nwyles

Wow, Lorna, they really made you do it "old skool". I buy pasturized liquid egg yolk for brule and Anglaise. 20g = 1 egg yolk. Just measure and go. No messy hands. Cheaper, cleaner and safer. Did they make you get the bacon stretcher or the vodka seperator or run down the road for a bucket of ice mix ? Soon you can do a pastry shift at the HSG and learn the secret of the GBP !

We do "off sales" in Yaletown. That will have to be the culinary Mecca for now.

Don't hold your breath for anything from the city. They were supposed to be putting in park benchs and garbage cans in Yaletown. They have been working on that one for eight years. Lots of planning, i guess. Cheers Neil

I remember having lunch at school when I was a kid ( in Vancouver ) . I went to an Inner City School , single mother, three kids, so perhaps that was part of it. I recall having lots of soups and sandwiches, not so much burgers and fries. It is certainly an uphill climb getting kids to make the healthy choices when the adults make such unhealthy ones. On top of that, they are bombarded by advertising. My son would go nuts for McDonalds before he had ever eaten there. Once he had the fries, he was hooked. I would imagine that McDonald's fries were his first encounter with salt on a large scale hence the attraction. I know that there is "Pizza" day at my son's school , proceeds going to trips etc. It is a shame that the education of that we hold dearest seems to fall short in the funding dept but that is a whole different story. I am trying to change the way I eat but do not have a systematic appraoch to it. The quick fix is always present either on the line in front of me or at home. Given the choice, I will always chomp down a pizza and collapse on the couch than take the time to make myself a salad or something that I know is better for me. This is me, the adult, the one who knows better so how could I expect the kid to make the healthy choice given the popular alternatives. Karen, I applaud you for your passion in this and would love to hear how it goes, good or bad.

The MAN always wants his many servings of the same slice of pie. Tax on Tax, the MAN loves it. I do not know if anyone has the figures, but you would be blown away by the number of time a beer is taxed before it hits your lips.

The Fortes model is stuff of legend as is the Partnership Dinner each year. THe magic there was the ability to buy back some of the shares at the agreed upon price, after the initial investment was repaid. As people's fortunes rose and fell, oppourtunity knocked for Mr. Kanke to secure more and more of restaurant back. I would be curious as to how many of the original investors were left.

Great topic. I was not smart enough nor did I know enough people with $$$, so I had to take a different appraoch. ( I could now open a chain of hotdog carts on the strength of being nwyles from Egullet and have the whole thing financed ! ) Do it all myself with my own money. I managed to get a bank loan for some but as it is a restaurant, you could imagine the restrictions. After the fact, there are some good things and some negatives. I have no partners : both a negative and a positive. It is hard to do it all on your own, but at the end of the day, the money that is hopefully left over, is all yours as well. No debt : That speaks for itself. No group of partners to call upon when you want to expand or get a second location. It makes it that much harder but not impossible as I have been lucky enough to expand my restaurant twice. I might change a thing or two in how I opened this place but I am happy. Every now and then I see some well financed people open flashy places to much pomp and flair but having a million dollar nut hanging over your head would be so streesful that I would go crazy. The first people you turn to finance your dream would be friends and family. If it all went sideways, Christmas dinner would be a dismal affair.

Les, go to his restaurants and you would see lots more of him. The last time I was there, he was running back and forth between the two restaurants, making sure everything was OK.

Jamie : Did you have a reservation ? You are a good sport and a man of your word saying you would try them in November. I have only ever had good food from Lynda so I will go in, if just to show her a bit of support. Myself, I would have called the manager out on it. I would have made him squirm and demanded to speak to the GM. You were not there as a reviewer, or on some media junket. You were there as a regular, PAYING guest. The sign on the door said 11:00 ! That means 11:00. I have had to suffer the wrath of a upset guest when the doors have been closed early. Sometimes it just makes sense, when tumbleweeds are blowing down the street and your last guests left two hours ago, but I stand there and take it on the chin anyways. Seeing the other tables still in the restaurant, and the manager sitting down to eat his dinner means the kitchen had not crossed the "point of no return." That is when so much of the kitchen has been put away that it does not make sense to do anymore meals, the grills and fryers are cold etc. For us, we turn the grill and fryers off last so the point of no return is about 15 minutes from lights out. This was not the case at Watermark. Perhaps the inmates are running the asylum there and ownership is not aware that the restaurant is going dark early. That leads to going dark permanently. Restaurants and cars have a similarity there : They both can run downhill without any direction from anyone. Post Script $750.00 bill is about $620.00 to the restaurant. Cost of goods @ 35 % cost ( $217.00 ) - they probably run at about $30% 2 cooks @ $15.00 / hour @ 2hours extra - an extreme estimate - I doubt they pay that much 2 servers @ $8.00 / hour @ 2 hours extra - happy to make the tips if the night was that slow ! Labour: $84.00 Cost to the restaurant $301.00 Profit to the restaurant $319.00 Inconvience to the manager : not part of the equation but probably the main factorin turning you away. Seeing the manager getting a strip torn off of his hide : Priceless !

