Pan-o-Pan

[snacky_cat]

So finally, after many many months of "I've gotta go there"s, I made it to Pan-o-Pan Catering. I had read nothing but glowing reviews of the place and was eager to try out their Ikea-style appetizers (some assembly required), because, let's face it, I am l-a-z-y. Pan-o-Pan sells little appetizer foundations, like puff pastry rounds, crostini, and these awesome little cups made out of wonton wrappers or tortillas (which, as I found out, stand up nicely on their own on a plate despite being round. Fabulous!). They also sell a mouth-watering variety of things to spread on the rounds or squirt into the cups, from roasted beet and goat cheese mousse to a great stilton and port spread. Two steps to a perfect, fuss-free appy (you can add a 3rd step of a garnish if you really want to take it to the proverbial next level.)

Mr. Snacky_cat's 30th birthday was this past Friday, so we stopped by that afternoon to pick up some appetizer fixins to accompany the evening's drinks. It's a cute, bright little spot on the north side of Brodway, in the little triangle formed by Main and Kingsway. They even have parking behind the shop, which is completely endearing for me - she who never carries enough change for the meter.

Pan-o-Pan is run by husband and wife Winston and Marta - she handles the food side, he does the business side, or so says their website. They were both in that day and gave a cheery hello. Mr. Snacky_c and I immediately began gawking over absolutely everything with extreme delight, and Marta offered us "a taste". With drool verily flying off our lips, we shook our heads "yes. The "taste" ended up being a little platter with 2 each of 4 different insta-appies - different bases filled with different mousses. We tried a roasted beet and goat cheese cream on a puff pastry round first - great pink colour, and the hint of orange in the mousse went deliciously with the candied hazelnut Marta used as a garnish. Next up was wild mushroom white truffle mousse in a wonton wrapper cup. Even Mr. Cat, mushroom-hater that he is, loved it. I think the next offering was stilton and port cream in a cup, but I was so busy drooling over everything my note-taking skills faded a bit. We finsihed off with smokey tomato cream in a tortilla crisp, which Mr Cat decided needed to be purchased immediately.

We ended up leaving there with 1 bag of tortilla cups (about an inch in diameter, there were about 24 or so in the bag) for $2.50, a cone of smokey tomato cream ($7.00, the whole cone filled the whole bag of tortilla cups VERY amply), a bag of crostini ($2.50, 36 or so), and a tub of lemon hummous ($4.50 for a good deli-sized container). We also left with a desire to return as soon as possibel to eat our way through the rest of the menu, which includes such take-away goodness as osso buco, duck confit, and buffalo stew, handmade gnocchi in a rainbow of colours and flavours (butternut squash sage, purple yam and pear, wild mushroom, roasted garlic, the list goes on...), braised veal shank sauce, salad dressings in little plastic squeeze bottles, dessert sauces, homemade chocolates, flavoured oils, etc.....

I cannot put into words how awesome this place is. For $9.50, you can turn out 2 dozen delicous little appetizers in about 5 minutes. The food is amazing, the selection is great, the prices are cheap, I COULD GO ON FOR HOURS.

They're open Tuesday-Saturday, 12-6pm. If you're throwing yourself any kind of party, do yourself a favour and stop by here. Heck, do yourself a favour and stop by anyway - there really is something for everyone here.

[Paul B]

Sounds great, but where is it? I've been buying their products from a local fish store (!) and enjoying them a lot, but I'd love to go to the mother store.

[snacky_cat]

235 E. Broadway (b/w Main and Kingsway). Go! Eat! Enjoy!

I have just returned from my fridge, where I tucked into some of the leftover lemon hummous. This is the best hummous ever. I usually hate the stuff - it's way too chick pea-y - but this stuff? I could eat it forever! Or at least until Mr. Cat throws me out of the house for stinking like garlic.

[*Deborah*]

OK, this evidently will be a must-stop before cocktails...but what we really want to know is about the Mr. S-C birthday dinner! please fill us in!

[Keith Talent]

We've checked this place out are were somewhat less impressed. Most of the prepared food is stuff that can be made with such a minimum of effort, as to not be a worthwhile purchase if you have even the most minimal knife skills. Hummus? You ever make hummus? It takes longer to type hummus than it does to make it.

I don't wish anyone ill, but found the foods to be somewhat unispiring. Nice packaging though. I guess some of my dissapointment was that it was described as the ultimate prepared food resource, cheap and delicious, makes the kitchen totally extraneous. That wasn't the case.

One last complaint. It's a pet peeve to be served prepared food misrepresented as homemade. The implication that something was prepared especially for you when the reality is that it was purchased seems dishonest and an insult. Buying food and putting it on a plate kinda seems to me like saying "hey, thanks for coming over, if I'd have been able to go to less effort, I would have." It's like being served Farnese which says that the host would have served a cheaper wine if the liqour store stocked one.

