Embarrasing admission

[Ling]

I haven't yet been to any of Umberto Menghi's restaurants , Le Crocodile, Villa del Lupo, C, Cru, Sooke Harbour House, Cioppino's, Diva at the Met, Bishop's, Chartwell, La Belle Auberge, Bistro Pastis, Tojo's, La Regalade, and Vij's.

I'm going to Aurora Bistro on Friday night, and Chamber on Monday--so there's two off the list.

[Shellback]

I have yet to try Le Crocodile, Vij's, Aurora Bistro, Kolachy Shop, Fiction.... and new additions to the list: Lilykate, Savoury Coast, Chi....

But the past six months, I have crossed off Il Giardino, Chambar, Lift, Arbutus Grille (in Brentwood Bay Lodge), Sobo and The Pointe (Tofino) from my list of "must try" restaurants.

[Badiane]

Living out here in the culinary armpit of BC, I am amazed at how many of the restaurants on peoples list I have actually eaten at! Of course I did live in the civilized world once....

I still have dreams about the Veau Morille at Le Crocodile, and I even have the recipe...I haven't made it, but I am going to this weekend after a trip to GI to get veal, which I can't get in the armpit of BC, and morel mushrooms. I am so excited I could spit.

Vij is interesting and we found him kind of bizarre in a not too offputting way. I am the only person in the whole world who does not like the Lamb Popsicles. It seemed to me that all of the meat that we had - lamb, duck, beef, chicken, had been cooked earlier in the day and reheated. I didn't like the sauce with the lamb at all, it was very sour and what are the lumpy bits? And I think they should be called Lamb Lollipops, not popsicles. But that is just me.

Sobo in Tofino is one of maybe 3 restaurants that I have been to where I did not come away saying to myself "Why did we go out? I cook better than that at home".

On the list for this weekend...Go Fish and Henry's Kitchen. And anything I can stuff in my mouth at Granville Island.

[canucklehead]

Living out here in the culinary armpit of BC, I am amazed at how many of the restaurants on peoples list I have actually eaten at!  Of course I did live in the civilized world once....

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Badiane

Brava Bistro got reviewed in the Sun today (good review at that) - from the guys at Deliliah's in Vancouver now have a new place in Chilliwack. Now this is not super haute cuisine - but I've always like the sense of fun and decent food at Deliliah's.

Any word from the armpit? My only experience of Chilliwack is 50 foot Fred. This is not being snide - but highlighting my own ignorance of the lower mainland where I grew up.

[Andrew Morrison]

The last of my to do's:

Rangoli

Living Room

Relish

William Tell

Parkside

Chartwell

Go Fish

Tojo's

Sun Sui Wah

Lilykate

Wild Saffron

Sobo

Arbutus Grill

Fire and Water

Sonora Room

The Rex

Pear Tree

Edited April 21, 2005 by editor@waiterblog (log)

[Flotch]

Damn you guys are lucky being able to try out all the places I can only dream of eating in; Lumiere, Cru, Bis Moreno, Lift! Alas being an international student with no income (Immigration doesn't permit us to work off-campus) and high fees to pay all I can only do is dream and sought out the best deals for under $10!!!

[Mooshmouse]

Let's see.  The "To Eat At" list tallies up at Chambar (damn, I can hear those frites calling my name), Cioppino (I don't know if my wallet can take a hit like that), Bis Moreno (too snooty or not too snooty... that is the question), En, Velvet, Blue Water Cafe (but I gather I'm not missing much), the new Richmond incarnation of Gyoza King, Shiru-Bay, Go Fish, the William Tell, the new izakaya place at Davie and Denman whose name slips my mind (chalk it up to Mommy Brain), Tojo's (ducks and hides), Feenie's (Lumiere, yes, but not yet Feenie's), and La Regalade.  So much food, so little time.

Only in August did I have my first meal at West.  Dear God.  By far, one of the best meals I've had in Vancouver if not top of the list.  Arne, run, don't walk there.  Chef Hawksworth's [Passionfruit] Souffle [with white chocolate creme anglaise] is a dessert bordering on the sublime.

And for those of you who haven't yet had the pleasure of dining at The Pear Tree, don't hesitate to make that trip out to Burnaby.  The cozy venue and Scott Jaeger's cooking are perfect on a cold and rainy fall evening.

Edited because I really wanna try Gord Martin's fish and chips.

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Okay. Six months later, and here's what I've knocked off my list:

Chambar

Shiru-Bay

Go Fish

It doesn't seem like much; however, here are the other new restaurants I've tried that weren't originally listed:

Ch'i

Relish

Pair Bistro

Vera's Burger Shack

Bravo Bistro Amuse Bouche

Cassis

Prata Man

One Restaurant Lounge (does alcohol consumption count?!)

