Christmas dinner, Mom's turn

Since Lav's side of the family is down in San Diego, Christmas dinner was just me, Lav and Mom. Lav and I both like having everyone together for the holidays, so we're a little bummed out that we couldn't share the meal with everyone... but at least she'll be able to see them over the next few days.

Here in San Ramon, Mom pretty took care of everything for dinner. While she was cooking, Lav and I polished off some leftovers from yesterday and also had some incredibly fresh pistacchios from Santa Barbara, courtesy of Ron and Joyce. I love Mom's cooking; nothing can match the way it hits the spot like good comfort food should... a great final meal in the Bay Area, perfect in its simplicity and familiarity.

chinese style cold roast beef
star anise, soy-sauce egg, pickled cucumber, bell pepper, snap pea

fried rice noodles
pork, napa cabbage, snap peas, shiitake mushrooms

fried prawns
panko crust, tonkatsu sauce

Christmas Eve dinner

dungeness crab salad
ruby grapefruit, avocado, browned endive, tarragon

aged goat cheese souffle
cypress grove humboldt fog, bacon

roast tenderloin of beef
fried herb salad, parsnip puree, gremolata, shallots, merlot reduction

apple tart
almond paste, rosemary, bacon

technorati tags: Christmas

Mom's sake-poached chicken

I have distinct memories from my childhood of waking up late on a Sunday morning to the sweet, floral aroma of warm sake wafting throughout the house. Those were the Sundays when my mom was making "sake chicken," a simple dish of chicken poached in sake and ginger. My dad loved this dish and would drink up the resulting broth like soup... perfect for a cold winter day. I even remember the feeling I had the first time I got to taste the broth: my youthful curiosity was quenched and my palate intrigued by the rich, invigorating flavor of the sake, which permeated deep into the chicken... with just a small hint of bitterness from the residual alcohol. I knew from an early age that I'd like sake.

Here's my version of the dish, with a few vegetables added and a bit of chicken broth to round out the poaching liquid. Mom tried it and, while it is different than hers, she gave it a thumbs up. That's all the endorsement I need.

As an added bonus, this is an incredibly inexpensive dish to make. The following preparation should cost about $12 and is enough for 6 people when served with rice. One liter of sake might sound like a lot, but sake only has about the same amount of alcohol as wine (14-15%), most of which will evaporate away. You should be able to find 1.5 liter bottles of junmaishu-type sake for $7 or less at your local Asian market. We got a bottle yesterday for $4.99 at 99 Ranch Market. DO NOT use premium sake unless you've got money to burn.


Sake-Poached Chicken

10 chicken legs
1 medium daikon radish, peeled and chopped into large chunks
2 medium yellow onions, chopped into large chunks
3 large carrots, chopped into 1-inch segments
1 2-inch section of ginger, sliced
1 liter sake (a simple junmaishu, like Ozeki Dry or Sho Chiku Bai)
1 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon sesame oil

Using a cleaver, chop off the ends of the drumsticks and discard. Chop the remaining portion of the drumstick into 2 pieces, cutting through the bone and exposing the marrow. If you prefer boneless pieces of chicken, use boneless chicken thigh instead. Season the chicken with kosher salt and pepper.

Heat vegetable oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Brown the chicken on all sides, about 6 minutes. Remove chicken and set aside. Reduce heat to medium and saute onions until they begin to caramelize, about 5 minutes. Turn heat to medium high and add daikon and carrots. Cook for 1 minute. Return the chicken and any juices to the pot. Add 1 liter of sake and bring barely to a low boil, then turn the heat down to medium-low or low and keep at a gentle simmer, uncovered, until most of the alcohol has evaporated, about 20 minutes. Add 1 cup of chicken broth and cover, simmering for another 20 minutes. Taste broth for seasoning. Turn off heat and add sesame oil.

Serve with hot rice, or ladle into a bowl and enjoy as a soup.



technorati tags: sake, chicken

Trying not to waste

Everyone has some memory of a parent saying, "Finish your food... there are children starving in [insert country]." Now that we're full steam into the holiday season and relatively recovered from the gluttony of Thanksgiving, we're about to enter a time where the abundance of the developed world stands in stark and shocking contrast to the needs of the impoverished.

