Irishgirl

red, black, or white? Currant Jelly? Currant Brandy? Tarts with pastry cream and currants Currant Ice Cream Currant Sorbet Dry them for the winter so that you can have them with roast duck? MMMMMMMM Peanut butter mousse with candied currants on top I could go on.... Good Luck!

Definitely not all their abilities....I know people who can make a perfect French omelette, but can't make a stock to save their lives..... Like I said....perfect ALL the basics, then start thinking that you can be the next Ferran Adria or Thomas Keller. Believe you me, these guys spent many years learning the basics first. What I guess that I mean, is that understanding the basics and perfecting them will give one a good basis of knowledge about food and how it reacts in certain situations. Like I said, state of mind and paying attention to what is being done is more important than working with expensive ingredients or perceived difficult techniques. Too many people eschew this process because they would rather advance quickly. This leads to "showy techniques" and very overthought presentation. They may advance quickly and then all of sudden they are in charge of a group of people who depend upon them for their food knowledge......(And no one can figure out why their hollandaise keeps splitting).... I've seen too much of it. I have not perfected all of my basics....but I'm still working on it. I'll stick to simple things.

Simplicity is very hard to produce with excellence. Most people are so over confident in their abilities with regards to the simple things, that they don't pay attention as much as they should. Techniques not as precise.... It's all about state of mind. Give me a simply prepared dish done well any day. A grilled steak with new potatoes and asparagus A fresh corn soup A roast chicken These are some of the best things that I have ever eaten. Of course, using fancy ingredients or fancy techniques may make you LOOK like you know what you are doing....but any good chef out there knows that you start with the basics and perfect those things before moving on to the loftier preparations. Just my 2 cents.

Heavy on the protein don't you think???? I request that the Seattle native try again.

Well, you know that the BCLDB will make you change your name if you have anything involving liquor in the name..... ....numbers must just seem easier than thinking up something original. I mean look at the new bistro in West Van. This guy used to own Cafe de Paris and The Railcar. No one can think anymore. Bin 941 started it. JMHO

Blood Oranges are available in Vancouver From Late December to Early April usually, but we were getting them until 2 weeks ago. Season is Finished now. Sorry.

You're not the only one with Stove envy! I am hoping to have Daddy A design my kitchen renovation...but I don't think that I can afford a behemoth like that!!!!!! What a beaut! Nice blog Deb! We all know that a good time was had by all who ate. I enjoyed my small part. Hope your roof/leak gets fixed soon!

I have seen him twice in two different restaurants in the last 3 years.

Go with the KA. Far easier. Far more consistent. Faster. The fettuccine maker usually comes with a plain sheet roller and an angelhair attachment as well. I never use the cutters, only the roller. Use the rollers no higher than setting 2-3 for speed or you will tear your pasta. Good Luck!

I think most people are aware of that. She has been lambasted because most of her reviews are as ill considered as this one. To clarify, most people are not so much angry that she attacked eG as that Rare suffered as a result If you read this thread you will find that most of us are aware of the negative sentiment on our thread of A. Gill. You are missing the point- or at least my point. ← Has RARE SUFFERED as a result? Please Andrew, don't be melodramatic. I think that some people in the Vancouver forum ARE angry that she attacked fellow eGulleters including Brian Fowke and want to know why she did it and what it has to do with her review. Is that plain enough? I just thought I'd add a little enlightenment. To answer the post after yours: Yes, this thread was started because of the said review. Should it be about the review? No. Was it intended to be? No. But yes, that has snuck in here. As for my opinion of whether the Vancouver forum is a "BIG LOVE IN".... There ARE some critical voices out there, but they do not post often. Are people afraid to say too much? Yes. Especially after the Irish Heather Thread. (I arrived on eG just as this thread happened, so i don't have a frame of reference as to the tone before this....but i do remember some of the comments at the time stating that they would be more careful after that...) I have been told by some of the more critical voices around town that they can't read the Vancouver forum anymore because they do think that "No one is brave enough to say something negative!" As a Chef in Vancouver, I prefer to stay anonymous on this board. My restaurant has been LAMBASTED more than once by numerous people inside and outside the Vancouver Forum. It has also received accolades. Restaurants do have bad nights and good nights, but I want to know about them in MY place of employment even on my days off and on my holidays. I remain anonymous to MOST of the members so that barometer is reflected fairly. I do not want to scare people into thinking that they can not say something bad about my place of employment because they know that I post here. I would rather use the criticism as a reason to review menu ideas and improving training of the staff. As for my own perspective on other restaurants: Because I am a Chef....I AM VERY CRITICAL about every aspect of the places that I dine at. My husband sometimes hates dining with me. I have dined at places that were highly touted on eG's Vancouver forum, and thought: "What were they THINKING?!!" In these cases, I have wrote to management of said restaurants and let them know that they slipped up majorly. I have not returned to some and will return to others to give a second chance. But I will not post comments until I give a place a fair shake....Meaning that I have dined there more than a few times. Therefore, I don't review much. I don't get out much. I'm too busy. If people ask me personally what I think about a place, I will tell them, but as a chef I feel that it is irresponsible of me to criticize other restaurants publicly because I AM hyper critical. People will say: "Ohhh...She's just being catty!" Sounds like ALEX GILL..... Anyway this has taken a long time, and I must get on with my day. Cheers!

