Rover

Ling, Ming Wo in Chinatown seems to offer a year round discount on All-Clad - especially if you're buying a couple of pieces. I agree with Coop on the necessary variety of pots and pans to be functional. My cast iron saute pans get a regular work-out and Le Cruset is perfect for braising. All-Clad performs beautifully and cleans up bright & sparkling. Gourmet Warehouse used to offer a pretty good selection; but I don't know how well-priced. Good Luck and happy spending! Rover

Ok! That roasting idea seems just the thing... I don't know why I didn't think of it - Thanks, Fredbram! Rover

The Zuni recipe is "Long-Cooked Romano Beans". Calls for olive oil, chili flakes, garlic and the beans. Toss with the oil in a pot, cover and cook over low heat for up to two hours until "tender, limp, with a rich concentrated flavour". Certainly an interesting treatment for fresh beans! Alternate bean choices were mature Blue Lake or Kentucky Wonder. I'm intrigued by the recipe, though ... it's turned cool and rainy in Vancouver. Rover

Bought fresh at the farmers' market on Saturday; can't seem to locate a recipe for them. The Zuni Cafe book had a green romano bean recipe which advised not to use the yellows... so, I'm stumped. Any suggestions, please? Thanks Rover

There was a terrific article this week in the SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER by Food Writer HSIAO-CHING CHOU, which might be useful, hope this helps plan your trip. http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/food/147823_...richmond12.html Rover

Food & Cooking report: Theory - Shopped for food on Sunday thinking I wouldn't want to waste it or the money and sneakily trapped myself into cooking mode. 1. Lovely piece of fresh sable fish marinated briefly in soy sauce, sesame oil & touch of mirin - grilled until slightly caramelized and devoured with chopsticks before I could get the salad on the plate ... plainly not my fault and was delicous. 2. Bought chicken legs (free-range) salted overnight (a-la Judy Rodgers) and browned in preparation for week-night inspiration - probably pan-roasted chicken with end of season tomatoes (Amanda Hesser NY Times - September 2002) or Chicken Bouillabaisse. Bonus of plenty of leftovers. 3. Bought some cod for Roasted Lemon Cod w/Peas & Cherry tomatoes; intended for tonight. This approach is working and I'm enjoying cooking and preparing meals; still not eating a huge amount, portion-wise - but feeling better about having the celebration of food back in my life. A friend is joining me for dinner on Thursday and I plan to make a plum tart with Italian prune plums from the farmers market; whatever the chicken dish turns out to be; salad from the garden and Jim Dixon's roasted cauliflower for an appetizer. I think I'm hanging in ... too much egullet, of course!

Y'know ... a bender has some appeal. I really hadn't considered that and there's a lot of merit in those food suggestions, too. I've got arugula in the garden and the omlette sounds pretty good. I know a couple of single people who make a point of celebrating dinner for themselves. Why treat yourself as someone who doesn't rate cooking a great meal for? I love the theory and I do hope I'll get to it. I don't think we're speaking of many courses and elaborate ingredients - but fresh and simply prepared food; it's dinner and not just fodder in front of the tv. mcdowell - I haven't made bread in years...what an inspiration (especially as bread headed the forbidden list) and I can recall that can't-be-compared-to-anything feeling about one's own well made bread. Thanks! Lady T - I'll revisit George & Mark, great suggestion. Pie! Thanks for all the great suggestions ... and the support; it really does help. Rover

I keep thinking that food lust will grab me ... but it doesn't. Even my cooking skills seem to have taken a hike. There have been some truly embarassing failures recently - so ..... What should I cook? Are there some ideas and food faves to salve the wounded heart blues? And ... cooking for just one person after all this time? I wonder if something completely new and untried would be the right thing.

My new job started sooner than anticipated and I'm not going to be able to make it at that time. Are you meeting for drinks and appetizers, or for dinner? I don't think I could get there much before 6:00 and that gives a 2-hour head start to the rest of you. I don't want to hold up the event, so perhaps it's better that I pass on this one and hope to catch you all up at another time. Darn! I was looking forward to this .... It's no fun being a working stiff with conventional hours! Hope you all have a great time and I'll be looking for the reviews and opinions! Rover.