Americans tend to have some pretty wasteful habits. Here are some interesting (and appalling) facts:

• A mere 5 percent of American's leftovers could feed 4 million people for 1 day
• Disposing of food waste costs the U.S. $1 billion a year
• Rotting food releases methane, a more potent greenhouse gas than CO2

Remarkably, the U.N. World Food Programme says the total surplus of the U.S. alone could satisfy "every empty stomach" in Africa. Crazy, huh? But the U.S. isn't the only offender. The U.K. and Japan are among the worst with food waste, tossing out 30 to 40 percent of their food produce. With the kind of hunger and malnutrition that exists in the world, waste of this magnitude is a real moral issue, and each of us has a part to contribute.

I'm reminded of how important it is to shop wisely and plan meals and portion sizes accordingly. In addition to tossing out as little as possible, it's also imperative that we consider (1) how much food and (2) what kinds of foods we actually need to eat. Instead of eating until we're full, why not just eat until we're satisfied? Rather than eating meals dominated by animal protein, why not shift more emphasis to grains, fruits and vegetables to reduce the environmental impact of our meals? We live in a situation where we have the luxury of making these kinds of decisions; but too often, we make food choices that emphasize our own selfish pleasure rather than an ethos of responsibility and moral authority.

So Lav and I have been spending the past two days trying to eat everything in our refrigerator before we head back to the Bay Area for Christmas so our food doesn't go to waste. We had an interesting set of ingredients which ultimately combined into some wonderfully satisfying, simple dishes:

Roasted beet and orange salad with baby arugula and chevre.


Somen noodles with basic broth of chicken and vegetables.


Roasted asparagus and bell pepper with chevre.


In the grand scheme of things, it's a miniscule gesture... but it's a start.


Technorati tags: hunger, waste

fondue... why don't we do this more often?

Fondue is a strange creature. It's inexplicably expensive when enjoyed in restaurants, everyone always registers for a fondue set when they get married, and fondue parties still seem like a little bit of a relic from the 1970s. That being said, every time we have fondue, we can't figure out why we don't do it more often because its so outrageously good.

Our C-group from Quest Church went bold and took the fondue plunge for our Christmas party. Some Emmental and Gruyere, white wine, garlic, nutmeg and just a touch of scotch (no kirsch around, but the scotch was a decent substitute... Lav felt like it gave the fondue a nice floral dimension) and we were in cheese heaven. Pretty awesome for a cold night...

A little about the history of fondue... (I love wikipedia):

A recipe for a sauce made from Pramnos wine, grated goat's cheese and white flour appears in Scroll 11 (lines 629-645) of Homer's Iliad and has been cited as the earliest record of a fondue. Swiss communal fondue arose many centuries ago as a result of food preservation methods. The Swiss food staples bread and cheese made in summer and fall were meant to last throughout the winter months. The bread aged, dried out and became so tough it was sometimes chopped with an ax. The stored cheese also became very hard, but when mixed with wine and heated it softened into a thick sauce. During Switzerland's long, cold winters some families and extended groups would gather about a large pot of cheese set over the fire and dip wood-hard bits of bread which quickly became edible.

Wood-hard bits of bread? Lucky for us, JR made us fresh-from-the-oven homemade french bread to go w/ the fondue.

So seriously, why are we not eating fondue all the time????

Technorati tags: fondue

a chilly weekend = moderate hibernation

I've been cooped up inside almost all weekend working on a project and trying to stay warm. It's weird because it isn't brutally cold right now -- we're hovering in the mid-40s with the occasional sun-break -- but the days are still getting shorter so it just feels like its getting chillier. Weekends like this make us long for the bright Northern California sun.

A simple hot breakfast does wonders for waking me up. We've been eating some pretty rich, fatty foods lately, so it's about time to do something light, like an egg breakfast sandwich: Essential Bakery baguette, free-range egg over easy, and rocket dressed with a touch of meyer lemon juice and olive oil.


Thankfully, Lav's been in a bit of a knitting kick, so I'm bolstering my supply of scarves for when it's finally time to venture outside...

I forsee lots of braising in the coming weeks...

Menu for Hope 4

Wow, I can't believe another year has already passed... and it's time for the annual Menu for Hope, a blogger-driven campaign that leverages our passion for food to help raise money for a worthy cause. The whole idea sprung up five years ago thanks to Pim, who was looking for a creative way to help after the devastating tsunami in Southeast. Last year was the first year I participated, and we collectively raised $60,925.12 for the UN World Food Programme!

This year's Menu for Hope sorta snuck up on me... I feel like a bit of a bugger because I didn't have time to contribute and publicize a raffle prize. So the least I can do is pass the word along. Visit Pim's site for full details on the prizes that are available -- as usual, the potential prizes are pretty amazing... good luck!

