This eight and a half minute glance into our past is amazing. Thanks so much to Don Elliott (@RealDonElliott) for sharing it on Twitter.
I hope you enjoy it as much as do. The Empress, the Provincial Legislature and the Marine Building are all fantastic landmarks to compare to our time. The world has changed a lot in 78 years but it’s nice to see some familiar places.
Enjoy!
Scott.
Target has arrived
After buying up a bunch of Zellers stores a few years ago American retail giant Target has opened it’s first few stores here in BC. I woke up a little earlier than normal on this fine Saturday in May to pack up my little girl and head out to see if Candian Target was the same as American Target. My last visit to a Target store south of the border was about 2 years ago but I remember being pleasantly surprised by the brands they carried and blown away by their selection and great prices compared to Walmart among others. I equated Target to being a slightly nicer, slightly more expensive Walmart with way cooler stuff.
Shiny and new
Flash forward to today. Hayley and I pulled into the parking lot at Willowbrook Mall in Langley where one of the new Target stores had just opened up 3 days ago. The lot was very full as I’m sure lots of folks were just as curious about Target as I was. The Willowbrook store is a lot smaller than the Coquitlam Centre store but is still a decent size. I found the aisles quite cramped especially if there were two shopping carts passing one another. The carts are oddly wide at the back end making them difficult to maneuver in tight aisles.
Hayley in her luxuriously wide shopping cart
The selection at this particular store seemed quite lacking. There wasn’t the “cool stuff” I remember from the Target in Bellingham. The selection is absolutely abysmal if you happen to be a guy. The menswear section is tiny. It seems like a complete afterthought. To be honest I had a hard time finding it at all… The electronics section was well laid out and had a nice Apple display up front with the usual wall of flat screens at the back. The housewares section is fairly large and the selection is pretty good. The one area of the store I thought was above average was the Kitchen department. Large selection of knives, utensils, place settings, small appliances etc.
Craft beer glass set $24.99 – the same price as Sears
The prices seemed about average, I bought some Tide laundry detergent “pods” – $18.59 for a 62 pack ($19.97 for a 72 pack or $16.97 for a 57 pack at Walmart). A Chef’s Choice knife sharpener set me back $9.99 (the same price at www.cabelas.ca ). I also picked up some super sexy Fruit of the Loom boxer briefs, a 4 packs for $16.99 ($17.94 at Old Navy, I couldn’t find another retailer that listed the price online). I bought Hayley a toy because she behaved herself – a Daisy and Pluto figure pack for $9.99 (the same price as Toys r Us)
I expected more. Target is still a slightly nicer, slightly more expensive (not by much) version of Walmart but the selection is lacking.
Scott.
Main street is a great place for food lovers to wander around and discover new culinary gems in our fair city. Particularly between 5th Ave and King Edward Ave. There are great places to eat on every block and it seems there’s somewhere new opening up all the time. My latest Main street find is Mr. Brownstone located on the east side of Main at 13th Ave right beside Parallel 49 Coffee. Mr. Brownstone serves up modern takes on comfort food classics, great craft beers and BC wines on tap and offers live music featuring some great local artists. I was invited to try a few items from their menu, find a comfy chair because I ate a lot…
Fried Brussel Sprouts
First up are some delicious fried brussel sprouts with parmesan cheese, shallots and lemon. It’s pretty widely known around Vancouver that the Glowbal Group does some of the best brussel sprouts in town but these ones are easily on par with theirs and they’re priced very well. Just $7 for a good portion where Glowbal’s come in at $6.75 for a much smaller portion.
Wonton Nachos
Next up was a really cool twist on a classic pub dish, nachos. Mr. Brownstone’s are made with crispy fried wontons in place of tortilla chips. They’re topped with tomatoes, green olives, jalapenos and a nice mix of rich cheeses. The wontons are amazing in place of boring old chips. They have a great crunch and a lighter feel and stay crisp for longer. They come with tomatillo salsa and wasabi sour cream on the side. The wasabi sour cream is awesome, just enough wasabi to impart a slight heat and flavour that balances perfectly with the creamy, cool sour cream. Great dish.
Lobster Mac and Cheese
The third dish I sampled was their lobster mac and cheese. I always cringe when I see lobster mac and cheese on a menu because it’s usually made with a product called “Lobster Delight” which is made from Surimi (ground fish, usually pollock) and is artificially flavoured like lobster. This dish has NO FAKE LOBSTER!! Huge chunks of real lobster are abundant and border on excessive, which is a good thing when you’re talking about lobster. Simple flavours, butter, garlic, cheese and lobster all work in perfect harmony here. Rich, decadent and addictive. Your friends will want to try this, tell them to order their own. Did I mention it’s just $18? A total steal for this much lobster and this big of a portion.