I don't know if this has occurred to any of you..... But the reason this thread was started was because of a certain reviewer taking pot shots at the Vancouver Forum eGulleters. It just occurred to me that MAYBE, just MAYBE it might be because a thread popped up on the Vancouver forum in NOVEMBER that has been criticizing everything from that reviewer's spelling to her writing style, to her competency on most of her reviews since then. Public Pot Shots? Yes. Does she have the right to take pot shots back....why not. Did she use the right outlet? Perhaps not, but it's the one that she's familiar with. Vitriol bespeaks vitriol. Don't cast stones when you live in a glass house. Or in other words, don't dish it out if you can't take it. I'm not defending the woman. I don't read her reviews, and have only heard about them.....just giving some insight as to why this particular bit of vitriol may have occurred. just my $.02

Tete de Moine and Grilled Dried Squid. Smell awful...taste great. (Not together)

From what I understand.....it really is not enforced in any way. The health inspectors REQUEST restaurants to cook their ground beef to 160 degrees F, as a safety precaution. (Internal temp) There are many companies out there that use questionable practices/facilities/conditions for their ground beef....so especially stuff that you get from the supermarket should be cooked medium well to well done. However...if you are grinding your own beef from a solid piece of say sirloin or chuck and using it right away....have it medium rare! It will taste so much better! If it were illegal to serve rare or raw ground beef, then no restaurants would have beef tartare on their menus. Now...when are you going to have burger club meeting on a Tuesday or Wednesday?

Heading out to Thailand in 17 days! Just looked at Percy's photo album....Makes me giddy with anticipation! Must decide where I am going to eat! Bangkok, Chiang Mai, and Phuket. Thailand/South East Asia Forum here I Come!

Today at the new "H Mart" just off Robson, we saw whole HUGE fresh dungeness crab for $5.98 per lb. Was very tempted to get some for dinner. They also had fresh Monkfish, Sole, Oysters and Abalone. I wonder who they get all this from. Was also tempted to get the quickie soup set up they had....Beef Noodle, with all the veggies cut, shaved beef, Noodles, spice pkg, sausage...etc for $12. It looked good and could possibly feed 4-6 people. Also had a set up for a fish soup and a vegetable/tofu soup. Interesting shop. Could see myself there in the future.

As Lorna's career path gets sidetracked more and more.......soon she will be working like a dog like the rest of us and sweating it out in a kitchen full time..... I am very curious about RARE. I hope that you all have better luck in that location than past owners. It sounds wonderful there. I will wait for proper shakedown time though before I head out. The food sounds great. Continue on.

This is the same type of speculation that went on before Expo 86. I know of a restauranteur that closed his restaurant in '86 because it was in Kerrisdale...and thought that because he was not close enough to the venue, that his restaurant would be idle. HE WILL NEVER KNOW. He is now in New York. Teaching at the CIA. You guys need to do what is best for your business. Each business has a different agenda. Do what works for you. But whatever happens... you make your own destiny. Just my two cents

this procedure annoys me to no end. I would rather have the order right and written down than have a staff person try to impress me with their amazing memory. I've worked in restaurants long enough to know that NO SERVER has a memeory that good for ALL of their tables. I also know how confusing things can get in the heat of the moment. JUST WRITE IT DOWN!

As another option in the same vein: Rick Tramonto in his Amuse Bouche cookbook does a Venison Carpaccio with Chocolate Sauce.

I just make a good flavourful demi glace....either veal or venison (if you can happen to snag some bones), or you could make a short stock with venison trim and veal stock...and reduce it down. Instead of monte au beurre...just whisk in the chocolate before serving over low heat. A good strong 70% variety is my suggestion. Do not heat the sauce after adding the chocolate! If you do, the chocolate could burn and/or separate. I like braised red cabbage with mine.

An excellent pairing for me is Pan Seared Venison Medallions with Chocolate Demi Glace.

Never mind the sous vide....how about the torchon? Good torchon takes a good couple of days to "ripen" properly! Interesting to say the least. A friend of mine worked on the production of that show. He never would tell me who won..... ....fabulous that the competitor was from B.C., and the fact that it was a woman is icing on the cake. Good show for a male dominated profession!

How about something as simple as Onions? or Garlic? These things I use in abundance right now. I feature them both in many dishes.....and I for one would not be able to live without them. And then there are the utilitarian uses: Stock...etc.

It is a Cape Gooseberry. Also known as Physalis or Ground Cherry. It belongs to the same family as Eggplants and Tomatillos, and is not a true Gooseberry. Real gooseberries are green.

I have a recipe for a Mint chocolate souffle from a master pastry chef who is quite famous. It uses "green peppermint liquor" or creme de menthe. The base is minty with folded in chocolate chunks. Never tried it myself...as i hate chocolate and mint together....but I would trust the source. PM me if you want the recipe