~cayenne~

Isn't that what is a common topic in the Nu thread? Still looking forward to your review?

Bully for you for beating the local Richmond expert, Keith Talent, to the punch. Do they have a website ? I think I will be out in that direction soon and might need a place to dine with family. Cheers Neil ← I've got to say, where the heck is Keith? Anyway, I noticed a few days back that Sante Fe is now open for lunch, forgot to post. Also, we enjoyed some takeout with friends from another place in Richmond, souvalaki, lamb chops, roast lamb, and all the fixin's and this great pizza with sauce that wasn't tomato based. Really yummy. Just a little ways east from the Marriott/Hilton complex on Westminster. The meat was so good, grilled with great flavour!

Very impressive improvement, wow! However, I've got to wonder about couple of other things......... I hope that your comments have instigated more than just a review of revision of the chowders. Seems like someone who should have been on the ball, overseeing all that is important to a well run operation; seeking feedback and acting accordingly failed miserably. Hopefully, it wasn't just the lower echelon that was chastised.

Although I haven't been there for a really long time, Papi's in Steveston springs to mind, the last time I walked by I saw those same dusty pastel colours and such. Being in it's location, I'd think it would be a reasonably good candidate, (I'm thinking about the show that they did the makeover in Niagra Falls), and how about Steveston Seafood House? Martini's finally did a much needed decor update, their menu obviously keeps them busy..... I'm guessing hotel owned dining properties would be out of the question or anything not basically solely owned and operated, ie., no umbrella corporation controlling the strings. As much as I absolutely love the place, especially the food and the personnel, Wazubeez on Commercial Drive could use some update on furniture and could really use some air-conditioning in the summer, (or another couple of those giant fans).

Doesn't sound meh at all, sounds delicious, excellent combination! What kind of sauce do they use?

Haven't heard that one yet. Wonder if it's another chain restaurant like so many of them located along that stretch, or the real deal? There's many a rub business located in and around Vancouver. Not that righteous however.

No. It's all about Bearfoot and naked women getting dipped in chocolate. I'm not at all being facetious, and it's a sentiment I've gleaned swimming in varied circles over the last couple of days. Everything feels peripheral to Andre's annual ejaculate. Don't get me wrong, I had a wonderful time last night and my eyes were wider than they've ever been. The music was good and the place was hopping, but I've been writing for most of the day and my thoughts keep returning to a point I find tricky to refute. The Cornucopia I had hoped for was highjacked by the glitzfest. There were some wonderful seminars and I thoroughly enjoyed the Araxi after-party. I was introduced to some new vintages at the trade tasting and I was able to share in my delight with some great company, but everything seemed clouded by a child-like fixation with the "excesses" of Masquerave. Even Crush, the gala centrepiece, seemed a mere addendum to it. To me at least, the shebang ended up coming across like a circle jerk play written and financed by reckless adolescents armed with nuclear-powered penis pumps. Not really my scene. Perhaps I'm just getting boring... ← Well, in the news feature last week about the tigers being cancelled, the event was referred to as Pornucopia.

Try to source this brand. I've seen it at Save On Foods, Donald's Market (I think), surely it would be at Capers, Choices, WF? Great products.

I agree. It's much the same as getting a deal at any other business, be it tires, diapers, whatever. The main thing is if we like the establishment that provided the deal, most likely we will return. Like Z.M. posted --I've heard legends that saleswomen in posh shops will have lunch at the same bistro almost every day. I love that idea. The woman from Hermes ordering the prix fixe for twenty years. Reality is, most of us only have a certain amount of money to spend on the pleasures of life, and have to be wise accordingly. Many people don't partake of alcohol, or have more than one drink, and the price of a bottle of wine is often well out of the budget. The onus should be on the business to price it's product accordingly, not the customer to think, oh gosh, I should help them out, because surely they can't afford to give me this product at such a low price. Would we do that at any other store? Then again, I have to wonder if the idea that we should purchase items over and above the PF, etc., has originated from the business owner or the front end employees. Surely any savy owner will price his/her product so they will come out ahead, and hopefully they pay their employees a respectful wage. I took so long to do this that I see DaddyA has posted a reminder...so in respect to the Vancouver issue, perhaps because the dining options have exploded as of late, at there is so much competition for our entertainment dollars (between dining, gambling, sports viewing, theatre, or simply bar/lounge hopping). It boils down to the issue, if the product is good, the experience enjoyably, the proprietor is hoping that we will return again and again. Perhaps there is too much choice out there? Seriously got to wonder if it will last after another five years, sure hope so.

Forgive me if this post is out of line; apparently Milan of Stoney Paradise Tomatoes/Grapes is hosting a function very soon for his friends/customers. I'll PM the info to anyone who might be interested, he lost his phone list.

pls delete. TIA

Badiane, which store was that, if you don't mind me asking. TIA

Not Snacky, but yes, indeed, Daiso is in that mall, with the dancing waters fountain. The store is just to the north of the fountain, it's outside walls are the rounded multi-coloured windows along Cambie and round the corner on that other crazy busy street one block east of 3 Road.

Well, I was hoping for something more exciting and enlightening. Should have known better I guess, being Global. Sure enough Vikram Vij was highlighted, as well as Tojo of course. No problem there, but, dare I say, old news? I was hoping for some new highlights for the viewing public, being that there is so much more to choose from, with ethnic cuisine choices, and the variety of price ranges and locations. There are so many other choices of ethnic cuisine outside of the area of populated by Vij's and Tojo's, which is a very small area in the greater picture of the G.V.A.

