eG Foodblog: Daddy-A - Adventures in Lotus Land

[Ling]

What a cute picture of Tricia and her mom! (And Tricia, your mom looks soooooo young! )

And what a cute picture of J eating the waffles and the dogs looking on....

I can't wait for the pictures of the finished bbq'ed meat!

[bleudauvergne]

Good Lord, Daddy-A, that tapas looks simply amazing. Is this something they serve regularly to order in this restaurant? If I had a place like that near where I live it would become my hang-out. We had tapas a few weekends ago. There are a bunch of places in Grenoble that feature it. but under no circumstances did it have such wonderful combinations. Hmm, maybe we should go to Vancouver for vacation.

[peppyre]

What a cute picture of Tricia and her mom! (And Tricia, your mom looks soooooo young!    )

And what a cute picture of J eating the waffles and the dogs looking on....

I can't wait for the pictures of the finished bbq'ed meat!

←

When I saw Arne at the end of the night (for everyone else out there, that was after the 2 of us had been working well over 12 hours. My mom was on day 2 of that) I had to get him to take a picture of her face painting. It was so cute!! Thanks Arne. Scary thing, her husband didn't even notice. Yes Lorna, she is young.

Now, about that butt. I was hoping to log on here when I got home and start drooling over the finished product, but...where's the butt? How did it turn out? In the end, how long was the smoking process? Did it fall apart? How did the brisket turn out?

Oh yeah, how was the game?

[Daddy-A]

Now, about that butt.  I was hoping to log on here when I got home and start drooling over the finished product, but...where's the butt?  How did it turn out?  In the end, how long was the smoking process?  Did it fall apart?  How did the brisket turn out? 

Oh yeah, how was the game?

peppyre impatient for "the butt" ... nothing wierd there!

Ohhhhhhhhh .... the good ol' hockey game, it's the best game you can name,

And the best game you can name, is the good ol' hockey game ...

Good evening hockey fans from the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver, BC for tonight's contest between the Kelowna Rockets and the Vancouver Giants!

Tonight's score: Vancouver 5 - Kelowna 1!

I wish I could tell you the Coliseum has the best food ever, but alas, it would be a horrible horrible lie. While a beautiful pork but smoke away at home, this was dinner:

Nachos Deluxe (I'd hate to see the "regular" nachos! ), Hoty Dog, and a Jumbo Pretzel WITH Salt (heart disease be damned!). Of course it was all made better by a visit to the happiest guy in the building:

Just to make everyone outside Vancouver feel better, it was cold and pouring rain last night! A more typical Vancouver spring-time weather. Unfortunately, this made things back at the smoker a little "cooler".

By the time we got back home, the butt had been in the smoker for 8 hours. Inside temperature however was only 200F (needed to be around 250) due to the wet and cold. Internal meat temperature was only 158F (shooting for 195-200). It's late, I'm cold and jonesing for pulled pork. So I cheat ...

... and wrap the butt in tinfoil and pop it in the convection oven. In the meantime, we can check out the pastrami:

Smoke flavour is awesome. Nice and juicey. Yet, I think it too suffered from the lowered smoker temperature as it's not as tender as other pastrami's I've had. Perhaps after popping it in the steamer? Hopefully the experts can fill me in.

By now, the whole house smells of smoked meat. The dogs are going crazy! After 45 minutes in a 350F oven, we reached 197F internal butt temperature!!! Without further ado, I offer you ... Pork Food Porn

Smoke ring! I got my first smoke ring!! This stuff is amazing! Some parts are more pull-able than others, but all-in-all it's not a bad first effort. The great thing is, I have another butt to practice with in a few weeks ... when the weather warms up! After a few minutes of pulling, this is the result:

Guess what I'm having for breakfast??? By this point it was midnight. I needed sleep! Back with breakfast in a few.

A.

[Daddy-A]

Okay everyone, say it along with me ...

All Hail the Altar of Java

I had an 8am on-line meeting this morning, so this is what breakfast looked like for me:

The obligatory coffee and a chocolate-coconut-oatmeal cookie from the pile that Ling gave me on Friday. I have the nicest friends!

After the meeting, I got down to some serious breakfast making. After all, I have a container full of pull-ed pork to use! The dogs fo course, were impatiently waiting their breakfast:

Umm, Dad? You know there's meat up there, right?