Long's Noodle House

Chutney Villa

Jang Mo Jib

Rangoli

Was fully intending to have lunch at Velvet on Tuesday, but it was closed despite times posted on their website and their front door to the contrary.

I'd definitely dine at all these establishments again, with some hesitation about Shiru-Bay because I do like Hapa Izakaya, Umami and the Guus so much more.

Yet, despite all the restaurants I've already crossed off, there are more that must be added:

Saveur

Lift

Black Tuna

Henry's Kitchen

Beach Side Cafe now that Ray Fung is at the helm

Aurora Bistro

Don't even get me started about Vancouver Island...

Edited to fix a case of Mommy brain.

Edited April 21, 2005 by Mooshmouse (log)

[Badiane]

Brava is a beautiful looking space, and the gentlemen from Delilah's are fine hosts. It's in a terrible area, and the parking is minimal, which is annoying, but workable. The menu, when we were there, was unimaginative, and it is quite overpriced. Unfortunately, our server was not knowledgeable about the menu or the wine. It's kind of become a bit of a hang out for the 20 something martini crowd, as far as we could tell, and while the food was ok, it wasn't worth a repeat visit, especially in view of the fact that it is sitting next to an excellent Thai place that serves better food for a quarter of the price. I am over the whole 'food is art' thing, and don't really go for the overpresented style that seems prevalent. Generally the restaurants are mediocre to horrifying, with the exception of Cookies Grill, which is a mom and pop diner where the breakfast is wonderful, and the thai place we frequent. I am going to get the paper on the way home and read that review.

The grocery stores are not very good. There is little fresh fish to be had, and even fewer specialty ingredients. Wine selection is starting to expand, but there is still a huge Baby Duck display in the centre of the liquor store. It's disheartening, especially with Vancouver so close.

I am a pretty good forager, and have located an organic pork and lamb farmer in Yarrow, as well as a good source of organic but not certified chicken. We have a duck and goose farm, which has a pretty good product but would love to see them expand to confit and pate and things. There is one artisnal break maker struggling to keep her head above water and a fabulous cheesemaker in Agassiz/Harrison. Summer is a bounty of fresh produce, so I always look forward to that time of year.

Our house probably has the best food in town :-) I was a chef and my husband was a confectioner and baker, so we are pretty well covered. I make virtually everything we eat, we don't use processed food very often except canned tomatoes and beans (and the occasional box of KD). This weekend is my free for all stock up at Granville Island and other shops I like there. Thank god for the freezer! We also do all our own chutneys, jams and pickles, so that helps.

On the menu for tonight is manchego with house made quince paste for an starters, and then on to a beef ragout over polenta, a simple salad and flourless apple cake with homemade cinnamon ice cream for dessert! Wanna come over?

And you are one up on me...I have no idea who 50 foot Fred is!!!!

[Mooshmouse]

On the menu for tonight is manchego with house made quince paste for an starters, and then on to a beef ragout over polenta, a simple salad and flourless apple cake with homemade cinnamon ice cream for dessert!  Wanna come over?

←

Badiane, thanks for posting your comments on Brava. I was curious about after reading the writeup in the Queue section of today's Vancouver Sun.

Oh yeah... that'll be three for dinner tonight please. Let me know what time you'll be plating.

[Badiane]

[Oh yeah... that'll be three for dinner tonight please.  Let me know what time you'll be plating. 

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'bout 5:30...:-)

And now that I know what you look like, we will be watching for you and your dessert eating compadres as we eat our way around Vancouver on Saturday! I think the most interesting part of our day is going to be playing 'spot the eGulleter'.

[canucklehead]

And you are one up on me...I have no idea who 50 foot Fred is!!!!

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That's Flinstone, Fred Flinstone... am I that old that I am the only one old enough to remember the Flinstone's theme park?

Also - if you want to play spot the egullteer - just head to Hamilton Street Grill. It's like shooting fish in a barrel.

Edited April 21, 2005 by canucklehead (log)

[Badiane]

Sadly no, you aren't the only one who remembers, says she who will be 40 on Monday :-)

Giant Fred is no more...it's now Dinoworld or some such. We are childless, so we don't have to subject ourselves to those sorts of attractions and I had quite forgotten about it. I do have some memories of rowing a boat around a pond.

HSG will have to wait for another time...it's the Bon Ton for a cake, Go Fish for lunch and maybe Henry's Kitchen for dinner unless I snack too much at GI. Although I have to say the idea of Phnom Phen is incredibly alluring right now.

