VanEats

Here are our photos from another great dinner at Hapa Izakaya on Monday night.

On Friday, my friend, Jessica and I had lunch at the newly re-opened and expanded The Mouse and The Bean.

Here's a photo of the yummy $9.50 lunch special!

Check out our mini-review of The Mouse and The Bean for the complete scoop!

In our Eat!

Every morning, I walk by Blitzen Break on my way to our fledgling blogging venture's Gastown office. And, ever since Easter, Blitzen Break has been closed with an "On Company Holiday" sign.

I hope this is only a temporary hiatus because I truly believe that there is a niche for a restaurant like Blitzen Break downtown. I'll keep you posted on any developments!

For the first time ever, Barb and I picked up some pizza to watch the Canucks' game. And we decided to try Nat's New York Pizzeria on Broadway (there's also a location on Denman).

The pizza (unlike the Canucks, but wait until next year!) was a winner. We ordered a large with pepperoni, hot peppers and mushrooms which was about $18 after taxes and pickup discount. Crisp, thin crust. Spicy but not too spicy!

We will definitely be back for a full mini-review.

I often file away restaurant information in an obscure part of my mind. When an opportunity to eat out arises, I can often pull up the info and head for a restaurant that I had heard or read about. After reading SaabKen's review of Ajisai, I did just that. Luckily we didn't have to wait very long for an occasion to try it out.

Tonight our friend, Robert (who is a sushi afficionado), flew in from Toronto and we jumped at the chance to try out Ajisai. We were not disappointed!

We arrived at the restaurant after 8 p.m.

Last Saturday, were very fortunate to attend Chef Claudio Ranallo's first ever cooking lesson at Dario's that we wrote about in April.

For a first timer, Claudio (who's been with Dario's for over 20 years but is originally from Abruzzo, Italy) certainly didn't have stage fright. He showed the 10 of us around his kitchen, cooked and simultaneously answered questions.

The dishes he chose were simple but tasty which to me is the essence of Italian cooking.

One of our favourite markets, the East Van Farmers' Market will open on May 17, 2003. A definite sign of spring!

This year we will also check out the other great Farmers' Markets at Nat Bailey Stadium and in the West End. And we will carry our fruit and vegetables and other goodies in our new Ghanaian basket.