August 8th, 2010, 4 Comments »
Earlier this summer I solicited suggestions for offbeat things to do in New York. I spent about ten days there (here’s my report), and Julie stayed for a month or so. She gathered suggestions from all corners–some offbeat, some commonplace–and assembled them into a spreadsheet.
Should you travel to the Big Apple in the near future, you may find the list useful:
February 11th, 2008, 17 Comments »
I recently got forwarded an email about Vancouver restaurants. Somebody was collecting recommendations for a visiting gourmand.
I’m kind of anti-gourmand, myself, and I almost never discuss food on here. As such, I thought I’d edit and link up the list and post it for the use of the more food-friendly among you. The following opinions are not my own, but come from a group of trustworthy Vancouver professionals (who clearly eat out a lot). I regret the repeated use of ‘scene-y’.
Bishops – Never fails to impress with lovely service and amazing food.
Bluewater – Always has amazing fresh sushi and seafood. Plus, it’s a fun scene.
Brix – For the late night fondue and a night cap. It has a gorgeous, European-style courtyard, which is a really rarity among Vancouver restaurants.
Chambar – A Belgian restaurant–try the mussels.
Cin Cin – Has a brand-new menu, exquisite service and a fabulous wine list. Try the pasta starters with truffles.
Cioppino’s – Amazing high-end Italian. Get Pino’s osso bucco and let Massimo pick his wine. He’s amazing.
Coast – For the chef’s tasting table, the fish tacos and the lobster poutine. Not as ‘scene-y’ as their other restaurants (Glowbal, Sanafir, Italian Kitchen).
Il Giardino – Another Italian restaurant–very scene-y and fun.
Parkside – The sweetest setting in the West End, the most wonderful service and some of the most imaginitive, well-priced food in the city.
Quattro – Over on the North Shore. You don’t get the view of the Beach House in West Van, but the food, service and ambiance is infinitely superior.
Tojo’s – Simply amazing, and a must-see in Vancouver. It feels kind of overpriced because you can get amazing sushi at other places for an eighth of the price but it’s an experience. Do omikase (a chef’s tasting menu) at the bar.
Vij’s – They don’t take reservations, but it’s so worth the wait. Sit in the lounge and eat Indian appetizers and have a drink while you wait for your table. Another Vancouver must-see.
West – Phenomenal food and service. It often rates as Vancouver’s #1 restaurant.
Wild Rice – Very young and hip Chinese fusion. They don’t take reservations, you can go to the (reputedly lipstick) lesbian bar around the corner for a drink. They’ll call you when your table is ready.
There you go. Dine out, Vancouver.
Can I opine for a minute now? I have zero, zilch, nil time for any restaurant that makes me wait in line because they don’t take reservations. This means you, Vij’s and Wild Rice. It strikes me as a complete lack of respect for their customers, and discourages me from patronizing them. After all, I’m already paying for the food, service and ambiance. Should I really have to pay to wait in a queue, too?
It’s also frustrating because I don’t understand the logic behind the decision. Is it the same thinking that manufactures queues outside of nightclubs? Are they being different just for the absurd sake of being different?
Incidentally, the same applies to more casual places that are consistently too busy. I’ve never been to Sophie’s Cosmic Cafe on West 4th for this reason–they have a reputation of being notoriously busy for breakfast.
In short, I really don’t like to wait in line for food. Having to eat the stuff every day is irksome enough.
What’s your favourite Vancouver restaurant?
September 21st, 2007, 59 Comments »
Recently I saw Chris Brogan’s blog post entitled 100 Blog Topics I Hope YOU Write. It’s a big list of blog posts he’d like to read, with a real focus on Web 2.0 and releated technologies. In his introduction, he writes:
People often ask me how I come up with things to blog about, and I find the question strange, because my problem is the opposite. I have too much to blog about. Why? Because there’s a whole fast revolution rolling through, and right now – today – is our time to make it all work for us.
People ask me the same question occasionally, and I really don’t have a good answer. I don’t have Chris’s problem, but I never have to look very hard for something to write about.
When people ask about the topic of my blog, I sometimes say (with a little fay wave of my hand), “whatever strikes my fancy”. And that’s kind of true. When I started this blog, I made the mistake of writing about everything (excepting the particularly personal), so it’s turned out to be a kind of grab bag.
In any case, I liked Chris’s idea of a list of posts I’d like to read. However, I read enough about bloody Twitter and Flickr and the transformational power of Ajax.
Here are fifty posts I’d like to read that have nothing to do with technology. These aren’t very original. I’ve read many of them elsewhere, and written a few of them myself. Nonetheless, I think they’d make for interesting reading: