Food Drink and Customer Culture Victoria - Mark Engels interview · Saturday September 10, 2011 by colin newell
I have known Mark Engels for years – and if you are a Victoria resident and fan of great food and drink, then there are few people better to have the ear and opinions of.
Victoria has lots of interesting food people. Many of them with a leading edge sense of what is going on here, some of the things that have been attempted in the past (that have failed) and some things on the horizon.
Which often brings me to one of Mark’s food and bakery ventures. I am a junkie for whats happening and what might be happening in the Victoria food groove. I mean, who doesn’t enjoy having a leg up on the food culture intelligence?
And considering that there are few people as driven as Engels, there are even fewer people that will have that innate 6th sense of the trends.
We spoke at Bubby’s Kitchen, Oscar and Cook St. on Saturday over his interpretation of the gourmet burger and the classic kosher hot dog – and the life and times of one of Victoria’s most beloved bakers and raconteurs, his staff, his customers and the trials and tribulations of running a tight culinary ship.
Mark’s dialog is a contiguous and literate stream, musings include a dissertation on the fragile nature of the food supply, satisfying a seemingly endless queue of regular devotees, customers old and new – all ages, the scaled up version of “Bubby’s Bakery” now in dining form at Oscar and Cook street, and so on.
Mark, Valerie and their business partner Joel are part of a, not so much revitalization, but a fresh stucco treatment of the historic Cook Street Village. The density near village center has gone up some – with the addition of condos near the core, and the relevance of more food services has never been more welcomed. Which is not to say that food choices were never stellar – The Cook street village has evolved with the times. And Mark and company have kept it ahead of the wave as it were.
Mark muses on the broad spectrum of customers in the village, “Look at our customer base down here… young parents, the elderly, urban professionals… somewhat different than Bubby’s at Meares and Cook…” Cook and Meares is almost something of a bakery hipster hang out with way more civil servants, writers, students, etc.
Mark pauses to direct a few staff and frequently interacts with everyone on the team. He continues, “Valerie and I are always delighted when we get that extra-special super passionate staffer – in fact, they all become part of the Bubby’s family in short order…”
As a food writer I am always looking for that special something-something that separates the average food places in Victoria from the gems; like Bubby Roses, Zambri’s, the great cafes, and dozens of others. And it comes down to passion and putting the “perfection” ahead of the profit.
Mark injects, “There are myriad ways of making more money on the process of running a place like this… raising the price of items without reason or justification, or taking the fun factor out of the equation… At Bubby’s the passion comes before the bottom line…”
I get the sense that when the fun ends that Mark will hang up his fedora.
In the meantime, Andrea and I share the Bison burger, perfectly prepared, presented on a bun made in house, with a in-house salsa and aioli – and an all beef “dog” and a bowl of awesome (and very hot) Minestrone soup.
Leaving your heart in San Francisco - part 4 - just doing it · Saturday September 10, 2011 by colin newell
Quick summary – Thinking of visiting a great American city? San Francisco is a great choice for couples and families – and even individuals. In the previous 3 installments we covered aspects of planning and organizing your visit.
photo above – the city that loves its water. No visit to San Francisco is complete without spending some time on the water or over the water… Click on any photo to zoom in for a better view!
We got a City Pass to get all access to the MUNI, the street cars and the cable cars. Best dollars spent.
We reserved a spot on a 3 hour Grayline tour. They pick you up at your hotel.
We did not need to make a dinner reservation ahead of time because there are so many options. Now if you are doing a Wine country tour and want to dine at the French Laundry – you may need to reserve a few months ahead of time.
Photo above – Sourdough is part of San Francisco culture – check it out at Boudin Bakery
Andrea and I had some real goals and some special food and coffee targets and virtually all of those were achieved.
All of the coffee shops are either within walking distance of downtown or walking distance from the Market Street F Train. That is the street car line you will get familiar with if you visit San Francisco.
Getting to know the overall food scene of San Francisco when visiting for a week? It’s utterly impossible. Talk to friends who have been there or read some literate San Francisco food blogs and take your chances. We were staying on Nob hill in San Francisco and found some gems in the neighborhood – most or all of those based on tips we had received prior to arrival.
Photo above – Food and Wine culture in Yountville, Napa Valley. A quick moving lineup into the Bouchon Bakery
We found San Francisco to be a great family (and pet) friendly city with a bewildering menu of activities to please everyone – and it’s all very well organized. The only line ups you will encounter will be at the popular cable car stops – and since everyone must ride the cable cars, ride before 9:30AM or after 5:30PM.
Let me repeat: San Francisco is a child friendly place and so are ALL the attractions including the cable cars. The San Francisco cable cars are also stroller friendly so do not be shy. San Francisco cable car pilots (or driver engineers) are very well trained and appear to be excellent tour guides. In an average ride, there were upwards of 40 riders and the drivers always seemed to know who wanted to get off where and when.
