Burrata vs Sex

I've been busy, getting married and shit. And do you know what marriage is the perfect excuse for? Eating burrata. For breakfast. You spend your wedding night at the Georgia Hotel and the next morning you wake up in marital bliss, roll out of bed, and slum your way down to Hawksworth for brunch.

This one was the fancy shit, with prosciutto, balsamic reduction, fresh figs, walnuts, and olive oil marshmallows. I'd say it's better than sex but I'd be lying.

Burrata Bitches!

See previous entry.

Sometimes a really awesome friend will take you out for dinner at Nook and you will each have to get your own burrata because neither of you are willing to share. Then you make the mistake of trying to add up the 1000+ calories in this dish. Sidenote: you will not find "Creamy Cheese Soaked in Cream" listed as an option in one of those calorie counting apps. 

Ps. If you die before eating one of these your life is not worth living. 

Chicken Crack and Ikea

I am lazy. I generally don't like to leave downtown. I work, box, and eat all within the 20-ish square blocks of land that awkwardly juts out towards the Burrard Inlet. To leave downtown I need a decent reason. The driving range. Tattoos. Horseback rides. Etcetera. What is close is comfortable and what is comfortable is routine.

Thus today's hunt for a new bed was a great opportunity to alleviate the depths of ikea hell with something tasty from the heart of Richmond. Surprisingly, fried chicken! Not just any fried chicken. but the best god-damned fried chicken in the GVRD.

L A Chicken

I am pretty sure the chicken is battered in crispy cocaine flakes. So delicious it is almost worth the trip.

Zucchini Flowers

When my fiancé told my Memérè that zucchini flowers are served in fancy restaurants she nearly fell off her chair, laughing in disbelief. Gesturing to her giant zucchini patch she said in her gentle French Canadian lilt, "Well, I've got a gold mine then eh?".

That first batch of delicate flowers was hand picked and carefully packed into our carry-on for the trip back to Vancouver. Now it's an occasional treat that still reminds me of home.

We found some young blossoms at the West End Farmers Market and learned that the secret is to wrap them in paper to protect them and keep them fresh. We stuffed them with lemon and herb goat cheese (fancy piping bag = ziploc bag with a corner cut off). The batter is simple: flour, salt, and a carbonated liquid (we used what we had on hand, cider). Fried in oil and paired with a summery salad of asparagus, sautéed kale, avocado and shallots on butter lettuce.

Buckstop

It doesn't have to make sense. Sometimes you put a couple of shorty forty's of caramel vodka in your rootbeer and you go watch This is the End. Then you go for barbecue at your local shitty joint. It's not awesome, but at least they're not d-bags like down the street at a vomit-boring, pseudo-UK Donnelly gig. This city needs less of that and more of awesome. Turn down the suck knob Vancouver.

How To Do Date Night

Step 1. Shave your legs. This can be assisted by pre-drinking in the shower to save time.
Step 2. Put on shoes that say, "I'm wearing fancy panties".
Step 3. Eat an amazing meal, like the kind available at Andrea Carlson's Burdock & Co. on Main Street.
Step 4. Have a couple shots of tequila when you get home. The good kind.
Step 5. Makeout times.

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.

Minority Troubles

Growing up in a town with one black kid I would never have thought I would spend the majority of my career as a minority. Nursing is rampant with Asian and Middle Eastern cultures and between the Filipinos and the Iranians you will never go hungry.

In about two hours at 0400 it is Nowruz, Persian New Year. And what better way to get through night shift by celebrating with take-out? We hit up the newly opened Cazba at Davie and Thurlow (in the old Characters location) and stuffed our faces with some tender meats. Then me at the only other white girl got even whiter by listening to 90's Alternative all night long.

I'm gonna change the name of this blog to 'Bitches Eating Burrata' because really that's all there is to see here. I haven't blogged in over a year because of numerous reasons, one of them being that I hate the word "blogging", and another is that I shouldn't/can't really make fun of people. And really, if I'm not laughing at someone else's expense, what's the point of writing?? I am not an expert, I am not a food critic, and I am definitely not going to bring a SLR to an establishment when I'm enjoying a meal. So in conclusion, I don't know what the fuck this is going to be, probably inappropriate, probably incoherent, but generally anecdotal. Suck on that flash photography. 

Friday date night at Nook meant I inhaled more than my share of Burrata. 

Pizza with potatoes and tallegio. Pork Ragu fresh pasta.

StreetMeat: Tacofino!

On a gray and pathetic day I trudged out of my way through the pouring rain to the Tacofino Blue truck on Burrard and Dunsmuir. Other than having to listen to the high-pitched whine of skanky-dressed tower hoes in front of me, the wait in line was tolerable. I picked up two fish tacos, which are battered and deep-fried ling cod topped with cabbage, fresh salsa, and chipotle mayo. After finding cover at a conveniently abandoned bus stop, I sat by all by myself in the cold and blissfully enjoyed my tacos. Nothing could ruin that moment. Not rain, not hoes, not the soul-sucking depression of winter. Nothing. 

