BCinBC

Holy crap Neil, when did you get your own camera crew?

Never flirt with the spouse of the person with the biggest knife.

Three comments: 1. There are some good menus here, at first glance Fireside and the Marine Pub at BB Lodge. 2. Having said that, is it just me or are the menus at the Marine Pub and the Arbutus Grill the same? So it's a $10 premium to sit on the other side of the wall? 3. Herald St is offering both the $25 and the $35 menus! Miraculously early resurrection, faked its own death, or someone forgot to phone Tourism Victoria on the way out the door? Good luck Matt, I hope the madness is the same on the other side of the Straight as it will be here.

^ Maybe that Floata rice is hand-picked by Thai virgins, then fed to you by Chinese-Canadian virgins.

Decorum question: Is it a faux pas to start salivating on your dentist? JK. The wine menu posted said it was the 5 Sails wine list for Jan 11-15. Unless they change their wine menu with that much frequency, perhaps that's the same run time for the throwback food menu.

^ True words, I see your point.

Re: Herald St - I could have sworn it was open when I walked by on my way from Brasserie (closed for Xmas) to Canoe. That would have been Dec 27. It was drearily empty at the time, though, which I lamented to N about. Le Croc may be doing it a bit too much in the way of flattery, but I agree Andrew it was certainly an institution when we grew up in Vic. Memories of getting to tag along with my sibs once, and ordering watermelon juice of all things (what will they think of next!?). Another end of another era.

Great series of posts Lee, thanks for the photo tour. Last and only time I was in HK was many many years ago when I was 8 so needless to say, I have a lot of impressions without any specifics in my memory. The "bare" brisket and the sticky rice stuffed chicken wings are calling out to me, perhaps we can find a place that does them in Van. All those prawns looked not too shabby either. BTW I love the "Don't Eat Us" dogs and bears, especially the fact that they are bilingual.

Happy New Year all. Whew the holidays are finally behind us, and fun as they were, it is almost nice to be back to normal life. Dec 23 - Kingston Bar & Grill Met up with a bunch of friends, some of whom I have not seen for way too long. We drank a lot of beer, and I had a sausage & mushroom pizza which was actually quite good. Thin crust. Then a lot of beer. Then we went to Skybar and the evening spiralled out of control. I don't know if I like the Kingston yet as I really did love the old RAT and the space is very much upscaled, but the pizza was good. Dec 24 - Sun Sui Wah (Main) Ah nothing is better for the ole hangover than dim sum with the in-laws. My BIL, who was out on the previous night's extraveganza, did not make it (but he felt guilty enough to invite us over for eggs benny the next morning). Despite, we had a really great little feast on the perennial favourites - plus there was an item that I'd never had before: It was like darn tarts (egg custard tarts) but with mango custard and real slivers of mango. My FIL liked them so much I ordered some for him to take home for tea later. Dec 27 - Victoria Dinner with Mom at the Japanese place at the water end of Chinastreet (Fisgard Ave). Some good sashimi, but cooked stuff was not that good. Washed down with Kirin. Afterwards N & I met up with Daddy-A and "J" who happened to be in town as well. No food, but a bottle of La Frenz Montage 02 at Canoe. I really love this wine. As for the space, the waterfront is nice and decor also pretty good (big open areas and huge cedar columns). The company of course was excellent. Dec 28 - still in Vic Another round of dim sum, this time at Golden City as Don Mee was too full. Too bad too. The trip's food highlight was our family dinner at Rosemeade for 8 adults plus a 4 year old. First of all, it truly is a weird location buried in Esquimalt. We turned left on Lampson, and I told N to keep an eye out for the Old English Inn as I peered through the orange sodium-lamp lighting searching for a sign of life. And there it was! A dramatic drive through the gate up to the beautiful property, park and a short walk to the back entrance, and you will see for yourself why this place is one of the best new restaurants in Canada. Just from the decor and room feel alone. The room is gorgeous with the stone and dark wood trim everywhere. We ordered drinks (me a Stella, others had martinis, scotch and there was one Manhattan) and we were served amuses - my memory is a bit vague but a tiny chive quiche? with balsamic reduction I believe. My Mom can't eat vinegar but one mention and the servers quickly replaced hers with a non-sauced one. For my appetizer I had oysters baked on the half shell in a gratin with a blood orange sauce. Excellent richness combined with the gratin, while retaining the oysters' flavour and texture. Enough acid in the sauce but not too much. Delicious and very well done. Others had sweetbreads, green salads, white been and bacon soup, and foie gras. My main was the lamb cheeks in a 4 hour braise with parsnips 3 ways (chips, roasted and a cheesy mash). So rich, beautiful texture just barely protesting to being pulled apart. There were 5 or 6 cheeks and I could not finish the plate. I also tried N's scallops, which were huge, tender and seared with a perfect translucent stipe in the middle. Other selections were the Alberta tenderloin, venison loin and pancetta wrapped chicken breast. We had a couple dessert taster plates and some truffles (chocolate) to finish. All dishes were reported winners. I chose a bottle of Yalumba Viognier and the Nota Bene (can't remember if it was 02 or 03, have they released this yet?). The Nota Bene was predictably very well received, so we ordered another one. One great thing about the Island I've found is that they are definitely not short of "rare" or harder to find vintages, and the markup is generally quite reasonable (in the 100% range) when compared to Vancouver. The Yalumba was $34 or so and the NB was $75 per bottle. (The La Frenz was $44 at Canoe.) My nephew, who is very well behaved, seemed to really enjoy his specialy-ordered alfredo penne, and he absolutely loved the bread. He ate at least 4 slices. Also, the service was excellent. Unfortunately I can't remember our waiter's name, but my Uncle kept mistakenly calling him "Eric". In the end the bill I believe came in at somewhere around $80 pp - not even counting my nephew. A truly incredible bargain. Dec 29 - Brentwood Bay Lodge Brunch in the pub as the restaurant was not open, it was alright. I had poached eggs (which were too hard for my tastes, but otherwise they were gorgeous eggs) with sausages and toast, N had maple infused oatmeal - which again was too sweet for my tastes, however the oatmeal itself was a nice consistency and would have been great if they turned the sweetness level a couple notches below "candy". Others had blueberry pancakes and more oatmeal. The main restaurant room is also spectacular, with the huge windows overlooking the bay (where I grew up), and wood trim finishing out everything. This is another place where I can't understand how they survive, but I really hope they do as they have done an excellent job restoring this property. I would love to try this restaurant though, and it is now on my "list". Dec 30-Jan 2 - San Francisco Trip report here. Nob Hill Cafe, Cafe Divine, Rue Lepic, Gold Mountain, and of course room service at the Fairmont. Okay so I lied above, it would be nice to have a few more days in SF.