While boiling the water for my poached eggs, I put the steamer on top of the pot to steam the pork. I'm wondering, is there a better way to reheat pulled pork? Yes, I know, there shouldn't be any leftovers but on the off chance there are, how would one reheat it? I found the steaming worked well, but made it a little damp which affected the flavour a little. Using the MW would inevitably create toucgh pork. Any other ideas?

Poached Eggs with Pulled Pork on Light Rye Toast. That's a little hot sauce there on the eggs. Further to the "Food on Keyboard" thread ... anybody know how to get pork fat off their mouse?

Of course, I still have 3/4 of a tub of pork to use. Friday was my dad's 61st birthday, so ...

... he got a share. After all, he was keeping an eye on the smoker while "J" and I were at the hockey game.

"J" just got back from her run, so she's going to warm up, then we're going to attempt to brave the elements and visit a couple more foodie areas in town. Tonight, a number of eGulleters and their SO's will be gathering for what promises to be a deliscious evening of Italian food and wine.

Then, I'll be fasting for a month!

A.

[Abra]

Hey, no problemo with heating pulled pork in the micro - I do it all the time. Be sure your pork is covered, and vented, and heat it at 70% power. The time will vary with the size of the serving being heated - probably about 3-4 minutes for one serving, 5-6 minutes for two servings, and like that. It definitely won't be tough or dry if you do it that way.

I have the same problem with my smoker that you do - cool, damp weather affects its performance negatively, and since I live just a few splashes away from you, I see that it's a regional problem. I'm solving it by getting a new smoker, since moving to a new climate is right out!

[Mooshmouse]

After a few minutes of pulling, this is the result:

Guess what I'm having for breakfast???

←

Now that, Arne, is the breakfast of champions! Damn fine looking inaugural batch of pulled pork!

Thought I'd add a link to photos of Lorna's and my waffles from Friday's Patisserie LeBeau excursion. Happy fooding this afternoon... but save lots of room for tonight's Ligurian extravaganza! After this week of eating, looks like you and Ian will be going on one looooong Monday ride.

[andiesenji]

I reheat cooked meats of all kinds in the microwave.

I use a shallow Corning baking dish with glass lid. I prop the lid up just a bit with a bamboo skewer.

[Mooshmouse]

a Jumbo Pretzel WITH Salt (heart disease be damned!).

←

Almost forgot. The pretzels are one of the few things that I miss about the Coliseum. Good on ya' for getting one with loads of salt on it!

[chromedome]

Hey, Daddy-A, how are you finding that tile backsplash? I've lived in places that had them, and frankly it's become something of a pet peeve. I've always found them a rat bastard to keep clean and sanitary.

Beautiful workspace, though. You should see what I gotta work with in my post-war rental (50 yrs old +)!

[Daddy-A]

Good Lord, Daddy-A, that tapas looks simply amazing. Is this something they serve regularly to order in this restaurant? If I had a place like that near where I live it would become my hang-out. We had tapas a few weekends ago. There are a bunch of places in Grenoble that feature it. but under no circumstances did it have such wonderful combinations. Hmm, maybe we should go to Vancouver for vacation. 

Tell you what ... you come visit us, we'll come visit you. Sound fair??

I believe the tapas were special for that event. A number of our local eGulleters have been there so they may be able to answer better than I. I do know that the chef has changed sine they were there last, so perhpas your only option will be to visit yourself!

A.

[Daddy-A]

Hey, Daddy-A, how are you finding that tile backsplash?  I've lived in places that had them, and frankly it's become something of a pet peeve.  I've always found them a rat bastard to keep clean and sanitary.

Beautiful workspace, though.  You should see what I gotta work with in my post-war rental (50 yrs old +)!

←

Thanks for the compliment ... I do enjoy working in it to be sure.

I was about to tell you the tiles were "no problem", but then "J: reminded me that my cleanliness standard and hers are quite different. After almost 3 years the grout is starting to look a little dingy. It seems we'll be bleaching then sealing the grout this Spring

All in all, I like tile for the splash ... granite or Corian would be nice, but are way too pricey. Stainless steal is great for cleanliness, but shows all the spatters. Pick you poison and the just deal with it is what I'm trying to get at!

A.

[Chef Metcalf]

Oh my god! That pork looks absolutely fantastic Arne!

Food porn at it's best.

On my list of favourite meals consumed is one we had at Kypriaki Norte at Whistler.