There has been a very noticable drop in duck sales at the restaurant. So much that I think I will lay off of it for a bit until this broo-haha has passed. Are we being reactionary ? One bird ? I keep hearing stuff about the different strains not being passed to humans etc. What strain did this bird have ? Is the Food Safety people a bit quick to gas someone's flock ? How many cows does it take to make a mad cow crisis ? One or two ? I forget.

Power outages in Yaletown are commonplace. We have three power grids in Yaletown so when it goes out, someone is left with power and they get totally slammed. You do what you can, serve who you can and bill what you can. I have worked in place where service went on throughout the day without power. All we were serving was salads and beverages. I felt at the time that it was management's attempt to make some money even thought they were not offering their usual affair. As there were no controls in place, the only people who made any money were a couple of unscrupulous waiters.

Mr. Carney came in for one of those Lamb Burgers today ( with a friend ). It would appear we sold out and someone ( me ) did not check so poor old Lee had to settle for a beef burger instead. I did not stop out at the table as I was really grumpy about everything I touched today was empty or nearly empty. What a pisser ! Games I play on Monday ! 1. Guess how many burners were left on overnight, with no flame ? ( Today - only one - short game ) 2. How many squeeze bottles are on line that are empty ? - All of them - a real annoying game. 3. Hunt for things around the kitchen - Nothing where it should be. 4. How many things are we out of that nobody has left a note about ? 1. Lamb Burgers 2. Salad dressing 3. Bacon 4. Tomatos 5. I could go on but what is the point...................... 5. How many inserts have less than one usable potion in them but still wrapped and put away ? Six, but in all fairness, I saw that before service began so I had it sorted out. I love my job, I love my staff and I meet interesting people everyday. I love my job, I love my staff and I meet interesting people everyday. I love my job, I love my staff and I meet interesting people everyday. I love my job, I love my staff and I meet interesting people everyday. I love my job, I love my staff and I meet interesting people everyday. I love my job, I love my staff and I meet interesting people everyday. I love my job, I love my staff and I meet interesting people everyday. I love my job, I love my staff and I meet interesting people everyday. I love my job, I love my staff and I meet interesting people everyday. I love my job, I love my staff and I meet interesting people everyday. I love my job, I love my staff and I meet interesting people everyday. I love my job, I love my staff and I meet interesting people everyday. I love my job, I love my staff and I meet interesting people everyday. I love my job, I love my staff and I meet interesting people everyday. I love my job, I love my staff and I meet interesting people everyday. I love my job, I love my staff and I meet interesting people everyday. This is the little saying that I say everyday to get me through without killing.

Is it the same people I wonder ? Same concept ?

My cheese supplier is Far Met. Call if you need a contact. The best cheese shop in is Les Amis. Start there and then work your deal.

What a fantastic oppourtunity. I am so jealous. I hope he decides to share his experiences when he gets back, either through you and Luciano or get him to post himself.

Sounds like a fantastic evening. I think I will have to pop into the Heather and see how Sean enjoyed. With a little prodding, he might post about it. Luciano would be very "grinchy" not to send his young cook to Chicago. I sure that he will manage to free him up for the experience of a lifetime.

Really ? What specifically would you do ?

The morning after what ?

I think Darren Gates might have been in New York running the Marathon the day that you were in. Not much escapes his watchful eye. Bud Kanke is a seasoned vet of the Vancouver restaurant scene and a critisism would get action from a man like that, not a poor reaction. He keeps his hand in the operation and has probably gently reminded the chef of the importance of the things that he might take for granted, like a sous chef being able to make a good batch of chowder ( with the right amount of salt to suit the taste buds of one James D. Maw ). All is right with the world again.