I think Dave Thomas beat you to it.

Not Nutella, but Secret Kolachy Santa made some pretty memorable Bailey's kolachies a few weeks ago. I still have a batch in my freezer, waiting patiently for Xmas.

Daniel: I can see the sundaes, but the peanut butter?! Doesn't the dry mouth preclude anything involving peanut butter? I am picturing spending 15 minutes (or 60 perceived minutes) trying to gum through a sandwich before giving up in frustration. PS - PB and sardines, that's just not right no matter what your state of mind. Gotta love those next morning / what the F happened?!? moments, it's like a personal episode of CSI. Imagine what they would have been like coated with peanut butter!

Sorry Erin, I have the no-hole version. However, my wife got that one for me at the cookwares store in City Square (12th & Cambie) which you might want to check out for the hole version. I also bought one for a friend at Cookworks. Both places charge a mini-fortune, relatively speaking (ballpark $100). The last time this topic came up, someone suggested getting in touch with Chambar as they go through lots of tagines and would have a good source. Cheers & good luck. ETA: Can't beat those lightning fingers of Moosh, thus the X-post. However I should also add that, with a heat diffuser, you can use the non-hole version on a stove-top. Also, the tagine Moosh posted is cast-iron; the one I got & the one I bought are both ceramic.

I have this knife, a boning knife from Kasumi (western style): http://www.cutleryandmore.com/details.asp?SKU=1107 It is fantastic. ← mrsadm, that is a gorgeous knife. I was looking at one the other day, but my main fear is spending too much for a boning knife and having said knife break. I know it's just paranoia - and I can't quite remember but that one probably comes with a lifetime warranty. If someone were to give that to me as a gift, though... As it stands I am leaning towards purchasing the Victorinox which is about $25 CDN. Anyway, sorry for the mini-hijack, please carry on with the santoku debate!

Hey Zuke, Great start to the blog. One of the things I quite enjoy is your sense of irony or dare I say contrarianism, particularly in quotes like this: Enjoying the read, and Happy Festivus to all.

Ah I love a good knife thread. People sure do get fired up about their babies. Here's my story: I got a Henckels 5-Star Santoku for a wedding gift, and I loved it - was the go-to knife. (BTW someone mentioned that they are 6.5" max, but I'm pretty sure mine is 7". Maybe this is not traditional, as mine is German not Japanese?) Anyway, this summer I picked up a 5-Star 10" Chef's at a sale and have since switched to this as my go-to. I still really like the Santoku, because of the reasons stated above - namely, the flatness & shape of the blade. It is really good for veg prep (perhaps because I find the large blade surface good for transferring chopped pieces), and it has no bolster, which I kind of like as well for the chopping - and even moreso for garlic mincing, chiffonade and similar stuff where maybe there is a little more "touch" involved. However I am lazy, and once I have the Chef's knife in my grip, that is where it stays for most/all the tasks at hand. It is versatile that way (as you all know). Also my block does not have another wide slot to accommodate the Santoku, so therefore it sits in the drawer (with guard). Out of sight, out of mind? Don't know if you have one already or not, but have you thought about a good boning/filleting knife instead of the Santoku? I am currently on the search for one of these myself.

