newbie

My favorite coleslaw.....and the one that I always get rave reviews from is this one which I got online from Epicurious: Curried Coleslaw with Green Onions and Currants. I use dried cranberries instead of the currants. I really like the combination of sweet, sour and spicy.

Another festival taking place in Moncton is the Atlantic Seafood Festival. This event is held in August and has a number of events that takes place ranging from cooking demos, Downtown Street Party, Celebrity Chef Dinner and a Seafood Olympics. I have unfortunately not had the opportunity to attend one of these events myself and will be missing it again this year by a few weeks when I am back there this summer.

I had my first raw experience at Joe Forte's and would definitely recommend it for a first timer. They had a large selection of oysters on the menu so I tried a few from the east coast and a few from the west coast.

I was down in Vancouver for the Bon Jovi concert and a little shopping this past weekend. Went for dinner on Friday night at Chil Club Thai Restaurant on Beach Avenue. There were 10 of us in our party and I called around a few places to make a reservation and go figure, most places were booked up with other parties. This restaurant was right next door to the condos we rented so it worked out. Food was pretty good, we ordered a bunch of dishes to share; Tom Kah Soup with Chicken, Yum Neah, Buddhist Vegetables, Gwoi Teaw Pad Kee Mao, Pad Kee Mao Gong, Goong Pad Katiem, Traditional Green Curry Chicken, Gai Pad Ma Mung Kim Ma-Pan and a few other dishes I can't recall. There was lots of food and the price sticker worked out to $17 per person. Three of us split two bottles of wine, the first being the Cono Sur Riesling, which was quite tasty with a great price sticker to match, $23. It was their last bottle so we had to switch to a different bottle which was another riesling, this one from Germany, whose name I can't recall. It wasn't bad but was much drier than the previous bottle and was priced at $24. I can't recall the prices of the other wines but they had a good sized list and the prices seemed reasonable to me. On Saturday, we hit Tsunami Sushi for lunch. It wasn't my first choice but I was quite hungry at this point and was just happy to get off my feet and eat something. I had the miso soup and a couple of rolls. Nothing too exciting but it hit the spot and re-energized me for my afternoon of shopping. We ate dinner that night in the condo with food that was purchased at the Granville Market. The guys did the food shopping and I believe alot of the stuff was purchased at Duso's. My favourite was the Seafood Ravioli that they had prepared in some sun dried tomato concoction. I was too busy drinking from a bottle of Summerhill Ehrenfelser to take much notice of what was happening in the kitchen. After the concert that night, as we were wandering around Yaletown for a place to have some post concert bevvies and some food, we somehow ended up at Rodney's Oyster House. My recollection is a tad foggy but I somehow ended up inside and got a taste of a lone oyster that was being served up at the bar. I do remember it being mighty tasty but am unsure how I got dragged in there for this tasty morsel while my fellow comrades waited out in the pouring rain....Alas, we didn't find anywheres to get in and just headed back to the condo. Sunday, we hit the Milestones on Robson for brunch. We had just finished up with some last minute shopping and needed to find some place for a quick bite before heading out to the airport. I had the Frittata with Sausage and Veggies and quite enjoyed it. The other gals at the table had the Mediterranean Omelets and were quite happy with their selections also.

My husband loves grain mustard, as do I, and I think this would be right up his alley. Recipe please?

I don't have my list in front of me as I'm not at home but one thing I do when I put my grocery list together is that I organize my list in the order that I come across things in the store and so that items that are similar (ie fruits and vegetables) are all together so that I'm not running back and forth between departments. If I'm going to do my shopping at Save-On-Foods, first on my list is breads, then fruit and veggies, meat and seafood products, canned goods/convenience foods, frozen items, eggs, dairy products. If I'm going to be shopping at Superstore, the order changes. I've got a pad of paper that is magnetised and lives on my fridge where I write down things as I run out. When it is time to do my list, I start a new piece of paper so that the item can be put in with the other items in that category.

I know this is probably a silly question but I keep coming back to your photo of the garlic bread. It is perfect! I can't seem to get mine to come out like yours...I have a hard time getting the top to brown nicely like yours, it's either burnt around the edges or too soggy around the middle. Do you broil or bake and for how long?

