appreciator

edited because Jamie beat me to it with better info.

Pretty sure I've seen it at several BookWarehouse locations......

For chocolate covered cherries, you could try Over the Moon on West Broadway, just a smidge west of MacDonald. I'm not sure if they make them... but they might and they do make darned fine chocolates. However, I'm with Foodie and Peppyre about Chocolate Arts, mmmm... carmelita.... mmmm... rhubarb rhapsody.... Sorry, I digress.... I just may have to pop on over today Did not make it .... {sigh} Weekend's comin' soon... Edited (because I'm a dork and also to add): today while I was picking up some veggies at Apple Farm on Broadway (side track... love this place - 10% off on Wednesday btw) I figured that while I was in the neighborhood, I'd check in at Over the Moon to inquire about chocolate covered cherries. They do indeed have them..... I believe the gal behind the counter said that they had pits, so if you are looking for the maraschino cherry kind then these won't be the ones for you (well, for your wife). If she likes “more rustic” chocolates then these may fit the bill.

Oh my Gawd! I love Foo Hongs! Many, many years ago we used to go there about once a month when a couple of my brothers lived in Victoria. One of the waiters sorta looked like my middle brother so we would refer to him as "David".... Doesn't sound so funny now that I've typed it out but it amused the rest of us... though strangely not him.

Karole.... I think I might have seen the wine you are talking about for sale at the VQA store on GI (inside the market) yesterday... when i was, incidentally, buying a bottle of Inniskillin Cab Sauv. Judging from the price $8.99, I was assuming (rightly or wrongly ) that it wasn't going to be that good. Next time I'm on the island, I'll scope out further details and report back. Unless someone else beats me to it. I think it would be great to do a BC WOW.... though I don't have one to suggest at the moment.

Ah yes... I see... "overly crowded" say no more.... I too have a gigantic aversion to really big crowds...... So, based on that... stick to Bacchus And no... I have no personal ties to Elaeni Skalbania (sp?) whatsoever!

Hmmm... how very mysterious..... care to elaborate?

Yah but... I did mention the Ordinary in my comment.... didn't I???? I like the place... it's good.... I'm going back real soon to enjoy some of those.... mmm... crab cakes... yes indeedy

Welcome to egullet if you haven't been welcomed already (apologies Daddy-A... I know that's your job). And thanks for the disclosure about your association with the Heather. I'm honestly glad to hear that you had such a great experience during DOV. I think quite a few of us (although, I certainly only speak for myself) actually did as well, except for varying disparate moments, particular items on the menu, etc., previously noted. It is unfortunate that all the positive comments any number of us made were so dramatically outweighed by the "negative/mean/malicious???" ones highlighed.... so much so in fact that any postive residue was completely lost on Sean (the owner, not chef as suggested elsewhere). I guess that's just the way the cookie crumbles. C'est la vie.

You know.... this kinda get's me..... First off.... we aren't "critics" (well with an exception or two) we're either the the dining public, chefs, waiters, restaurant owners, busboys, dishwashers etc. I have been to the Ordinary and I like it from what I can remember... but the whole notion of having to post a certain way..... If this forum becomes one of "if you are going to say something negative then you must say it this way or not say it at all" ... and if you've had a few drinks then whatever you do, don't post right away because lawd knows your judgement will be clouded by the booze.... Aaack...

I'll jump on the bandwagon for Bacchus.... it's got a great atmosphere. Other than that... no clue... unless the Granville Room is a grown up bar (but it might be a restaurant???? - checked and it is actually a bar).... a friend of mine said she liked it in passing the other day.... and she's 45 (i.e. potentially a grown-up... though do hold the cougar jokes please ) I may have to go over to waiterblog to check out the definition of "cougar"... edited due to spelling issues, amongst other things....

It's a very sketchy location indeed..... corner of 1st and Yew as a matter of fact.... just up from Malone's and in close proximity to The King's Head Pub.

