Ling

Question: Does the cottage cheese/canned tuna/Mrs. Dash taste good to you? Or are you eating it just for the protein? (I can't imagine that combination tasting good...or even palatable...*shudder*)

That's pretty private. I'm sure it will sell out. (Anyone know how many people the room at Lumiere holds? It's been a long time since I've been there...)

Yes, they are getting a new website built for them. The current website is out of date. Dinner was a la carte, with the appetizers around $12-$15 and the desserts in the $7-$8 range.

I think I read that truffles are very expensive this year. Maybe that contributes to the cost?

^Yes, PatrickS mentioned in the Baking that the price Urban Fare is charging is very expensive. Good thing I got a sample!

My friend and I had an excellent dinner at Feenie's on Saturday. The place was packed when we arrived, a few minutes before our 9pm reservation, and was still busy well after 11:30pm. This was one of the better dinners I've had this year, which every dish having depth and showing creativity in its flavour combinations. Our server and food-runner, Jill and Shea, were engaging and friendly, and made the evening all the more lovely. We started off with complimentary drinks at the bar, which was very generous since we didn't have to wait too long for our table. I had a glass of the Dirty Laundry Blush wine and my friend had the Bellevue Kriek (after some gentle prodding from yours truly--I don't like beer, but I've been wanting to try this, and it was very tasty.) Amuses of the evening: Butternut squash and sage ravioli, with a lemon pinenut beurre blanc Plump bellies swelling with a sweet and rich puree. A classic dish for fall. Seared scallop on cauliflower-lemon puree, wild rice, brown butter sauce, capers, and raisins This was one of the most wonderful bites of the evening--the creamy tang in the cauliflower-lemon puree went nicely with the scallop, and the nuttiness of the wild rice is echoed in the browned butter. The saltiness of the capers play off the sweetness of the raisins. If this marriage of flavours sounds familiar, it might be because this dish is the chef's homage to Jean-Georges Vongerichten, who serves a scallop dish with caper-raisin emulsion with cauliflower on his tasting menu. Prosciutto-wrapped duck liver terrine with dried sour cherries and onion jam The caramelized onions are doused in port...wonderful, especially when eaten with the rich foie. Duck confit with butter lettuce, arugala and radicchio, gorgonzola, poached pears, and a bacon vinagrette Our forks descended upon this dish before I realized I had forgotten to take a picture...sorry! This was tasty, but we both enjoyed the foie gras appetizer more. Spice-rubbed duck breast with water chestnuts, bamboo shoots, and a mango-duck sauce This was my friend's main, but I managed to snag a few bites. The rosy slices of duck are fanned on top of the vegetables; the duck was so incredibly tender, with a good amount of the fat rendered out from the skin. Braised beef rib with asparagus, lentils, prosciutto I think this dish (at $19) is an incredible deal. The beef was lacquered in a sticky-sweetish glaze, and fell apart with the slightest nudge of the fork. I drank the Edge Cab. Sauv. with this hearty dish. (This was one of my favourites of the evening...it will be difficult to order any other main dish on the menu once you've had this!) Now dessert. We ordered three of them--two are new on the menu, and the third we ordered because everyone else seemed to be getting it. Apple galette, caramel sauce, and vanilla ice-cream This was my friend's choice--buttery puff pastry, and a nice vanilla ice-cream flecked with vanilla seeds. Port-poached pear with candied pecans and Roquefort ice-cream The next two desserts were my choosing, and I think both these desserts stand out in their creativity. The Roquefort ice-cream is not for the casual blue cheese lover--I was happily surprised by how intense the flavour was. And of course, it was excellent with the pear and pecans. (Sorry about the appearance of the dessert...as you can see, I had taken a bite already.) Concord grape tart with pine nut filling and brown butter ice-cream This is one of the best desserts I've had this year. I read the dessert menus of many top Vancouver restaurants regularly, and I haven't found anything this exciting in a long time. The crust was nicely browned, and sturdy enough to stand up to the thick, nutty jamminess of the filling. The addition of browned butter to ice-cream is just another exercise in gilding the lily.

2 Krispy Kremes

^Thanks. I've had El Rey chocolate, but I haven't seen the cocoa around yet.

I was only trying to be friendly by sharing the coupon. I'm not intending to go there myself this time, as I really prefer the ribeye and I doubt Morton's will be giving out a coupon for that. Like I said, it was a few years ago that I was in at Gotham's. It was actually an anniversary dinner. I would've alerted the server to have my steak sent back, but there were no servers to be seen in the bar for the duration of our meal. And as you were probably not there that evening, I'm not asking you to believe me, but I don't expect you to make some claim that "the servers are always there" either. I only brought up what I found was lacking from my dinner there because you were questioning why I don't go to Gotham's instead. So really, I'm not just "complaining" because I like to hear myself whine online. Thanks for the disclosure, but it was pretty apparent by the tone of your first post where you worked anyway.

Oh yes--these were the ones I saw recently. (Although Sen5es may have them too.)

Sorry I didn't see this before your trip to Seattle - they have it (had it?) at ChefShop (on-line retailer with store in Seattle.) I have a large supply I could have sampled off to you as my baking has dwindled off to almost nothing. I like it, but haven't really thought about how much of a difference it makes. I have liked the cocoa cakes I made this past year. ← Thanks anyway...maybe I will order some online.