For Andrea and I there were no hiccups – at any stage of the process. I do talk on this subject a lot and I do get the sense from lots of Canadians that would like to travel BUT… the overarching issue for them is, surprise surprise, airport security. I have not done a lot of air travel over the last ten years but it is usually a twice or thrice annual event for me. I just roll with it and never have any complaints about overly zealous TSA or border folks – they are just doing their jobs.
Wine touring? Plan ahead – reserve tastings if necessary – avoid parking lots full of limos and tour buses!
San Francisco is the kind of place you can spend a little or a lot – is up to you. And this axiom applies in all facets of the visit. The sky is the limit for hotels but you can find many boutique hotels for around $120/night (or less) on special via one of the many online booking agencies. San Francisco is getting hit by the recession like any other American (or global for that matter) city and deals abound.
The weather in San Francisco was unflinchingly cooperative but also pretty typical. Layering is the golden rule – and you won’t be shivering.
Will probably add some more to this last chapter on our first (in hopefully a series) of San Francisco visits. By all means, if you need any additional info or some clarification on any aspect of what I have written about San Francisco, please send me an email – I respond enthusiastically to all e-mail generally within 24 hours or less.
I hope this little series of articles have helped out those folks that are heading off to San Francisco. Andrea and I loved our week there – we were utterly amazed at how wonderful this city is and cannot wait to return. If you go, let us know how it works out for you!
Colin Newell is a Victoria area resident, food writer, pop culture and cafe culture maven – in the business of writing about trends in food and drink world since 1995 – His work has appeared on The Women’s Network, CBC, CTV and on CBS Television, CSI Las Vegas.
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Dining out in Victoria - Vis-a-vis - Oak Bay Avenue · Saturday September 3, 2011 by colin newell
There are fewer things finer than dropping what you are doing (in my case blogging…) and grabbing the car keys, camera bag and my hungry wife to pop out for some spontaneous dining.
In this case – Vis a vis Wine Bar on Oak Bay Avenue.
One of our favorite local places is Stages in Fernwood – and this place is a little like Stages; charcuterie, small plates and lots of wines to sample in small glasses – or large glasses if you are so inclined.
Vis a vis is a partnership with The Penny Farthing pub next door on Oak Bay Avenue – but that is where the similarity ends. While sitting on the sidewalk patio, many many people walked by and turned into The Farthing… and that is OK. This is a completely different place. A great place. We came curious and hungry.
And we left satisfied with a new place to take ourselves… and friends.
Menu items below: Squid with squid-ink fettucini, Pork belly, grapefruit, endive, maple & onion caramel, Beef fennel salami & Juliet brie.
Leaving your heart in San Francisco - part 3 - arrival orientation · Saturday September 3, 2011 by colin newell
When you land at San Francisco International airport (assuming you land there and not at Oakland [which is a viable alternative]) – you have a handful of transportation options for getting downtown to your hotel:
Taxi – There are a row of legit cabs waiting to take you downtown to your hotel. Cost is around $30. For $20 more or so you can get a limo… but why? Travel time: 20 – 30 minutes – generally closer to the lower number. Cabs travel at the speed limit on the Freeway so do not be alarmed when you are zooming along at 70mph in a Prius!
Shuttle van – Vans can make their way downtown to your hotel – they are around $17-19 per person – and take a bit longer doing the hotel milk run. Do the math. Want to save a few bucks, this is one way to go.
Rapid Transit – If you are traveling light and want a bit more adventure and keep a few more dollars in your pocket, take the BART. It is fast, clean and safe and will get you to a location near your hotel downtown within 30 minutes.
Photo left – have your Gold card handy if you are staying anywhere near Union Square shopping!
If you are arriving mid-day (always the best way to arrive), it gives you time to check in and start exploring your surroundings. We stayed on the very top of Nob Hill – which is a combination of nice hotels, luxury small homes, and by appearances, some international embassies – oh yea, and some great restaurants.
There are some primary centers of action in San Francisco; Union Square, Powell Station, Ferry Building, Embarcadero and Fisherman’s Wharf. Chances are you are going to be staying near one of these. One of those travel books I suggested talks about these neighborhoods.
We stayed in tony Nob Hill so it was “all downhill” from where we were staying. Literally. First thing we did was make our way to the Visitors Information Center (900 Market Street) to validate our City Pass – they are open til 5 PM sharp on weekdays so make sure you arrive a few minutes earlier like we did! And we got in. Last customers of the day!
First meal in San Francisco that afternoon: Sears Fine Food – nothing to do with the Sears chain of stores – that is their name – and they have been serving up gravity reliable grub since 1938. Old school and Blue Plate specials. And it’s the perfect comfortable place to have that first meal when you are feeling somewhat discombobulated from air travel. We became acquainted with The Nob Hill Cafe which had a very comfortable eating space and great menu. The pasta is great and we visited twice.
If you have come to San Francisco for some of the great coffee culture (Photo above left) you will not be let down. Most people who love coffee know that San Francisco is coming into its own – names that come to mind; Blue Bottle at the Ferry Building (a great attraction all by itself), Sight Glass – Four Barrel and Ritual, etc etc. More on these in the next installment.
