Memo

According to Continental Importers (Vancouver), they only carry jamon serrano (serrano ham) at this time. Exquisite in flavour none the less. ← Hmm...which brings me back to pato negro (black duck). I hope the Bearfoot isn't selling Jamon Serrano as Jamon Iberico. Maybe Izzy or others have actually tasted the product being sold at Bearfoot, with its nutty, acorn flavor - and are not just quoting descriptives (like I am now). Memo

I have been told that it's unavailable in the U.S. as well. Maybe their pata negra is something else entirely (and is just, mistakenly, called that). My guess is it's pato negro (black duck)! Memo

Hmmm... did chef Craig disclose the source/distributor of this pata negra? Memo

Please don't eat the donuts. Kristen at Seattle's Schmancy toys, sells realistic hand-sewn, felted donuts by Seattle artist Stuart Bloomfield. They come in an assortment of (inedible) flavors - including "the nutty monkey". Memo

Brian Trudell, the new cider-maker at Merridale Cider - in the Cowichan Valley - is a master mead-maker (though not commercially). He made a wonderful blueberry mead (honey, water, yeast & blueberries) in 2004. If you're at the cidery, you might contact him to see if he knows of any mead availability in B.C. Memo

All this donut talk brings back fond memories of the hypnotizing automated donut-making machine at the long-gone Woodward's food floor. Memo

In Victoria, Choux Choux Charcuterie makes an excellent in-house duck-leg confit ($3.99 each). Like Oyama, the legs are kept in one bowl in the display cooler. Memo

From the Spanish food site Lareira.net - here's a photo/info about the fresh Pimientos de Padrón. Also from Spain - a tasty-looking pic of the flash-fried product. Memo

Don't know if you've had any luck tracking some down, but Kitchen Conservatory - way over in St. Louis, Missouri - sell a marrow spoon crafted from horn. At US$14.95 a pop, though, it would be good if you could source a Canadian supplier. Memo

I suggest you try a special occasions/wedding supply store. They usually stock foam-type rounds for decorating. An alternate material might be the round stacking box-type canisters found at "dollar" stores. Crafts were in my past - so I thought I'd pass it on these suggestions to you! PS - If all else fails, I've got a realistic squeaky-toy round of brie (my brother-in-law brought back from Normandy). PM-me for details! Memo

I find that making sure my kids wear their bicycle helmets helps prevent choking injury! Actually, we've rigged a special strap-ring to the helmet - if fits tightly around the neck (much like those diving-for-fish cormorants wear in Japan) - ensuring that anything thicker than fluid does not get swallowed - or stuck! Memo

Just picked up the latest issue of Northwest Palate. There's a great photo (and short article) on Choux Choux by Shelora. Memo

A couple of years ago, I had tamales de elote, the fresh corn-in-corn tamales, at that El Salvadorian restaurant on Commercial Drive, ~cayenne~. They were wonderfully authentic, in a Mexican street-breakfast kind of way - steamed in corn husks with a side drizzle of crema. I believe it's the mother there who occasionally prepares them - when the corn is in season. Memo

I agree - and also, I believe that the majority of the population just want to re-live the Corona/beach-party element of a past vacation. Hence the wacky borderline palapa decor (think cactus-backed chairs, etc). Memo

Bio-terroirism. Memo

I agree. A martini is gin - all others are cocktails. I recommend George and Chambar. If you want to have a conversation with your girlfriend, however, then scrap George - it's LOUD. Memo

Linty white napkins! Get rid of them.

If you've got a wok and some veggie oil - buy a box of those prawn crackers (shrimp chips?) from Chinese-foods grocery. They swell - in a variety of pastel colors (pink, white, green, orange, yellow) - and soon the horn of plenty is filled. The grease sure helps, too. Memo

I thought Garrett's response was one of the best. Most of the responses were so dang unimaginative! The chefs were being asked what - with an unlimited budget - they'd put on the special sheet. Most of them go blah-blah about how they have the best ingredients right here, so why look anywhere else...etc. You'd think (hopefully) being the creative people they are - with cost not an issue - the chefs might have gone hog-wild in their responses. Memo

Just read the latest - Sept/Oct - issue of EAT. It's a great issue - chock-full of really good info about our food-corner of the world. My continuing criticism of the magazine is, however, the high level of typographical errors in print. Is the layout copy not being proofed prior to going to press? (I once had a proof-reading job, so I'm sensitive to this sort of thing.) As a writer of a story - for example, Shelora Sheldan's wonderful foodie-tour of Olympia, Washington - I'd be a bit miffed to find such a blatant error in the spelling of the city name in the headline: Oylmpia. Memo

Manfred's sausages out in Saanich - alongside Marigold Nursery - are the best. He serves them in a toasted bun (specially baked for him) accompanied by his homemade sauerkraut, sauteed onions and hot mustard. My favorite is the Nurmberg - herbal savory. I always request that Manfred serve it on my dachsund tray (pictured above). It heightens (or shrinks) the experience. Memo

Venison tartare @ Chambar. Bambi never tasted so naked. [Memo

Two more to try: - Molded foie gras mousse with black truffles - Jellied pork cheeks Fridays seem to be specialty days. This Friday, I hear, the Choux-Chouxs will be releasing cornmeal-crusted pigs ears - ready for pan frying a la nibble. Last Friday, sweatbread terrine swelled my thymus. Memo

If your head is still intact - hopefully - my gut-level recommendation is Brasserie L'ecole. If you're familiar with my favorite Seattle restaurant, Le Pichet, then L'ecole is a loose cousin to Jim Drohman's place - but with chef Sean Brennan's great use of Vancouver Island ingredients. Alternatively, you could have a couple of plates - and a drink - at both places. If you're not driving, though - you'll need to take a taxi out to Paprika (unless you're staying in Oak Bay). Have a terrific weekend. Memo

Surprise hit me the other evening at Cafe Brio. It arrived in the seasonal berry medly (with mascarpone) at the end of the meal. There was a great selection of fresh berries - straw, blue, marion, black, and rasp. But the surprise came with the inclusion of the indigenous little huckleberry. (It perfectly complemented with other berries in color, texture and flavor.) A memory-wave hit me - I was a child walking through forest paths looking for the tiny little salmon-colored huckleberries, growing on blueberry-like shrubs out of decaying tree stumps. I'm interested in other restaurants who might be using/incorporating indigenous produce into their menus. Sooke Harbour House, I realise, has long been playing with this. I'm not referring to game or wild salmon - strictly plant products. Memo