Bubbalicious

Wow. Sensitive issue. Here's a (mostly) neutral post: One of the most inspiring books I have read about pursuing perfection in the art of serving dinner is "The Fourth Star" by Leslie Brenner. Boulud gave Brenner permission to spend time in his NY flagship, Daniel, 'undercover' dressed as a staff member, with access to most of the secrets and policies of his restaurant. Fascinating. It's been too many years since I've been to NY but I gotta dine at Daniel at least once the next time I go. Am on the verge of excitement that his influence will be felt here.

Been selling wine now at Liberty on Granville a few hours twice a week. One weekday and one weekend day. I've noticed that at about noon the traffic lanes on the weekend days look more like slowly-moving parking stalls. Just for giggles I feel like gathering some island folk and picketing at the intersection under the bridge with signs that read: IF YOU PLAN ON DRIVING ON TO THE ISLAND AND FINDING A SPACE TO PARK YOU ARE ARE DREAMING. Maybe the CMHC should erect such a sign. The simplest and least frustrating thing to do is find a place off-island and stroll in. Although it is prepared on the island and meant for immediate consumption, the hot breakfast cereal is fantastic at the Stock Market. Served until 11. And wouldn't it be helpful if the floors of all the aisles were painted a different colour so that you could say "I got these great pears at the fruitstand in the blue aisle." or "Oyama Meats is at the intersection of the green and red aisle." I've also been loving the grilled avocado, brie and tomato sandwich on the simplest of white buns from La Baguette et Echalotte. (sp?) This too is off-topic as it is meant for enjoying on the island. Will this missive be deleted? Hope not. One last word of advice: while waiting for your JJ Bean coffee turn around and enjoy the flowers.

When I worked at Cioppino's the pastry cook would invite any children into the pastry area after dinner to prepare their own sundaes. Pino is as gracious and accomodating to his younger guests as he is to the older ones. Any restaurant owner or employee that have kids should be welcoming to families. At Gotham, although it is not gourmet, we are extremely friendly to little ones. Many of my coworkers are parents and we all try to make the family experience enjoyable. We offer a fairly simple menu for children but many just have a piece of their parent's steak. Any restaurant owner or employee that have kids should be welcoming to families. A word to my fellow servers: the thing to keep in mind when serving families is that although the parents like to think that they are in charge, it is really the children who will decide whether the dining experience will be a good one. Coddle the kids a little bit here and there and you'll have a better chance of providing an enjoyable evening, both to the family concerned as well as the guests that surround them. If you don't treat the children with respect and the attention that they deserve they have every right to make your night a living hell.

I'll second that. Went there after an intolerable wait for drinks on Chill Winston's patio. Jules' prix fixe salad was simple but not plain and the menu offers a choice of salmon or a chunkily marbled rib steak with a few sauce choices. Immensely satisfying with charming and effecient service. It felt like we were supporting a good and honest venture. I have and will continue to recommend it to the guests that I serve. Gave the Chill Winston patio a second try in the evening. Joiners at our table were not offered bevvies for twenty minutes. As we were pressed for time we ditched Winston again and the friendly staff squeezed us in at Jules. I must say though that our first experience at CW was excellent and they may have been short-staffed as it was the first day of sun in a coupla weeks.

Gotham is not participating this year.

Connor Butler will be open on the 1st of November. Had a quick tour of the space and it's gonna look pretty good. Felt like I was in the middle of an Opening Soon episode. Am I becoming one of those loathsome people who can only relate real-life experiences through foodtv programs? Yikes. Gotta get out more... His website is www.connorbutler.com Yup, the dinnerware is Versace from sideplates to teapots, but having both worked at C, the 2 principles, Ron and Connor, have a lot of experience with expensive plates. I'm sure that theft and breakage are not gonna put them under. Isn't that what was said about Rare and their Riedels? How much for a stemmed Riedel water glass? $20? $30? $40? Dining in the front of the room, a bar in the middle and then a few steps down to the lounge. Gorgeous accoutrements in the washrooms and extremely comfortable chairs. A little risky opening during the Christmas rush when each meal comes loaded with way more meaning than Just Dinner With Friends. Maybe a cap on group size would help at the beginning. With their pedigrees I'm pretty sure they're gonna do just fine. Risky location, but with God-Knows-How-Many-Units having just gone up on the other side of Granville in that huge new development it could become Our-Other-Kitchen-Across-the-Street. The-One-We-Actually-Use. Speaking of South Granville, with the arrival of Bombay Co., the relocation of Tchachka's (sp?), the growth of EQ3 from one store to two and the imminent arrival of Pottery Barn's big brother, Williams-Sonoma, this area is quickly becoming the Robson of housewares. Too bad Caban couldn't hold out for a little while. The clothing store that overtook the space doesn't look like it's very temporary. Could be though. It's part of the much larger Stitches group. Being a Big Fan of Caban I felt a little violated walking through the new store. They put up a few new fixtures and hung their clothes and then opened the doors. Didn't even paint. Having aspired to the plastic Caban lifestyle since the end of the last century, I felt like someone I didn't like the smell of had moved into an old friend's house after he had died without even shifting the furniture around. Sad.

