Life update - Hello from the other side... of a book · Tuesday September 11, 2012 by colin newell
No I have not fallen off of the Planet. Still here.
Currently working on a small book for Christmas – and I have a pretty tight deadline…
October 15th. Coming fast.
Doing a small project on profiling the top cafes of Southern Vancouver Island – up to and including Nanaimo… out to Sooke… maybe Tofino.
Here are some of the good coffee people that have made the cut – still room for more.
This, in my opinion, is the coffee winners circle for the lower Island. Take a bow folks…
Not in any order of greatness actually!
1.) Caffé Fantastico – Quadra and Kings, Dockside Green
They ratcheted up the coffee scene in Victoria to new levels and they are holding their own…
2.) Habit Coffee and Culture – Pandora Ave, Blanshard at The Atrium
One man thought this up – name of Shane – he had a singular vision and brought it to life. We thank you every day.
3.) Discovery Coffee – Discovery Street, Oak Bay Avenue and Menzies Street
Great coffee. Great whole bean. Great people. Coffee excitement and education by the barrel full.
4.) Bubby Roses Bakery & Café – Cook Street
Bakers go back way further that cafes – add great coffee to a great cafe. You are in heaven… right here in Victoria.
5.) Cornerstone Café – Fernwood and Gladstone Ave.
Funky neighborhood – funky cafe. More to say…
6.) Spiced Water – 727 Courtney Street
Their are new and bold – featured coffee roasters – mixed methods and doughnuts!
7.) 2% Jazz at the Hudson
Sure, they are at the Times-Colonist but this joint rocks the Douglas and Fisgard hood big time – and on site roasting.
8.) Bean around the World – Fisgard Street
Why not have a great cafe in the heart of China Town? and they do good cafe food too.
9.) Mirage – Blanshard Street, Yates Street and Government Street
They roast, they serve and they have lots of coffee home prep schwag!
10.) Café Artigiano – at the Bedford on Government
A Vancouver super-power in a modest sized cafe in Victoria.
11.) Fernwood Coffee at The Parsonage
The boys and girls of Fernwood coffee took a previously hum-drum cafe and brought it big time.
12.) Yoka Coffee Roasters on Mason Street
They were legend in Vancouver… and now they are old school legend here in Victoria!
13.) Broken Paddle Café – Happy Valley Road, Metchosin
Quirky fun in the middle of no where!
14.) Sooke – Stick in the Mud Café – Eustace Rd.
Owned by a rock star – serving rock star worthy coffee… for everyone!
15.)Cobble Hill – Drumroaster Coffee Cowichan Bay Road
Best of the best – more reliable than gravity.
16.) Gulf Islands Coffee Roasters – High Street, Ladysmith
Started as a modified hair dryer roasting coffee – and now BIGGER!
17.) Mon Petit Choux – Commercial St. Nanaimo
Drumroaster coffee and amazing baked stuff!
The August Report Chapter Two - Whistler and beyond - food · Friday August 10, 2012 by colin newell
In previous trips to Whistler, British Columbia, I distinctly remember there being a surfeit of places to get pints or jugs of beer, burgers and fries, deep fried fatty foods, pizza and stuff that would appeal to folks who have spent the previous 7 hours of their day skiing or plummeting downhill on a back breaking mountain bike trail.
And nary a decent cup of good strong coffee to be found.
And a giant gap between salt laden junk food fry ups and the super fancy gourmet stuff you find at some of the high end hotels… and places like Araxia
(which by the way gets some pretty mixed reviews…)
Some exceptions include La Bocca which we did breakfast at one morning – and it was wonderful. The La Bocca patio was always hopping into the evening on their spacious patio area.
And 21-Steps which was very family friendly, upscale, affordable and tasty. And (please note) if you are not child friendly, come by 21 steps after 8 PM or so – because it can get loud- it becomes more of an adult date place later in the evening. Nice to have both options.
Our group had a wonderful meal for 270 at the Whistler Roundhouse Great food, really, really good coffee (!) and desserts – super professional and well presented staff and at 6000+ feet above sea level and 3500+ feet above Whistler village… very dramatic!
