Hest88

Well, my last boycott of Oliveto was due to appalling service (though I was seduced back by the Whole Hog dinner), so I'm not surprised that they've again made a hiring/training misstep.

Oh yeah, I don't order such things when I'm with acquaintances or business colleagues, but then I also try not to order pasta with red sauce or poultry on the bone, or anything else that I might regret eating in front of people I don't know very well. But with my husband and my friends? Anything goes!

Uh, nope. I wouldn't expect my spouse to eat it, but I wouldn't refrain from ordering and enjoying the food. Conversely, I know a number of women who make food for their husbands that they don't eat themselves. This group includes two vegetarians who never touch meat but, out of love for their DHs, cook meat for their spouses. So, I'm firmly of the belief that if your spouse likes something you don't, *you* have an obligation to allow your spouse to eat his food to his heart's content. (Barring issues such as health, of course.)

I have to brine. My Chinese relatives are happier the saltier it gets and keep requesting that I add more salt to the brine. However... I used to also brine chicken before roasting it and now I use the Zuni Cafe method where you rub the bird generously with s/p and let it sit for 24-36 hours. I'm wondering if this will work as well with a turkey, with its much thicker meat. Anyone try it? It would certainly be easier.

Rivoli can be quite good. Oliveto only if you choose carefully. Never been to Lalime.

In Vancouver, definitely the Wedgewood. And, if you have time, you should allocate a lunch munching your way through the Granville Island Public Market. I also vote for the Wedgewood. I haven't been to the Opus, but it was impossible getting reservations the last few times I tried. We were just at Sooke Harbour House in October. We weren't majorly impressed when we ordered a la carte, but the tasting menu blew us away so much that we had it again (other than the cheese plate it changes *completely* each night) the next night. So, go for the tasting menu!!!!

Well, I can't eat popsicles straight from the freezer. They've got to sit for a bit so the ice crystals melt slightly. (Ditto Otter Pops.) My favorite way to eat popsicles is to remove them from the stick, mash them in a cup, and eat them like sorbet. Chinese duck wings have to be refrigerated and eaten cold.

I've brined for the last 7 years or so and my Chinese relatives, who can't understand the appeal of turkey, have found the brined versions much more palatable--both in flavor and moistness. I don't bother with Kosher salt anymore and just use cheap table salt; so far I haven't noticed a difference. I also think I'm going to forgo any spices in the brine, since it never seems to make a difference and I'm too lazy to boil the brine and cool it before plunking the turkey in.

No, no! Send them to *me*! I love passionfruit and it's soooo expensive here!

I also am not a big fan of these natural, rustic chips because I find them too thick and hard. My one exception is, like JAZ, the Kettle Chips Salt and Pepper, which are so good I'm willing to overlook the thickness.

Here in the Bay Area, the full month party (often referred to in English as a "Red Egg and Ginger" party) is sometimes a formal banquet, but among our friends and relatives it's more often a more casual brunch thing with big pans of noodles, char sui, fried chicken, broccoli beef, etc. The only traditional food items are the red eggs and the ginger.

Oh great pictures!!! Thanks so much for the travelogue. BTW, may I ask what camera you used?

I love the beef ravolis, but was never able to tolerate the other Chef Boyardee products. Campbell's Chicken and Stars!!! Perfect on a cold day.

FG, I certainly don't begrudge a restaurant making even an obscene profit on certain items, but I certainly object to having them try to slip them into my meal without being open about the cost. I've had this happen twice, both at high-end restaurants. One involved the tap vs. still water scenario, another involved food. Now I'm pretty open about asking for prices unless I'm very sure it's complimentary.

Nwyles, so does that mean that waiters in BC never get paid below minimum wage? (At least in the restaurants that are following the law?)

Great reviews Gary. What little I know about Shanghainese food I get from reading your posts, so the next time I go up to Van I'll have to hit a few spots from your list. Nope, in this case Gary is most definitely wrong. The Bay Area has a few really good Cantonese restaurants, but as a whole we don't hold a candle to Vancouver. You've got to try some of the Cantonese restaurants up there next time, Gary.

Oh...my. I wonder what happened?

Is that all across Canada, Shelley? Too bad it doesn't work that way in the U.S., or the dual obligations would be more clear-cut.

Wait, we're not talking about employees sabotaging equipment or dusting cigarette ashes into food, we're talking about employees leaving and finding other employment. There's nothing wrong with an employee leaping for a promising job just as there's nothing wrong with an employer selling a business or laying off employees if necessary. What I don't understand, though, is the expectation that "employee loyalty" must extend so far as forgo other opportunities and stick around to help an employer close when he knows at the end of it he'll be on the street.

Well, the no-brainer for Mendocino is the famed Cafe Beaujolais. I've never eaten there, but unless it's gone downhill it the last few years it sounds like it's a must.

I just posted this over on Chowhound as well, so feel free to skip. Last Saturday four of us tried out the newish Antidote in Sausalito. I was curious about it since the chef is supposedly El Bulli influenced. First off, we were very impressed at how much importance they placed on service. After we walked in the door they seated us in the lounge area and brought champagne and hor d'oeurves. Water was always filled, napkins re-folded promptly, and all the waitpeople were friendly and helpful. We were even escorted to the restroom the first time around, something I'd only experienced in NYC. As the room filled up the service faltered a bit, but what they lacked in polish they made up for in enthusiasm. We ordered the $80 tasting menu, which was comprised of something like 8 or 9 courses, which included two desserts and a cheese plate. The food was fairly good, though not as experimental as I'd expected. (Perhaps that's a good thing!) For instance, most plates had a dust of some sort, but it was such a small amount that it didn't really add much to the dish. The plating was pretty, if it didn't quite create the "wow" impression that they were hoping. Nearly everyone agreed that the best course was a venison with dried blueberries, though my husband claimed that the foie gras was better than the Fifth Floor's. I was impressed with a salad that included asparagus, chanterelles, beets, and microgreens, that created a taste far beyond what I expected from the individual ingredients. There was no dish that was a flop, and though some didn't reach the great heights I think the chef was expecting (such a corn soup that came with beakers of cooler corn soup, to mix according to temperature preferences), all were reasonably good and some exceptionally so. There was a long lull between courses, which suited us fine, so the entire meal ended up taking a bit over 3 hours. As we left, the women were given irises. Would we go back? Definitely. There were wonderful dishes off the a la carte menu that all of us agreed we wanted to try. Plus, the view is pretty impressive. ;-)

Exactly. But it works both ways. Loyalty-schmoyalty, it's still a business relationship and I pity the employee who forgets that. You would never keep open your business purely out of loyalty to your employees so why do some employers assume that employees should make major sacrifices for them over their own career or their families' wellbeing? I've worked at big corporations and small companies, and in the end an employee has to look out for himself. That's just the reality of business. Yep, it's all about the retention bonus.

True, but as far as they were concerned, you were disloyal first by selling your business and depriving them of their livelihood.

I do have a favorite Korean sweet, though. It's the popped millet things, shaped like little logs. They're coated with something sweet and very hard and crunchy. I find them addictive, partly because they're never too sweet--just honey-like enough to keep me munching.

Mmmm, I love the Nong Shim noodles on a cold day. Okay, I love them on a hot too! I *am* trying to cut back, but I admit we buy them by the box. The noodles from the packet ones are udon-like, but the instant ones are thin so they can cook with just boiling water.