BCinBC

Nice Ling. I was wondering if this was a la carte or prix fixe (you mentioned the price of the braised beef ribs which leads me to believe it was the former). Are they still doing the prix fixe and is it still $35? If yes, and if this was it, that is amazing value. I tried to check the website but it seems like they haven't updated it for at least a year.

Wow. I love Lumiere, but I have eaten at Trotters and even if I just won $22M from 6/49, I would not go to the $1000 dinner. More likely I would kick in another $500, fly to Spain, and eat at El Bulli. On the other hand, I am intrigued by the "alumni" dinner ($195) and the Feenie/Jacob dinner ($250). On the third hand, I don't have the funds right now to attend those either. Again, waiting for the 6/49 plan to kick in. Hope someone on the board goes to one or all of these special dinners, and posts photos and impressions. Edited for spelling

Thanks Lucy for the recipe, and for filling in some gaps for me! The parsley butter sounds terrific, I think I will make some up to use with fish. (Escargots are not that common around here, or at least I haven't seen them much.) Funny about the cannelé, we were told it was a Lyonnais specialty! As I recall it did not have a dominant rum flavour, as I usually don't like rum pastries. I think it was very slightly nutty, but I did not notice any distinct pieces of nuts inside. The cake, although dense, was also very "smooth" in texture (as opposed to coarse). PS: We didn't pass any blondes on the stairs, however we did pass a woman who let out a huge sigh about half way up. Guess she didn't want to spend the Euro for the tram up the hill.

Saturday, September 24, 2005 (Part 2) The morning’s explorations left me a little tired (still fighting off illness), so I had to return to Cavalaire for a rest. IIRC N went for a jog, in preparation for the event that night: Dinner reso’s at Les Santons. (The link to Guide Gantie doesn’t appear to be working at this time, but hopefully it gets fixed by the time you read this.) As per the posts above, Les Santons has one Michelin star and two Guide Gantie “branches”. Also, Bux mentioned above that there is a difference between a one-starred “rural” (my word) restaurant and a one-starred “urban” restaurant, and I think I can see what he meant now. Don’t get me wrong, I loved the restaurant and really enjoyed the experience. The service was excellent, and one of the servers was kind enough to help us out when my poor French ran its limit and we had to switch to the dreaded French-English combo. However, there was a marked difference between dinner here and a lunch we had later in the trip at a restaurant that doesn't even have a star yet (Maison Borie in Lyon). Here the food was quite rustic in presentation; also, while the male servers were in suits, the women were a little more casual - and the guests were in general very casual (no ties for the men, and some late-teenaged kids with their parents were wearing non-plain T-shirts). Coming from Vancouver I don't really have a problem with this, however I was surprised to see it as I was expecting quite different. Despite this, I was quite reluctant to take photos inside this restaurant. However, once I saw flashes going off at another table in the room, I decided what the hell… (And I’m glad I did, it really helps to remember some of the details of the dishes and of the evening itself.) And now some food porn… Okay that was a tease, as I did not actually photograph the amuse or aperitif. Those were fried cheese breadsticks and kir royales, respectively. The breadsticks were very light and delicate, but still heavy with cheese aroma. And now photos from the 48 € menu: Entrées: La Terrine Maison du Moment au Foie Gras et aux Pistaches, Gelée au Porto et Confiture d’Oignons Le Risotto crémeux de Homard As I said, I was reluctant to take photos at first, so you only get to see this course half-way through. The terrine was good, but the risotto was excellent. However the risotto was also very rich; with lobster and cream (and probably cheese), it was like a meal in itself. Advantage: risotto. Third choice: La Salade de Saumon marine et les petits artichauts violets en carpaccio Plat principal: Le Civet de Chevruil Grand Veneur aux deux purées Les Aiguillettes de Caneton des Dombres aux fruits de Saison The venison stew was delicious: The sauce was thick, rich and deep with the game, and the accompanying pearl onions provided a wonderful sharp contrast to the richness. The meat was braised very well. The duck was also very rich, especially paired with the figs as it was. I know that duck and figs is a classic combination, but I would have liked to have some sort of good citrus or other acid to cut through the duck a bit. Advantage: venison stew. Other choices: La Caille des Dombres rôtie aux choux d’automne, marrons et pommes vertes; ou, Le Poisson du jour et sa Garniture Incidentally, on the 68 € menu one of the mains was La Volaille de Bresse Homardine et ses petits légumes which looked just excellent. Cheese porn: My selection (clockwise from top): ash chèvre, l’Epoisse (vache), another chèvre which I’ve forgotten, and Roquefort The epoisse was absolutely outstanding, I cannot overstate my enjoyment of this cheese. Obviously it was the first time I’ve had it, but I have since learned that it is carried by a local cheese shop so I will be having more soon! I don’t know what the milk fat level is, but my guess would be close to 50%. I want to describe the flavours, but cannot for fear of remembering something incorrectly. So all I can say is, if you have had this cheese, you know what I mean; if you have not, make a point to seek it out! As mentioned, the cheeses were very high in fat (much moreso than we’re used to at home) and sadly I could not even finish the four small portions on my plate. But I did finish the Epoisse. L’Entremet du Jour et ses petits fours frais faits Maison This was a vanilla ice cream on a wafer and a three-chocolate mousse on a hazelnut cracker, served with crème anglais with pistachios and strawberries. Petits fours are in the background. The ice cream was unbelievable, I swear there was one whole bean in that one scoop. However the star was the mousse on the hazelnut cracker – such depth of chocolate captured in the mousse, and really an incredible cracker accompaniment. By far the best dessert I had on this trip. Café with remaining petits fours, and chocolate truffles My copy of the menu does not contain the wine list, so unfortunately I do not know exactly what we were drinking. It was a Bordeaux with a blue castle on the label, IIRC. Anyone?? I was so full at this point that I could barely see straight. So in a leisurely fashion, we walked back up the stairs to where the car was parked (instead of taking the street-side elevator! Seriously. Did I mention Grimaud was on a steep hill?), and drove equally leisurely back to Cavalaire. It was truly an unbelievable day.

