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Chef Fowke

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Everything posted by Chef Fowke

  1. Chill Winstons ~ for patio; hot summer afternoon Boneta ~ late night nosh and drinks Fuel ~ lunch So.Cail ~ oyster's anytime Players ~ steaks at the right price...on the patio!! Loden ~ a night with the wife (including breakfast)...cannot wait
  2. AG was in for dinner on Saturday. She looked well; actually very attractive. Photographer took great care in the photos today. Review should be out soon. Let's see if we are batting 1000 with her!
  3. HAHA...at work and online you are always just a step ahead of me!
  4. Thats why we are already getting reservations for the end of September at both places! LOL....
  5. PRESS RELEASE METRO A new restaurant by Brian Fowke and Tim Keller Cuisine Metro is “Metropolitan Canadian Cuisine”. Cuisine and ingredients that are purely Canadian, organic wherever possible, seasonal and inspiring. Chef Brian Fowke's cooking style is modern, built from classically trained techniques and the very Vancouver influences of Canada’s multicultural society. He strives to bring the best out of the bounty of our region’s farms, fields, forests and oceans. Metro features a 20 item small plate menu, full entrées featuring meat, game, poultry and seafood and daily ‘blue plate" or Metro Retro plates. A specialty of the restaurant is fresh seafood, meat and game available by the oz - Menu attached. Location Metro is located on Vancouver's downtown waterfront in the heart of the hotel and convention district, close to Gastown, the entertainment district and financial centre. Because of their proximity to the financial district Metro hopes to offer a 3-6 pm “Exchange Hour” this Fall. 200 Burrard Street Vancouver BC V6C 3L6 Phone 604-662-DINE (3463) Fax 604-662-7562 info@metrodining.ca www.metrodining.ca Quick Facts Metro Restaurant Capacity: 209 seats Private Dining Room: 24 seats Radiant Heated Patio: 62 seats Bar: 20 bar stools Lounge: 45 sofa seats Stand-up reception: 250 Serving lunch and dinner from 11am - midnight 7 nights a week Décor, logo and name Designed by David Nicolay and Rob Edmonds of Evoke International Design, Metro combines European and Canadian design elements. The room is in natural neutrals of grey, creams and browns with a colour palette influenced by the mountains, water and city scape. Site lines – Across from the Burrard inlet the view from the dining room and patio is the Pacific Ocean, North Shore Mountains, the white sails of the Pan Pacific Hotel and Convention Centre; Cruise Ships when in dock, and the downtown skyline. Metro is the first restaurant in Canada to use Mikasa's new line of luxury restaurant-ware fine china, flatware and stemware. Italian designed Chairs and barstools are made in Canada using soft cream Italian leather. Slate and tile is from Brazil. Handcrafted chrome and glass light fixtures are made in Portugal, the design inspired by London Modernist designer Tom Dixon. All wood is Canadian Walnut. Metro is short for metropolitan, referring to Vancouver as an international city and downtown as the central location for the restaurant. However, it is also a play on words as the original location was to have been in the Vancouver Seabus terminal and former train station. Keeping this in mind, white subway tiles are used throughout the kitchen to keep the lines of the open kitchen space clean and minimalist and to pay homage to the subways and metros of Paris and London. Sustainability and Ecology Metro has invested in the top-of-the line ecologizer to ensure all air leaving the building through venting is cleaned to a total neutral level before recycling back outside. This new technology is being used for the first time in a Canadian restaurant. For more information see the July/August edition of hvac magazine, www.plumbingandhvac.ca. Cleaning, paper and linen products are organic and recycled where possible and Metro works with Canadian Linen to use only cotton and natural fabrics and environmentally responsible cleaning techniques. Metro strives to have a paperless office, however paper used in menus and other guest products are 100% post consumer waste stock (processed chlorine free, FSC certified, manufactured with wind power & Green Seal approved) Seafood – Metro uses species that are abundant and resilient to fishing pressures, are well managed and harvested in a method that ensures limited bycatch on non-target and endangered species and uses a method of catch that ensures there is limited habitat loss associated with the harvesting method. Food miles are kept to a minimum with as many BC products as possible. Pemberton Meadows beef; Nicola Valley game, bison and deer; Specialty items from outside of BC include - from Alberta, Prairie chicken; Saskatchewan, Berkshire