Coal Harbour, Lunch at Gyoza Bar and Gastown

Day 1 in Vancouver was structured light on purpose, as the 6 AM flight from SFO necessitated a 4 AM pick-up, and a 3:15 AM wake-up. The fact that I stayed up past 11 PM without a recharging nap is really quite remarkable. What didn't help was upon exiting the Sky Train that took me from YVR to the city center, I was greeted with a delightful 8 block walk to where I was staying, luggage (for 2 weeks) and all!

The AirBnB I selected was located on W. Georgia Street, which happens to be the main east-west thoroughfare through the city center. It was located 4 blocks from the entrance of Stanley Park, and 2 blocks from the Coal Harbour waterfront. It was a clean, small room with a full sized IKEA bed and an attached bathroom. By far the best thing about it was the view.

A room with a view.
2016 Vancouver, BC.

Initial thoughts on Vancouver

It's day 4 of Bartcation 2016, and I find myself sitting at a neighborhood JJBean coffee shop in the heart of Coal Harbor. To my right, a delightfully attractive lady does the sudoku in the paper while taking a break from her office tedium. To my left sits my sublime decaf soy latte; the remnants of the leaf design in the foam having fully faded away.

It's cloudy, cool, and drizzling on and off. Today was supposed to be my day to check out Stanley Park, but that isn't going to be happen. As if by some sort of divine intervention, Vancouver is making me come back in the near future.... and leaving me something else to do in case experiencing it's treasures a second time wasn't enough.

Four years is far too long!

It has been something like four years, since the last time I figuratively blew the dust off the cover of this blog, and put my thoughts to a post. Since the last post, I have done the following:

• Moved from Metro Detroit to Stamford Connecticut
• Took a job with GE Capital
• Met some of the most amazing friends from across the East Coast
• Moved again to the Bay Area, just outside of San Francisco, CA
• Left GE Capital and took a job with Bank of the West
• GE Capital has since been imploded and sold off, making the career move a true stroke of luck
• Dumped Delta for United (given their dominance at SFO) and made Platinum last year; 1K projected this year
• Had the luxury of dining at some incredible Michelin star restaurants, including French Laundry and The Restaurant at Meadowood
• Attended Hamilton (the musical) before it's popularity exploded

The reason for kicking this blog into gear is because, for the first time since visiting Latvia in 2006, I have a solo trip planned to Vancouver in the upcoming week. For this trip I have some incredible dinner reservations lined up, and am currently formulating a day trip to Victoria. This blog should provide a great opportunity to showcase my experiences. It will also hopefully set this blog up for more frequent updates as my fall travel schedule picks up.

So for now, stay tuned for future updates. D-7 until Vancouver!

-Bartman

Tonight at Chez Bart: Salmon Steaks with Spicy Tomato Sauce

Goodness it has been a while since I blogged. There are many reasons for the lapse, including taking on a new job in a new city (which means moving - yuck!). Also, I think the format of my posts were too long, which made writing them more of a chore than a joy. Thus, I am going to toy with a new format for this cooking post. Check it out, and let me know what you think!

Tonight I decided to check out this recipe from the January 2012 issue of Bon Appétit. It seemed like the perfect winter fish dish: spicy, hearty, and rustic. I paired it with steam green beans, and a nice rice pilaf. So tasty!

Shop till you drop: This dish calls for Sunflower oil, but many other oils can be substituted. I would stick with those that are not full bodied - i.e. olive oil - as you do not want to disturb the balance of flavors between the sauce and the fish. I used avocado oil, which has a high flashpoint - making it great for the sear portion of this recipe - and is still very healthy. Corn or canola oil would work well too.

The dish calls for bone-in salmon steaks, and while you could use boneless, I would opt against it. Just like with beef short-ribs, or bone-in pork chops, the bones lend quite a bit of flavor. Just pick them out... it's not too hard!

As for the spice mill, you can also get by with a mortar and pestle, or coffee grinder. If you decided on the coffee grinder, just make sure to clean any coffee out.

Tips & tricks: I would tackle this dish into three steps: 1. make the garlic paste, 2. sear the fish, and 3. make the sauce and cook the fish in it. For the garlic paste, you can make it ahead of time and store in the fridge. The longer it chills, the better the flavors will meld. 3 - 24hrs is a suitable window. 