Had a Turkey Fricot last night, an Acadian soup that we grew up eating regularly after Christmas and Thanksgiving. Made stock with the turkey carcass, added leftover turkey, carrots, potatoes, onions, summer savory and my favorite part, dumplings. For Thanksgiving, I made the Winter Squash Soup with Gruyere Croutons, which has become a tradition since I first made it three years ago. Even non squash eaters love this soup. I roasted some butternut and acorn squash in the oven with the garlic cloves in the cavity until soft. Added the squash and garlic to onions and chicken broth, along with some fresh thyme and sage and cooked for approx 15 minutes. Pureed everything together. I made this the day before and just had to reheat it, adding the cream, and make the gruyere croutons, for a quick and easy first course. I'm big on finding make ahead recipes that makes entertaining more relaxing and enjoyable without sacrificing the flavor of the food that I'm preparing and this recipe fits the bill perfectly.

I've just made reservations for Sunday night and am very excited to try out this new restaurant. The City Dine menu looks fantastic and I'm looking forward to your review and pics.

Thanks for all the great recommendations and for the pre-order tip Neil, I've wanted to try Le Crocodile but could never convince my other half to go. I'll probably wait and see what I'm in the mood for that day before deciding where I'll go.

I'm going to be in Vancouver for a workshop in September and am looking for a place to eat on our lunch break. The workshop is going to be at the Sutton Place Hotel on Burrard and we'll only have from 12 - 1 pm. The only place I can think of close by is Sala Thai which I've enjoyed in the past but would like to know what else is close by and would be able to feed me in that short time frame.

another- if you buy bunches of fresh herbs, snip the bottom stems and keep them in a glass of water- they keep longer and can make for an attractive display in your kitchen. (why do I feel like I should be in "Hints From Heloise"?) Sincerely, Dante ← I've gotta second Dante on the herbs trick. I've got some thai basil and regular basil that I bought over a month ago that is still thriving this way. They've actually grown roots so I'm thinking about planting them. Any tips on transplanting so that they don't die once I put them in soil? My thumb is not as green as I would like and I'm afraid that they'll die as soon as I plant them.....

Neil, I checked out your link and didn't see your menu listed for the City Dine event...or maybe I missed it. It looks like the hubby is going to be in Vancouver around that time again and I'm hoping I'll be joining him and we'll be making our trek to HSG as per usual.

Digging clams all afternoon and then heading home where my mom would steam them and then deep fry them. I love eating the steamed clams that were too small to deep fry. Mom making turkey fricot with leftovers from Christmas dinner. Grandma's creamed squash. Root beer floats while watching Saturday morning cartoons. Dinner at the A & W drive in where they served your dinner on trays that hooked to the window of the car, root beers in the baby mugs. Christmas dinners with my father's side of the family that were held in the living room at tables that were set up since there were too many of us to fit at the kitchen table. First time that I was big enough to order a Big Mac Meal at McDonald's instead of the Kids Happy meal.

Lucky friend!

I was in Vancouver this past weekend for the half marathon. On Friday night, we went to Simply Thai for dinner. There were five of us so we ordered a bunch of items for sharing. Started with the Thai Spring Rolls, the deep fried wonton wrap with ground chicken and spices, Tom Kha Gai and Tom Yum Gai. This was followed by Pad Thai, Chicken Pa-nang and a shrimp and scallop dish. We enjoyed everything we had although the soups were my favourite. On Saturday, after a long day of shopping, we made it to Granville Island to pick up some groceries for our pasta dinner that night. I was starving when we finally made it there and I needed to get food into my belly ASAP so I didn't make it down to GO Fish as was my plan and grabbed a chicken taco from the mexican counter. I loved the fresh salsa and guacamole that was served with it. Sunday we hit Joe Fortes for dinner and I had way too many mojitos alongside my ahi tuna. Food was good and service was excellent. Luckily we were back in a corner where we didn't interfere too much with the other diners around us. We bought a round of drinks for the poor table that was stuck beside us to compensate them for having to put up with a table of rowdy's all night. Edited to add that I went to some falafel (sp?) place on Robson for a chicken schwarma (sp?) for lunch on Sunday, which I really enjoyed.

I'm with the sausage egg mcmuffin camp but do not indulge in this very often. Best hangover breakfast ever.