Natural Pork; From the Baja, Spiny Back Lobster and from Baffin Island, Caribou. Team The metro team is made up of the industries top seasoned professionals and young up and comers. Restaurant Director/Owner -Tim Keller, Rare, Joe Fortes Executive Chef/Owner - Brian Fowke, Rare, Joe Fortes Director of Operations - Trevor Forsberg, Rare, Opus Hotel, Joe Fortes Director of Service - Chris Stearns, Salt, Lumiere Bar Manager - Justin Tisdall, Lumiere, Feenie’s Maitre d’Hotel - April Robinson, Rare, Canoe Restaurant Manager/Barista - Barrett Jones, Café Artigianno, Opus Hotel Day Manager/Business Development - Whitney Lewis –, Lumiere, Skoah Spa Assistant Manager - Simon Cox, Oliver Bonacini Restaurants Chef du Cuisine - Cari Reid, Royal York, Chateau Laurier Chef du Cuisine – Rare Restaurant, Colleen McClean, Feenie’s, Lumiere, Café de Paris Suppliers Rare and Metro use a number of excellent small and large suppliers, however those they wish to especially acknowledge are: Mikuni Wild Harvest, Wild and domestic mushrooms Hills Foods, Organic meats, game meats and specialty poultry Finest at Sea, Fish, seafood Evergreen Herbs, 100% Organic herbs and vegetables
  6. Looks like the oyster bar will be installed as early as Wednesday...so that mean a week Wednesday in the Vancouver construction world!!! Cannot wait to sit at the bar and eat a few dozen oysters after a big night's work on the stoves at Metro! Bi-valves are my passion!!!
  7. Nothing could be further from reality at Metro. To make it VERY VERY CLEAR.... We have over 38 items on the menu meant to be shared as Metro Plates....the Contemporary Canadian Cuisine's answer to tapas. ALL proteins are cut to order and are available in sizes from 1oz - 1000oz (stock depending). On Friday night, as an example; we had a young couple come in and sample 9 different meats and fish ~ all at 1oz each. It was very cool to watch them enjoy; I did ‘feel’ for our wine manager as he tried to pair wines for each dish….. With that said, we do not guarantee the cooking doneness on anything under 4oz. We will do our best. The kitchen at Metro was the largest spend on the restaurant build...the money was spent so we could execute a very unique and quality driven food program. I am online 6 - 7 nights a week....I have 24 bar seat around the kitchen and bar ~ sample the food and talk to me anytime.
  8. for all of you star watchers out there, it was only me. I did not realize a chef could "call in" the food otherwise I would have started doing this a long time ago. Brian coached a couple of cooks through a pair of meals from the comfort of his barstool............they managed to pull it off. In today's Wi Fi world, I hope I am able to "call it in" from the confort of my couch at home soon. ← WOW...interesting spin…the line between training and being a barfly! Please understand ~ the food was for Earnest Borgnine, or at least a cheap chef-like copy…not a customer (he is not my hairy, chubby lover! But he does cook a great steak). The cooks did great and learned 5 new dishes satisfying the belly of the King of Yaletown. 'Neil a mangé pour libre et a bu tout mon Heineken' ....training and opening a new restaurant is 18 hour days. We are not opened officially. Lots of kinks and mods still to do ~ plus 6 serious design features to install. Today’s menu will not be the menu we open with on July 1st, 2007. Final touches could be as late as July 15th, 2007!!! Please come down this week and sit at the counter in front of me; show me your eGullet decoder ring and 10% (or more) of your food bill will disappear if you are able to give me constructive criticism. This menu is ‘first off, unique' in its concept and I need to work the kinks out and would appreciate you all as Guinea pigs. With the layout of the kitchen ~ everything is going to be cooked al a minute in FULL VIEW of the guests of Metro and needs to be executed perfectly in a clean and entertaining fashion. I am looking forward to offering my little input into defining Contemporary Canadian Cuisine ~ as defined and influenced by the dining public, industry and media (and yes; AG). Maybe a new link, with photos to discuss what is Metro, sustainable and the West Coast’s answer to Contemporary Canadian Cuisine. I would like to know what is customer driven vs. lazy West Coast stand-bys...the discounted dollar is GONE ~ it is time to prove that Vancouver is quality driven; not a discount destination!
  9. Thats it...empanadas ~ spicy turnovers! 10/10. Those were amazing. Can you share the recipe?
  10. Whole Foods in the states sells rice oil, not sure if it is available in West Van. Great product!
  11. I think I speak for all the guests at the BBQ, the only disappointment of the day was (...not the rain) but Arne's choice of BBQ hat. Many of us had talked about which he would wear; for weeks before the BBQ.
