Well, this is sad: Refuel closes; Top Chef Canada contestant takes over space. Refuel, formerly Fuel, one of my favorite Vancouver dining destinations is closing its doors. Owners Tom Doughty and Rob Belcham will no doubt remain as busy as ever what with two of their other restaurants, Campagnolo and Campagnolo Roma, doing brisk business and…
September 17, 2009: Dinner at Fuel! An Official Apology! Sort Of! Seriously, What’d I Do?!
Last night, I was at Fuel for their Stoney Paradise Farms Dinner with Blackwood Lane Winery. The place was teeming with restaurant regulars and occasional gourmands. Also in attendance, but on the outside looking/glaring in, were a total of, oh, five demonstrators on hand to protest the fact that: a) our main course was a…
July 25, 2009: I’m Ice Cold! Prepping for Tokyo! The Corn Soup is Back! Outside Icarus Base!
I wanted to work on the script - really, I did - but as fired up as I was yesterday, I was stone cold frozen today. The words just wouldn’t come and, after a half an hour of futile spinning, I decided redirect my attention elsewhere and pick things up tomorrow. I only have a…
June 20, 2009: Just Like Old Times!
Sure, plenty of people missed Martin Gero when he left Vancouver for the Big Apple, but I’m willing to bet that none missed him as passionately as the gang at Fuel. When he was in town, we used to frequent the place at least once a week, dropping in and leaving ourselves to the mercies…
May 27, 2009: It’s Almost Show Time! Ashleigh Wants Your Questions! SGU Update! Schnitzel-Fest 2009! I Am Stuffed Like a Goose!
"You! Ask me a question!" Foie gras (foreground) foie gras enabler (background) As a result of losing a bet to my co-worker Kerry, I’ll be accompanying her to a local musical production of her choice. Her choice? Altar Boyz, the hit off-Broadway musical that has been described as “DIVINE!” (Michael Sommers, STAR-LEDGER), “AN ENERGETIC CROWD-PLEASER!”…
April 26, 2009: The Best Chocolate Party Ever!
I know, I know. I said the same thing about last year’s chocolate party - and, at the time, it certainly was The Best Chocolate Party Ever! Until yesterday’s chocolate party of course. This was the second year in a row I hosted the party at my favorite Vancouver restaurant, Fuel. After some…
April 15, 2009: Kerry Fires the Opening Salvo, Smooth Sailing on the Atlantis Script, and the Mailbag
As I mentioned in yesterday’s blog entry, my fellow co-worker, Kerry McDowall, and I have a little wager heading into the NHL playoffs. She, being the Canucks-obsessed fanatic that she is - has the Vancouver Canucks while I’m going with my hometown Habs, the Montreal Canadians. Whoever’s team advances furthest into the playoffs will be…
April 4, 2009: Cuisine, Correspondence, and Comics
So, hey, despite the fact that I’ve been cooking at home a lot more of late (I made a roast lamb shoulder last night, braised short ribs today, and it’ll be venison osso bucco tomorrow), I have made it a point to keep in touch with my old friends - namely, the gang at…
March 10, 2009: The Culinary Highlights, Some Dogs Discussion, and Dog Discussion
I’ve been watching so much Gordon Ramsay of late that it’s led me to do the unthinkable. I’m actually cooking at home. Last night, I made butterlicious rib steak with grilled asparagus. Today, it was crispy-skinned salmon with potato salad and oven roasted tomatoes. So I’m staying in more which is a good news/bad news…
February 6, 2009: The Secret Vancouver Restaurant List…and The Mailbag
So you’re in Vancouver and wondering where the heck to go for dinner. Well, if you’re an actor guesting on our show, all you have to do is swing by my office and I’ll provide you with a rundown of my favorite local restaurants. From the Japanese hotdog stand serving up Oroshi hotdogs to the…
January 23, 2009: Pigging Out At Fuel
One of the nice things about being a regular at a restaurant is the occasional invitation you’ll receive to a special event like, for instance, the Roasted Suckling Pig Evening hosted by the gang at Fuel last night. While Chef Rob was out making sausages all night (No, I’m serious.), Chef Ted was in…
December 5, 2008: Easing Back into a Routine
In an effort to resume my routine now that I’m back on familiar ground, I elected not to falls asleep at 6:00 p.m. last night and, instead, headed over to Fuel for my first non-Tokyo dinner in weeks. Ted and co. were excellent hosts, suffering my sleep-deprived yammering while I enjoyed two of the new…
November 17, 2008: Chef Belcham at the Plate! Spinning Stargate: Universe Day #5! The Mailbag!
Faced with the prospect of a Tokyo culinary tour comprised of fatty toro, well-marbled kobe, and sinfully decadent desserts, I elected to put myself on a diet and exercise regimen. I wake up, do either a cardio or weight training work-out, have a protein shake for breakfast, a hearty salad for lunch, a protein bar…
September 16, 2008: My Simple Meal Plan Goes Out the Window, Keeping It Real, and Paul Mcgillion Says Goodbye
With Fondy out of town for two and a half weeks, I was fully prepared to follow a simple, no-fuss home meal plan (a.k.a. eating a sandwich standing over my kitchen sink) but, despite my best intentions, I’ve ended up dining out far more often than I’ve eaten it. Last week, it was a final…
June 20, 2008: Comic Con update, dinner at Fuel, and yet another chunky mailbag
No official word on this year’s Comic Con line-up yet, but I hear that there will be both a Stargate: Continuum and Stargate: Atlantis panel. The former should include writer-executive producer Brad Wright, director Martin Wood, and Michael Shanks, Chris Judge, Amanda Tapping, Ben Browder and, if the rumors are true, one Richard Dean Anderson.…