[Mooshmouse]

That's Flinstone, Fred Flinstone...  am I that old that I am the only one old enough to remember the Flinstone's theme park? 

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Here's my piece of non-food-related 70s trivia. I was in a commercial for the Flintstones theme park... they must have been filming during my one and only visit at the start of a two-week camping trip. Imagine my surprise when I came back from vacation to see myself on TV. There went my 15 seconds of fame!

Edited to fix some pesky punctuation.

Edited April 21, 2005 by Mooshmouse (log)

[BCinBC]

Badiane, be aware that Henry's Kitchen might not be just a walk-up kind of place, especially on a Saturday!

Moosh, were you sliding down that bronto's tail or running along to make that stone-wheeled car go? Or just the "yabba-dabba-doo" voice-over??

[Badiane]

Badiane, be aware that Henry's Kitchen might not be just a walk-up kind of place, especially on a Saturday!

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We have a reservation already, but I am going to cancel it at 3 if we aren't going to be in a dinner mood, but thanks for the heads up!

[Mooshmouse]

Moosh, were you sliding down that bronto's tail or running along to make that stone-wheeled car go? Or just the "yabba-dabba-doo" voice-over??

←

Nope. Just front-and-centre face time with Fred Flintstone together with a gigantic clot of kids.

[peppyre]

Scary....I remember that commercial! The 50 Foot Fred was always my Granpa's favorite stop whenever we went camping on the Vedder. By about 1980 or 81, I was so sick of it, I told him i didn't want to go anymore. Bit of nostalgia here, but I remember catching fish in the Vedder (Salmon, I think, this is going back over 20 yearsjavascript:add_smilie(%22:shock:%22)) and I remember the taste of it vividly, whatever it was. I don't the fishing on the Vedder is the same as it once was.

Badiane, can you tell us a bit more about the local artisans and farmers that you get some of your supplies from? I would love to know if they would sell to some of us city folk. Chilliwack is really only an hour away.

[Daddy-A]

Badiane, can you tell us a bit more about the local artisans and farmers that you get some of your supplies from?  I would love to know if they would sell to some of us city folk.  Chilliwack is really only an hour away.

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Awesome idea for a new thread

A.

[peppyre]

Fine!

[appreciator]

This is a cool thread but I can't believe how long my list is and I'm sure I've missed out on some great places that I just can't think of right now. I'm going to have to get busy.

Maybe I should tackle them in alpha or reverse alpha order

Accent's (Contemporary European Cuisine) {heh, I'm curious}

All India Sweets & Restaurant

Amacord

Aurora Bistro

Ba Guo Bu Yi Szechuan

Baru

Blue Water Cafe

Bravo Bistro

Brix

C

Cafe Artigiano

Cafe D'Lite

Cassis

Chambar (soon to be ticked off the list)

Ch'i

Cioppino

Circolo

Coco Pazzo

Cru

Diva

Elysian Room

Epic

Felicia's

Go Fish

Gotham

Gramercy Grill (I believe someone from Herald Street Cafe runs this place)

Hapa Izakaya

Henry's Kitchen

Hermitage

Horizon's (the view's gotta be worth something)

House of Selassie

Il Nido

Japone

Kirin (I'm hoping that the dim sum here will finally convert me)

Le Gavroche

Lift

Liliget Feast House

Living Room (now that it's changed hands)

Long's Noodle House

Lunch Box Soup

Maurya

Modern Club

Montri's

Nemoto Cafe

Nickie's & Lola's

Ocean 6 Seventeen

Octopus's Garden

Okada

Pair Bistro

Parkside

Phat's

Phnom Phen

Raincity Grill

Random

Rangoli

Relish

Rodney's

Sausi's

Saveur

Savoury Coast

Shiru Bay

Spice Islands Indonesian Restaurant

Tamarind (crossing this off in early May)

The Ordinary Cafe

The Pear Tree

The Reef

Tojo's

Totoyo

Umami

Velvet Cafe

Vintropolis

West

Wild Rice

William Tell

Yuji's (only had take out and I don't think that did the place justice)

And I didn't even include places in North/West Vancouver, Whistler, the Fraser Valley or Vancouver Island. We are very lucky to have such fantastic places to choose from, no wonder it can make for such a long list!

edited to add: Raincity Grill (how could I forget?!), Felicia's 'cuz it sounds like a cool neighbourhood type place, and to fix the name of Ocean 6 Seventeen (ty Tarteausucre

Edited April 22, 2005 by appreciator (log)

[*Deborah*]