Dntn Bay had an abysmal selection of Le Creuset. Just some stew pots in ugly colours. Ming Wo's LC on S. Granville were only 20% off. Selection was the best I've seen. Did not remember to look for grill pans. Sorry. Out of the deepest crevices of my steel-sieve mind memories of an LC Sale are coming back to me... I think that I was wandering the aisles of Whole Foods near the milks... If more comes back you will all be among the first to know...

Le Creuset on sale at the Bay as well. 25% off. Don't know about the selection but if I make it to the dntn store soon, I will report back...

One thing that you gotta realize about Vancouver is that for many of us a clean fleece hoodie, a clean t-shirt, a cleanish pair of jeans along with your good pair of runners is considered 'dressed up.' There are probably more places where you'd feel out of place in a suit than you would in a sweatshirt and jeans. It comes as a shock to many from outside Vancouver that we are so casual when it comes to dressing for dinner. I would like to think that our attitude is more Resort Casual than lazy, but it is what it is. For your dinner in Vancouver on a Friday night, dress as you would for a party at a friend's house where you wouldn't necessarily know everybody and your boss might be there. You'll probably look better than everyone else. Dress in a suit and everyone will wonder what other city you're from. I would try reserve at Chambar late, as Lee suggested, and if you arrive early, have an appy and a coupla drinks someplace else, in the lounge. There are dozens of great places that offer full menus in the lounge that are fun. Hope you let us know how your night went!

We're hitting the baby-making age at Gotham. As well as many of the servers who(m?) are parents, one of our servers just had a beautiful little girl. Our bar manager and his wife are expecting their first. Most of us have got baby fever and we're all more than happy when little ones bring their parents to the restaurant. When I was at Cioppino's, they were more than accomodating to children. Pino was kind enough to let the kids into the kitchen and make their own sundaes with the pastry chef. The last time we were at Phnom Penh there were many children. Mmmm. Papaya salad.... In Whistler one of the best places to relax while the kids run around in the square is Val d'Isere. They have a great kids menu. I'm sure that the hotel restaurants would be fantastic with kids as well. It would be kind to let the restaurant know the age of the child so that if there are any 'anniversary' tables, then the hosts can try to seat you away from the special occasion tables. We can also try to group younger family tables together. If anyone ever complains or makes any sort of remark about a crying child while I'm working I kindly remind them that we were all small once too. How could you begrudge a family an oppotunity to enjoy being out together, even if it doesn't turn out as planned?

classic ← SO sorry for going WAY off-topic, but I gotta stand up for the neophyte servers. I think that we should try to remeber that a lot of these CFD servers are Fresh Outta High School and not as refined as we have become over the years of reading/writing/thinking/living food. Give 'em a break. Denouncing a servers' capabilities because he/she doesn't know all the product in the shop is as horrible as a fine dining server laughing at a client's foibles. I've been on the giving and receiving end of both forms of ridicule and the neither gave much pleasure. If we have a little more knowledge than ANY person we are interacting with isn't it better to share the info willingly rather than be exasperated with the 'idocy' of the person we are dealing with? Much better use of time and energy. I was once serving an incredibly refined couple up in Whistler who asked what the cognac or armagnac was in the lobster bisque. I didn't know there was cognac in the bisque, and they tried to guess what it was before I asked the chef. They hit it right in the head, and told me how to distinguish the subtleties. I don't think they were laughing at me when I was in the kitchen and I still remember that couple fondly, even if I don't remember how to tell what the liquor is in a bisque. How do you want to be remembered when you leave a restaurant? Second apology: sorry for the preaching.

Chef friends have told me that the two best kitchens to learn in are at Le Croc and Cioppino's. Franck at the Croc is a fantastic chef and a great teacher. Pino at Cioppino's is brilliant and takes time throughout the day to instruct his kitchen staff. He shows them not only how to prepare menu items but also special dishes that he prepares for guests making sure that they get to taste the dish as well. Sometimes the whole kitchen would come to a standstill while he showed his staff how he did something. He's exacting and demanding but he's brilliant and cares for his staff tremendously, in his own way. I've also heard a rumour that he's opening a Cioppino's 2 somewhere near the new Shangi La...

