grayelf

I'll plop in a quote from my lengthy ramble about our recent trip the rest of which can be found here to the excellent city by the Bay to put in a good word for another Burmese resto: ... 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. NB: The Larkin Express is not open for dinner.

Thanks for your replies -- I thought I was tracking this thread but didn't get them till just now. I will save them though as we are hoping to visit SF again in the spring. In the meantime, if you have a few minutes, here's where we ended up going.

Thanks for slogging through my offering, and for posting a reply We really did have a great time, despite missing out on all the marquee restos that SF is teeming with. I read somewhere else on eGullet where someone said they'd rather go to 6 moderately priced restaurants than have one $400 meal (no matter how fantastic the service etc) and I guess I'm kinda in that camp too. Ah, authenticity, the great bugbear. I have had chilaquiles all over Mexico, and cooked them myself, with various sauces (and always for breakfast). These ones were not baked, not day-old and had avoc on them (not "authentic") but they were delicous and had my fave the tomatillo sauce with crema and queso fresco. So to me, the authenticity was in the flavours. I love those chilaquiles, too. I'm sure there are more authentic to be had, but those had served me well on many a blustry morning at the Ferry Plaza. I just tried to look for the name, assuming it would be on the FP website, but it's not. Hmmm. I guess you have to pay to be linked to that - surprising considering what the rent must be on the space. Oh well. Sounds like you had a great trip! ←

At the urging of two eGullet veterans (one from SF, one from Vancouver), I'm daring to post my journal from our recently completed and most enjoyable trip to San Francisco. Sorry there are no pix but my dining partner would flee if I whipped out the digicam, so you're stuck with just my purple prose. Be warned there's a fair bit of touristic folderol mingled with the food descriptions but there's still lotsa talk about snacking . We arrived late Thursday night and checked in to the Vintage Court at Bush and Powell. 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 food 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 reading up on the spectacular building and its heritage, we returned to the Union Square area for a bit of shopping and to work up an appetite as 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. We spent the rest of the afternoon doing some more shopping and ambling around the Financial District where some buildings that predate the 1906 quake and fire still survive. After a quick restorative at the hotel, it was time to head over to Jitlada (1826 Buchanan btwn Sutter and Bush) where we had a 7:30 reso -- thanks for the tip, Carrie. This was a good thing as it was very busy. We met my brother-in-law there (he lives in the Mission) which was also excellent as a) we haven’t seen him in a while and b) we could order more food! We decided to go for Chef Pai’s specialties and ordered the shrimp ginger rolls, the wonton-like appetizer, the mango salad, the special noodles with black bean, the sea bass and the pumpkin curry with chicken. They were all excellent, with the standouts being the mango salad, noodles and the sea bass. I am somewhat wary of “fusion” approaches but the chef here knows how to mix in different ingredients to complement the more traditional Thai elements and make it all sing. Case in point: dried cranberries in the mango salad. Sounds whacky, tastes awesome. The one thing that didn't quite measure up was the pumpkin in the curry which was cut too big for my taste and was a bit mealy. Our bill came to about $90 including a couple of beers so Jitlada was also great value. We strolled up and down nearby Fillmore Street to end a great day. 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 good Mexican food is in general. 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 getting a bit cold (the weather was the opposite of Friday, cloudy and threatening rain) so we decided to hop on the streetcar and go to Fisherman’s Wharf and back to warm up using our handy dandy Muni passes – we discovered these last time and they are truly wonderful. You can go two blocks if your dogs are barking, and you can ride the cable cars or dingers as we call them endlessly if you’re so inclined. SF is the only place I’ve been where riding public transit can be fun because of the mode of transport itself. We then hied ourselves back to the hotel for a clothing change (weather worsening) and to Union Square to meet up with Jay, our guide for a walking tour of Pacific Heights. This was really well done and quite diverting despite the onset of a persistent Scotch mist of rain. Being from Vancouver, we had umbrellas. We had not spent much time in this area and it was most illuminating, as we have an interest in heritage houses (ours is a 1908 Craftsman bungalow and my brother’s is an 1899 Queen Anne). The highlight was an incredible white mansion that appeared to be made of stone but was actually redwood and predated the 1906 debacle. We finished our tour just in time for lunch at the Gourmet Carousel (1559 Franklin St at Pine). By this time it was raining in earnest so some rib sticking Chinese was in order. We had the deluxe wonton soup which was massive and tasty, the salt and pepper prawns and the potstickers (crunchy goodness) based on recommendations from SF Bargain Bites. The prawns were a bit disappointing as peeling them removed the salt and pepper coating (which I should have known) but they were more than saved by the excellent chili sauce that is served in tiny bowls and is delicious. Once again, we couldn’t finish it all and we got change from a twenty. Thus fortified, we decided to return to Fillmore Street to check out the boutiques and such we had seen on Friday night’s walk. I would recommend this area for strolling and shopping in a relaxed and “mature” retail setting. We didn’t buy a lot but it felt like a place I would go if I lived here (lots of great looking restos and cafes too). I did indulge in a Moomintroll mug which will only mean something to you if you are a fan of Tove Jansson; I had never seen Moomin-related gear anywhere and was quite tickled. We proceeded to the Hayes Valley, where we had heard there was a great Art Deco antiques store on Market. It was brilliant, with excellent stock, particularly lighting. I’ve not seen such a fine selection from this era before. By this time we were getting pretty soggy from the continuing rain and decided it was time to head back to the hotel for a rest and to dry out. The aforementioned brother-in-law was having a party in honour of our visit that evening, so we decided to indulge in some tacos beforehand. We undergrounded to the 16th street station and checked out a few spots I had sussed. Being a bit unclear on how far apart the 16th and 24th stations are (and rapidly deciding the walk over on a Saturday night was a bit dodgy for our taste), we limited our search to the immediate ’hood and settled on Pancho Villa (on 16th near Mission). A couple of al pastor and fish tacos each later (both excellent and very filling), we headed to the party and stayed up far too late. Sunday was a sleep in day, with a bit of shopping close by the hotel, notably a store called karikter on Pine near Stockton for more Moomin ware and lots of other cool stuff. By the time we met up with the brother-in-law it was nearly noon but the weather had returned to gorgeous sun so we decided to walk the Golden Gate Bridge. Matthew drove us there through the Presidio where we stopped at a war memorial to have our Remembrance Day moment (we do that a day earlier in Canada). The bridge is truly a marvel, and being there with two engineers, well, suffice to say many photos were snapped. There was also an anti-war protest on the bridge which seemed very San Francisco. We admired the views and the armies of jellyfish floating by and then headed back into town in search of sustenance. After an abortive trip to the Marina (resto closed on Sundays, my bad for not checking), we headed to the Lower Haight with thoughts of checking out the Niman Ranch beef burgs at the Metro Caffe (247 Fillmore at Haight) but when we got there we decided that we wanted breakfast for lunch instead and so went around the corner to Kate’s. As by this time it was after 2 there was no lineup at this unofficial Lower Haight brunch HQ and we settled in for a post-party carbo and grease fest. We all went for the classic eggs and meat option but I added an order each of hush puppies and grits. Overall a very comforting feed, nothing out of the ordinary but tasty (with the exception of the biscuit which although housemade was heavy, undercooked and served COLD ). Next stop was the Upper Haight after a quintessentially SF hunt for parking to investigate this famous nabe. We had not been before and found it most diverting, although I would say we are a bit past the target demographic for shopping here. On the way back to the car, we stopped in to Say Cheese for a quick drool and then headed back to the Mission to drop off the car and pit stop at Matthew’s house. As he lives very near a great shopping strip on Valencia we wandered down there and went into Paxton Coute (mix of gardening, housewares and taxidermy) and a pirate store run by David Eggers as a “front” for a writers’ workshop which was one of the most whimsical stores I’ve ever been in. It was time for a coffee break so we went to a local café called Ritual (on Valencia near 24th station) that serves excellent joe in a funky but chic environment and managed to score a window seat for a bit of people watching. The café society in SF is worthy of study and this is a good place to do it. After a bit of caffeinated relaxation (is that an oxymoron?) we caught the underground back to our hotel to change and then headed out to Colibri Mexican Bistro (438 Geary btwn Taylor and Mason). Our 8 pm reso found us entering a cosy if overheated (why are indoor spaces in SF often so warm?) slightly postmodern take on a classic Mexican restaurant. Arches and wrought iron with dark wood booths but somehow not as cheesy as it sounds. The menu was similar: regional tapas with some unusual dishes not regularly seen outside Mexico, given a bit of a spin. The guide book I got this recommendation from said “unpretentious, delicious and atypical” and I would agree with one exception. The tortilla soup has gone downhill since that review, or they were having an off night soupwise, as it was bland, too sweet and kinda Campbell’s Tomato-y. Not inedible but not stellar. The other items we sampled were all winners: tamales with mole, chicken with mole (both good according to BIL Matthew who is a big mole fan, which I am not), chiles rellenos with a delightful cheese and veggie stuffing, three sopes with beef, chicken and again a delicious mixed veg topping, and carnitas (chunks of slow cooked pork whose rather rustic appearance belied a serious yummy factor). Service was attentive and informed, and extra tortillas and limes were brought without complaint or charge. The tab was about $90 with a beer and we were too full to contemplate dessert. We walked Matthew to the underground then took a streetcar up to the California line and the dinger home. Monday morning was reserved for a full brekky at Café de la presse (352 Grant at Bush). I had the eggs benedict which were parfait and J had the eggs a la meurette which is poached eggs in red wine sauce with mushrooms and lardons. Both come with delicious pan-fried spuds and of course we had café Colombe, this time au lait. I have heard complaints about the prices here but our egg dishes were worth every penny of $13 and $12 respectively. The space is also beautiful, even better since its 2005 refurbishing by a group of French seafood restaurateurs. A word to the wise: like many other famous brunch options in SF, you need to get here way early on a weekend to have a hope of eating without waiting in line. Even on a Monday it was pretty full by the time we arrived at 9 am, and when we went by on Sunday there was a serious lineup at 11 am. We hadn’t had quite enough retail exercise yet so headed down to Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s with a quick stop in Maiden Lane to look at a gallery designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. We were a bit overwhammed by the sheer volume of stuff and decided to head down Market to the Palace Hotel. We admired the opulent and OTT architecture and then continued on to the California line and another dinger trip, this time over to North Beach. We had been referred to a specialty print shop at 1435 Grant called Schein and Schein, whose owner graciously opened up just for us. After some browsing through old architectural and mechanical prints, it was time for more Mexican, this time at an eGullet recommended taqueria nearby called El Zorro (308 Columbus Avenue). We ordered five tacos (pastor, pork in green sauce, beef and chicken asado and fish). They were all excellent although there was a spice in the fish one that I didn’t fancy so J finished that one off while I got another pork in green sauce to make up the shortfall. The salsa bar had only three offerings but they were all housemade and delicious. The staff apparently appreciated my somewhat sad attempts at Spanish enough to offer a free basket of chips to convey some more of the great salsas stomachward and we were happy campers. We finished off our final afternoon meandering about North Beach (with a requisite stop in an Italian bakery for Sicilian pastries) and a walk back through Chinatown along Stockton and Grant. Then it was off to SFO for another delayed but otherwise uneventful flight.