Another key thing to think about is the temperature differential between searing the fish, and cooking the sauce/fish. Because you sear the fish over medium-high heat, but cook the sauce/fish over medium fish, make sure you use a separate burner or allow the pan to cool a bit. This way you do not burn the garlic paste with a super-hot skillet.

The result? Another solid dish from Bon Appétit, with great depth of flavor. The caraway and cinnamon lends earthy notes, which is complimented with the freshness of the cilantro and lemon. The salmon seals the deal by adding buttery notes from its natural oils, while the cayenne and paprika make it zesty and fun. Definitely will be adding this to my repertoire!

Salmon Steaks with Spicy Tomato Sauce - Bon Appétit - January 2012 

Bart family Annual Thanksgiving Wine Trip 2011, Day 2

I woke up around 8am local time (16:00 UTC), feel completely refreshed. I have to admit: Fairmont beds give those Westin Heavenly mattresses a run for their money. I could have easily slept in longer, but new that would ruin my chances of acclimating to pacific time. Thus, I decided to get some coffee and scones for the Madre and I.

Caffe Cento: My new favorite coffee shop!

Located on level P of the Fairmont is Caffe Cento (pronounced ch'ento), a delightful coffee shop that serves Illy coffee (MY FAVORITE!!!). I picked up two cafe lattes and two blueberry scones, and headed back up to the Madre's room. While nibbling on the scones, we set about planning out the day. It was currently raining, which kinda precluded us from doing any outdoorsy activities. Instead, she read and I set out trying to get the internet working on this blasted laptop. After an hour of futility - including a long session talking to the internet help desk - it was 11am local time (19:00 UTC), so we headed to Yank Sing for a Dim Sum brunch!

I am a huge fan of dim sum, and who wouldn't be?! It's an endless offering of dumplings, rolls, and other friend or steamed delicacies! When we first arrived, we noticed the tell-tale sign that any asian restaurant is a good one: it was full of asian clients. Whether it's asian food, indian food, italian, etc.; the more people of said ethnicity dine there, the better it has to be. It's like a natural law of culinary dining!

Upon being seated, we were served a giant pot of tea, and then like clockwork, servers started coming around asking us if we wanted this or that. Shrimp dumplings, sea bass  fried in a sweet potato batter, fried soft-shell crab, chicken-stuffed mushrooms, chicken lettuce cups, etc. I could go on and on, so I invite you to check out the menu. Our favorite was definitely the Shanghai Dumpling: dumplings filled with chicken and soup. To eat them, you place one in typical asian spoon. Top it with a slice or two of ginger, and then drizzle it with some red vinegar. One then puts the whole thing in their mouth, and as one bites in, you get the soup bursting in one's mouth. Incredible! Just make sure to let it cool, otherwise the entire rough of one's mouth will be singed!

These servers won't stop unless you surrender!

Other favorites included the sea bass with sweet potato breading, fried soft-shell crab, and this delightful cabbage salad. By the end of it all, I was stuffed and had to constantly turn the servers down. I think if it was up to them, I would be stuffed for dead! It was an excellent meal - totally in the glutinous spirit of Thanksgiving - and completely destroyed my prior dim sum experience in Toronto (ask me about the Spicy De-Boned Duck Webs story sometime!).

After a meal like that, all I want to do is walk. Mom and I walked a couple of blocks to the Ferry building, snapped some pics, and then back to Market and California where she hopped in a cab back to the hotel. I continued to walk, first up California, then deviating west until I found myself in the red light district! A few blocks passing strip clubs, and I was on Columbus heading towards Fisherman's Wharf. I walked until I reached the Wharf cable car roundtable, hopped on the cable car heading back to the hotel, and made it in time for the next culinary event: afternoon tea.

From what I have been told, the Fairmont has an excellent afternoon tea that is usually on Saturdays. Today, they were offering a special Thanksgiving tea service, so we thought "what the heck." Of course neither of us was really in the mood to eat after the amazing dim sum. Still, despite living in England for two summers, I have never had afternoon tea. This was an opportunity I didn't want to miss! To be traditional, I went with the Earl Grey, while Mom went with some organic flavored tea. I had a scone, smothered with clotted cream and strawberry jam, as well as a cucumber sandwich. To top it all off, they served us a glass of decent champagne.

