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eG Foodblog: Daddy-A - Adventures in Lotus Land


Daddy-A

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Looking forward to your blog, Daddy-A. I haven't been to Vancouver for about 5 years now, unfortunately as it is a great place to visit. I'm sure your blog will be great, I confess to popping over to read the Vancouver forum frequently just to see what's going on. Thanks for taking on the challenge.

Barbara Laidlaw aka "Jake"

Good friends help you move, real friends help you move bodies.

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My goodness, Arne has been blogging for the entire day and has yet to mention anything about beer.  And he calls himself a Canadian??  :wink:  :wacko:

I bet he's been drinking it though. You know, most Canadians would rather do something rather than talk about it. :raz:

(And on that note, I think I'll have a beer!)

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My goodness, Arne has been blogging for the entire day and has yet to mention anything about beer.  And he calls himself a Canadian??  :wink:  :wacko:
Well .... I haven't posted pictures yet (this damn job thing keeps interfering) but I did manage to drop by the Granville Island Brewery this morning to pick up a couple of their proto-brews ... a little something for St. Patty's Day :hmmm:
I haven't been to Vancouver for about 5 years now, unfortunately as it is a great place to visit.  I'm sure your blog will be great, I confess to popping over to read the Vancouver forum frequently just to see what's going on.
I'm really looking forward to this, Daddy-A. Try not to make me too homesick, eh...
You know, you guys can always come for a visit. We have a spare room ...

Teasers for tonight (when I can post my pictures ...):

  • The first in a series of Vancouver coffee houses
  • Granville Island and viscious seagulls
  • What's up with Kolachies?

A.

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So looking forward to this West Coast blog, even tho' those %*&^$ photos of blooms are driving me crazy! :angry: We had a blizzard this morning...

Hope you will hit at least one "great Chinese food place" on your food ventures, Daddy-A.

Of course I want to see your kitchen more than anything!

Dejah

www.hillmanweb.com

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I'm looking forward to your blog! I've only been to Vancouver once but what trip it was! We stayed in Kitsilano close to the beach and it was just lovely.

If only Jack Nicholson could have narrated my dinner, it would have been perfect.

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Hope you will hit at least one "great Chinese food place" on your food ventures, Daddy-A.

There used to be a place on Austin in Coquitlam called Lucky Gate. It was different from other "great Chinese food places" in that they had northern Chinese (Shanghai) food.

They made their own "cutting noodles" and "dragging noodles" right on site (and you could watch the chef make them!). The Spouse had a chat with the owner one night and offered to come in and wash dishes if they'd show him how to make the noodles. She was amenable but, unfortunately, we ended up moving to California shortly thereafter.

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So looking forward to this West Coast blog, even tho' those %*&^$ photos of blooms are driving me crazy! :angry:  We had a blizzard this morning...
Sorry, I'm a bit of a stinker that way :raz: If it helps, it's supposed to rain tomorrow.
Hope you will hit at least one "great Chinese food place" on your food ventures, Daddy-A.
There used to be a place on Austin in Coquitlam called Lucky Gate. It was different from other "great Chinese food places" in that they had northern Chinese (Shanghai) food.

We've been talking about that quite a bit lately in the Vancouver forum. I hate to admit it, but my knowledge of Chinese cuisines is really poor. Since joining eG I've been trying to educate myself ... but then I hear of regional differences and my head explodes! :laugh:

I will try and do something Chinese this week, but there are a couple big events in the itinerary ... maybe I'll need to enlist some help :hmmm:

Kitchen pics coming soon.

A.

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So, when we last left our intrepid blogger, he had just finished walking the hounds and was off in search of coffee. As Vancouver is quite close to the caffeine-meca, it's not tough to find. Finding good coffee is another issue.

I drink a lot of coffee. Often in excess of 4 shots of espresso a day, in addition to the swill at the office. This week, I'm going to visit as many of my faves as possible. Today, it's the brand new location of JJ Bean.

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I like these guys a lot. Just look where the opened the new store! Takin' on the Green Machine! They're locally owned, beans are roasted in town ... and the new store is really "hip" inside:

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Quarter sawn white-oak paneling with glass mosaic tile for the bar fronts, and black slate for the floors.

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Yep, that's a 3-sided fireplace with cedar siding. Sorry :rolleyes: designer-guy in me coming out :cool:

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My coffee this morning was a 4-shot americano with a splash of cream. No pastries. I have someplace better for that!

A.

