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Maybe someone on this forum with the help of the mod's might want to set up something like a food drive or even a pot lock that we drop off at a food bank this Christmas. I am willing to help out. As for city dine I am planning on visiting rare and one other restaurant which I still have to decide on.

A couple pictures for the above post. Taste Of The City @ Plaza of Nations A Snack @ Bistro Sakana Yaletown. Chicken Tempura Crunchy Roll Chef Jason's creation. Thanks Mooshmouse I cant wait already charged up the camera battery lol.

After reading your post I am even more excited about my long awaited visit to parkside tomorrow night, I am taking a friend there as a part of her birthday present. And hopefully I will make another visit shortly after to try that pheasant on a Friday. Do you recommend sitting inside or on the patio, I have made reservations for the patio but currently a little worried about the weather? Today after a disappointing time at taste of the city, which I should have been expected and a nice stroll threw, yaletown’s show and shine/side walk sale; we stopped at Bistro Sakana for a small snack. With help from their sushi chef Jason we decided on The Chicken Tenderloin Wasbi and Nori Tempura (a must try), The Crunch Salmon & Tuna Roll which Jason added crab into the mix, simple yet attractive presentation and I loved the sweetness of the crab even though it wasn’t the main ingredient. The last dish we lef up to Jason he brought us a round mold of rice topped with salmon, scallops, wasbi, avocado, and mangos. A nice little dish but could have been better, the mangos took center stage in most bites since it was a little too ripe and sweet. Over all I really enjoy this place.

A simple Middle Eastern Dessert, unfortunately I cant spell the name I only can say it in Arabic its something like Kanafee (sp?)

lol. I have been told That Century might be haunted.

You don't like crunchy yam fries? I do...I guess it's a matter of personal preference. The best yam fries are at Elements in Whistler! Thin-cut, salted, super crisp, not greasy at all. It came with some sort of aioli. ← I second that. Its a Garlic aioli.

Joey Tomato's Vancouver are now aiming to open on June 5th.

Bearfoot Bistro is a must, if it isn’t in the price range you guys have planned for dinner I recommend at least dropping by before (6:00) dinner to have a couple drinks and enjoy their crazy Oyster special. As for wine I pretty sure they have one of the largest sections in Whistler. The owner holds the world record for sabering bottles of Champaign I believe and the beverage manager Kurt is a pretty lively guy. I have also been to Elements Tapas Bar nice place but pretty small; they have the best yam fries I have every had.

Joey Tomatoes will be opening a new location at 1424 West Broadway (between Granville and Hemlock). They do not have an exact date at this time but they anticipate opening in mid May.

You have a special named after you at a Food Court place? That's just sad. Get a puppy if you crave attention that much. ← No need for me to defend myself but I will anyway. It’s not on the menu but the owner and his wife know what it is and so did the original owner. He also has an icbc, air canada and a couple other specials. Sometimes its easier saying two words then listing off what you want, especially when you’re a little picky and you do it 2-5 times a week for over 5 years as well order of 10-15 meals once every two weeks for just under a year. I haven’t been there in a while but I know a few friends still do go there and ask for a Donald Special, plus its cheaper to order it that way or at least it used to be. And I would love to have a dog but no time for one. Sigh

- Donald Special (has to have both beef and chicken) at Taco Lui's in Lansdowne Mall. -The two tone fries at Elements in Whistler.

Glade I could help. Ms. Gill review did take a few punches some were fair while others where just her personal opinion and most people could care less, because she indirectly suggested it worth a try. She gave the room and service the credit it deserves and even said the kitchen shows promise. I am not speaking for Remi in any way shape or form but I believe any chef especially at a new restaurant would admit you need time to reach perfection, if there is even such a thing. I am contemplating going back this weekend for more pork bellies and maybe even take the reviewers recommendation and try the paella.