Some nice kitchen/bath/furniture stores in the neighbourhood though.

[*Deborah*]

I would try not to serve Farnese, but to me all it says is "I don't have any cash right now, which has nothing to do with how much I value your company"

Likewise, semi-prepared hors d'oeuvres say "I didn't have time with my crazy schedule to cook from scratch but I value your company enough to invite you to my home"

Maybe that's just me, though.

[Badiane]

Wow Keith, remind me to think twice before I invite you to my house for drinks...

I'm with you, Deb - I'm just happy to be invited over for the company. I have a friend that routinely serves cheese flavored Natchos and lemonade she makes with RealLemon juice out of a bottle. So what. I love that woman. She has been my best friend since I was 10. We share everything, including a birthday, and I would be incredibly upset if she felt that she couldn't invite me over because she had nothing 'good enough' for me.

Pan-a-Pan sounds like fun - I have added it to the list for the next trip to the city...if for nothing more than the wonton cups, because I can never find the right kind of wontons to deep fry - they always end up big and puffy and greasy. Thanks for the tip.

And I too would like to hear about the birthday celebration

[Keith Talent]

That's complete BS and you two know it. That's the same attitude that has led to people feeling comfortable wearing flip flops and shorts on aircraft. The attitude that "it's good enough". Bull. You know what's good enough? Your best. And that's it. When I invite someone over, I provide them with hospitality that says "I enjoy your company and am willing to be inconvienced to spend time together." I'm willing to do some work. And the cult of busyness isn't going to work here, on a board we all waste valuable time on.

[peppyre]

Having been to several events catered by Pan-O-Pan, I have to say that I am not a fan. The owner Marta, is a dear dear woman, but I don't think the food is that inventive or good. As far as I'm concerned, if you're catering several events for the same group of people every few months, come up with a new menu. At 4 different events we've had exactly the same items. So, personally, I don't think it's that great.

[Badiane]

I guess you live in a different world than I do...and that's okay. I recognize that some people live in a world of plenty, where everyone has a great job and plenty of money to spend on food and the luxury of a) knowing how to cook and b) having the time to do it right every time.

But guess what? Not everyone lives in that world. My best friend works part time at Shoppers Drug Mart for 8 bucks an hour, then goes across town and cares for her 80 year old wheelchair bound mother, doing all her housework and shopping and taking her to medical appointments. She works like a donkey, and probably exists on less than you spend on wine in a month. And she does it all with a smile on her face. She had to work for 30 minutes to pay for those natchos and that lemonade and that is the best she can do with what she has. That she even has an hour a week to just sit down on the lawn chair that serves as furniture in her crap apartment that is all she can afford and eat natchos and gossip with me is a rare thing. And her friendship and company is so much more important to me than what she serves.

You really me off with this...which is fine - that's on me, not on you. Your well developed sense of entitlement probably serves you well in some arena of life, but it's not going to fly with me. I hope the next dinner party you go to is nothing but Farnese, generic hot dogs on stale buns and beans from a can.

I have to go now...my shorts are riding up and my flip-flops are chafing.

[annanstee]

In times past, it was rude at a dinner party to comment on the food favourably, as it suggested you were more interested in the food than the company- the hight of poor manners. Of course, I wouldn't think of not praising a host for their efforts now, but the point is that I am there to see him or her, not to be impressed by the food.

If all someone could manage for me was cheese in a can on crackers, I would still be pleased that they invited me into their home.

Not everyone can cook, not everyone can afford costly ingredients. Who am I to judge what their best effort was?

Most of my friends are non foodies, and I like their parties as much as

those of my more culinary minded aquaintance.

[inanimate]

Wow. I've got to say that I'm with badiane on this one. While I try to prepare my best dishes for company, I won't hold it against anyone for not doing the same for me.

Good company is what I'm there for, and just because we're drinking sodas and eating doritos isn't going to make an afternoon any less worthwhile.

[Keith Talent]

My apologies. I never want to piss anyone off, maybe consider alternate viewpoints, maybe overstate my case using hyperbole to make someone question thier opinion, but certainly hurt anyones feelings. I learned that lesson the time I made Arnie cry by calling him bald baldy bald bald bald. It was sad, a grown man, tears streaming down his red hot cheeks.

Honestly, my comments were directed at those of use lucky enough to lead comfortable middle class lives. There are plenty of people that work a hell of a lot harder than I do, for far less, something I am thankful for every day. I recognize the role luck has played in my good fortune.

Pan-O-Pan isn't marketing itself to hardworking saints however, it's directed at lazy self indulgent yuppies (present company excepted, of course.) Big difference.

[*Deborah*]

Oh, KT, we never expect hyperbole from you...

*wishing I could afford to be a self-indulgent yuppie*

*recently had people over for a cocktail party of Segura Viuda Kirs Royale, oh, the shame*

[Daddy-A]

It's like being served Farnese which says that the host would have served a cheaper wine if the liqour store stocked one.   

