I’m in a cranky mood. Cranky for reasons too numerous to mention. Cranky because of today. Cranky because of tomorrow. And cranky because the memories of the pre-poker crappy meal I had last Saturday night have been stewing in my head like not so much as lukewarm periwinkle meat - which, coincidentally, was one of…

I felt lightheaded. My eyes were tearing up. I was having trouble breathing. It was all I could do to quell the mounting anxiety as I impatiently anticipated my turn. No, I wasn’t awaiting treatment at the local emergency ward for symptoms of a heart attack. I was at Chris Judge’s house for poker night.…

Our office assistant, Lawren Bancroft Wilson, has a tough job. He has to manage meetings, coordinate correspondence, put out various impromptu fires related to missed award show deadlines, wayward furniture deliveries, and eccentric producer requests. But perhaps the trickiest part of Lawren’s job is handling lunch. Now, on the surface, it may seem like a…

No sooner do I get finished chipping away at Reunion to get it down to time, than the director’s cut of This Mortal Coil comes in at two minutes under. Two minutes! And so, I had Alex print me up a copy of the script that I could look over this weekend and hopefully find…

“Being a pirate would be great,”our office assistant Lawren heard a five year old proclaim as the early evening screening for the latest Pirates of the Caribbean installment let out. “You can just go around stealing stuff and never get in trouble.”Thank you, Disney.In all fairness, my pal Carl, a Disney veteran, did once tell…

I’ve often said that succeeding in this business is 33% talent, 33% luck, 33% connections, and 1% miscellaneous, but the truth is that behind the talent and the luck and the connections and the miscellaneous are the gatekeepers, the holders of the keys to the enchanted city. They are the people who take the time…

Today, the world celebrates End of the Middle Ages Day. Yup, it’s finally official. They’re done with. Get over it.Tonight, dinner took us to a little place I like to call “Le Crocodile” because in many ways it reminds me of a French alligator, with its predatory charm swimming amidst a rich, vibrant marsh of…

Being a foodie runs in the family. My sister, for instance, is as adventurous as I am when it comes to dining out. And, on her recent trip to Miami, she sampled some of the best and most unusual the city had to offer. She gave me a rundown on a few of the spots…

The other night, a waiter asked me if I was a restaurant critic. I balked at the title. Restaurant critics are food specialists, individuals with a comprehensive knowledge of culinary technique and sophisticated palettes honed by years of professional experience. Me? I’m just an opinionated guy who likes to eat out. The “restaurant critic” moniker…

The fact that I could actually watch Anthony Bourdain eat twelve different foie gras dishes and some raw seal (including the prized eyeball) signaled the worst was over. My appetite was still off, but I was feeling much better. Well enough to shower up and get dressed rather than lounging about all day in my…

I woke up unusually early this morning at a little after 5:30 a.m. And no wonder. It had been a sleepless night of tossing and turning punctuated by night sweats so severe I actually dreamed I was suffering from malaria. Finally up and around, my fevered dreams of vomiting up my lungs far behind, I…

Everyone has a just-off-the-radar-restaurant. You know, one of those places you hear so much about that you’ve been meaning to try out but never get around to despite the fact that its practically within walking distance of your house. Well, Bishops is MY just-off-the-radar restaurant, a multi-award-winning Vancouver establishment that I’ve wanted to try for…

“The trick is to breathe through your nose,”the dental assistant advised me as I bit down on the molding. “And if you start feeling nauseous, try lifting your arms.” And avoid throwing up in your mouth, I wanted to add but, of course, I was unable to do so what with the fact that my…

I’ve toiled some pretty horrible jobs in my time. There was the high school summer I worked at a chocolate factory. Willy Wonka’s it wasn’t. Armed with high pressure hoses that effectively blasted away hardened caramel, dried syrups, and, interestingly enough, wallpaper and paint, my friend and I spent our weekends bored out of our…

Sometimes, restaurants amaze me. And not it a good way. Case in point - Oji, the new restaurant next door to Chapters on Robson Street. Truth be told, it wasn’t our first choice for lunch. Nor was it our second choice. Or third choice for that matter. We had headed out early, hoping to beat…