Coop

I thought my post was on topic. I assumed the topic was the show Godiva's? I assure you chef I know how to watch TV and form an opinion.

Has anyone seen this show. I'm hoping for excess nudity, poor character development and unrealistic stories. I'm going to watch for the nude chicks though.

It was the Cafe de Paris. Not anymore though. In Seattle it's Le Pichet.

White, Inama Soave 2002 Red, Nero' d"Avola from Sicily (Cusamano, Morgante, Donnafuggata). Try saying something like " I hear they are doing great things with native grapes in Sicily". Let the wine person take it from there.

Yes I agree that JKK's vision of the Island has been lived out. As one who was part of lease negotiations for a family business (Pacific Spar) I can say all his dreams have come true. Granville Island Market has become a victim of it's own succces. It is no longer a place for serious food shoppers. Unless you can get there early you stand little chance of fighting your way through the tourists to make your purchases. In my opinion a lot of them are just there to have a good laugh at us anyways. It seems like they are there to say things like, "What the Hell is That?" or "You're going to eat wild mushrooms?" "Where are the free samples?" Next time you go count how many people actually buy something. Even fewer are the people with bags of food for home preperation. Is this a problem? I think it is because without retail customers actually buying the stuff there is no reason for the market to exist. Soon the tour buses full of voyeurs will go elsewhere. My suggestion is to have an area where each merchant can give out samples of their food away from the serious shoppers. The walls could be covered with shiney objects and the rest of us could shop safely.

Sachetto Prosecco. Very nice way to start the evening. Didn't make notes about this one though. 1998 Rubino della Palazzola (Umbria). Deep Red, Sweaty, Earthy and a little weedy. Nice in the mouth with a long dry finish. Serious wine. 2001 Cusimano Sagana (Sicily). Purple with Pink edges. Strawberry and Tomato. Light wieght and well balanced. I too thought Sangiovese. This surprised me because I helped my friend Kim pick this wine from his cellar. He wasn't confident enough to pick a wine that fit the parameters of the evening. 1999 Canua Sforzato (Valtellina). Looked like Burgundy or even Beaujolais, Raisins, Prunes, Cheese. In the mouth it was about the same wieght as a burgundy. I really liked this unusual wine. I will look for other wines from this region. 1999 Planeta Merlot (Sicilia). Purple pink edges. Floral and bordeaux like, not as New World as the 2001 I had a couple of weeks ago. When it was announced it was Merlot I geussed it was Planeta. Lucky geuss though because this wine was more elegant then other Planeta merlots I've had. 1999 Inama Bradisismo (Veneto). Deep red purple edges. Chocolate and Olives a bit green. Very big wine. Paulliac Like. I brought this wine from Seattle earlier this year. I bought a few bottles after having it at the restaurant Assiaggio. Love thier Soave. 1997 Feudi San Gregorio Serpico (Campania). Dark Purple red edges. Very serious nose plums cherry. oak. Tight, medium mouth feel. Very serious wine. 1990 Lungarotti San Giorgio (Umbria). Red with brown edges, cassis, memeory lets me down here. I liked this wine very much, probably why my notes on it were so thin. Young for a 1990. 1998 Illuminati Nico (Abruzzo). Red with Brownish edge. Prunes, spice. Balanced. Very good to finish with this unusual serious wine. Nothing like my past experiences with this area (Citra). I have loved Italian wine for about 2 decades now. Drinking these wines from lesser known areas can only make my obcession stronger. BTW I bought a bottle of Valtellina from Nino Negri today it's the Le Tense. This winery is the current darling of the Gamberro Rosso. No cure in sight. _________________

I go to Marcello's pretty regularly. I have yet to see anything on his menu that you can't find at a thousand other places in North America. Did Marcello invent the Pizza Margaretta? The Caprese Salad? Come on. In the "real world" this happens all the time. If it was a crime marcello would be as guilty as the ex employee. BTW I'm not a Chef, perhaps it's the fumes from the oven cleaner.