Yeah Devil's food cake is a good idea. I'll have to give you slices and you can rank them in your order of preference! I went to Bernard Callebaut today and bought the cocoa--$6 for 200 grams, not a bad price. The colour is quite pretty--reddish brown. The Bensdorp cocoa is slightly darker, with a bit of red in it. Valrhona is dark brown. And Fry's is medium-dark brown. Oohhh...can't wait to try them out. ETA: I looked at the chocolates and truffles at Bernard Callebaut, but the flavour combinations are more generic (ginger and chocolate, almond and chocolate, orange and chocolate, etc.) so I didn't get any. They have a HUGE selection though! I was surprised the store was so big (this is the Blundell location in Richmond).

^OK. Just wanted to clarify.

Hmm...I think you may have some luck in a bakery. I'm pretty sure I saw some recently...it might have been at Sen5es. I've never seen "gourmet marshmellows" in a high-end market. If you go over to the Pastry forum, there is a thread on homemade marshmellows. They are pretty easy to do, if you're feeling adventurous!

^I did use quotations to show that I was using the term "reviews" and "reviewers" loosely when referring to the comments about restaurants written on this board.

^I actually had a bad experience at Gotham's a few years ago (we were seated at the bar b/c the restaurant was "fully booked", but the few times I walked by the dining room during the 2 hrs we were there, the dining room remained half empty; steaks were WAY over-done...arrived medium-well when we both asked for rare; server disappeared as soon as we got our food for the rest of the evening...) The appetizers, sides, and desserts I had at both restaurants were comparable in terms of quality and flavour. They are fine, but I really just want the ribeye at Morton's. Many of my friends have also eaten at Gotham's and Morton's and all of them prefer the steaks at Morton's.

Provolone? I like the shots of the class in action. Cute aprons! What are you using in the tart dough--butter? Is there vinegar in the recipe, or a bit of sugar to help with the browning? Egg or no egg beaten with your ice water? Did you cut in the fat with a pastry cutter, or use a food processor?

He knows my alter ego. Hmm...maybe he lurks on Egullet too. I guess perhaps I can give him a chance...errr I'll have to think about it. He's a nice guy, though. I would be honoured if you accept the bottle of champagne (on his tab, of course.) I just skimmed through this thread again and noticed I didn't comment on my favourite reviewers. I enjoy Angela Murrills, Jaime Maw, Andrew Morrison, Mia Stainsby and Tim Pawsey. I really respect many of our own Egullet "reviewers" too, like canucklehead (particularly for Chinese food--good writing and it comes with pictures!) Mooshmouse, Daddy-A (particularly when it pertains to bbq'ed meat), Vancouver, Keith Talent, Chocoholic, BCinBC, and Zucchini Mama. (Those are just some examples off the top of my head...I do read all the reviews on this board.) There are many people here who are more knowledgable in certain cuisines than I'll ever be, so those are the reviews that I pay particular attention. The comments from industry people also catch my eye, though I do feel that sometimes they are naturally more reserved in their critique as they know first-hand how difficult it can be to have an off-night be called on it over the internet.

Have you been to Diva in the past few days? I haven't. I am *almost* tempted to let this guy take me there this week...but I don't see anything happening with him and that would make me a bad person. But I would be taking one for Egullet!

Oh god, please don't start a rumour. I don't eat at McDonald's. It was my friend who had spent $200 at Tojo's, and left feeling hungry at a birthday party. (I guess in this instance, he might have felt awkward if he had continued to order food when everyone else was full.) There wasn't much open after midnight, so yes, he did go to McDonald's.

I love lamb, and I did even when I was a kid. Then again, I was one of those weird kids who cheered when liver was on the menu for dinner. My favourite cuts of lamb are shoulder, cheek, and shank. I think slow-braised lamb is one of the tastiest things on earth. I've (un?)fortunately never had mint jelly with lamb. One of my favourite ways to eat lamb is when my mom braises the shoulder with a bunch of spices, shreds it, then sticks it in the fridge with a layer of lamb fat on top. (Kind of like a Chinese lamb confit of sorts?) Then you can just slice it and serve it cold as a side dish at dinner.

^You're right...I only glanced at the pic and didn't notice the shape of the bread. Did you make the bread yourself? Sounds so good! Terra Bread also has something similar to the Rainforest crisps...I like them both.

A few squares of Michel Cluizel "Concepcion" (66%) and a few squares of the "Grand Noir" (85%), and a pumpkin truffle rolled in almond brittle!

^Thanks! I will let you know if I do a blind-tasting. I don't know how I'm going to do it yet...do you think just a simple chocolate cookie recipe would give the best indication as to the flavour of the cocoa? I went to Chocolate Arts today. They only have the Valrhona cocoa, but they DO have the Michel Cluizel chocolate bars in! They have four varieties; I bought the 85% Grand Noir, and the 66% Concepcion (made from beans from Venezuela). (They also have the unsweetened chocolate, and the 67% Hacienda "Los Ancones" bar.) The 85% Grand Noir is smoother, but the taste is a bit one-dimensional. There's a strong coffee flavour. The Concepcion is more interesting--there's more fruit, honey, and caramel undertones. It does not taste as smooth as the Grand Noir. This is my first time trying the MC chocolate. It's beautifully tempered and breaks cleanly when you cut into it (also has a nice snap to the tooth when you bite). Both bars are very good; they are priced at $9 for a 100g. bar. ETA: pumpkin truffles are back at Chocolate Art!

When I'm in the kitchen baking in the summer and the oven is pre-heating, it gets almost unbearably hot. Our oven is old, and the door doesn't create a tight seal. Also, our kitchen is upstairs, so that makes it even hotter. My pie crust dough also starts sweating if I take too long to cut out my pastry leaves in the kitchen, so I've resorted to cutting them out on my little marble slab downstairs.