Claudiak

I'm actually going to have a decently-sized deck once I move into my new place in July, so I'm now planning My Very First Garden. Ever. At an event hosted by the BC Blueberry Council yesterday (where blueberries were used in fabulous Iron Chef-like fashion by Don Letendre of Elixir) I idly threw out the idea of growing blueberries to a commercial blueberry farmer who was sitting at my table. Would you believe he said it's doable, even on the deck of a condo in downtown Vancouver? Provided you can get plants, he says all they need is some acidic soil, a decent source of water, and to have their dead twigs removed in the winter. They'll stay small if you plant them in a small container, but can grow up to 6 feet high if they get enough room, and they're long lived (some in Richmond have continued to produce for 50 or 60 years). He also says the blueberry bushes don't need to be brought inside or kept warm in the winter, because they actually need the cold to regulate how much fruit they bear. He also suggested getting at least two plants to allow them to cross-fertilize each other, and that if you get the right varieties, you could have fresh blueberries from the end of July until mid September. I didn't mention my blueberry-devouring fiend of a niece who will make short work of the miniscule crop. I admit I'm pretty scared to take the project on, but it's intriguing, no?

May I suggest Star Anise as a great pre-theatre choice? They have a $35 three course menu specifically for people rushing to get to a show. Here's the review I published in Metro on October 6, 2006. Hope it helps! As per usual, I had overbooked myself. It left me with raging hunger and only about an hour before curtain at the opening of a new musical at the Stanley Theatre, Cookin’ at the Cookery. To make it even better, it was pouring rain, so tromping around for a few blocks to find somewhere to eat was out of the question even if I had had the time to do it. Then, in a stroke of restaurant serendipity, we rounded the corner and found Star Anise. I sheepishly asked if a meal were at all feasible, and was charmingly ushered in with gracious assurances that everything would be just fine. I later found out Ross was the owner, which explains why he could make such a promise on the kitchen’s behalf. We nestled into elegant chairs in a dining area that felt like the salon in a French home, with dusty rose walls, and even a piece of furniture or two tucked in against the walls. The hunger had morphed into a bit of menu indecisiveness, so I simply snagged four of the five appetizers listed. Watching Ross work the room by himself was like watching a ballet—never hurried, never harried, and never a moment out of step. Maybe his gift for being in the right place all the time stemmed from his Bulgarian acting training, but it certainly seemed like a natural talent too. The fresh bocconcini and tomato salad arrived first, followed quickly by a Dungeness crab cake packed with meat without feeling dense. Then it was on to mesquite smoked venison carpaccio, which melted on the tongue. The prawn and scallop skewer took a little longer to grill, but Ross kept providing us updates so we could gage the time. I just wish there had been another on the plate because it was so good! They must be used to theatregoers rushing through dinner, but the charm and grace added to the process at Star Anise is their own special touch. It left me in the perfect mood to thoroughly enjoy the musical, but that’s another story indeed.

6-12 blocks (except Serafina) - I walk more than that to get lunch or coffee in the morning. ← A little cab ride certainly isn't out of the question, but living in downtown Vancouver I'm pretty used to doing a ton of walking too. So yes to both counts. Unfortunately it now appears as though the mentor will not be able to join us in Seattle because of poor health, so we're refocussing the point of the trip. No Salumi for lunch unfortunately because I'll be checking out the David's Bridal $99 sale in Tacoma/Tukwila, and the the options for dinner are endless.

Thanks for the suggestions, o lovely egulletters. I'll check them all out. It's a Monday night, which thankfully takes away some of the noise concerns. Much appreciated, and let me buy you a coffee the next time you head to Vancouver.

We're taking a one-day trip to Seattle from Vancouver to see my fiance's mentor for possibly the last time. I was hoping someone could point me toward a dinner location with creative but non-outlandish food, an atmosphere conducive to conversation yet lively enough in case a topic change is warranted, and not so formal that anyone will have to wear clothes that require ironing. (Greyhound bus doncha know) Service is a huge aspect of the restaurant experience for me, and particularly for a special dinner like this, it would have to be attentive but not obtrusive. We're overnighting at a hotel near Denny Way and Westlake Ave, so ideally the restaurant would be within a reasonable walking distance and be open to at least midnight/1 am-ish in case the conversational ball really gets rolling. We're only about a week and a half away so hopefully it would also be a place where it's not too hard to make a reservation. Price could be up to $100 a head, but would preferably be more in the $50-$75 range. We're pretty open to all styles of cuisine. I hope this isn't a totally idealistic restaurant wishlist. Any help would be very much appreciated!!

Not sure if there's any still available, but the IGA Marketplace at Burrard and Smithe was selling 24 500 ml bottles for $3 yesterday morning. The mad water rush appears to have settled down for now though, since I went to the oh-so-convenient new Costco downtown last night and there was tons available.

One last suggestion if I may: www.fratellibakery.com (on Commercial Drive) I ordered a delicious layered fruit, custard and cake concoction for a birthday party for 25 people, and it was only $45.

Hey, after seeing Neil making fun of people who "have faces for radio" before, I had to put him and ToY in the spotlight!

It seems like some of the menu PDFs have been posted and others have not as of this moment--keep clicking through to test out which ones work. The ones I have seen sound delish!

My standard go-to for cheap yet really good sushi downtown is Oysi Oysi, on Alberni near the Wendy's/Tim Hortons. It has really good specials (check out the amazing sashimi boat with tuna, salmon, hokkigai, amaebi, and tai for just $16.88), and serves a good variety of Japanese and Chinese cooked food as well as the sushi.

I had to thank someone for a huge favour that he had done for me, so I booked a table at Saveur (Thurlow and Robson). For $38, you get three courses of simply fabulous Southern French cuisine. I'm writing a review for this Friday's Metro, so I won't say too much more, but if you want a meal that will knock your socks off without blowing a hole through your wallet, this is it.

I inadvertently ended up eating at the new Red Burrito at Broadway and Ash today on it's very first today. The components are good, but the new staff have a little way to go on putting them together in the correct order. Thank God they included a hundred bajillion napkins for messy me though, or the keyboard would have been an utter disaster.

Oh Yeah! The chicken karaage at the west robson location is INSANELY good. My theory is that it is cooked only by virgins who wear blinders so that they cannot see anything impure while they fry the chicken. ← Canucklehead, either you really love fried chicken or you've been sitting too close to the fryer fumes! Good call Makan--fried anything at Phnom Penh is killer.

I go through phases of craving fried chicken too, and would you believe it, the best I've had in a while was at the Guu on Thurlow a couple of weeks ago? It tastes like they marinate it in some kind of soy/brown sugar combo first, and then just quickly dash it through some batter before hucking it into the fryer. Now if they could only fix their service issues!

How about Cassis Bistro? Apparently they have a good cocktail list. ← Clever cayenne! Unfortunately I think the room set up precludes the mingling element maxmillan was looking for...