From the desk of Tyler Dawson at Liberty Wines, Park Royal: Basic Training Foundation Wine Tasting Course Consumers and Trade $265.00 + tax Wednesdays Jan 25th, 2006 Thru Feb 15th, 2006 Total Course 12 hours The Basic Wine Course provides you with the tools to taste and communicate the experience. Your will also learn how wine is made and why it tastes like it does. Sensory-based and experience-rich, this is the essential tasting course for consumers and trade alike. It is only natural to have Tyler as our lead instructor at the Liberty Wine School. Tyler has an infectious enthusiasm for communicating all things wine and he does so with a deep understanding of the subject. Tyler is also the author of "What's up d'Oc", quick reference/ guide to the Languedoc and Roussillon and "Saké Simple", quick reference/ guide to Saké. He is the founder of the Victoria Wine Academy and director of the Liberty Wine School.

On the Vij's website Vij mentions that the cost of the reservation system is put back into the menu. I think that is also put back into the warmth and spirit of Vij's and Rangoli. In a restaurant of Vij's calibre the cost of a reservation system is not just monetary. When a restaurateur is trying to provide a guest experience of the highest order and guest expectations and demands are even higher, then the person that answers the phone must be very well-acquainted with the restaurant and have a position of some authority. The person must also be at the restaurant during 'reservation-business-hours', these being sometime around eleven a.m. until five p.m. When a reservation is discussed the guest's impression and experience of the restaurant begin when the receiver is taken out of the cradle. Where I work the restaurant managers begin their day before noon so that they can attend to guests concerns and questions over the phone. They end their day well past midnight when the last staff member leaves. You can imagine how stressful and tiring a day like that can be. While I imagine that Vij works just as hard, (just today I saw him packing his patio chairs into his vehicle late in the afternoon,) I think that given Vij's attention to detail and desire to fulfill our expectations he would feel compelled to be there all day-every day to ensure that we were looked after properly when we needed to discuss our dinner plans. I have been 'held hostage' by the phone when I contributed to running restaurants and I would not wish that life on anyone. When I read what Vij had written on the website about the cost of the reservation system being put back into the menu I understood and read-into that sentence that his energy is being spent elsewhere, on more important aspects and the sometimes mundane and practical, yet necessary tasks that running a restaurant requires. I'm awfully sorry for the lecture, but I think that understanding and appreciating this small aspect of the cost of the service of a reservation system will hopefully make the wait at Vij's a little easier to take. I also apologize for the run-on sentences, my internal editor went to sleep a long time ago.

I have to agree. I am by no means a Sommelier, but I did take all the classes to improve my abilities as a server. For the food and wine pairing segment of my final exam we were allowed to pair any alcoholic beverage with the given menus, up to two non-wine choices per menu. We were given a rustic French menu where the second course was onion soup. I paired a great Ale from England called Traquair Jacobite Ale. It's a dark, chocolatey, rich beer with a medium body, light acidity and it is extremely well-balanced. The touch of sweetness on the finish would counter the saltiness of the soup nicely. I felt that the matching was inspired and I think my prof did as well. I would be really interested to find out how the cider does with the soup. Please let us know.

I bought a couple of tubs at 7-11 one night after work. Chunky Monkey and Toffee Crunch. Two pints for eight bucks. Yum. I know that there aren't any 7-11's in Montreal, SteveW, but maybe you could find the Toffee Crunch at Couche-Tard? Or Provigo? I think that the multinational that bought B&J's might produce different flavours for different markets. One of our regular clients at the restaurant where I work works for the company that owns B&J. Don't know the name of it and I only know that he works for B&J's 'cause when he brings in clients that he wants to impress he has us print special dessert menus with B&J's ice creams on them. Then we get to finish off the ice creams that weren't ordered. Those are good nights. I will ask him all about this the next time that I see him. He's a great guy. He also brings in Breyer's ice creams once in a while. Pretty sure they make both. It's a little sad really. Another fierce little independent consumed by a larger multinational. As a Small City prairie-boy I first encountered B&J's when I moved to Montreal. My first apartment was right downtown on Stanley Street near Ste Catherine and we would often walk the six blocks on hot and sticky evenings to the downtown B&J's. It felt so urban and cool and fun. One magic memorable moment occured one evening just after I had paid for my cone and was taking my first lick. My first celebrity sighting ever. Anthony Robbins, the giant-of-a-man inspirational guru was striding down de Maissoneuve with his entourage. That is when I felt like I had moved to a Big City.

