kontemporary

I don't think anyone's mentioned this yet but Abigail's Party has opened where Tangerine used be, from the crew that opened Hell's Kitchen and Nevermind both in Kitsilano.

Ah yes, I managed to catch it tonight. It's on about halfway through the news hour for all of you wondering - tonight it was after the sports brief. The piece itself is not very long - but it does make highlight on Vancouver's cuisine and hopefully make more peopel aware of our thriving restaurant industry. ~cayenne~ has all of it covered. There was also a clip with Jamie Maw talking about Vancouver and its 'fusion'.

Does anyone know the exact times of the broadcast? (channel 11 news @ 6pm & 11pm?) And anyone have the details on the first segment? I didn't catch it..

"Hooking" at CHURCH? What would Jesus say? ← Good on you for hooking with a Christian girl !

INteresting, I went there yesterday as well! I had the "super dinner" which was 13$ and dessert, which was a black forest cake, for an additional 1$. It was too bad they were out of sauerkraut when I came - but oh boy that was a hellishly long (30 min+) lineup!!

I posted about that ahiwle back in the thread.. the name was.. something and Tango IIRC. Ambrozia Restaurant and Lounge is also open at 911 Denman St.. anyone know what was here before it ? (possibly Shiraz?) I haven't been by myself, but have seen an ad they put out.

I love it when people dine at the bar. You get to be within yelling distance from the kitchen, everyone keeps an eye on you, and if you're really lucky- you get to hear me curse when a keg inevitably blows right at the busiest point in the evening. k. ← It's too bad the Aurora bar can only fit three though... maybe you guys should think of expanding that sometime

I also think Belgian Fries on Commercial Drive carries them.

Not LilyKate anymore, but "LK Dining Lounge"

Of course, of course. It reminds me of a very funny thing I've heard on the internet.. http://paginas.terra.com.br/educacao/asktheteacher/malta.htm May not be appropriate for all audiences

Bitch? Anyhow.. the menu certainly looks delicious and very appealing. But concerning the mains, I'm failing to see strong Portuguese influence.. but among the tapas and appetizers, it certainly looks like Portuguese peasant comfort food at its best. I'm also very interested in checking out the saffron ice cream under their desserts

I'd be weary about packing sushi/raw fish/stuff like that unless you're gonna be eating soon after you get on the plain. Perhaps try a teriyaki noodle or something along the lines of that. Warm sushi sitting out there too long just seems too unappetising for me (especially california rolls when the avocado begins to darken).

Thanks, that one of the best reads I'be had in a while . Yaletown reminds me of a Vancouver that tried to grow up too fast...

excuse my culinary ignorance but what the heck does acetate have to do with pastry

Thanks for the tips I'll be sure to be back and tell you when I do

Yagger's is open.. or at least their website is (though not fully functional - click here). I managed to to get their menu though, if anyone's interested: Quite interesting.. and definitely casual.

I'd venture a guess that the reason is called a union, most likely Local 40 to be exact. Pretty good job security and wages at a nice job site, certainly wouldn't encourage a high turnover rate or burnout. I remember seeing much the same at the Delta hotel by the river at YVR, at the Pier restaurant, before they changed it to the Elephant & Castle, ← Hmm that's interesting. I'll have to ask my friend about that. I probably would suspect so now too. I have a friend who's young and works at the Chateau Lake Louise. The chefs at Griffins were quite young too, working their magic at the open kitchen. But I guess seniority gets the tips Any experiences with other hotels? I know the staff at DIVA is fairly young, or at least some of them..

