appreciator

^ Just out of curiosity…why would anyone who knows about this PM those who don’t? Wouldn’t that spoil the fun. I’m guessing that whomever conducts this undercover resto has his/her hands full via current word of mouth. Why on earth would he/she want more publicity. Not going to happen.. 'tis my guess. And, just to contradict myself, look at the publicity that Studio Kitchen gets on the G …Seems to be a somewhat similar concept w/o the hassles. Granted, I know next to nothing about the in's and out's… just read about the fab meals there.. As an aside, I bet that on any given night there are at least 5,000 outstanding meals being served in this city with nary a word being said. Lucky are those that enjoy them. P.S... I've heard that Jamie is serving Berkshire Roast Pork with a side of Calvados glazed Pippin Apples up at Tree Tops next Tuesday.... call ahead to assure your seat. I'm kidding, in case anyone was unsure.

Thanks again for the great suggestions... I hope to meet with my co-organizer over the next week or so to finalize a definitive plan. You have all given us great things to thing about. I will indeed PM those who have said I can do so with further requests.... I know this will be an evolving process over the next few months. All your help and expertise is greatly appreciated!

^ Wow.... thanks everyone for the great ideas... you've provided lots to think about. I think we were originally leaning towards the type of tasting that Mary describes above (a number of tables hosted by various wineries/wine reps), but now may consider a more structured tasting. Will have a discussion with my friend and see what she thinks, and report back.

Hi there, A friend of mine has decided to throw a wine tasting to raise funds for a charity she is involved with. She is hoping to sell tickets to about 100 people and has asked me to help organize. She would like to host the event in early September this year so we have a bit of time to figure it out... I think. Gulp.... I've never done this before! I've organized various different events over the years but never a wine tasting. Any thoughts, ideas, words of wisdom? P.S. We are in Vancouver, BC Canada (in case that makes any difference )

^Best place to watch the Oilers... prolly yer living room. Seriously though... no Western Canadian team has a hope in hell of winning the cup, so what's the point. Ferget those chicken wings and go straight on to mainlining some foie...... will make the pain, ermm, less painful.

it appears to turning into a Sushi restaurant. ← The name is Sushi Hut, according to the signage. Very intriguing. Wonder how the Ordinary got the boot.... I think it's a big no, no to boot someone for demo purposes and then not demolish the building. Of course, I have no idea what really happened there, just going by what I read here. (note this is not an exact link as the site does not seem to be loading properly.) Just scroll around till you find the most recent post about the Ordinary Cafe: 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3......

I know next to nothing about bread baking, however, baguettes with knobs on the end... well, we have a version available in Vancouver from the European Bakery. Read about it here if you are interested. Back on topic.... Gerhard, I applaud your efforts. I made my first baguette in a cookery class earlier this year and though it was a daunting experience, it was also a rewarding one. Bon chance!

heh there.... I've had positive response from the following: Empanaditas (from Martha Stewart's website) Can be made ahead... just freeze the emanaditas in a single layer on a single cookie sheet then transfer to a Ziploc once frozen. When ready to serve just bring out of the freezer and coat them with egg wash... pop them in the oven for the requisite amount of time (1 - 15 mins) and bob's yer uncle. And Smashed Cannellini Bean Crostini with Feta Salsa Verde Good luck and do report back on final selections

Note: The view is free to all. Its in a public park. There are too many places to go with great food to waste one's time on Watermark. Build an appetite with a walk on the beach and then go someplace worthwhile instead. ← Thanks for the tip. I've lived in Vancouver for over 20 years now and am well aware of the, ummmm, attributes, of Kits Beach. Dining in a state of the art building (though not necessarily a peak experience) certainly merits a visit. Beautiful thing.... we all have our own opinions and can choose to dine where we see fit.

Sorry, haven't had a chance to be in lately. Going on vacation this week but I hope to do another shift at Rare very soon. ← heh.... that's great. Good to know that your expertise is getting put to good use. Hopefully all your original suggestions are working out well (no doubt ) and the stations can be manned while you are away. For myself, I say bring on the cheese! (sorry, not much of a dessert gal but I do so love the old cheese course and the offerings at Rare are second to none).

Wow... well heh.... thanks for joining in on the conversation. Definitely good to get the point of view from the horse’s mouth (so to speak ) Prior to reading this last post I was going to add a link to the infamous DOV 2005 Irish Heather thread (yah, just in case anyone missed it ).... And I still will because I think it exemplifies how / why / we don't / post as honestly as we might. Not to be too Vancouver centric but I do believe that the IH DOV thread single-handedly changed the tone of the Vancouver forum. For better ~ for worse.... whose to say. In the meantime.... I am glad that we have this thread to discuss disparities..... hopefully at the end of the day, we can all agree to disagree as we all have our own tastes. Thanks for adding your 2 cents Alex.

Thanks for the info Marc... I wonder what the lawsuit is about to keep prompting the name changes. On topic... tried the original recommendation tonight with dinner and it was great. I'm going to have to pick up a few more bottles to tuck away.

^ I must concur with the less than stellar comments above. Unfortunately, I can't recall what I had for lunch.... obviously not memorable. What still sticks in my mind to this day however was the offering of mashed potatoes with the jambalaya! WTF? Honestly... the mind totally boggles. I hope they make some changes; it seems that the owners have a lot of heart but it's gonna be a hard sell in a tough location unless they can step up the food game. My less than humble .02

Wow! Great photos..... this looks and reads like a totally fantatic evening. Hope it happens again.

