appreciator

But so much of it ? ← That's what these threads are for though aren't they? If one person posts some constructive critisism and 5 other people felt the same way are the other 5 supposed to keep their lips zipped? Maybe that would have been better..... I don't know. edited because I can't write properly tonight though my changes have probably not made it any better

Cheers Neil for posting the above. I am finally able to view the posts using my cel phone. The dining room is starting to fill up again, got to go, more customers to disappoint with our OK service and tastless food. Sean Heather ← Sean.... I'm sorry you are taking this badly but I suppose if I was in your position, I might take it badly as well. I am sure no one meant to offend.... I know that I certainly did not, was just commenting on the experience and thought you would like to know what I thought of the meal. As I said earlier, there was nothing wrong with the appetizers nor the desserts, it's just that we felt the entree could have used more flavour. And the service that I experienced was quite good... our server was very friendly and accomodating. So please do take note of these thoughts in the spirit for which they were intended.... simple commentary and feedback. Will definitely be back on a non DOV evening to try something else on your menu.

Where exactly do you want all those 10 percenters to come down to?

Yum indeed.... I, for one, love a good black bean soup. Am aiming to have my first Kolachy experience this Friday and will just have to try one of their soups as well. Do you know if they change daily or are several available all the time?

Good idea..... I've sent him a PM just now.

You know.... as I was eating my meal on Sunday, I did think to myself.... self... this is only costing you 15 bucks what do you expect. Well, flavour for one thing. I don't necessarily think we should judge the joint on one meal there (wouldn't do it at other times, why during DOV) but I do think that they could have made something a tad tastier in the world of entrees. Seemed like the chef had an aversion to salt perhaps. And while it is noble of you to defend the Heather, these DOV threads were set up to discuss the DOV meals we exerpience so that's pretty much what you'd expect don't you think?

Not that I'm transfattyacid but I thought I'd reply all the same. The place in question is on Denman Street, which is at the foot of Robson if you like. the address from TFA's post: 823 Denman between haro and robson 604.685.1136 Su-Th 1730 to midnight F Sa to0100 I'll butt out now

Went to the Heather last night. I started with the salad: Beet and Goats Cheese, Baby Greens, Black Olive Vinaigrette which I enjoyed and my friend had the Smoked Tomato Soup, Creme Fraiche, Basil Oil which she also liked. Then we both had the Dark Beer Braised Beef Shortribs, Blue Cheese Polenta, Spinach and Fennel, Pan Jus. The blue cheese polenta was yummy.... the ribs, spinach and shaved fennel were completely lacking in flavour. I shouldn't have ordered this dish after reading above but thought I'd give it a try anyway. A neighbouring table had ordered the Wild Mushroom and Canellini Bean Ragout, with Braised Kale and Carrots, Truffled Cauliflower Puree which I thought sounded quite good but apparently was also lacking in flavour. I imagined it might have been good over top of the blue cheese polenta actually. For dessert I had the Jameson Whisky and Dark Chocolate Pot Au Creme, with Raspberry Compote and Sugar Cookies and my friend had the Mixed Nut Sugar Pie, Coconut Ice, with Chocolate Sauce. I loved the pot au creme..... very creamy and chocolatey goodness and my friend really enjoyed the mixed nut pie which was actually served with the cinnamon ice cream offerred with the other dessert. We accompanied our meal with pints of smithwicks and black and tans.... did not see any VQA wine recomendations on their DOV menu though they do offer a couple of choices on their regular list. Seemed odd to order wine in that setting however, which is why we went for the beer. We both felt the service was quite good - it was a tad slow in the beginning but really warmed up as the evening wore on. I had been told that we had the table for two hours and we did stay a tad over that (not on purpose, honesetly ) but it did not seem to be a problem as there were other tables available at that time and no line-up apparent.

