fmed

The topic of street food probably deserves its own thread. There have been rumors of impending changes to the bylaws regarding street food for while. I don't know how much flexibility our draconian heath officials will give to street food vendors, though....and how much acceptance that steet food vendors will get with the food and bev industry here (which is already struggling to keep profitable.)

Gudrun (Steveston)

Hamilton Street Grill's new burger is all that. Check it out if you haven't!

Some comments: I love the inclusion of "Food Court Dish" category. Is this new? Glad to see some recognition for places like Negative Space, S&W, etc.

Perhaps the stats don't support it, but we can certainly use more Mexican restaurants that serve more than just tacos or Tex-Mex or some such facsimile. So yes..."we wish we had more of this kind of restaurant." You are right about Russian food...we do have a couple of Russian places...one is a modern vodka bar with Russian "tapas".

How is the food/service at Boneta these days? I'm looking to book a nice birthday dinner. I don't hear much about the place now and I haven't been there in 1.5-2 years?

Salmon n' Bannock opened up mid-February, located at 1128 W. Broadway (between Spruce & Alder), in the old Habibi's space. Small-ish menu, consisting of mostly very tasty bannock. I ate there just when it opened and I think they were still working out some kinks (my venison stew was underseasoned and dry) - I would go back in 6 months or so. It's not a full-season restaurant, but Wild Salmon, a training restaurant run by teh Vancouver Commulnity College's Aboriginal Culinary Arts program , serves modern aboriginal food during certain months of the year (May? to Aug?? - I'm not certain)

I'll start... Despite the buzz and hype that Bao Bei has been getting - I am just not a fan of the food (I've been there four times so far - three times to eat&drink and once to only drink). The cocktails were fantastic however. A couple of the dishes were "alright"...but the kitchen really needs to take it to another level to warrant the accolades (which veers into boosterism, IMO). The novelty factor may be what is keeping the place busy right now. I like the room & ambiance, the generally knowledgeable service, and the drinks.

Totally agree. What I like about forums such as these (eGullet, Chowhound) is that members are not obligated to "rate" an eating establishment based on often irrelevant criteria. You get a more complete picture of the place because a post spurs on more discussion and debate. Those who read online review sites can easily pick out vindictive reviews within microseconds. I trust certain bloggers/posters more than most of the local "old media" reviewers (whose bodies of work completely mis/under-represents the true diversity of the eating scene in Vancouver.)

My wishlist: Portuguese (we have only a couple of family run places with limited menus) Spanish (not just tapas) Mexican and Regional Mexican (we can all dream, right? I hear good things about Hernandez in Victoria for Mexican-Mayan cuisine.) Turkish (we have one good one with Anatolia's Gate) Burmese Isan (NE Thailand/Laos region) Neapolitan Pizza Chile Southern US (& Soul) - even just for the novelty A good Vegetarian place More regional Indian Uighur I'd love to see more street food too.

Yes...Sophie's, Anton's, Stepho's. I can't explain the line up without feeling smug and judgmental. (At least Anton's has the "quantity" to back it up). Perhaps they all used to be good back in the day and that reputation still carries them? I don't ever remember any of them being anything but bad or mediocre though even back in the day. I admit to being convinced to lining for Anton's and Stepho's with friends in my days as a starving student...but after one or two visits, I refused to go.

It's admittedly old-school, but the food that I have had there has been very good over the years. It has a lot of personality, for sure.

A note on Osteria Napoli...they are having their legendary porchetta night (a whole pig roast) on April Sunday, 11th. Check it out if you have not experienced this. Book with Ginette soon and go early (6-ish) for the photo-op of the parading of the roasted pig. Definitely an underrated East Side gem.

Reno's Restaurant on Broadway and Main. The clientele is a mix of old-timers from the area and Main St hipsters. The food is decent enough...far less greasy than Bon's for example. $3.75 for their all-day breakfast special (doesn't include the pie):

Thanks for the shout out Scargo. Everyone is welcome...the group did start from the Chowhound boards, but has expanded a bit since then. We set up Chowdowns about once or twice a month.