Before I forget, Lucy – I wish I had ISO’ed you for Lyon! We just didn’t know how long we were going to stay there, and what our time commitments would be like. But after your blogs, I would have loved to have met you. Also regretfully I never made it to Les Halles, but a trip with you would have been perfect! Next time… Saturday, September 24, 2005 (Part 1) Another day, another marché – this time Saint Tropez. After the experience in Sainte Maxime, I didn’t know what to expect, but obviously I was hoping for more food stalls. As you drive into town, you skim by the water. It is quite beautiful – and, it is filled with large expensive personal yachts (really, I thought one was a ferry but N insisted (correctly) that it was a yacht. She pointed out the personal helicopter on the stern). We parked near the market and the center of town, right beside a gorgeous Ferrari, and wandered over. At first we encountered a lot of touristy stalls selling clothes, remote control cars, sunglasses, etc… But I soon found what I was looking for: These paella guys were a bit surprised, and quite humoured, that I would ask to take a photo of their stand, so they invited me to join them. Obviously I was enjoying myself – you will note the huge stupid grin on my face. The mussels smelled wonderful, but the paella was a real masterpiece. Chock full of squid, shrimp, crawfish, mussels and chicken – not to mention the saffron rice which was soaked in the juices of the above. I bought a large portion for 6 € - a steal!!! The next stall along the way was… Garlic anyone? The table continues to the left of frame, and it may have contained more garlic than I have ever seen in one place. Alas, I did not buy any because we weren’t doing much cooking. In retrospect I wish I’d bought just one bulb, to roast and spread on a baguette. A couple of other shots: Spice stall Unfortunately the photo does not quite do justice to the smells, textures, and colours of this stall. Plus I love the chalkboards and the bamboo scoopers. Jambon and saucisson guy Everyone seemed surprised when I asked them if I could take photos of their stalls. The ultra-polite nature of Canadians I guess. Anyway, I would have loved to purchase some of this guy’s jambon cru to bring home, but I didn’t think I could have made it back into the country. Still it was beautiful to watch him slice it! I did not get a good photograph of any of the produce stalls, but some were excellent. The furious energy of the ladies behind the tables made me smile. After walking the gamut, I got tired and left N to shop for clothes while I enjoyed a coffee at Le Sporting café. Because of the sheer volume of people in and around the market, I had to wait almost 20 minutes to get a good table outside with a view of the action. It was worth it – some of my favourite espressos were here. The waiter actually forgot to bring me my first one, so he comp’ed me (which was unnecessary but nice – I left him a tip). N joined be a bit later, and she sipped a Perrier while I had another shot. In front of us, all forms of cars, trucks, motorcycles, scooters and bicycles rolled by. It was like some sort of industrial ballet. On the advice of Menton1, we decided to visit Port Grimaud afterwards. (Warning: not a great website.) Filled with restaurants and shops, and closed to all but local motor traffic, it is a curiosity to say the least. After a bit of wandering, we bought an Orangina and a Diet Coke (or “Coca Cola Light”) and sat down to have some lunch. Here I am using half a mussel shell to scoop some rice from our paella picnic: I described the contents above. It was delicious, at that point the highlight of the trip for me. N had also purchased some sandwiches, but we couldn’t even get to them because there was too much paella. (Well maybe exactly enough; I finished it.) It took very little time to explore the town, so we left after about an hour. On our way out, I noticed a small photocopied sign that said (in French) that picnics were not allowed, obviously to promote eating in one of the many restaurants there. Oops. Our next stop was in Gassin. Gassin from the road below The drive up to Gassin was like a shorter but much more enjoyable version of the drive from Le Luc to Grimaud. Tiny road laden with switchbacks, sometimes under a canopy of oaks, other times falling away to the vineyards below. Gassin quickly became the new highlight of the trip! It is a beautiful little medieval town sitting atop a hill, overlooking the Saint Tropez gulf. If you follow the link, you will see many scenes that N and I coincidentally took photos of – it is picturesque literally everywhere you look. Narrow streets, tunnels, nooks and crannies with glimpses of the dramatic views over the hills and the sea... Also, there is a row of restaurants all with patios overlooking a little olive-tree-laden valley. It makes for a beautiful meal – or in our case, a drink! If you are in the area, and can only visit one town, Gassin would be my recommendation.

^Thanks for the recipe Chef, I'm having all sorts of menu ideas now. Cheers!

