Eater's Digest: Vancouver, BC

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[from April (I know, I know…)]

pidgin / meat and bread / the pie shoppe / mancakes bakery / cuchillo / the flying pig / bao bei chinese brasserie / the fish counter / black rook bakehouse / dunlevy snack bar


Oyster Shot (Pidgin)
apple, horseradish


Beef Brisket (Pidgin)
miso gorgonzola crust, beets

Brisket with a gorgonzola crust sounds odd, but tastes fabulous.


Meringue (Pidgin)
passion fruit curd, almonds, white chocolate, lime

Stupendous curd.


Porchetta Sandwich (Meat and Bread)
salsa verde

One of the best sandwiches I have ever eaten. Exceeded the hype. The accompanying mustard is terrific too.

Chocolate Pecan Pie (The Pie Shoppe)

I effort to try a chocolate pecan pie in every city I visit.

Chocolate pecan pies in Canada are dismayingly just pecan pies with chocolate drizzled atop. I prefer chocolate pecan pies with chocolate incorporated into the filling.

This chocolate pecan pie had a stick-to-your-teeth toffee-ness that I kinda dug.

ManCakes Toolkit (ManCakes Bakery)
buffalo wing / rum and coke / tequila pineapple / whiskey lime / chocolate red wine / pizza / pink peppercorn grapefruit / bacon chili chocolate / apple brie / breakfast / king kong / chicago

So. ManCakes. Cupcakes for men. Interesting on paper, uneventful in my mouth. And some –

– I struggled to finish, despite being tasting-sized.

Nanaimo Bar (Black Rook Bakehouse)

Black Rook Bakehouse was somehow the only place in Vancouver where I found Nanaimo bars. Its Nanaimo bars are excellent.

[Close Encounters of the Food Kind S04E01: Jon eats lunch with Pinder in Gastown (April 2014)]

Bone Marrow Cheezy Bread (The Flying Pig)

The bone marrow just made the cheese taste rancid, and the bread was tough, like it was microwaved. No me gusta.

Chipotle and Sea Salt Dusted Fry Bread (Cuchillo)


Pulled Duck and Cracklin' Taco (Cuchillo)
roasted garlic, blackberry habanero jam, corn tortilla


Molé Lamb Albondigas Taco (Cuchillo)
sardo parmesan, browned garlic popcorn, red corn tortilla

House Guacamole, Tapenade Manzanilla, Huitlacoche Salsa (Cuchillo)
chips

Chips and tapenade – only in Canada.


Albacore Tuna and Pipián Rojo Ceviche (Cuchillo)
warm peruvian double-smoked bacon causa

Oh mon Dieu.


Shao Bing (Bao Bei Chinese Brasserie)
sesame flatbread with cumin lamb sirloin, pickled red onion, green pepper, cilantro, and salted chilies


Kick Ass House Fried Rice (Bao Bei Chinese Brasserie)
smoked duck breast, kohlrabi, jade daikon, yao tsai, thai basil, chili bamboo, spiced soy

Bao Bei: Good white guy Chinese. Would come again.

Pork Belly Bun (Dunlevy Snackbar)
cilantro, chili, lime gochujong

Korean Fried Chicken Bun (Dunlevy Snackbar)
lime mayo, house kimchi


Turmeric Sweet Soy Rice Noodles (Dunlevy Snackbar)
broccoli, pickled mushroom, green onion, chili, toasted cashew

More white guy Asian. If Bao Bei is Momofuku, then Dunlevy Snackbar is a pop-up in a Bushwick art gallery.


Its washroom is through the dark opening behind the DJ.

Som tum, gua bao, bibimbap, matcha cake – Food Network Star judges might question its culinary point of view.

MISSED CONNECTIONS

I covered most of them in this post.


Double Dutch Calamari and Tzatziki-Flavoured Thick Ripple Chips
Still haven't opened this souvenir.


Awake Caffeinated Chocolate

#eatersdigest

The fella over there with the hella good hair

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// Montreal, QC

Jägermeister poutine at Brutus, an all-bacon restaurant: Bacon, caramelized onions, cheese, and "Jägermeister sauce."

// Toronto, ON

Idea: Sideshow Mel-kshake – a banana milkshake topped with blue cotton candy and a meringue bone.

// Ypsilanti, MI

Do not adjust your screen. Eastern Michigan's football field is grey.

// Las Vegas, NV

There's eclectic, and then there's Mötley Crüe leading into Ariana Grande – which you can enjoy for free with an obstructed view!

// San Francisco, CA

Hiro Sandwich at Urchin: Three meatballs "sandwiched" between a slice of baguette and two roasted marrow bones, served over fries.

// Seattle, WA

4 discs, 17 films, but only one of them stars Kiefer Sutherland, and it's a television movie from 1986 about teenaged vigilantes.

So it's not 24, nor is it 24 hours of films starring Kiefer Sutherland.