Another very positive review in today's Courier ... Life is looking pretty optimistic for Cru. Hoping to be dining there later this week. Rover

Very nice review in this week's Georgia Straight ... I may not be able to wait until August..... Rover

I'll be there ... Looking forward to it! Rover

Let's do it! A Vancouver eGullet happening, very possibly the first of its kind - I'm in! Rover

Coop, you might like to try The Ordinary Cafe at 1688 West 4th (Santa Fe old location). It's an intimate room a little on the funky side, extremely informal. The food is great and the staff aims to please. The wine list isn't massive but there's something for everyone without breaking the bank. They have an interesting and extremely reasonable early bird menu. This is a fun place to have dinner and might just loosely fall into the bistro category! 604.742.8386. The Chef is Dennis Huang. Good Luck

I saw that thread, LL - but I assumed they weren't open yet. Do you know if they're open for lunch? This town could use a few more interesting (quality) lunch spots. Let's see if we can keep up the interest for your friends' place "Cru" - we need some cutting edge experimenters with a reporting bent - go Vancouver, go! Ramblin' Rover

John Bishop has been a byword for first class food, hospitality, grace and charm in the restaurant world of Vancouver for many years. Yet.... I just realized, that I haven't been to Bishops in years. Yes - it's expensive, but so are most of the better dining spots in Vancouver, well ... actually - anywhere. Please speak up ... Let's hear it! How was your Bishops experience? Mostly interested in something recent, but wouldn't turn away good Bishops stories that aren't too current. FG - was this what you had in mind? Ramblin' Rover

It's interesting you raised that. Almost as a direct result of my Aurora dining experience I began thinking about Bishops. Haven't been back in many years and - Hey, I think it's time! I'd love to hear from those who have been there recently. Rover

I understand this bistro opened during the last week of June. I've driven by and wondered... we need some bistro action in this area! The Chef, Jeff van Geest is apparently a former sous chef from Bishops. 1. Only BC wines are available here ... somewhat limiting 2. Quite a limited menu, especially for appetizers and starters 3. Great looking room, but music was too loud 4. Dessert Menu needs serious help We skipped appetizers and, I ordered the flank steak sandwich w/ frites and aoli (flank steak dressed with braised onions and tomates) ... very tasty. We also ordered the bison stroganoff (came with house made noodles, we think) ... very flavourful. We found glasses of Pinot Noir and Cabernet Franc to share with both. There was absolutely nothing on the dessert menu even remotely tempting. Chef Jeff emerged from the kitchen. There were three tables occupied in the restaurant. He greeted and brought sparkling wine for the first group (possibly friends?) passed our table and smarmed big time to the table next to us. We caught some of the "text" which mainly seemed to deal with "out-Bishoping" John Bishop. Chef Jeff seemed to think he was beyond having to deal with high end food for high end people ... we're not quite sure where that was leading! Chef Jeff stalked back to his kitchen ignoring us entirely. Chef Jeff apparently learned very little from the consumate host, John Bishop, during his tenure. Hospitality is John's middle name and charm may well have been invented by him. Notwithstanding, the staff were friendly and welcoming and the room was comfortable, airy and pleasant. The Chef thing was really offputting and coloured the whole evening. There are too many really good spots in Vancouver which have been doing it better and doing it longer - and, have good dessert menus, too. Lucy Mae Brown and The Ordinary Cafe have nothing to worry about here. We were seriously hoping for a dynomite bistro in the Main Street part of town. Maybe this one will get there and perhaps it's a little unfair to judge this soon in the life of the restaurant. Rambling Rover!

Priscilla - I did a search, but was unable to locate the mind-blowing Pear Gratin recipe. Would you mind sharing, please? Thanks Rover

My most efficient method for pitting olives is to smack them firmly with a wooden meat mallet or rolling pin, this works beautifully for preparations like tapenade. It's easy to pick out and discard the pits.

Experiments and trials successfully completed. A perfect winter drink and the combination was beautifully smooth and rounded. This was an ideal nightcap for a sore throat; warming and soothing. A really nice addition to the winter collection.

Thanks, Samantha & Winot - experiments and tastings shall commence this evening ... my excuse is a sore throat which I'm certain will be instantly cured by Dr. Whisky Mac.

Got the Scotch ... got the Stones Ginger Wine ... don't remember the proportions. I thought it best to take the problem to the experts. Can anyone assist, please? Thanks.