Duck Confit Potato Skins
Next up they brought out some duck confit potato skins. Oh man, you guys see what’s happening here right? This place is doing comfort food right. These potato skins were so good. A good amount of duck confit with applewood smoked bacon, smoked provolone cheese, 40 Creek BBQ sauce, scallions and chipotle sour cream on russet potatoes. Another comfort food classic done up for the big city. Amazing.
The Brownstone Burger
You guys know where the best burger in town is. I’ve shouted it from the mountain tops for a few years now, it’s at Uli’s in White Rock. The burger at Mr. Brownstone is almost as good but it’s so different than Uli’s it’s a little unfair to compare the 2. This behemoth features a fresh ground chuck patty cooked medium (perfect), Montreal style smoked brisket, a fried egg, sauteed mushrooms, an onion ring, smoked provolone and caramelized onions on a fresh toasted bun with L/T/M (you can figure that out, right?) and some hamburger relish type sauce. Standing about 10 inches high and held together with a steak knife this burger is a towering monster of deliciousness. The price? Just $15.
Pear and Stilton Flatbread
If you’re keeping track this is course number six, a delightfully rich and sweet dish that is a meal all on its own. Tangy Stilton cheese, pear slices, crispy prosciutto ( I think, my note taking got a little fuzzy at this point) on fresh baked flatbread. Simply delicious.
Maple Bacon Caramel Chicken Wings
Ok you guys, this is the one most of you asked about when I posted this picture on Instagram/Twitter/Facebook, The maple bacon caramel chicken wings. They sound crazy, like the kind of crazy that would get you locked up for life in some shady parts of the world. In the middle ages you would’ve be branded a witch for even suggesting that this dish sounded tasty. Guess what, these wings are crazy, CRAZY good. If these guys used this recipe on chicken for chicken and waffles they’d easily be the best in the city. Think of these wings as dessert, made of meat. Everything you love about “Maple Bacon” flavoured things kicked up with caramel and tossed lovingly with deep fried wings. You simply have to try these.
WFLBC approved
So there you have it, Great food and nothing over $20. Solid craft beer on tap from Phillips, Odin, Alameda and others. BC wine on tap including one of my favourites, Blasted Church Hatfield’s Fuse. I’ll be back soon, I need those wings in my life.
Scott
Legal mumbo jumbo – My food was provided by Mr. Brownstone for review purposes.
Lightsaber in a box?
Have a great day folks!
Scott.
New tattoo, probably on my inner forearm or calf. Thoughts? The font will be script that matches my wrist. Yes mom, I know you don’t like it.
Scott.
The Beast is here
A few months ago I told you about Beast and Brine, a cool charcuterie and cheese (and a million other things) shop that was set to open in South Surrey just up the road from Crescent Beach. Well guess what? They’ve been open for awhile now and it has become a weekend ritual for my daughter and I to visit and stock up for the week ahead. Sausages, high end cold cuts, the best bacon in Greater Vancouver, specialty cheeses, a sandwich counter and much much more. This kind of product used to be the exclusive domain of Granville Island Public Market vendors and a few hidden gems around Vancouver. A lot of their product is made in house by Uli’s Restaurant Executive Chef Ryan Bissell who is a co-owner along with Uli’s owner Tyson Blume.
Words to live by
The staff is incredible and it’s always buzzing in the shop with happy customers eagerly awaiting their meaty treasures to take home and brag about to their friends, it’s that good. Check out some photos I’ve taken over the last few weeks, they’ll make you want to drop whatever you’re doing and drive to Beast and Brine. It’s ok, I would too. Kudos to Tyson, Ryan and the whole Beast and Brine team for totally living up to my ridiculous expectations. I love this place.
Added bonus - Fieldstone Artisan Breads is right next door – food heaven. After you’ve looked at the pics there’s a list of my “WFLBC must buys” at Beast and Brine at the bottom of the page.
