Cookaholics Bulletin Board

... any must-eat-ats?

And hey, doesn't somebody on the board live there?

Jenny lives there. I'll give her a heads up.

Amy

ToJo's for sushi. Many say it's a tourist trap but to this day I haven't had better sushi anywhere.

The Chinese food is pretty damned good too but you being from SF probably negates that.

Check out the Granville Island Public Market. Good stuff.

...lou

When in August are you here, Josh?

Tojo's: tourist trap = yes. Quality sushi = yes! Is it worth doing the chef's tasting menu = sadly, no, unless you have EXTREMELY deep pockets and don't worry about $$ and that type of nonsense and just want the experience.

JapaDog - mobile carts that serve Japanese style hot dogs (veggie dogs offered too!). Also have one dedicated restaurant downtown. Consistently makes top spots on bucket lists, top things to eat/do before you die. The kurobota is to die for. Sorry I know you're a vegetarian, but it's worth saying, it's sooo good.

Bishop's on West 4th Avenue. High end, excellent food, but not too snobby. Consistently top rated. http://www.bishopsonline.com/

Vietnamese Subs - at Au Petit Cafe on Main St. And cheap to boot!

Mango pancakes during dim sum at Sun Sui Wah restaurant in Richmond - the chef is world renowned for them. They also do a decent dim sum albeit on the pricey side. For dim sum I'd recommend: Kirin in Vancouver.

For overall good restaurant I'd recommend Cru on W. Broadway. They have a la carte menu as well as prix fixe which is a good value for lunch at around $20. http://www.cru.ca Dinner is $40+ prix fixe.

Here's a list of 101 tops things to taste in Vancouver, unfortunately, it's from 2009: http://www.vanmag.com/sites/files/membe ... oTaste.pdf

If you're looking for vegetarian places, then Commercial Dr. is your best bet.

Let me know and I'll guide you in the right direction.

Oh and for gourmet/kitchen related things, I'd recommend Gourmet Warehouse. http://www.gourmetwarehouse.ca/

Best coffee, ever. Caffe Artigiano - several locations all around downtown. I haven't had a better cappuccino anywhere.

Oh my goodness, I almost forgot Vij's for Indian food. You will think you died and went to heaven their meals are so fantastic. http://www.vijs.ca/

OK I will stop now.

Jenny,

I'm there for LinuxCon: http://events.linuxfoundation.org/events/linuxcon

I may have a free evening during the conference.

I don't *think* I need vegetarian places. A friend of mine who is vegan might be coming to the conference, in which case I will.

As for Chinese, actually the selection of really good Chinese restaurants in San Francisco is surprisingly limited (95% of Chinese here is greasy-chopstick Cantonese diners), so I'd be happy to have recommendations there.

Thanks for the other recommends.

Ah yes! Vij's! Great stuff but a reservation is necessary. Wasn't so cheap either.

Thanks for the memory Jenny too: if you're referring to Kirin on Robson it's a must. I also went to Shanghai Bistro on Robson a few times and it was damned tasty.

For ToJo's if you want an omakase seat at the bar you should make a reservation. I've never had a problem doing it the day I was going but you do need a spot. Vegan could be difficult there though....

There's a brand of coffee that I found at Urban Fare (a few throughout the city) that was delish. Here it is - and it's a bit weird but was pretty damned good, besides the story: http://www.urbanfare.com/featured_fare/collection/doi_chaang_wild_civet_coffee.html.

...lou

Lou,

I am *so* not drinking civet coffee.

http://www.davebarry.com/misccol/decaf.htm

Lou....I have no words.

Jenny - making the case for a Vancouver rendezvous?

I've completely missed all these replies! I guess my email notification isn't working. Sorry!

Lou, Kirin isn't on Robson (close, though so good memory!) The one I'm thinking of is actually uptown on Cambie St. There's also one downtown on Alberni & Burrard (just above Tiffany's) which I went to a very long time ago, so I can't officially comment on how good it is, but I hear it is excellent.

I can't believe you had the cat poop coffee. Urban Fare has now pooped har har popped up in other locations, just down the street from Kirin on Alberni St. and also a location in Coal Harbour. Their flagship store in Yaletown I think still imports the French pain de Poilâne every day by air to the tune of $100 (but don't quote me on this).

Vij's is not cheap. But SO WORTH IT! The NY Times voted it one of the top Indian restos in the world. If you're looking at getting off the beaten path, which it doesn't sound like you have tons of time on your hands, Josh, and want cheap but good Indian food, then south Main Street is your best bet. It's a bit of a drive from downtown, but there are many Indian markets and restaurants out there that are really decent. One in particular is fantastic, but I can't remember the name.... I'll get back to you if you're interested.

As for Chinese, again if you want to get off the beaten path, then my recommendation would be to venture out to Richmond which is where YVR is located. There are so many restaurants out there it would make your head spin. But Kirin is a very safe bet for Chinese. Oh another place that is unique/modern Chinese is Wild Rice http://www.wildricevancouver.com on Pender & Abbott in Chinatown. It is very good as well and not as pricey as Kirin.

Unfortunately, I'll be heading to Oregon on the 18th; it'd have been nice to meet and chat over a coffee (although you likely wouldn't even have the time for that?) -- but just not the cat poop one.