Kike, the owner, had a smoker outside on the patio and brought us a little sampling of his salmon, which was.....to die for.

We raved about it and he told us to stick around because the pork would be ready in two hours or so.

Many glasses of wine later we were eating the most wonderful smoked pork.

Honestly one of the best things I've ever tasted.

What time should all 50 of the Vancouver egulleters come over for a sample prior to the Adessa dinner?

Really enjoyed reading your blog Arne. You've done a great job!

CM

[Daddy-A]

Writing this blog has made me realize a couple things:

1. It's a lot of work!
   
2. There are many parts of this city I completely take for granted.
   

One of those areas is the Punjabi Market in Vancouver:

Growing up in the Lower Mainland, most of us have had at least a couple school-mates or friends who are Punjabi, Pakistani or Indian. Personally, I can think of more than just a few. Yet it wasn't until I was in my late 20's that I started to explore that culture. Today, I'm no expert, but I know enough that I love the food!

The Punjabi Market is predominantly a clothing district. Indian wedding boutiques are everywhere as are jewelry stores, each filled with excited wives and daughters, and bored-stiff husbands and sons The #1 reason I come here ... samosas from The Himaya

These little bundles of deep-fried goodness are $1 for two! There are a couple places around that sell them at 4 for $1, but I'm not too sure about them. So $1 later, "J" and I had a mid-day snack:

The Himalaya also features a wonderful assortment of sweets:

I come for the colours alone! We picked up 6 different sweets to have with coffee later on. Total bill for the sweets and 6 samosas was a whopping $6.50!! I wish I had known about this place when I was a student!

Also scattered amongst the clothing shops are several grocery stores, filling all the various spice and veggie needs for any Indian meal:

Dahl, dahl and more dahl ...

I was looking for some pepper, but couldn't find any This aisle is about 40 feet long, and it has spices on both sides.

Veggies from another planet. I used to find these markets a bit intimidating, but have come to learn that most of the owners are more than happy to help you out. Just keep an open mind and ask "what's this?", and "how is it prepared?" and you'll find all sorts of wonderful suprises.

After the punjabi market, "J" and I took off to Commercial Drive ... a more "European"/Bohemian neighbourhood in Vancouver. I'll get pictures up soon. Time to get ready for dinner at Adesso! Can't wait!

A.

Edited March 21, 2005 by Daddy-A (log)

[mizducky]

The Himalaya also features a wonderful assortment of sweets:

[Delectable images omitted to conserve bandwidth]

←

Thank you! Just as drool-inspiring as I remembered!

(Dang, now I'm jonesing for some Indian sweets... )

[percyn]

Thank you! Just as drool-inspiring as I remembered!

(Dang, now I'm jonesing for some Indian sweets... )

←

MizDucky, you can get your Indian sweets fix on this thread.

[Jensen]

About the hockey game - this is WHL (Western Hockey League) action between the Vancouver Giants and last year's Memorial Cup (Junior Hockey Championships) winners, The Kelowna Rockets.  Yes, food will be consumed just to keep this on topic.  But since the NHL has cancelled its season, well, life has been pretty bleak.  I'm pretty excited about tonight.

←

Oh, the hell with all the food .... there's HOCKEY!

Remember when it was the New Westminster Bruins (which became the Tri-City Americans) and the Portland Winter Hawks and the Victoria Cougars (not the PG Cougars!)... oh, those were the days. Oh, and the Kelowna Blazers. They were a hot team too back then.

I went to Cougars' games when I was very pregnant. I can't say it affected the Spawn but I did name my latest dog after Rogie Vachon...

Okay, to bring this back to food, the best carmelised onions in the world were sold at the Cougars' games in Memorial Arena...

[rjwong]

About the hockey game - this is WHL (Western Hockey League) action between the Vancouver Giants and last year's Memorial Cup (Junior Hockey Championships) winners, The Kelowna Rockets.  Yes, food will be consumed just to keep this on topic.  But since the NHL has cancelled its season, well, life has been pretty bleak.  I'm pretty excited about tonight.

←

Oh, the hell with all the food .... there's HOCKEY!

Remember when it was the New Westminster Bruins (which became the Tri-City Americans) and the Portland Winter Hawks and the Victoria Cougars (not the PG Cougars!)... oh, those were the days. Oh, and the Kelowna Blazers. They were a hot team too back then.

