nwyles

I will post an update as to availability. When I heard there was a waiting time for it , I did not commit. I am a person looking for immediate action and " we can order it in " was not good enough. We do not even know the price yet. A couple of things to the "Dodger" - Intercity does not supply the Keg anymore. That ended about 6 or 7 years ago - In case you have been living in a cave with no internet, the egullet egorge was last Friday. Sorry you missed it. I am hoping that someone else picks the gauntlet of the "egullet" dinner. I know that there are lots of other chefs "lurking / hawking "out there. Perhaps someone with a Chef's Table !

I think that this is a case of the widespread use of skirt steak or perhaps flatiron steak and calling it hanger steak. N

Just a quick note on the Hanger Steak. My rep from Intercity Packers was in and I asked him for 10 kilos of hanger steak. He said he could special order that from Cargil. We could probably get it next week as it was only Tuesday. These guys are probably the biggest meat supplier in town ( others may argue that but for fun lets just say they are ). I think that some of these places are serving a skirt steak or something else. This product is available but not with-out pre-ordering. The other cuts you can order for same day.

This bakery is the one that I get my hamburger buns and misc. pastries at. It is on my way to work and we got stuff there when it was Vito's before. Real nice people, nice stuff, tough market - lots of other bakers / pastry shop in the 'hood.

The gingerbread recipe is always available to anyone who asks - I give it out about 40 times a year and is posted online at a few different places but nothing compares to coming to the HSG and having that as the dessert. Could imagine the temptation of having a full pan of that in your fridge calling you at all times - best to have it in small doses. I posted yesterday and it had some profanity - please forgive me, I do not want to get a PM from a forum moderator or anything but it was a direct quote. Bottom line BRIAN FOWKE IS A LEGEND ! and we know him - how cool is that

A couple of things - In " Big Night", Louis Prima did not show up. Did we have an alternate ending where in our "Big Night", Louis Prima showed up, ate, drank, smoked, kissed someone and left ? I think so. And I want to say, and I hope that he does not get too embarrassed, but when Brian and I were introduced to Tony, Tony actually said to Brian "Holy fuck, You're "Chef Fowke" ! Man, you are a fucking legend". Jesus Christ, nice to meet you!" I do not want anyone to get a big head ( if you look at the pictures, I have quite a large melon........where the hell did that come from ! ) but that was pretty cool.

Wow , what a night. The dishes are done, the duck confit is stashed away for Brian and Neil for sandwiches and the place put back together for Saturday night Great to see everyone there and having a good time. Someone wrote that it was going to be like a giant blind date. I think was more like a gathering of old friends at a intimate dinner party. People did not have any trouble mixing and the "non - egulleters" had no trouble mixing in. Good job on the silent auction. A goodly amount of money was raised for the Chef's Table - Jaimie will post the final results when all of the accountants from F. Morris Chatters and Co. do the final tabulations. Besides the tall chap from New York , we did have another celebrity in our midst - Barbara Jo MacIntosh , Chef, Author, famous store owner and more importantly, the person who facilitated Mr. Bourdain's visit to our fair city. Without her, we would not have had the catalyst to get the " Big Night " going. I will dropping off a nice bottle of wine for her as a thanks for letting us piggy back her event. Now then, about that bus tour of Richmond Mr. Talent ? We will leave that in your hands for the new year . We will need a bus with a refrigerator, an ice machine, a grill, perhaps some induction elements and some space for mise en place for in between restaurant stops. As the first e-gullet dinner is out of the way , Brian and I can sit back and dream of the next one.

All is well , my friend. There will be plenty for all. We are taking an educated guess as to where the numbers will fall for the entrees. If you do not get what you want because everybody had the same thing..........................sorry man. Skip lunch. Arrive hungry. Have you not eaten here before ? We do not "do" small food. And no you can't sub anything, or can I have a half order of this, are there beans in the cassolet, can I have mine without beans, can you make my cioppino without tomatoes, can you saute my cerviche................. if that happens, you will see two chubby chefs beating up drag queens

Do tell. I am planning the seating arrangements this afternoon and am looking for MAXIMUM enjoyment. Sit back and watch the Drag queens fight over the last short rib. Such fun. Stuff that legends are made from.