You have arrived at a propitious moment, considered to be your country's one indisputable contribution to Western Civilization: Afternoon tea. May I press you to a cucumber sandwich? - Hugo Drax, Moonraker 

After tea, I headed back to Caffe Cento to do some blogging, while Mom went back up to the hotel to rest. Next stop: McCormic & Kuleto's in Fisherman's Wharf for dinner! Located at Ghiradelli Square overlooking the wharf, it is actually a joint venture between the McCormick & Schmick's company and restauranteur Pat Kuleto. It is renowned for it's seafood, which is precisely what Mom and I were looking for.

We ordered a bottle of the 2010 Matanzas Creek (Sonoma) Sauvignon Blanc for the table. Crisp, not too sweet, and a bit of dryness; it had solid notes of pear and apricot. I started my meal off with a caesar salad, and followed it up with Atlantic salmon stuffed with local crab, shrimp and brie cheese. Mom went with the roasted beet salad to start, and followed it up with a spicy cioppino that was simply outstanding. All in all, it was an excellent non-traditional Thanksgiving meal.

McCormick & Kuleto's dining room is quite chic

After dinner, Mom headed back to the hotel, while I stayed around the wharf area looking for an open bar for a drink. I stumbled upon the Buena Vista Club. I was actually drawn into the place by a placard saying that the original Irish coffee was invented there. Always up for whiskey and coffee, I went inside to check it out. I left having tried the Irish coffee - which was amazing - as well as 2 other tips people had left on foursquare: a nutty Irishmen drink, and a "shot of Padron with a sangrita back." Add in the wine I had with dinner, and I was feeling pretty good. That's when I decided to head back to the hotel and check out the hotel bar.

Look at the line of Irish coffees!

A quick cable car ride brought me back to the hotel, where I made my way to the Tonga Room. Apparently it is a famous bar in San Francisco, and it is decked-out in a Hawaiian motif. I ordered the most ridiculous drink on the menu - the Pineapple Royale - which was served in a hollowed out pineapple! I got to talking to a gent sitting next to me - turns out he is moving to San Francisco from Charlotte (NC) to study at a culinary school - and next thing you know it's closing time. Back in the room, I ended up drifting to sleep with SyFy's Bond-athon playing on the TV. Here's hopping tomorrow is just as awesome as today was!

The band actually played some good tunes!

Bart family Annual Thanksgiving Wine Trip 2011, Day 1

This will be a rather lame/short post, given that it is a travel day. I finished up with work at noon, and made my way to DTW to spend an hour and change with the Madre at the Delta Skyclub. Skyclubs are the way to go, especially if one is an airport drinker (you know who you are!), because $25 gives you a comfy place to watch TV and unlimited booze. Given airport prices, that is a steal!

Boarding the plan was delayed due to mechanical issues - at least we hadn't boarded yet, so we could stay comfortable in the concourse - and soon we were off to San Francisco. This year's mission: tackle some culinary hotspots in the city for two nights, and then head out to Sonoma for wine and more food. Not a bad way to spend a long weekend, and since it corresponds with Thanksgiving, there is no guilt whatsoever!

We arrived at 6pm local time (23:00 UTC), fought a bit of traffic getting into the city, and ended up at the Fairmont San Francisco. A little history on this historic hotel; it was built at the behest of Theresa Fair Oelrichs and Virginia Fair Vanderbilt (of the prominent Vanderbilt family), and named after their father: James Graham Fair. Before it was finally complete, the great earthquake of 1906 damaged most of the interior. After extensive renovations (including the improvement of the superstructure with newer building techniques to withstand future earthquakes), it was opened in 1907 and became the flagship property of the Fairmont Hotel company. 

