mtigges
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Posts posted by mtigges
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They also have shrimp ... wasn't on the chalkboard menu, but it was on their paper leaflet menues. And they were quite good.
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Not sure if anyone here cares ... there's an oyster farming operation for sale in the sechelt inlet. IIRC 25K gets you all the equipment and the lease. The Feb sunshine coast realty paper has the listing.
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Hope tongo is ok ...
Posting is definitely sporadic in forum #32.
Re homebrew ... I'm having a few friends over for a sporting event (note that I'm writing this on saturday night, not sunday) we'll be sampling an all amarillo pale ale, a beautifull rich stout and a so-so pilsner.
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http://www.vivelecanada.ca/article.php/20070202183450789
Is this good or bad news? I'm sad to see a local company sold to a us one.
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I work once a month at the quay in nv, and ate at Jaliscos regularly. I'm sad to say that I noticed a significant decline in the food the last couple of times that I ate there. It's still a great spot to shop for ingredients though.
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Well, I just blew the motor on my KA Artisan, 350 watts iirc. Less than one month old. Can't handle bread dough. I went to the washroom and a couple of minutes later, I smell burnt coils.
No WAY that would have happened on my old one that I let the ex take.
At least sears says they'll replace it.
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It's worth visiting Jolly regardless, but they're generally Danish, so I'm not sure about pickled sausages. Lot's of pickled fish though. Does JN&Z have pickled sausages? I don't remember seeing them, but they're a good Polish Deli. Another place to try would be the place on Gilmore just north of Lougheed. Can't remember the name, sorry.
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Well, we went today for my second visit, and my wifes first. The first time I went I went with a friend. And it was awesome, absolutely great. Today, it sucked a$$. I mean quite bad. The first time I've haven't given a tip. Is it the same chef?
A) The waitress was wearing a too short leopard print mini skirt and wearing WAY TOO MUCH cheap perfume. She smelled more like mineral spirits. There was only one other table but the service was still pretty slow.
B) The sauces were very unlike what I remember. Boring hot sauces. I remember 4 or five little jars of heaven. These were like Franks Red Hot. Except one was green. Quite different from what I remember. Plus, previously, the bread was also served with a little sardine spread ... not so any longer, but I can forgive that.
C) Well, the appetizer wasn't too bad. We had sardines, for $10, 5 grilled sardines is a pretty good value. And they didn't taste bad. I'm quite interested in that they came whole, not cleaned, seems strange to me, since I'm just unsure how often one can get fresh sardines.
D) Despite repeated apologizies for the delay (did I mention there was only one other table), when the food was served it was barely warm. My wife had pork and clams. The pork tasted like clams, and the clams tasted like rubber. Not good. It is reputed to come with cilantro, but this stuff was so overcooked it didn't have any flavour anymore. Looked more like the spinach my Mom used to boil in the 70's. I had the quail - a special. The flavour was good, but like I said, cold. It came with a saffron rice which was good, and a salad of iceberg lettuce and kraft ranch (I'm not an expert on kraft dressings, but this stuff likely came from a jar).
There is no way that this could have been the same cook, Daniel, as last time. Has something changed? I spoke with him on my first visit, super nice guy. But tonight was bad.
It's a shame, because I really wanted to try the salt-crusted chicken, but I don't think I'll be able to drag myself there again. At least it wasn't overpriced.
is this the one at the new location?
Yes, is the old location still operating? I thought it was moved?
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Well, we went today for my second visit, and my wifes first. The first time I went I went with a friend. And it was awesome, absolutely great. Today, it sucked a$$. I mean quite bad. The first time I've haven't given a tip. Is it the same chef?
A) The waitress was wearing a too short leopard print mini skirt and wearing WAY TOO MUCH cheap perfume. She smelled more like mineral spirits. There was only one other table but the service was still pretty slow.
B) The sauces were very unlike what I remember. Boring hot sauces. I remember 4 or five little jars of heaven. These were like Franks Red Hot. Except one was green. Quite different from what I remember. Plus, previously, the bread was also served with a little sardine spread ... not so any longer, but I can forgive that.
C) Well, the appetizer wasn't too bad. We had sardines, for $10, 5 grilled sardines is a pretty good value. And they didn't taste bad. I'm quite interested in that they came whole, not cleaned, seems strange to me, since I'm just unsure how often one can get fresh sardines.
D) Despite repeated apologizies for the delay (did I mention there was only one other table), when the food was served it was barely warm. My wife had pork and clams. The pork tasted like clams, and the clams tasted like rubber. Not good. It is reputed to come with cilantro, but this stuff was so overcooked it didn't have any flavour anymore. Looked more like the spinach my Mom used to boil in the 70's. I had the quail - a special. The flavour was good, but like I said, cold. It came with a saffron rice which was good, and a salad of iceberg lettuce and kraft ranch (I'm not an expert on kraft dressings, but this stuff likely came from a jar).
