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.
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.
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.
Running a restaurant in Vancouver can be tough with so much great competition out there. Mosaic at the Hyatt Regency has the added problem of not being located at street level, you’d have to look up to see their sign one story above the side walk. So how does a fantastic upscale hidden gem like Mosaic get noticed in this town? Enter VANEATS.ca and their dining packages. This package moves VANEATS.ca further upmarket then they’ve ever been and gives you arguably the best value of any package they’ve offered in the past. Called “Art of Taste”, it is a 3 course package for an outstanding $22. Chef Thomas Heinrich and his team deliver an excellent culinary experience. I had other menu items not included in the package so there will be a second post to cover those.
For your appetizer you can choose from the following,
Spring Salad
Warm a la minute smoked Skuna Bay salmon
The spring salad has house made sheep’s milk ricotta , fava beans and a mustard citrus dressing. The ricotta is fantastic and this salad is a tidy little package with all of the flavours complimenting one another. The a la minute smoked salmon is is so delicate and delicious and comes with an avocado terrine and drops of maple matured sherry bourbon oak vinegar gel and a little bit of decadent caviar on top. The salmon is from Skuna Bay, a world renowned salmon farm located near Nootka Sound on Vancouver Island and is easily the best quality salmon I’ve ever eaten. Say what you want about farmed salmon, this fish is world class and is raised in way that few other fish farms can even come close to. They call it “Craft Raised salmon”. I like that description. The dish comes covered in a clear dome filled with smoke adding a slight smokiness and a treat for the nose when the dome is removed.
8 hour braised short rib
Long line caught BC ling cod
For your main course you have a choice of 2 dishes. The Spring Creek beef short rib dish is braised for an incredible 8 hours and is fork tender and full of rich flavour. It’s served with morel mushrooms, BC foraged ramps and sweet onions. This dish is aimed directly at carnivores who have a refined palate (or think that they do, like me). The Ling Cod is long line caught and grilled to perfection. Served with baby bok choy, shiitake mushrooms and bathed in dashi broth. I loved this dish. Dashi broth is a magical thing.
Mosaic’s signature chocolate cake
Banana split
There’s 2 desert choices as well and they’re both outstanding. The Chocolate cake is something out of a chocoholic’s fantasy. It’s a triple layer affair with dense moist cake and a healthy dose of amazing icing that’s texture is somewhere between mousse and fudge. The banana split has caramelized banana, fresh berries, honey almond brittle and of course vanilla ice cream and whipped cream. You can’t go wrong with either dessert, they’re both outstanding.
Conclusion. Mosaic is somewhere you should check out. It’s close to transit, has a great wine/beer (Craft too!)/cocktail list and offers the kind of fine dinning that Vancouver generally lacks in it’s popular restaurants de jour. They offer the highest quality ingredients, gorgeous plating (perhaps a few too many edible flowers but they are quite lovely) and an attentive and well trained staff. This kind of meal for $22 is something you don’t find everyday. You can purchase this package HERE.
Scott.
Legal stuff – My meal was complimentary for review purposes courtesy of Mosaic and VANEATS.ca. As always the fact that meal was free didn’t make it taste any different 
Meat and Bread is everything that’s good about the Vancouver food scene. It’s fresh, fast, simple, cool, affordable (really) and it’s very good. They’ve been around for a while now but this was somehow my first visit. Meat and Bread has made an appearance on the Food Network’s uber popular show Diners, Drive – Ins and Dives featuring the inexplicably popular Guy Fieri in all of his frosted tip glory. During his visit he tried the Porchetta sandwich and mentioned the pork was “culinary gangster”. Mr. Fieri aside I think everywhere he visited in Vancouver deserves a look and Meat and Bread is as awesome as advertised.
Porchetta goodness
The Porchetta sandwich is pure magic. Salty, but not too salty, tender and crispy at the same time and very fresh. $8 for a sandwich this good is a steal. Porchetta is a new thing to me but I think I might try to make it at home. The rolled up layers of pork (mostly boneless belly), fat, skin and stuffing make for a tasty filling all chopped up and drizzled with salsa verde all tucked inside a fresh ciabatta roll. So good.
Head to Hastings and Cambie st or Pender between Thurlow and Burrard (near Oceanic Plaza) to try it for yourself. If you work downtown it’s a great choice for lunch!
Twitter – @1meatandbread (Cambie) and @2meatandbread (Pender)
Facebook – meat-bread
Web – meatandbread.ca
Scott.