I'll wade in having just returned from a four-day stint in San Francisco. I did a crazy amount of research before we left because a) I'm obsessive b) I love to eat good food at a good price and c) you have to pick and choose in a town overflowing with restos as SF is. We have a tendency to go for taste and price over decor but there were two places we dined at that combined quality with atmosphere, and neither broke the bank: Jitlada (1826 Buchanan btwn Sutter and Bush): this small resto is cozy and relatively understated. Go for Chef Pai’s specialties -- you'll know them when you see them. We ordered the shrimp ginger rolls, the wonton like appetizer offering, the mango salad, the special noodles with black bean, the sea bass and the pumpkin curry with chicken. They were all excellent, with the standouts being the mango salad, noodles and the sea bass. I am somewhat wary of “fusion” approaches but the chef here knows how to mix in different ingredients to complement the more traditional Thai elements and make it all sing. Case in point: dried cranberries in the mango salad. Sounds whacky, tastes awesome. Our bill for three hungry people came to about $90 including a couple of beers. Colibri Mexican Bistro (438 Geary btwn Taylor and Mason): a cosy if overheated (why are all indoor spaces in SF so warm?) slightly postmodern take on a classic Mexican restaurant. Arches and wrought iron with dark wood booths but somehow not as cheesy as it sounds. The menu was similar: regional tapas with some unusual dishes not regularly seen outside Mexico, given a bit of a spin. The guide book I got this recommendation from said “unpretentious, delicious and atypical” and I would agree with one exception. The tortilla soup has gone downhill since that review, or they were having an off night soupwise, as it was bland, too sweet and kinda Campbell’s Tomato-y. Not inedible but not stellar. The other items we sampled were all winners: tamales with mole, chicken with mole (my brother-in-law is a big mole fan), chiles rellenos with a delightful cheese and veggie stuffing, three sopes with beef, chicken and again a delicious mixed veg topping, and carnitas (chunks of slow cooked pork whose rather rustic appearance belied a serious yummy factor). Service was attentive and informed, and extra tortillas and limes were brought without complaint or charge. The tab was about $90 with a beer and we were too full to contemplate dessert.

Here's a couple that I think are explained by science: I hate to the point of feeling ill anything with cooked tuna or scallops, but can and do scarf both raw quite happily at a sushi bar. It seems obvious that the cooking process does something to these two proteins that my taste buds/nose/tummy just don't like.