Wow, Sarah! Thanks for making up so much of my list!! (I kinda didn't know where to start...and the ones I took off are about half and half I've eaten there/I don't particularly want to eat there)

Aurora Bistro

Ba Guo Bu Yi Szechuan

Baru

Beach Side Cafe

C

Cafe Artigiano

Cassis

Chambar (soon to be ticked off the list)

Coast

Le Crocodile

Cru

Dockside

Elysian Room

En

Felicia's

Fiction

Le Gavroche

Go Fish

Gotham

Guu

Hapa Izakaya

Henry's Kitchen

Hermitage

Japone

Liliget Feast House

Living Room (now that it's changed hands)

Long's Noodle House

Lucy Mae Brown

Maurya

Modern Club

Octopus's Garden

Okada

Pair Bistro

Phnom Phen

Random

Rangoli

La Regalade

Salade de Fruits

Saveur

Savoury Coast

Shiro Sushi but I think I'm giong Saturday

The Ordinary Cafe

The Pear Tree

Tojo's

Vij's

Vintropolis

Yuji's

[appreciator]

Wow, Sarah! Thanks for making up so much of my list!! (I kinda didn't know where to start...and the ones I took off are about half and half I've eaten there/I don't particularly want to eat there)

You're most welcome! It took me quite a while to come up with that list and I see that I missed a place I've never heard of Felicia's! Where might this place be and what have you heard about it? Nosy parkers want to know

Shiro Sushi but I think I'm going Saturday :smile

By chance is this the sushi lunch you are planning to have at Shiro? If so, you may want to check to see that they're open for lunch on Saturday because I have a sneaking suspicion that they aren't. If you're going for dinner just never mind me. I'm sure you will love it there as those of us Shiro fans will attest!

[tarteausucre]

Unfortunately, I just have to look at my latest VISA statement to realize that I've been studiously devoting myself to shortening my list!

Restaurants high on my "must dine here within the next six months" list:

Pair Bistro

Lift

Il Giardino

Raincity Grill

C

Lumiere

West

Bis Moreno

Le Crocodile

L'Emotion

Hermitage

Elixir

Villa del Lupo

Bishop's

Aurora Bistro

Blue Water Cafe

Ch'i

Umami

Velvet Cafe

Yuji's

Henry's Kitchen

Zanzibar

Restaurants on my "need to visit these restaurants..." list:

Picnic

En

The Quay

Baru

Brix

Elysian Room

Epic

Gramercy Grill

Horizon's

House of Selassie

Il Nido

Japone

Long's Noodle House

Modern Club

Montri's

Nickie's & Lola's

Ocean 6 Seventeen

Phnom Phen

Random

Rangoli

Relish

Saveur

The Ordinary Cafe

The Pear Tree

Lilykate

So far this year I've knocked off the following restaurants. Lest I scare myself with my over indulgence, I won't add the ones that I've knocked off my "I've been meaning to return to" list or my "I've been here far too many times" list:

Cassis

Parkside

Tojo's

Gotham Steakhouse

Hamilton Street Grill

Amarcord

Savoury Coast

Pastis

Hapa Izakaya

Shiru-Bay Chopstick Cafe

La Regalade

Banana Leaf

Coco Pazzo

One Lounge

Stone Grill

Phat's

Kaplan's

Kolachy Shop

This weekend, off to Fiction and Henry's Kitchen! The length of my list is making me think that I haven't been quite as devoted as I should have been!!

[tarteausucre]

Forget to add my two fabulous dining experiences at Adesso Bistro!

[*Deborah*]

Wow, Sarah! Thanks for making up so much of my list!! (I kinda didn't know where to start...and the ones I took off are about half and half I've eaten there/I don't particularly want to eat there)

You're most welcome! It took me quite a while to come up with that list and I see that I missed a place I've never heard of Felicia's! Where might this place be and what have you heard about it? Nosy parkers want to know

Shiro Sushi but I think I'm going Saturday :smile

By chance is this the sushi lunch you are planning to have at Shiro? If so, you may want to check to see that they're open for lunch on Saturday because I have a sneaking suspicion that they aren't. If you're going for dinner just never mind me. I'm sure you will love it there as those of us Shiro fans will attest!

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Ah, good point about the lunch...I will check!

Felicia's is a little joint down the street (to the west, opposite side of the street) from Da Francesco, on Hastings...it is in the Punk Rock Boy™'s neighbourhood, and he said that all of the food geeks will be happy to know about it...apparently the service is more...character than 4-star, but the food really good. I haven't tried it yet, but I think that will be our next stop in his neighbourhood.