When did it close?! Did he move back to Prince George (I believe it was). That's a real shame. It was a pricey but excellent restaurant. ← Unfortunately, quite recently. Mentioned here.

I saw beautiful plump raisins in the bulk tubes at Donald's Market on Commercial Drive. IIRC they were organic too, (both the golden and the dark sultana's) and the prices at Donald's are more than reasonable. Just down the street, north, there is a cheese shop and Drive Organics that probably could supply great cream cheese and possibly the nuts (Donald's had bulk tubes, tubes being the type that you pull the handle and the product drops into your bag, of nuts, including perhaps pecans). Oh, and, I recall a post mentioning that Galloways had moved to a more accessible spot in Richmond, by transit anyway, just west of Lansdowne mall, they'd be the place to check out for a lot of your required ingredients.

I absolutely agree with you on your vote for the latter. It seems that we have been, almost all of a sudden, blessed with so many excellent dining choices. Some highlights of the recent past have beget and fostered many new startups, and subsequently the culinary choices have blossomed. Also, the media has been promoting them widely, in all formats and areas. A wider possible clientale has been enticed to try the different offerings, yet not all of them may have the same spending style, whether by learned habit or necessity. It seems that North America has much different spending styles than Europe, where for example, they will be willing to spend much more on dining out and vacationing, but don't spend as much on excess stuff/toys for the home. Space probably has a lot to do with it, and, the way the new condo's and such are going, I could see that happening here. But then again, a flat screen is one heck of a lot more expensive than a regular. But, I'd hazard a guess, that one of the the biggest things that eats up our pocket change which translates into tipping money for some presumably is taxes, and not just the tax when we eat out.

Since DaddyA is gently admonishing us , maybe a link to the article in question will help focus us on the topic at hand edited to say I meant the above in the kindest sense and tried to rectify it accordingly.

Global TV Cable channel 11 (if using bunny ears, channel 8 ), the segment was shown at about 6:30 p.m., yesterday evening and this evening. DaddyA mentioned that it was on the Morning News show, which starts at 5:30 a.m. and continues until 9:00 a.m. Don't know what time exactly the feature is shown in the morning, but I'd imagine it would be somewhere past 7:30 . The first segement, Monday night/Tuesday morning featured the mention by Andy Lynes, of London's Indepedent, as West being included in the Global Top Ten List of restaurants, as posted by Jamie here. They showed film of the restaurant kitchen and dining area, talked with David Hawksworth and Brian Hopkins, and guests were dining and meals being created during the interview with David. Tuesday evening featured an interview with John Bishop and film of Bishop's during dinner service. He discussed how when he opened in 1985, he would have been surprised if he stayed in business past five years. People didn't go out much for fine dining then, if dining at all, and there weren't very many choices of places to enjoy a good meal out anyway. Mentioned that now most places and young(ish) chefs have increased focus on grown/produced in B.C. products and how Canada and Vancouver has become a destination spot for cuisine excellence as well as the other things that we were formerly a tourist destination for. Looking forward to tomorrows show, it's supposed to be featuring ethnic cuisine restaurants, and how ethnic cuisine in Vancouver has grown and changed (dramatically ). I'd hazard a guess that Vij's will get a mention, just a hunch. ETA oops I forgot, the Iron Chef win of Rob Feenie was shown, where his name was announced as the winner and his stunned realization that it was his name said, and then a couple of minutes of interview footage with him in his chef's whites, with him discussing, that if anything, his win on the show was good for bringing international focus to all the quality cuisine in Vancouver. ETA darn, how could I have forgotten to mention Jamie Maw, thanks kontemporary. I can still see him typing away on his VAIO®.

According to the message on their answering machine, they had a kitchen fire in March and have been closed for renovations. The message promised that they will re-open "very soon". Arne, I was hoping for something slightly more current. ← I've seen postings in the classifieds looking for kitchen and floor staff, indicating as well a reopening soon. I'd bet it will open by December, definitely they'd want to capitalize on the holiday season spenders. Probably been about four years or so since I ate there, a few times. It was simply okay, but I wasn't into all the heavy weight accompaniments. The decor and general ambience definitely needed updating, as well as the menu (then anyway), so will be interesting to see what they have come up with. I always wondered how it could possibly stay there and be a viable operation after all the road work changes, but I guess the new River Rock resort operation has them hoping for lucrative trickle over their way spending. The Boathouse is just up the road too though, and I guess they are doing okay Anyhow, hopefully someone will report their experience after the reopening.

Oh my goodness, you guys are really great, and wasn't he a remarkable person! Perhaps a bag of nuts might find their way into a goodie bag for the wet coast. (jk) Keep up the wonderful work!

The segment that aired tonight was excellent! And, wow, what a beautiful kitchen that West has, very impresssive. Looking forward to tomorrows feature.

Saw something on television recently about a Richmond pizza shop owner doing just that... THE ONLY PIZZERIA USING SPRING WATER FOR THE DOUGH!

I might cheatand send you the recipe ! Or I might not... I might loose my Montreal co stumers if I say too much ! ← Now, you're just teasing me Great site by the way, great looking bunch of folks you are too! Love the Christmas gear, wouldn't want you to lose the costumers!

toto2, I wish your sweet and spicy peanuts were available on the west coast, they sound delicious!