Ling

"Hooking" at CHURCH? What would Jesus say? Is that sausage next to your cabbage rolls? There's a church close by my house (it's on Francis in between No. 2 and Railway) that also does pierogy nights. Edit: found out the location of the church....

Poor Lee... Do you make pizza at home? I know there's no substitute for a wood-burning oven, but a pizza stone might help. (I've only made my own pizza a few times with homemade dough, but without a pizza stone. It's not spectacular, but at least the toppings are good. )

I must've missed this thread the first two times you posted about this place, but it sounds really fantastic. I love lamb, and if you think their dish is best, I'll have to somehow find my way to Rupert Street!

Here's an ugly slice of the cake...I swear I spread the buttercream more evenly on the slices I gave away for the taste test! Valrhona Manjari caramel ganache 1st layer, Bensdorp cocoa 2nd layer, Bernard Callebaut 3rd layer, organic cocoa 4th layer, Valrhona cocoa IMBC (caramel) in between the layers For the record, the Valrhona cocoa won out.

Oh yeah, the hearts are for my grandma. So don't fault me for being corny....

Today it's the levelled tops of RLB's Golden Almond cake, a few spoons of Amaretto cream cheese frosting, lemon curd, and pie crust scraps (baked, sprinkled with cinnamon sugar) Tomorrow's desserts: the cakes will be split in 4 layers, sandwiched and covered with the frosting, and a lemon meringue (Italian meringue) pie ETA: One thing I did differently with the pie crust today was leave out the beaten egg and add about 2 tbsp of sour cream instead. The dough was more tender and very easy to work with. (I also usually add vinegar to my dough, but I didn't b/c there's a bit of acid in the sour cream already.) Here's the cake...I'm didn't take a pic of the pie yet, because I'm doing the meringue at my aunt's house tomorrow. (again, sorry about the messy kitchen and the foil...not to mention the awful platter I use to frost my cakes. The cake will go on my cake stand tomorrow. )

^Take one for the team. I want to see a photo on that deep-fried S'mores bar!

Yup, I remember the oreo cookies being better than the Mars bar, since they had melted quite a bit in the fryer (being softer than the Mars bar, I guess). I thought the whipped cream and sauce were overkill, but the fried Oreos weren't bad.

^I went to that place in Steveston during the first week they opened. I think they were still working out the kinks, because the oil wasn't hot enough and the Mars bar emerged from the fryer virtually the same, but with a pale battered exterior. I've had it at Winjammer's, but my friends say that the deep-fried Mars bars at WingNuts are better.

^Thanks. I stole a fry from canucklehead's plate the last time, and they weren't bad (frozen, crinkle-cut), but nothing I would exclaim over, so I was just curious. The apricot chutney with the schnitzel sounds like a tasty combo. Schnitzel is the schnitz.

I've seen recipes for wild rice pancakes; I believe they are made by cooking the wild rice, then adding it to the pancake batter. I guess the wild rice adds nuttiness and texture. Sounds good! I wonder if they can be topped, like blinis, with caviar, chives, and creme fraiche? Or smoked salmon....mmm...

Have the fries changed?

I wish I were there, but I had crabby students to teach. Can't wait to taste the meads soon, though.

Whaddabout da' carbohydrates, Curlz? ← My rib breakfast comes with a generous side of chocolate brownies, obviously. Slathered with peanut butter. OOohhhh yeaaahhhh.... It's 1:33 a.m. in Vancouver. Guess what I'm eating? Short ribs and caramelized onions...heh heh heh. RIBS--they're not just for breakfast!!

I have the exact same scar as you do, Kent, but on my right arm. It's faded quite a bit, since I got it...ohh...7 years ago. I was taking a tray of cookies out of the oven, and my forearm brushed against the top of the oven.

I don't know...but I'd do dishes for free if someone were willing to take me in, no prob. I think that doing the dishes is part of the pastry business, is it not? (I was always under the impression that dishwashers only come in during service, while pastry chefs usually work during the day, but I've never worked in a restaurant or bakery so I could very well be wrong! )

You forgot the "lap yook", shredded dried oysters, dried tiny shrimp, cilantro... This is one of my favourite stuffings too! My mom makes a big pan of it every Thanksgiving/Christmas and we have it alongside the sourdough/sausage/artichoke stuffing.

^They have a 1998 Sassicaia on the wine list? Wow. (That's probably the best wine I've ever had too!) Thanks for the pictures...which was your favourite dish? The quail with the espresso-infused sauce?

I just got an email for the Level 1 WSET syllabus offered at Dubrulle. Here's the basic info: -class starts on January 3rd (which is a Tuesday, but all subsequent classes will be held on Mondays) -5 classes, 15 hours of instruction -as I posted above, tuition is $560, which includes your Tasting kit (6 ISO glasses), and a Study Guide -evaluation includes a 30 Multiple Choice test, a food and wine pairing exercise, and you must submit a portfolio of tasting notes Week 1: Intro to Wine Week 2: Wine Tasting Technique Week 3: The Art of Wine service Week 4: Food and Wine matching Week 5: Review and exam If you are interested, they will send you an application form through email. Just email Dubrulle for information.

That brunch looks incredible. Truffled eggs on puff pastry....omigod

I swear, this is such a coincidence. I just got a call back from Dubrulle The WSET program (Level 1) is starting in January, and it costs $560 for anyone interested!

David, thanks for the recommendation--I'll pick up this book this afternoon. When are the more formal tastings held (and do I need to purchase a ticket for these tastings?) Will there be someone talking about the wines that are opened on Fridays and Saturdays? Thanks, Chris, for your recommendation on the Janis Robinson book. I've read it already, and I thought it was excellent for a beginner like me! the wine-tasting night is a great idea...unfortunately, I only have one friend who's interested in learning about wine right now, but he just started his wine cellar and he might take a wine course with me. I'll try calling Dubrulle today (again) about when the next WSET program starts.

^Maybe he is doing both? I have no idea...there is just info about the ISG program on that page though. Would you recommend the WSET program over the ISG program?

^Mark Davidson is teaching the ISG program courses, is that correct? That's how I found out about the ISG programs, from the NWCA page: wine course

dessert after breakfast (ribs) was brownie batter