Tag Archives: tomatoes

Polenta and pork cheeks

Posted on December 23, 2008 | 2 Comments

It was really freaking cold on Friday night – so cold that my base instincts kicked in and all I wanted was stew.

Well, I didn’t get stew, but I did get some stick-to-your-ribs food from The Cascade Room. It was reliably busy – and possibly busier than usual due to the fire at Habit – but not so busy that you couldn’t get a table without a reservation.

I think The Cascade makes the best negroni I’ve ever had. Their bartender, Nick Devine, is known for his mixological prowess – and I fully concur. The negroni came in a short glass with lots of ice, with a rosette of orange peel resting on top of the ice. The overall effect is that you taste the drink while getting the full, undiluted aroma of the orange peel. Genius.

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Whip it (whip it good)

Posted on December 22, 2008 | Leave a comment

The Whip is one part art gallery, one part restaurant, and one part bar. Given that it’s on a less-gentrified stretch of Main Street, it’s also a popular hipster hangout – but please don’t hold that against it.

I met Elisa for brunch there on the weekend, and the quality of food really blew me away. I’ve only had evening appetizers there, and while the food was well-prepared, it wasn’t terribly inventive or amazing. Apparently they’ve got the A-team working weekend brunch, because it was some kind of wonderful.

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Gardens make me happy

Posted on November 10, 2008 | Leave a comment

I can’t grow anything to save my life, as demonstrated by my summer gardening project that produced the three most expensive tomatoes in the world.  I did, however, manage to grow lots of weeds.  Wow, those weeds look great.  They’re easy upkeep, too.

So, I admire people who garden well.  Pretty flowerbeds and English gardens are lovely, but I have a soft, squishy spot for vegetable gardens.  It gets even squishier when they’re public or community gardens, because not only do they highlight food production, but they also break up an otherwise corporate-branded, urban environment.

There are lots of community plots along the old CP railway line, with a high concentration around the Vancouver Compost Demonstration Garden.  The Demonstration Garden is run by City Farmer, which also runs a variety of workshops throughout the year. Their summer workshops on organic gardening always sell out weeks in advance, and they’ve also got great sessions about composting – worm or otherwise. 

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Posted in Miscellaneous

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