Nice pix Joie and Wes. Haven't tasted my lemon tart yet either, but for me the best part was the sauce that accompanied the saltimbocca. Brown bits + white wine deglaze + chicken stock + butter + butter + butter = WICKED GOOD STUFF! I was dying to "flip" the green beans (would be so cool on the 6-burner 6-million-BTU range!!), but the beurre noisette was too sticky. I am way into the flipping, it is showy and good for wooing the ladies (however I'm already married... but still do it every once in a while for N).

Nice plate, Chef! I'm also quite curious about the stilton brulee. Looks like you've omitted the extra sugar caramelization on top too? One of my favourite things about (sweet) brulees is the crunchy top texture contrast, however I would love to try this version. I did have a nice apricot stilton in the UK, so maybe with a dollop of home-made apricot jam... Can jam be torched?? Anyway, great idea to change a cheese plate a little. PS: nice bread - yours as well?

Jmahl - La Pyramide was at the top of my wish list, but unfortunately time and circumstance didn't allow. However I am assured by C that the next trip will definitely include a visit. Thanks for the tip on Amphitron. Cheers, Brian

Friday, September 23, 2005 Ah, another day in paradise. Today N and I got up and made our way to Sainte Maxime for the market. Truth be told, it was a bit of a disappointment – it was mostly crafts, clothes and touristy stuff (eg. Provence pottery and tablecloths). I don’t remember if there were any food stands at all. However, it was all made up for when we discovered this little gallery called Pyramides des Arts where they were proudly displaying this series of prints by Salvador Dali, based on Dante’s Divine Comedy. I didn’t even know Dali did this work! It was so cool; I have seen Dalis before, but to be up close and personal with them (ie. touching them), was amazing. Here are links to my two favourites: Purgatory 33 – Dante purified and Hell 6 – Cerberus. I find both to be quite powerful (especially when viewing the real thing). Afterwards, we stopped for a coffee at a café near the beach. edit: I posted a photo, but for some reason I look grumpy so I have removed it. Trust me though, the café near the beach was nice. Sainte Maxime is quite beautiful. However we had a lunch date to keep, so we drove back to Cavalaire and stopped at Les Trois Pins which is just at the east entrance to town, on the beach. A guy who works there is a friend of C and S’s father, and he invited us down for a local specialty. plat du jour: aioli with cod, mussels, whelks and roasted vegetables The cod and veg were very good, and the aioli was absolutely full of garlic. I especially liked the roasted beets. The whelks, however, were not to my taste. I’m not sure if this is normal, but the part that comes out of the shell was hard, and once again they were quite sandy. But you can’t argue with the view – or the ever-present pot of rosé. And here I am enjoying yet another coffee (with another goofy expression, what the hell?). The rest of the day was spent lazing on the beach and wandering around town. The Jetski Grand Prix was setting up for the weekend. I did not know there was such a thing. In the evening we sat at a waterfront bar and had drinks (me Kronenbourg 1664, N rosé) and watched the tourists and jetski fans go by. It was very relaxing. For dinner we swung by Le Cigalon again, this time for a four-cheese pizza. Thin crispy crust, rich cheeses, well done.

Thursday, September 22, 2005 Cavalaire by day is quite beautiful. It is also obvious why this is such a destination – the town, like many on the Côte d’Azur, is built for tourist traffic. Besides the main road into town, which runs beside the beach promenade, here are two main one-way roads going north and south. Also at the harbour itself, adjacent to the casino there is a cluster of restaurants, bars and cafés. After a sleep-in, we walked into town and wandered around the promenade for awhile, just absorbing our new surroundings. Every day we were on the coast, it was blue skies and 25°C / 77°F. For lunch we stopped in one of the restaurants along the promenade. I had moules marinades et frites, N had a salade with lardons, oeufs and croutons, and we shared a pot of rosé. I was a bit surprised that the mussels were not well cleaned (which turned out to be a theme with many of the more casual restaurants in the area). Some still had barnacles on them, and some were gritty with sand. However the salade was good. In the afternoon, we started to pick up provisions for dinner. At a small grocery store, we got some butter lettuce, carrots, cherry tomatoes and a bottle of the local rosé (which was less than 3 € !!). Aside from the cheap wine, one thing I loved about the grocery stores was the chalkboard signs telling you not only what each piece of produce was and how much it cost, but also the place of origin. We stopped at another store, Casino (kind of like a small supermarket), and picked up some cheese. Then we headed over to the next street (the one running south) where N spotted this place: Au Bec Fin Here is a view of the patés, terrines, jambon and saucisson, and ready-made salads and veg that they offer. And here is the patisserie side: We picked up some saucisson sec and paté en croute. Immediately south of Au Bec Fin, there is a bakery called La Tarte Tropezienne. We ended up at this place fairly often, the baker was very nice and she made some amazing breads and pastries. Today we picked up a pain Provinçale and a few tartes for dessert. So we returned to the villa with a pretty good score. view from the villa kitchen window There are obvious lighting problems with this photo, but this is what we got to look over while working in the kitchen. Actually I kind of like the effect. And here is what all those bits and pieces turned into. Inspired by the salade we had at C and S’s parents’ house, I made a salad dressing with a mixture of black and green olive tapenade, plus some Dijon and olive oil. The bread was excellent – crusty, with a nice chewy flavourful inside. It is an ongoing mystery to me why we cannot reproduce this bread with any consistency here in BC. Or rather, why only a select few local bakeries can reproduce this bread. Here is the cheese, an okay bleu en Bresse, and a very stinky yet generic camembert. And here is dessert. The tartelette with strawberries was good, but the other one – with all the other fruit on it – was, like the pain Provinçale, another goooooal! The custard is the type that goes into the regional pastry, coincidentally (or not) called Tarte Tropezienne (image in a later report). It is thick, rich and most likely very bad for you. Wow. Also I loved the red currants, which packed a ton of sour flavour into a small package.

