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BCinBC

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Everything posted by BCinBC

  1. Sneakeater, I don't think what you want is such a mystery - even to people north of the 49th! First of all, I think it is a misconception that the Vancouver Western Canada forum has always been yummy and unctuous - and that that is the only thing you will get from it now. Agreed that a lot of what is posted there now is fluff; however, there are still occasional posts from the old stalwards - and some of the newer kids - who have something to contribute, good or bad. And if you are a consumer looking for guidance, the onus is on you to know whose opinion you can respect and whose, well, you know. Perhaps that is not the way it should be in a perfect world, but that is the way things are over there. You know what, I too wish things were the same as what they were +/- a year ago, but then again, if I really were to try to get what I wanted, I would probably have to start my own board. And that is a lot of work! Yes the Vancouver Western Canada forum is social. You know, from what I understand, the Chicago Heartland forum is also pretty social. Good God, we share a commonality with Americans - or at least one corner of the American world! (For the sake of those whose sarcasm meter is on the fritz, I was being facetious.) PNW is pretty chummy too. I hope there is a degree of sociality on all the fora, because IMO there is nothing wrong with it. I find is that the true value of this board, regardless of the original intent, is somewhere in the middle of a "consumer guide" and "social vehicle". Do you trust the (say) Zagat guide with 100% certainty? Well, if you are like me, you probably read the reviews and then form your own opinion. That's what I do when I read posts on restaurants on eGullet too - except an added benefit of the Gullet is that you can check out a poster's history to see if his/her pattern fits yours.
  2. I can't believe it, the Happy Train has become a Happy Flying Saucer.
  3. That's about right - you would tell your buddy that he has BO in private. You probably would not tell your buddy he has BO on an internet board.
  4. Perhaps the real "problem" (as some see it) is that people put too much stock in so-called "reviews" as written on the Gullet or on any of the dozens of online food related websites. The fact of the matter is that a very small percentage of the writers on eG are professional writers, and even then only a percentage of those writers are what I would call restaurant "critics". I am not a restaurant critic, I have no aspiration to be one. Critics have a specific job to do under specific guidelines. eGullet is not the Globe and Mail, The New York Times, etc. and we are not employees of the Gullet. As with any critic, read an eG member's posts long enough and you will develop a sense of that member. From that, and only from that, one can use that sense to discern whether or not the opinions of that member will jibe with one's own personal opinions - and one can decide whether to take the member's advice and go try a meal at the same restaurant, or not. "Agendas", "credibility" - seriously? It is not life or death, it is not even Liberal or Conservative, it is food. I love food, sure - otherwise I would not be here. And I am thankful for the virtual world of eGullet because it is where I have found some people who share my love of food, and some of those people have become very real friends in very real life. And I hope that we can all remember that the best part of a meal is the company shared, rather than the foie served.
  5. I used to go to Grounds for _____ on Alma and 10th for cinnamon buns and corn bread. The cinnamon buns are okay to pretty good, but you get to specify how much frosting you want on top. And yes I believe they will give you a metric assload if you want it.
  6. Here are a bunch of recent meals from Feenie's - granted it was the DOV menu, but these items are probably on the regular 3 course prix fixe too. Just ignore all the crap (I posted) about the Lumiere DOV pricing. Feenie's - DOV 2006
  7. BCinBC