For dinner we decided on two appetizers, three ½ order main dishes and two deserts; half orders are a genius idea I wish more restaurants offered it. We decided on not drinking any alcohol and had the bartender make up a couple moktails each. I have to say the bartenders are extremely talented, but I wouldn’t expect anything less from a restaurant that’s related to Lucy Mae Brown. -Grilled Flat Bread. -A mix of Olives (Remi has won awards for this oilives), Cold Pressed Extra Virgin Olive Oil (I believe), and a Roasted Red Pepper Dip. My friend and I agreed that the Red pepper dip was our favourite, but the trio was a nice way to start the meal. -Plantain Fritters & Pork Bellies cinnamon maple braised and a herb salad. This was my favourite dish that I had to bother Remi for some direction about making it at home. The pork bellies and fritters sucked up the cinnamon and maple like a sponge so flavourful and soft. The only down side was I didn’t ask for a double order, I will order this dish on every visit to Century. -Dungeness Crab Burritos wrapped in a cilantro crepe accompanied by an Avocado Mousse and a Salsa Sorbet (please correct me if I am wrong). The Avocado Moose was great and so was the sorbet, an interesting idea that pays off. I wonder if French Fries would work with a Ketchup Sorbet hmmm. As for the Burrito I was a little disappointed even though it worked, the sweetness of the crab was lost fighting with the cilantro crêpe or either one of the two condiments. -Spanish Lubina (potato and cilantro wrapped sea bass). The balsamic vinegar and olive oil were wonderful as where the items below the perfectly cooked bass, especially the garlic. -Braised Shortribs and Beef Cheek Adobo lying on top of a cloud of cabrales laced yucca root puree. Both of these items were extremely tender and flavourful, but my friend found the cabrales cheese a little strong for this dish; I liked it. -Roasted Black Cod perched on top of a caramelized squash surrounded by a cinnamon rioja jus. I can’t really remember this dish, as we were more into Sean’s ghost encounter stories at the time. -Century’s Blend. I didn’t try the truffle and my friend did offer but I decided to leave them for her. But I really enjoyed the Flan, this is another item I will order on every visit. -A Tasting for All: Baby bananas & sweet rum gelee, a guava chiboust with butter cookies, key lime granite & cream cheese custard clove scented pineapple shooter with tapioca. There were two items on this platter I loved: The guava chiboust, I agreed with my waiter in saying that I wouldn’t mind having a piping bag full of this in my fridge at home to eat directly out of the bag. The next item was the Shooter I don’t why it just was so different the texture and flavours where intense. All the dishes were great and the half orders I could compare size wise to some of the full orders at a few of Vancouver high end restaurant. All these dishes accompanied by our laid back professional and knowledgeable waiter, Mike checking up on us, Sean’s stories/tour of the restaurant, and Remi for taking the time to chat with us and of course my dinner date made for a wonderful three and a half hour dinner at Century.

I just got home from a wonderful evening at Century; even though I am about to pass out I had to come on line and Thank Mike, Sean and Remi, their entire Staff and “Her” (the ghost) for being great hosts. My friend also wanted me to say thank you once again. Everyone on this board has mentioned the room and they are correct it can be breathtaking, especially listening to the excitements in Sean’s tone of voice as he took us on a tour. I have pictures but they don’t do the restaurant any justice, actually I feel embarrassed for even posting them; you have to go there and during a pause in conversation tilt you head back and enjoy the attention to detail. They have turned the room into something that can proudly represent its heritage building status by incorporating and restoring a lot of its original features. I also loved the special dinning room (Vault), and cannot wait to see what upstairs looks like once it’s done. Here are some pictures of the room; I wish I had taken some more. Bedtime, stay tuned for part two tomorrow featuring the Food and a lot more pictures.

Anyone been to Les Amis du Fromage recently? Did they have much left, I was planning on dropping by on Saturday and seeing if there was any good deals to pick up (salt/grape oil/truffle products)

