nwyles

I am open to anything. I do not mind a bit of a drive, or, more time for eating. Either way, it is good.

I am coming through L.A. in Nov, taking the kids to the Magic Kingdom and have time for one nice meal. We have been to L.A. a few times and always fall back on some familiar places....Patina, Chinios on Main, Spago, Santa Monica area. Looking for something new and cool, nice design, but great food. The kids will be ok with pretty much anything ( 7 and 5 )..as long as it is served PLAIN Any suggestions ?

I would love to add something here but I was turned away at 11:07 on a wednesday night. The bar still had 20 people in it drinking, and the hostess had to go and check with the bartender to see if he wanted to serve anyone else. He was too abosrbed in his wipedown to deal with any more guests. Obviously there was no manager present as the bartender was calling the shots. I understand about the last night thing, but there were full cocktail glasses all round the room. I was not like we were some tourists looking for a lingering late night spanish coofee.........but two stinky cooks looking to snap back a couple of beers and talk about the night. That being said, I have a new found love for Boneta !

Wow. Congrats to David.............that is a big gig.

I disagree...street people are the responsibility of the restaurant. Customer safety is as much a part of ‘the experience’ as service, presentation, taste, showmanship and ambiance. ← How do you deal with the street people? private security company, big burly sommeliers? just curious. Stephen ← This is an unfortunate reality of living in a big city. Any city. Although unrealistic, the guests expect to be shielded from this sort of thing while they are having dinner, even though they are sitting two feet away from a kid with a sign saying " I need food". It is also a tough position for the host, as he/she is "moving" these people along, one of the patrons whips out a fiver and offers it up to the street person. It really makes the host look like an uncaring person, being stared down by someone's grandmother with a fiver in her hand. In Yaletown, we employ a firm to deal with this, but the street people have learned the schedule, and are moving back in five minutes after the security shift ends. we need to randomize the shifts, as to keep everyone on their toes. Now, on the flip side, before someone starts to go off how unfair that is to the streetpeople etc..........we also employ a company called " Street Youth Job Action" to help keep Yaletown tidy, raise funds for the Foodbank and Covenent House...just to keep things balanced.

Do a pre order at Le Crocodile and treat yourself. Food on the table when you come in and the remaning part of the hour is bliss.

Neil, I checked out your link and didn't see your menu listed for the City Dine event...or maybe I missed it. It looks like the hubby is going to be in Vancouver around that time again and I'm hoping I'll be joining him and we'll be making our trek to HSG as per usual. ← My menu has been submitted, but is not live as of yet.................as I was late. Anyways, we have some old favourites on there as well as some mussels, featuring HKDave's fabulous Chorizo sausage, and of course, the gingerbread pudding.

Now not having seen the portion at Boneta, I have seen the hulk known as Pao Pao......................................he is a pretty big guy. I think Boneta is in my travel plans this evening. I will report back on the portions asap.

I was planning on swinging by there last night, but the tour de Gastown was blocking all of the entrances and I was in my car. Straight home instead. Perhaps tonight.

I am penning up my menu as we speak. It will happen in Sept.

I could not figure out what you were talking about as far as the glassware goes, but so it happens, I was asked by one of the servers a few minutes ago how I liked to see a whiskey sour served. Before I could respond , one of the other servers starts talking about the traditional way to serve it blah, blah, blah and coaches the first server into using a port glass ( small hurricane without a flared rim ! ) I stopped them both and directed them to serve it in a small rocks glass, on the rocks. This is the way I have seen it served before..................how they came up with the port glass, I do not know. This was the same server who served 151 rum shooters on fire, I am doubting anything he says

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.

Hamilton Street Grill is waiting for you !

Misko, You are a hack !! I will not be revealing any of our team's tried and true BBQ secrets to you. You will have to do what I did.............sleep your way to the top !! click here to see what I had to go through!!! Signed, BBQ Neil

Is this a Taco Shack #2 or did the first one close ?