A friend and I were wandering on Robson Street in Vancouver looking for someplace to have lunch. Neither of us knew of a good place to go as I had just moved from Banff and he was visiting from Victoria. We were standing outside of an Indian restaurant, looking at the menu, when we noticed movement in the window. A nice-looking family of four were waving to get our attention. When we looked their way, they made subtle but very clear motions that we should keep on moving. Sort of a wry grimace with a slight 'no' shake of the head. I'm sure that restaurant had one of their slowest afternoons that day.

I've been using the sink for... maybe fifteen years and haven't had a problem yet.

Do any of these recommended burr grinder models have a container for the unground beans that is opaque? I read in some Starbucks propoganda that light exposure is bad for beans. I don't want to keep my beans on the counter with direct light exposure. Every model that I have looked at has a clear glass or plastic bean holder. (I am SUCH a coffee geek.) If text could blush, these letters would be rosy pink. I guess the only practical solution would be to but the bag that the beans came in over the bean holder.

Do you rinse the coffee down the drain? I find it the easiest way to dispose of the grounds. I read or heard somewhere that it is good for your drain as well as the grounds would get caught in anything that may potentially clog your drain. The acids in the grounds would then help to break down the prospective clog. I may have dreamt this but I find it a little satisfying to pour out the grounds from my french press. Odd, I know. On the Illy note: Alton Brown and others say that coffee should be consumed within a week of roasting. But you should do a taste test. I love Illy when it's used in an espresso but I wasn't happy with the Illy beans that I bought at the same shop.

I also use the Ikea french press and the screen sits about 2 cm above the bottom of the carafe. They are extremely cheap and work well. In a dishwashing mishap the carafe was broken and I replaced it with a Bodum carafe. No problem there. In case of emergency I keep a replacement carafe in a box in a cupboard above the fridge. You never know... I did find that the mesh on the screen of the Ikea was not fine enough and took the screen off my old Bodum. I don't believe that you are going to end up with weaker coffee, but the swirling around of water and coffee grounds in five or six cm of carafe wouldn't be too appetizing. I don't get to crush the grounds with the Ikea, but the grounds do take up most of the remaining space when I've plunged as far as I can plunge. I found the best advice ever on making Bodum coffee here. edited to add: I found that last quote here after a little egullet mining. So I guess you gotta look for a 'Bonjour' brand. Hope this helps...

History aside, I'd much rather drink a sour out of a rocks glass. I find most champagne flutes require an awkward tipping back of the head to finish the drink off. It's also a little less girly-drink looking. When you're heading to the table with a tray full of drinks for a bunch of guys it's always a little uncomfortable dropping off the colourful frothy drink in the frou-frou glass. And then there's the fact that the stem is gonna get broken more often than a rocks glass would. Let us know how this turns out. Thanks.

Summer: Bombay Tonic, short, with the juice of two lime wedges, heavy ice. Winter: Bourbon Manhattan, preferably Woodford with a couple of cherries. Yeah I know what happens to the cherries before they're bottled, but they're good in that sweet plastic kinda way. When at Earl's: Perfect Margarita. They don't have this on the menu any longer, but if you ask they may make it for you. Tequila Sauza, the yellow one, with fresh lime juice and a little apple juice with a salted rim, on the rocks. Wow. When at Val d'Isere in Whistler: Apple Martini, made with the usual suspects, but they add a spoonful of pink lady apple puree imported from France and garnish with an apple chip. Yum.

Was walking by Heron's at the Fairmont Waterfront and saw that they've got a great private space with floor to ceiling windows with a water/mountain view. Looks like it would seat about 25 or so. Ate there last year with some Fairmont staff during the Playhouse wine fest. Food was very good. If you detect a bit of stress in my text it's 'cause Rachael Ray is on the Food Network on the TV in the living room and I am too lazy to get up to change it. Just had a thought, what if you booked one of the suites at the Pan Pacific and asked the Five Sails to serve dinner up there? That would be a great party.

There is another entity offering the WSET programs in Vancouver. It is Fine Vintage. A coworker is currently taking a course and likes it quite a bit. Ian Phillips at the Art Institute is a great teacher. He tutored me a bit last year when I was brushing up for my ISG exams. For people not in the food service industry I would recommend WSET over the ISG. If you should decide to go further with the wine education thing and want to switch over from one to the other, both ISG and WSET recognize each other's programs so that you wouldn't have to start all over from the beginning. In my experience ISG is incredibly disorganized at the head office and getting mark etc. is a nightmare. They aren't too friendly either.