Irishgirl

Sorry, I had to contact a few suppliers before I finalized the menu. Here it is: Thanksgiving at Rare Oyster Custard potato chive tuile ~ apple-horseradish salad Crispy Sweetbreads chanterelle puree ~ arugula ~ honey vinegar reduction Elk & Sour Cherry Pate espelette onions ~ flax crostini Yam & Sausage Risotto Cake sauteed chard ~ cranberry relish Brined Truffled Turkey Breast sage gnocchi ~ chestnut puree Pumpkin Mousse vanilla-bourbon waffle ~ birch syrup ~ hazelnut crunch (sorry about the accents, I don't know the hotkeys for them on a P.C.) That is Sunday's Menu. As stated, we will be closed on Monday to spend time with our families. Thank you for your interest.

'cause you know, harvest is in november......whatever. I'm a Canadian, and I celebrate in October.

Dino also has his sommelier's certification. His palate is exemplary. The food will be outstanding.

I have NEVER had to queue for an hour there. Never even 15 minutes! But I also don't go on weekends. I am one of the lucky few that has weekdays off. I highly doubt there would be an hours worth of people there at breakfast time.

Go to DeMilles Corn/Farm Market in Salmon Arm. Fresh pie baked on premises. Loads of fruit. They also have a Deli.....and I seem to remember some quality coffee. Certainly not a sit down meal unless you want to sit at a picnic table outside, but they have some quality food. It is on the #1 Hwy. It would be on your right hand side if you are traveling North/East. It is just as you are driving into Salmon Arm. If you see the Canadian Tire, you have passed it. I can't go through SA without stopping at DeMilles. I bought a case of Glowhaven peaches two weeks ago...and corn...and the list goes on.

Or you can check out what he has to say here in the "Chinese in Vancouver" thread. Some of the locations are closer to downtown, although I don't recall any actually IN Chinatown. You may have a hard time finding what you are looking for in Chinatown for the reasons discussed at the beginning of the thread. Good Luck!

This is one of those moments when you need to hook up with a fellow eGulleter, and get them to show you great dim sum in Richmond. I just go with people who know the good stuff. I have not been disappointed yet. ← IrishGirl, can you kindly recommend any places for great dim sum in the Chinatown in downtown Vancouver? Whenever I visit Vancouver I usually stay with friends who live close to Chinatown - it would be much easier to eat there than to try and get out to Richmond (especially without a car!). My friends love vegetarian Chinese food, but have been unable to recommend any good places for dim sum - and since I'm an omnivore, dim sum of all sorts (including meat or seafood) is just fine with me. ← Unfortunately, I can't. I have never had dim sum in Chinatown. The last great dim sum that I had was at Chen's in Richmond. Canucklehead might be able to set you on the right path though. I had some good dim sum with him on Fraser or Kingsway.....but I can't remember the name of the place, nor the street apparently.

#1 Nobody is accusing you of doing something illegal. But the establishment who lets you do so is. #2 Most establishments don't encourage people to bring their own bottles because that cuts into their profit margins. (And it is illegal...) And let's face it. A restaurant is a business that is disguised as a service. Restauranteurs want to make a profit, just like any other business people. But the public thinks it OK to ask for and receive whatever they like, just because it is viewed as a service. "The customer is always right" is most often wrong. #3 Good luck. Why can't this be done at someone's home if the food is secondary?

Soooo...... How are the ducks? Did you prick the skin so that the fat could render out?

The real question is....HOW MANY EGGS ARE IN THAT SANDWICH? 3? 4? Whew! With the bacon and the cheese, I can feel my arteries clogging. (But it looks SOOOOO GOOD!) I think i need a naughty moment....

This is one of those moments when you need to hook up with a fellow eGulleter, and get them to show you great dim sum in Richmond. I just go with people who know the good stuff. I have not been disappointed yet.

I find that the thinner (and sharper) the knife, the easier to make the horizontal cuts. I use my santoku, and it is razor sharp. It takes one sweeping motion (not sawing back and forth, as that will make a mess,) to make the horizontal cuts. But doing them first would be easier.