After checking in, and bringing our luggage up to the rooms, it was time for dinner. Tonight's restaurant: Venticello Ristorante, located just 4 blocks away from the Fairmont on Nob Hill. The air was cool and refreshing, making the stroll over there delightful. Upon entering the ristorante, we were greeted by an ambiance lit only by candles and the glow of the wood-burning stove. I ordered the 2008 Silvio di Nardi Rosso di Montalcino for the table; a delightful red wine with medium body, nice tannins, and notes of currants. It also happens to hark from one of the towns we visited in Italy last year. Oh the memories of Italia 2010!

My first course: Pasta Carbonara

The primi platti then followed, with the Madre having the insalate Venticello, and I having the Pasta Carbonara. Mom really enjoyed the salad - with the honey mustard dressing being particularly fantastic - while I found the pasta delightful. It wasn't too heavy, meaning they didn't use too much cheese and any cream, so one really got the flavor of the herbs and pancetta. Delish!

The secondini platti then arrived. I had the Filetto Toscano: Fillet Mignon wrapped in pancetta with a roasted shallot Barolo sauce. The pancetta provided a salty element, contrasting nicely with the sweeter barolo sauce. The steak was cooked to a perfect medium rare, so my only complaint was the fact that the steak knife they provided me was as dull as a butter knife! While the sharpness of the blade didn't impede cutting the tender steak, it did tend to hack the pancetta. A minor inconvenience, with what was otherwise a delightful meal.

And of course there has to be desert. I had a small slice of their homemade Tiramisu, which was just awesome. The lady fingers were completely drenched in marsala wine and espresso, which provided really good flavor. They also used excellent marscapone, adding a sweet element along with the cocoa powder. This desert dish was paired with a glass of my favorite desert wine: vin santo! Needless to say, I was thankful for the walk home, as I was stuffed!

That pretty much wraps up the first day. It's one of the problems of eating after a 3 hour time change. An 8pm dinner feels to the body like an 11pm dinner. Add in great food, a bottle of wine, and all you want to do is go back and sleep. This is precisely what I did! Buona sera!

Long time, no blogging

Sitting here on my 4.5hr flight from Detroit to San Francisco, I am afforded plenty of time to think. I have my iPod blaring Danny Elfman's Batman film score. To my right I have a glass of Dewars and ginger ale. The usual B.S. of the work week has finally subsided. I definitely am in my element for some deep thinking.

And what do I start mulling over? How I haven't blogged since June! There are a couple reasons why. First, my summer was primarily spent in Michigan bumming between cottages. Second, I haven't been on any exciting trips of late. There was a business trip to Minneapolis that was on the heals of that office being shut down (thus necessitating transition meeting. And last weekend I went to Richmond to watch my cousin Kevin play football (he plays for the University of Richmond). That weekend was certainly fun! Perhaps I will blog about that down below. Regardless, given the time-frame of the trip, and my current technological situation, I didn't write anything while I was there.

Speaking of technological situation, I currently am blogging on my Mom's MacBook Air. This thing is the perfect travel blogger's computer. Thin, light, and sports a full keyboard unlike an iPad. I currently am lining one up for Christmas, so future trips should be more blogging friendly!

Third, my booking has been very mundane as of late. Since July, I have been on Medical Weight Loss doing their program. I have to admit that it is super simple to do, but not convenient and definitely not gourmet. All my meals have to be prepared from fresh ingredients (no frozen or canned food), which means I am constantly cooking. Having said that, I cannot cook with oil or salt, making food not gourmet and at times extremely bland. Hence, not much cooking-wise to blog about. I have seen success though, which is what keeps me motivated to continue it.


And finally, work has been brutal these past few weeks. ALCO cycles always seem to run into each other, while reports get extended to incorporate "newer information." About all that does is push it into another deadline, meaning I have no downtime to tweak or improve my work. It's just churn-and-burn, and I hate it.


All this will change though, given the long holiday. I have Mom's computer, and the next few nights promise to be filled with great food and wine, yet mundane after that. This is just perfect, as I can eat and drink well, and then relax with a book or my blog. So expect some good stuff from San Francisco and Sonoma.


One thing I would like to do is give a shout out to my friend Ashley for an idea she gave me: eat something extremely exotic. We are going to a dim sum restaurant tomorrow for lunch, so hopefully I can make you proud!


So on that note, stay tuned for the upcoming installments of the Bart Family Thanksgiving Wine Trip, 2011!