received in a (possibly "limited") way. Or perhaps in a great way... who knows. Where are those people from the show? Come out, come out wherever you are...... But that's just my take on reading Andrew's post. edited because I want to make sure that I read, and understood, and am trying to convey, that the "limited" portion relates to how it might be received, not to the post itself. Does that make sense?

I figured that any day now someone from the show was going to pop out of the woodwork with some lengthy speech and a request to certain posters to never darken their cable station again Being a fraidy cat (well, not really) I decided I'd keep my comments to myself. There's only so many doorsteps (or cable stations as the case may be) that I wish to be banned from in one year I'll just say.... I think the show needs more time.

I googled it (just because I wanted to see the cute Irish get-up they've got goin' on today ) Cedar Cottage Neighbourhood Pub, 3728 Clark (at Kingsway)

Great blog Daddy-A! Even though I live here, it's always nice to see the place through someone else’s eyes. Oh, and as an aside, I too can confirm the yummy goodness of the gingerbread pudding I think that Neil is going for world domination via g-bread pudding.... and he just might get it!

Due to various reasons, I'm not going to be able to participate in this class after all, at least not for this upcoming week. I will try to follow along with everyone's comments and discoveries though and if I can jump in I will. As a side note, most of the wines listed are available in BC but some are only available at specialty stores. I know we can pick our own but I thought it would be an interesting exercise to find the ones recommended.

I'm very excited about this course.... doing it in Canada no less . So far I've had a bit of trouble finding some of the specific wines suggested but I will persevere. Also not sure if I can find fresh cherries and peaches in March but will see what I can do. Would dried fruit suffice? Granted, I have found "fresh" blackberries and raspberries so it's a start As a reference point, I will post the wines I've selected that are available in BC in case anyone else from here is interested in participating.

I'm sorry... this is still completely gross to me... Why would I eat cow and not horse..... now that, is good question. But you know what... no matter how I slice it.... eating horse just isn't on. Granted, I've worked with horses in a past life (not in the woo woo sense, just a number of years ago)...... they have personalities, a few of them are damn smart. I can't eat something like that. Sniff..... wondering if I need to revisit the veg only thang again, right when I'm on the verge of sinking my teeth into a juicy sirloin..... what's up with that?.....

But why? Why would you want to eat horse meat? Is it tastier then cow, bison, deer etc.? I don't get it, and really can't imagine myself eating horse.... unless it was by mistake.... (dim sum anyone?)

As a reformed vegetarian and of the past several years a "pescepouletatarian" I really have no clue as to the best spot in Vancouver to re-ignite my desire for a slab-o-beef. Any suggestions? As a disclaimer, I've had steak au poivre (sp?) at Le Crocodile in December and, as much as I love the place, in all honesty, it didn't do it for me. Where's the beef?

Thanks for the link Joie. One good point in GEO's favour is that they carry Granola King granola... . Have you used their services? I think I need to do some more research on the CSA options, as I quite like the concept of having more of a direct link with my food. (Can't grow much on my balcony unfortunately )

Well I don't have any purdy pictures of tonight's dinner... but here's what I made: Roasted yams, parsnips, carrots and red onions in one pan, then broccoli, cauliflower and garlic in another. The roasted root vegetables were a bit on the soft side... not sure why as they usually stay a bit firmer. Served the above with spice-rubbed chicken breasts with caramelized onion-red pepper relish. This was all baked together and I didn't really notice much caramelization with the onions and red peppers so I think I would do them separately next time. Tasted good in the end though.

Found two more Persian places in Vancouver, though I've never tried either of them, but someone might have: Zagros Authentic Persian Food 1091 Davie 604-688-0405 and Patough Cafe 841 Bidwell 604-696-0082 (this one has a small blurb in the Georgia Straight - here: Georgia Straight - Persian food but you need to scroll down a bit.

Where is/was Paul's located? It's not ringing any bells..... Also... does anyone know if Demitasse is still around. That was a huge favourite of mine for breakfast many years ago. Used to head over from Salt Spring for a day of shopping in Victoria and always went to to Demitasse for mochas and steamed eggs. Yum. Oh and btw... not to be nitpicky but the coffee place on Salt Spring is actually the "Moka" House I do believe.

Thanks ananstee! I found this link to Farm Folk City Folk Farm Folk/City Folk CSAs but it's basically the same info as you've given above. Have you had experience with any of the places you listed? DameD... sounds like Spud's really working for you From doing a very small amount of research, it seems like they are pretty much the only organic delivery service that's still operating in Vancouver. Or perhaps I'm mistaken and it's just that they're the biggest.

No dobut that San Francisco could keep any visiting eGulleter happy for an extended visit. Hell, I live on the East coast and am already plotting my third trip in the last year and a half. ← Yes, I know it's quite pathetic that I have not made the trip down yet considering I've had the place in my mind for over 20 years as "the place I must eat before I die". Maybe that's why I haven't gone yet

Yes Keith... that is exactly what I meant by farm co-op. I am positive there are some in the GVRD as I read about this concept some 10 plus years ago, though I can't for the life of me remember the details. Anyone.......

Just wanted to revive this topic to see if anyone has any new (or old ) experiences with organic delivery service to report. Coop... did you try it and if so, do you like it? I've been considering either the delivery service or joining a farm co-op but I don't have enough details about the latter just yet and it may be too late for this year in any case.

oooh what wonderful photos... what wonderful reviews. I've been dreaming of eating at Chez Panisse for 20 years and reading this thread has just made me want to get myself down there all the more. Sadly I don't think I can quite justify a trip to California just to eat at Chez Panisse but I'd like to. Thank you all for posting your thoughts and photos... very evocative.

From the photos, it looks as though ya'll had fun but from reading the comments, it seems that for those of us who had to miss it, we perhaps did not miss out on the best burger club experience ever.