nwyles

Australian Beef is graded by the number of teeth in their head. An exact science ?? I do not know if more teeth is better or less ? Does anyone know. Neil Seriously , it's true !

And wine ?? That is all that is required as far as I know. As nobody has taught me the secret handshake, I could be mistaken. Neil

A little dramatic don't you think !

Makes sense to me. Jamie , what would we do without you. Cheers Neil

I'm sorry , I have been negligent. I will try and get down to Books to Cooks and get some contact info for Bourdain. Either way , I think we should have an Egullet getogether at the Grill. All we need is a show of hands as to how many. Neil Time, etc to be decided as we get more info.

Certified Angus Beef is a brand marketing program for Angus cattle producers. I scanned a couple of web sites for a bit more info on this so here it is. Lakeside and Cargill are the Canadian Packers for C.A.B. The cattle come from specified stocks that feed from specific Certified Feedlots with a C.A.B. approved feed mixture for maximun marbling, flavour and tenderness. Certified Angus Beef is AAA( Candadian ) / Choice ( American ) or better If the top 7 % of Angus cattle ( a specific breed known for its fine marbling quality ) go into the Certified Angus Beef Program , where do all of the rest go ? Canadian Angus , Black Angus , Bob's Angus etc. Certified Angus pays a premium for the top 7 % so they can guarantee a consistent flavourful product. Having not used all of the other brands, I can't say. I did taste so Canadian Angus Beef the other day and it was good but the C.A.B. was better. But if the top 7% goes to Certified Angus Beef , the rest are not the top 7 % ! The Keg - I worked there as a younger man and I remember the big rollout of " We now use Triple A ( AAA ) beef ! I thought to myself , " what did we use before ?" The Keg has very, very strict specifications for thier beef as far as age, trim, size, where on the cattle the steak can come from etc. They were able to use AA for years and it was not until approx 1990 they moved to AAA. I mentioned before in another post about the possibility of blurred lines in the grading system. I would imagine that it might have worked in the Keg's favour for years as they were they strongest buyer in the steak market for years and their orders had to be filled so they could have been using AAA all along, based on volume alone. IMHO Earl's uses Canadian Angus beef ( part of the remaining 93 % ) I have seen Joe's menu say a few different things over the years and I would guess that came from which chef, market conditions etc. I have seen them use Certified Angus Beef and recently seen a move to Canadian Triple AAA. Hy's uses Triple AAA , which is still a fine product , but their edge is they cook over mesquite. Most restaurants are using gas but Hy's has been using mesquite for years. What is the differece ? Temperature and flavour. Gas is about 500 to 800 degrees. Mesquite cooks from 800 to 1200 degrees. ( It has been a long, long time since I had a lesson on mesquite temperatures but that is the jist of it ) This sears in the flavour and imparts that mesquite taste onto the meat which is sooooooo goooood. Why do not more restaurants use natural wood products. Cost ! Not just the cost of the wood but the cost of a seperate ventilation system / fire supression system. When I opened my place , that would have been an extra $25000. I could not imagine what it woould be now. I hope that helps. Neil

I must agree with Paul Re: The Keg - I sometimes get a craving for a teriyaki sirloin and I just have to go !

Thank you for your kind words about the Hamilton Street Grill. Much appreciated. As for the third wine appetizer , it was a Certified Angus Beef Tartar with all of the bits and pieces. As to the over salting of the soup , I will find the dastardly bugger and beat him severely. It will be a lesson he ( I ) never forget. Cheers Neil

I stumbled onto this little gem on my last trip to Seattle and I have not forgotten the good time I had there. I can not wait to take my wife as she was very pregnant on my last trip and could not make it. I will be in Seattle Sept 6 and 7 and Zoe will be on of our first stops ( the other being the Palace Kitchen )

Grill it again. Lay some leaves of romaine on the grill as to not dry it out too much. Having any other way than as prime rib would be a crime !