Yeah ... it's a real shame you don't know any designers ... I'm watching the show right now, and I swear I would have gone balistic on "top designer" Sherry Stinson within the first 5 minutes! Jeez what a prima dona ... Igor the contractor puts up with A LOT! Speaking as a designer, some of the rooms I frequent that I would like to see changed are: 1) HSG. I don't think I'd change the layout, just colours & materials. (I already have a home for a few of the posters.) I'd go quarter-sawn white oak in a combination of natural and bark brown (various parts of the room). Oxford brown leather to match for the banquettes, Capri Limestone (Silestone) for the bar. Black slate floors. 2) Shiro Sushi. I'm here at least once a week, so I've had time to form an opinion. I wouldn't make too many changes, but I'd re-do all the millwork as it looks like it was done cheaply to begin with. 3) Rangoli. Change the frickin' chairs! Easiest makeover ever! 4) Diner. Lower the ceiling. The whole 16' ceiling thing make the room sound too cavernous which IMO is the wrong vibe for a diner. I'd also beef up the springs in the banquettes ... minor issue. Another room I would have changed is Pear Tree in Burnaby, but they beat me too it! Anyone else? A. ← It is too bad I do not know any designers !!! The problem is getting them together. Anyways, thanks for the suggestions. This thread is not about blowing sunshine up my %#@, but some real thought into what you would do etc. I am glad for the responses. We have some glass vanities and walls ( not see through ) planned for the bathrooms BTW ) Arne, next time you are in, check out the mirror work in the private room. Really changes things ( Duh ! ) TFA : I would probably hire that recipe out to some high priced consultant, some sort of lemon expert. I am a one trick pony in the dessert Dept. and that trick is the GBP

Neil, Think $30K would do HSG justice? That's the bill ... 15K from the show, 15K from the restaurant. I like the show, and honestly, you only need the physical upgrade ... although the plasmas are a nice start. They also "upgrade" the menu, which IMO you don't really need. Now ... Monsoon on the other hand ... they would get my vote. I used to love that place. Now I just find it tired and predictable. A. ← No, 30K is not enough. My restaurant is too large for this show. 30k would get eaten up pretty quick. A menu upgrade ? It would be an interesting exercise having some "T.V. Chef" come in and give you suggestions ? Nothing like having your balls snipped off on national television.

Neil, Think $30K would do HSG justice? That's the bill ... 15K from the show, 15K from the restaurant. I like the show, and honestly, you only need the physical upgrade ... although the plasmas are a nice start. They also "upgrade" the menu, which IMO you don't really need. Now ... Monsoon on the other hand ... they would get my vote. I used to love that place. Now I just find it tired and predictable. A. ← In all honesty I would wonder what menu recommendations they would give Mr. Wyles.. but doesn't Restaurant Makeover require that your business be in some sort of position where you are not operating on a profit ? ← I do not know about that. That has not been my impression. Just that some things needed tweaking.

James, My guests have spoken and I have listened. Just like Mr. Kanke, in the chowder thread.

Word on the street is the Food Network show, Restaurant Makeover is looking at Vancouver. With that in mind, which tried and true Vancouver restaurants do you think could use a "makeover", a freshen up, dragged into the new century No mean spirited bullshit : that would just show you did not read the title. Back up your comments with a suggestion, and if you can not provide that, stay out of the game. I will start. Hamilton Street Grill : 1. Get rid of the bistro chairs, soooo 1985 ! And get something comfortable 2. Add some partitions, break up the room a little, it is too boxxy. Add some drapes and a glass wall or two. 3. Starter side of the menu needs to be freshened up with some new ideas. Stop resting your laurels on the hanger steak and make a new appy. 4. Cocktail list is the same as the day that you opened the place. It needs some work. Call Chris Stearns. 5. Bathrooms need some love. ( I know : Try co-ordinating a designer, a plumber and a contractor in this raging market. ) New walls, lighting, vanity etc. You get the picture. Carry on. Disclosure : I am working on all of the above. It just does not happen very fast.

Not just Lumière, but Joe Fortes too ! Gingerbread Pudding Caramelized Pears and Butterscotch Sauce $8 ← It is all over the place. What I do not see is such a huge portion for only $6.00 You can only get that here. I think I am doing myself a disservice by serving such a large portion. People often split it, therefore only seeing one dessert sale. The plus side of that is that they keep coming back for more.