bigdaddy

Those details are never really discussed in the show. Ultimately, tired & struggling restaurants get the sort of makeover (and publicity) for a mere $10-20 grand that they would otherwise not have the time/energy/imagination/money to undertake.

Haven't been to the Tapastree in a year or so...but always felt that the room needed "help". Popular hang-out in a hip neighbourhood with good food at reasonable prices. The show usually matches the money put up by the restaurant to a max of $20 grand (for a total of 40, or more if the owners want to spend more themselves). You could do a great overhaul of that place with a budget like that. (Never underestimate the role decor/ambience plays in the success of a restaurant).

There is no explanation other than just poor taste and lack of judgement... I particularly feel bad for any female servers at that place ("Raw, fresh & tasty"?... can't you just hear the female/raw fish jokes already?) Ugh. Somebody goofed. Otherwise an enjoyable edition.

That explanation makes sense to me... I'm quite sure that in BC (as with fish) you are not allowed to serve game personally caught with a hunter's license alone. Pheasant and other game birds are definitely available. The price on a lot of game is prohibitive though...last quote I got for caribou tenderloin was close to $70/kilo.

In the valley...our braised bison shortrib with port reduction is a house specialty. Other regulars - orechiette with venison sausage & chanterelles, atlantic scallops in wild boar bacon. Sometimes muskox and elk. Is duck really considered "wild game"? cheers,

The perception has to be that people are getting a "deal" by ordering all the courses at once. The restaurant can run at higher food costs if customers are automatically guaranteed to be spending more on food. (At Delilah's we had a fixed-price menu format that started in the mid-80's and ran for close to 20 years). "Early-bird" specials are meant to fill the seats at a time when the servers would normally be polishing cutlery and looking for ways to keep busy! Hopefully you attract new clientele...but more often those "bargain-hunters" are in the same category as "coupon people"...

Au Contraire. its getting very boring. ← agreed, boring indeed ← and yet over 3000 views in 3 days...we should all be so fortunate to be so boring...

From a restaurant point of view...I got the exact oppposite impression. It seems like she was recognized and then given special attention (dishes being sent out that weren't ordered, etc.), thereby elevating Ms. Gills expectations and the resulting annoyance level when things didn't "work" for her. Treating a reviewer like anything other than a regular customer is a risky move that, in this case, backfired. My general impression was that the hotel mishandled the situation. Diva does bill itself as "vancouver's premier dining destination"...another questionable move that almost invites potshots.

Considering the costs involved with multiple visits...that concept is not particularly realistic and would relegate reviewing to the largest publications only! Can't comment on the situation today...but "in the old days" the West-Ender, for instance, did not have a "reviewer's budget" and would only send RM (Mr. Morrison's predecessor?) to a restaurant if they agreed in advance for the reviewer to be their "guest for the evening". I've always considered restaurant reviews to be no different from theatre reviews. One bad review may be a piss-off...but a worthwhile production will find an audience.

For me, the most revealing/damaging part of the review is the observation that there were barely a dozen regular (as in "not on assignment") customers in the room at 7:30 on a Friday night (despite the season). If true, that should be getting someone's attention even more than a critic's opinion of the food on any given occasion!

Haven't read this article of Ms.Gill's, but I do tend to notice that her most scathing reviews seem to be reserved for the "big" operations (like Diva & Watermark) where (despite her "influence") there is little chance that she can/will destroy the business. I don't remember her making those sort of comments about any small restaurant that could literally be ruined by such a review. Just an observation and possibly part of the rationalization...

The facts are there...the question is how much will we put up with in the way of ecological damage, etc, to have a cheaper alternative to wild fish? BC supermarkets are not (yet) required to identify farmed salmon through labelling, but anyone experienced with wild fish can usually see the difference in the flesh. Inland pens are more ecologically sound than present open-pen practices, but problems still remain with the feed which is made by grinding up fish remains, thereby concentrating the level of harmful chemicals like mercury, pcb's, etc. Farmed fish would be grey in colour if the feed did not contain a "colouring" component as well. Farmers choose the colour they want from a "colour chart" (similar to choosing from "paint chips" at a hardware store!)and that determines how much dye is added to the feed. Wild fish stocks cannot keep up with world demand, and some form of fish farming is going to take place to fill the void. The product will never be as "good" as wild...but hopefully through science and regulation the industry will eventually create a healthy, sustainable alternative.

...got one (now frozen) already, so I'm covered if my luck runs out...

The vedder river that runs in front of my house is chock-full of fresh salmon after the heavy rains earlier this week. We'll be eating a coho that I catch cause that "hunter-gatherer" thing seems so appropriate for Thanksgiving. Gotta have it with a big steaming bowl of heavy cream/butter/truffled mashed potatoes to counteract out all those healthy omega oils. And lotsa nice wine...maybe will have my first taste of the 04 Alibi...spend the rest of the evening with something red by the Glaetzers. (life is really tough...)

