L'Abbatoir Lunch

Best lunch in the city. Period. 

Pizza Truck

I'd say that 2011 was the year that pizza took off in Vancouver. Neapolitan style exploded like Oprah's ass at a buffet. Now there are at least ten places you can grab an uncut pizza that is desperate to be "authentic". You can break it down to ingredients and oven and the degree of dough chewiness, but who fuckin cares? It's pizza. It's delicious. Eat it. Located in Victory Square Park.

Meat & Bread Update.

The meatball sandwich! A little bit of spice, a little bit of parmesan, a little bit of sauce, a little bit of crumbled meatball action. Take it. Take it, and go.

Meat & Bread: A Man-Made Sandwich Shop.

Pointing out that I am blatantly bias, enjoy my skewed opinion!
Jumping right into all the things I hate about this place:

I hate that the space is designed way cooler than my appartment. Kudos to Craig Stanghetta and the team for pulling off a man-cave feel without it being harsh and bat-cave like. There are so many great details but my favorites include the punching bag (for obvious reasons), the terrible taxidermy, and the herringbone walnut bartop.

I hate that it's so conveniently located across the street from my gym at Cambie and Hastings, kiddy-corner to Victory Square Park.  The level of sexy Man-Meat in Gastown just skyrocketed with the arrival of Mr. Jarvie and Mr. Harrington.

I hate that this isn't a sandwich you can find anywhere else. Fuck cold cuts. Fuck deli meats. Fuck re-heated bacon. Fuck toasted subs. And Fuck You subway secret sauce. The talents of Chef Joe Sartor are evident as the insightful and full flavors follow-through with the the man-made theme. Those hands know how handle a big-ol' hunk'a meat in it's journey from freshly butchered-to the carving station-to a mouth near you.

I hate to admit that porchetta beats bacon. One can argue that bacon beats all, but porchetta is pork belly wrapped around loin with herbs, slow-cooked to deliciousness. Crackling is the new crack-cocaine.

I hate that even vegetarians can enjoy the Meat & Bread experience. With the grilled cheese sammich and daily soup and solid salad options (heck yes chickpea + onion + ovenroasted tomato) herbivors don't have to feel like the social outcasts they are. Vegans; you're fucked.
I hate the entire hearty experience, everything from the design to the details to the delivery.  I predict that boys are gonna flock for their fill of Man-Meat and girls are gonna clammor for their view of Man-Candy.



Ps. The good-quality photos I have pilfered from pkmedia.ca

Meat & Bread

Coming soon to Victory Square. So Stoked.

Chambar: Festival of Gluttony!

It's not often that I get to say that I thoroughly enjoyed being a third wheel, but how can a girl not be tickled pink to join the Cord and Paul Bromance? The combination of accents and Mom jokes was enough to make me question if my gut was sore from the gorging or the laughter. Sigh. Such a cute couple.

Being a huge fan of Cafe Medina, it was good to see the Chambar side of the gorgeous giant doors. It's an enticing, well thought-out space. The service is super smooth, pulling off sophisticated without being pretentious.   

On to the food! Apparently National Belgian Day falls on July 21st, and really, I'll take any excuse to eat 17 courses that includes a Spitroast Pig. (Sidenote: does dessert count as a course? I think the argument is lost on the fact that it's SEVENTEEN COURSES).  The Medieval Theme is my favorite form of fine dining: bib on, no utensils, finger lickin', and*ahem* pigging out, I was clearly in my element.

My favorites were the clams, prawns, and pigs ear. Frankie hooked us up, and not even kidding, it was like this chewy/salty/crispy bacon-like thing. My complaints are that the corn and cheese didn't really go well together, and the calamari was bland; but in reality, when I eat for two hours straight, I chalk it up to a solid night. Did I mention that dessert was bowls of Belgian Chocolate Fondue with pastries and fruit to dip?

This little piggy....

This is what I had to put up with.

Clams

Probably had more fun playing with this dish than eating it.

The theme of the night, Menage A Prawn?

Artichokes

Pig's Ear!

Fuck it. I wasn't about to let that chocolate go to waste.

Acme Cafe: Second Edition

There's nothing about the Acme Cafe that's gonna knock your socks off. It's simple and unpretenious and it's rad because it takes the standards and does them well.

Oh, and it ALWAYS SMELLS LIKE PIE!

Ladies and Gentlemen, the Mac N'Cheese.

Da Club.

Acme Cafe: First Edition

Frankly, who gives a shit about what they're eating unless they are enjoying the company they're with? That's why I thoroughly enjoyed the post-workout bro-down over Rueben's with the boys last Friday.

I can't help but comment on the rapidly changing neighborhood and hope that the Acme Cafe is a sign of things to come. Walking into the Cafe calmly transports you away from the frenzy of West Hastings. The place is clean and crisp, with uncluttered 50's diner-style nostalgia. The giant man who takes your order is kind and prompt. All this comes together over comfort food and fart jokes, and what more could a girl ask for?

The portion sizes weren't huge, but for nine bucks it was a reasonable Rueben sammich. And really, unless it's an all-you-can-eat situation, I try to avoid supporting gluttonous behavior. The show-stealer was definitely the side of Broccoli Almond Slaw, which I highly highly recommend. I would even suggest getting a double portion and skipping the potato chips.

I want to go back for the Breakfast. I want to try the Mac and Cheese and the Gourmet Grilled Cheese Sandwhich. I wanna eat lots of pie, and next time I will try the Espresso Milkshake instead of the Strawberry. On second thought, I should probably go back to the gym first.

I Shouldn't Really Talk About This: The Nuba Secret.

So I've stumbled upon this ethical dilemma; to talk or not to talk about "The Secret". After thinking about it for half a second I realized that no one really reads my blog anyway. No offense, but I have Google Analytics and know that all four of you don't actually take me seriously (technically there's really only three because I still have to figure out how to get it to stop counting myself), so whatevs, enjoy:
 

Nuba started out small and created a solid reputation for authentic Lebanese fare. It carved a little niche for itself in the city and expanded to three locations (Seymore @ Drake, Cambie @ Hastings, and 3rd @ Main). I had numerous recommendations from friends, but hadn't gotten around to checking it out... until I discovered the perks of nepotism.  FYI: the opportunity to try The Secret may have been the kicker for going on a second date, just sayin.

Aptly named, The Secret is an off-the-menu dish which is a collection of their best/favorites that you can only order if you know somebody who knows somebody who knows somebody, etc. Granted I was distracted by the wine and conversation, but I'm not really sure what exactly it was that I ate. I'm guessing it was taboulleh, a lentil dish with rice, and tzatziki. I found it flavorful in that warm, comfort food, salt-of-the-earth delicious way, and in reality it probably could have been anything because half the excitement is the fact that it's this sneaky secret thing. 

The selection of vegetarian and vegan options are rad, the ambiance is great, and the general theme felt very 'bead-curtain chic'. The service was a bit slow, but the overall experience made it worthwhile. If you're in the neighborhood I recommend giving it a whirl, after of course, you've tried La Taqueria.

 Najib's Special - crispy cauliflower. Sounds odd, but uniquely yummy. 

The Secret. 

...On second thought, I might go to blogger hell for this.  It's a special circle where we'll be assaulted with ad-space, typos, and blurry photos