grayelf

Thanks, musta missed that... bad UD reader, bad ... but not quite as bad as buddy who ranted on your site about the change. Sheesh.

Nice call on Finest at Sea. Because I'm so close to Seven Seas, I tend to go there, but the parental units who live in Kerrisdale swear by FAS. It has lots of free parking right out front too. The one time I went to Angel I noticed that it was largely frozen stock... Forgive my ignorance, but what (and where) is Crystal Mall?

Walked by the Chianti's location on 4th Ave today and it is no more. Looks like they've leased it and started demolition but I couldn't see an indication of what it will be. Anyone know if the place will still be a resto? I was never a fan of the food at Chianti's but I hate to see a neighbourhood joint disappear...

Bumping this topic to see if there are any new places people are keen on. We've been frequenting Firewood Cafe (see upthread) which we are enjoying but it has mega access issues with the Slowlympic Line still creating havoc, and they don't deliver far enough west, so we pick up. No complaints about the pies though -- love the Asiago and the newly discovered Hawaiian (with cheddar and almond slices, mmmm). Lunch now I think.

Actually a little farther than GIsle but less access/parking hassle (there are even a couple of spots behind it): Seven Seas on Fourth Avenue between Vine and Yew. Good prices, knowledgable staff, nice selection and they have their own processing plant. I've also heard good things about Angel Seafood near 1st and Clarke but will leave that to others to comment on...

My philosophy is that Tony is going to have a lot of great episodes, and one occasional so-so one. I think the Vancouver ep was it. I don't mind his forays into goofiness or cinema verite, but the Uwe-video game segements, back-to-back, were too long, and I found them bordering on self-indulgent. They really did not communicate much to me about Vancouver, either food- or culture-wise. Tony gets to do a lot of cool things that regular "gastronauts" can't, it's true (or can't, without a little finagling), but there is no way most of us will ever have a video game created for us (even a mini one) or appear in a movie. I found that chunk of the ep somewhat distancing - it not only added nothing to my knowledge of Vancouver, but it felt to me more like a case of us, the viewers v. Tony - NOT the adventurous gastronome and traveller, but Tony the celeb, who is now getting to induldge his every adolescent fantasy. Actor? Spy? Cartoon hero? Man of Mystery? It really hurts me to even think that, since I'd not only be the first in line to drink the Tony Kool-Aid - I'd probably be the one mixing it. Siiigghhhhh. I'm just telling myself - OK, so this was one ep I'm never going to be in love with.Oh, the faux prima donna stuff with the umbrella, lip-wiping and Meeting the Star's Every Need didn't bother me at all - that was funny. What else are you going to do when rain wipes out half of your shoot? But I still think Vancouver could have been treated a lot better, rain or no rain. ← I'm going to reserve judgement till I catch the ep, which sounds like next week. I will say one thing, however, and that is whoever did the planning for this ep fell down on the job big-time if s/he didn't have a fallback position for lots of rain! It's Vancouver, for heaven's (and I use that term advisedly) sake. A week of rain in any month of the year is not all that unusual. And we don't stop because of it, nor do the restos close. Easy to criticize, I guess, but why not add another stop at one of our many more indigenous food purveyors if you had airspace to fill. Edible BC on GIsle, perhaps, if you didn't want to add another actual restaurant? It's indoors and it's interesting for locals and out of towners, I would have thought. Oops, so much for reserving judgement

I DVR this show every week on Travel Channel and last week's ep was on Singapore (at least it was here in Vancouver). I'm going to be really choked if I miss the Vancouver episode as I've been wondering why he didn't do one, even it it was a bit pedestrian. Makes you wonder if the shows he's done on other cities are as superficial...

A new Chinese resto/teahouse has opened in the location where the Phillipine cafe was on Broadway just west of Granville (north side). It wasn't open in the a.m. when I passed by so I couldn't investigate further. Good to hear about Splitz finally opening, Quattroporte. The papered over windows and tantalizing sign have been teasing me (and others) for months -- see upthread. I've never tried a Splitz burger in Whistler so am looking forward to acquainting myself with that particular delicacy.

Welcome to eGullet! Good choice to start by posting on something you are knowledgeable about. I recently read an article on a food blog that highlighted "snap" as a way to differentiate chocolate quality (someone mentioned this tangentially upthread), noting that a nice, bright snapping sound when you break off a piece is a good thing. Do you know more about why this is? ← This is why correct tempering is so important. Chocolate forms several types of crystals when it solidifies after being melted. If it's tempered, most of these will be Beta crystals which have the most shine and very importantly, they melt at the right temperature e.g. on your tongue. And it also has a nice SNAP! Correct tempering ensures that the chocolate will contract just a bit when it sets. That's good because then you're able to get it out of the mold. ← Thanks for the insight. I will now pursue the perfect snap when purchasing chocolate!