Well .... Their valet parking signs out on the street are kinda annoying when you're driving by..... Oh I bet that's not what you meant I know nothing about this place except that I sure hope it lasts longer than the previous place. Another Italian restaurant opened very briefly after "Yew First" closed and I believe the chef was someone from Ammacord (sp?) in Yaletown. Wonder what happened there. Anyhoo.... in the interest of getting the skinny.... one day in the not-too-distant future I will check it out. I live relatively close by.

I just looked at one of the links in the previous note and it does list Bob's Red Mill as a source of Grits so I think they would work for your purposes. Let us know how things turn out Oops.... I've made a boo boo.... so you won't see my previous post. However, upon googling grits and polenta and the difference as such, I came up with an answer that you can probably find on your own by doing the same thing.

Yes..... you can buy "Grits" at both Choices and Capers. I do believe the brand I bought was Bob's Mills. Hang on let me check..... Okay the package says: Bob's Red Mill Organic Corn Grits also known as Polenta. Perhaps this is not what you are looking for. What do you want to do with them if I may ask? edited to say..... I haven't seen hominy available but I would hazzard a guess that perhaps you could buy it at Que Pasa in Richmond.

And this would be because ......... the smoky quality perhaps? Or am I just taking things too seriously again?

What gets me about tipping is that there seems to be a certain expectation around it. I've worked in the service industry before (many moons ago), and sure, tips were a good thing and all the service staff looked forward to calculating their totals at the end of the night. On to my point.... if the service is just so-so, or mediocre, does it really deserve 20%, or even 15% for that matter? Seems that for some in the industry, they expect such things, regardless of the service provided. And isn't tipping supposed to be about the service? If this has been covered already... just carry on by.......

I have had a very respectable sticky toffee pudding at Brix over the past few years. Actually, I think that was the first one I tried in the city after having fallen in love (with the pudding ) on a trip to the UK a few years ago. ← I really enjoyed the Maple Creme Brulee from Mosaic Bar & Grille at last Wednesdays foray out for DOV. Now back to Parkside..... I'm about to cancel a reso I have for 2 there tomorrow night at 6 p.m. (for, hmmmmm.... various reasons) so if anyone is jonesing to eat their DOV menu, you might want to give them a shout.

Alrighty then... inspired by a post elsewhere I am reposting this comment... and taking out the feel good niceties as well.... Let the chips fall where they may I can't seem to drag myself away from this whole trainwreck of a thread. I want to make note of a little something called expectations. On the tourism vancouver menu for DOV at the Heather there was a special note at the bottom. It said: "Our young chef Tony Marzo has spent the last 7 years at Wickaninnish Inn, Cafe Brio and Ontario's Relais & Chateau property Langdon Hall. At $15 we are definitely worth a try." Now.... to me this added a certain cache to the already interesting menu and I figured we were in for a truly spectacular meal. Does this set things up for a high expectation on the part of customers...... ummm... I'd say so. Is that realistic.... probably not. However.... in hindsight (don't we all wish we had a little bit of that earlier?), I think it would have been nearly impossible to pull off something truly "spectacular" for $15. Was my meal what I was expecting.... not really. Was it worth a try for $15.... absolutely. But getting (or setting) your expectations up (on either side of the equation) is just not the best recipe for success in my opinion. (However, it's just an opinion.... that's all Edited, a whole bunch of times..... that's just the way it goes sometimes.

I'm glad to hear that Okada is a good place as I read about it somewhere fairly recently and have been interested in checking it out.

edited yet again because.... well....... I think I need to learn to keep my lip zipped. this is the 5th edit of the night........ Make no mistake... i have plenty to say on this whole matter but....... I really better not.