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Okay, dogs are walked, dinner dishes are done ... port is in hand :raz:

Forget what all the tourist books tell you about Granville Island. True, it's a great place to go shop and eat and watch buskers. It's all those things. But for Vancouver, it's so much more. In the Vancouver forum, we've been talking about the Culinary Tipping points for our fair city ... what were the crucial moments in our culinary history that led us to where we are today. The development of Granville Island Public Market topped many of our lists.

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Plenty of produce ... of course, not too much is local right now. More than just a few produce vendor;s here. Stuart's Bakery was one of the original vendors in the Market. Fantastic cakes!

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There are 3 seafood vendors in the market. For three summers I worked for the Mooreheads at Longliner Seafoods ... my culinary tipping point.

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Youngest son Dave packing some halibut for Thursday dinner.

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Actual sign as you leave the safe confines of the market :laugh:

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Me, tempting fate with a brownie from Terra Breads.

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One of the helpful staff at Oyama Sausage ... one of my "must-see" places. If you're looking for pate, confit, rilletes as well as charcuterie and assorted cheeses, this is the only place to make the one-stop-shop. Pancetta for tonight's dinner was my only pruchase, but not without some huge restraint on my part.

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Duso's for pasta & bocconcini ... also for dinner.

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Two more of my "must-see" places. The Stock Market, for all your stock and soup needs. I usually make my own stock, but these guys make it better. Now if they could only make it as inexpensively as I do ...

Lee's Donuts is another of the original Market vendors. Places like Lee's is why Krispy Kreme and Tim Horton's will continue to struggle in this market.

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Varmint was complaining earlier I hadn't mentioned beer yet. :raz: Unforunately, I was on the Island at about 9:30, and they don't open for tasting tours until noon.

So that, it a very brief nutshell is Granville Island Market. I haven't done it justice, but I hope I've given you a taste. In addition to the Market, you'll find The Net Loft for crafts and other assorted shopping, restaurants, and more pottery shops than one city should be able to support! When you come, plan at least a day.

For a different, local view of the Island, check out this thread. Locals sure find a lot to complain about! While I agree there are things to work out, Granville Island is still one of my favorite places anywhere.

Up next ... Kolachy!

A.

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K, has anyone else noticed that the outdoor bench at Starbucks is empty?

In fairness, it was a little chilly this morning (sorry Dejah! I suppose it's all relative)

Okay. I'm now officially homesick. Even without seeing where you went (but is Granville Island Brewery selling their hefeweizen yet? Wait. Don't tell me. I don't want to know!)...

Not yet Jen ... just the Scottish Ale & Killarney Stout in the proto-taps. The IPA and the Nut Brown are next, and then the Robson Street Hefeweizen comes in the summer. Check out their website here.

A.

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A while back, our own Chef Fowke released upon us a baked item that would consume our lunch times like no other. The whole sorted tale is here. Since then, The Kolachy Shop has become one of the Vancouver eGulleter's favorite lunch time meeting places.

A Kolachy, for the un-initiated, is a bun of sweet dough, filled with various and assorted things. They're suitable for breakfast, lunch and dessert ... and many of us have attempted all three in one day :wacko:

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Left: Brother Keith dishing out the Mushroom-Pecan soup for my lunch.

Right: Brother Jason filling Chicken Club Kolachies.

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Keith and eGulleter Mooshmouse

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Dessert Kolachy with Apricot. The Lunch Special Kolachy today was Lamb.

Deliscious and inexpensive.

After lunch, I was off to work ... then home for DINNER!

Stay tuned ...

A.

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A long day today. Here's the net result from today's excusion to Granville Island:

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On the right are the beers from the GI Brewery. Saving those for St. Patty's Day ... yes I know the Scottish Ale is sacrelidge. Deal with it! :raz:

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MEEEEEZ!

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My CONSTANT companions in the kitchen while I cook.

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Tomato, boconcini salad with basil. Aside from the cheese, nothing was "in-season" but I was feeling a little spring-like today, and this is one of my favorite things to eat. Not bad, but in a few months it will be awesome.

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Two of my favorite things in the kitchen: on the left is a bottle of Neus olive oil from France. 100% unfiltered Arbequina olive oil :wub: On the right is the ONLY way I can use tomato paste now. Everything should come in tubes!

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Dinner is served! Fresh fettucini with tomtato/pancetta sauce. Baguette from La Baguette (sorry, no pics) and the aforementioned salad. Wine was a 2002 Tinhorn Creek Pinot Noir.

Can I go to sleep now??