Thanks Carlsbad, I’m glad someone is reading this! Wednesday, September 21, 2005 I woke up feeling better but not great. However the day was beautiful, and damnit I was on vacation, so after more coffee and croissants we left Lyon and headed south. Our first stop was at one of the “aires” or rest areas on the A7, maybe 100 km or so south of Lyon. We grabbed drinks and snacks at the gift store (there were also fast food style restaurants there, but that didn’t seem quite right). The store, by the way, was packed with nougat! Never before have I seen so much nougat. I guess it’s some sort of regional confection but holy, it literally took up about 25-30% of the floorspace. Anyway, back on the road, after an unfortunate and unwanted hour-long excursion through Aix-en-Province, we eventually found the Le Luc exit and left the big highway for the next adventure. If you have ever driven the road from Le Luc to Grimaud, you know what I’m talking about. For that period of time, I really feel like I got a slight insight into what it feels like to be a Formula 1 driver. The road is very windy, very narrow, cut into the side of a cliff, and has no guard rails… And the locals drive it like they’re on a rollercoaster. Basically it’s a massive adrenaline event – fun and yet not fun. After Grimaud, and many roundabouts later, we finally arrived in Cavalaire-sur-Mer. Feeling quite exhausted, we found our villa, then went back to town for a quick dinner. The first place we found was Le Cigalon, which is a wood-oven pizza place on one of the main strips running in the perpendicular direction to the promenade. **NOTE TO SELF: when the restaurant’s specialty is glaringly obvious, try this first.** I had some forgettable tagliatella à là carbonara, and N had a salad with tomatoes and mozzarella (also a miss). All the while the pizza smells in the restaurant were amazing (we did return to try the pizza). Pot of house rose, and we were ready for bed. All in all not a great day, but at least we made it to the Mediterranean!

Sorry Lee, poor wording on my part. It was this post in the Bis Moreno thread that led to my post: It's not pathetic-ness that you inspire, but courage. And there's your saccharine-but-still-manly e-hug for the day.

I have a Hart House wedding on the radar, next May. N's friends, but I am actually looking forward to it because I have heard good stuff about the food. Also I am praying for an open bar - but then again, who prays for a no-host bar?

Inspired by Canucklehead, I am putting myself out there with possibly the most pathetic entry in this thread, all consumed yesterday during a marathon 16.5 hour work day. Not a meal, but an Early with a capital E morning coffee The best thing I had all day! Large medium-roasted Saltspring coffee from Tsawassen Quay, served by a cute barista to boot. Smooth & creamy - the coffee not me - well maybe me - so unlike either the watery old-man coffee from Everywhere, or the harsh nasal-burning coffee from You Know Where. Breakfast BC Ferries "Traditional Breakfast": 2 eggs (scrambled, did not have the patience to wait for poached), 4 bacon rashers, potato mcpatties, brown toast, strawberry jam. The bacon was actually done well - not too "rare" so that it's floppy, not too crispy so that it looses its meatiness. Gawd why didn't I wait for poached?! Soggy + chewy = the toast. Lunch Ran back to the Nanaimo McDonalds, which was the closest place to our jobsite, for a late lunch for the boys. Big Mac combos with Cokes. Don't tsk, you know what this tastes like too. Late Dinner Last sailing from Duke Point, I had some clam chowder (Manhattan) with a dinner "bun" (as Moosh says, the Nerf variety), a wilted Caesar, and a large Earl Grey tea. Chowder passable, possibly only for warmth. Best part was the tea.

Paul B I could not agree more with your suggestion. I tried some at a dinner in France recently, and was absolutely amazed at the flavour. I did not catch the specific producer, but the Epoisse surpassed any cheese I tried on the entire trip. My trip report is going quite slowly, but here are a couple sneak previews of the cheese course we had at Les Santons: Cheese selection: L'Epoisse is at about 1 o'clock, with the fork in it. My cheese plate: once again look at that runny, delicious mess at about 1 o'clock.