I always drool over your food so much. It is right up my alley. And I loved your blog. But now I have to get Land of Plenty, because I MUST try that water beef. I have heard stories about this stuff and it sounds wonderful!

Not weird at all. I am just up and getting ready for another nights work and have just had my breakfast. It consisted of 2 ears of corn roasted on the grill,also grilled asparagus,a small baked potato and 4oz. of grilled eye of sirloin. I am doing weight watchers, and have to keep my food balanced with lean meat ,veg etc.... As much as I love cold cereal and other breakfast foods, I find I lose too many of my daily points on cereal and milk, and it just doesn't keep me going through my work day. ← Precisely why I have never liked cereal. I am hungry two hours later. I'll take a savory breakfast any day. This morning it was mole eggs in corn tortillas with cheese, sour cream and salsa verde. I am a big fan of having Thai curry for breakfast, as well as Laab. Toast and bagels are acceptable, but I find that I am a much happier person if I make the effort to have something that "wakes up my mouth". Spicy preferred.

You might want to try some of the other methods in that thread though......

Hey, I tried. But if you won't, then I can't help ya.

Try this method FG. Tried and true. And fairly quick. They won't be completely uniform, but they will be decently uniform. Just keep an eye on how thick a starting point you have when press down. Good Luck!

Not to put you on the spot (as some of the new judges are members on eG) but what exactly did you notice? Did you feel the impact was a positive thing? I thought not awarding a Gold in the "Best New Design" category was a bit of a cop-out, but that's a minor quibble. Some of the winners were predictable ... e.g. Salt, "C" for Best Seafood (is that really all we have??), Vij's for Indian and Tojo's for Japanese (can't we just have an Asian category and let them all duke it out?) ... and some were just, um odd (Lumiere is Formal French? ). I know this is all subjective, but that's what caught my eye. A. ← It's not that there are shitty categories. It's the lack of want on the judges part of exploring different avenues besides the old standbys of Tojo's and Vij's et al. Changes happened in the Chinese category because new judges came in and expanded the general knowledge base. That lends that category more credibility. Before, it was just pathetic. Let's hope that that trend extends to other categories next year. Change takes time.

Why does this woman have a job? She sounds ridiculous! I don't know anyone who serves "mint" with sushi/sashimi. Does she actually research what she is writing about? Now I know your frustration.

I want these. NOW!

This puzzles me.. you trust the restaurant more than you trust yourself (your choice of meat supplier, your handling and storing it, your cooking it)? ← These are my thoughts exactly. As was stated above Lindsay, the issue with beef is bacteria. Bacteria will only be on exposed surfaces. Bacteria requires moisture and oxygen to grow. Remove those from the equation, and you have a perfectly safe piece of beef to eat. So steaks can be cooked blue, rare, medium rare, what have you, without you creating risk for yourself. Buy your steaks that day, and you have virtually no risk. (As an aside, meat that is more rare will digest easier in your stomach, as the natural enzymes existing in the muscle tissue will help you break down your meat. Cook the meat to well done? No more enzymes.) Beef does not carry salmonella. Also, yes, ground beef is a different matter. More oxygen and moisture. More surfaces to contaminate. That is why it is recommended to cook burgers to medium well or more. Pork, same issue, but there was also the Trichinosis problem, which I understand has been eradicated in North America for decades. I serve my pork medium without any risk. Chicken and Turkey, well done. As these are the birds that carry salmonella. Ducks and Squab do not, so they can be cooked rare. I feel that the only way that you will be convinced about this though, is if you do the research yourself and rid yourself of your fear by having the proper knowledge. Good luck!

Excellent Blog! Thank you. I got to celebrate Chinese New Year with friends last Sunday. Great meal, and great company. Thanks for sharing yours with us. Gung Hey Fat Choy!

Whatever! I am just talking about flavour!

Raising the bar? How about a flavoured butter? With basil, or thyme, or rosemary? or Lemongrass? The possibilities are endless....just add salt.

I hate it when that happens......