The term “comfort food” evokes memories of the meals my parents used to prepare for my sister and I when we were growing up. Dishes like eggplant parmesan, fetinni (pan-fried paper-thin pieces of chicken breast coated with breadcrumbs, garlic, and parsley), and pasta orechietti come to mind. Meatloaf, fish ‘n chips, and chicken pot pie…
February 12, 2007
Among the titles I added to my ever-expanding library of books-I-may-never-get-around-to-reading this past weekend was The Terror, a supernatural re-imagining of the ill-fated 1840’s Franklin expedition. I enjoyed Dan Simmons’ first foray into horror, The Song of Kali, and so decided to check this one out. Interestingly enough, while I found Kali to be a…
February 11, 2007
My pug Bubba has impeccable timing. Every morning, at exactly 6:30 a.m., he wakes me up, barking to get at my attention or, failing that, jumping up on his hind legs to bat at my face. He’s like a furry little alarm clock with no snooze button. I try to ignore him but his persistence…
February 10, 2007
Our household watches a lot of Food Network, partly because we like the programming and partly because it’s the channel we always leave on for the dogs when we go out (Bubba in particular seems to enjoy that Alton Brown). One of the shows we catch on occasion is Restaurant Makeover. The basic premise finds…
February 9, 2007
Well, I was intending to do a review of Toyotomi Japanese Restaurant (4121 E Hastings Street) since it’s where the writing department ordered lunch from today. I really would have liked to weigh in on the spicy tuna sashimi and spinach gomae I ordered but, alas, it never arrived. Everyone else’s lunch orders made it,…
February 8, 2007
I’d like to kick things off with a book recommendation. Now, to be perfectly honest, I don’t read much fantasy. I don’t have the time given the number of scifi classics I still need to get through. But recently, after finishing my twentieth scifi novel in a row, I opted for a change of pace…
February 7, 2007
A guy at work claims to have lost fifteen pounds on the “chocolate diet“. And I believe him. I believe him because, in the 3+ months I’ve trimmed down, I’ve done so while eating at least a square of chocolate a day. Now before you all head off to enjoy your prime rib with a…
February 6, 2007
I once worked as a “Manager of Animation Development” for a then fairly successful producer of children’s television programs. My duties included developing series concepts, scriptwriting, story-editing, creating pitch packages, and, best of all, enjoying the occasional dinner with prospective clients. I remember traveling to New York once where I was treated to a grand…
February 5, 2007
Remember the good old days of television? When all it took to knock someone unconscious was to clock them in the back of the head with the butt of your gun? They’d conveniently wake up, hours later, nursing a slight headache but none the worse for wear. Shootings were relatively clean and dignified affairs, not…
February 4, 2007
The barmaid stared back at me uncertainly. “Are you sure you want to order the hot wings?”she asked. “They’re pretty hot.” “Oh, yeah,”I insisted. After all, how hot could they be? Well, judging by Lawren’s bug-eyed response after trying one - excruciatingly so. In retrospect, I suppose I should have warned him. Ah, well. Maybe…
February 3, 2007
There are a lot of things I like to do with my free time - reading, writing, watching t.v. on DVD - but, personally, I find nothing quite equals the deep satisfaction I experience while working on my taxes. And it’s not just the joyous hours spent checking, double-checking, and triple-checking numbers, or the ever…
February 2, 2007
When I was a kid, my interests were markedly different from those of my classmates. Whereas they spent their weekends and evenings playing little league hockey, I spent my free time reading Shakespeare and writing fanciful stories about small town alien invasions, robot revolutionaries, and party-crashing interstellar space buccaneers. While they idolized the likes of…
February 1, 2007
Last night, Fondy and I visited the final destination on our Dine Out Vancouver tour: Chef Angus An’s fledgling Gastropod on 4th Avenue. It was our second visit to the restaurant, the first being a generally positive dining experience several weeks back. This time out, our choices were limited to the DOV $25 and $35…
January 31, 2007
Like Korean barbecue and shabu-shabu, Hong Kong-style hotpot combines the excitement of a night on the town with the hassle of cooking your own meal. Granted, it’s not for everyone, but for those willing to put in the extra effort, it can be a sociable and fun experience - provided no one adds anything unexpected…
January 30, 2007
I’m a restaurant owner’s dream. I arrive promptly for my reservation, eat my meal, and leave. Immediately. No sitting around after dinner, casually sipping my green tea, making idle chitchat while the famished looks of the looming diners-in-waiting go unheeded. I can usually be counted upon to be in and out within an hour and…