I'm not sure if this counts as a kitchen product, but my "can't replace" items are reusable shopping bags from a store that has long since closed. I have five, they are white and yellow mesh with Produce City tastefully emblazoned in green across the top. They can be carried over the shoulder (very important for one who does the bulk of her shopping on foot) or in hand (possibly only because I am tall, but still). They are strong, light and capacious. They also resist stains etc because they are mesh. And I recently discovered they can be washed on gentle cycle to great effect; I was afraid to try for fear of loss of structural integrity but a run in with a leaky tub of molasses left no alternative . Long Live the Magical Bags!

Welcome to eGullet! Good choice to start by posting on something you are knowledgeable about. I recently read an article on a food blog that highlighted "snap" as a way to differentiate chocolate quality (someone mentioned this tangentially upthread), noting that a nice, bright snapping sound when you break off a piece is a good thing. Do you know more about why this is?

I'm a sucker for iconic labels -- you know, the ones that have been the same as long as you can remember. I'm thinking Keen's Dry Mustard, Marmite, Magic Baking Powder -- the packaging itself may modernize but those logos remain. PS tangent: Has anyone tried the new Marmite with Guinness? My SE got it for Christmas and I'm a little afraid...

Agree completely. Even since the reno, you can hang out undisturbed and do your cryptic crossword or whatever. As with seemingly all other places that serve breakfast in SF, it is super busy on weekend mornings, so the marathon "sobre mesa" might be frowned upon at peak hours...

Try doing a google search on egullet (dim sum in vancouver) or go to http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=66692

For Diapers and Cheese, you'd be looking for the Port Salut. Costco ROCKS this time of year for certain cheeses (sorry Joe ) ... the above mentioned cheddars (not a fan of the Balderson cheeses myself), Ste Andre, Port Salut and Cambozola are really well priced. There are also a couple bries and camemberts they carry year round, but the Ste Andre more than satisfies my need for soft rinded cheeses from the big box. Outside of that, everything else is coming from Les Amis and Choux Choux (Victoria) for our Christmas cheese plate. A. ← I didn't go back to the beginning of this thread so I may be repeating, but for Italian cheeses, I really like La Grotta on Commercial and 3rdish. That's not all they carry but they're really strong on the formaggio. Having said that, no one can beat Les Amis for overall selection and outstanding service. Last weekend I placed my order for our Boxing Day wine and cheese with much assistance and attention to detail. Can't wait for the 21st to pick it all up. And they have chic insulated carry bags available for $5 to take your cheese home in and reuse for shopping etc. I'm putting my mum's Christmas present inside one this year. The enviro theme continues as Les Amis is planning to do away with all plastic in the new year, I hear.

We were in SF mid-November and I had this to say about the Ferry Plaza and market: Refreshed after a good night's sleep, we headed two blocks down to Cafe de la presse, our fave hangout from the last trip in 2003 (when it was largely deserted because of being French -- remember "freedom fries"?). It was busy but they fit us in for a quick repast of croissant and La Colombe coffee before we headed down to the Embarcadero and foodie heaven at the Ferry Building. What a great galleria of gastronomie! I made a beeline for Cow Girl Creamery as it had been featured on Martha Stewart the day before (I caught part of the piece while packing and didn't realize they were based in SF so it was a welcome surprise). We investigated more cool stores, then decided it was time for another snack at Lulu Petite who had quiche on offer. It was almost like a custard, very light and tasty. We ate outside with pelicans swooping and sun shining, watching the ferries head off to various points and admiring the Bay Bridge. After checking out the rest of the stores and reading up on the building and its heritage, we returned to the Union Square area... ← edited to add: Saturday started with a too-optimistic walk over to Dottie’s where the lineup at 8:30 am was already 15 strong. We abandoned that idea and instead went back to the Ferry Building to check out the Farmer’s Market. This turned out to be a blessing in disguise as there were many stalls offering breakfast. I settled on one at the far corner (Bay Bridge side) that had chilaquiles. Let me say that chilaquiles are one of my favourite things to eat and they are hard to come by in Vancouver – as indeed all good Mexican food is. I braved the line up and the chilly winds to get me some and dang they were delicioso, tortillas still crunchy despite their bathrobe of tomatillo sauce, crema and queso, beans full of flavour, loads of fresh avocado and well scrambled eggs, all for $10. I only wish I had noted the name of the operation for future reference. Meanwhile, Jonathan had tackled the coffee line at Peet’s and we rendez-voused to munch before exploring further. The idea of a centralized farmer’s market is excellent (ours are neighbourhood based and I think that waters them down). If I lived here I would come every Saturday, and I would probably skip work to come on Tuesday too.

