Memo
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Posts posted by Memo
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After a long absence, Mrs Memo and I visited Cafe Brio the other night.
I forgot how great a dining room it is - for food, service and just the attentiveness of the hosts.
Greg Hays genuinely makes you feel welcome - something quite rare in Victoria.
Wine and food pairing is great, for some - but I really prefer to just sip on a wine I like - like the Juan Gil 2003 Monastrell. (Buy this wine - and buy it now!)
MM and I enjoyed the clams in a wonderful broth which included Choux Choux's chorizo picante.
I followed this with the satisfying Grilled Top Sirloin Steak - with herb-buttered pommes frites, braised shallots & swiss chard. MM wowed at the flavors in the Albacore Tuna Wrapped in Bacon - with fried quail egg, fingerling potato confit, and sauce soubise.
Fo dessert - a glass of Venturi Schulze Brandenburg No. 3
till later
Memo
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The beef tongue @ Hapa Izakaya
Memo
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I'd choose a repeat of my first Vancouver meal:
A&W root beer, burger (with pickle slice, of course) and onion rings.
Memo
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Details on the next Rare dining event (the B.C. Indigenous Dinner) on March 12th can now be viewed here:
http://www.edible-britishcolumbia.com/even...ousBCDinner.pdf
Cheers,
Eric
Unless the history books have been rewritten - the suggested menu items do not reflect an indigenous BC dinner, but rather a regional one.
While sablefish and salmon are indigenous to BC - chicken, goat and lamb were introduced from Europe.
Still, it's an excellent and noteworthy dinner concept.
Best,
Memo
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If you order Poilâne's 2kg decorated loaf - with the option of a free personal message - directly from Paris, it will cost you CDN$ 53.00 (including taxes and shipping).
Memo
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And if the international media picked up on Torino's chocolate industry as the bellwether for the city (those bicerins of coffeee, chocolate and cream looked terrific), what will they capture here? Fowkian Pastrami, Nanaimo Bars, salmon garavlax?
I heard the focus will be on Armstrong cheddar and Money's mushrooms!
Memo, mmmakes mmmeals mmmarvelous!
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I keep fantasizing about what kind of pastries these guys are going to make...
An upscale tres leches cake would have me flagging a cab to Yaletown in a hysterical frenzy...
I realize this if off-topic - but your mention of my favorite Mexican cake brings back fond memories of me and my brothers' first band - Los Tres Leches.
Can you guess which is me - Whole, Condensed or Evaporated?
Memo
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Here are some pics of last-night's $35 set menu @ The Marina Restaurant.
Wonderful flavors, presentation - and a great room (with wind-bobbing sailboats shifting outside the window).
For appetizers, I started with the Grilled Pear and Endive Salad, with blue cheese vinaigrette.
Mrs. Memo had the rich Smoked Sablefish and Cauliflower Veloute. (NOTE: While our server assured me it was not a Rorschach's test - I thought I could see a green-skinned Josephine Baker diving into the pool. What do you see?)
For entrees, I savored the intense Braised Beef Shortrib and Seared Alaskan Scallop dish, with mushroom and leek ragout.
Mrs. Memo coast-ed through the Grilled Wild Coho Salmon, with lemon and mascarpone Israeli couscous.
Dessert, for me - after savory - is difficult. I was so full from all the flavors. However, I braved the - look out Neil! - Warm Ginger Cake, with toffee ice cream and toffee sauce. (I decided to have half of it boxed to-go, so I could enjoy it with my morning coffee.)
Mrs. Memo thrilled with her Gianduja Pot de Creme, with rosemary sable cookie.
Upon leaving, the wind blew us all the way out to our car, and gently poked my face into the remaining dark-iced ginger cake. My face, in the rearview mirror, looked like a relative of Josephine Baker's.
Memo
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The Rosemeade is doing a special rouge theme for V-day...
Foie Gras & Chicken Liver Terrine, pomegranate, blood orange, hazelnuts & lambs lettuce...
PS - this first course was an intense flavor treat, creatively garnished with an edible fork-shaped touille cookie!
Memo
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Just completed a fabulous Sunday lunch @ Deep Cove Chalet. Two couples, two birthdays. A good old spicy Cesar got the juices flowing - before proceeding with:
Caesar Salad (with anchovy)
Consomme Citron (beef consomme with lemon pieces & sherry)
Country Pate (with pickles and pitted Nicoise olives)
Then our mains, accompanied by a bottle of Caves des Papes Cote du Rhone 2003.
Roast Chicken, served with a simple jus and spinach
Cuvet of Rabbit, with prunes and carrots
Sturgeon, pan-seared in a veal jus
None of us generally do dessert, but who could resist (especially when accompanied by a glass of Veuve de Vernay) -
Floating Island
Pear Helene
Tarte de Tatin
Grand Marnier Souffle
Yum.
Memo
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...Sea Change was cited for its wild smoked salmon jerky that's "marinated and then smoked and dried - a process similar to one that has been used for centuries by West Coast American Indians".
Oh well.
Sea Change describe their salmon jerky as "inspired by the traditional recipes of Canada's West Coast native peoples".
