This week, we have: mixed greens, basil, onion, coloured carrots, parsnips, zucchini, tomato, garlic, sunflower and basil
Category: Local Food
Sheraton Wall Centre Event Catering
I went to a gala dinner at the Sheraton Wall Centre last night. I was not optimistic about the food, given the less than stellar reviews on Urbanspoon about room service and Cafe One restaurant.
The event started off with cocktails, where servers walked around with hot canapes. These were really good. I sampled a vegetarian samosa, arancini, chicken meatballs with teriyaki sauce, and sundried tomato bruschetta.
For dinner, we had a . I found it unremarkable. For dinner, we had Grilled Queen Charlotte Halibut Fillet with Sweet Potato Puree, Wilted Greens, Seasonal Baby Vegetables and Smoked Vine-Ripened Tomato Coulis. The halibut was a good portion and flavorful, but a little dry. The vegetables were done to a turn.
For dessert, we had Mango Mousse Layered with Raspberry and Almond Sponge Cake served with Coconut Ice-Cream. That was delicious. Service was good, as I would expect from these type of events. Having been to the coffee shop downstairs in the hotel, and talking to others that have eaten at the restaurant, I conclude that the Sheraton serves good food. But, I suspect their service is lacking in the restaurant.
.
Feastro The Rolling Bistro
Looking for a quick, small lunch before going to the spa, I walked by Feastro. The menu was mostly seafood so that caught my attention. I settled on the dungeness crab and shrimp cake with smoked cocktail sauce and celeriac sweet bell pepper salad.
There was generous amounts of seafood in the deep fried croquettes. It was fresh and hot off the fryer. The celeriac salad was a nice twist on coleslaw. Nice, satisfying lunch.
Fresh Local Wild
I’m really eager to sample Vancouver’s food truck culture. Having seen Fresh Local Wild on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives, I decided to try it. They have a variety of seafood menu items. The seafood poutine looked interesting as well as the chicken fried oysters. Looking for something with a generous vegetable content, so I choose the BC fish shawarma salad.
The salad came with pieces of pan fried whitefish. There was a generous portion of salad greens with parsley, tomato, cucumber, red onion with balsamic vinaigrette , a splash of hot sauce and hummus. I found the dressing to be overly heavy. The salad itself was quite tasty.
They have an area on the back of the truck where you can eat, shielded from the weather. I would like to come track and try their seafood poutine.
CSA Delivery #10
This week, we have: red cabbage, carrots, green onion, potatoes, beets, dill weed, garlic, peppers, swiss chard and sunflower.
CSA Delivery #10
This week, we have: mixed greens, corn, celery, assorted peppers, tomato, garlic, horseradish and onions.
Canning Weekend
I just finished up my second annual canning weekend. Three of us were busy in the kitchen. We bought tons of tomatoes, onions,apples and peaches. We made a 3 in 1 recipe that makes BBQ relish, sweet and sour sauce and chutney. We then tackled a salsa recipe.
Our biggest limitation was the lack of a large burner so we could use an additional canner. (Wishfully thinking I should have gone for the 48″ cook top during renovations). We also managed to burn two pots. The cheap stainless one from IKEA cleaned up well, but would bubble up out of control when stirred. The enameled Le Creuset pot did not clean well; the enamel came off with scrubbing. But it held heat really well and cooked much faster.
I also had two jars explode. It was the last three jars of salsa. They were put into the small canner and the bottoms blew out. Not sure what that happened. The rings were still finger tight, so not sure that was the cause.
Canning is a lot of work, but the results are totally worth it.
CSA Delivery #9
This week we have: purple kohlrabi, carrots, pink fir apple potatoes, chives, peppers, tomato, beets, cauliflower and flowers.
Reader's Garden Cafe
I love character houses, locally made from scratch food, a room with a view and Mother Nature. I found the perfect combination in Reader’s Garden Cafe. The restaurant is located in the Reader Rock Garden, which is worth a visit on its own. We took some time to explore the garden before dinner. With the help of my friends, we managed to identify most of the veggies. They grew: purple kohlrabi, swiss chard, parsley, beets, tomatoes, rhubarb and kale. Also a few strawberries here and there. They also grow the flowers they serve in their dishes.
The grounds are popular with weddings; we saw a photo shoot while we were there. I love the narrow stone steps and footpaths. Certainly a place to linger for an afternoon of reading or quiet contemplation. We were seated in the front room which had spectacular views of downtown, the Saddledome, and the Stampede.
They’re only open seasonally from about mid-April to October.
The service was a bit slow, but attentive. They did mention that they have a small kitchen. Almost everything is made from scratch or grown on the property. The yogurt and grainy mustard that came with the charcuterie board was made in house. I also liked the pickled watermelon rind and homemade soda bread that came with the platter. All the flowers and some of the veggies are from their gardens. They were really good in accommodating my birthday cake. Which was a mango mousse cake from Yamato decorated with fresh fruit. The server had a sense of humor to go with the ones at our table.
This is a gem of a cafe and hopefully I will be back again before the season is over.
Boar sausage, pickled watermelon rind, house made soda bread, baguette, dill pickles, pickled beets, grainy mustard, yogurt and roast beef
CSA Delivery #8
This week, we have: green onion, cabbage, lettuce mix, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, Shanghai bok choy, kale and garlic. Deliveries are getting bigger.