There is no way that this could have been the same cook, Daniel, as last time. Has something changed? I spoke with him on my first visit, super nice guy. But tonight was bad.
It's a shame, because I really wanted to try the salt-crusted chicken, but I don't think I'll be able to drag myself there again. At least it wasn't overpriced.
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Our government finally decided to start distributing Negra Modelo, happy happy joy joy. I like this beer. Best beer from central america.
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Tongo,
If you want my input .. don't spice it. There just isn't time. No matter what you use it just won't be enough time. Spicing a beer that is lower alchohol (as this one should be given the time frame) doesn't work as well.
So, here's what I would do ... brew a good porter around 5% or so. But brew about 25 litres, or 6.5 gallons ... aiming for one more gallon than fits in the keg. Then bottle up those adding a few drops of concentrated "xmas flavouring of your choice" personally I would use vanilla and amaretto I think. Just use those little bottles of concentrated flavour extract to impart the flavour you want. And I would only put it in the bottles. That way the keg is quaffable and the bottles have the xmas flavour. Problem is that it's even a tight schedule to let the bottles prime.
But I would try and figure something out like that. Do you have a tap-a-draft? or a pig? that would be ideal.
Brew a little extra for the flavoured portion.
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Kosta in Lonsdale Quayis quite concerned about sustainability, and sells only the falkland islands fishery.
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S,
It wasn't unreasonable.
M.
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Have they dropped the modern latin cowboy theme? The dinner you had didn't sound very latin.
The decor hasn't changed if that's what you're asking. As for the menu, it's totally new. I enjoyed Remi's food. And I thought the modern latin was a great concept ... the new menu isn't latin I don't think. We didn't really look at it long, as Seamus dictated what we were going to eat. I remember seeing some surprising combinations ... ie. an appetizer that included both duck and ice cream. I intend to go back and eat from the menu.
M
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Press has been notably absent. Century has a new chef. I don't know all the details ... but there was some serendipitous timing between my neighbour looking for a new gig and Century needing a new chef.
I hadn't been since one of the pre-opening dinners, shame on me.
So, Seamus (my neighbour) gave me a little friendly grief and bugged us on when we were going to come down.
Last Friday we had dinner at Century.
I'm not the kind of guy to bring a camera to dinner, so you'll have to live with stunted prose.
NB: my memory might not reflect actual food consumption.
1. Cauliflower soup with salmon roe and poached oyster.
This was an amazing soup ... I loved it. The oyster was perfect. Not generally a big fan of cooked oysters, but this soup was perfectly balanced. The oyster was not chewy, nor exhibited any of the other faults sometimes present when one eats poorly cooked oyster.
Delicious.
2. Braised pork belly. Can't remember the side.
Yum. That's all I have to say. This dish was amazing. My wife who normally shies away from eating too much fat was at first hesitant, but when she tried it ... she loved it.
3. Pan seared duck breast with duck confit risotto.
Again, delicious. Seamus knows we love duck, so I suspect that played into his choice for a duck course. This was very yummy. Beautiful risotto with great texture, and perfectly cooked duck breast.
3.5 ... edited to add ... (see how good my memory is) We received a truffled beef tartar as well. Best I've ever had. Can't believe I forgot it.
4. Trio of seafood.
Here's where my memory really breaks down. There was a very delicious, perfectly cooked scallop served with chili oil, a potatoe pave, salmon dusted in beet, but there was also something else, I hesitate to say it was tuna, might have been. What I can say is that all were excellent with the scallop being the star. (I was two pre-dinner martinis, and two with dinner drinks ... so I was getting hazy. Apologies to Seamus for poor memory)
5. Trio of ice-creams
An appropriate simple and tasty pallette cleanser.
Service was prompt and very friendly, but it was a bit quiet as we got there fairly early.
All in all ... we had a great time. And we had a great meal. If you haven't yet visited Century, then for what it's worth you have my recommendation. It was the first time I had eaten Seamus' food, and the dude can definitely cook.
If you have been before, go again. I believe it to be improved.
M.
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I have heard about Guiness gas but do not think that it could contain any CO2. Am I misguided?
Guinness gas is a synonym for beer gas iirc. This is usually a mix of CO2 and N at 50% levels I believe.
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Ummm, I must have missed something upthread. (And can't find relevant information with search.) Where is Dona Cata? Looks delicious.
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I bought mine at crappy tire. No joke. And they were ridiculously cheap. But it's not something they stock regularly. You have to go to the big CT stores though.
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For the sake of Audiofan 2. (And any other bottlers.)