It's been awhile since I've posted one of these.. besides lurking on here and reading what other people have been up to.. but here are my last three dining experiences: Griffins at Fairmont Hotel Vancouver My party decided to go for the buffet appetizer bar as the first course (14$), which was excellent. Smoked salmon, marinated mussels, chilled snow crab were available, as well as the pasta salad, various toppings and condiments which were excellent. Their seafood chowder was tasty with chunks of salmon and tomato in the broth, albeit a bit watery for my preference. The à la carte entrées however, were poorly executed. I had their wild salmon (24$), which though overcooked slightly, was very smooth and had no trace of any fishiness. Clean, crisp flavours. However it came on quite possibly the worst asparagus I ever had. I do realise asparagus season is over, but they don't seem keen on making the menu seasonal and taking it off the selection. The asparagus was not only chewy, but stringy, and overcooked. My friends had a seafood linguine(22$) and crab cakes(23$) for theirs. The linguine was done quite well, but the crab cake was uninspiring. The sides for the crab cake were just plain rice and some steamed vegetables. The dessert bar was excellent however. They had some hit and miss selections, but in general it was good. I particularly enjoyed their chocolate selections, and the crème caramel. They also had a mango cake which was sublime. Service was very good and enjoyable. The one thing I notice about Griffins is that the waiters are not 20-something year olds and full of energy. They're generally middle aged and relaxed, and it gives Griffins an atmosphere you don't see in many restaurants anymore. My friends also joked about the checkered décor making the establishment look like White Spots. Far from it, of course. I'd recommend Griffins again, as long as you make smart choices. Definitely go for the appetizer buffet option, which comes at a slightly higher price than à la carte, and a well-chosen entrée (dessert comes alongside). Kalypso Ouzeria on Robson (next to Caffè de Medici and L'Hermitage) Fortunately this was a poor choice of deciding to try a new Greek restaurant out. For a spectacular location, right on Robson, with a patio, you'd expect quality like Savoury Coast Cucina Mediterannea. Unfortunately, this was not the case. When at arrival, the restaurant was quite spartan, albeit quiet and a very relaxed atmosphere. However, the tables were laced with (old) plastic tablecloth, which I personally have a pet peeve for. Why use tablecloths if not linen, and why use bad ones at that if they're not even necessary? Our waitress was also not very welcoming, despite the restaurant being quite empty. She seemed to rush, but did check up on us often. The décor was very spartan. Wine bottles in an old cooler-fridge near the entrance didn't exactly make a good impression. We started off with an order of calamari and their tsatziki/pita. Both were good. Calamari was expensive in relativity to other Greek places, but well executed (10$?). However our entrées were disappointing. I had their rack of lamb (22$), which was described as coming in a mint jus of some sort, but came out with.. what tasted like pre-packaged gravy. Their sides of pilaf were soggy, and the potato, unseasoned. The portion of Greek salad was good however. My friend had the roast lamb (18$?), and I didn't ask how it was. Needless to say, at a price point like that there are many, many more Greek places that do the job better for less. And downtown too. Pho Thai Son on Broadway This was a surprising Vietnamese restaurant. Service was minimal, as in similar small Asian restaurants. The décor was very cluttered with white holiday lights along the wall. However, the small restaurant was filled - we had to wait in line for ten minutes. It was also quite warm inside as well. And poor kitchen ventilation (as we find out after leaving with our clothes smelling). The food was quite good. Strong, aromatic flavours reminiscent of authentic Vietnamese cuisine. I shared a bowl of the rice noodle marinated in soy sauce topped with squid, shrimp, scallions, liver (yuck), giblets (couldn't identify), and its side of soup (5$?). It was very enjoyable. We also had the fish hot pot, which came to the table with a portable stove to keep it warm (20$). It came with a dish of caramelized pork with ground pepper and fish sauce - a salty dish enjoyed with rice. The hot pot was quite good, but the fish (I don't know what kind..) was very fishy (haha..), just simmering in the delicious soup. I think the fish was probably imported here. It seemed something between a halibut and trout.. with a skin that was really chewy. All in all, a good experience, and good value. Just don't mind lining up, and your clothes smelling food when you come out, and it's probably quite a good foray into authentic Vietnamese cuisine.

Is it a distinct unique texture/flavour? I have not heard about oyster plants until I came across this thread.. sounds intriguing. Guess I'll have to wait until winter hits before I can go looking for some.

Everyone's saying how reasonably priced it is but.. a dollar figure would be nice EDIT: Wow, that really is cheap ! sounds like good continental comfort food

There are so many good ethnic outlets in that strip.. you could try Chutney Villa or Congee House near Main, or go one block south Main from Broadway and head to Monsoon. Go the other direction and you can go to Aurora Bistro or hip-vegetarian The Foundation. Going further down Broadway you could go to Martini's for pizza, Afghan Horseman for some Middle-Eastern, or go lavish with Tojo's. Memphis Blues is a southern barbeque hit next to Cru, but you could also check out the newly-opened Red Pepper.

But you get a signed book from Trotter and Feenie!! and the menu signed! Okay, maybe that's not worth it... considering you can go to Blumenthal's Fat Duck (around 250) with that and buy just under a cheap economy-class return ticket to London.

Aw shucks, thanks for letting me know! P.C. froze, so I clicked on A.R. again, should've checked. I'll plead with Daddy-A to delete one I guess. Thanks for posting the phone number. ← Ah, no prob. The restaurant I think is called "Santa Fe", which makes more sense.. naming itself after some place in the US IIRC...

You double-posted.. tsk tsk Here's the phone number: (604) 273-3400 (apparently it's their fax too??) Address is: 6091 - No. 3 Road They posted an ad in the Sun/Province (which expired by now), but remnants from the googlebot show:

Au Contraire. its getting very boring. ← But threads that don't get boring tend to be ongoing, and in that case, turns repetitive. And also 10 pages long.