quattroporte

I agree - but it sure sounds good, doesn't it? And check out the owner - he's the one wearing the chef's outfit (what are they called anyways?) and the very intense look on his face. The look reminded me of the "soup Nazi" - not the demeanor, just the intensity.

I discovered a relatively-new pizza place in Steveston that's definitely worth a visit. Steveston Pizza Co. is at the corner of Moncton and 3rd. Ave., with another location opening up soon on Mary Hill Road in Poco. Really innovative pizza ideas - I ordered the Journey of Mystery - "a sea of mushrooms, rivers of porcini dusted brie and a mist of truffle oil". It was outstanding. Sadly, the pizza's are not done in a wood oven but they are delicious nonetheless. Topping seem to be of the highest quality. This place is Lombardo's only serious competition, imho. A couple of other pizza's are: Going Back - "honey-roasted chicken breast, gorgonzola and fig mousse, baby arugula julienne and maple glazed walnuts (no tomato sauce). The Ketubah - "asparagus and smoked salmon fallen in love, bocconcini and sage hand in hand, a marriage of Grana Padano and Mascarpone cheese and a shower of pink peppercorn. They also have the usual varieties of pizza's and their prices are a just a bit more expensive than the regular delivery variety. Anybody who makes pizza's with bocconcini, mascarpone and gorgonzola deserves to charge more. They don't deliver - pick-up only. I understand that the chef/owner insists that his pizza's be eaten as quickly as possible, and that a hot pizza in a box for 20 minutes would be an injustice. There's a little park right across the street, perfect for picnicing. Bring lots of napkins.

My husband and I went to Nu a couple of weeks ago. The weather was nice, and we were early enough to get a seat outside. Love the view - classic Vancouver land and seascape. Not wanting a full sit-down meal, we ordered cocktails: me, a French 75, delicious and refreshing, and my husband had a beer. We ordered three appies that I had heard about but never had the opportunity to try. We ordered the crispy fried olives, the crispy pork with some sort of sweet dipping sauce, and the shoestring sumac-dusted fries. The olives came first. Seems to me that the fryer wasn't up to temperature, and they were rather soggy with oil. And salty! Oh my lord! almost inedible! Needed a sip after every olive. Then the pork came. So much for "crispy" - again, oil not hot enough or something, but it was short strips of chewy pork boiled in oil. Not nearly crispy. Or tasty. The fries arrived cold and again, overly salted. We didn't finish one of the plates. I've had some awesome dishes at Nu - I raved to everyone how it was my favorite restaurant, and hopefully, some of those dishes are still there. In retrospect, I should have sent everything back, but we were out on a date, it was a beautiful night and I didn't want to deal with the hassle of sending the food back. I felt badly for our waiter - he was so attentive and kind. Anyways, the drinks and view were great, but three lousy appetizers in one evening = 3 strikes out. By the way, for a Friday night, the place wasn't busy at all. Hmmm....?

Does anyone know when Milan will be here with his tomatoes? I can't wait much longer.....

Last three dinners out: Shanghai Palace - always our choice for Chinese comfort food. We stuck to the basics, since there were lots of kids with us. Their won ton soup is the best in town! Won tons in chili oil were good too. Sassi's Restaurant - Scottsdale, AZ. This was the most amazing meal of my life. I discovered the Chef used to work in NY in one of Mario Battali's restaurants. If you ever get an opportunity to go, TAKE IT! I still dream about it... Chartwells - Winemaker's Dinner featuring Moillard. Foie gras terrine, rhubarb gelee, pistachio tuile - not my favorite way to eat foie gras. Much prefer it seared. Like eating a cold tub of butter. Served with Cremant De Bourgogne, Blanc de Blancs Butter roasted rabbit, almond puree, apple jus - wine: Rully 2003 Morel crusted salmon, fava bean ragout, smoked bacon - wine: Chassagne Montrachet 2004 Seared duck breast, truffle pancake, confit salad - wine: Corton Grand Cru 1993 (this was my favorite dish!) Brie Souffle, marinated strawberries - wine: Pommard ler Cru Epenots, 2000 - This was a bit of a letdown - there was no flavor of cheese in the souffle, and all in all it was rather bland.

I saw the piece on the CTV News last night. The majority of the segment was on what they said was BC's Biggest Burger. The Witch Pub in Maple Ridge makes this 8 pound monstrosity. If you can eat it in under one hour, you get the burger for free and they give you $100. Ling? Are you listening?? Anyways, they listed the "Best Burgers" at the end, with Burger Etc. coming in at #1, Vera's came in at #2, and Moderne Burger came in #3. I think White Spot and Red Robin tied for #4.