                            Great fish, great textures, and the mayo is the kicker. Kills it. 

Ps. Hoes gotta eat too. 

Peaceful Noodle Update

I love telling people about Peaceful Noodle. I love taking people there, surprising them, forcing them against their will, whatever it takes really. Easily my new favorite restaurant of late. 
These are all amazing-

Seasonal Pea Shoots

Spicy Wontons

Shanghai Stir-Fried Noodles with Pork and Cabbage in Soy

Vegetable steamed Dumplings

Pan-fried Veggie Gyoza

The American CheeseSteak Co. - Surviving Sedlack

I've been impatiently waiting for this place to open since the spring. Perfect example of why you simpy put "COMING SOON" in your window, verses "OPENING SPRING 2011". Spring was 7 months ago, either we've waited a really long time for something amazing, or you couldn't get your shit together.


Anyways. After bailing on the Corner Suite Bistro De Luxe project Anthony Sedlack hasn't really done anything noteworthy. Que 'The American CheeseSteak Co'. Situated on Davie near Howe, this venue houses a medium-sized communal table and is heavy on the brick and subway tile deco.


It's easy to hate a couple things right from the get-go, the oddly infantile artwork (crayon? pencil crayon?), the verbose menu, and most of all the 20 min wait. But when it comes down to taste the Philly CheeseSteak redeems itself.  I've had The Philly with American cheese and The Classic with provolone, both with onions and both tasted remarkable. It's unlike anything I've had in Vancouver to date. Made to order; the meat is well seasoned, the cheese is gooey goodness, and it all comes together in a flavor explosion in your mouth.
This isn't something you'll soon forget, it will linger on your tastebuds and in your subconscious for days.

Random fact - apparently 85% of Americans have Cheese Whiz on their CheeseSteak. Gross.


This place is another great concept to jump aboard the Vancouver sammich train. If The American CheeseSteak Co. can survive the self-destructive Sedlack ego and doesn't sell out, it seems original enough to make it.

Peaceful Noodle: You Had Me At Harrow!

It is well known that I love a good noodle, particularly the handcrafted variety. I had heard great things about the Peaceful Restaurant on Broadway, but being a downtown snob I never bothered to go out of my way to check it out. Then the other day I was riding my bike home from the gym, saw that a second location opened on Davie and got a wee bit excited. I skidded to a stop and bounded in sweaty and starving.  Seriously, do the Dan-Dan. After being satiated by the spicy Dan-Dan sauce, chewy textured noodles and perfectly cooked greens; I made a return trip two days later. There are so many things on this menu that I need to try, I forced myself to narrow it down to the Beijing shredded pork dish, and it didn't let me down.

Peaceful has so many things going for it and they pull it off with a quiet ease. Lovely service, fresh ingredients, tasty hand-made noodles, huge flavor, and Schezwan spice. It won't be long before it's a neighborhood favorite and packed. I can't wait to go back!

Davie & Granville

 Beijing "Zha-Jiang Mian" Noodles 

 The Dan-Dan.
Seriously.
Do it.

Brunch at Tableau

Mother Nature is a whore. As the sun finally comes out and you crawl, squinting and hungover, drag your mid-day shame to Tableau Bar Bistro in the Loden Hotel.  

Sunshine. Patio. Brunch. 

Chef Marc-Andre Choquette makes it easy to forget that Mother Nature has been shafting us this summer. Recently renovated and re-opened, this French-influenced bistro is just the location for some hair of the dog and really tasty food. I had the mushrooms on toast and it was ridiculously good; lightly creamy and full of flavor.

Streetmeat: La Brasserie Street

Sometimes it's one key component that makes a sandwich, one single thing perfected; the freshly baked bun or the slow-roasted meat. The chicken sandwich from La Brasserie Street cart brings it all together. The rotisserie chicken combined with the gravy, balanced with the crispy onions and topped with a deliciously soft bun from Tartine Bakery is handheld heaven. Can't really expect anything less from La Brass. 

Big Man + Small Cart = Good Food.

Damso Modern Korean Cuisine: Seafood Edition

Lunch with Karlsberg was a seafood-only situation at the new Korean joint next to Kingyo on Denman. I got the feeling that this place simply has a heart of gold, that they are trying really hard; to be cool, and modern, and upscale, and to be liked. It's worth looking past the tiny rough spots because the food is tasty.

Spicy Seafood Lettuce Wraps. As in SPICY spicy. As in sweating your balls off spicy. I'm sure that they were hiding in the kitchen, laughing at me as I gasped for air and mascara trickled down my face. Delicious and worth the pain.

Bibimbap - My favorite part is the rice that sticks to the side and gets super crispy. Mmmmmm.

Bouillabaisse - This was my least favorite of all three, I think I'm just generally not a fan of fish-based soups.

Do you feel like having a little something Korean?

Charming place, great flavors, really looking forward to going back to try the other assorted meats, including the Osso Bucco Bibimbap.