I Gave Up Meat and Dessert for Canada’s Gold
The streets were eerily quiet last Sunday morning before the men’s gold medal hockey game, Canada v.s. the US. Line-ups of fans were winding around the block…
Meditations - Enlightened gastronomic insights
Is it wrong to want to steal another mans sausage?
I pride myself that I have never stolen anything in my whole life. But every morning as I walk my daughter to daycare I pass a house and see sausages just hanging outside…
Where’s Perry?
I first heard of Perry while watching a great little show from the UK called ‘Oz and James Drink to Britain‘ where they try to find the one true drink that…
The Lemon Meringue Tart From Hell
French lemon tart is, naturally, more complicated than your average lemon tart. It’s a four-component dessert: sweet dough, almond cream, lemon custard, Italian…
Beets’n'Blue
I was walking by beautiful bunches of organic young golden beets when a stark realization hit me that I’d never cooked beets. Ashamed of myself, being a foodist and all,…
Used Cookbook Haul
Yesterday I wandered the rainy streets of Kits sipping my first taste of Thomas Haas chocolate and ended up at the Salvation Army. I always look for used cookbooks that…
Dave’s Vancouver Beer Guide 2010
It started innocently enough. “Who owns Okanagan Spring Brewing?” asked my wife one evening last week. “Sleeman, I think.”
But then I…
Ready, Set…Drink
Not too long ago we received an unsolicited copy of the book Drinking Vancouver, 100 Great Bars in the City and Beyond by travel writer John Lee. As far as credentials go,…
Home is where the food is
I can’t count the times I’ve heard Mark say, “There’s something about being creative and loving food that goes hand-in-hand.” On top of that,…
Eating Provenance- My family’s “weird diet”
Some of you know that my 2010 resolution is to not eat or drink anything of which I don’t know the origins. It is a ton of research. It seems impossible to eat at a…
Guidance - Recipes & tips that will convert you
Bringing New Orleans Home: Crawfish Etouffee
New Orleans is a special place for more reasons to count, but its gastronomy certainly ranks pretty high up there (followed closely, perhaps, by its open-container outside…
Olympic Eating (& Drinking)
There are a lot of people in town celebrating national pride and a large part of that is culinary. “Houses” (more like tents in most cases) have sprung up all…
Project Palate: Veganism
I’m not entirely sure how I slid into it so swiftly, but going vegan was a decision that solidified itself with little disturbance despite the sudden shift in my system.…
Robbie Burns Day: the Haggis
What’s Robbie Burns day without haggis? If you can’t have haggis, you at least need whisky. I’m a traditionalist, so I like to do both if I can and I…
Robbie Burns Day: the Whisky
When I was young, Robbie Burns Day meant highland dancing in some sort of festival, but now that I know better, it has come to mean whisky. Robbie Burns day is the closest…
After Dinner Coffee Dessert
There’s something amazing about the yin yang nature of Vietnamese coffee – hot coffee and cold condensed milk, dark and light, bitter and sweet. The Chocolate…
Mussel Chowder with Parsnips and Tarragon
Mussel Chowder with Parsnips and Tarragon
1 Large Leek, diced
1 Small fennel bulb, finely diced
1 Shallot, minced
4 Parsnips, peeled and diced
Spiced blueberry and orange olive oil muffins
It is Sunday morning, one of those rare, sunny January days where brunch plans have been cancelled last minute and I haven’t made it out to do my grocery shopping. A…
My grandmother’s Yorkshire Pudding
We had a nice little dinner of Braised Venison with Pureed Squash and Cranberry-Red Wine Jus. A request for Yorkshire Pudding from Sarah reminded me I had just found my…
Dear Gruyere – I think I love you
Tonight I had a wonderful date with a block of Gruyere. It was romantic yet rustic, gourmet yet approachable, subtle yet incredibly sexy.
I had forgotten that I…
Worship - Feasting at the temples of others
Food, Camera, Action! Olympic Eats on Video
The bustling energy that the 2010 Winter Olympics brought to Vancouver was amazing but I’m relieved to reclaim our city back from the visitors. During the games, I…
The French Laundry
Costco is not something that one would normally think of as being associated with The French Laundry but it was there that I had my first encounter with the famous…
Crawdads and the South: a foodist in Mississippi.
I don’t think I’ve been called “child” since I as twelve. Add the word “precious” to “child” and that is how this little Canadian was referred to…
Oru Restaurant: pan-Asian perfection
Amidst all of the Winter Olympic frenzy, another piece of culinary artistry has risen in Vancouver—specifically at the Fairmont Pacific Rim. The vibrant Oru Restaurant…
Dougie Dog Street Meat
There’s a new dog in town, just in time for the Olympics. For the roving hordes on Granville Street who don’t want slices of pizza, there’s now Dougie…
Poppy Hill Cabernet Sauvignon 2005
Without diving too deeply into the political dramatics of the wine industry in British Columbia, our wines are savagely subjected to a 126% tax. This makes it difficult…
Tacos Guaymas – Another Roadside Attraction
I’m not really a fan of junk food – or “road food” as Tom Robbins calls it in Another Roadside Attraction – which makes heading out on a road trip somewhat less…
Designer Eating in Vancouver
Travel is often defined by memories of food. Perhaps it’s the multi-sensory aspect of the experience, but it’s often the meals and snacks we try when on an…
Simply French
The marquee at 3742 West 10th Avenue says it all – “Simply French”. The classic yet down-to-earth feel of Vancouver’s newest European inspired café offers…
Discoveries and Destruction in East Van
Last week was filled with food experiences for me. Some good, some rather horrible. I will briefly describe two for you.
Discovery
A few weeks ago, food writer…