We were in SF mid-November and I had this to say about the Ferry Plaza and market: Refreshed after a good night's sleep, we headed two blocks down to Cafe de la presse, our fave hangout from the last trip in 2003 (when it was largely deserted because of being French -- remember "freedom fries"?). It was busy but they fit us in for a quick repast of croissant and La Colombe coffee before we headed down to the Embarcadero and foodie heaven at the Ferry Building. What a great galleria of gastronomie! I made a beeline for Cow Girl Creamery as it had been featured on Martha Stewart the day before (I caught part of the piece while packing and didn't realize they were based in SF so it was a welcome surprise). We investigated more cool stores, then decided it was time for another snack at Lulu Petite who had quiche on offer. It was almost like a custard, very light and tasty. We ate outside with pelicans swooping and sun shining, watching the ferries head off to various points and admiring the Bay Bridge. After checking out the rest of the stores and reading up on the building and its heritage, we returned to the Union Square area...

← I'm afraid it is. I called this afternoon and spoke to the lovely women who waited tables. Her English is a bit dodgy but I understood that the place has been sold. I'm not exactly sure when they quit serving but fairly recently. So sad.

Moment of silence for the venerable Nemoto Cafe on Broadway. We've been going for 25 years, such that we even developed a verb for it: to neem. Many of the world's problems were solved in that humble front window looking across at the Hollywood Theatre... I'll miss the caffeine and bacon-grease induced "rattles"...

We used to like Galloway's but it moved around and got too expensive. We've been going to Famous Foods on Kingsway for many years. Their prices are decent and they have all the usual suspects for Xmas cakes plus some more exotic options (one year I made a tropical fruitcake with Marsala as a change of pace).

You guys are killing me! But I can't stop reading as the jealousy mounts... I restrained myself and hit up Moctezuma on Tuesday, on 9th between Ellsworth and Washington. They opened up about a month and a half ago. My friend and I split a chicken breast special (first on the list, with a cheesy topping of what I think were nopalitos) and the lamb flautas. Both were excellent, and we were pleasantly surprised by the succulence of the chicken. Their beans were good, but the rice with the chicken was a little wet/overcooked for my taste. The tortilla chips came with two standard salsas: guajillo chilli and salsa verde. The guajillo chilli salsa was great: a perfect blend of earthiness and spiciness, much better than Veracruzana's. The salsa verde was spicy but not as flavorful as it could have been. My friend's horchata tasted homemade, less chemical than at Veracruzana. The nutmeg on top was a nice touch, too. Service was friendly; the manager spoke English excellently and was very solicitous. Having not tried the tacos, I can't really compare with Taquitos de Puebla. Guess I've got to go back... ←

That's right neighbourly of you. Beware, I may just take you up on it. And of course, should you find yourself in Vancouver and looking for somewhere off the beaten track to snack, just PM me!

Popping in from the Vancouver BC board to let you all know how much I wish I lived in Philly. The reason: Taqueria Taquitos de Puebla. This is the first time I've ever seen tacos al pastor done the way I long for from days past in coastal towns of Mexico: upright "gyros style" cooking method with pineapple on top and sliced onto the meat, just raw onions and cilantro, no sauce but what you add yourself from the several bowls on offer and a squeeze of lime. A side order of the chubby grilled spring onions, a giant bottle of Coke or beer of your choice and it's all over but the shouting. I looked for this setup in San Francisco both times I visited (2003 and 2 weeks ago) to no avail and had about decided no one made 'em that way outside Puerto Vallarta and environs. Thanks for sharing your descriptions and photos -- I will continue to seek my holy grail of sheperd's tacos

Was wandering through some older SF posts and came across this thread which had an old photo of a menu with the chilaquiles that I recognized. The place is called Primavera's.

Dear Melkor: I've been digging around the California thread to try to figure out who recommended Larkin Express so I could thank him/her -- so thanks! Here's my mini-review of it from our trip earlier this month: ...our eventual destination was Larkin Express for lunch (452 Larkin btwn Golden Gate and Turk M-F 10-4). We opted to go to Larkin Express over the much-vaunted Burma Superstar as it was a) closer and b) less likely to have a lineup. We ordered a pork curry (which came with 2 sides -- we chose rice and "sourleaf", which was a bit like beet greens but tangier), coconut soup and tea salad. The curry was delicious, not too spicy but flavourful, the coconut soup like a mellow version of tom ka gai with noodles and the tea salad was wicked good. It contains young tea leaves, nuts, crunchy yellow peas and a tart but complex dressing. As there are no Burmese restos in Van that I know of, I have nothing to compare to but we both loved it, especially the salad. And it was ridiculously cheap (under $20 for the lot with leftovers). The space is utilitarian at best but the staff were friendly and helpful. You can find the rest of my ramblings here about our trip if you're interested.