BCinBC

I think you are all right - if you google cape gooseberry, the images look right. When you go to some of the websites like tradewindsfruit.com, it says it's the same thing as physalis or ground cherry. Thanks for the mental Drano. Cheers! ETA: Ling - I was totally reading your post as "ground up" cherry, not "groundcherry" like a single word. Makes more sense now.

No the orange berry thing I'm trying to describe is not a kumquat, it is something else. "_____ berry". I am hemorrhaging because I can't fill in the blank just now. Aaah! But do try this if you get the chance, it is quite a nice tart.

Hey Ling, I don't know what physalis is (an orange-coloured cherry?), but I don't think it was ground cherry. It really reminded me of either kumquat or that ?? orange berry usually served as a single on a stem with one brownish gold leaf, very refreshing tasting... Having severe mental block here!! Anyway I say kumquat because it was orange and small and sour tasting.

So I ate the lemon one, the crust was just about as good (being a day older). This filling however was very good: kumquat or ?? (sour orange) berry (the kind you sometimes see as a garnish on desserts) squished into the corners, small dollop of ganache in the center, and all covered by lemon curd. Mmm, better than the choc pistachio one, probably because of the pleasant surprise inside. ETA: It also had a very slightly caramalized sprinkling of sugar on top, a la brulees.

Didn't we cover this in TFA's thread Truths from the other side? Once again, for those who haven't read the thread, my opinion of anyone who thinks being a member of eGullet is equivalent to some sort of "status", is, you are a twit*. Good intentions or not, throwing around the phrase "I'm from eGullet" is more likely to get you a laugh in the face rather than the respect only you think you deserve**. * Phew almost used the other tw_t word, but managed to reign it in. ** Edited but the gist is the same. Edit #2 to note this was my 500th post. Hey I am half way to the gin and virgins benefit. Neil or Keith, should I be expecting the cougar with the can of Bud to show up any minute now?

^ Good question CanadianBakin'. Personally I think it was worth it. I cook, I like to cook, I like reading cookbooks and watching people cook - but I learned things in the class that I could not have learned reading or watching (on TV or without interaction), or that I would have had to have learned through a prolonged trial and error process myself. Because you are most likely a proficient cook already yourself, most likely you already know a lot of what Chef Tony is teaching. The skill level in class varies a fair amount, and he is trying to address the class as a whole. But there are always tips to pick up that you may not have know or thought about previously. Chef is not going to be able to teach you how to season properly, or how to correctly balance flavours... IMO that really is something that has to be learned through trial and error. However when I think of stuff that I flat out did not know how to do, the first example I always think of is learning to properly sear. Getting to the point of trusting the heat is just something that I would never have had the confidence to do prior to the class. Now I can produce a nice crusty sear on a halibut fillet. I think the baguette class was a revelation to quite a few people too. It is an opportunity to try new stuff, learn about new ingredients, hone skills and techniques you already have, and generally bend the ear of a professional chef - just in case you ever had any burning questions. A little chemistry is another thing he offers, which also IMO is something that is much more difficult to pick up just by reading or watching TV. Was it worth it? I'm pretty sure that most everyone in the class would say that it was for them, for some reason or other. BTW, besides the many other classes offered at NWCAV (in series, or as 1 or 2-shot classes) another option that Chef Tony brought up is Quince. Being started up by another ex-Dubrulle-ite and one-time Bocuse d'Or candidate, Chef Andrea will supposedly be offering classes in singlets or short series as well. She is reputedly very highly skilled with the knife. He also mentioned the possibility of future advanced classes with guest chefs such as our very own Chefs Jeff and Neil. Now that would be a blast.

Fud I've been to Thai Tom's as well, he is a dynamo. When I was there he had one drone constantly cleaning woks, one constantly mincing garlic, and one running food. Most of the seats are at the bar, overlooking Tom himself. It is a lot of fun. Plus the swimming rama was excellent.