The folks at Tinhorn Creek were wonderfully hospitable. We visited as many other wineries as we could manage in a very short (1 day plus) period (Blasted Church, Kettle Valley, Hillside Estates, Poplar Grove, Burrowing Owl, Mission Hill)). Dining was a definite "hit and miss"... Toasted Oak (in Oliver) is in an old firehall that also houses a VQA store. Apparently the entire project is part of the town's attempt to promote the local wine industry, etc. We visited on a Monday night and the restaurant was experiencing some severe difficulties. Suffice to say, the service was comically inept and the food was generic (rib-eye with bar-b-que sauce,etc). The Hooded Merganza (newish place on the lake in Penticton) - menu looked promising... but the only good thing was the view. Mission Hill Winery (Kelowna)- lunch on the terrace was excellent and the winery is the most architecturally-amazing facility. Acorn squash soup with cured trout, duck breast on spaetzle with chocolate jus, wild boar sausage with apple/cabbage, bacon/oyster mushroom ravioli in tarragon broth, and panna cotta - all delicious! (I remember reading that Michael Allemeier is behind the food) Really impressed with the 2002 S.L.C. Merlot that I enjoyed with the duck. The server (Shelley, I think) was simply one of the most attentive , perceptive and personable professionals that I have ever encountered. Highly recommend a visit. (Only small quibble is the problem of the food cooling so quickly in the wind on the terrace dining area).

I think the moral of the story is that we cannot afford take our natural resources for granted, and that scientists are not nearly as adept at predicting or controlling "nature"as we like to think! (One only has to look at the collapse of the eastern cod fishery as an example). There is a constant battle between commerce (of many kinds) and preserving wild fish. The Alaskans will harvest "only" 24 million fish because they "believe" that 39 million will return this year. What if their predictions are wrong ? (keeping in mind that Canadian estimates had to be reduced this year by more than half). Fish have adapted to naturally-occurring disasters for thousands of years. Aren't we ultimately the biggest threat to their survival ? The current problem is being blamed on higher water temperatures...but even under ideal circumstances the oceans cannot be expected to automatically manufacture enough fish to meet increasing world demand.

As requested. It's important to remember that we live in a land overflowing with wealth-both natural and man made. The absence of a certain fish from the menus of restaurants catering to a wealthy clientèle means little-my local Sushi Bar has Spring and Sockeye both on the menu-be they from BC or Alaska. ← Unfortunately, there are very definite limits to our abundance of "natural" wealth (as per the insufficient number of sockeye for a commercial opening). The law of supply and demand dictates that the price of wild salmon will eventually increase if the commercial catch is significantly reduced...thereby making wild salmon more likely to be found mainly in "restaurants catering to a wealthy clientele" (as is already the case in many countries).

No new business opens up and operates flawlessly from day one. I was just talking with a fellow server the other day about how incredibly difficult it would be to run a restaurant that does the volume that Joe Fortes does with a entirely new staff.

There are strawberries, raspberries and blackberries that are native to BC. We are certainly availing ourselves of the amazing wild blackberries that at at their peak right now. On a hot day the trials through the woods smell like fresh blackberry pie. Bears all over the province are having a feast !

I'm curious as to how restaurants would adapt to such a bylaw. Smokers may represent only 16% of the population, but they account for a much higher percentage of sales than that in many (most?) restaurants (...something about the combination of cigarettes, alcohol and addictive personalities?). I remember vividly how tough it was when smoking was originally banned in restaurants but not in bars. Upscale hotel lounges were suddenly offering full dining menus, and many of the smoking clientele simply moved until a total indoor ban was eventually introduced. As it is now, it can be very nerve-wracking for a busy waiter/restaurateur to try and keep track of customers who "step out for a smoke" after consuming hundreds of dollars in food & wine. Moving those customers even further from view by instituting a buffer-zone of some kind would certainly increase that challenge.

Staying at Tinhorn Creek (Oliver)early September. I understand they don't have a dining room. Any suggestions where to eat? thanks

The Mill Street Cafe had sunk to a very sad level prior to changing hands...the cheese list was actually funny...Gruyere, Emmental and Havarti - regular AND Jalepeno!!

It's a deal... but be forewarned that it's a funky old building that requires a short climb to the roof! My favourite new herb is the cuban oregano. We use it in a butter that goes under the skin of the chicken breast (which we've been serving with....an alsatian tart!) I'd also be curious to know where you get those fresh figs? We've just found a great source for fresh hazelnuts, but would love to get my hands on some local figs. cheers.