Star Anise! You used to have to know a regular to get a booking.

I really enjoyed the San Giorgio and the wierd Valtellina. The other wines were all excellent in my opinion. To my palate I wouldn't characterise any of them as over oaked. I agree that Nero d' Avola is a grape to watch. I'm surprised at the different styles of this wine. I'll post my notes later, they are travelling around today in Mrs Coop's car.

How would these wines go with food?

For me there was only one chef at Marcello's and last time I checked he was still manning the oven in his white T. What kind of oven do they use at this new place? For me it's the oven and Marcello's skill that makes the place. That being said, I'm happy to try the new place. What's their wine list like? BTW Chef it's not like Marcello invented pizza.

Cooking lunch in the manager's lunch room at Burrard Yarrow's Shipyard while going to VCC. Kind of a little micro-cosim of all my jobs, boats and restaurants.

Santos! What happened? Jamie, La Cantina, now Stormin Norman's the Wreck Beach Chef! Oh the memories, of La Cantina. open and gone in.........one year? Air Affair, is that where you learned the sweater over the shoulder thing? I was one of the few to eat at Cherrystone Cove. Smalllest kitchen ever. Can I add La Brochette, La Pallette and Benningtons ( I worked there fresh out of VCC). Guppy's, Fandango, and Ondine's and a place called the Clam and something at False Creek marina.

On a recent visit to Marcello's I found thier wine list to be fairly good if you like Nero d'Avola. I believe there were three including Santa Cecilia from Planeta for around $70.00. The rest of the reds were tempting as well.

I have to give some respect to Coppola and his family for trying to restore the former Inglenook and John Daniel legacy. I think people only remember the Inglenook Navalle jug wines. Anyone who ever visited the winery and or drank the reserve cask wines from the early 80's knows there was some history worth preserving.

My wife and two sons and myself used to have a little game we played at The White Spot. The winner was the person with the one item that was hot. Sometimes it was one burger patty, other times it was a chicken burger, never the fries though.

I'm not sure enough to comment on the use of plastic wrap on fine cheese. I would agree that while the cheese is whole it should be unwrapped. I can speak for the quality of the cheese I have bought there. It was exceptional. It is 10 times better then places like Beecher's and De Laurenti's in Pikes Place in Seattle or anywhere I have been locally. Keith do you keep pieces of cheese unwrapped in the Talent Sub Zero? Perhaps you go old school and leave it on your counter. Or even better over your shoulder in the stomach of a recently deceased Yak.

What about PGA player David Frost? No greater authority then Maximum Golf (now defunct) magazine called him the best of the winemaking golfers. I have also seen him on TV in the cellar blending etc. I'm not sure Greg Norman would even know where his cellar is. I think this guy is the world's biggest photo op. Take his picture in boots building a course, take his picture looking into a Riedel, take his picture under the bow of his mega yacht. Maybe I'm the only one growing weary of the Great White Minnow. Not sure if Burr qualifies as a celeb. He is part of the terroir though.

There was a great thread on another well known website about this place. It put our Irish Heather thread to shame. I understand they have cleaned up thier act in the last few years. It used to be a real old school place. Water served directly from the tap, matzo ball soup and some decent shnitzel of all things.

If you have been to Les Ami de Fromage you know it's the place.

It's not Frenchie's on Hastings. Tough flavourless meat allegedly from Montreal. The only good thing was they didn't give you very much meat. After seeing Into the Fire about the New York place, was it The Carnegie? I have to ask, do you really need that much meat? Come on.

Kris Barnholden, Fiction and Lucy Mae Brown alum. Where is he? In New York?

Now I know what happened to Arsenio Hall.

A legit Fatburger like this: http://fatburger.com/ Or some copyright infringment like Cocco Pazzo.

Ling you are such a trouble maker. Wait until Ms. Skalbania hears you called her salmon cakes dry!