Sometimes life throws you little bonuses, finding Merchants Oyster Bar on Commercial Drive was certainly one of those moments. We had arrived early for dinner at another spot on The Drive and decided to wander down the street and grab a drink somewhere. The sandwich board outside of Merchants drew us in and I’m glad it did.
Bivalve love.
We had was 6 oysters and a drink or two as we had less than an hour to kill but wow, what a great little visit. The oysters are shucked to order and are super fresh. We just managed to get in before happy hour was over so the oysters were $1.50 each. There were 3 varieties available so we tried 2 of each, 2 Joyce Point, 2 Read Island and 2 Little Wings. The variations between the 3 varieties were subtle but noticeable and enhanced by the condiments. The perfect condiment combo for me is fresh squeezed lemon and lime, some Tabasco and a touch of horseradish. If you’ve never tried oysters (I know they look a little strange to the non adventurous among us) give them a chance. They’re right up there with fine wine, single malt scotch, Cuban cigars and films with subtitles. These are things that you need to develop an appreciation for but once you have it you’ll wonder how you ever survived without it.
Twitter – @MerchantsVan
Web – merchantsoysterbar.ca
Scott.
You may recognize Falconetti’s East Side Grill from a little show called Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives hosted by the Food Network’s frosted tipped, backwards sunglasses wearing wunderkind Guy Fieri. Falconetti’s segment was pretty short but the food looked great and the atmosphere looked electric. I was asked by VANEATS.ca to check out their latest dining package called Falconetti’s Fix and I jumped at the opportunity having never been to Falconetti’s.
The package consists of Poutine with house made pepper gravy, house smoked pork ribs, a choice of any of their house made sausages and two rocks glasses of Phillips Blue Buck pale ale all for $16. The food was great, the poutine used shoestring fries which is a little different than most poutines on offer in Vancouver and the pepper gravy was salty, rich and delicious drizzled over real cheese curds.
#FalconettisFix package – $16
The ribs were outstanding, I didn’t expect these ribs to be as good as they were because I’m a bit of a BBQ elitist. They were cooked just right, not falling off the bone but the bone came clean with little effort, The sauce was simple and had all the right levels of sweet, heat and salt.
For my sausage I chose the Sweet Italian which is made with fennel and basil and comes on a fresh toasted bun with artichoke dip (!) and peppers on top. The sausage had some nice heat and the artichoke dip on top was the perfect condiment. The Phillips Blue Buck is a nice, accessible craft beer for the craft beer novice and is a nice refreshing change from the hop bombs and barrel aged porters I’ve been drinking lately. at $16 this is certainly great value, something VANEATS.ca is known for.
Prawn and Prosciutto Lollipops.
In addition to the package my hot date and I also sampled a few items from the menu, First up were the Prawn and Prosciutto Lollipops. 4 medium sized prawns wrapped in salty prosciutto, seared and served individually on skewers with vodka cocktail sauce for dipping. Simple, well executed and delicious.
Mac N’ Cheese Balls
Next up were the Crispy Panko Mac N’ Cheese Balls. Deep fried mac and cheese, how can this be the first time I’ve ever had this? Needless to say it was delicious but probably something that should be enjoyed in moderation.
The most surprising part about Falconetti’s is the second floor. First off I didn’t know they had a second floor and it has a roof that opens and the windows along Commercial Drive open up in warmer weather. The view of downtown Vancouver is beautiful and unexpected. I don’t often think of Commercial Drive as being somewhere with a great view.
Spend the $16 and go check out Falconetti’s, it’s one of a kind. Go to VANEATS.ca for details.
Scott.
Legal stuff – My package was provided at no charge by Falconetti’s for review purposes. All other food and drink orders were paid for by my hot date aka sugar mama aka Lyndsey 
The Downtown Eastside, a good breakfast and running into old friends. When you get all those things in one place you must be somewhere great! I love the DTES, it has an energy unmatched anywhere else in Vancouver. I know it has its share of troubles but you have to look past the obvious flaws, there’s so much good happening and so many amazing, misunderstood people trying to figure out where they fit into a city that has become completely unaffordable for them. Gentrification is an issue for another post but the restaurant scene in the DTES is growing and quickly becoming the place to be for Vancouver’s food lovers.