Also, for a dose of deep inspiration on creative approaches to address the issue of global poverty, I encourage you to take a look at this post (as well as parts 1 and 2 of the string):

fight poverty 3 - a vision of compassion and redistribution

Technorati tags: Menu for Hope

cooking and leftovers: cabbage-wrapped risotto

We had a ton of fun having dinner for some friends last night. The weather has been growing colder, so we were aiming for some rich flavors.

---

marinated montrachet, delice de bourgogne, rosemary marcona almonds

soup of matsutake and crimini, creme fraiche

crispy pork belly, coffee cure & braise, fennel apple salad

chicken en demi deuil, wild mushroom risotto

blackberry financier, passionfruit sorbet

* * *

2006 whitehaven sauvignon blanc, marlborough

2005 frederic magnien grand cru chablis, "clos"

2001 white rock vineyards claret, napa

---

As often happens after a a large meal like that, I woke up this morning with a ravenous appetite. L made some splendid ricotta pancakes from scratch as we settled into our lazy Sunday, then went into full vacation-planning mode (Chile in April) as I pondered what to make for lunch. With the leftovers we had from yesterday (pork belly trimmings, chantrelle mushrooms, tomato soup, wild mushroom risotto), I thought I'd try making some risotto wrapped in cabbage.

Cabbage has a fantastic sweetness that presents itself when roasted in a hot pan or in a blistering oven... when you get that caramelization, the flavor dimensions of the cabbage expande exponentially. And here's the awesome thing about leftovers: we continued the decadence of last night's meal in a new context, using simple ideas to enjoy another flavorful meal with less than 15 minutes of work.

Absinthe is back!

I just read some awesome news on the New York Times website. So I gave a quick call, and Andy in the tasting room confirmed that December 21st is the official release date (just in time for our Christmas visit back to the Bay Area -- how perfect!). For those who aren't in the area, you'll be able to find it at K&L Wine Merchants.

Kudos and congratulations to the folks at St. George Spirits (just across the pond from our old 'hood, out in Alameda). I hope y'all get ridiculous amounts of publicity in the coming months for all of your offerings.

Technorati tags: Absinthe

The Thanksgiving whirlwind, a redux (part 2)

Thursday: San Ramon, Thanksgiving Dinner

A week before Thanksgiving, I got a pleasant surprise in the mail: a jar of kumquat marmalade from Kenny at Medlock Ames. Kumquats have such an interesting variant on citrus flavor, from the balance of sweet to bitter to the chewy texture of the rind and flesh. I immediately got excited about the kinds of things I wanted to try with the marmalade, and I promised Kenny I'd use it for one of our Thanksgiving desserts.

Since we were driving down for the weekend, we would only have enough time to bake one dessert during the early afternoon on Thanksgiving. We opted for the dense, moist and delicious roasted kabocha cake from Suzanne Goin's awesome cookbook, Sunday Suppers at Lucques. The cinnamon and nutmeg, coupled with the kabocha puree, evoke the epitome of pre-winter/thanksgiving comfort.

We added our own variants to the cake: a touch of honey in the batter, a candied cashew and pecan topping, and an accompaniment of chantilly cream and kumquat marmalade. This dessert's for you Kenny!

As for the rest of the meal, we had a dazzling array of awesome food, thanks to the family:

The Classics
Roast turkey
Stuffing
Mashed potatoes
Gravy
Cranberry sauce

The Asian Component
Black bean marinated prawns
Taiwanese sticky rice
Spareribs with kabocha squash
Stir-fried udon
Seafood lettuce wraps
Sauteed scallops and shrimp
Oxtail soup

Dessert
Pumpkin pie brulee
Apple pie
Kabocha squash cake

Red bean soup with glutinous rice balls

Wow, it didn't really hit me until I saw that all written out... that's a lot of food for 10 people!

Saturday: Trip to Napa

The day before we left Seattle for the Bay Area, L told me that Connie and Paul had never taken a trip to Napa together for wine tasting. Unreal! And a great excuse to take advantage of the perfect Northern California weather for a quick day trip on Saturday.

We made the usual stop to Bouchon Bakery to prime ourselves with pain au chocolat, almond financiers and chocolate bouchons. The financiers are still the most decadent I've tasted, but the pain au chocolat can't compete with the glorious versions from Cafe Besalu. We made stops at the classic (but somewhat corporate) Clos du Val and the always elegant and finessed wines of Corison.