I went to Cougars' games when I was very pregnant. I can't say it affected the Spawn but I did name my latest dog after Rogie Vachon...

Okay, to bring this back to food, the best carmelised onions in the world were sold at the Cougars' games in Memorial Arena...

←

Jensen, you can get your hockey fix on this thread.

[Daddy-A]

Good morning everyonoe, and welcome to Spring! In Vancouver, there is only one way to celebrate the coming of spring:

All Hail the Altar of Java

I have a busy work day today, and there are lots of pictures to upload. I'll do my best to get to them around 7pm Vancouver time (PST). So until then, talk quietly amongst yourselves, and we'll see you tonight!

A.

[Rhea_S]

Wow on everything! Even with free rent when I get back to Vancouver, I think I may need a 2nd job for all the cheese, desserts and other wonderful food. Hamilton Street Grill need a part-time dishwasher?

Food question: How do does the rice pudding get in the waffles? Or is it a rice batter that's cooked to a soft set?

Another food question: Are the potato cones each made with a single slice of potato?

Edited March 21, 2005 by Rhea_S (log)

[Daddy-A]

Hamilton Street Grill need a part-time dishwasher?

Neil makes his staff cry ... you don't want to work for him

Food question: How do does the rice pudding get in the waffles? Or is it a rice batter that's cooked to a soft set?

I have no clue ... kinda like the Caramilk Bar mystery, no?

Another food question: Are the potato cones each made with a single slice of potato?

Yes. On thin slice rolled into a cone and then deep fried. I'm trying to figure out how to make them myself ...

A.

[Daddy-A]

Finally, a chance to catch up! I've had an appointment cancel on me this afternoon so I can try to get caught up before the door closes on this foodblog (has it been a week already?).

Commercial Drive is one of the most culturally and demographically diverse areas in Vancouver. Stretching for about 16 blocks between Broadway & Venables, The Drive is home to many members of Vancouver's Italian, Portugese, Brazilian, Mexican, El Salvadorian, Cuban .... communites. During World Cup (Soccer) this is the place to be!

My first experience with The Drive was back many many years ago , when I was brought to a place called Joe's Cafe by some university friends. I was there to try this amazing drink they had discovered called .... espresso. Long before *$'s had even thought of making Vanilla-Soy-Half-Caf-No-Whip-Frappucinos, The Drive was serving espresso the way it was always meant to be served ... in front of a soccer game with lots of 60 year-old Italian men pining about the "old country".

These ten coffee shops are all within a 10 block stretch. "J" and I tried a new place on The Drive:

Prado is on the corner of East 4th Avenue and Commercial Drive. Nice looking place very clean interiors. I was told however, that I wasn't allowed to take pictures ... I suppose the coffee business is ripe with espionage So I may be risking my life by posting this ... but I know you'd all do the same for me:

For our family, The Drive is also where we do a lot of our grocery shopping. The rapid transit system in Vancouver (SkyTrain) takes us right to The Drive in about 20 minutes, so it's easy for us to hop down for a quick shopping trip, followed by a coffee, or better yet, a glass of wine and a pizza!

The Santa Barbara has been on The Drive for as long as I can remember, and is one of the least expensive places for produce and deli items anywhere. The bread on the right is the Pao de Casa from Westview bakeries ... my current #1 in the Vancouver bread standings.

Incidently, those are Italian Easter candies in the last picture.

And, what is Commercial Drive if not an avenue for the protest movement in Vancouver? What protest you ask? Name your cause, they'll be protesting one day on the drive.

Today, it was the Asian Women's Peace Movement. With all the singing, it sounded a lot like a Yoko Ono convention

A.

[Daddy-A]

Did I mention that Sunday was kinda busy for "J" & I?

Before our dinner with a "few" local eGulleters, the intrepid Jamie Maw invited us over for a drink and a small sampling of some of the best food BC has to offer. Personally, I think it was killing Jamie that he hadn't made an appearance in the blog yet!

For those who have yet to "meet" Jamie, he is a local developer who stumbled into the world of food and food writing some 15 years ago. He is the resident food critic for Vancouver Magazine and is involved with the BC Chef's Table Society, and projects like Vancouver Cooks, a cookbook featuring recipes from the best chefs in BC. You can find Jamie's musings throughout eGullet, and most are worth a read or two

We started with a seletion of seafoods from Longliner on Granville Island: Indian Candy (smoked salmon), hand-peeled shrimp and dungeness crab.