I am curious were do you all go for good Greek food?? I have been to a few places locally and some of them have been good but not great. The best Greek food so far was at a family friends house, when “the grandma” cooked dinner for us all or the spanakopita my mom makes. -Mad Greek in Richmond- Just okay. -Mr. Sport in Richmond- Good but not primarily a Greek restaurant. I could name a few others but rather see what you all recommend. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- One place I tried a couple weeks ago that I had been hearing great reviews about the food and the atmosphere that includes belly dancers or should I say dancer was Taverna Gorgona in Ladner. Unfortunately I wasn’t too impressed and neither way my friend. Maybe it was because of what we ordered but we ended up with a huge doggie bag that was left at the restaurant. My first impression of the restaurant was great, nicely decorated in blue and white with vines and lights hanging from the ceiling throughout the restaurant. The patio won a few awards featuring a waterfall an ad gazebo, it seems like it would be nice place to relax in the summer time and enjoy a glass of oozo. The service was friendly and quick and the owner was sitting down with regulars and making stops to check on each table. A belly dancer came out around 8:30 for about 20min, getting customers to get up and dance with her. Now the food: - Saganaki- Kefalotiri cheese pan-fried with lemon. This was my favourite item of the night, prefect when drizzled with a healthy amount of fresh lemon. We also order a bottle of Goast Do Roam Red Wine. -Bread and 3 kinds of Dip (included in our platter)- Tzatziki, Homus and Taramasalada, all the dips tasted as if they were made fresh and not store bought which was nice. The Homus had a lot of garlic in it, which I didn’t mind since I love garlic but I would have, prefer if they used thinner pita bread, the thick slices of bread took away from the dips. - Greek Salad: Nothing special just normal Greek salad. - The Gorgona Platter: Let me start off by saying it’s big enough to feed 3 to 4 adults. Roast Lamb, Calamari, Keftades, Spanakopita and Salmon all piled onto one dish with rice and roast potatoes. I personally think what ruined this dish was how they piled everything together which lead to the calamari being soggy as well as the spanakopita which usually one of my favourite items. The salmon was hidden under everything which is maybe why it ended up over cooked, the keftades were half good with just the right amount of parsley but the other two were charred and crisp, and the lamb was tender but lacking flavour. **Unrelated but here is a picture when tossing everything on one plate is a good thing. Gladstone's of Malibu Fried Fisherman’s Platter $23.95usd: Coconut Shrimp, Shrimp, Scallops, Calamari, Clams and Fresh Fish ALL FRIED, ahh the memories lol. - Complimentary order of ekmek (A layered custard cake): They didn’t have much of a dessert selection with only two other items on the menu Baklva and Ice Cream. I enjoyed the Ekmek, it was too sweet which was a good ended to the meal. After telling the people that recommended the restaurant about my experience they all seemed surprised. I know taste is a very individual thing but I plan on giving it another shot, but this time I will order something safer like the Souvalaki

Wow I didn’t mean that chewy you are going from one extreme to another, but wonder bread does have its place for example in stuffing. As for your artistic photoshoping, maybe I will switch them later. I enjoyed the presentation of all the dishes, and yes the sorbet was tongue tantalizing and sweet.

I felt that my experience at CinCin made it worthy of a new post. The experience was only comparable to that I had at Bearfoot Bistro almost a month back (Which I yet have to post about). My friend (Ling) and I both had to work till late on Vday so we decided on going out for dessert at CinCin; she had been raving about their pastry chef for some time. We got there at 10 and were promptly seated at a table, this being my first time at CinCin I didn’t know what to expect but the room was beautiful, very classy, and the lighting was prefect. The food was phenomenal we ended up having 2 flights of wine, a couple of appetizers, a trio of desert (vday special) and a couple treats from our waiter and I believe the manager. Our waiter Jamie was friendly and probably one of the most knowledge waiters I have come across, also he was one of four sommelier they had working on the floor at the same time. I would rank last night up there with some of the best service I have ever received, I defiantly will be back for a full dinner and to try some of the treat Jamie told us about; The cooked under a brick chicken breast, a strawberry basil infused soup w/ a white chocolate ice cream and the lemon tarts. >-Three 2oz (more like3-4oz) BC White Wines. Semillon-Lake Breeze 04, Pinot Blanc-Sandhill 04, and the last one she substituted for the Oyster Bay. -Three 2oz (more like3-4oz) Italian Red Wines. Chianti-Straccali 02, Rosso Del Veronese-Masi "Campofiorin" 01, Montepulciano d'Abruzzo, Casa Girelli-Canaletto 01. My favourite was the Campofiorni. -I found the bread too hard, then was educated that good bread should have a very thick crust. I still prefer a little less of a crust and a softer bread. -Cappesatee Bottarga: Carpaccio of Scallops, Endive, Apple, Lemon-Chive Citronette w/ mullet Caviar. I loved this dish so light and clean tasting, the apples were a great touch I cant wait to try making this at home. -Vitello Tonnato: Thin slices of rotisserie fried and chilled Veal with a creamy Tuna sauce, Capers and Anchovies. Another awesome choice, especially the tuna in a sauce it worked great. I would have preferred it without the anchovies but that’s just my personal preference. -One of the items that we were both surprised with; Two slices of Rare seared Ahi Tuna with a balsamic vinegar and soya sauce aioli. A prefect match that had me dragging the tuna back and forth across the plate to get every last drop of the aioli. -Valentines Trio of Deserts: *Miniature Tiramisu: The shell was very crisp, buttery and sweet, I wish it was bigger. *Miniature three chocolate mouse cake encased in Valrona Chocolate: It wasn’t as rich as I expected it to be but it was also my favourite of the three items. *Pineapple, Apple, and I believe oranges in a coconut sauce in a white chocolate cup. Soo refreshing I wanted to pick it up my like a miso soup bowl and drink it all. -In house Pistachio Sorbet- A treat from Jamie, this is the first time I try Pistachio ice cream locally that comes close to that I tried while in Lebanon. Thank you CinCin and Jamie for a wonderful evening.