Man - you got me all excited when I saw this thread.....I was thinking by some miracle of science Milan had managed to produce tomatoes during the winter. Six more months..........six loooooooong months

We doing something a little unconventional (for us, at least) this year. Lunch at Nu. Mid-week, long romantic dinners are a thing of the past for us. So it'll have to be a mid-week, quick romantic lunch, which suits me just fine. We've had our share of those early-romance, Valentine's Dinners, where you're too in-love/lust to even taste the food. Now, it's ALL about the food! Mmmm, gruyere onion soup.....

I too had a very mediocre meal in December at Diner. Had lunch there with a friend, and although we were in no hurry, the service was extraordinarily slow, with only one person on the floor, handling about 5 tables. I remember craving comfort food, and when I saw Macaroni and Cheese on the menu, I asked our server about it. Eyes all a'glitter, I asked "is it really creamy and cheesy?" She said that, yes, it was, and it was very, very good. My meal arrived, and it was cavatappi pasta in a bland, white sauce (barely enough to coat the pasta), topped with a few sauteed onions and green beans. I think it had been sitting under a warmer for some time, as it was really dry. Where was the gooey cheese?? It was one of the worst pasta dishes I've ever had. I probably should have sent it back, but by this time we were pressed for time, and just wanted to finish the meal. I also ordered the chocolate souffle (at the beginning of the meal) and when it arrived, well after we had finished our lunch, it was barely warm and deflated. Like my enthusiam. After seeing all the stellar reviews, I chocked our meals up to being an "off day". I'd like to see Diner make a go of it, but I agree - service issues should be addressed. I haven't decided if I'll give it another try.

Really? Anybody know when it's supposed to open? I heard that Save-On was coming instead.

It was great to finally meet my first eGulleter: Ling! (the camera gave you away!) And your friend was correct - I think you are somewhat of a celebrity in this Forum! We decided, rather last moment, to try out Senhor Rooster last night, kids and all. I had the grilled cornish game hen (whole), as did Mr. Q. and the kids split a rack of BBQ ribs and fries. All of the food was delicious, especially the hens: these were some serious-seasoned, juicy and LARGE birds. We thoroughly enjoyed them, although I couldn't finish even half of mine. The ribs, on the other hand, were a little well-done, but the kids enjoyed them nonetheless. We split an order of patatas bravas as our side - they were nothing like the ones I've had before at La Bodega - these were potato wedges, tossed in a tangle of sauteed onions and a sweet/spicy bbq-flavoured sauce. One word: Addictive. The only negative of the evening was the rather long wait for the entrees. Perhaps that was because we were really hungry when we arrived, but we clocked it at close to 45 minutes. The Chef apologized and explained that the delay was because of the size of the hens - these ones were extraordinarily large!! Once we dug in, though, we decided it was worth the wait - and we would definitely order the game hens again. We saw other people trying the lamb, and it looked delicious. Sadly, we were too full to tackle dessert. I agree with Snacky - this site is probably bringing him tons of business! Good food, very reasonable prices (2 whole hens, 1 rack of ribs, (both came with potatoes and salads) 2 glasses of wine, 1 pop - $58.00!) Good food, good value - gotta like that!

Darn that website...I've spent precious hours waiting, waiting.... Note: Nu is NOT accepting reservations - First come, first serve, which suits me just fine. Too bad they aren't serving the onion soup.

I completely agree with you on the Wild Rice thing: sadly (for WR) there are too many fabulous restaurants out there that don't require your Visa number, and would be THRILLED to have a party of 12 come to their restaurant. What were they thinking?

Is there much difference between the Swiss and French? Do you have a preference? And I agree with what you said about veggies at holiday time, Lee. You are a very wise man, indeed. January is ALL about the veggies.

OK - I'll admit it - I am a Vacherin Virgin.....but hopefully not for long. I just put my name down at Les Ami...hopefully I'll hear back shortly. Is anybody willing to give me a description of the cheese? Is it just smelly, or horribly smelly? Is it so runny it is best eaten with a spoon? What kind of wine would best suit it? I bought a cheese with an orange rind from Urban Fare - it was called something like "Chaumes". Smelled like, gosh, I don't know if there is a description for something so horrible. Tasted like heaven. Most of my guests refused to try it, fearing it might taste like it smelled. Their loss.....I thought it was delicious.