  12. ...after a long sleep I can begin to write about the quintessential West Coast BBQ; • Smoked duck • Brisket • Venison, chorizo, Italian (all handmade) sausage • Grilled Albacore tuna • Pork ribs ~ done three ways • Pulled pork ~ done two ways • Little spicy turnovers • Smoked white, spring and sockeye salmon • Smoked and steamed Sablefish collars • (I am missing a few items…) After all this, dessert, chocolate overload…I am sure there was a pastry chef in our presence!! I also saw about 20 people who regularly post on eGullet, so I image more descriptions will appear here soon. For me, the true West Coast flavour was the Sablefish collars. Never had them before. The meat is the texture of butter. Very messy to dig through the cartilage, but once in; amazing. And, of course, I have to say that I love Arne’s butt.
  13. yes, pricked! ....I think I will bring the ducks to the BBQ whole and throw them into a 500f BBQ before I carve them up to crisp the skin.
  14. Dude, I can make it happen... Take the day of, come and photograph this BBQ. The people want to see what REALLY happens at Hospitality Industry parties....and more importantly, they want to know what hat Arnie is going to be wearing!
  15. Okay, the fire box is hot and glowing: I will post pictures tomorrow ~ the quintessential West Coast Long Weekend BBQ…looking forward to seeing photos from everyone else weekend adventures!!!! Happy Victoria Day Weekend.
  16. While I am waiting to feed the coals…here are my new favourite knives…. TWIN Four Star II: And my new sharpener…I am not sure if I will ever use this in public, but it hones my knives better then any steel I have ever used: Opened and ready to hone:
  17. Finally, the temperature has returned to the range I want: And the duck looks great:
  18. The dish that I am going to make is really simple….the duck, smoked for 12 hours. Stuffed into a soft shell taco: With a hothouse tomato, scallion, sweet onion and cilantro salsa (heated with chipotle): With a jalapeño and lime crème fraiche:
  19. I am still awake, waiting to refill the fire box: Lately, I have been reading a lot about BC Hothouse products, something about them not always been grown in Canada. I buy from a local green grocer and this is what he gets, year round. I love the product for one reason…when I walk into his shop I can SMELL tomatoes! 30 feet way…you can smell them. ...and the sticker:
  20. Remote Thermometer set up… On the cutting board: At the smoker: Smoker....(cheap, boring but GREAT!!!):
  21. I ran...but it looks like it was too hot for too long…look at the colour on the duck already, only the first hour!!! After a long salt bath, I am surprised the duck has 'thrown' so much blood into its cavity.
  22. I am going to a friend’s BBQ tomorrow and TONIGHT is going to be a long night. Picture chefs, cooks, servers, foodies, etc all together (50 of us) in a backyard on a beautiful rainy Sunday Victoria Day long weekend afternoon. Four, 3lbs Wenzel ducks, cured in brine all day (more like a blood bath by the end); were just put on the smoker (11:30pm) for a long, slow charcoal smoke (with mesquite added in the 1st and 11th hour). I am aiming at keeping the smoke’s heat between 60c and 77c. I have added a pan of water to my smoker to help render the fat. I know for a fact that at least 5 smokers are burning tonight to get ready for this event; Pork butt, brisket, plate and ribs… Every year THIS BBQ happens on the West Coast… What other food events are happening this long weekend? Anyone else having a BBQ, event, party; what are the foods being prepared? Darn…the heat just spiked to 86c…got to run!
  23. A his and hers tasting menu... 9 courses One seating, the table is yours for the night. The rest of the week we will be running the Valentine's menu as a choice of 4, 6 or 9 courses. The rest is a surprise for the guests to discover on the special day.
  24. you are right, I cannot wait until spring and Ruth is supplying her micro leaves.
  25. Being a prairie boy I have come across pickled sausage. They are very easy to make and really take the chill out of those 50 below winter nights (or is it the rye?). Really simple to make: Take Kielbasa and cut it into 2 inch pieces and put it in a jar. boil 3 cups vinegar with 1 cup water and 3/4 cup brown sugar ~ 10 minutes then pour over the sausage. let sit in the fridge for a week. Add hot peppers, cumin, etc to taste. I am off to the butcher to get some sausage, it has been a long time!
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