Oh yeah Alex and I had the last 2 caramel nut chocolates you see along the 8 o'clock arm. Sooooo good. Ling - the sugar ribbon and apple were pretty impressive. Next week will be bittersweet - going out with aged beef and fried polenta.

I was going to say that the power of the Gullet is getting to be a little much, at least in this corner of the world. I stopped by 4th & Alma last night, and the guy said that he had 15 phone calls all around lunch time and all his remaining stock was snapped up. He had no idea what happened. Does anyone else remember the stock watching / day trading phenomenon of the late 90s? Anyway, I was fortunate to get a few for myself, and now that Vancouver's out, if anyone wants a bottle of Corona de Castilla, I'm willing to listen to any reasonable offer. Don't tell anyone, but I will be using the proceeds on the next two Kendal-recommended "buys".

Being part of the "privaledged group" (cooking for ourselves as well as the pro-school student helpers) this week, our group had to do double everything. It is a lot more work! Had to endure a few large pops during the squid deep frying, but I now feel much more confident for my future career at McDonalds. You want squid with that? I too liked the squid salad and the souffles, not quite so much on the pad thai. (BTW Moosh your pad thai looks like the winner of last night's batches.) As everyone else mentioned, stir-frying on those 6 MBTU burners takes a lot more prep and awareness than on my regular electric element. Still fun though. I have a totally new respect for those guys you see in Chinese restaurants with 4 woks or more on the go, dropping this into here and that into there, turning valves with their knees to control the gas... I aspire to those knife skills and gas skills. Very cool.

Thanks for taking photos Moosh, and thanks to all for coming over. Too much fun! Some notes I wanted to add in: Antipasti Personally I loved the as-of-yet unnamed ham (ETA: Porchetta) and the pate on the first plate, and the mushrooms and the un-ripe (or ?? - the green ones) olives from the second. The saucisson IMO was too fatty to eat on its own, I will have to figure out how to use this stuff in a better application. (Pizza.) Caesar Salad Nice close-up Moosh, that is the sexiest I've ever seen that salad! Bread The Mrs (or perhaps "NCinBC"?) did indeed make some wonderful bread. I wanted to mention that the ham is house-made Serrano from a little shop in South Vancouver called Koni. I was watching the butcher clean and slice a piece, and I had to get some. It was excellent. Squash Tortellini w/ Sage Beurre Noisette As the others mentioned, I experimented with cake flour for this pasta dough while the others used AP. And I'm quite glad at how it turned out: very silky, yet obviously strong enough to endure the boiling. I kneaded the hell out of it though. My arms were friggin killing me. I cheated on the stuffing, using ricotta in lieu of mascarpone (I just could not find a decent yet small tub of mascarpone - Koni was out!). However, after processing and straining, the filling turned out fine. The sauce I was disappointed in; the sage didn't quite come through for me, and next time I might add a squeeze of orange to brighten it up. Prawn Tortellini w/ Vodka Cream Lemon Sauce I loved this one! It was quite different, very Asian as opposed to Italian, however the filling was just excellent. Prawn was the texture of lobster, and ginger highlighted. Good call on the not-excessive mayo, the consistency was perfect. Ricotta Peccorino Tortellini w/ Bolognese Sauce Others liked the first two better, but honestly, these were my favourites! Perhaps because they were the most "basic" in that they displayed the ingredients as is. The filling was light (really!) and went so well with the beautiful sauce. Canucklehead, I can't remember where you said you got the recipe from, but it is a winner. I do still have that monster tortelloni, which I was meaning to boil up and sauce with the remaining 4 T of Bolognese in my fridge. Waste not want not! Pear Tart w/ Thyme Creme Anglaise Thank you Deborah! I'm quite intrigued by these new-fangled herb-infused desserts, and yours was expertly done. The thyme really did come through in this one, and accompanied your poached pears nicely. BTW your pears were also deftly poached, they retained enough texture to the end!