The 3 of them have a collaborative venture; I'd guess this is a bottling from that venture. I don't recall for certain the source of the grapes -- if they are bought in or from the principals' own vines. I suspect they are bought in, as none of the partners had land in Hermitage before the partnership. But I do think that they did buy some land in Vienne, and it's possible that they bought some land in Hermitage as well -- though that certainly would be an expensive proposition. All the wines I've seen from the partnership have been red, so I suspect this is too. The couple of wines that I tried were a bit international in style, too much so for my tastes. Newbie, assuming the wine is red, then if you have good storage (slowly changing temp 65 F or cooler, air humidity 40%-80%), this bottle will be at its best in 10-15 years. Perhaps even 20. If you don't have good storage, this bottle will never be better than it is now. Open it with lunch and pour into a decanter (or carafe). Have half a glass with lunch, to see what's it like freshly opened. Drink the rest of the bottle with dinner. Serving temperature should be 60 to 65 F, a bit on the cool side. ← That is right, all three producers are on the label and it is a red wine. The label reads Hermitage 2004, Cuilleron Gaillard Villard, Les Chirats de St Christophe, Les Vins de Vienne. I will post a photo of the label later. Thanks LOS for your advice, unfortunately I do not have good storage and I don't know if I could wait that long to try it so I will definitely heed your advice and open it earlier in the day and try it a few different times to see how it opens up and changes. What food would you recommend serving this with?

My husband was recently in France and brought me back a couple of bottles of wine. One of the bottles that he bought for me was a fairly expensive bottle and I want to do this bottle justice when I finally open it up to enjoy. I am a beginner when it comes to wine and have stuck with mostly wines from the okanagan area of British Columbia and therefore am unfamiliar with wines from this area. I have done a bit of research on wines in France and understand that this wine is from the Northern Rhone region and that it is produced from the syrah grape. I have also read that they are undrinkable for years because of very high levels of tannic acid, which acts as a preservative. Thus, my first question is when will this bottle be drinkable? Also, what is this best served with? Any other information that you can offer in regards to this wine would be appreciated. I've tried searching on the internet for information about this wine and have been unsuccessful to date...

I LOVE milk and often drink a glass with my meals and on it's own. But I've gotta admit my favourite way to drink my icy cold glass of milk is with something sweet, ie pancakes with syrup, desserts, etc. and I will actually not eat those things if I'm out of milk. Ditto for PB sandwiches, won't eat em if I don't have milk in the house to wash it down.

There are some killer Chinese places in Richmond. Why not try one of them? Canucklehead can advise ← I've followed the Chinese food thread religiously and would love to try one of them but alas my significant other is not overly fond of that type of cuisine. Will have to save those for one of my solo trips to the area.

I had heard that the restaurant was very good but since we've got such an early morning the next day, we'll very likely stick to the bar for a drink and quick bite to eat.

I wish I had known about the dine out event when I booked my flight to Vancouver for next Monday night.... We are flying out of Vancouver early Tuesday morning to Mexico and are staying at the Fairmont in the airport on Monday night. We don't get into Vancouver until around 7:30 pm so I was thinking of booking something out in Richmond but there are only a few restaurants that are participating. We may check out the Boathouse but since we've got to be up around 4:00 am the next morning, I am thinking that we will want to call it an early night. Will probably end up getting a drink and quick bite at the lounge in the hotel instead.

Thanks Barolo for posting the online edition link for EAT. As I live in northern BC, I don't have access to the print edition of this magazine and am looking forward to checking it out.

What a great report thus far. As a misplaced East Coaster (from New Brunswick) who is living out west, I especially enjoyed the scenic shots. I've been over to the island many a time but have yet to visit Charlottetown. It's funny, when I first moved to B.C. and people would talk about the island, I would get excited until I realized that they were talking about VANCOUVER ISLAND... I get back "home" approx every year - 18 months so will have to make a trek over to Charlottetown and check out the Claddagh Oyster House and some of the other places you recommend. I tried oysters for the first time down in Vancouver at Joe Fortes and have also been to Rodney's Oyster Bar for some. I LOVE them!!!! We have a great seafood shop here in Prince George, BC and the owners are from back east and always have a couple of east coast varieties along with some BC varieties. I must say, I have alot of respect for you all and the speed that you are able shuck these babies. I stuggle with getting them open and usually get them to open them for me to take home. Oh well, guess I'll have to keep buying and practicing.... Looking forward to your next installment.