What if I bring out the Farnese after we've killed a couple bottles of Nota Bene? Is it okay then? Have I shown I CARED enough?

Some nice kitchen/bath/furniture stores in the neighbourhood though.

You gotta go up Cambie Street to find the nicest kitchen place in the area

My apologies. I never want to piss anyone off ... I learned that lesson the time I made Arnie cry by calling him bald baldy bald bald bald. It was sad, a grown man, tears streaming down his red hot cheeks.

Dammit Keith! I told you to never mention that incident again!!

Pan-O-Pan isn't marketing itself to hardworking saints however, it's directed at lazy self indulgent yuppies (present company excepted, of course.) Big difference.

Ah! There we are! Back on topic. Now, let's all play nice kids.

A.

[annanstee]

Hmmm. All this controversy is leading me to believe that I must head straight to Pan-o-Pan!

PS: Lots of yuppies can't cook worth a damn : )

[nwyles]

I just want to be invited to Talent's house, knowing that he pulled all the stops out, and raided the wine cellar to make sure that I was comfortable and impressed.

Not to worry Keith, I am not in fighting shape and could probably not drink more than two bottles of your finest without having to make a hasty exit. If you wait a month or two, I will work out the drinking elbow and will do serious damage to your cellar.

I was thinking about dropping by Pan - o Pan as it is in my travels. Let's see what turns up.

When I have a group of people over, I usually drop by Fujiya and get a large platter of sushi to add into whatever else we are serving. Does this make me a bad host ?

Edited May 30, 2005 by nwyles (log)

[3WholeCardamoms]

Not so fast BigDaddy...

i still want to know what's wrong with flip-flops and shorts on the plane?

3Wc

[annanstee]

From the days when flying on a plane was a special occasion worth getting dressed up for, rather than a torture session involving lengthy interrogation, attempted poisoning, forced contortion, leg emboli, and drinks in plastic cups.

[Keith Talent]

It's all about respect, whether you're putting out snacks that you actually thought about, maybe put a little effort into creating or recognizing that you're going to be in close physical proximity to strangers for the next umpteen hours and endevoured to at least make yourself presentable. It's a matter of taking just a tiny bit more effort than the bare minimum.

No one is claiming that you need to serve Y'quem and foie gras, Spanish bubbly royales sound quite nice. You tried. You could have poured a little ribena into some ginger ale, but you went to slightly more effort.

I guess in retrospect, it isn't how much a hosts efforts cost, but how much they thought about pleasing their guests that matters. Throwing down some rain forest crisps and premade humous doesn't say to me at least "I've been thinking about you".

I can't believe that I'm arguing that we show love and respect to people that are important to us through food/ drink/hospitality on this board of all places. Maybe some old time posters are right, this place has become more shallow.

[Andrew Morrison]

It's all about respect, whether you're putting out snacks that you actually thought about, maybe put a little effort into creating or recognizing that you're going to be in close physical proximity to strangers for the next umpteen hours and endevoured to at least make yourself presentable. It's a matter of taking just a tiny bit more effort than the bare minimum.

Shades of American Psycho, Keith.

At home, I am the absolute worst entertainer ever and I don't consider it a character fault or a sign of disrepect. Me and the bare minimum are big buddies.

"Uh...do you guys want some toast or something?"

Or, I make hotdog rolls: cheese whiz, weiners, white bread rolled up, sliced to scotch tape width and baked until brown. Irresistable! Beyond that I keep a healthy collection of single malts and cigarettes.

Pan ain't got nothing on me.

I've lived in both worlds, and I can say I don't give a rat's ass what's served to me at dinner parties or little get-togethers among friends.

[Keith Talent]

You should see my new business cards, they're spectacular.

[Daddy-A]

As we like to say at forum host school ....

One more time ... with feeling

We've strayed way too far off topic. This line of discussion was allowed to continue as it pertained somewhat to Pan-O-Pan ... remember Pan? The topic?

We need to bring this thread back around to dicussing Pan-O-Pan, it's food and whether or not we like it, or even it's freakishly wierd mascot (see the web page.) This other line of discussion, albeit an excellent topic, belongs in General Food Topics and not in a regional forum.

If we can't get back OT, I'll have to close this thread.

Thanks,

A.

[Genny]

Poor Snacky-Cat, You were just trying to share what you thought was a good find! I'm sure that Pan-o-Pan is a wonderful treat for those who love great looking food, neat flavors and may not have the time/skill/whatever to put it all together themselves.

Since this was for your husband, and he seemed to really like it, the thought behind it was perfection. That is the only point that matters on the subject.

Now, have you been back and tried other combos? What did you like or not like?

[Daddy-A]

The illustrious Mr. Talent has thoughtfully moved the "other" discussion over HERE. Let's here what the rest of the world has to say!

A.