Thanks for the tip Quattro. Anyone with a line on another source, feel free to PM me!

I finally got around to sampling one of the tarts that Canucklehead brought by from La Cucina del Diavolo on the weekend. It was chocolate pistachio; the filling was a somewhat unidentifiable custard-based dollop (it was a small dollop, but my guess is that it was pistachio-infused), covered with a chocolate ganache and half-sprinkled with finely chopped pistachios. Nice filling, not overly rich. However the tart shell was IMO outstanding. It had a lot of structure, but wasn't tough. Once you bit it, it yielded easily enough but was not crumbly. It was delicious! There remains one lemon tart in the fridge, which I will enjoy later tonight.

Damn, Lee, I was going to wait until after I scouted out the Cambie & 40th store to post.

Here's yet another WingNuts post. (They're all within scrolling distance of each other.) To all who find the concept of a deep-fried candybar disgusting: I was right there with you. I am still right there with you. However, as disgusting as it may seem, it is also a very interesting taste sensation. Try it!

Well the paragraph about the waitress' uniforms failed to coagulate into a comprehendible mental image. As such, with my interest piqued, I may have to check it out for myself one day.

I assume it's the menu that's 4 pages long, not just the description of the "Dump Breakfast". But I am quite curious as to what is in the "Dump Breakfast". I keep picturing Mr Creosote from The Meaning of Life ordering everything mixed up in a bucket, with the eggs on top. I for one would like to see Mike put a Tie-Fighter on the roof, bearing down on the X-Wing. And put neon tubing up so it looks like the Tie is firing on the rebel scum. ETA: I forgot to actually post about the topic! I was going to say that I like fixed menus - they don't have to be reserved for higher-end restos. Just offer 2 or 3 choices on starters, 3 of meat/fish/poultry/veg options for mains, and a couple of desserts or cheese plate. The fact that everything is fresh/seasonal, and that the chef has put some thought into it rather than having the standard choices of burger/pasta/steak/etc, is much more appealing to me.

There's been a bit of eating-at-the-bar talk lately so I thought I'd revive this thread. One very important feature that every proper bar must have, yet so many are missing, is an under-bar coat hook. You know, it sucks having to either hold your coat on your lap, or place it on the stool to sit upon, especially if it is raining outside. Although it's been much too long since my last visit, my favourite eating bar in town is the tasting bar at Lumiere. Other bars I've recently been to or seen include HSG (they have coat hooks ) and Diner (very authentic diner-ish bar to enjoy an adult milkshake... and that damned Milkshake song just popped into my head).

LMFoodie: The chili with the dollop of sour cream glistening on top, and the slightly blurred background Pacifico giving a come-hither look... That photo may be the definition of Food Porn. And Daniel: The sliced chops are a close second. Awesome!

I finally got around to seeing Neil's plasma pleasure palace last Friday. Though not a game night, it was nonetheless quite impressive. The experience is fully rounded out by enjoying an R&B Cream Ale while shooting the shite with an Ernest Bourgnine lookalike.

I will definitely check out the lashes next time I see him. I hope he does not freak out.

Okay I wasn't going to post, but curiousity has gotten the better of me. Re: mascara remark - WTF?? !!!!

Awesome, member 27,716 will be making a trip down to Chambar in the near future. Don't worry, I'm gonna get some mussels too.

^ I believe a lot of restaurants finish with mascarpone too, in order to boost the creamy end texture.

Hey Ling again, Some wine shops around town do tasting classes, which I'm sure would be a good starting point (something that I need too BTW). I have heard that Liberty does one, and a quick Google lead to this link. The course linked says it is "basic training for professionals" whatever that means, and it is $200 which is a bit steep for a non-professional enthusiast. Perhaps someone like Lancelot can chime in here with a promotion - of self or otherwise. Santé! ETA: Another simulpost with Moosh. Looks like someone had brulee for breakfast...