Coop

I'm with Boris, except for the part about grabbing my ankles. We just returned from Seattle which has very few places that compare with the best of Vancouver. Le Pichet and Cafe Campagne are great french bistros the likes of which Vancouver is missing. The Harvest Vine is unique with it's fabulous Basque food and Seattle's newest, soon to be famous Union is much like Parkside or to a lesser degree West. For great food and ambiance at a good price try Parkside, Lucy Mae Brown, Cru, The Bins, and Wild Rice. As for being "Grown up" I'll leave that for others to decide.

Feaster: Well said.

Had two sweetbread dishes in Seattle on the weekend. The first was at Brasa where they wrapped them in bacon then grilled them and served them on a bed of lentils. It was absolutley brutal, overcooked and nothing like the delicate treatment they deserve. Then at Union where they were breaded and sauteed then served with a bacon vinegrette and some nice frissee. Much nicer. On this subject I love sweetbreads, kidneys, liver, and tongue. Love tripe in soup. Still not sure about it though. Don't like week (blood), brains, tendon, heart or pork bung. I would try them in a restaurant I loved and trusted like West or Parkside though.

For relaxing time, make it Suntory time. Thank you Mr Bobby san. http://movies.go.com/movies/L/lostintransl...2003/index.html The good news is the whiskey works!

For me it's mediocre grappa in a doppio ristretto. What's a fluffer Uncle Klink?

I always enjoy a bowl of soup from the Stock Market. There soups are always made the right way from freshly made stocks and great vegetables. The chef/owner and his wife have had restaurants in the past both of which I loved, Chef et se Femme and Gucheez.

It sounds great to me.

All my tripe eating comes in Pho. BTW the mention of The Vancouver Magazine reminds me of a place called the Curry Hut, winner of best Indian 1998. This place is definetly not Indian. It does however make a great curry. It's located in a food court connected to the T and T on 152 in Surrey. The lamb curry is my favorite. Also try the sesame and yellow bean paste donut thing from the Vietnamese place by the door. They have them fresh on the counter at lunch time. They are unbelievable.

I believe there is a sweetbread dish on the menu at Wild Rice (myson Coop jr has had then there). As for buying them I've gotten them from Armando's on Granville Island, Jackson's and at Windsor meat in West Van. Try phoning around first. Sweetbreads involve a little effort to prepare. This is how I learnt to prepare them as a student at VCC: Soak them in water overnight. Poach them for about an hour in lightly salted cold water (with some onion, carrot and celery) brought to a simmer slowly. After poaching them let them cool in the poaching liquid, ideally overnight. BTW this always seems worthwile with any braised dish because the meat takes on the liquid as it cools. Remove them from the poaching liquid and peel off the membrane from around the sweetbreads. Lay a piece of plastic wrap on a plate, lay out the sweetbreads and cover with another piece of plastic wrap. Now put a couple of plates on top, this light pressing will make the sweetbreads both firm and tender. Press them for about 6 hours. There seems to be 2 schools of thought on sauteing, to flour or not. I like them very lightly floured. Saute , while sauteeing lightly salt the sweetbreads, remove from pan, add shallots, deglaze with white wine, reduce add 35% cream, salt and pepper. When the sauce seems right add sweetbreads back to warm. You can vary this by adding a little dijon mustard or chanterelles but believe me Sweetbreads are best enjoyed with a simple preperation. This is Mrs Coop's favorite dish she used to order it all the time at the Cafe de Paris.

That's Brutal! How have they surrvived so long? I believe it's the only surviving restaurant from the Expo 86/BC Place boom. Who remebers Someplace Else and L'Orangerie?

What's with these USC colours?

We need suggestions for something to do this weekend when we are not eating and drinking. Anywhere with good jazz etc? Maybe a play? Probably something a little off the mainstream would be best. We are having dinner at Union saturday and we still haven't decided about Friday yet but it's probably either The Harvest Vine or Cafe Campagne or Le Pichet. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

I find the fish at the 1st avenue T and T to be very good. However the Coquitlam location's fish counter is disgusting. I love Cioffi's for almost all my meat needs. The veal is the best in the city and very well priced. The sausage is as good or better then Columbus' and the variety of items is staggering. They have great beef short ribs that they will custom cut to any size. Armando's on Granville Island is nice but his prices are just outrageous. Oyama Sausage is worth the cost and effort for everything I've had there, Duck Confit, Porcini Pate, and especially the Rilliette.

