nwyles

Ok, International jet-setting television media marketing mogul, what 5 star hotel business suite was this consumed in and which famous people were in the next room picking out all of their free "swag". Is "London" the hint !

Deb, pop in and I will give you what you need. I have a case ( 1000 sheets ) and it will take a lifetime to go through it. I am buying cases of duck legs from Tarson Foods. The come in frozen and we work them from there. The price is good and they always have some. Maybe you could drop off a pastry or two and some nice restaurateur would get you a case or even split it with you

I find it incredibly sad when a restaurant goes dark. It is not just an investment or a job, it becomes a part of you. I certainly look forward to seeing where he pops up as I have had the pleasure of his cooking on a few occasions, one on a more informal, chefs around a table sort of affair. I understand the room has been sold. I wish the new owner all the best in a challenged location.

I had the Taste of Yaletown Dinner at Cioppino's last night. It was a fantastic deal @ $50.00 Pino also included an extra couple of Amuse Bouches so we were up to 6 courses. As it is not my everyday eating restaurant, I forget how exceptional the food there is. The room was very busy, both sides. The ToY menu is available on the Enoteca side, so that filled quickly. I am not sure how many people he lets make reservations for ToY but it has been selling out each night. It was great to have him involved this year. He certainly gave great value to the program. We popped into George for a couple afterwards. The room had a great buzz. NIce to see. Love the Honey ( Moscow ) Mule.

I think I know the kind of people he is refering to. The kind that order and drink the best bottle of wine on the menu only because they can, not because they really appreciate it. The kind that discuss at length the pedigree of the green bean on the plate rather than enjoying the moment of eating it. The tradition and pleasure of breaking bread with friends and family passes them by as they are discussing the diffences in the fifteen exotic salts in their pantry. The primal pleasure of devouring a plate of BBQ ribs is lost on them because they are too busy dicussing the nuances of the red wine vinegar in the sauce. You know the type. Uber-dorks

We cought Chef Fowke one last year for Xmas. I recall we got it from the South China Seas Trading Co. on Granville Island, in the GIM, IIRC.

Most restauranteurs will tell you that there are no slow seasons ! We are a funny bunch. Walk into a quiet restaurant and ask the owner where everybody is and he will tell you they were rockin' busy and everybody just left ! Easter is the next slow time. Luciano, pick up the ball and run with it !

Surfer, I am not sure what this means. I did not realize the media had their own world, and had no intention of shaking it up. That being said, I am very pleased with the results so far, at least for myself. I have heard a couple of comments comparing this to that giant Juggernaut Dine Out Vancouver. Tourism Vancouver were huge in teaching people about the price fixe format and the power it had when lots of restaurants took part in it. I understand it was a challenge for them to get people to sign on for the first year. Their work made Taste of Yaletown so much easier to get people on to as they already understood what it was and the impact it could have on their business. I have taken part in Dine Out Vancouver for two years and as we know, it is an unbelievable success. I had one cocky bugger making a comment about this stealing Tvan's thunder. I turned to him and said it was not about that at all. It was about highlighting our neighbourhood and the culinary diversity in it. I added that I have a responsibility to my staff to keep them employed for 365 days a year, and Dine Out was only 13 of them. Taste of Yaletown is 11 days so now I only have to worry about another 340 some odd days. A few more days to go and then we will see where the numbers lie. I am already looking forward to next year.

Be careful what you wish for : You just might get it. I wished I could turn one of the slowest weeks of the year into a dining event. It seems to be working so far. We were a little bit busy last night ! I am going to cut back on the reservations a little as I felt we were on the edge for a little longer than I liked. A couple of missed steps but all in all, well, a busy night. I see a bunch of egullet names in the reso book but I do not know makanmakan's real handle so that will be a surprise. I would have never thought to put the words " deflower" and hanger steak together, it seems unnatural. Back to my "mise" Neil

Get on the horn and get a table at Pear Tree. NOt far from PNE and you wil love it. Let them know your plans. Cheers Neil

Hey, I resemble that remark. I won best bar on year. I think I beat Bacchus. I can't really remember. I have some hardware around here to prove it. The ads serve their purpose. I use it in the summer. It brings in some tourists etc. The awards are just a fun afternoon out seeing all of the other restauranteurs in one spot being social. I certainly would not advise anyone to rush out and buy the latest Porche based on winning an award.

I just returned a slew of emails about Xmas party bookings. I got my first booking in July. All things point to a great Xmas season this year. Anyways......... Where have you had you parties and have they been good. or bad. Why were they that way. I will go first. Last year. " C " restaurant. Great. Big tasting menu with wine pairings and a talk about each one etc. Really had a great time. Half the staff loved it and really wanted the evening to continue and some others really could have cared less and just wanted to get bombed, and go out to the bars. As much as I would like to show them how things are at a great restaurant like "C" , it sort of shocked me that some of them did not really care. Lesson learned. This year. Probably a dinner at the Keg, with a few rounds of shooters to follow and leave them to their own devices. Either way we will have a good time. I certainly do not think badly of the crowd that did not get it, they just wanted to party and have a good time. There was a time that I was one of those. So, what are you doing and what did you do last year. No sordid tales of one night office romances, barfing etc. Just about the venue, the food and did you have a good time.