Good god man ! Someone had some time one their hands tonight. Fear not dear reader , Chef fowke will not be posting for a couple of days as he will be getting ready for big night. Tonight was his only chance to post this week. See you all friday. Neil

I do not let them discuss tips amongst themselves inside the restaurant. Guests could overhear and it would be a sticky situation all round. No guest should be made to feel uncomfortable about the amount they leave. If a server gets stiffed, I want to know about it for every reason you can think of. We have an auto grat situation for large parties that is printed right on the bill, right on the menu and the staff have to get me to add this to the bill. They must indicate to the guest that it is there and I make them cross the tip line out on the credit card slip. If the guest wishes to leave more they may and can do so. If a server gets a tip on top of a auto tip, I question it. It is cause for immediate termination. No double dipping. Don't get me wrong , I am not overly concerned about an extra 5 % in an auto 15 % grat, it is when I see and extra 20 % on top by a guest who might have had too much to drink. I think I am protecting all parties here - It take lots of effert to get a server trained to the point where you are happy with them - you would hate to see this go down the drain in one greedy moment - regular guests are cherished and you would hope to see them return. They are all hard won and you would hate to lose one over a tip. We have seen comments that people would not go back to a restaurant over a charge for a refill ! - your reputation - you would not want people to think that you are a rip off joint - this is truly bad for business. If a guest wants to leave an extra tip, they will find a way. I just want our people to do it honestly. A dishonest tip is an embarrassment for everyone involved.

Ok, someone is going to need to help out on this one, I'm laughing too hard I will be wearing chef whites with a drip of sauce from the short ribs down the front. How about " casual comfortable ". The Hamilton Street Grill has a " no tiara " policy that is strictly enforced. No one wearing a sweater over their shoulders, looking like they just stepped out of a Ralph Lauren Frat boy photo shoot will be admitted either. You know who you are.

I won't be there. I will be back at the restaurant getting evverything ready for your arrival. I think that you all will be able to tell each other by the knowing smile and the fact that you know you are going to have a big dinner so you won't be rushing the canape tray. Or how about pinning a small sausage to your lapel. If that does not make you stand out !

Man , I love the burgers at the Elixer. They are $15.00 but big with fresh mayo for the fries. Sometimes I feel I must break away from my place and get out for a while - I go there for the burger ( and a pint of Heineken, or two )

No one has mentioned "Cobs ". I have not been there or have had any of their product. I will grab some Terra Bread if I am in the G.I. market but as I do not do the shopping and will eat whatever is put in front of me, I do not choose very often. I enjoy bread, and will eat a whole loaf at one sitting. My wife hates that and warns me not to fill up on bread - please, I am just getting ready for dinner and do not want to have to consume two dinners ! Comments on Mix ? Nice people, have had a few of their products but I am not the bread expert, just the consumer.

In my neck of the woods it is. I am sorry that I got this off topic so early on this hot water tangent. It just happened to be a pet peeve and happened very recently. I do not know what about this that really bugs me - the work for no pay - for either the restaurant or the server or the presumption that people would do this. Think of this. "Can I have some water please ? " " Yes " " A large pitcher please . "Certainly " " Do you have any lemons " " But of course " This person then proceeds to squeeze the lemons in the pitcher of water, empties all your sugar packages from the sugar caddy in the water. They then ask for a straw. What do you do ? It is just water and some condiments from your bar garnish tray. They know that and so do you. Is it as good as perhaps some nice fresh lemonade ? Not really but it is free. Is hot water with lemon and sugar as good as a nice cup of tea ? Not really but it is free. We are in the hospitality industry and some people have learned how to play that. Are we going to change that ? I don't think so as we truly care about people and making them happy. This seems petty, does it not ? It does , but no one likes to be taken advantage of.

Is there not a little store in Steveston that lots of things from the U.K. ? I think they have some meats.