You might also like to try good2gofoods they have a location on West 4th Avenue between Trafalgar and Stephens. One note about Quince, as mentioned above, the food is fantastic... though I'm pretty sure it is not all "sous vide". It is packaged via a vacuum pack system but is prepped and cooked in a normal way. I do believe that the packages need to be opened and then the contents cooked or reheated as opposed to popping them directly into a water bath. Could be wrong though... Note on the method of sous vide cooking Quince website Too bad an establishment that I used to work at many moons ago is not still open. They used to cater to folks in the Kits / False Creek / South Granville neighbourhood by delivering gourmet meals. The name: Barrington’s Gourmet To You.

This is intriguing to me.... the spot on West 4th does not seem to be particularly busy... in fact; it seems to be almost "dead" at times. Is the spot on Main supposed to be in addition, or instead of? I have a feeling they'd be better off on Main than in their current location.

Ummmm.... is this actually Chateau Pey La Tour...... by chance? I couldn’t find "de tour" listed in the LDB system. CHATEAU PEY LA TOUR 2003 SKU #264986 / UPC #03258691161525 Price: $17.90 Volume: 750 mL Alcohol: 12.5 % Sweetness: 00 Country: France Locality: Bordeaux If so, I picked up a bottle this evening, along with it's counterpart (for a few bucks more): CHATEAU PEY LA TOUR RESERVE DU CHATEAU 2003 SKU #442392 / UPC #03258691139753 Price: $24.90 Volume: 750 mL Alcohol: 13 % Sweetness: 00 Country: France Locality: Bordeaux P.S. Please note.... your mother was right, we do indeed hang on your every word......

serious? edited to abide ← It is an exciting scene (I can't go back now on what I said!); you just have to take the time to explore it. I know of at least five or six truly artisan bakeries in the Lower Mainland. ← Ornivea... I think that 3WC may just be a tad biased about bread (no offence to you there Drew). We've had this whole discussion many a time.... here for example. Please don't take this the wrong way... but...... there are those who feel that Vancouver has yet to really crack the crust on the artisan bread market.

Umm.... Where exactly is Ecco Il Pane in relation to where the Bread Garden (on West 1st) used to be? I thought that it was over on West 5th Avenue, between Alberta and Columbia. Has it moved closer to Burrard and 1st? Or, perchance, do you mean "Pane from Heaven" on Cypress between 1st and York?

^ Thanks for filling in the missing details Tim..... w.o.e are we still awake at this time? Never mind.... Looking forward to more outstanding meals..... the bar has been set

Fantastic dinner Wednesday night (more details to follow in the next day or so)… However, I'll just say: Cauliflower Soup (with): ~ lobster salad ~ smoked steelhead caviar ~ truffle oil... oh my! That steelhead caviar… holy f*@k…. what a revelation. Paired nicely with the Grant Burge Chardonnay. I'm guessing it was a 2003/ 04, I'm sure someone will chime in to confirm. Big ups to our favourite gal for organizing; Chef Fowke and Chef Dang (along with the rest of the brigade) for cooking; Monsieur Keller for wine pairing and, last (but certainly not least!) our exceptionally gracious server (whose name I did not catch, unfortunately) for outstanding, and witty service. All in all…a magnificent opening night! I’m sure that Rare will spark in this location. It will be the restaurant that finally conjures the essentials of magic required to bring all the elemental forces together: location (previously nebulous, now napped in a subtle sophistication), food and wine (sublime), service (gracious without being intrusive). Lick that… and you might just as well bet the farm.

Just checking in to see how the taste buds have (or have not) improved for all those who quit smoking at the beginning of the year. Care to share your new "taste" revelations?

Oh there's only a couple photos that are a little blurry.... your descriptions make up for it and most of the photos are clear as a bell. Not to worry, you have captured the essence and that's really the best one can really hope to do ~ otherwise it's up to all of us to check it out for ourselves.

As I'm going through the list, I'm noticing that I'm crossing off a fair number of places that don't necessarily appeal to me any more. I may eat there some day but that "burning" desire seems to have passed. Must be age A few places have been added, a few deleted due to change of interest (as noted above, and some deleted due to their untimely demise). Some I've had the great pleasure to experience and that's the best reason to cross them off the list imnsho. Amacord Aurora Bistro (done! ~ dine out Vancouver 2006 ) Cafe D'Lite Central Bistro (done! ~ lunch and dinner, fall of 2005) Century Cru (gotta love this place ~ done! fall 2005, winter 2006 ) Diva Elysian Room (done! ~ fall 2005 and again just the other week: biggrin: ) Go Fish Hapa Izakaya Henry's Kitchen Hola Churros Japone Jolly's Indian Bistro Liliget Feast House Living Room (this is going to have to be soon.... it's soooo close to where I live!) Lolitas Long's Noodle House Maurya Modern Club Octopus's Garden Okada Parkside Phnom Phen Railspur Alley Bar & Grill Raincity Grill (done! crossed off the list in fall 2005) Rangoli Rare (One) The Pear Tree Tojo's Totoyo Vintropolis Watermark (if not for the food, then at least for the view) West Wild Rice William Tell Oh.. have to add sushi place on 16th and Main.... name of which, currently, escapes me.

^ Great photos Lorna.... sounds like you had a wonderful time (lucky gal you, getting to help out in the kitchen ) and the meal reverberates with imagination. What a great way to kick things off. Looking forward to checking it out soon.