VanEats

Since we don't have cable, we have never seen America's Test Kitchen. However a brief perusal of the web site shows that it is from the people behind Cook's Illustrated and is full of the same sort of material: excellent recipes combined with wonderful explanations such as Why Do We Eat Chiles? (free and painless subscription required).

We had an excellent lunch today at Kaya (2283 West Broadway, 604 734 0661).

We started off with Five Pepper Calamari for five bucks which featured a wonderful wasabi mayo dip. Mmmm.

Barb had a sesame chicken salad for $7 with chicken breast coated in sesame seeds.

(Via email from Simon) - El Bulli is the birthplace of a lot of the food trends that eventually make their way to restaurants like Lumiere in Vancouver. So this account of eight people eating at El Bulli is interesting for Chef Adria's attitude and food philosophy and for trying to figure out the next big wave in fashionable dining.

An anonymous reader sent us some tips (thanks!) on how to best use OpenTable.com to get a French Laundry reservation. Check out our updated French Laundry Part 3 story for the full details.

And leave a comment to let us know whether or not this works for you!

In response to an email from one of the staff, we have added Mr. Pickwick's Fish & Chips (8620 Granville Street, 604 266-2340) to our Vancouver Restaurant Sites directory.

Barb and I love fish and chips! One day, we will have to try this place out. If anybody has eaten there, please leave a comment.

Marpole Online, " the most comprehensive web site for Vancouver's Marpole community", linked to VanEats on their News page. Thanks!

I took the day off to journey with my Mom (who's visiting from Ontario) to the Empress Hotel in Victoria for afternoon tea.

You need to reserve by calling 250 389-2727 . I reserved today at 6:30a.m. for 2:15p.m.

I am a bit behind in posting my photos.

Here's a picture of Hoda's in Portland, Oregon.

I found out from the Cincinnati Post that the first Hofbrauhous outside of Germany is in Newport Kentucky. That's great for the lucky Kentucky folks, but give me Andechs over the Hofbrauhaus anytime! Wouldn't it be cool if we could somehow duplicate the Andechs experience (especially the delightfully tasty and big beer and the huge Schweinhaxen!) in Vancouver? I'd be there in a flash! Sounds like a business opportunity to me!