mamacat

Another great breakfast at Seb's last week (next time I WILL get past the banana bread french toast!). Going down a few notches, a quick business trip to the Island necessitated a BC Ferries breakfast a few days later. Is it just me and my often antiquated ideas about how much things should cost or is ferry food awfully expensive (in addition to being institutional to the N'th degree)? If the airport can serve up tasty food at reasonable prices, why can't BC Ferries? But I digress...lunch in Duncan at a little place called The Barnacle. It seems to be popular with the locals and everyone who walked in while I was there appeared to be a regular. I had a home made vegetable soup that was quite tasty and my colleague accompanied his soup with cheese toast that looked quite good...not greasy and toasted to perfection. Last night Snacky-cat and I had a yen for glass of wine and a snack so we wandered over to the HSG where we indulged in some Yalumba viognier, carpaccio and, of course, GBP. While we there Chef Neil gave us a sneak peek at one of the dishes he will be serving up during Taste of Yaletown...a yummy cauliflower soup with a hint of white truffle oil (we were assured it was not the truffle oil spilled the night before!!). The soup was wonderful. It was not pureed to death but rather had a bit of texture and the flavour kick from the truffle oil was delightful. If that dish is indicative of the food treats in store for us all at Taste of Yaletown, bring it on!!

I don't know how you do it Neil...running a successful restaurant, being involved in so many charity events, organizing things like ToY, staying involved with Egullet and managing family life as well. Someone once said that if you want something done, ask a busy person to do it and you are a prime example of that saying in action. Well done! (But please don't burn out...I know than Snacky and I and many others can't imagine the restaurant scene in Vancouver without you!)

Now you know why Snacky never lets me navigate!

Appreciator, when you check out Pan-O-Pan, in addition to the wild salmon cakes, try the basil aioli (so good on grilled fish or chicken) and the balsamic and vanilla salad dressing. I think you will be impressed. Enjoy! By the way, the store is small and easy to miss...if you are heading west on Broadway, it is just past Main on the right hand side. About half way down the block, just past the store, there is a bumpy little driveway that leads to a small parking lot behind.

Snacky_cat is right...Seb's is a great place for breakfast. The banana bread french toast she mentioned is just wonderful...thick slices of moist banana bread (with plump, juicy raisins) dipped in egg, grilled and then served with a little pot of maple syrup, a little pot of fresh strawberry syrup,some really good home fries and fresh fruit on the side. I couldn't eat again until dinner time. Much as I think I'm going to work my way through their breakfast menu, it's going to be hard to get past the banana bread french toast. We'll see how I manage on Friday morning when we go back for more. Tonight for dinner I grilled up one of Marta Pan's wild salmon cakes and people....RUN, don't walk, to Pan-O-Pan to stock up on these. They aren't cheap at $7 per serving but my oh my...my taste buds are still quivering with delight. These scrumptious cakes are made with wild salmon, Panko crumbs, mayonnaise, red pepper, shallots, garlic, green onions, dill, parsley, lemon zest, lemon juice and s&p. They are MARVELLOUS!!

Snacky-cat has been holding out on me! I discovered the Chili Pepper House at Rupert & Kingsway last week thanks to a surprise invite from papacat and what a discovery it was. Best described as Chinese/Indian fusion, it was fantastic. From the tasty combo pakora's through a wonderful ginger garlic chicken to the Haaji prawns, the entire meal was a delight. From the sublime to the mundane - going away lunch for a co-worker yesterday at Red Robin (oh shame...I can't even bold it) where I had a veggie quesadilla that was mediocre to say the least. Back to the sublime at the Hamilton Street Grill wine tasting last night. Snacky-cat has already described everything in detail so I will just add my congratulations to Chef Neil on another wonderful sampling. He gets more kudos for his efforts on behalf of Cops for Cancer...good on 'ya Neil!! It is so nice to see local entrepreneurs getting involved in such good causes. By the way, I had a call from the NYC tourists that Snacky-cat and I recently hijacked from another restaurant and took to the Hammie for GBP. They loved it! We had recommended that they try the Parkside the next night which they did and enjoyed it tremendously. It would seem that Vancouver has two new foodie fans.