This is far more accurate than the (US-centric) Saveur description. "West Coast American Indians" includes Mexico's indigenous peoples - but salmon is not found off their Pacific coast.
Memo
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...don't think i've ever tried that salmon jerky. where to get it in the lower mainland do you know? i'll put it on my 'list' for the next box.
You can find Sea Change smoked salmon products at Vancouver airport. Likely that's where the writer picked it up!
Memo
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Happy now that Brasserie l'Ecole has re-opened - and I was able to enjoy their Whaletown Bays (plumper that kumamotos).
Brasserie's mignonette is, for me, the best in the whole dang west.
Thanks for the tip on the happy-hour oysters at Irish Times.
Memo, on the half-shell
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Herald St Caffee has a new owner(s ?) and is apperantly keeping the name. If you count all of the transfers of ownership from partner to partner I beleive we are now seeing the 6th. They plan to be open very soon (end of this month)
Anyone care to venture a guess as to the reasoning behind the name keep?
My ventured guess is that the new owners have fond memories (going back a couple of decades) of Herald Street Caffe - and would like to return it to its former glory.
In other words, the wrong reason to (re)open a restaurant.
Memo
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I did not get any red envelopes despite the not so subtle hints about being the only unmarried person at a table of married folk.
Strange - but, by the end of the meal - everyone had red (packet) faces.
Steamed fish... it was the first time I've eaten the eye - which really was not that tasty, it was basically just eating goo. But the highlight was actually doing it.Here's the post-eye fish head.
I had a great time. Thanks so much, Mooshmouse & Canucklehead - et al.
Memo
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Last week... halfway through my bowl of Chicken Penne Soup @ Ferris' Oyster Bar - I thought I saw Rob Feenie's face reflected in my spoon.
Look familiar?
I turned around, and - sure enough - Chef Feenie (accompanied by a group of hockey fanistas) were chowing down on Ferris' signature hamburgers and fries - at the table right behind me!
I'm attempting to find out - from the Ferris staff - what transpired that night in Victoria.
Memo, Insider to the Stars
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Is there a popeyes fried chicken anywhere in the vancouver area? or anything like it that i might try?
Thanks!
Here are the Popeyes locations in Canada.
Remember, Memo likes lots of Olive Oyl on his Popeyes.
Memo
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Early January - Victoria Update.
Brasserie L'ecole has been under wraps - plain brown wrapping that is - for renovations. So far, you can see the blasted glass windows with their great logo that will give greater privacy to the room and inside, the kitchen is expanding and being reconfigured to allow for greater efficiency. They are also expanding out the back for patio seating. The sign on the door claims a Friday the 13th opening.
Shelora
As renovations by definition go over budget and past deadlines, Brasserie "l'ecole" will be closed for at least an additional week. Hopefully by Friday January 20th the new kitchen will be ready.
I heard they won't be opening until February 1st. That's the first date that appears on their website's reservation page.
Memo, Insider to the Stars
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...with all things considered, the printed word is sweet enough in its own right and that we can deal with a few imperfections.
I heard that Gord was opening up Bin 943, 944, 945, 946, 947, 948 and 949...
You forgot to mention Bin 666!
Regarding EAT and other publications' typos, etc...
I think what is happening is that with the rush for printing deadlines, key elements like typographical errors are not being checked. I often hear the excuse - "well, even the 'big guys' [mainstream press] have typos".
PS - Am I the only one who has noticed that the eGullet clock is one hour ahead - and has been for months!
For instance, I just modified/added this note @ 8:04 PST - and it notes (incorrectly) that I made the modification @ 9:04 (or thereabouts).
Memo, Insider to the Stars
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Hey, is EAT magazine looking for a proof reader, or at least someone with a working copy of MS Word? I am free next week ... this magazine, love it as I do, it starting to read like the Times-Colonist. Seriously.
Matt, I don't get it?
Well, I do get it (Matt's reference), as someone who spends a lot of time in Victoria - generally trying to avoid reading the T-C.
The Times Colonist is notorious for typos.
But, unlike EAT magazine - which is chock-full of local/original content - 99-percent of the T-C's copy is pulled right off the wire service.
The T-C does have a weekly restaurant reviewer - a very generous one.
She regularly gives four stars (and if I'm not mistaken, recently gave Herald Street Caffe top sparkles)!
Memo - Insider to the Stars
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To start this off, I predict (basically because I'd like to see) more beef tongue appearing on menus near us this year.
(Hapa Izakaya already has a subtle, but excellent, version of this on their menu.)
I also predict an end to tiramisu (enough, already)!
I'd be interested in hearing others' predictions. Pull out your crystal ball(s) and start listing!
Memo
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Well. if you want to "hold the mayo" - a martini glass certainly facilitates that!
Chris - will your "Mayo-tini" have an interesting egg:oil ratio?
Memo
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I was halfway through my bowl of pho, when I looked into my soupspoon and behold - a face appeared in the reflection, looking a lot like chef Feenie!
I'm sending this photo to the Enquirer.
Memo
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Great! Sounds like Saltlik = gemütlich!
Memo
The Ocean Club
in Western Canada: Dining
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Memo