mamacat

I moved here from Vancouver last year and have been pleasantly surprised by the restaurant scene. For sure I miss Nu and the Hammie but have found the 9th St. Bistro for Sunday brunch (limited menu but well done..I like that you can order anything on the menu one of three ways; the dish itself, the dish plus a fruit skewer or the dish plus fruit skewer plus a mimosa). The High Level Diner is also good for brunch. Praha is perfect for lunch, and for dinner the Manor Cafe and Cafe de Ville are very good. A good risotto is hard to find here but I did have one that satisfied at Sorrentinos in the west end made with wild mushrooms. I look forward to discovering more places to indulge when Snackycat is out next month.

Next time, Junior, I find your restaurant....no matter where it is!

I promised to report back but I'm afraid the report is disappointing. it was FREEZING cold in Regina on Monday night so those members of our little group who hadn't brought warm coats were reluctant to budge anymore than 3 blocks from the hotel. We ended up in a mediocre place (whose name I have purged from my memory already) that couldn't make up its mind whether it was Greek or Canadian. I had overcooked, dry chicken souvlaki and some greasy grilled veggies. Next time, I'll make sure my colleagues dress for the weather! Next week, Vancouver & Victoria. It will be good to have a few days on familiar ground near all my favourite places. Neal, heat up that hot gingerbread pudding!

Thanks to Junior and Merlin. I'll update when I get back on Wednesday.

Can anyone recommend a good, moderately priced restaurant in the downtown core (Victoria Ave. area)? Business brings me there next week.

Good call Deborah! I had this last Friday at lunch and it was wonderful. Very thick and rich.

I'm sorry, but are you on drugs? So English, you would swear you were in the English countryside? Come on. Pretty good food? I invite you to take a walk around the corner where you can see the kitchen open to the street. ← I think it would have been nice if you could have made your point without the personal attack. Not having the benefit of a food writers inside view of Victoria's eating establishments, I can only go by experience and I did have two very pleasant visits to said establishment. And, no, I'm a little old for drugs.

There used to be a delightful tea room in Oak Bay called, I think, "The Blethering Place". So English you would swear you were in the English countryside and pretty good food too!

It isn't Vancouver but for those out in the eastern 'burbs, the fishmonger at Newport Village in Port Moody is great. Fresh fish, wonderful crab cakes and halibut cakes, a great teriyaki marinade that he uses for salmon filets, etc., etc. A bit pricey but the quality is worth the money.

The Pavillion at Stanley Park?

Welcome, Quarki! Good first post...your pictures really capture Daniel's cooking very well. We'll look forward to hearing more of your opinions.

I agree with Deborah; the money would be better spent on the washrooms. The concession stands are what they are...places to grab that hot dog or fish & chips that you probably don't eat anywhere else...it's part of the park experience.

Burgers, etc. gets my vote also.

Snacky and I just got back from Taos, New Mexico...she worked, I just tagged along because I love the southwest. The three most outstanding meals we had there were all lunches. First at Orlando's, a southwestern/Mexican family place that has been in Taos for years. Not big, not fancy but very popular with the locals and the food is the reason why. I had a chicken taco salad which tasted like none I've ever had before...everything so fresh with the chicken wonderfully grilled and spiced. Next day we ventured off to visit an Alpaca farm in Mora and had lunch at Hatchas, which looked to be the only place in town. Again, not fancy but what an amazing lunch! I had chiles relleno and Jenn had some sort of carne dish (not asada...the other one...adovana or something like that). The sauces were amazing...just the right amount of heat and wonderfully spiced. To go with our plates we had a basket of warm tortillas and Navajo frybread. The frybread was soft, puffy and perfect for sopping up the sauces. We were served a huge amount of food and just about went into shock when the bill arrived and it was $13 & change for both of us! Perhaps our best lunch, though, was at Joseph's Table in Taos. The prix fixe lunch menu was $16 per person and was amazing. A fresh tomato soup, unadulterated with cream, that was refreshing and beautifully textured. It came with a parmesan crisp on top. Next course was a sea bass served over a bed of deep-fried kale (the kale was all crunchy and yummy) with fresh green beans on the side garished with finely chopped tomatoes & chiles. The dessert was called a mocha tart but it was actually an intensely chocolate lava cake with an intensely chocolate sauce. I thought I'd died and gone to heaven. OK, I'm going to go over three. Our last night we stayed at a B&B in Santa Fe and the breakfast we had was a standout for the side dish that accompanied the eggs and ham. The cook had made puff pastry shells in muffin tins then filled them with mashed potatoes flavoured with chiles. My oh my, they were so good! Finally, the place we stayed at in Taos, Casa Gallina, is a B&B where the owner has chickens in the back yard. We got to feed them, collect their eggs and then have those eggs for breakfast. We are now both fans of free range fresh chicken eggs...amazing!