Must have eggs...I've tried it both (actually many) ways and I keep coming back to the way my Grandma made it with grated hard boiled eggs, green onions, chives, s&p, a little mayo, a little sour cream, a little plain yogurt and a little Madras curry powder. Yum!!!

Marta at Pan-O-Pan in Vancouver makes a salad dressing based on vanilla and balsamic. It is a blend of flavours that I never would have thought of but it is amazing.

Safeway carries a cereal by Grain Shop called High Fibre Crisp...it's a mix of corn, wheat rice and oats. Mixed with half a banana, some blueberries and non-fat French vanilla yogurt, it is one tasty and healthy breakfast that lasts all the way to lunch. Try it...you'll like it!

Seems to me to be a sensible approach.

Chef Neil's hanger steak is the best! If, however, you would prefer a night in, you can have an almost comparable experience by whipping up a recipe on Epicurious called "Pan Seared Fillet Mignon with Cabernet Sauce". Fast, simple and everyone I've ever served it to has asked for the recipe. Simply marvellous!

Next timeyou are out wine touring, try Lotusland (out 16th all the way to Abbotsford) - their Merlot is outstanding. Also stop in a The Fort Wine Co. in Ft. Langley (264th and 88th - only 90% sure on the 88th). They do all fruit wines and while I wouldn't serve these with a meal (with one exception), they are great for sipping on these warm summer evenings...especially the White Cranberry. The exception noted above is their blackberry dessert wine (I think it is called "Wild West"). It is very, very good with chocolate desserts or with a cheese plate. Almost port like but with this big, fruity nose and taste. Yum!!

Last night Snacky-cat, Mr. Cat and I returned to La Terrazza for another go at their "7 for 7" menu. We enjoyed a scallop & smoked bacon dish, penne ariabiata and a wonderful sausage & polenta creation. The sausages are home made and are SO good - fat, juicy beautifully spiced! I have never paired sausage with polenta before but the combination was wonderful. We skipped the $7/glass wine and opted for a bottle of Viognier from the Naramata Bench region in BC. It was a little sharper than the Yalumba we had at the last Hamilton Street Grill wine tasting but lovely nonetheless. Waiter Graeme was his usual hospitable and pleasant self - he kept us fully up to date on the score from the football game that was being played a few blocks away at BC Place. There is nothing quite as pleasurable as sitting on a patio on a warm summer night sipping wine and enjoying well-prepared food with good company. If I ever get to heaven (and that is somewhat doubtful), I think I'll ask for that as my eternal reward.

Where does one find these magic "melt-in-your-mouth migraine mints"? Do they work at any time during the migraine cycle or just if you catch it early?

It's not a Vancouver restaurant, just a rather a tacky TV commercial yet I chuckle each time I see "Sam 'n Ella's Chicken" with the aforementioned Sam and Ella standly forlornly in the window of their deserted restaurant. Lovely play on words!

At our office BBQ last week, one of the employees brought a dessert that had us all in heaven. It was a concoction of two different kinds of ice cream, crumbled maple cookies, crumbled Skor bars, caramel dessert topping, chocolcate dessert topping and Cool Whip. She kindly share the recipe but I just about dropped when I read the nutritional information - 509 calories per slice and 24.5 grams of fat. Talk about a baddy but goody!!

When I am in the throes of a migraine, I find that eating small carb-rich snacks (bread seems the best) every couple of hours really helps the nausea. I have no idea of the science behind that and it may not hold true for everyone but it sure works for me.

And yet another vote for Parkside...last time there the food was amazing and our waiter a true delight. He had a wonderfully wry sense of humour and really added to the experience. It's hard to get through all the courses, though; Snacky-cat (who, incidentially, was the tiniest of the group) was the only member of the party who made it.

Snacky-cat and I have been enjoying the goodies from Marta's Pan-o-Pan for some time now and can attest to her skill in the kitchen. Heavenly appetizers and wonderful dinners that you need only re-heat. Try her balsamic & vanilla salad dressing....mmmm.....divine!