Baked egg scramble
Acme Cafe has been around for awhile but this my my first visit and who do I run into? The uber handsome Dylan Redekop, Mr. morethanafeelingmusic.com himself! He was having breakfast with Tiffany (who I also know) and Brad ( who I now know). Small world. I love the look of Acme, an updated version of an old style diner. I ordered the Baked Egg Scramble, sun dried tomatoes and goat cheese baked into eggs. The eggs were laying on a bed of shredded red skin potatoes and some sauteed mushrooms (shiitake I believe). Everything was high quality, very fresh and delicious. Even the multi grain toast was great (fresh bread) and the little cup of fruit salad was filled with juicy, firm, fresh fruit.
Acme Cafe is a winner, I’ll definitely be back.
Scott.
Hot Pink
Last night was Hot Pink, an pin-up girl themed art show featuring the works of Bret Taylor and Alex Stewart. What an amazing night! Somewhere in post industrial South False Creek a group of some of the best people I know came together to support these two talented men. I picked up a nice piece by Bret, my first original art purchase in years.
Bret Taylor
Alex Stewart
After the show we all hung around and had a pretty fantastic party. There was an amazing cake brought by Candice Roach (bakedinvancouver.com) who makes the coolest cakes in town. There was some drinking, plenty of merry making and a lot of yelling, in a good way.
Candice is awesome
Annie Friesen was there with her super cool buttons and magnets. She made a bunch of Hot Pink themed ones as well as some other great designs. Check out her work at dottiesbuttons.ca!
Dotties Buttons
Thanks to everyone who came out last night and huge thanks to Tess McCann for all of her hard work keeping the show running smoothly!
This now hangs on my wall
Scott.
The Greater Vancouver Home Builders’ Association (GVHBA) has announced the finalists for the 2013 Ovation Awards.
The awards, now in their fourth year, honour excellence in the design and construction of new single-family and multi-family homes, as well as the renovation of existing homes. For the first time, a People’s Choice Award will allow the public to vote for their favourite new or renovated project. Ovation Award winners will be announced at the Awards Gala on Saturday, April 20. To learn more about the People’s Choice Award and how you can vote, visit www.ovationawards.ca
“High-quality home building and renovation are hugely important to the home owners of Metro Vancouver,” says GVHBA Chief Executive Officer Bob de Wit. “The Ovation Awards recognize the industry’s leaders in innovation and excellence.”
Here’s a complete list of the nominees including many great projects in my hood, Surrey! Also all of the pictures in this post are projects located in Surrey! Check out www.ovationawards.ca for more info and see photos of these great projects on Facebook at www.facebook.com/gvhba
Scott.
Best Kitchen Renovation: Under $50,000
Best Kitchen Renovation: $50,000 – $99,999
Best Kitchen Renovation: $100,000 and over
Best Kitchen and Greatroom Renovation
Best Bathroom Renovation: Under $35,000
Best Bathroom Renovation: $35,000 and over
Best Renovated Room
Best Addition/Conversion Renovation
Best Accessible Renovation
Best Heritage Renovation
Best Exterior Renovation
Best Condominium Renovation
Best Renovation: Under $250,000
Best Renovation: $250,000 – $499,999
Best Renovation: $500,000 – $799,999
Best Renovation: $800,000 and over
Best Custom Home: $500,000 – $999,999
Best Custom Home: $1 million – $2 million
Best Custom Home: Over $2 million
Best Single-Family Detached Home: Less than 2,000 s.f.
Best Single-Family Detached Home: 2,000 – 2,999 s.f.
Best Townhouse/Rowhome Development: Less than 2,000 s.f.
Best Townhouse/Rowhome Development: 2,000 s.f. and over
Best Multi-Family Lowrise Development
Best Multi-Family Highrise Development
Best New Kitchen: Under $100,000
Best New Kitchen: $100K and over
Best Outdoor Living Space: New or Renovated
Best Special Feature: New or Renovated
Best Interior Design Custom Residence: New or Renovated
Best Interior Design Display Suite: Single-Family or Multi-Family
Best Marketing Innovation
Best Marketing Campaign
FortisBC Award for Excellence in Energy Efficiency in New Construction: Single-Family Home
FortisBC Award for Excellence in Energy Efficiency in New Construction: Multi-Family Home
GRAND OVATION AWARDS
RenoMark Renovator of the Year – Small Volume
RenoMark Renovator of the Year – Large Volume
Custom Builder of the Year
Single-Family Builder of the Year
Multi-Family Builder of the Year
People’s Choice Award Entrants