Dear Mr. Tutor, It was not about hot water in Southern climates as I stated in my first post that this is a parallel beef that I have in CANADA ( sometimes having a slightly cooler climate ). I mearly stated that I thought that this was a pain for no $$, like the original " free refill " complaint We are on the same page though , there is a certain type of person that orders that and there is never a reflection in the gratuity for humping all that extra stuff around the dining room. For me , it happens when the last lemon has been used and I have to run to the kitchen to get some more, I look to see that the honey is crystalized, someone spilled coffee on the stack of napkins by the coffee station and there are no sideplates to serve this on, and the cup has a coffe ring stain on it. Holy CRAP , the top of my head just about comes off I love people who order coffee. " How do you like that ?" " Black , please "

I do not know what the law is in your area but here ( in B.C. ) , the government always wants what is coming to Him. The Man does not care that the restaurant gave the item away , He still wants His Tax. He does not care that I bought you a glass of champagne on your birthday , He still wants his money. Seriously, do you honestly think that the restauranteur gets to keep the tax. You must know how invasive the government is. Imagine when you are in the position of collecting taxes for Him. Unless it is a small Mom and Pop operation with hand written bills , the Man is getting his piece of the pie and just a little bit more.

Sir , methinks you are mocking me. As I said , there is never a charge for it , just lots of work. And while I'm at it , the people who would ask for such a thing are the type to split a small house salad , one half with no dressing , a different dressing on the side and the other person want theirs with extra dressing , they stay all lunch hour, hang around at least one hour after the place has closed for lunch, getting refills of hot water and argue over who is going to pay for the six dollar lunch.

Ok , I hear what you are saying. As I am in Canada, lemonade and iced tea refills are not a big deal, we don't move it like you do in the Southern U.S.A. Here is my thing that I just want to get off of my chest - " would you like a coffee ? " "no thanks , could I have a cup of hot water with lemon ?" ( traditionally no charge ) Here is the thing. This is what it takes to get that. Teapot ( we would always serve the hot water in a teapot ) 2 lemon wedges ( one seems stingy ) 2 side plates - 1 under teapot , one for lemon spoon 2 paper napkins sugar I have never worked in a place that charged for this but it is quite a lot of work if you have a full section with lots of running around. As there is no charge , people would forget to tip on that, there is a cost to the restaurant and if this is what they are drinking , you can bet they are not drinking anything else. Suggestion on the lemonade - serve a really big glass of it and that should do away with any refill angst. I would not have a problem paying for a refill if it was really big

We have some feelers out for that keg. We will have one Friday , one way or the other. Neil

How the mighty egullet has changed my life. 1. It has exposed my obsessive compulsive disorder for all to see. 2. It has filled my afternoons with reading rather than chopping onions. 3. It has let me see that other people in my neck of the woods have interesting points to add about the culinary fabric of our city. ( or not ) 4. It has developed my typing style from the “the two fingered hunt and peck method “to the far more advanced “four finger hunt and peck “. 5. It has re-enforced a couple of things I already knew but might have forgotten – “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything thing at all. You never know who is reading and you would not wish to hurt anyone’s feelings and / or affect their livelihood. And secondly, honesty is the best policy – stand up and say who you are, sign in, don’t be a lurker, do not hide behind fake names and secret identities. Although some might say that these two things might conflict, I would think that you get the gesture. There need not be any mean spirited gestures here. Your meal at restaurant X was just a meal, it was not the “ Last Supper “. There is no need to destroy someone’s reputation. 6. It has allowed me to laugh about myself, my profession, and observations that non – professionals have. It is all in good fun. 7. Forced me to stop relying on spellcheck. I respond right in egullet and some people might have noticed I doan spel sew gud.

Ok pre tax is $100 and lets say with tax is $110 So we are talking $20 to $22. Let your enjoyment of your food, service and atmosphere guide you in the spending of the extra $2. Now that your understand that those $ have to go a little further, blow the budget and leave the money ! Or not if service sucked. Now , how many people just leave a crappy tip and not say why. How many people point out the errors and the reasoning. Don't get me wrong, I am not being snobby here , I am just curious. I for one have never pointed out the errors of a servers ways and hoped that the less than fantastic tip was message enough. But were they understanding that or did they just think I was a cheapo.

Not that I know of. There is such thing as a training wage ( $6.00 per hour ) but I do not know if anybody has ever used it. It was something the government brought in to appease the masses who bitched about the $8.00 wage. It can only be used for 100 hours or 3 months as far as I am aware. I think we have the highest Min. wage in Canada. The tough thing about that is when that went up , other staff were there with their hand out wanting a raise as well. It pretty much became an across the board raise and the only loser was the restaurant operator. IMHO