Adam Riff™ Clip of the Week

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35. Controlling Water Illusion (Wizard Wars, S01E02)

Stray Observations

  • Kevin doesn't get Nyan Cat (The Leftovers, S01E09)
  • "Every man rebels against the idea that this is fuckin' it – fights windmills, saves fuckin' damsels, all in search of greater purpose. You have no greater purpose because it is enough." (The Leftovers, S01E09)
  • Mr. Quinlan! (The Strain, S01E07)
  • That was Stephen McHattie as Mr. Quinlan? (The Strain, S01E07)
  • Going Deep with David Rees Season Grade: B-
  • Whoa! (Matador, S01E07)
  • Both of his hands?! (Matador, S01E07)
  • …Oh. (Matador, S01E07)
  • Scott Ian eating anchovies (Restaurant Startup, S01E08)
  • "This needs a delicate touch. Call The Chopper." (The Bridge, S02E08)

#clipoftheweek

William Smith

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The alleys and narrow one-way streets of Philadelphia make me want to film a car chase here.

The dirt-cheap cab fares and car park rates make me want to move here.

SEPTA
PATCO
KORRA
NARUTO
MARTA
GOKU
MUNI

Transit system or anime character?

I was surprised to see Stevie Richards on the subway.

Stevie Richards won the Hardcore Championship 22 times?!

Hmm… According to Wikipedia, he won it 21 times.

Only a punk would claim a championship he didn't win.

McKern: Only a punk would call The Legend of Korra "anime."
Jon: #notallpunks

Another ad on the subway:

Better see Biebs!

How is Justin Bieber, Esquire not a show on truTV?

I can't decide which would amuse me more: Bieber representing Bieber, or Bieber cross-examining Bieber.

If he ever becomes a judge – Justice Bieber.


I'm coming home.

Rapture, Blister, Burn

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This 1-800-BAD-DRUG ad for abnormal male breast growth has been airing during the Simpsons marathon, and it's even loonier than the one for transvaginal mesh failure.

[visits 1800baddrug.com]


10-10-3-2-AAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!


stock photos of boys in risperdal ads .tumblr.com

related: This Depends ad about bladder leakage after a hysterectomy that aired during the Emmys.

Unlitter Us

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Vance DeGeneres' life is quietly fascinating.

— Ellen's brother
— Corporal in the Marine Corps
— Originated the role of Mr. Hands in the Mr. Bill short films
— Co-founded a band with Go-Go's drummer Gina Schock
— Daily Show correspondent
— Became the permanent rhythm guitarist for Cowboy Mouth
— Now co-runs of Steve Carell's production company

Adam Riff™ Clip of the Week

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34. Simon Sees (Nathan For You, S02E08)

Honourable Mention

Stray Observations

  • Is business about to pick up? (The Strain, S01E06)
  • Patti recites the second stanza of Yeats' "Michael Robartes bids his Beloved be at Peace" (The Leftovers, S01E08)
  • Libby's got jungle fever (Masters of Sex, S02E06)
  • "Gonna hit the buffet at the Spearmint Rhino. You down?"
    "No, I'm gonna stick around here, put in a little work."
    "You sure, man? Boobies and food…" (Matador, S01E06)
  • "I'm an idiot businessman with a small dick." (Nathan For You, S02E08)
  • "We shared popcorn. We weren't masturbating there."
    "We just have one board for both. These cork boards are like $20." (Nathan For You, S02E08)
  • Nathan For You Season Grade: A-
  • Magic incorporating SPAM (Wizard Wars, S01E01)
  • "When a dude with puka shells runs away from you, you are on to something." (The Bridge, S02E07)
  • The Honourable Woman Season Grade: C+
  • Rectify Season Grade: C+
  • "In fact, you interrupted my preparations." (The Knick, S01E03)
  • RT: The fight with Algernon outside the bar was done with a rig on Andre's back and GoPro cameras (The Knick, S01E03)

#clipoftheweek

  • SUMOR VI
    "an avant-garde pop summer mixtape"

There's only one everything

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Almost…finished…clearing out my boss' flat.

Jon: You think I can cancel your cable service for you?
Pep: Why not? You pose as me and sign my signature all the time.
Jon: Yes, but, won't they check identification?

Jon: Hey, did you read the surrender agreement? "Walls must be painted back to original colour"?!

Jon: Will they deduct from the security deposit for leaving the shower curtain? I've never moved to this extent before.
B: Jon, people your age are raising families.

Purgatory Chasm

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Game Show Idea: A variation on The Price Is Right with phone number games instead of pricing games. You win stuff based on how well you know the phone numbers of contacts in your phone.

"All these digits are one away from the digits in your co-worker Tom's phone number."
"Gentleman, do I have seven digits correct?"

Pathfinder on a nine-by-nine grid.

For Plinko chips: "Scott Rothman's area code: Starts with a 4 or ends with a 0?"

So a white person unconscionably kills a black person. Punish said white person by dyeing his or her skin black — John Howard Griffin, but permanent. No prison time or death penalty, just irrevocably alter his or her appearance. #jonjustice

Rory: WWF : WCW :: Mad: Cracked.
Jon: But Cracked never rivaled Mad like WCW rivaled WWF.

Jon: Extending the analogy, John Severin is Hulk Hogan, and Don Martin is Bret Hart.
Rory: Duck Edwing is Shawn Michaels?