Does anyone know what this term might be. Is there a translation ? Thank you

I do think that Morton's has not embraced the Canadian style of dining. What do I mean by that - Everything they have is huge ! I mean American Huge. Who wants to eat a baked potatoe as big as your head ! We had dinner at Morton and split a giant steak ( it was good and all that ) for $55 for the meat. ( 20 oz NY ) Gotham serves smaller ( slightly ) steak but too small to split ( 16 oz ) What do we do - each order a $40 steak. End result was a higher sale for Gotham. Perhaps Mortons should look at that ! My wallet was a little lighter leaving Gotham but we were happy. When we left Mortons, the wife would have been happier having her own steak rather than spliting mine. N

What about the free sandwiches in the lounge ? I do like the presentation of the raw meat at the table when they want to explain what you are getting. Neat gimmick, but I think that really breaks down when the show you the onion and tomatoe that your salad will be made out of. That borders on silly. Neil

I have been staring this post in the face for days as it would seem a perfect chance for me to promote my own restaurant - The Hamilton Street Grill. I even went so far as to call a friend and acuse him of trying to set me up with such an obvious post. ( I still have my doubts ) We serve great steaks and other meat dishes ( Lamb shanks, Pork tenderloin etc. ) I serve Certified Angus Beef in the restaurant ans swear by it. It is a consistant product with strong marketing and name branding behind it. Lots of others claim to be nearly as good as , just like , etc. ( Names like Canadain Angus Beef , Black Angus Beef, Certified Hereford Beef come to mind ) These are just copy cat brandings and do not have it going on as far as quality, flavour and consistancy. I have had steak on the brain for the last few weeks and have been in some heated discussions about beef quality being diluted over the past few years by things like Safeway starting to sell AAA meat. My thought on that would be that do the lines between what we would call AA and AAA get blurred because of the market demand for AAA. If a meat packer is faced with massive orders for AAA, Choice and Prime products, does the lines that seperate these levels of quality get pushed up ? ( It is nearly a AAA, getting close , I have lots of orders so then it is AAA ) I read an article last week about a 200 % increase in profits at the large meat packers in our country since the " Mad Cow " ( note single cow ) scare last year. The consumers did not see any price reduction, the local suppliers did not see any price reduction, the farmers certainly saw a drop in price that they were getting and the government shells out 500 million in aid ( some of which trickled down to the farmer ) so do I think that the large meat packers might be a little loose with the speciafications that govern what we see as AA , AAA, Choice and Prime cuts of beef, merely for increased profit on the backs of farmers, suppliers, restaurants and steaklovers all over. I do not think I actually have to articulate a response for that do you ? Ok , I have strayed from topic......sorry This city has lots of great steak restaurants. We have a great steak history. The Keg was started right here in North Vancouver - Approx 32-33 years ago I think ) Some people might groan at that but they really changed the way Canada dined out. The Aisenstat Family have a history here with the Hy's chain and now David the son has not only taken that over, he has purchased the Keg and has opened one of the cities best Steakhouses in Gotham. This guy is Canada's King of Steak ! Where to go for great , guaranteed meat. Hamilton Street Grill , for sure !! I had a steak ( Candadian Prime ) at one of cities fine steakhouses the other night. The steak was $40, the potatoes $6 , the vegetable $6. It was good. $52 good ? I am not sure. I serve a 12 oz Certified Angus Beef New York, Potatoe and vegetable included for $26. It is good ! Was the other steakhouse's dinner twice as good ( $26 compared to $52 ) Not a chance ! Ok , I could not help myself. Sorry for that but once I got rolling I could not stop. We have lots of great Steakhouses but has the price of a great steak become too $$ Morton's Gotham Hy's ( if just for the cheesetoast alone ) Great steakhouses steeped in history . The Keg - great value I have not been to the Stone Grill on False Creek beause I have no desire to cook my own steak if I am dining out - I cook enough of them at work. Has anyone been there ? I would be interested to hear about that. Anyone else ? I think I have gone on long enough. I have not even had any coffee yet so please forgive the meandering ravings of an under-caffinated nutbar ! P.S. I am now a " Member " , I do not bear the shame of being an "Ass. Member

Could your wife have outsmarted you , took the wine and replaced it with plonk ?

