Picnic Raving
Grabbing lunch and heading off to find a field or beach to dine en plein air is a timeless tradition, but in the middle of a city? less so, perhaps. And yet, a couple of…
Meditations - Enlightened gastronomic insights
Eden West. Fine foods and gifts
It’s been a year or so since I last visited this great store on St.Johns Street in Port Moody. After walking in I said hello to the owner who was busy working in the…
What I ate on my summer vacation
Well, here we are in mid-September. I don’t have kids, but my if my kid memory serves me right, there should be slews of essays bouncing around with variations on…
Old Or New?
Is anyone else sick of ‘new stuff’ for the kitchen? I’ve had it. Plastic, ‘ergonomic’, basically disposable junk is making me mad. …
Don’t bypass the 2009 BBQ on the Bypass
Summer should never go out with a wimper so get yourself down to Langley this Sunday for what is easily the best barbecue competition in the lower mainland. Angie Quaale…
A BBQ Tour of Duty
BBQ is a contentious issue amongst purists. A recent documentary gig took me and my GvsG cohort to North Carolina to do some filming. The first thing one should do before…
Dirty DISHrag!
Ever wonder what the chefs who’ve just created the most amazing culinary experience you’ve ever had in your life get up to once you’ve paid the cheque…
10 Reasons to kick yourself for missing VinoCamp 2009
1. It’s not just about wine. This year there was a CheeseCamp track too. Yes, real, serious, delicious conversations about cheese. 2. You’d have understood…
Green Eggs and Ham
I will not eat them with a mouse. I will not eat them in a house. I will not eat them here or there. I will not eat them anywhere. I do not eat green eggs and ham. I do…
Alibi Room on tap – August 11, 2009: The Belgians are coming!
Eight years ago, I attended Feast of Fields, an annual harvest festival that takes place in several locations across the province. In 2001, the event was held at the UBC…
Guidance - Recipes & tips that will convert you
Taking the Sting Out of Nettles and Fuss Out of Fiddleheads
As a cook I love the green that makes its way back onto my plate with the arrival of spring. But aside from expected seasonal fare like asparagus and spinach, I like to…
Bulgarian Banica: Belicious!
Recently a thoughtful friend baked me a savory treat as a thank you gift—something I’d never heard of or tried before. Called Banica (pronounced Ba*ni*tsa), it is…
Stock vs. Broth?
Recently Jer shared a terrific post about making home made stock. I’m a big fan of making stock and have even taken a few turns at making rich meat stocks and even…
Classic Beef Wellington
I tend to not pay much attention to recipes when I rip them out of magazines (or bookmark them). It’s sort of like, ooooh, that looks good. I’m going to make…
Spring is in the air
We arrived right at the opening of Vancouver’s last “Winter” Market of the season. Other than mealy apples, winter was nowhere in sight. Spring greens…
Jellyfish Hot Dogs
You heard me, that’s what I made my son for lunch today…and it was actually pretty good. The idea for it came when I saw this posting at BoingBoing.net. I…
Mosaic, Bali – Duck
Just a few weeks ago I had the pleasure of hosting a dinner for my good friends Mark and Andrea. Not only are they crazy fellow foodists but they’re also damned…
Easter Dinner
The topic of Easter dinner came up with some friends a few weeks ago; we were discussing what our family meal had been when we were kids. Some people said turkey, others…
Beef Stroganoff
Stroganoff was one of the first recipes I learned through instinct, passed onto my mother through my Uncle Mike, a Ukranian neighbor in Calgary (who was also responsible…
Three Cheese Ravioli with Mushroom Ragù
Being laid off has left me with a sense of having lots of time on my hands and even though my natural tendency to cram days full to the gills makes that unlikely,…
Worship - Feasting at the temples of others
Tasting Tequila with Don Julio
Far too many people still think of tequila as something to be shot back, followed by the requisite lime, salt and shudder, as evidenced by the raised eyebrows I got when I…
Apples & Americanos
Photo Courtesy of Tracy Collins All the words ever written about New York weigh heavy in humility against the ones written here, but the way that I saw the city was…
La Stella & Le Vieux Pin in 2009
Photos Courtesy of Degan Beley La Stella & Le Vieux Pin, the sister wineries to the mother of Enotecca Winery & Resorts, are both situated in the Okanagan region…
Urbanbelly: Communal Dining in Chicago
In a quiet unassuming neighborhood lies an equally unassuming restaurant. Nestled in a small strip mall between a laundry mat and a cleaners lies Urbanbelly, one of my…
YVR Wine Night
An event almost passed through my twitter feed without me noticing last week but luckily it didn’t completely pass me by. The evening was hosted by “Vancouver’s most…
Scotch and Chocolate, Oh My
I have a confession to make. I don’t like chocolate all that much. I don’t hate it and I’ve certainly been known to have a square of cacao or two with my…
Fifth Town Artisan Cheese Factory
Artisan cheese & aesthetic design are not a predictable pairing, but somehow it feels appropriate for a company in practice of classic craftsmanship to blend its…
Araxi & Whistler welcome one “Hell” of a chef!
Hell’s Kitchen celebrated their season finale at the acclaimed Araxi Restaurant + Bar in beautiful Whistler, British Columbia. As the grand prize restaurant of…
Salumi: Lucky Seattle
My beef with restaurants that don’t take reservations is that it doesn’t make sense to the customer (me, at least) to stand around and wait when I know where…
Layers of meaty Vulgarity? – La Charcuterie Deli in Port Kells
I’m not going to waste your time talking about the dodgy industrial area that La Charcuterie Delicatessen is situated in (Port Kells), or how the deli doesn’t look…