eugene

According to some, this is a very hit and miss place.

More on HSG. Went Friday night. I cannot believe the place was not packed. Even though there has been some talk in the media regarding the damage Canada Line construction is doing to the local merchants you don’t really notice it until you witness a half-empty for yourself. It is important for the community to make a point to go into the affected business, such as the HSG, and give support. Considering the fact that the construction will go on for at least another year, I hope Neil and the rest of the affected merchants will stay and fight.

your local save-on has a wide array of delicious ice creams (open unitl midnight). also a gelato place on 3 rd under london drugs. on to more important item, what the FUCK happened to the starbucks and 7-11 on 3 rd and ackroyd???????

I didn’t want to create a new thread, so I’m putting this here. Hell has officially frozen. LDB has finally decided to put on its website what we’ve all been desperately wanting since the dawn of time. A real-time stock inventory for their products. For example, lets say you want 2004 Calona Opal. You can see which store has it and how many. YAY!!!!!!! Best thing since slice bread I tells ya.

^ i dont think its fair that im reading this while eating wendy's chilli with mystery meat....

You're right, there's no point in debating about this unless someone has some inside information and both sides are represented. I'd much rather debate the merits (ahem) of Blenz coffee. ← I'm not a coffee snob, unlike some of my friends. But I think they filter their coffee through their cars' oil filters.

A shoeshine with every paycheck?

I've been a worker and a business owner, and I agree completely with eatbc. I wouldn't want to work with anyone who would actually go to such lengths just for a momentary feeling of revenge. Not that I haven't. But I did the intelligent thing, I found the guy another job, and he left the shop that I was working in. Plus, he was grateful to me, which made me seem like 'his kind', and took me out of his line of fire completely. I say work smart, don't quit stupid. ← Considering none of us knows what actually transpired, I’m not sure if there’s a point debating this. The owner could have been a complete asshole to all of his employees. It is also fair to assume that ALL of the employees were jus too damn sensitive. However, I am pretty sure that to have 4 people lose their livelihoods at the same time, something really awful must have occurred. Sure, we all have our differences. And if one of the employees quit, then we could have assumed “it was just one of those days”. But to have 4 people quit, that requires something really monumental. I have worked with asshole employers before, but never seen 4 people leave at the same time. Maybe they got a really good offer from Starbucks?

I just wanted to rave about a wine I tried on the weekend. HESTER CREEK - SELECTED BARREL CABERNET MERLOT 00/02 SKU #13920 / UPC #00626037003021 I think at $24.99 it's rather a bargain as I found it to be absolutely delicious. According to the label, only 600 cases were made, and my local LDB has like 5 bottles on the shelf. I'm not a wine geek, so all I can say about is YUMMMMMMMM. Juicy raspberry, well developed tannins, strong chocolate and coffee. Get it while you can!!

It does? ← i tried to make resos for my bday in november but couldn't. perhaps they changed their policy since then

Stella's does not take resos (my god, that rhymes!). And its always packed to the brim with customers, mussels, and beer. MMMMMMM beer

How about just taking a walk to Hastings Racecourse? ← hirame engawa = flounder fin, not horse ← Dammit, I gotta brush up on my Japanese. Apparently toro is not what Japanese chefs yell while holding a red bed sheet, trying to incite an angry bull. Who knew eh?

Has anybody heard anything about De Lounge in Richmond? I think it's fairly recent, and they had a few small ads in the Straight.

How about just taking a walk to Hastings Racecourse?

Just to break up the tempo... I just came back from lunch at Milestone's on Lougheed. This is because the wait at CC was 30 minutes and ditto Earls. Anyhoo, mind you I haven't been to Milestone's in a few years, but I seem to recall their food being a few notches above Boston Pizza. This was not the case. While the beef dip sounded good on the menu, the plate was loaded with four food groups: bread, fried, fat, and potatoes. Granted, you cannot really gamble with the lunch rush... But still, how boring can you be? We've been talking about Earls and CC a lot. But what about Milestones, Boston Pizza, and White Spot? Bang-for-the-buck or just crappy food? How many more famous chefs should appear in White Spot commercials before their food becomes palatable?

But Richmond is fine, right?

I agree. Five years ago, Earls et. al. were much cheaper than they are today. I think it is interesting to note that the prices have steadily increased to match the non-chains (sans perhaps West, Gotham, etc). And so consequently the bang-for-buck value has conversely decreased. I think at this point in time, it is a better option to visit a non-chain restaurant because, as Ling pointed out, the originality and the quality is not always there with Earls et. al.

I think we're going entering the world of discrimination here as I am pretty sure Cactus Club et. al. hires their servers on the basis of tits-to-blond ratio, and men are segregated to the back. And the tips rarely dribble to that part of the business on equal par to what you were pocketing.

^ Matt, fear not, I am pretty sure they fired that chef's ass a long time ago.

Eugene, please let me know where these places are so that when I sell my place, I know where to go to work on my backswing. ← Neil, I aint making shit up. When I worked the late shift I would never, ever see him. When I worked the day shift I would see him until around 10-11am. He probably played somewhere in Richmond. I was armpit-deep in crap, so I didn't ask him where he worked on his backswing. Not that I’m bitter!!

I was not aware that the line cooks earn more than $10 an hour, whether that be Earls or *insert name of a famous restaurant*. My experience has shown that the chef (if he’s not the owner) earns the big bucks and spends his day at the golf course. Granted I am generalizing, but that does not change the fact that while the dismal Flying Beaver earned $1.5 million dollars in food revenues alone in ‘02, I was getting $8 dollars an hour. What did Jerry Maguire say? Help me, help you. $8 an hour is not helping. Especially for a shitty job like a line cook/dish bitch. That being said, more often than not I’ve had good experiences at Earl/Cactus Club, which is more what I can say about certain non-chain establishments in the Lower Mainland.

At least they were wearing pants. At other places I’ve witness shorts and “wife-beaters”, albeit not together. Dammit people, put an effort into your appearance! Especially when you go out to a restaurant.

Now I know what that sound is when you go into the HSG. Its not the sound of cutlery or glassware, but the sound of Neil’s mammoth brass balls. Note to self: never piss Neil off.

I am getting kinda tired of tuna. Every place has the obligatory ahi tuna dish. I am sure there are one or two other fish in the sea besides tuna and salmon, no? Thats why I like going to the Sandbar.

Moderne Burger is finally re-opened and YUMMY as always (also packed as always). Every restaurateur (well, a lot anyway) should take lessons in customer service from these gracious hosts. I’m going next Sunday for LAMB burger *mouth watering* no wait, a DOUBLE lamb burger!! MMMMMMMMMMMM Who’s coming with me to storm the palace!!!