"Unfortunately though, until things change in the kitchen I'll be in the west end or kits for my mole fix" Refresh my memory please, where is there good mole in Kits? ← Oh yes, please, good mole in Vancouver. Where where where? Just back from San Francisco and already in withdrawal from good Mexican...

As someone relatively new to eGullet (joined in Aug 2007), I tremble to wade in but the water's not that cold so here goes: When I hear about a restaurant that sounds interesting, I generally Google it and read ALL the reviews that come up. Then I make a decision to go based on average comments and frankly a gut feel. What if there are only two reviews that represent opposite experiences, and one is a "professional" and one an "amateur" reviewer? Maybe wait a bit if the resto is new, or maybe toss a coin. In the end, it's up to me to decide if I want to go, and then if I like the place. Same with movie, book and TV show reviews: do your homework then take the chance and make up your own mind. Sort of "caveat emptor" with caveats I have no formal food background, but in a past life worked as a full-time reporter (what we used to call journalists) for several papers in BC (both metro and not). I do remember being surprised at how and on what basis "reviewers/critics" were chosen, but perhaps I shouldn't have been. Not everyone who knows a lot about a particular area is suited to the newspaper lifestyle (churning out x amount of column inches per week, writing to a tight deadline, working weird hours, blah blah blah). It seemed to me that these folks were often chosen more for their newspaper experience and longevity than for a specific background in food, music, whatever. And their opinions are probably worth just that. Edited to add: Anytime I have to use as many quotation marks as I did in this post, I worry what my old profs would say about properly defining my terms...

I'm with Annanstee, laughed out loud twice and agreed with you about Vij's and the exclusionary signage in many a Chinese resto. I've been known to enveigle Chinese friends to come along and read the walls for me which is kinda fun but it seems there oughta be a better way...

Another option could be Taiwan Beef Noodle House in Marpole (8390 Granville Street, 604-266-7966). As the name suggests, they specialize in beef noodle soup, which is excellent by the way, but they have a number of dim sum items on the menu as well. They are relatively close to the airport, open late, have room for larger parties, really cheap, and the food in general is tasty. We had something called a chive vol au vent that was to die for. The wontons in chili oil are worthy also. They also had various kinds of dumplings (Shanghai steamed dumplings/xiaolong bao, boiled dumplings, and potstickers) plus onion pancakes and fried steamed rolls, among other things that we didn't have room to try. Cost of dinner for two with leftovers: under $20.

Since no one has mentioned it here, I'll throw out Monde Chocolat at Burrard and 7th in Kitsilano. Chocolate of every description from around the world and a very tasty line of their own. Worth a visit just to ogle the tempting products and inhale the heavenly smell, but I bet you won't leave without a purchase!

We buy the fresh ones in the dreaded plastic package (like a yogurt carton) every Christmas to make oyster stuffing for Signor Turkey. Works a treat and saves a bit on space at a time of year when fridge real estate is at a premium.

Maybe not quite on topic but Cobre (52 Powell) offers so-called nuevo Latino food, much of which is riffing on Mexican. We had two orders each of the pulled duck, fish, chorizo and poblano tacos, 2 orders of chicken taquitos, 2 orders of skirt steak, 1 order of short ribs, 1 goat cheese and eggplant empanada, 1 cheese pupusa, 1 tomato soup, one special of short ribs, all three desserts on offer and five beverages for $300, tax and tip in. Did I mention there were six of us? Everything was tasty, with the standouts being the tacos and the skirt steak (which they call vaca frita, a bit literally IMHO). The flavours in each dish were well delineated and nothing was over or undercooked or seasoned. The one minor disappointment was the short rib special which was a little tough and a mite oversauced but it still wasn't bad, just not in league with the other dishes. Each of us had a different favourite among the desserts which were a baked chocolate, dulce de leche and horchata creme brulee. The menu is designed for sharing, and the waiter suggested doubling up on the tacos because there are three per order which was good. Service in general was solid, and the room is inviting (I think the upper loft area is the nicest of the three levels). The website is helpful and the menu gives more details about specific ingredients if you're interested. I would recommend this as a relaxed place for a reasonably priced dinner, or a snack with drinks (they have a whole range of Latin-inspired libations such as the pisco sour I enjoyed).

Thanks for the update, and so glad it's positive. It's been a while since we hit Montri's (resos were always an issue so we tend to keep it for specialish occasions) but it's nice to know it's still good.

Walked past the Moderne Burger today and there is now a help wanted sign up... progress!

Munchos sighting on the Left Coast of Canuckland today: Mac's at Broadway and Hemlock in Vancouver has 'em... two fewer bags of 'em, actually (snack size only, left of door on end of small rack -- you gotta work for your Munchos).

