appreciator

^ sugarcookie.... your meal looks great! Do you have a recipe that you can share for the Thai chicken balls?

Susan... I've enjoyed your blog immensely... beautiful photos and great daily accounts as well. The wine festival looks like it was a fantastic event and the setting was incredible. Thanks for sharing your world with us this past week.

Brunch on Sunday was: Coffee (with beans from JJ Bean on Granville Island) Fancy Bacon (from Tenderloin Meats on GI)* Fancy Sausage (from Oyama on GI)* Savoury Ham, Mushroom and Cheese Clafouti (made by me based on a recipe from Fine Cooking) Roasted potatoes and yams (made by another friend) Toast (made with bread from Ecco Il Pane) Sparkling wine and OJ A delightful meal.... one that filled all of us up till late dinner time! Sorry, no pics. P.S. Neither the bacon nor the sausage are actually called "fancy" in real life, I just don't know what they actually were as someone else picked them up. Dern tasty though

Just one more reason to get my butt up to the UBC Farm before it closes for the season... guess I'll have to make it next Saturday.... fer sure Thanks for the tip!

I have about 80 at the moment... though probably about 20 more in storage waiting to go to the used book store. Funny, I thought I had more.... must go cookbook shopping

Just bought some of these today from Choice's on West 16th Avenue. Not sure what I'm going to do with them but they looked so nice that I had to indulge. Well, not really, only $2.98 for a 100 grams. They smell a bit odd though so am a tad worried about pesticides.... seem to have been imported from Columbia. Oh and of note... the ones available in the summer at South Alder Farms in Aldergrove and Driediger Farms in Langley... are not the same thing as what I bought tonight. Will have to do a bit more research to be sure but Cape Gooseberries and regular gooseberries seem to differ in that I believe (though am not positive) that only the cape gooseberry is covered by a paper shell, similar to what covers a tomatillo. I believe that regular gooseberries, as we see here in BC, are missing that exterior protection. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong

Just chiming back in on the "field" aspect of the Lower Mainland FoF. I can see how those who have been in the past might not have enjoyed this year's event quite so much as, you are right, there wasn't a huge representation of what I think of, as farm fresh produce. However, the field was at least represented by these participants: Vista D'Oro Farms: Artisinal Preserves (Peach & Blackberry w/ Cassis, Peach w/ Lemon Verbena & Champagne, plum w/ Vanilla & Star Anise) Fieldstone Artisan Bread w/ Snow Farms: Alsatian onion tart flambe featuring Snow Farm's Onions (this was really tasty) Monsoon East West Brasserie: Indian spice & citrus dressed BC halibut tostadas with Barnston Island coriander sprouts (also good) Fired Up Events and Catering: Marinated Thomas Reid Farms' Organic chicken satay w/ infused Blossom Winery's blueberry wine compote. (this item encompasses the whole shebang... farmer, winemaker, chef) C Restaurant: smoked pink salmon with hazelnuts (and something else that I can't remember) served on what appeared to be a puffed shrimp cracker and topped off with a plum. (My guess is that the plum and the hazelnuts were locally harvested. This was a very unusual and tasty offering) Butirmoth: Confit of Organic Salt Spring duck Leg - Roasted Duck Breast - Huckleberry Emulsion - Heirloom Tomato Slice - corn, Chantrelle and Wild Onion Salad (fair representation of the field here I'd say - though I didn't personally care for this offering) Glorious Garnish and Seasonal Salad Co: Celebration Salad - a mix of colourful wild and cultivated greens in a pita pocket. Raincity Grill: Roasted corn salad on epazote marinated dried tomato and sweet corn custard on a a pophyra seaweed biscuit. Fiction Tapas and Wine Bar: Kluane Farm Beef Carpaccio on housemade corn flat bread with white balsamic reduction and fresh radish sprouts (this was very tasty) Zin Restaurant & Lounge: Jerked BC Bison Shortribs, heirloom tomato jam, organic pea greens, plantain cracker (another well executed bite) Pair Bistro: Wild rice and mushroom risotto wrapped in an asiago tuille with Wapiti elk and juniper berries. (I think this was my favourite "bite" served... delicious and beautifully presented on a piece of cedar bark) I would actually be interested in hearing from some of the restaurants who participated in this event and what went into planning what they served. I was also introduced to some wine I'd never tried before..... one winery I'd never even heard of: Blossom Winery in Richmond! They were pouring a raspberry wine (didn't try it), Passion Fruit Wine (surprisingly good) and my favourite - Meritage - Two Left Feet. It is available in BC Liquor stores so will be keeping my eyes peeled. Also really enjoyed the wine from Domaine de Chaberton especially the Bacchus Dry (which went very well with the shrimp stuffed crepes as well as the alsatian tart) as well as the Merlot Barrel Reserve 2002. I enjoyed some of the other wines as well and was surprised that I enjoyed a couple f other fruit wines: the White Cranberry Wine from the Fort Wine Company and also the Tayberry Wine from Westham Island Winery. Not usually an "other than grape" wine appreciator. Will be interesting to hear the comments and descriptions (and hopefully photos ) from the Vancouver Island Event.