I called CinCin today for reservations, and the earliest time they had available was 10:45. The person I spoke to on the phone was nice enough to book two seats at the bar for my Valentine and I since we are only going their for dessert. Any recommendations on what to try?

*sorry a little off topic* I heard that also but I am not even a little surprised that they are losing money, the way the mall management treats their tenants and potential tenants they must feel its okay to lose funds. I personally don’t have a store in Aberdeen or have even tired (I have nothing worth selling =)) but I know a few people that were tenants, are still tenants and others that have inquired when the mall first opened, and some of the stories are just ridiculous. But they do have a few cool stores in there.

Yesterday was absolutely a blast, I also have to thank everyone at Bearfoot especially those Lorna has already mentioned and lingcod of course . I learned a lot and will be eating oysters again in the near future yum Beau soleil’s and f’ing ham bay’s (I hope I spelled them right). Chris is by far the most knowable and straightforward guy while still keeping it civilized behind the bar that I have met, thank you for everything. Here is a picture of Ling face for a second when I was expecting to see blood & One of dish's created by our Oyster Yoda.. And of course no oyster tasting is complete without a chilled and sabered bottle of bubbly or beer. The picture of Andre showing Lorna how its done surrounded by their sunning collection in the wine cellar. The best way to be taught how to sabre a bottle is being taught by the world record holder... More pictures and a full review of the day later today or maybe tomorrow I am still soo tired.

I LOVE DimSum !!!! The few years after High School it was a weekly thing for me. As for restaurants, I am a little biased and prefer Imperial for their view, service and fresh ingredient. A friend’s family owns it, so it was always the best service but as mentioned its always the same service there for everyone. They also where ranked in the top 10 places for a power lunch downtown last year I believe. Next would be Sun Sui Wah in Richmond since another friends uncle owns it, I haven’t been to the other ones. Once again great service, food but that’s what you would expect when the owner or manager are the only one that serves you. They have always been willing to bring a couple items that were not been on the dim sum menu. Plus its in Richmond that’s a plus for me. Now for two other places that I liked, but I cant remember their names. -There is a large place near Richmond Sushi with a huge chandelier that’s pretty good and cheap but nice and clean inside. Its called _____________ seafood restaurant. -Then there is another restaurant to the right of Parker Place in Richmond, its on the pricier side but their Shark Fin dumpling soup is awesome, I think it was around $10 we each had 2 =). The restaurant had a few different levels with the lower level being the nicest, but it was all larger families and very casual. Even though they comped our tea they normally charge $2-5 for each. 1. Shark Fin Soup Dumpling. 2. 1/3 of our dish's, we ende dup with almost 20 plates. There were 3 of us

I was at GI yesterday and picked up a bottle of Yuzu juice from South Seas Trading, it was 10.80 for a 105ml bottle. I asked the girl and she said they don’t carry the fresh fruit. I made a sauce with some of it (Yuzu, Oil, Truffle Oil since I didn’t have the real thing, black pepper, and finely grated garlic), a nice ingredient with a strong kick, but it worked perfectly with jumbo scallops. I also used some of it on a salad. But because of the price I think I will probably try normal lemons next time. I do not think anywhere in B.C. would have a warm or long enough season for citrus fruit and growing it in greenhouses would be too expensive but you never know It is tasty but at $5.95 a bottle...still a treat. Stephen ← WHERE???

Could you toss my name in the hat =) pleassse And why have they limited it to 6 ppl?

I know Yoshi's doesn’t have a DOV menu, even though they wanted to. But I bet they will be more then happy to have you. Ask for Phillip, if you want awesome service.