A group of us just had the 3-course prix fixe at Bearfoot on Sunday. The 3-course is $50, but they also have I guess "premium" options on the menu which of course also involve extra costs. Amuse was a shredded duck confit with a sour cherry atop a crouton (excellent sweet / sour flavour combo with the duck / cherry (ETA: I'm not saying it's new, but it was well done)), then I had the smoked duck salad (I loved the toasted hazlenuts, and there were more cherries, but sadly not much duck!). The champagne and citrus palate cleanser was next, followed by my main of lamb (chops, in sausage with fennel, and braised into a stew; add $5), and dessert of chocolate fondant (deliciously balanced chocolate and orange flavours). The final stroke was the petit fours (choc hazlenut truffle, coated in chocolate, then in cocoa powder - excellent; shortbread stars; candied apricot - also very good; and some sort of chocolate cookie?). The superstar was the caribou (as ordered by N's cousin's boyfriend) - by far and away the best dish of the evening, though it also carries a $20 surcharge above the regular $50 for the 3-course. The meat was that buttery kind of tender, and the flavour at the end was slightly gamey but not nearly as blatant as say venison. I also tasted the butter-poached lobster tail (add $15), which was very good but really how could you go wrong with that? Had excellent reports on the corn and lobster gratin that came with the tail, but I did not try. Oh ahd N's olive oil poached halibut main was very good as well - so rich with the olive flavour infused into the fish. The other main at the table was the filet mignon, which I did not try either. Honorable mention (starters) would go to the green salad with 20 year old balsamic. Again, how can you go wrong with 20 year old balsamic? Other desserts were buttermilk pannecotta with baked strawberries (good reports); trio of sorbets (same); and N's cheese plate (sheep blue, goat blue, one I forget, and sharp cheddar - my favourite; add $? tho). One of the sommeliers (Chris? sorry if I got that wrong!) helped me wrestle through the wine bible. It was quite the assortment of dishes, and we ended up going with the Kaesler Old Vine Grenache 2000 (Gismond has notes on this bottle). At first sniff I was quite surprised by the chemical smell (acetone), and in retrospect I should have asked because frankly I don't know how much is "acceptable". However it tasted fine, and by the end of the meal I thought it had opened nicely. IMO it was a perfect match with the sharp cheddar that came on N's cheese plate. Overall it was good value; the service was very good, and Chris' help was invaluable because the wine list is just daunting. But you can very easily add $15+ to your "$50 prix fixe" by going for the top notch items. (And once you're there, why wouldn't you?) Next time I might try eating at the bar where you can get a AAA Alberta sirloin and fries for $20, or honey mussels and fries for $15. AAA steak and an excellent glass of cab for $32 - now that's a deal. ---------- We also had a drink at the Dubh Linn Gate earlier that day, it is a beautiful pub where you can get Guiness and Smithwicks (amongst others) on tap. N's cousin's boyfriend reported that the Guiness was as good as he's had in England, although even that's nothing compared to a real pint in Ireland. Also no shamrock on top, which surprised me.

Tuesday, September 20, 2005 The next day started out not-that-well, as I woke up feeling the start of a headcold. It is sad to be sick while on vacation, but I was determined to soldier on. With the information we picked up the previous day on the Pays de Beaujolais, we were off with S to do a driving tour of this small but intriguing wine region. But not before a breakfast of more pain-au-chocolate, croissants, coffee and tea. Wines from Beaujolais are divided into three main categories or families: the Crus or kind of highest end artisan producers mostly (but not exclusively) on the north end of the region; Villages de Beaujolais which are not quite as specialized; and the remainder of Beaujolais, which comprises the bulk of the region mainly to the south but also scattered throughout. We drove north from Limonest, exiting the A6 at Belleville (I believe – my cold put me in a daze for the most part), and entering the north end of Beajolais. First of all, the countryside is absolutely beautiful, as seen here: It was like a postcard everywhere you looked. There are 10 Crus: Brouilly, Chénas, Chiroubles, Côte-de-Brouilly, Fleury, Juliénas, Morgon, Moulin à Vent, Régnié, and Saint Amour. Unfortunately we were visiting during the dreaded afternoon hours, so many of the towns and vineyards were closed. However we did manage to do a “tour” and a tasting at Rémy Crozier, of Cru Régnié. I didn’t catch the gentleman’s name who showed us around, but he is the son of the patron of the vineyard. He was very helpful and informative, and even though we had S to translate, with my very rudimentary French skills I was able to understand most of what he was talking about. The biggest point that he made was that most red wines, especially the New World reds, are aged excessively in oak casks. However, his goal is to emphasize the taste of the fruit over the wood, and thus they only partially age in oak or in many instances do not use oak at all. Here he is with a batch of spent grapes. These apparently are resold to the French government, who then use them to make a higher alcohol content liqueur. This is quite tightly controlled. After harvest, the grapes are sent whole into a vat for a first-fermentation period of 4-6 days (IIRC). Here they are as the seal is cracked. From here, the grapes are pumped into the press. I got to try some of the liquor coming out of the press, it is like a cloudy grape juice but with obvious foreshadowing of the wine it will become. What a treat. Afterwards the liquor is sent to the main fermentation vats. Unfortunately I didn’t get the production numbers for this particular vineyard, but they keep 8,000 bottles a year for the property, and send the rest out for sale. And here are the three bottles we tasted: They are, from left to right, the 2003 vintage, the 2004, and the 2004 with partial oak. The first two were very fruity, the 2004 was especially good I thought (it was my favourite of the three). The partially oaked 2004 was also very good, appealing perhaps to my “new world” tastes. No tasting notes though, sorry. I am a wine neophyte, really familiar only with British Columbian wines. Also I was sick, so my nose was not working that well. Anyway, this tour was one of the highlights of the trip for me – very very educational. Rémy Crozier Les Maisons Neuves 69430 Régnié-Durette Tel 04.74.04.39.59 We proceeded south, stopping at one of the Villages de Beaujolais. Unfortunately I was taking a nap in the car so I’m not totally sure, but it may have been Vaux-en-Beaujolais. It was one of the bigger villages built on the side of a hill. Here is a photo: There were three caves offering tastings where we stopped, so we picked one but it was uneventful. Again, it was around 2:00 PM so most places were closed. At this point I was feeling really poor, so we cut the tour short and got back onto the A6 to return to Limonest. After a long nap, during which N and S caught up and hung out, I awoke to find out that we were all going over to C and S’s parents’ house in Villette-de-Vienne for dinner (if I was up for it, which I was). On our first night in Lyon, C asked if there was anything specific I wanted to do, and I mentioned that I wanted to find a restaurant where I could try Poulet de Bresse. Well with these people, I quickly learned that you do not so much as mention something before it is being handed over to you in one way or another. Super generous. C’s mother had gone out that day to Les Halles to buy a Poulet de Bresse, then looked up a couple recipes, and was preparing it for dinner. No photos, but we arrived to champagne, olives, pistachios, and dried chevre. These people love champagne. Dinner started with salade with tapenade and saumon fumé, then the Poulet de Bresse with gratin dauphinois, some cheese (camembert, chevre avec ail et herbes and a stinkly runny specialty of Lyon that N loved), and a tarte d’ananas – all with a wine that I did not catch. It was a wonderful home-cooked meal, and another great day despite the cold. ETA: We also had a wonderfully dense, chewy bread with dinner that I forgot to mention. Which is another thing that astounds me, the difference between bread in France and bread here at home. It's not that we are without good bread, but it is a much rarer find here. We need more artisan bakers!

