Ling

Sure...uhm....yes, I'm developing my palette by consuming as much wine as possible.

^W. Van, N. Van...it's all the same to me. I'm hopeless with directions.

My last few places: HSG for the La Frenz wine tasting. My favourite wine was probably the Semillon. I had to eat a big plate of salad with this. (Why did I get the biggest plate? ) Veggies...*shudder* At least the salad had pancetta, cheese, and pistachios! Later that evening, we went to the Chambar dinner. More wine was consumed (and I think I'm building up my tolerance). Lunch at Phnom Penh--nothing trumphs the fried garlic squid and the chicken wings. Not even the butter beef, although that's excellent too. Lunch yesterday was dim sum from this restaurant across from London Drugs in Richmond. The sticky rice bundle was my favourite--it had dried scallops and a whole mess of minced pork. I also had the rice noodle rolls (with beef, and with shrimp), har gow, some fried triangle with black bean paste, egg tarts, and another stir-fried noodle dish.

I apologize. I just cook it for a few seconds per side at home, and I find that most steakhouses cook it for a bit longer when I ask for it blue rare. The hangar steak I had at HSG was actually very rare.

I've heard about the cornstarch addition as well.

i heart cinnamon toast crunch. i'm appalled it took to pg 3 before i saw anyone mention it! cinnamon toast crunch flavored milk is soooooo delicious. ← As much as I like sweets, I can't stand sweetened milk. I used to dump my sweet milk in my sister's bowl when she wasn't looking. Now, I just eat my cereal plain.

^You're welcome! Sorry I couldn't help you with a better description.... I thought of another dessert destination--the Savary Island Pie Company. I was just looking at the Stong's website and realized you can get their pies there...so no need to go to N. Van.

It's been quite a few years since I had those sandwiches, but I remember that the carrot was grated very finely, and the taste of ginger was very subtle. Both the carrot and the ginger were mixed into the cream cheese. Perhaps they minced a very small amount of fresh ginger, or maybe it was a little bit of candied ginger? The sandwich was a bit sweet and was a very interesting addition to the typical savoury spread. Happy experimenting.

err...6 slices of pizza and 2 brownies. I was hungry! (And now I'm off to meet some Vancouver Egulleters for lunch...deep-fried garlic squid, here I come!)

not my shortbread, it'd be flakes before it got there unless it wasn't cut and arrived as a sheet. Biscotti I second. I'll watch this because I've got a little friend who was shipped out on the 15th. Good luck. I'm thinking pecan tarts.. Ling, post your shortbread recipe, it's got to be tougher than mine. I use rice flour for a good deal of the reg. flour so maybe if I did not do that it'd be hardier. ← I should have clarified--any type of baked good that I make doesn't last for more than a day (two at the very most!) b/c I love sweets and eat them constantly! However, I received some cookies from a cookie exchange that took place a few weeks before I got a chance to taste them, and I remember the shortbread ones tasted the best--not stale at all. Here's my favourite biscotti recipe (I've tried perhaps ten of them in total, including the ones in Baking with Julia). This one is from the King Arthur's Flour website: Traditional Italian Biscotti http://www.kingarthurflour.com/contentmgr/...ls.php/id/47458

6 slices of cold pizza (3 vegetarian from Panago, and 3 pepperoni and mushroom from Domino's....leftovers from last night's dinner)

After seeing those pictures and reading your descriptions of the food, I think I'm going to have to save up for a future event. (But not the one on May 22nd, b/c I already have plans. )

The albacore tuna spring rolls, the foie gras and eel on daikon, and the blue cheese creme brulee (is this still on the menu?) are some of the best-tasting dishes in town. I would love to attend an Egullet event there!

Biscotti and shortbread keep well.

I remember reading in the Toronto forum that Superstore's President Choice puff pastry is now being made with butter, but I don't know if it's available in Vancouver.

Yes, 70% Cacao Berry. They also use Cacao Berry (both milk and dark) at St. Moritz. Cacao Berry is better quality than Callebaut, according to the baker at St. Moritz. (It certainly tastes better too--less creamy, more intense cocoa flavour. The baker was kind enough to give me samples--well, more like a small plate's worth!--of the different chocolates he uses each time I've gone. I also had a white chocolate...I forget which brand though. Could also have been Cacao Berry, I guess.)

^ I stand corrected. The pumpkin ice-cream is probably one of my favourite ice-creams ever, btw. It ranks right up there with HD's Dulce de Leche.

^That deep-fried Mars bar looks better than the one I ate on the Steveston wharf. The one I had hadn't been fried long enough, and wasn't gooey in the middle. I bought one the day they opened though, so maybe (hopefully) they've got the frying time/temperature figured out. (On a sidenote--can everyone see the pictures from Aurora now?)

This is the reason I don't like boxed mixes too.

This is the lemon cake recipe I use. The only change I make is adding maybe an extra tablespoon or two of lemon juice to the glaze, but keeping the amount of sugar the same. http://www.saveur.com/article.jsp?ID=4294&typeID=120

I re-discovered my love for Cinnamon Toast Crunch. I just stand there at the kitchen counter with one of those Costco-sized boxes, munching away.

I thought the ice-creams came from his friend's place on Granville Island?

Sorry, I'll do that this afternoon (have to go to work now). I think the pictures will work if you have an Imagestation account; you might have to hit the "Refresh" button.

I'm interested in hearing your thoughts. I had the fish and chips at Go Fish not too long ago, and I thought the fish was fresh, and the batter nice and crisp--not heavy and greasy at all. I like it better than any of the fish and chips you can get at the Steveston Pier in Richmond (Dave's, Shady Island, Jake's Pier, etc.)

My last few: All yesterday: Lilykate: I had the pork stroganoff, which was OK, but I preferred the chicken and bean stew that Joie and her husband ordered. The sandwiches looked pretty good as well. Good desserts--I recommend both the Chocolate Buttermilk cake (thanks PaoPao for pointing us in this direction) and the coconut layer cake. Ganache Patisserie: I had the chevre cheesecake with cassis and almond biscotti crust--my favourite of the few new desserts we sampled. Aurora Bistro: please see this thread http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=62979&st=30 for my comments and pictures. And today...EAT! Vancouver. And yes, I did eat. I probably ate my 12 dollar ticket price's worth at the KozyShack stand alone.