I'll have to let Jamie fill in the details on the wines. I can tell you they were from Cedar Creek in the Okanagan, and they were white. Sorry, I wasn't taking notes.

An assortment of BC cheeses, including Salt Spring Island goat's cheese, Poplar Grove Blue, and an organic Chevrotina from McLennan Creek Dairy in Abbotsford.

Gone Crakers crackers from Delta, and "C" sea salt from C Restaurant here in Vancouver!

The aforementioned Vancouver Cooks and some Rainforest Crisps from Lesley Stowe.

And then, Jamie brought out the piece de resistance:

Just another lousy evening on the West Coast

Adesso Bostro and about 50 eGulleters await ...

A.

[Daddy-A]

There are two things that I appreciate about the Vancouver forum on eGullet:

1. The large number of industry professionals who participate
   
2. The willingness of all members to get together for a good meal.
   

Last night was an example of both at work.

The Adesso Bistro is a newly openned restaurant in the Kitsilano neighbourhood of Vancouver. Chef Travis Williams, Sous Chef Joseph Thomas and co-owner Luciano Loi are all active members of eGullet, and were encourage by Andrew Morrison (editor@waiterblog) to host a dinner for a group of eGullters interested in learning about some of the regional cuisines of Italy.

The evening was dubbed "Taste of Liguria" - a 5 course journey through this unfamiliar (for me at least) cuisine.

Chef's Taster:

Chestnut Soup with Extra Virgin Olive Oil (paired with Montresor Chardonay Della Luna)

Appetizer (choice of 2):

Grilled baby calarmari, spicey greens and roasted ligurian olive vinaigrette (paored with Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio)

Herbed rice tart with artichoke, leek and parmigiano-reggiano (paired with Libaio Chardonnay)

Sorbetto:

Sorbetto limone (paired with ... you're thinking we're all a bunch of lushes, aren't you?? )

Specialita Della Cass (choice of 3):

Roasted whole sea breme, black olives, sliced potato, fresh herbs, tomato and white wine (paired with Chianti Rufina Basciano)

Tagliatelle with baby red potato, chick peas, green beans & pesto alla genovese (paired with Tenuta Di Pomino Pinot Bianco)

Marjoram crusted free range chicken breast on cippoline onions, porcini mushroom & Swiss chard with herbed roasting jus (paired with Tommasi Ripasso)

Dolce (choice of 2):

Apple & raisin fritters with powdered sugar and vanilla bean gelato (paired with Moscato D'asti)

Blood orange panna cotta, blackberry sauce and basil infused creme anglaise (paired with Moscato D'asti)

Y'all full yet?

Chef Travis Williams (second on the right) and his crew ...

Andrew (editor@waiterblog) on the left, getting extra parm from Adesso co-owner, Luciano Loi.

A room full of well-fed eGulleters. The posts after the fact can be found in this thread HERE (CLICK).

So as you can see, I will most certainly need to abstain for a week or so to make up for blogging. And I'm not done yet ... one last place to visit.

A.

[Daddy-A]

I'll admitt it. I'm tired. It's Monday, and a short week so I'm really pressed for time to get things done. Fortunately I'm also efficient and was able to coordinate a client meeting in North Vancouver with a lunch meeting with another eGulleter in Deep Cove. Eric (Edible Vancouver) runs a terrific Web-base Service called strangely enough Edible Vancouver. It's essentially a concierge service for foodies coming to BC. So, now that so many of you are coming to visit you now a good place to get some help.

We met at one of my favorite coffee places, Honey Doughnuts:

This place is known for one thing ... um, it's doughnuts?? They are of the deep-fried cake variety, and are so big an round that are called "Rolly-Pollies"

Mine was a Chocolate Rolley. Doesn't everything taste better with chocolate?

Just before lunch I wandered down to the waterfront (about 1 block in Deep Cove) and took one more picture, just in case there's someone that doesn't understand what the "big deal" is about this little corner of Canada I call home.

And that's about it for Daddy-A's Foodblog. Thanks everyone for reading it, and thanks to all of you who so graciously passed on your comments. They were most sincerely appreciated.

I also want to take this opportunity to thank my wife "J" who not only put up with me during this week of snapping pictures of every freakin' thing I ate, but also encouraged me, and continues to be my best friend and dining companion. I love you!

Goodnight from Vancouver!

A.