In 2006: I will eat something that grosses someone else out. I will make potstickers/Chinese dumplings. I will find my inner soup dude, and spread out beyond chicken, squash, and carrot. I will learn to make sausage or pate/terrines, some sort of starter charcuterie. Also I will learn more about dough. And butchering. I will teach because I can't "do". Ha ha, just kidding. I don't know anything of value. I will read more forums in eG than I currently do. (There you go, the secret's out, I don't read everything in here.) This is the year I will try to start a thread that ends up getting locked! I will taste life, and suck the marrow from its bones. Or maybe just the sweet taste of victory. Either one is good. I will use common sense. I will give and take. I am a cynical bastard. And lucky to have gotten the girl I got. We are a surprisingly good fit. My kids I refuse to joke about this one, lest God decide to send one of them "happy accidents" this way.

Here is the Cru special events thread: LINK. I also had them listed for quite a few dishes in Ling's Best of 2005 thread: LINK 2. I would suggest: Starters - tuna carpaccio (I'm with Moosh on this one, but be sure to get the Chianti if you can - full name Marchesi de Frescobaldi 2003 Chianti D.O.C.G.), or if it is still on the menu the butter lettuce salad (for the vinaigrette alone). Main - duck confit, or gnocci with mornay and cheese sauce. The next main on my own list is the shortribs with mac & cheese as Mim et al give it super high praise. Dessert - creme brulee in general is my favourite dessert of all time, however if you can get it (don't know if it's on the regular menu now) the steamed date pudding is also really good (is everyone doing a version of this now BTW? Newest fad dessert). Or if you can convince Mark/Dana to do so, try a chocolate souffle. Obviously in advance and with a surcharge, but it is great. The floor staff is excellent (not to mention the kitchen), and super accomodating if you give them advance notice on anything. Also 3-course prix fixe is $36 IIRC.

^ Thanks for the suggestion fud, I've been to 5-Point (there's a post about it in here somewhere). Good place for a burger and a beer, but otherwise waaay too loud for normal non-drunken conversation. Or wait is that abnormal?

As the closing credits threaten to roll, I'll throw in another thank you for the blog Jamie. I found it both entertaining and enlightening: The photos of food (on the hoof and on the plate), women, terroir, women... All beauties. The message that came through loud and clear to me was that of the SLOW concept - you took our locality and showed it to the world (or the eG world at least). So thanks for that. In reference to your foodblog title - and to borrow your double-entendre license if I may - there is nothing I encourage more than new and revived interests in eating BC.

ICTD: I can recall having yook beng in a restaurant when I was a kid, though that may have been a special request to the kitchen during the period when that was my favourite food (yook beng with lap cheng and water chestnuts). More recently, because of Ben's Toysan thread actually, I made a request to my Mom for ham yu yook beng. She is a part owner of a restaurant in Victoria (BC). She got quite excited, but at the last minute scrapped the plan because she didn't want to stink up the place. How disappointing. Dejah: what exactly is "gourmet ham yu"? Like ham yu made from halibut or salmon? Salt cured halibut cheeks - hey I hereby call intellectual property rights on this! Willing to license it out, though.

I mentioned this in the donair thread, but just to post in the appropriate place: if you get a chance, try a sandwich at Koni. Today I had a ciabatta panino, with Montreal smoked meat and havarti. Butter and veg spread on the bread, grilled with the meat, cheese and some roasted peppers, then finished with lettuce, tomato, and cucumber slices. The ciabatta is $6, but there are also regular bread sandwiches for $4.50 or foccacia paninis for $7. The best part is that you get a choice of any meat in the deli counter! (And there are some beauties.) Also of note, they are rounding out their chocolate selection now. Scharffen Berger semi-sweet 62%? $16; unsweetened 99%, didn't notice the price but possibly also $16; and they have cocoa nibs. Plus a tonne of other chocolates (Russian, Swiss? brands). Good place for stocking stuffers, if you need ideas. ETA: Oh yeah, in addition to European Bakery breads they are also now carrying Terra Bread products.

Le Croc definitely gets love on this forum - maybe not as much as it deserves, but yes it and Chef Jacob are definitely mentioned. See the Lumiere 10th Anniversary thread.

Perhaps this is not out-and-out "rudeness" per se, but I can see that retaining the wedge shape would be the proper thing to do. I'm assuming that you are talking about the center, not a "tip" on the outside - so if you cut off just the tip on the inside of the wheel, you are avoiding rind and leaving it for others.

Apparently I have the attention span of a gnat, because I neglected eatrustic's mention of Saltlik above. What I wanted to say tho was that the legendary HSG Hanger Steak is just barely breaking your budget guideline at $26 (IIRC). Make up for the $1 difference with a cheap but cheerful glass of Chilean cabernet.