Pubs: Honestly, if it can be deep fried in Whistler, it is being done – I was surprised they did not figure out a way to deep dry coffee and serve it on a stick. There was a place that was better than expected: Blacks Pub in the Sundial Boutique Hotel had better than expected pizzas and great staff and service. In a past visit we went to the Dubh Linn Gate (at the Pan Pacific) and that was a hoot – no surprise there.
Back in the village of Whistler there is one thing that has not changed much – the coffee. “The Lift” coffee shop across the entrance to our hotel served tasty and competent JJ Bean drip and espresso based beverages and really, really good baked goodies. I think if someone could find a decent space that was affordable (that is the thing – the rents in Whistler must be unreal) there could be an incredible cafe. Truth be told, such an entity would not likely survive just selling coffee.
There are several Starbucks in Whistler and all of them had regular long line-ups.
Truth be told, my coffee experience was improved by bringing my own Aeropress and a Hario manual burr grinder and a supply of Drumroaster Coffee from Vancouver Island’s best coffee roasting joint.
Overall, Whistler has a lot on the ball – and a little tip here: If you are staying at one of many “affordable” hotels or lodges – prepare to be nickel and dimed. Our room rate for a suite was around $170/night but the parking was almost $40/day – which is absurd. We had a loyalty card which eliminated the $15/day charge for the most basic WiFi connectivity. The secret is: There is lots and lots of free 72 hour parking in Whistler – in the “big lots” – just ask anyone – they are easy to find. And over the course of your stay, you can save hundreds of dollars on parking.
So. Summary: Whistler is definitely not a winter only destination – if you love the outdoors during nice warm weather, then this could be your place.
Cooking Northwest - Cajun Gumbo by Andrea and Colin · Tuesday June 26, 2012 by colin newell
Northwest Cajun Gumbo – a spicy recipe by Andrea and yours truly…
Andrea and I have always had a soft spot for Southern and Cajun cooking – this one incorporates meat, shell fish and chicken – it’s hearty, stick to your ribs good and cooks up in about 1.5 hours of effort. This batch makes enough for 10 – 12 servings and it freezes well in Ziploc containers. This version is hot and zippy. Pull out whichever peppers you find the most intimidating.
6 links of Chorizo sausage – cooked
150g of boneless Chicken thighs – saute and set aside
1 250g container of fresh Oysters
1 cup of diced celery
2 cups diced carrots
1 cup diced green pepper
1 Anaheim, 1 Pablano, 1 red chile, 1 Habanero
2 small Zucchini – chopped
6 cups of chicken stock
Saute celery, carrots and green peppers for 10 minutes in Veg. oil
at 5 minutes add diced Poblano and Anaheim pepper – continuing
for another 5 minutes.
Add 1/2 cup of butter + 1/4 more oil
Add 7 heaping tablespoons of white flour
Mix for ten minutes incorporating the oil, flour and butter to create a roux.
Stir for 10 minutes
Should reach a light caramel color (Note: This is a down & dirty roux)
Add 1 tablespoon of creole mix Emeril spice mix into the roux
Combine the chicken stock slowly over medium heat – stirring
constantly to mix it into a nice stock/stew
Once all the liquid is combined, stir in the sliced sausage, saute chicken,
zucchini + chopped Oysters and their liquor.
Add minced red chile pepper and habanero chile pepper – stir to combine.
Add 2 more tablespoons of Emeril Creole spice mix
Add following spices based on your preference:
1 tablespoon of Onion powder
1 tablespoon of dried basil
1 tablespoon of chile powder
2 tablespoons of smoked Paprika
And pepper to taste.
Simmer for 1/2 hour. Serve with white rice.
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In town eats Victoria - Pig BBQ versus Smoking Bones · Monday June 11, 2012 by colin newell
In a city seemingly built for meat eaters, there are a couple of stand outs – with a caveat or two. And they are Pig BBQ at the Atrium and Smoking Bones at the Hudson.