When I bottled, that is how I did it. There are two very good reasons for doing it this way, first it ensures that the distribution of the sugar solution is even, second priming the siphon hose with the sugar solution allows you to avoid less sanitary means of starting the siphon. The downside is you need a bucket which is dedicated to bottling.
Mark.
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Lots of people make a product from redwine fortified with brandy and call it Port too. Despite the fact that it doesn't come from Porto.
(I think it's brandy, is that right?)
Oh well.
Personally, I think they should. I want to know if a beer is attempting to be a Kolsch. There's an excellent example from here in BC, and I may not have tried it had it not said that it is a Kolsch.
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mtigges:
Dextrins are probably worth noting, but it is the proteins that do the heavy lifting:
From The Complete Handbook of Home Brewing by Dave Miller (re: lack of body)-
One myth that seems to die hard among home brewers is that dextrins contribute to that body of a beer. The great Belgian brewing scientist Jean de Clerck proved this false long ago. On the other hand, it is easy to see how the idea arose...The simplest way to increase the body of a pale beer is to incorporate a pound of Cara-pils malt into the grist. Due to the malting method, this material is rich in body-building proteins.Far be it from me to question de Clerk, or even Miller, but I think proteins are a different issue than the one we're talking about in stout. Moreover, there are many Hefeweizen examples which feel quite thin in body despite their disporportionate amount of protein. Stouts are in general brewed with low protein ingredients, so differences in mouthfeel and body in this case, I feel, are more likely due to mashing regimen.
But it's definitely the case that proteins affect body of the beer. I just think it's different than high alpha mashed beer.
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Most Guinness here in NA is actually quite thin in body, and quite low in alchohol. So much so in fact that it did almost as well as some of the low-carb beers that were the fad last summer in a head to head test (BYO had an article, but I can't find which issue right now, sorry).
That said there are many different kinds of Guinness. Some more "stout" than others.
Most of the mouthfeel comes from the fact that Guinness is served with beergas. A mix of nitrogen and CO2. The nitrogen does not dissolve in the beer ... it used only to push under high pressure through a sparkling tap. This causes VERY small bubbles in a stable foam. If only CO2 were to be used then the beer would overcarbonate. The sparkling tap also has the side effect of stripping most of the CO2 out of solution leaving the beer comparitively flat.
The smooth dense foam and nearly flat beer make the beer feel heavier when it fact it isn't. This is imitated to some degree with the nitrogen widgets in the cans.
A previous poster mentioned "higher ingredient content." Not sure exactly what he meant ... but the real truth behind creating high body is not necessarily to use more malt, but to mash it at a higher temperature. If you mash at 60-65 degrees C you will produce a MUCH more fermentable wort than if you mash around 70. The reason for this is that there are two chief enzymes responsible for converting starch to sugar. The B enzyme works best around 62 and produces mono-sacharides which are easily fermented by yeast, the A enzyme produces dextrines, which are not, and add sweetness & body/mouthfeel to the finished product.
Guinness is I suspect mashed around 62 C. It is very dry. If you let the beer go flat, and measure it with a hydrometer, I suspect it will be substantially under 1.010 specific gravity, probably around 1.006. Right in line with NAIL standards.
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Personally I don't think there's any possible debate. I agree with Chris, if you really want to know, do an analysis. But when the primary ingredient in beer goes through so many different kinds of processing before it's used, plus you add hops, and other spices ...
I just don't see how fermented pressed grapes, or even blends of different grapes could even approach the spectrum of flavours that you find in beer.
Regardless ... differences are subdued in wines, so even if wines are "more complex" however you define that ... it's obvious that it's easier to detect differences in beer. At least to me. And that aids enjoyment.
I vote beer. (But I enjoy wine.)
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- even my cellar ambient temperature was too high to ferment. This can be worked around, however by fermenting in my wine cooler with a thermostat attachment.
To solve that problem I framed off a small section (2' x 7') of my garage and wired a ranco remote thermostat to an outlet. This allows me to plug in an AC, or a heater, set the temperature that I want and done. I'm a potter, and when the kiln is on it's gets around 40C in the garage ... with the insulation the A/C only comes on every 10 or fifteen minutes to keep it around 20C in the fermentation chamber. Plenty of room for two buckets of fermenting beer, and a bunch of conditioning kegs.
Mark.
Uruguayan Beef
in Western Canada: Cooking & Baking
Posted
"Alberta and Uruguay are one in the same"
Say what? I've always enjoyed your posts for good insight, but I'm missing your point here Keith.
I agree with Mark. I think it is absolutely deplorable, morally, to purchase food from half way around the world. I suspect that in 20 years people will view habits like this as insane as we now view smoking. (And yes I'm a bit of a hypocrit on this one, but I would never buy beef from the southern hemisphere.)