Coop

Personally I think large chains could learn a lot from the philosphy employed at Earl's. They seem to offer a lot more then meat and potatoes. Thier products seem to be a sort of second level of quality and it's easy to get some decent vegetables with your meal. As for the Keg you better like that seasoning salt they apply to all thier steaks. What sort of quality is thier meat. A couple of weeks ago I had a steak at an Outback while golfing south of the border. I suspect they get thier meat from slaughtered dairy cows, then marinate it in papaya juice. It has the wierdest texture. The taste seems to be masked by some sort of finishing marinade. BTW Outback blooming onion equals 2,130 calories. This from that great source for nutritional information, Golf Digest.

Vancouver has a very large Korean population. I have seen these spellings of the dish: Bi bim bop, Bi bhim ba, Bi bim ba and a few others. It's generally Jasmine rice, beef, cucumber, sprouts, shredded carrot, sea weed and a fried egg. Garnishes could include Kimchi cabbage or radish, spicy bean sprouts, seaweed and a hoisin style sauce and a smoky hot sauce. When dinning or posting I find that because of the large number of people in Vancouver who speak and spell 2 or 3 languages spelling is more of an art then a science. edited by Coop to remove some things he should have thought about before saying.

I do love the bi bim bop at Seoul Express. The sides that come with it are nice too. I would recomend it too anyone. The other day I tried the seafood and noodles in broth at XO. It seems to be Vietnameese. I feel lucky not to have gotten ill. The fish balls were beyond bad. They were actually OFF!. You could tell by the very fishy/ammonia like smell. I tried to get past the smell but.....YUCK. The donuts are Okay at the donut and congee place. I like the Curry Hut's curried lamb. I may not be abler to go back after my fish ball experience though. BTW this place is Harrod's food hall compared to the Richmond Public Market!

Le Pichet is my firsty choice for lunch in Seattle. I've never been able to get in for dinner, that's the only reason it's not my favorite then too.

I want to put in my vote for The Oceanaire. I was in Seattle earlier this month and wanted something close to my hotel and not to challenging brain wise so I gave it a try. The oysters were excellent, the chowder good and the fish was very fresh. I had the assorted flash fried fish, really deep fried. It was too much to eat though. The wine list seemed fair and interesting. I had the Key Lime pie for dessert. It was excessive size wise but tasty. The service was nice but a bit too smart. I hate it when a waiter assumes that because they read a Hugh Johnson book once they know everything about wine. I like the room and the smartly dressed staff.

Tempier Red and Rose were my absolute favorite wines back in the 80's and early 90's. It was Kermit Lynch's book Adventures on the Wine Roads that got me started. The wines are just too expensive though for what they are. I also found the vintage from the mid 90's were trying to be too serious.

What about decanting the half bottles into a full sized decanter, rinsing the bottle then return it to the original bottle. This removes the sediment, and aerates the wine. This has always been in my opinion the most succesful method used at tastings. However if it's form over function you require then I suggest you search for glassware for other purposes like those funky bedside carafes or vases. BTW. Winners is a Canadian version of Ross.

What's the hotel like? I find the housekeeping in Seattle hotels to be amongst the worst in the US. Prime offenders are The Paramount, The Warwick, The Embassy Suites in Bellevue, The W (is that why it's so dark?) and especially the Madison. The only exception seems to be the Kimpton places. Just my opinion.

I would try to acquire a whole dover sole. Poach it in fish stock and white wine on the bone. Make a reduction of the poackhing liquid. Finish with butter and cream. At the last minute add a chiffonade of sorrel. This dish is kind of 80's ish but then so is drinking Dom.

When you say rich sauce are you thinking of some hollandaise based sauce. To me it's the only thing that could possibly link the Elk and the Crab. I think you need some acidity to cut through the richness. Moulin a Vent perhaps. I like the Jadot Clos de Jacques. The Elk and Crab seems difficult on the same plate.

I wanted to avoid sounding like a broken record but Shellback started it so ,I love Yaohan, one place had deep fried smelt yum yum. Heads, eyes, bones and all delicious. Best place though Soeul Express. Bi Bim Bop is unbelievable in the little stone bowls.

Just want to point out that the White Spot cafeteria food on ther ferry is better (sort of the tallest of the seven dwarfs) then the "food" served from the Pacific Buffet. How do you spell tomaine?

Mrs Coop used to have a real thing for the BC burger. so monthly we would go to the Maple Ridge White Spot to get abused by the hostess. To pass the time while eating our food (after the half hour wait post ordering) my sons and I would bet on the one thing they obviously forgot. This item could be identified because it was the only item on the plate that was warm. It was never the fries, usually one of the four patties, or sometimes the zuccini. This place was so lame it actually went bankrupt (the franchisee) and sat empty for about a year until they found someone to take it over and provide the same lame experience that the customers had come to expect. I've never figured out why Nat Bailey is so famous. Maybe these places were better before his death. You can now get White Spot on the BC ferries. What a combo.

Your description of upscale is hilarious!

The shrimp gyoza, gyoza, tofu dishes, and Kimchi rice were my favorites. The Udon broth is slightly sweet, which I liked but some may not. Very likable people working there. Just be patient and wait outside.

Make sure you consider Gyoza King for Japanese style tapas. The food is excellent and the place is cozy in a Bin 941 sort of way.

Even though I have been critical of the BC wine industry while partaking in this forum, I find it inspiring that some regard it so highly. Perhaps it has a future. Not only do BC residents feel strongly, so do others who vist our province from abroad. I don't think I will spend my hard earned dollars on BC wine yet but maybe someday. I'm sure this should serve as an inspiration to all those winemakers in the Okanagan.

Ouch, I almost feel guilty about the great meal we had at Parkside, well almost.

There is nothing different about writing about wines you have never drank. It goes with the long popular habit some have of posting opinions about restaurants they have never been to.

I find the wines of Jaboulet to be underwhelming except for the Hermitage La Chapelle. At $12.00 you can't go wrong though. At $25.00 you could find much better like Raspail Ay or Montirus. I also think Gigondas is the South's most over rated wine. Almost the price of CNP.

I just picked up my allotment of Cloudy Bay 2003 SB, and was surprised (pleasently) to find the end closed with a screw cap. This must be the most highly regarded wine to go screwcap to this point. I am definetly in favour of this move.

Ling, I think these places are really stupid if they don't give you the best meal they can offer. The whole idea of the promotion should be to help people find new and exciting places to go. obviously it's unlikely you would ever go back. We enjoyed our meal there last year, but I doubt we would go back anyways. What did you think of the china? What about that ceiling?

yes Scott you would then have my permission.

My friends and I had a dinner at Brasa in November. The appetizers were great, but everything fell apart while we waited for the entrees. When they finally came they were well, awful. I love The Harvest Vine!!

Don't give up on Merlot until you have tried Falesco!