Tomorrow: what Gingerbread wants to be when it grows up.

A.

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The Kolachy Shop for Monday lunch on the run with my three-year-old son.  Mmmm... warm bread.  Mmmm... meat.  Mmmm... warm bread with meat in it.  We both seem to like the Reuben best:  corned beef and sauerkraut filling

The Kolachy Shop for Monday lunch on the run with my three-year-old son.  Mmmm... warm bread.  Mmmm... meat.  Mmmm... warm bread with meat in it.  We both seem to like the Reuben best:  corned beef and sauerkraut filling.

Never speak of this place again...it is my favourite secret!!!!

Okay now Arne. Let's give credit where credit is due. Brian may have the personal connection, but I unleashed the goodness of kolachy upon our local corner of eGullet in September... he was two months late to the table. So there!

:raz::wink:

Joie Alvaro Kent

"I like rice. Rice is great if you're hungry and want 2,000 of something." ~ Mitch Hedberg

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Wonderful blog!! I wish I had the kind of markets you are picturing and others have shown in blogs. I also love to see what bloggers' cities/towns/communities look like. AND, I love your tablecloth and napkins. This is great... thanks.

Life is short; eat the cheese course first.

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Wonderful blog!!  I wish I had the kind of markets you are picturing and others have shown in blogs.  I also love to see what bloggers' cities/towns/communities look like.  AND, I love your tablecloth and napkins.  This is great... thanks.

Susan, you've just made my wife's day! She was a little nervouse about letting "the world" into our house this week :laugh:

Breakfast this morning:

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The Altar of Java ... all praise Java!

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Raisin Bran with some California strawberries I picked up at the market yesterday. Strawbs were okay ... they're still a little early so I shouldn't expect too much.

Those of you feeling a little jealous of our spring-like weather can take comfort in the fact that the typical Vancouver rains have returned today. Unfortunately it looks like they're going to stay for a while so some eating plans may have to be altered a bit.

Off to walk dogs!

A.

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Wonderful blog, Daddy-A.

I have to type rapidly or the drool will be on my keyboard.

Waiting with bated breath for the gingerbread - - - whatever its age.

And the sordid tale of the kolachy has fascinated my housekeeper. She is from Hungary and they have something similar.

We have strawberries from Oxnard - every morning a truck drops off a man with a stack of strawberry half-flats, bags of oranges, boxes of mangoes, sometimes some pineapples, at the crossroads a mile away and there he stays all day or until he sells out. Right now the half-flats are selling for 8.00 but if one buys two it is 14.00.

They are not yet at peak but aren't bad. At least they are red almost all the way through.

Edited by andiesenji (log)

"There are, it has been said, two types of people in the world. There are those who say: this glass is half full. And then there are those who say: this glass is half empty. The world belongs, however, to those who can look at the glass and say: What's up with this glass? Excuse me? Excuse me? This is my glass? I don't think so. My glass was full! And it was a bigger glass!" Terry Pratchett

 

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And the sordid tale of the kolachy has fascinated my housekeeper.  She is from Hungary and they have something similar.

Yes the sorted tale of the kolachy. We were all quite addicted there for a while. The madness has subsided a bit, but I still jones for a Reuben kolachy every now and then ...

We have strawberries from Oxnard - every morning a truck drops off a man with a stack of strawberry half-flats, bags of oranges, boxes of mangoes, sometimes some pineapples, at the crossroads a mile away and there he stays all day or until he sells out.  Right now the half-flats are selling for 8.00 but if one buys two it is 14.00. 

They are not yet at peak but aren't bad.  At least they are red almost all the way through.

Okay, now I'm jealous ... mangoes? :wub: You're right about the strawberries ... not quite there yet, but a nice treat. I paid $2.50 a pound for the ones I got at the market. Not outrageous, but about a buck apound more than they'll be in season.

Just wanted to show you this in comparison to yesterday:

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Yes, those are raincoats ... and they hate me when I make them wear them!

Back later this afternoon!

A.

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Love the raincoats!! :laugh::laugh: I wish I could get my 3 to wear them when it's wet but as there are 2 golden retrievers and 1 german sheppard they either don't make them that large, or the boys tear them off immediately so as not to look too sissy-like. Males, hmph! :rolleyes:

Barbara Laidlaw aka "Jake"

Good friends help you move, real friends help you move bodies.

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Reading these blogs is one of my guilty pleasures, but I was particularily excited to see a local one. And pictures of my second home - Granville Island! Looking forward to the rest of it....

< Linda >

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