Speaking of cheesecake, I just tried the President's Choice Pumpkin Cheesecake - WOW - for sometime that came out of Superstore (my kids call it Stupidstore...for good reason) it was fantastic. An entire small cheesecake that feeds four people was only $5.95. I think the last slice I ordered at a restaurant was $6.50, and not nearly as good. Plain cheesecake circles the outside of the cake, with a creamier pumpkin/cheesecake filling in the middle. Sprinkled with cinnamon, I think, and with a nut (walnut, I think) crust.

We were at The Cactus Club on Broadway a couple of weeks ago and had a burger as well - I don't think it was a "turbo" burger, but after one bite, my husband and I declared it to be the Best Burger we had ever had. The bun (white) had just the right texture, good amount of toppings and condiment, great beef flavour on a not-too-large patty. Perfection. We were amazed - how could Cactus Club produce such an awesome burger without anybody talking about it? I thought about posting, but was worried about being laughed out of the Forum........ So even if you can't get a "Turbo Burger", go and try one - they're really worth making the trip for. By the way, has anyone else tried a burger at a different CC location? Oh man, this is making me REALLY hungry........

Didn't Lombardo's recently undergo a renovation? ← Oh, now you've got me all excited....! I haven't been for a couple of months. How recent? Anybody??

Today me n' the girls (6 and 11 years old..) checked out Argo Cafe, near 2nd and Ontario. I remembered reading a post about getting a seriously good burger there. Teensy little place with arborite counters and the breakfast and lunch menu written on chalkboards on the wall. The place hasn't been updated since the early 70's. I ordered a cheeseburger with fried onions, and a small green salad. The girls ordered a cheeseburger and fries. The burgers were very good - fresh buns, real cheddar, lettuce, tomato, onion and an interesting slightly spicy mayo-based sauce. The fries were really good - shoestring and very crispy, but not overcooked. The meals come with a cup of soup (we had the vegetable soup - homemade and quite good). The entire meal came to $11.50. The other menu items looked interesting: everything from Chinese dishes to spaghetti to grilled ahi tuna on a bed of greens. Only open for breakfast and lunch. Oh, and our server (and owner, I suspect) made balloon animals for the girls at the end of the meal.

Lombardo's. Everything could be improved. First, new tables and chairs - ones that don't wobble, and ones with some cushioning would be nice. Then fix up the bathrooms, add some lighting and fix the leaky faucets. And anything that would improve the sour-looking pizza thrower's disposition. Man, to put up with all of that just for a really good slice. Sigh.

I'm surprised you didn't get these instructions when you joined. Here they are - now practice. Memo ← Oh yes, now I see.....like this, then that.....I GOT IT!! I suppose those instructions got lost in the mail............I am so super cool now!

I read with great interest Tim Pawsey's article (in today's Vancouver Courier) on deals in Vancouver. Overall, very well written, with mention given to West's prix-fixe deal, as well and Raincity Grill, and low and behold, our beloved Hamilton Street Grill. Mr. Pawsey writes about an upcoming event at HSG offering pours from Cedar Creek paired with appies from none other than owner-chef Neal (sic) Wyles. The last sentence reads: "Book in advance - and maybe learn the egullet secret handshake before you go". I thought we were just supposed to blurt it out to our waiter! And I'm a little hurt that no one has taught me the handshake.....

We went there about a year ago and really enjoyed the experience. Now it's not "authentic" BBQ, like Memphis Blues, but some pretty darn good ribs, IMHO. I like the little extras they throw in, like the corn bread, served warm and fresh (at least when we were there), and these little teensy two-bite ice cream cones at the end of the meal. Portions are pretty large, sides are decent (coleslaw and beans). The ribs were meaty, very tender, nicely grilled with a pretty good, not-too-smoky sauce. If the sauce is too smoky, the taste of the pork gets drowned-out. I actually prefer Dem Bones to Tony Roma's. Hope they open up soon.....I gots me a cravin'!

Don't bother - I went last Friday and they don't have any

Too bad to hear that yet another mediocre joint has popped up in the neighbourhood. Homemade pizza is great, assuming you have the time and want to put in the effort - when I order pizza, it's mostly because I don't want to exert ANY effort! (other than uncorking the wine) I guess I'm still gonna drag my ass over to Commercial Drive for Lombardo's. Thanks for doing your eGullet duty Lee. You took another one for the troops! Neil - Ever considered putting in a wood-burning oven?? The Canucks, a 42 inch Plasma and really good pizza? Now THAT'S Love.