Well our time in France has already come and gone! So sad, but we had a great time and a bit of an adventure with the driving (particularly the road from Le Luc to Grimaud, what a twisted deathtrap – it was like a 15 minute insight into 10% of what it must feel like to be an F1 driver). Anyway, we flew from YVR to Heathrow, spent a few days visiting in-laws in Reading just outside of London, then caught an Air France commuter to Lyon. Monday, September 19, 2005 My wife N’s family has a very close friendship with another family in Lyon. They are wonderful, warm, generous people – and the daughters C and S put us up (and put up with us) while we were in Lyon. C and S live in Limonest, in a yellow Provinçal-style house with blue shutters. Unfortunately I forgot to snap a photo before we left. We flew in fairly late the night before, so we slept in a bit. And woke up to a breakfast of croissants, pain-au-chocolate, brioche with praline, coffee and tea. Sorry no pictures, but I’m sure you can image these items. I really enjoyed the brioche, it is one of my favourites at home even though very few bakeries produce it here. And so we started a walking tour of Lyon… Here is a photo of the Théâtre Romains de Fourvière. This is apparently a venue for the annual Lyon jazz festival. I would love to see that, very cool. Here’s another touristy shot, of me walking down the stairs from the Basilique de Notre-Dame-de-Fourvière to vieux Lyon. The Basilique itself is quite beautiful, I love old European cathedrals – the mosaics, stained glass, just the detailed work on the archways and basically everything else – is visually overwhelming. It is amazing how much money the RC church has. The view from the hilltop is excellent as well. From it I saw my first French nuclear power plant. Okay, since it was a Monday afternoon, just after 1 PM, there wasn’t much open. However we did manage to find the Café du Soleil open for lunch. C said that Café du Soleil is considered to be quite typical Lyonnais, which is just what I was looking for. We started with escargots with garlic and pesto: The escargots were so tender, garlicky and juicy. They were great. Even N, who is traditionally on the squeamish side, tried them and liked them. Also I loved the springy clamp contraptions they provide to hold the shells while you fish out the snail. Here is a “group” shot of lunch. In the foreground is my salade Soleil with foie, seared duck, gésier, some sort of crawfish (not a St Jacques or a langoustine, can someone help me out with the name?) and saumon fumé. N had quenelles crevettes with the pommes gratin dauphinois (top left and center), while C had the salade Lyonnaise (top right). My salade was excellent, I was especially pleased with the gizzards. They were rich but not too organ-like, if you know what I mean (not bloody / coppery tasting, not chalky in texture). The gratin dauphinois was a bit too well done, but the taste was still very good as well. Although I can’t see how anyone could eat that for lunch during a work day. In fact after the meal everyone felt like a good lie down, which may have been in part due to the bottle of vin rouge we had with lunch. But after a couple of cafés, we pressed on our walking tour. Oh yeah, the total for lunch was € 64.40. Restaurant Café du Soleil 2 Rue St Georges 69005 Lyon Tel: 04.78.37.60.02 Another stop on the tour was at Pignol patisserie. We tried a brown toque-shaped cake, which again I’ve forgotten the name of (in the photo it is on the top shelf, approximately 4 items in from the left), the cake 2 items right of that with the large button of chocolate in the middle, and the obligatory lemon tart (bottom shelf, 4 rows from right). The toque-shaped cake was my favourite, very dense but moist. Other highlights of the tour were Bellecour, the Place des Terreaux, and Rue de la Republic. Oh we also visited Léon de Lyon, but did not eat there. Another café was had while we sat down to study maps of Beajoulais, to figure out a tour route for the next day. Very quickly on this trip I became addicted to espressos in lieu of the regular drip coffee that I drink at home. I love the purity of the coffee’s flavour. Dinner that night, after much debate by our hosts, was at Paul Bocuse’s L’Ouest. It struck me as very North American chain restaurant –ish in décor, which I think is what they were going for. I felt as though I could have walked into a new Earl’s, if you’re familiar with the Vancouver-based chain. The food was okay, but no photos again as it was a group / social dinner out. I started with the jambon Serrano cru, served with pickles and butter. Wow, some of the best tasting ham I have ever had. It just illustrates the difference in food culture: we in N. America have deli-cooked ham which is basically just a source of salvaged protein, versus any item from any charcuterie on any street corner in France. Wishing to eat light after the big lunch, I then had the pot-au-feu with salmon, red snapper, cod and sea bream. This was only okay; the sea bream was very good, but the dish as a whole was quite salty. No desert, but yet-another café, and a pear liqueur to complete the evening. Truth be told, I was not that big of a fan of the liqueur, however I am not a sipping-strong-liquor-type of person regularly. C informed me that people tend to dip sugar cubes into the liqueur then eat them, but after N tried it she made clear that she didn’t enjoy it. Overall I probably wouldn't return to L'Ouest, although I would certainly be curious enough to try one of the other directions. Most importantly the company was excellent (we were joined by C's boyfriend L), and all in all I would say we had a very successful first day in Lyon.