Someone said upthread that Munchos are harder to find in western Canada because of the Old Dutch (another chip brand) market share. Sounds plausible to me. Occasionally Munchos will turn up, in all places, at my local Shopper's Drug Mart. At which point a Munchos Massacre ensues. Then they disappear, seemingly indefinitely. Which is perhaps just as well.

If I was lucky enough to be invited, I would be one of the guys with the illegal baguette. PS Love your avatar! ← One problem in serving it as a starter is that some people want to make an entire meal of it and one has to be firm about denying seconds (or thirds) otherwise the entree will be ignored. At a New Year's Day gathering a few years ago I found two of the guys, who had volunteered to do cleanup, in the kitchen, tearing apart a baguette and using the bread to scrape out whatever was still in the dish. One told me that he had never cared for potato soup and didn't care much for Stilton, but the combination was dynamite. ←

That article is amazing! Makes me want to move back to SF. Of all the places, I have eaten at only 2: Thep Phenom and Ti Couz. Both are fabulous, and good values. Thanks for that link, tb!!! ← Thought I'd bump this thread, as we're heading to SF for our second visit in early November. I've gotten some great feedback elsewhere on higher end "nicer" places to dine but the SF Chronicle article above is also hitting me where I live... cheap and cheerful snacks! Any updates, closures, new spots or other suggestions? We'll be staying at Bush and Powell but visiting relatives in the Mission and ready to walk/transit/cab around your very fair city. PS We're especially keen on "real" Mexican which to us means tacos that are just two wee corn tortillas, some pastor preferably freshly sliced off the slowly turning upright spit, cilantro and onions with multiple add-your-own salsas and the like. Vancouver is sadly lacking in such places, and even the best one doesn't hold a candle to my memories of eating same in D.F.

Nifty thread, and a point I've pondered often. FWIW, I have three kinds of chile/chili/chille/chilly (just kidding on the last one) in my cupboard: One is a Mexican dried chile powder, a dark reddish brown and the kind of beasty you'd find in a (wait for it) tasty vat of chili to add a bit o' smoky flavour and a more mellow heat. You might be putting in tablespoons of this, as opposed to 1/8 tsp or less (see two and three). Two is cayenne pepper, a bright reddish orange superfine powder that will blow your head off it you accidentally put too much in whatever you are making, and doesn't add a whole lot of flavour with the fire. Three is ground chiles, a product I was only able to find in that most excellent area known as Punjabi-town here in Vancouver. I discovered a recipe that called for it when I was living in Toronto and it was easy to find there -- redder than both one and two, hotter than the hubs of Hades and yet also tasty. Eureka! I substitute this one for nearly all my hot dry spice needs now, unless the more earthy "Texan smoky" style that goes so well with cumin and other Southwestern spicy things is called for. But come to think of it, I use a lot of whole cumin when cooking Indian and then it's the ground chiles I reach for...

I can see the epitaph now: "Here lies she who was electrocuted while reading eGullet" -- cause of death: drooling on the keyboard at andiesenji's Stilton Hoop Soup

Thanks for the personal feedback. In the interests of not hijacking this thread, I'll PM you with our food specs

Thanks for all your foodie gumshoeing, CT. The Significant Engineer and I are heading to SF Nov 8 for our second joint visit (last was in 2003) -- I now have 11 pages from your excellent reviews and related comments to sift through! Keep those insights coming, and thanks to everyone else who has contributed along the way. This Vancouverite is prepared to be wowed by another West Coast city's culinary offerings. PS We'll be staying at the Vintage Court (Bush/Powell near Chinatown gates) so any suggestions specific to that area would be most welcome.

Ooooh boy, does that sound good. I love Stilton, and I love port. I am definitely going to try this. However, I'm not sure it's wise for my diet and pocketbook to learn a way to make Stilton and port even better than they already are. Edited to add: Is there any trick to doing this? Or do you just take your hunk o' Stilton and pour some port over it and seal it up and wait until you can't stand to wait any more? Sorry about the diet, Jaymes, but trust me it'll be worth it. The best (or maybe worst??) part is how easy it is: Tupperware, Stilton, port, coolish cupboard, time. If you think of it, turn the cheese over once in a while to ensure the porty goodness is sinking in equally. Et voila -- a Christmas (or non-denominational) treat to share with pals in December. Enjoy! PS this is a killer gift if you have foodie friends. Pop as much as you can bear to part with in a bit of crockery and you're good to go. Now you know why I keep making more every year...

I just realised that you may be referring to Stilton with port. I probably wouldn't like it, because I've hated ever port I've ever tried. I keep trying to like it, but don't. And I like strong flavours. ←