You know.... I asked about this, and all the server said was: Okanagan Goat Cheese. So... upon googling it I get: http://www.happydaysdairy.com/products.html However, nothing on that website shows what we encountered on the plate. I think I'll just have to pop in next time I'm near there and stick my head in the kitchen to get the real skinny.... (Oh... won't they be pleased!) It really was quite exceptional though so I will definately find out the true origins and let you know.... I want more myself - For the record the cheese in question came in a circular slab... about 2 inches or so in diameter. The outside was very soft goat cheese-like consistancy and the inside layer more brie-like. I'm no cheese expert but that is the way it appeared to all of us. The flavour..... very good.

bonjour j`mappel premiere rue a gauche ← oh thank you again TFA for lightening a bit of a "heavy" evening here on egullet. You rock man

Actually...Yeah, what about Cafe de Paris? Turns out that I think that is the place that Amber and I went on our honeymoon. Still any good or old and tired out? (We can go back for our anniversary...this is MY day! ) ← Cafe de Paris changed chefs in fairly recent memory (the last 8 months for sure) and I personally have not been there in that time frame. I do believe that the current chef (Scott Kidd, right????) has earned a fairly high regard in the community, however. Last time I ate there, it was for lunch. I had a fabulous omellete and wonderful frites. Service was extremely gracious, though I did feel like a bit of a dork because I don't speak french. My fault entirely for not paying attention in grade 9! I think this place may hit the nail on the head for your requirements..... modestly priced and within spitting distance of downtown. I hope you enjoy and report back with an account of your experience. P.S. as an aside in case either you or your wife are chocolate lovers, I can highly recommend Chocolate Arts on West 4th Avenue for a chocolate adventure. Everything(and I'm not kidding about this) is top notch.

I'm going to give everyone the Coles notes version of this, as I really can't imagine posting much else right now. Will see how things fall out as time goes by. Anyhoo..... reservation for 3... on Wednesday @ 6 p.m. Seated promptly... we all came in within minutes of each other and the place was almost empty. Service in the beginning was right on but did taper off a tad as more tables came in. Not many mind you, though it really wasn't a problem because we had a nice leisurely time with our meal. Not something that I think all DOV diners get to experience due to the high turnover. One thing about the setting... while the room might be viewed as a tad cold.... the tables were beautifully set. The chairs are generous (and I like that in a chair ). The stand out point however, is that they had a sprig of rosemary in each of the napkins. Nothing much, but a really lovely touch. Our food was as follows: Two of our party had the Ginger Scallop Prawn Won Tons, Thai Lobster Sauce, and Sesame Pea Sprouts. Both enjoyed this as did the third person who managed to squeeze in a small sample. Said third person had the Country Onion Soup, Caramelized Onions, Potato Bread Croutons, Fontina Cheese. The verdict on this was also good.... great flavour and very filling. We accompanied these with the recommended wine, the Sumac Ridge, Pinot Blanc On a slightly amusing note, we were actually presented with bread twice, once at the beginning of the meal and once at the end when we were drinking our coffees. Chalked it up to the fellow delivering the bread having a soft spot for one of the other gals at the table (no.... just kidding...... it was obviously meant for the table beside us ). One thing about the bread.... it was very good.... all from Ecco Il Pane.... sourdough, lavash, green olive, and potato.... all very tasty indeed. For the entrees, two people started with the Local Mushroom Risotto, Baby Potatoes, Truffle Oil, Pecorino Romano, Garlicky Spinach and one person had the Short Rib "Pot Roast", Macaroni & Canadian Aged White Cheddar Gratin. The rib person and one of the risotto people stuck with the white while the other risotto person decided to have the Jackson Triggs, Merlot as an accompaniment. We all enjoyed our entrees though one felt the risotto could have used a bit more depth and one wondered about the garlicky spinach as it may have been missing. The rib person wondered about the pairing of the macaroni but I think that was because she isn't a big pasta fan (did manage to eat most of it though ) For dessert.... two in the party had the Maple Crème Brulee and the third person had the Petite Artesian Cheese Plate. The brulee was absolutely delicious and the cheese plate contained a goat cheese from the Okanagan that was to die for. Overall..... the food was good. The service was mostly on, though as mentioned above it did drop off a bit as the evening wore on (which was not really a problem because we were enjoying the leisurely pace of the meal). The maitre'd had a lovely sense of humour and added a lightheartedness to the evening which enhanced everyone's experience. I think this place may be one of the under rated ones out there.