Never underestimate the power of the Gullet! Should I put on my Robin Hood outfit and come for a tasting? (Robin Hood drank mead, right? Otherwise, that sounds just ... wrong ) A. ← Cripes, where the hell is that brain eraser gadget when you need it. I just stopped myself from making an Errol Flynn comment too. Overload!

I also just returned from France, and did indeed enjoy a few Kronenbourg 1664s on the Med coast. It was still quite warm, 25C / 77F daily highs, and the Kronenbourgs went down very well. I can see for the most part Brent's tasting notes in the brew (bright yellow/golden pour, crispy then citrus-sy, I found it on the whole quite smooth). Truthfully I didn't even know France had a "national" beer. With the vicinity to Belgium and Germany, I would have thought why bother? Anyway, I have never tried Kronenbourg here in N America so I don't know if the export product (or the equivalent brewed by an American giant) is any good.

Keith: despite the fact that it has already harmed me mentally, I knew the subtitle would provoke a response from you and so I could not resist. Yeah that friend of Lee's is insane. The things one does for a tiny audience of geeks on the internet. But props to him nonetheless. Vancouver: caviar! abalone! ti guan yin! Okay the last one, although my personal favourite tea, may not be in the same league. But still, Cathay is obviously miles above the competition (ha ha, take that KT). One area where AC trumps Cathay is they carry Crown Royal instead of Canadian Club. Oh and Bombay Sapphire instead of Gordons.

Doesn't seasonal just mean switching from lagers and pilsners to ales and stouts? I don't know if it's technically "seasonal", but I did try the Granville Island hefeweisen this summer (from a communal pitcher), and I was quite pleasantly surprised. With lemon, it is a very refreshing beer. Not something that I would reach for in the winter though. One of my favourite beers of all time is the now defunct* Red Hook double black stout ("double black" because it was brewed with Starbucks grounds, back in the day when Starbucks had only started to make serious inroads in the PNW). Rich with coffee / chocolate kinds of flavours. I have not found a good winter stout to replace this yet, so if there is one locally, I would love to know. *Note: the stout is gone, but Red Hook is still going strong in Seattle (and has even expanded to the east coast).

Thanks Stephen, the wines were definitely the highlight. I should mention that the service on both AC flights was very good, but obviously better in business class where you have 3 attendants for 20 seats, as opposed to coach where 3 attendants service 150-odd seats. Last time I flew Cathay was 6-7 years ago to New York, but the food and service were very good as I recall. So I'll be tuning in for your report. Here's hoping you get the upgrade. Cheers, Brian