    Rare

    Zuke, That is a sad story about Simon. I have a theory though: Sometimes people carry too heavy a hand with pets, in order to get them to be obedient. You know, walk-the-party-line-or-else kind of thing. All stick, no carrot. Maybe that's what happened with Simon - too much discipline, Simon became an automaton. The funny thing is, you friend is still waiting to hear what Simon will have to say, even after all that slapping around. Clearly your friend has issues. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news. The good news is, Chef Fowke's only had two reported slip ups with the beef cheeks (in both cases "lean and stringy"). Everyone else has had positive reports. Not reviews, just reports. And Rare survives to fight another day. ETA: Congrats Chef Fowke and crew on the Stainsby review.
  8. ^ Except last year they were platinum, this year they've degraded right down to paper.
  9. Sorry, I kind of got lost in the conversation as to which kind they were, but if you have the kind that I'm thinking of (solid when rehydrated, wrinkly, light brown) then I'd suggest ngow naam.
  10. Gluttony won this year? Hmm I remember voting for Lust as best overall, perhaps it and Gluttony just alternate by year, not unlike Lumiere and West for Best Restaurant. Anyway, if you want mass quantity as well as good quality, go to Pho Thy (or any number of Vietnamese places) with a $20 bill, then spend $12 on pho and bahn mi's. You will get all you can eat, plus have $8 left over. With that you can drive over to WingNuts, go mad and buy 2 deep fried Mars bars. Surely that would be all you could or would want to eat for dessert.
  11. Not trying to get all heavy and whatnot, but why are some people so down on white chocolate? So it doesn't have the cocoa solids - it still has the cocoa butter, right? And all the technicalities aside, it is still smooth and creamy and tastes good. Guess what, "ground cherries" are not the same species as regular cherries. Are we turning our noses up at those, too? Anyway, I'm a heathen - carry on.
  12. Yee mein = noodles of the peasants ... and the Gods.
  13. I have to agree, Scott's lamb shank and, perhaps even moreso, the halibut sous vide, are outstanding - absolute must try's. But the one dish that I believe is done better than anywhere else I've tried in Vancouver is the creme brulee. The custard was firm yet soft, very smooth and silky, the texture truly was "perfect". Vanilla flavour was well done without being overwhelming. And the brandy snap was an interesting piece of sugar art accompaniment. And let's not forget the ever elegant ground cherry. Seriously, if you love creme brulee like I do, go to the Pear Tree.
  14. Well there you go. Still I can't wrap my head around 90% as an absolute figure, as I have seen all sorts of people of Asian descent eat pizza etc. Perhaps it is the phrase "some degree of lactose intolerance" which suggests that some of that 90% can and will consume dairy products, with minimal or shall we say "tolerable" symptoms.
  15. Good topic, props to Mike Hunt. Margarine - yes Abra totally agree, it is the devil's Brylcreem. Canned frosting - Ling once again you speak the virtuous truth. $1+ bottled water - srhcb you are preaching to the converted. But worse than all of those, is: RED BEANS IN DESSERTS!
  16. I wouldn't call lactose intolerant an old wives tale. If something makes you sick, you'll most likely want to avoid it or develop an aversion to it. If cheese makes 90+% of another population sick, I can bet that cheese wouldn't be very popular with that population as well. ← I wasn't saying that lactose intolerance is an old wives tale, as it is obviously a well documented medical condition. What I was trying to say was that the reason why dairy products are not widely consumed by Chinese people is because, according to an old wives tale, a large percentage of the population is lactose intolerant. And by "large percentage" I would guess (emphasis on guess) 1 in 4 or 1 in 5. Now, if you are saying that 90% of Chinese people are lactose intolerant, that would negate the old wives tale. Is that a fact, and if so, where did you get that information? 90% is an awfully high number, one that might suggest that the cheese plate at the aforementioned French restaurant in Beijing is not as popular as previously suggested.
  17. Lactose intolerance was the old wive's tale reason (what I heard) as to why not a lot of Chinese people eat cheese or drink milk. Same reason why Chinese people usually drink soy milk etc. Now whether this has any factual basis I don't know, but I find it a reasonable explaination. I was born here (Canada) and I love pretty much all cheese, doesn't matter if it's stinky, runny, hard, old, young, orange, white, blue... But I did start with the Kraft slices when I was a kid, and I ate a lot of them straight from the cellophane wrapper. That was one of the standby after school snacks.
  18. On my way to the new Long & McQuaid location near the Ridge Theatre, I passed by Urban Bites (scroll up & down for more suggestions). Urban Bites 3159 Arbutus @ 16th (604) 733-2483
  19. Nice Arne. Was it discernably sweet or no? I have never had Jeff's so I don't really have a point of ref, but have certainly been tempted. Shelora, any update on yours?
  20. Google. Google search for "solly's vancouver". Result of clicking on first result from Google search. Whew, it's been a long week. Enjoy the babka.
  21. Plaintain fritters and pork bellies - sounds unctuous. Did I use that word right? Whew, it's been a long week.
  22. No disrespect at all to Neil, but can someone please explain exactly how his yam fries are flying under the radar? HSG yam fries win Vancouver Sun award.
  23. BCinBC

    Rare

    When did we cross into too much disclosure zone?
  24. BCinBC

    Rare

    Nice photos Moosh. Check out how into the cheese Quang is, it's so great to see. And very seriously, anyone who likes blue cheese should go and try that Valdeon blue. (Edit to add: I'm thinking of you Paul B, epoisse brother!) (And it's not quite as stinky as epoisse, nor as strong, but it is very very good.) About the soup, I have been thinking about it on and off for the past couple days. I should clarify that I did like the additions of both the roe and the truffle oil: The truffle oil of course gave off its unmistakable aroma and the roe offered that occasional burst of salt. No quibbles with the components of the dish at all. What I have been thinking about is the presentation. I'm guessing it was because of the lobster salad that the bowl wasn't heated before serving, but then when poured, the soup kind of lost some of its heat too. So maybe in the end it was a bit too cool to stand up to the truffle oil and roe as it should and could have. I dunno, I am no chef, just a diner enjoying the food and I'm sure Chef Brian et al will be tweaking things as they go along and they will figure it all out for our benefit. (Or possibly I'm an over-analysing boob and am just posting verbal di.) Continuing on... I've also been thinking about the salmon - no lie, it was the best salmon dish I've had in years. Don't know how y'all feel, but personally I have grown a bit tired of salmon. Not that it's not a great fish, it's just old hat. But the Rare preparation was definitely new (to me), and I loved it. Re-awakening. Anyway, I know it sounds like we are gushing over the salmon so insert disclaimer Your Mileage May Vary and go and check it out for yourselves.
  25. Truly, a tragedy. ← I love morels as much as the next person - but as someone who lost their home in the OK Mountain Park fire I'd rather have had my house than the morels that could be found on the property afterward -- at any price. Just to put the 'tragedy' in perspective!! ← Hello Lemontart, Sorry to hear about your house, that is a very real tragedy. I can't speak for Stephen, but in regards to my above quoted post, it might be more appropriate if you turn your sarcasm meter up before reading. Hope you have been able to rebuild.
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