Stuff from my first visit
Buffalo Brats
Heritage Bacon (The BEST)
Pickles and sauerkraut
Delicious craft sodas
Amazing Avonlea clothbound cheddar
Charcuterie
Cheese porn
Twitter – @BeastAndBrine
Facebook – Beast & Brine
Interwebz – www.beastandbrine.com
WFLBC Must Buys
Heritage Bacon, Double smoked bacon, Frikadelle, Porchetta, Bavarian Meatloaf, The famous Uli’s hot dog (!), Avonlea Clothbound Cheddar (when it’s in stock), Phillip’s Soda Work’s Captain Electro Intergalactic Root Beer.
Scott.
As you may or may not know being a blogger has some perks. Depending on your subject matter and/or your popularity the perks can be pretty awesome. Based on perks alone what field would you choose to blog about if given the choice?
If you choose “other” tell me what field you would choose in the comment section.
Scott.
Pizza is one of those no brainer foods, even bad pizza is pretty good. Every now and then you come across somewhere that does things with pizza that seem crazy but the results are surprisingly good. Nat’s New York Pizzeria has been a Kitsilano institution since 1992 and is a favourite of the local high school lunch crowd. Their pizza is New York style thin(ish) crust pies that are best eaten folded in half. The slices are big, the dough is decent and the ingredients and toppings seem to be of decent quality.
Nat’s usually does a special pizza each day and I happened to be there the day the made a wonderfully unhealthy but obviously amazing mac and cheese pizza with ground beef. This thing weighed about 2.5 pounds and the slice of pepperoni I had along with it was totally unnecessary. The pasta wasn’t dried out as you’d expect it to be after a trip through the oven, the cheese was evenly distributed throughout the pasta and the beef was nestled in a nice layer between the pasta and the light layer of Nat’s own pizza sauce. Was it good? Hell yes. Would I get it again? Absolutely. Should I get it again? Not if I want to live past 40.
Scott.
Boston Pizza, it has been in a serious decline the last few years in terms of quality and reputation (in my eyes at least). Even their advertising drives me crazy, finger cooking with Phil and taking shots at people who like good food (Don’t be a foodie). That being said if you have kids you know that BP has an affordable kids menu and offers things like cups with lids that make parents lives easier. After a pretty rough week I headed out for dinner with my daughter and my cousin Kurt and his son and Boston Pizza was an easy choice both location and menu wise for our little ones.
Pizza Burger and Cactus Cut Potatoes
Upon arrival I noticed a big glossy poster for their new “Pizza Burger”. I know I’ve already said that BP’s quality has fallen off quite a bit but this new menu item was too intriguing to ignore. Described as a bacon burger wrapped in a pepperoni pizza it sounded like something a cardiologist would love… so I obviously had to try it.
The goods
The burger patty is prime rib (grade unknown) and it is wrapped in pizza dough and stuffed with bacon, pepperoni, mozzarella and pizza sauce before being baked. The pizza dough is actual pizza dough, I was concerned it would be more bun-ish. Aside from being pretty greasy and totally unhealthy this thing was really good. I’m as surprised as you are. One thing I’ve always liked at BP is their Cactus Cut potatoes so obviously I had them as a side. The Pizza burger could’ve done without the pickle, lettuce and tomato skewered on top of it though, it makes sense with the burger part but not the pizza part of the dish.
To sum up, Boston Pizza has made something good and original and for that I salute them.
Scott.
Moderne Burger in Kits
Moderne Burger in Kitsilano is a no nonsense burger joint with a great nostalgic feel that isn’t forced or cluttered up with random Elvis and Marilyn Monroe paraphernalia. They have a small, focused menu that has burgers, BLT’s, grilled cheese, fries, milkshakes, floats and speciality sodas. Their burgers are made fresh daily and have no additives, not even seasoning! The inside of Moderne Burger has a great Art Deco feel and would fit right in under the Empire State building or somewhere similar.
Moderne Steak Burger with bacon and cheese
Moderne offers 4 burger choices, Steak, Ground Turkey, Veggie or Wild Salmon fillet, with all the usual additions. The burger is juicy and delicious and doesn’t need seasoning at all. The Bun is light yet substantial and suits the burger very well. The cheese is real cheddar and the bacon is thick cut and high quality. All in all a fantastic burger in every way. The fries are equally as good and are hand cut for every order. I was advised by someone who may have been the owner to arrange my fries in a “deck” to place my burger on so they would soak up the juicy burger drippings. Good advice.
Yum
Next time you find yourself in Kits go check out Moderne Burger.
Twitter – @moderneburger
Facebook – facebook.com/pages/Moderne-Burger
Interwebs – moderneburger.com
Scott.