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PLEASE, PLEASE tell us you won't sell out, Neil!!

Congratulaltions, Chef Fowke! Your restaurant opening sounds like one of life's major exciting events; right up there with getting married or having your first child. I look forward to visiting soon!

Samasutra, a book I would highly recommend if you want to teach yourself classic cooking is "Le Cordon Bleu, Complete Cooking Techniques". I think you could find it on any of the on-line book sellers. It's not cheap ($67.50 in bookstores...maybe less if purchased on-line) but well worth the investment. It won't take the place of hands-on training like the serious foodie classes but the pictures and explanations are very clear and easy to follow.

I think I speak for Snacky-cat and myself when I say that Hamilton Street Grill and Senhor Roosters would have to be our special places. Both Neil and Daniel are gracious hosts offering excellent food and value. (Snacky is off teaching a course and eating her way through Toronto for two weeks in case you've noticed her lack of posts of late.)

It's hard to feel used when people are falling all over themselves ensuring that you are happy. (For example, I had to go and feed my parking meter just before the burgers arrived and Jeff, our host, first offered to have someone go and do that for me but when I declined that offer, was actually waiting for me by the little side door closest to our table to let me back in there so I wouldn't have to walk down the street to the main entrance. That's being made to feel that you are special!) Far from the "extras" taking away from the burger experience, I quite enjoyed the opportunity to sample different menu items, particularly since this was my first ever visit to a CC. (I'm just a bit outside their target demographic....by about 30 years!!) Based on the items we sampled, I'd have to rank CC right up there for CFD. As Lee pointed out, it's not Feenies, but then it isn't trying to be. It was interesting to see the different reactions to the various items by the people in attendance. Some of us thought the ice cream was divine, others not so much...the same for most of the items we sampled. Taste is such an individual thing and I guess that's why many CFD places go for such extensive and varied menus. As Chef Julian explained, you want to have enough on the menu so that just about anyone can come in, look and the menu and find the EXACT thing that they are wanting at that particular moment. An ambitious goal, I think, but one that CC is trying very hard to meet. For me, the highlights of the evening were the "back of house" tour (loved the test kitchen) and the chance to experience Chef Julian's unbounding enthusiasm for food and life in general. This guy should be hired by Tourism Vancouver or have his own TV cooking show...he would be an instant draw. Many, many thanks to Lee for organizing this super evening; great job and great review too! Thanks also to CC for allowing us this inside look at their business.

The last time I was in Ottawa I picked up some maple syrup from a stand at the Byward Market that was very, very good. It was from "Les Sucreries Jean Leclair, 105 chemin Lepine, Gatineau, QC J8L 3G1, tel: 819-281-3708. I don't know whether or not he will ship across the country but it's worth a try. Judging from the taste, I expect he boils his syrup; it tastes the way I remember it as a kid visiting the sugar bush - fresh out of the pot , spread over snow in a ribbon and then wound around a popsicle stick. Another favourite maple treat was maple sugar spread over warm fresh, home-baked bread and then covered with thick, thick cream.

The labour relations practitioner part of me is itching to hear both sides of the story and explore whether or not there is some chance of a win-win solution for all involved. Meanwhile, what are all the store's customers doing for their caffeine fix?

Snacky-cat, Mr. Cat and I visited Brix on Friday night. The restaurant was full but we did not have to wait for our table. We all did the $25 menu, two of us starting with spring rolls and one with salad. The spring rolls were delicious...four of them with 3 dipping sauces. Snacky said her salad was also very good. We all opted for the salmon which arrived on a bed of potatoes with green beans mixed with red peppers on the side. Snacky and I opted for the sorbet dessert (one scoop of pear, one of raspberry...both very refreshing) while Mr. Cat had the strudel. He was pretty full by the time dessert rolled around but finished it anyway because it was too good not to. I had a flight of Sauvignon blanc wines with my meal while Snacky & Mr. Cat opted for a half litre of one of the Sauvignon blancs. All in all it was a very good meal even if a little bland after the brilliant flavour blendings we have become used to at Senhor Roosters. The service was friendly and attentive which was surprising considering how busy the restaurant was and we certainly did not feel rushed. Our waitress did, however, forget to include some of the wine and a martini on our bill but this was quickly corrected when we pointed that out to her. I'm looking forward to trying the patio at Brix come summertime...it looks like a great spot to relax in the evening.

Good review, Elizabeth! I haven't yet tried Don Francesco's but sounds like I'll have to add it to my list. Thanks! Sharon