Good to see the small local businesses being supported. Rumour has it that Tomato may walk away from their Cambie location (lease expires at the end of May). They are geared up to open another Tomato Fresh Cafe in the old Mark's Taphouse spot on Broadway in early June. ← we do what we can! We also get take out from Wendy's on our liquor runs...............I am so ashamed.

As the President of the Yaletown Business Assoc., I also sit on a Commitee with the Canada Line. It is my understanding that this a first for any large construction project. It is funded through Canada Line and it's purpose it to assist communicating about construction, traffic, delays, and assisting in community projects that bring together these neighbourhoods. As Yaletown already had an organization, it was a little easier for us to get our act together and access these funds. They help with things like the Yaletown Summer Celebration and the ecurity around the station. The Cambie Village area has a new organization and it was a little harder getting things going. They have put some effort into some events, and have more planned. I look for to some of the events that will get this area going again. The cut and cover part goes fairly quickly, and with a little luck, things should be back together sooner than later. The Stations take a bit more time but lots of the work happens underground. The bridge over Mainland Street was just opened..........over half a year behind but it is open and helping with some of the traffic in Yaletown. There certainly have been some hardships and it is always appreciated when people recognize that and put an effort in supporting business in those areas. Has anyone been to Jack, the Modern Barbershop..........great place for a haircut............although I imagine Arne would not be doing any business there. I still go to the liquor store, Best Buy, Canadian Tire, Chevron and Oakridge Mall. I did my best to travel the route as often as I could so that I was up to date on the happenings in the route so I might have something to contribute to these meetings, but it has become harder and harder.

That was an old Keg when I started at the Keg, and that was 20 years ago.

It certainly does, and learn we do. It just takes a little time ← I think most Vancouver restaurateurs have been pretty savvy about this and understand it far better than I do. When I read my comment in your quote it sounds patronizing, which wasn't my intention. ← I did not see it as patronizing at all. It really does suck to have negative things posted about your restaurant, and it is there forever, popping up and reminding you of an experience gone bad. For someone like myself, a crazy OCD, negative comment chasing freak, it is just the red flag in front of the bull. I actually posted all of the comments from Dinehere.ca for my staff to read, and wrote in what nights and what waiters they were referring to, both good and bad. It was not about beating anyone one down or anything like that. It was to show them what people were saying about them, their service and our food when they were so inclined. The last one was the kicker as it was one of my best servers, and longest with me. I can rationalize it in my mind..........they did not give him any real chance to show his service as they were two waters, a yam fries, two dinners, no dessert, but their perception was that he did not give them service and perception is reality.

It certainly does, and learn we do. It just takes a little time

I really do not see what all of the hub bub is about. In reading all info from here and other places, there seems to be some sort of FOH issue at Gastropod.....................so remarking on the no eye contact, kicking paper does not seem out of place, but an observation, nothing more. 1.5 rating on the food is again, that person's impression. They certainly can not rate on what they did not have but did not like what they did. If everything on the menu has some sort of sous vide and guests are not digging it, Gastropod will adapt, or not survive. With so many other restaurants out there, sometime people are not willing to give second chances. Fair enough. As a restaurant owner, I always appreciate a second one, but it does not always happen. Anyhoo........................someone did not like a restaurant. It happens.

At the pace you worked, you were semi retired before...............this is fully retired. Enjoy the time off and come back with the next food craze.

No

Before you start getting your knickers in a twist, they are talking about the RESERVE Old Vine Foch, not the regular stuff. Neil

She is a great addition to Rare, we are very pleased to have her onboard. ← Good for Colleen! After going through the ringer with Ken Bogas, Cafe de Paris and I can only imagine at Feenies this looks like a good fit for her. ← An talk about her having a new found freedom of expression...................rumour has it she came out of the kitchen to lay a beating on Kolacy Keith ( Ktbear ) the other night when he got a little "chirpy" after a few drinks. Some people, when given enough rope, manage to hang themselves.........not Colleen, she makes a " Cat 'o nine tails" and beats down unruly guests! A great addition the the "Rare" team.