If you go to Bistro Pastis on West 4th Avenue (a bit away from Robson Street, but not that far) you will be able to kill two birds with one stone, so to speak, in that they are a French Restaurant and they serve absinthe. Really good food, I might add. They also have a special entree on offer (in keeping your price point in mind), Tuesday through Saturday: Tuesday Coq au Vin, 19.50 Wednesday Lamb Shank, 21.50 Thursday Foie de Veau, 19.50 Friday Truite Amandine, 19.50 Saturday Saucisse de Toulouse, 19.50 Here's their url: http://www.bistropastis.com/main.cfm

As much as I love cooking and eating.... planning trumps all. I love to research recipes, think about interesting combinations of food, put together a meal plan and then make shopping lists for all the various ingriedients. In fact, I like this so much I've offered to put together a weekly meal plan for a couple of co-workers!

Thanks for this tip Deborah.... I've just made a reso for the 6th and am looking forward to it. Thanks also to Ling re: HSG.... I thought I'd read earlier that they were open longer and you have confirmed that. And thanks Foodie re: Cru..... I am planning to try a meal there one day in the not-too-distant future.... at $36/3 courses it is very good value indeed. I like that a number of places have this option lately (or at least it seems like it's been occuring more lately)... a nice trend.

Question..... does anyone know which restaurants have extended there DOV promo past Feb 3rd?

I'd like to hear you riff on peanut allergies........

I have a reso at the Irish Heather on Sunday night at 6:30 so may see you there Danielle (although as we've never met, will just gaze around the place trying to figure out who you might be ) On Wednesday, some friends and I will be going to the Mosaic Bar and Grille in the Hyatt because I liked their DOV menu. Though reading elsewhere, I note that someone had a less than stellar time last year. Oh well. Hopefully things have improved. May try for one other place before this promotion rolls to a close but am not sure where we'd get in at this late a date.

Nah, you're not the only one.... I too have yet to delve into the world of kolachy. I don't venture into Yaletown very often but am thinking that one day soon I'm going to have to make the trip over on a lunch break or day off just to see what everyone's going on about. The one with goat cheese is extremely alluring...... mmmmm

Tonight was kung pao chicken with cashews instead of peanuts (cuz I'm allergic) served atop brown basmati rice. Just to make sure to get my veggies, I also steamed some broccoli and lightly drizzled it with sesame oil and topped it with toasted sesame seeds.

I think you mean Thai Away Home on Cambie and 17th. I order from there at least once a week- absolutely fantastic food. The thing I like most about it is that the place seems spotlessly clean, therefore I imagine my food is well taken care of... I too wish they delivered...I live in Kits! ← When I posted, I was actually thinking of Sala Thai but Thai Away Home is really good too. I'm also in Kits.... perhaps if we ask them really nicely, they'll open a branch in our 'hood.... along 4th somewhere would work for me, would that work for you?

oh not to worry Viola..... mini malls are easily confused re: Thrifty's... the one on Salty (aka Salt Spring Island) has a fairly extensive selection of cheese and they do seem to cover many countries with what they stock. However, I didn't notice any segregation of French cheeses by postal code.... will have to peer more closely next time I'm over.

I LOVE Shiro!!! He's right next to our showroom, so I'm usually there at least once a week. Super friendly and awesome quality. They refer to me as "man with shaved head" Kinda like Shiro himself Are you thinking of Sala Thai? Or Thai Away Home? Neither deliver.

I've tried to find Chinese take out that I really like for years and after much searching (and I mean much – I’ll provide a list of all the “rejects” to anyone who wants it ), I do believe I've found *the* place. It's called Szechuan Chili (802 West 6th Ave. 604-874-3737). I really like the Szechuan Style fried green beans and the Northern Style Shredded Chicken Chow Mein. I've been getting Cantonese Style (crispy noodles) all these years and finally discovered that what I really wanted was the Northern Style (soft noodles). The noodles could be a tad wider for my liking but it's pretty darn good. The prawns in black bean sauce are also good though sometimes the prawns are a tad mushy. For sushi, I've been known to drive over to Cambie and 15th for take out from Shiro which is one of my fav sushi places in town. I used to get a lot of take out from Sushi King in Kerrisdale with my ex-beau as he was into quantity over quality, thought it's not bad, just not really great. The portions are huge and the owners are delightful but I much, much, prefer the sushi at Shiro. For Thai, so far I've only ordered from the Thai House and it's not bad. I wish that the Thai restaurant further up Cambie (from Shiro's that is) delivered but they don't and I can't even remember the name right now... darn it. For Indian, I've had delivery a couple of times from India Grill on West 4th. Some things were good but the last time I ordered butter chicken and that's not what it was, so a tad hit and miss. And then.... there's always pizza Athene's on Broadway has pretty good stuff and cheap too.... and then there’s Nat's, also on Broadway. More expensive but extremely yummy pizza. My oh my, no wonder I don’t get out to eat much…. I’m always ordering in. Well, that’s not really true, I also love to cook, but pulling out my entire selection of take out menus did give me pause.