Or...they are waiting for how it pans out for Benkei. Let them take the risk. FWIW, I find the Main St location choice to be quite odd. Will they really see that much traffic there? (Who am I to second guess?)

In the last sentence above, I meant to say "I prefer the food at S&W Burnaby."

Oops....yes - the first dish is youzhou chicken not Pork. I'm fully intending to go back.

Hi Beebs... The strip mall is right across the Richmond Public Market on Westminster Hwy. Same strip mall as Tsim Chai Noodles. The restaurant is at the very back western corner next to Pacific Exotic Meats.

That does tend to happen a lot. Even here at CXG, one person at another forum "hated it". I wish CXG would take a non-compromising stance the way Xiang/Alvin Garden (Hunan) does. There is some negotiation in terms of chili heat, but the food there never crosses the line. PS I actually talked about both locations of S&W - Crystal Mall and at No 3 Rd in Richmond. I prefer the food at S&W.

They do list dishes from Guizhou (including their new signature Conde Nast approved dish - Guizhuo Fish in Cilantro/Chile/Peanut sauce). I think what appeals to me most about S&W is the rustic quality of the food. Some of the dishes can end up too fiery for sure (eg the Water Boiled dishes in the Richmond branch was just too one-dimensional in its chili flavours) - however, in our last group dinner at the Burnaby location, the chef managed to balance the flavours well. I think we ordered well too. I must reiterate that the CXG may have misread us when they prepared the dishes....so my experience was coloured from that perspective.

" It's the interplay of the two soybean products (Oyako Don 親子丼, anyone?) both in terms of their texture and form that makes it interesting. Is it a cardinal sin to switch them around? No. " Haha. Got it.

Let me contribute a few of the photos from Monday night's chowdown there (I'll paraphrase the names of dishes - I don't remember the proper names): Pork and Sour Vegetable Twice Cooked Pork. (Agree that this could be much better). Waterboiled Fish (the flavours were muted and the heat was mild. Preferred S&W's version). Pork Shreds, Pickled Vegetables on Puffed Rice The Dan Dan Mian - once again - the noodles were the star The Potato Shreds in Vinegar. Astonishing wok hei. Addicting just for that reason.

nondual1 - Wow! I just ate and now I'm hungry again. I agree with you about the Dan Dan - the texture of the noodles is amazing - chewy, stretchy perfection. I do like the crunchy soybeans in the Dan Dan - I encountered vendors in China top their Dan Dan with soybeans instead of peanuts. ...clearing my calendar for another meal there now.... -f

Just thought I'd post a quick report on Chuan Xiang Ge. DylanK, grayelf, grayelf's SO - J, and I went there a couple of nights ago. Overall, the food was very polished and delicious. There were some subtle compromises made to appeal to the local palate (eg, a bit of Cantonizing, toning down of heat, etc). From the sounds of things (and DylanK can back me up), we can ask for a purely Sichuan meal from the chef and he can deliver it without compromises. The slight authenticities were most likely a result of a their misunderstanding of our expectations. This is my 4th time there (first 3 for lunch) and I would definitely recommend it....just make sure to be clear to them about your preferences. I'd also add that everyone at the table prefered S&W Pepperhouse (Burnaby) for its bustling ambiance, unmuted flavours and in-your-face Sichuaness. I would personally like to complete the snapshot of the current state of Sichuan here in town with a couple more visits to Chuan Xiang Ge and a couple more visits to Golden Spring (Xiao Sichuan). Are we missing any authentically Sichuan places that we should check out? I've discounted Golden Szechuan, Szechuan Restaurant on Saba, Szechuan House (two locations - Bby, and Cambie) for a variety of reasons. Perhaps they have improved of late and deserve a second chance? -f