LeeC’s recent mention of Air Canada is coincidental, as I have been struggling over the past few days to download photos and start a thread on my recent experience which was from YVR to London Heathrow and back… Flight there, AC896 I’ll skip the details, but we were “bumped” into J-class for this flight (aboard a Boeing 767). What a score!! Seriously, for a trans-Atlantic and at the start of a vacation, there is no better way to fly. Okay so I never flew the Concord, nor have I flown in a 777 or a 380, or a private Leer jet, but hopefully you get the idea. Long-haul business class rules! All of the seats are like individual Lazy-Boys that are capable of reclining to almost bed-like status – and as you know, business class is seated first. So there you sit in your huge-ass chair, while the coach lot file past you. I felt a little sheepish as folks passed by with gaping jaws, because we didn’t exactly buy the seats. But hey, the low-degree guilt only lasted as long as it took to break out the complementary pre-take-off champagne and / or mango juice. We had just eaten in the YVR Milestones prior to the flight, in anticipation of turning away most of the bad airline food, but I tucked into the full dinner service anyway – mostly because I had to, for eGullet purposes you understand. N sensibly went with the “Express Menu”. Apologies in advance for the blurry photos, it was my brand new camera using new (to me) features (macro) in low light on a plane. Not good excuses I know, but I also didn’t want to use the flash because that’s just disturbing to others, especially on a plane. So they started us off with warmed nuts. N and I both opted for a glass of their “Hidden Treasure” feature wine: 99 Benton Lane pinot noir reserve (Oregon). (Sorry the link does not show the actual vintage consumed, but you can Google it and find results I’m sure – like this one.) The nuts were not good, but the wine was. Don’t ask me for tasting notes; besides the fact that I would be talking out of my butt, I was too pleased to be at the front of the plane to do much other than relax and enjoy. Speaking of, you can’t really make it out but at the top of the tray are my feet, clad in bright blue complementary business class “slippers” (really socks), elevated to a comfortable level. Very civilized. Here is N’s dinner: the Express Menu featuring fresh seasonal greens with yellow and red peppers, chilled teriyaki salmon, grilled vegetables, rice noodle salad and caperberries, cheese and grapes. The desert was fresh berries in a chocolate cup. Also she’s still working on that first glass of red. The salad is served with pre-bottled olive oil / balsamic, the tiny blurry bottle at the bottom of the tray (right side of photo). What is it with airplanes and tiny bottles? The salmon was okay – hey it’s seafood at 38,000 feet, what do you want? She said the salad and the desert were good though. Also, see how you get a nice "table"cloth and ceramic S&P shakers? Nice touch. I started with the pan-seared scallops with marinated fennel salad, with a glass of Domaine Astruc viognier (Malras, France). Another round of seafood at 38,000 feet but considering that fact, it was not bad. However, the scallops were clearly not "pan-seared". Just look at them! White as virgin snow. The other choice was marinated Yukon potato served with marinated and baked Japanese eggplant, sautéed red bell peppers, lentil salad, parmesan shavings and balsamic vinaigrette. What really stood out for me here was the viognier. What a great wine – so rich! On a side / local note, unfortunately La Frenz was sold out of their viognier by the time I got my act in gear to order this season, but I’m pretty sure I can track some down and when I do, I’ll be buying a few bottles for the “cellar”. I'd give honorable mention to the bun on the left, too. Some sort of potato bun AFAICT. Very good. The main course I wanted was the maple glazed lamb chops accompanied by red skin mashed potatoes, rosemary demi-glace, blanched spinach leaves, zucchini and turned carrots with basil; however, they had somehow run out. Did I mention we were bumped up? So no worries, I had the non-sequitur sliced sirloin of beef accented by black bean sauce, presented with vegetable fried rice, oven-roasted butternut squash and steamed choy sum, this time with a glass of Phebus malbec (Mendoza, Argentina). (Again, there isn’t much on the web for this wine, you’ll have to scroll down this translated page to find a bit of info.) The beef was actually passable, in a kind of CFD kind of way, but the Chinese black bean slant did not match anything else on the menu even remotely. Also, what is up with the two starches – squash and fried rice? Neither was any good. The veg was okay, but once again the malbec outshone the food. The other choice for a main was a vegetarian pasta: spinach and ricotta cheese cannelloni with saffron complemented by Alfredo sauce and oven-roasted tomato red pepper sauce, offered with sautéed button mushrooms and a stir-fried carrot and zucchini julienne. Pass. One other thing occurs: these long-winded pratty food descriptions are all from the Air Canada menu, I did not make them up. The cheese course was gouda, cheddars and camembert, with a Cockburn’s special reserve port. The website claims this is the world’s most popular port. It was quite sweet, actually too sweet for me, so perhaps I have just tipped my hand regarding my port palate. I nursed it bad. The cheese was decent though, a nice touch and impossible to screw up even in a plane galley. Dessert was, on N’s advice, the fresh berries in the chocolate cup, and coffee. I enjoyed this, despite the use of fairly cheap chocolate. The other choices were amaretto cake and maple mousse. Port still going on the left side. In the end I finished it for sleeping purposes, kind of like drinking Nyquil even though you’ve only got a mild passing of a cold. PS: you can kind of make out the electric blue socks in this photo. Anyway, like I said it was a very civilized way to travel. I also enjoyed the EnRoute magazine, this month is the music issue. I was surprised – pleasantly – to see a familiar name (Chris Tearns) with a drinks article, I didn’t know he was a contributor. And there is also a photo of Kari from Chambar on the Vancouver “scene” page. Flight home, AC831 Just for comparison purposes, here is the breakfast we were served in coach on the return flight. Granted it’s breakfast not dinner, but the difference is significant. Then again so is the difference in published prices for each section. It’s a Spanish omelette, with pieces of potato and I think Moneys pieces and stems mushrooms, and some baked beans (no not refried or black beans, like Heinz baked beans). Accompanied by a bun, a small croissant, a small bin of homogenized fruit, some yoghurt, some apple juice and a coffee. We did experience the business class breakfast before we landed at Heathrow, and the yoghurt was better, the fruit was actual sliced fruit on a plate, the juice was in a real glass, plus they had smoothies and other pastries… This bun was not as good as the potato bun either. Again, not complaining here, just wanted to illustrate the difference. When I look at these pictures, one other thing that stands out is the warmth of the lighting in business class compared to coach. I can't really remember if the window shade was up in the last photo, but I don't think it was. PPS: For those interested, here is a LINK to the thread where I’ll be posting reports on some of the meals we had in France, as well as other stuff we saw. Progress will be as slow as this thread has gone I’m sure.