As I lay awake this morning at the ungodly hour of 5:30 a.m., I started thinking about where I've eaten out lately. I realized that I have not been out for a meal since before Christmas unless you count meals at the Hills Guest Ranch, between Christmas and New Years, but the food was so mediocre, I’m trying to erase it from memory. (Everything else about the place was great btw) So the last three places I've been to: Feenie's for brunch on a sunny Saturday morning. After reading about their eggs Benny, and the delicious hollandaise sauce, I just had to give them a go. Well, salmon Benny to be exact and man-o-man was it good. I think it has to have been the best brunch I have ever had and that's saying a lot as I love brunch. The eggs were perfect (all the whites cooked which is VERY important to me and which some places don't always accomplish) the salmon was great, the croissant buttery and flaky and that hollandaise sauce.... sublime. The roasted potatoes and salad on the side were also great and they serve really good coffee as well. So a couple of weeks later, I thought I'd do a salmon Benny test run at The Avenue Grill.... just for comparison sake. Though it was also quite tasty, it really could not come near the standard now set for me by Feenie's. Then just before Christmas, we went to Le Crocodile. Now I just love this place. I've only eaten their twice now but the food is great and the service.... really top notch. I started off with the onion tart, which was extremely tasty.... though somewhat lacking in presentation with only a tiny sprig of something frondy. Then for my entree I had the steak with a peppercorn sauce. I've only just started eating beef again and let's just say.... I don't know why I've stayed away for so long. I can’t remember what my friend ate but she was very happy with her choices as well. We had wine pairings with each course, an Alsatian white (name escapes me) and with my steak, Fat Bastard Merlot. Both paired well with the food. Unfortunately had to leave before dessert in order to make it to a concert in time but will definitely be back again before this year draws to a close. From posting this, I see I really need to eat out more often and take better notes.

I think the one at 4th and Alma is (or used to be) Les Amis de Fromage - the one shop everyone agrees is great - but I believe they've moved since I was last in town. ← Thanks Viola but..... nope... Les Amis used to be in a mini mall on 10th and Alma - and I think it also used to be called "Menu Setters" but I could be wrong. The one in the mini mall on 4th and Alma seems to only have an awning out front that says "Cheese" but there may be other words in there I've missed. I suppose I'll just have to check it out myself one of these days and report back.

Speaking of cheese shops....... I'm wondering if anyone here has tried the cheese shop in the mini mall at 4th and Alma. It's wedged between a beauty shop and a pet store if memory serves. Also, isn't there a cheese shop on 10th Ave. opposite the Safeway? Has some swanky looking columns at the entranceway..... perhaps it's something else but for some reason I thought they sold cheese. I guess I could go take a look myself one of these days but if anyone knows, you could post and save me the journey

Yup, it's Dolce Gelato. Their stuff is very good, but I think they're closed through the winter. They have a nice white wine gelato. ← Thanks for the confirmation had friends from White Rock over for dinner tonight and forgot to ask them for their fav flavour (they always order the same thing) but will check in with them tomorrow.

There's a place in White Rock along the beach that has pretty good gelato.... it may be "Dolce Gelato" but I'm not positive that is the name. It's right beside a bank machine kiosk. Not sure if they have cinnamon gelato or not but some of their other flavours are pretty good. And there used to be a place on Yew Street near Cornwall that was run by this older Italian fellow but it was strangely hit and miss for when it was open and they hardly had any flavours to choose from.