I don't suppose you have any photos to assist those of us stuck in the cubes doing e-mail management? ← Sorry.... no photos. Wasn't really photo worthy anyway as I didn't actually plate anything.... just kind of set everything out on platters (well, and in a big bowl for the mussels), didn't even bother to garnish. I am a little surprised this topic - menu planning - doesn't get more activity. I would have thought that people would be all over the chance to get input from everyone else whilst planning their menus. Ah well.

Ah... but what about the fresh scallop seviche with scallions and citrus zest served on a sesame seed tuille from Le Gavroche? Surely... you did not find that to be bland? The above noted scallops were among the highlights for me..... as was the shrimp crepe that Max has mentioned. I have more highlights that I will add later..... though I'm very much wishing that I had a digital camera to record everything, as I see now that, as they say, a picture is worth a thousand words, and anything I say about the food at this event will simply not do it justice. Not to mention the spectacular setting.....

^ Thanks Susan Now... a new question for ya'll.... I've been invited to dinner tomorrow (well, actually tonight as it's now after 1 a.m.) night and I've been asked to bring an appetizer. The only thing I know about the rest of the meal is that we will be having some form of pork done on the BBQ. Any suggestions for a suitable appetizer that won't take a whole ton of time to prepare?

Hmmmm....yes and Judging by the fact that I've yet to see you down at The Living Room, I'll second that ← You're right Erik.... I do need to come on down for dinner at the Living Room very soon... now that it's fall, I feel more in the mood to dine out so I'm sure you will see me (and some of my pals ) before the season is over.

In the end...... Spice crusted prawns w/ remoulade Crab stuffed mushroom caps (which were sauteed in garlic butter prior to stuffing) Foccacia w/ caramelized red onions Mussels Parisianne Buttermilk Sponge Cake (if such a think exists... not sure how to describe it otherwise) with blueberries,raspberries and vanilla whipped cream Wines: Blue Grouse: Siegerrebe 2003 (very light and refreshing white made in Duncan, BC) Smoking Loon Viognier from CA (gorgeous... a favourite Viognier) Matua Valley Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand (grassy, full-bodied and delicious) Despite the, "less than well rounded" menu, I really enjoyed cooking this meal and feel very inspired to plan the next dinner party. Thank you for your interest Susan... I am always inspired by your meals in the Dinner thread.

What beautiful kiwi's..... I am soooooo jealous as I love the little green nuggets of goodness.....

Oh my gawd.... what a beauuuutiful truck! Oh, and the food looks great too! I will be in Naramata as a base for the Fall Wine Festival .... I'm now looking forward to the Sandhill Winemaker's dinner at the Naramata Inn all the more after seeing your photos. Cheers!

I too was at Feast of Fields today.... it was absolutely fantastic! The weather was phenomenal, the setting - amazing, the food, the wine, the company.... what more could one ask for on a Sunday in September. I will post more details tomorrow.. including some non-carnivorous highlights

Isn't this the location of the late, lamented Hombres?

Thanks for this review.... sounds like a welcome addition to an already vibrant foodie part of West Broadway.

^ Thanks Mamacat and Joie.... very helpful! I think I will need to go on a reconnaissance mission early next week to check out both Pan-o-Pan and Seb's.

Thanks for the comments... the shellfish is a bit of a theme and so I think I will do as you both suggest and add something else: crab, clams, oysters, scallops... not sure what yet but I'll figure it out. As to wine... I was also thinking Riesling or possibly a NZ Sauvignon Blanc. But then maybe will go for bubbly.... always makes dinner more festive Thanks again.

Thought I'd bump this old topic back up as I could use some help with a dinner party I'm planning for Saturday night. Will be small.... probably just 4 people but maybe 6. I want to begin with Spice-Crusted Shrimp w/ Remoulade Sauce and then serve johnnyd's Mussels Parisiennes I am wondering about the possibility of another appetizer as well as sides to go with the mussels... and wine pairing's if anyone is so inclined to make suggestions. Thanks for your help!

Last night I made Tofu Larb from Cooking Light magazine. Despite it's lack of authenticity I quite enjoyed it. I eat a fair bit of tofu and this was a nice light dinner. I did add extra lime juice as I really like limes.

Thanks VCG.... will definitely keep my eyes peeled when next driving along Broadway

"The Distillery" is owned by a wealthy lady who thought it might be fun to open a restaurant. She hired Matt (Elwood's/Nevermind/Five Point) as a consultant, who got it up and running. It's been pretty quiet whenever I've been past, in contrast to the always-thumpin' Hell's Kitchen across the street. k. ← Sooooo.... are you saying that owning a restaurant isn't fun? Or perhaps just that a wealthy lady might not have a fricken clue about the unbelievable amount of work, blood, sweat and tears that go into operating a food related business. Thanks for identifying the spot as The Distillery.... even though I live in the 'hood, I hardly seem to venture down 4th Avenue as much as I used to.

Hmmm... interesting.... I was under the impression that they engaged the services of a copy editor. Perhaps some articles/headers go to print w/o the benefit of a good proof Will keep my eyes peeled for this, latest, issue. I wonder if we can have a host change the Tag Line of this thread so that it just reads: "Eat Magazine" and is not issue specific......

Oh the mighty powers of "the search"