A little easier tonight. I managed not to use every single item that I prepped. I do not have to start from zero tomorrow. I have a few ravioli and some soup left over. I am thinking that this menu might be a little ambitious since I have a new kitchen crew who are still getting used to the regular menu. I had to do every single item from the Taste of Yaletown menu last night with the exception of the gingerbread ( my dishwasher has a handle on that ! ). Nice to hear that Pino is booked up. We are booking nicely for Thurs, Fri, Sat and Sunday. A few tables were unable to finish their G bread tonight. A sin to see half a scoop of pumpkin ice cream in the garbage bin. I will make the amuse smaller ! My private dining room party host tonight went to Pino's last night for ToY and loved it. Said all seats were full. OK, that's it for now. I have a sleep depbt to pay. Neil

Wow, rockin busy tonight. Saw the Cats in, Mama and Snacky, with men in tow. I could not break away from the kitchen to even say hi. Some of Chocoholic's co-horts were in ( 30 of them ! ) 28 steaks, two fish. Taste of Yaletown is off to a good start.

Up at 6:00 a.m. today. Did a radio spot on the Beat. Did one on Best of Food and Wine on CFUN on Sat. Something on News 1130 this afternoon Whirlwind Press Junket for Taste of Yaletown. My co- conspiritor, Jack Lamont ( Glowbal and Coast ) is doing something on Shaw T.V. Today. Getting lots of attention, nice to see I have not called around but space still available here, Glowbal and Coast. Has anyone experienced any difficulties getting a reso ?

You should be fine. Check out www.tasteofyaletown.com to see the choices and go from there. Check out Glowbal, Coast, Enoteca and of course, Hamilton Street Grill Cheers Neil

Are you saying that you will honour the competitors coupon? ← I wouldn't need to. You could get more and spend less. Regular menu, no deal. 2 6 oz filets ( they already come with sides ), 2 caesar salads and two gingerbread puddings for $82.00 You could even get a couple of glasses of wine and still be under $99.00 If you had 12 oz New Yorks, you would be spending $4.00 less If I honoured the coupons and accepted your $99.00, I would be way ahead. Added bonus : at any time, there are other eGulleter's in the room. You could play spot the "foodie" for money.

Ling, you could come here, get more and spend less.

It was one of our thoughts but I think that will be next year. A free shuttle from a lot, proceeds of the parking donated to charity. Impark is always looking to improve it's public image and it is not like the trolley buses have anything to do around that time of year. There was just so much to do and it is not like I do not have my own business to run. We will see what next year brings.

This was not like that ! It was a good thing we had a few drinks for everybody first. I got the message out, but that was about it.

We had our Media launch party at the Opus hotel last night. I had to do a speech, which I fumbled through. I would have made a poor career choice as a public speaker. It is a good thing I have talents elsewhere. I should have had a few more of those martinis before stepping up to the mike. Live and learn. The room was packed. There were a couple of other events that finished at about 4:00 so this was a natural for people to move to. Martinis, wine and beer were flowing and some really great food by Sean Riley, Don Letendre, Grace from Simply Thai and the team from Browns. An interview on KVOS last night, a four page spread in the Sun, Province on Monday....This is really starting to take off. The phone resos are coming in nicely, anyone that I talk to from the other restaurants are getting lots of action so I have high hopes. My next interview is 7:30 a.m. on Monday. Good Lord ! Are people really up then ?? I hope I am able to shake it out of the rack for that. It is a good thing that I have a face for radio and I do not need to pretty myself up for this. We have resos at Pino's on Tuesday the 11th. I am looking forward to that. It has been a while since I have dined there. 4 courses and wine pairings for $50.00 What a deal. Check out www.tasteofyaletown.com to see all of the offerings. Have to go now. Got to make apple tarts. I wish I had Ling on my staff. I am a terrible pastry person. You have all seen the GBP. That is the extent of my talent. It is not pretty to look at but at least it tastes good. Cheers Neil

Chef Metcalf ! Nice to see you back online. Youhave been missed. I hope you had a crazy busy summer and now are coming into a more regular pace. Cheers Neil

We are a few days away from the inaugural launch of this event. My inbox is filling up with menus, press releases, and final copies of press as well as logos etc. We have a media launch party at the Opus that I see a few of you have RSVP'd to. I will have to make a brief speech about this event and thank all of the sponsors etc. I hope I do not fumble and slip back into my potty mouthed kitchen speak. The website www.tasteofyaletown.com is up and running with all of the menus as well as links to all of the restaurants. I have long banners for the street but have to try and tie them to the telephone poles. I do not think that is in my job description but we have to do what we have to do. It is a good thing I have a long ladder in the storage room for such an occasion. I wanted to write a piece about the trials and tribulations of trying to get such an event together but alas the clock is ticking so I guess this might be it. It certainly will not be the one I wanted but I have to make a choice : Sleep or post on eGullet. I have not done much of either lately but sleep wins. Check out the website to see what is being offered. There are some really great menus there and some people have put lots of work into them. It pleases me to no end that all of the restaurants are participating. The reservations are startig to roll in, so at this early stage, it is looking good. People understand what it is and what it is all about. Because of things like "Dine Out Vancouver" , you do not need to educate everyone as to what to expect. I hope that you can find the time to get out and check this out. If this is able to come off without a hitch, I am hoping to see a few more dining events take place in Yaletown. With everybody in such close proximity, it really is a natural fit. If we can get everybody thinking the same way, wouldn't something like a centralized valet just work wonders for the traffic congestion down here. Drop off your car at one spot and have it delivered to the restaurant at the end of dinner. Make it cheap enough that even the die hard skin flints will think twice about circling the block twenty times looking for a spot. A bit of a long shot but one can dream ? Neil

All orders to go are wrapped in newspaper. Authentic away! ← I would not know about "to go", my stuff barely makes it to the parking lot as I stuff my face, asking Joan , "Are you going to eat that ?" Sooooo good.

Apart from the newspaper, I think Go Fish meets all of your criteria. Arne, you must be there at least 2 times a week. Do you concur ?