HAs anyone ever used one of those in sink dishwashers by Kitchen Aid. I see them in mags all the time but have not seen one anywhere. They look like they would be perfect to do the lunch / breakfast dishes in without running a full load in the big dishwasher. Comments ?

I worked at a restaurant chain that used powdered chicken base in the recipe. It was a big dose of salt really with a lot of yellow colouring involved. I would skip that. I own a restaurant and make big batches of caesar dressing all of the time. One thing you might try and find is frozen liquid egg yolk. It is a pasturized product and allows you to take most of the bacterial worry out of your dressing as well as salmonella. It also allows a longer shelf life in the fridge. Neil Wyles Hamilton Street Grill

The long running French restautant was the Cote d'Azur. I think the owner who passed away was Eddie Cordes. I know his son Larry. I am not sure if it is still operating ( read Jamie Maw's post - it is running as Rustica ) - I think the wife might have leased it off to someone else to run. Nei l

Rodney's Oyster House ( $$ )is in Yaletown as well as a fine oyster bar / sushi bar at the Blue Water Cafe ( $$$$ ) ( also in Yaletown ) Neil

We should try and send word to him about the Cobra Cerviche. If that does not get him to hang out with us , what else can we do ?? Thanks for finding that out Jamie. Now we will have to seek out a way to contact him to join us later. If not, whatever, it will be a good chance for a bit of fun either way. Keep this post going !! Neil

Hey , that's not nice. Do not judge the entire area by a few examples.... Neil Wyles Hamilton Street Grill Yaletown !!!!

I am going to be doing the Feast of Fields and I will be using the Bluegoose products for that. I am looking forward to using it. I will be getting some in to try in the very near future and will report back on what we are using and what we are doing with it. I have heard from a friend that it is excellent and that was what led me to them for this event. Cheers Neil

I use Certifed Angus Beef ( top 7 % of Angus cattle make it here )at the restaurant and it is great ! This is what Urban Fare is selling. Canadian Prime - a bit more difficult to get ( Top 4 % of no particular breed ) is available only at restaurant suppliers I think. Canadaian AAA has become a bit more generic in the last few years - IMO. Once people like Safeway started to use it, the quality has become a bit diluted. There are only so many cattle being produced and with the demand for AAA increasing, the orders need to be filled. Altough the grading system is scientific, I would imagine it is also subject to pressure from the market - ie does the difference between AA and AAA become a little blurred if you have so many orders of AAA to fill. In the future, try calling one of your restaurant friends and see if they can get you some good beef. It would take a bit more planning but the end result would be better !! I think you know the number here Mr. Talent. Neil

Feel free to move this thread to another board. I am only an " associate member " and do not know how to do this yet. I would love to get in touch with Anthony through this board and make him aware of this discussion. Does anyone know how to do that ? If so, do it ! I would also like to bat around a few ideas on what could / should happen if we can get this event going. ( beside gorging ourselves on Chef Fowke Pastrami ) How about a dinner menu from recipes from his book. I know it might be a little late for people to eat if they are not in the restaurant business , but if you are - it is prime time for food . t would be nice if the man himself would join us for dinner ( As Jamie said 10:00 P.M. might be an - . As he will be in the neighbourhood, this could be possible.Any ideas ? If you want to send it via e-mail "hamiltonstreetgrill@telus.net" Cheers Neil

Any updates on the new restaurants ? Go Fish ? Chambar ? A friend went by "Lift" the other day and saw only 2 guys working. Seems odd in the last push to open. That is usually the flurry of activity with 5 plumbers, 10 electricians, painter, tile setters and the decorator all working on top of each other. Does anyone have any insight as to the " Liftoff " date ? Neil