Restaurant review: Chewies Oyster Bar

I’d heard a great deal of buzz about Chewies Oyster Bar in Kit’s (1st Avenue & Yew). We decided to try their weekend brunch, and arrived just as the doors opened at 10am. Around the table, the dishes we ordered were: barbecued shrimp and grits with poached eggs. french quarter french toast (with pecan crust…

Restaurant review: Meat and Bread

I stopped in for lunch in the much hyped Meat and Bread in Gastown (on Cambie off Hastings).  It’s small spot, with a limited menu, but this is a case of “less is more”. They typically have 4-5 sandwich offerings, plus one soup and potato salad. I ordered the Porchetta with salsa verde.  This is…

Cooking: Sourdough bread

I love sourdough bread.  It’s my favorite kind of bread, hot and fresh out of the oven, with that slight tang, with a generous swipe of creamery butter.  Mmmmmm…. I know how to make a reasonably decent bread, I do so quite frequently. I’ve tried to make sourdough on at least two separate occasions before as well,…

Restaurant Review: Sunset Burgers

Using a “groupon” voucher, I stopped in at Sunset Burgers on Nelson street for lunch. It’s a small and busy little spot (at least at lunch), and harkens to the late 80s/early 90s burger joint feel.  Bright neon, Patrick Nagel style murals on the walls, etc.  The only thing missing was a Duran Duran music…

Restaurant Review: Fortune Garden

This was our regular family dinner.  This biggest variable is, which restaurant?  This week, it was Fortune Garden on West Broadway. Dinner started with fish maw soup. This is a simple delicate flavored soup, which is a probably a good starter for the bolder flavors in the subsequent dishes. Followed by peking duck skin wraps….

Restaurant Review: Novo Pizzeria & Wine Bar

Failing in our first attempt to visit Novo Pizzeria, we went back, and planned ahead. Knowing that this place gets a lot of business from patrons of the Fifth Avenue Cinemas, I checked the show times and we arranged to reserve a table for when most of the shows were starting.  Success. The room/ambiance of…