Chatting on the social network (twitter) today, I mused that in an active comparison between two of the more visible and successful smoked meat vendors, one of them kind of stood out.
But seeing how limited Twitter is for a truly meaningful conversation – or as a medium for getting ones complete opinion out, I offer this additional analysis.
To be fair, Pig BBQ (at the Atrium) and Smoking Bones at the Hudson are two completely different places doing two completely different things – with varying degrees of success.
On one hand, Pig BBQ is more of a no frills joint with semi-communal seating, order at the counter, take a seat and wait for your grub to be called out. What they do: pulled pork, pulled brisket, pulled chicken, specials like a yummy schnitzel sandwich or the frequent fried chicken on a waffle. Sides include palatable if slightly sweet baked beans and satisfying blocks of deep fried mac n’ cheese and the predictable corn bread and slaw. The digs are not fancy. In fact, they initially felt “cold” to me the first few visits. Repeated visits… well, I felt more at home.
Andrea and I can have a very satisfying quick lunch by sharing one sandwich, 1 mason jar of home brewed ice tea and two sides – typically the beans and the mac n’ cheese. This mid-day repast sets us back under 15$.
I was a regular visitor to the “Bones” when it was out in the West Shore – initial impressions were: “This is the best stuff I have put in my mouth…” over time some of the small things started to slip – but it was not the meat. I loved ribs. And I do have one or two favorite recipes I do at home – The long marinade grilled ribs that I do at home I am particularly proud of – but this isn’t about me. “Bones cook shack” does the meat quite well – where it falls off the bone for me are in the sides and some of the foundation items… like the bread. Ah. The bread. Here is the thing folks – if you are offering things like hush puppies, fried oysters, and good ole deep baked beans and Po’ Boys… well get the ingredients right.
To me (and this is just my opinion) the fried oyster basket tasted suspiciously like previously frozen bad boys from CostCo. And the cocktail sauce on the side seemed like it came out of a bottle. If it did not come out of a bottle, fine – at least formulate it like it is unique and attention getting… not like it was done on the cheap with too few good ingredients. I had a Oyster fry up at the “Crow and Gate” pub south or Nanaimo near Cedar, B.C. yesterday. 6 plump oysters fried to perfection served with two kinds of salad, a home made tartar sauce, a fresh but mass produced large dinner roll and a pad of butter. The Oysters from the Crow and Gate are light years ahead of the somewhat overcooked mini-oyster nuggets that “Bones” tries to pass off as an appetizer.
To their credit, “Bones Cook Shack” does a lot of things… well, OK – but they do not leave me gasping for joy. My thought is that perhaps they are trying to do too much with the space that they have – and it is a big space.
In all visits I have found the service to be spot on, the wait staff are well informed, knowledgeable and friendly. So, it is not about what’s happening on the floor – it is a bit of a disconnect in the kitchen – perhaps with the quality of some of the supplies.
In summary, I think that Smoken Bones Cook Shack could be consistent and amazing. Their signature meats are generally pretty good – well prepared, sauced and presentation. The most common complaint that I have heard that I do not necessarily agree with is with the plating… or the lack of it. I have heard it said that everything is served in plastic containers on wax paper – have not noticed this particularly – nor would it bother me if they did.
In comparing the two; PIG BBQ and Smoken Bones Cook Shack… it has to be acknowledged that they are two distinctly different “beasts” – and in the end analysis, PIG wins by not trying to be too many things with too many big ideas. The meat is tasty and is presented commensurate with the environment in which the products are prepared and delivered.
How could Smoken Bones Cook Shack step up? A: Take a good look at the menu. Trim it a bit – maybe a couple of items – or rotate some things and do them with a bit more authenticity and a dollop more pizzazz.
B: Step up on the bread. Bake it yourself if possible. Nothing destroys an Oyster Po’ Boy sandwich or pulled pork than dull tasting factory bread.
C: A message for all restaurants – outsource your sauces and breads at your peril. Think we do not notice? We do.
Colin Newell is a Victoria resident, IT Guy and food/drink writer – his writing has graced the internet since 1995
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