Where is this place? Seattle, Spokane, Portland, or Honolulu?

I loved Ray's Boathouse before it burned down, only been back once since and it was disappoiting. Anyone remember Ray's Downtown, what a disaster. I have had a great time at Shuckers on many occaisions, always thought thier oysters were the best and freshest. Their cooked dishes fall a little short of perfect. The smoked oysters though are brilliant. I also find the room cool in an old school way.

If you go for the fig and anise, can I suggest toasting it, dressing it with unsalted butter then shave Parmessan Reggiano over it. Very good toasted even aftter a few days. Ecco I Panne is another favorite. They closed their retail operation though. Messy divorce I hear.

This is easy for me. I have never had anything I didn't love from Terra. Here are my favorites in order: Fig and Anise, Grape Bread, Italian Cheese, Baguette, Pugliese, Sourdough Baguette, Apple Foccacia, Foccacia. My favorite bread though is Pao de Casa made by the Westview Bakery. This bread is available at the Santa Barbara Market on Commercial Drive. As for the save on Ciabatta, Ling they have saved many nights for me here in Maple Ridge. It's the only thing out here that tastes like bread.

It surprises me that these chains do so well, although there food is consistently mediocre and thier service variable people keep going in droves. My parents spend the winter in Palm Dessert and they rotate between, PF Chang's, Macaroni Grill, California Pizza Kitchen and The Yardhouse. The Coachella valley is a mecca for these type places. They are packed everynight while the independent places are going broke. Even though the food is never bad, it seems created in a lab.

I would be interested in knowing which 5 places in Seattle are better or equal. The meal we had there a year ago ranks as the best meal I've ever eaten in Seattle. As we are returning this month I would be interested in your top 5's.

I think that the early Rubicons' grapes came from the Inglenook vineyard holdings and even some of the vineyards planted by John Daniel and the Niebaum family. Is this just a fairy tale? I know in the 80's Coppola's goal was to reunite the Daniel family holdings. Robin Lail Smith (John Daniel's daughter) entered into an agreement to supply Christian Mouiex with grapes for Dominus. The other holdings I believe were used in some way to make Rubicon. BTW I remember the 82 Inglenook special selection to be a very ageworthy wine. I only wish I still had a bottle or two. I have always believed that the Rutrherford area makes the finest of the Napa cabernets. The Inglenook holdings, Beaulieu Vineyard #2 and the famous To Kalon vineyard are all in this bench area, I believe. I must admit though Napa is an area I was more interested in during the 80's and 90's so a lot has probably changed since then.

No the gathering fell apart. You should have a great time at what I think is the city's best new restaurant. I like it a bit better then Parkside and Marine Drive, the other new places I have been this year. Have a great time and now you owe us a post on your experience.

Does anyone know thier policy on bringing your own bottle of wine?

I always scope out de Luarenti's when I come to town. Although I haven't bought much there since they sold me a pretty dodgy truffle a few years ago. I think my sons still play road hockey with it. Cougar Gold tastes a lot like the Balderson 5 year old cheddar which we get here in Vancouver. I think it's the memories of going down stairs at Freddie's and buying a couple cans of cheese, then smuggling them home that I miss. I also love the cans. It seems odd that the school that gave us Ryan Leaf can make great tasting cheese.

I had the good fortune of having the cassoulet at Campagne one cold evening in November during the late 80's, I still remember it fondly. It was the first time I ever dined alone in a fine restaurant, the 375 of Chateau Beaucastel 85 helped restrain my lonliness. I have returned to Campagne since but never found the place as comforting as that night. However the Cafe is very cosy. Do they serve cassoulet downstairs?

When did it become the diners job to try and accomadate the staff. They should be trying to make the $350.00 customer as comfortable as possible. So they don't want wine, perhaps they are driving or Jehovah Witness' it's none of the wine stewards business. Not wanting wine doesn't make Alex and Adam unable to enjoy great food. I too enjoy a more bustling restaurant, that doesn't mean I'm uncivilized. well perhaps it does. I hope I never become as evolved as those who have dissed Adam for not being prepared for the CT experience.