The real treat of the excursion was a late afternoon appointment at Pride, tucked away in the hills along the border between Napa and Sonoma. With almost 200 acres of specific lot designations, all with distinct soils and sun exposures, the opulent fruit of their wines was showcased with phenomenally integrated young tannins. Velvety and luxurious.

Sunday: Portland, Simpatica and Ken's Artisan Bread

The timing of our trip back gave us one final opportunity for a stop in Portland right at brunch. We stopped by Simpatica, another one of the innovative anti-restaurants changing the dynamic of the standard dining scene. Simpatica's approach is simple: Create awesome four course set dinners on Fridays and Saturdays in a wholly communal dining setting, enabling a substantial reduction in price per person. You aren't going to find meals of this quality for $35 per person in any large city. Check out their menu and drool. On Sundays, Simpatica utilizes its open space to make simple and satisfying classics, like my andouille hash and L's sweet potato crepe. Another Portland gem.


Our last stop was to Ken's Artisan Bakery to visit the place where the amazing baguette from our dinner at Le Pigeon was made. The story behind Ken's is pretty cool; you can read a nice article about it here. For me, the only mission was to get a sweet baguette to take back to Seattle.

I don't think I can overemphasize the simple pleasure of one of their baguettes: soft, lightly elastic and chewy interiors with just a hint of sweetness paired with an astounding range of variant textures in the crust. The crust really was the most phenomenal part of this bread... each area had a different feel... the rustic flat crust of the bottom to the rounded and slightly more pliable side crust; the crisped and shattering ridges on the top and the toothsome ends. Totally revelatory, and the new standard upon which I'll compare all other baguettes.

The Thanksgiving whirlwind, a redux (part 1)

I haven't had to travel "home" for the holidays since my undergrad days in Chicago, so traveling for this year's Thanksgiving weekend was a big adjustment for us. Round trip flights for two from Seattle to Oakland would have been in the neighborhood of $900 (total insanity), so we decided to hop in the hybrid and make a road trip of it. As it turns out, some significant gastronomic experiences were made possible, making the 1,700 miles of driving well worth it.

(According to a little informal research online, driving in the Prius also had roughly half the carbon impact of flying home... though the calculation is imprecise).

WEDNESDAY NIGHT: Portland, Le Pigeon

One of the things I love about living in Seattle is our proximity to Vancouver and Portland, giving us access to an abundance of different cultural perspectives. Food is incredibly important in each of these cities, and I find myself invigorated by the the range of culinary approaches represented in each place.

Having left Seattle in the early afternoon, we rolled into Portland just a few minutes before the 5 p.m. opening time of Le Pigeon, one of the restaurants I've been wanting to try for some time. Chef Gabriel and his team are creating some exciting food out of the tiny open kitchen, flanked on two sides by no-reservation bar seating... the absolute best seats in the house. The efficiency with which they are able to prepare and plate consistently high quality dishes with only six burners, a small grill, and a warming surface is remarkable.

The strength of the restaurant lies also in its philosophy: great food in a casual, semi-communal context. Get to know the person sitting next to you. Share tastes of your food. Talk to the chefs and staff about the food and learn a little more about what you're about to eat. All of these things add a meaningful layer of context to the concept of "meal", which we too often take for granted. And enabling this type of interaction amplifies the experience on all levels.


One of the more meaningful passages I recall from the Chez Panisse Cookbook is the discussion on the importance of good bread... simple and carefully crafted to impart depth of texture, and perfect when adorned with just a smear of sweet butter. Le Pigeon does it right, serving slices of baguette from Ken's Artisanal Bakery... more on this later.

Fois gras, beets, brioche
Unctuous, with a nicely balanced counterpoint from the lightly acidic beets; made even more decadent by allowing the brioche to soak up the melting fois fat as it sears in the pan before toasting it to crisp perfection.

Bone marrow gnocchi, snails, garlic, parsley
Instead of potatoes and flour, the gnocchi is made with a modified pâte a chou (a light pastry dough) utilizing a compound bone marrow butter. This "gnocchi à la parisienne" has a lighter texture but more decadent intrinsic flavor, and allows the chef to control quality and consistency in textural integrity when producing a large number in a small amount of time. The escargot were extremely tender.


Black cod, melted leeks and lobster puffs
Everything that is wonderful about black cod was masterfully highlighted in this dish. Paper thin, crispy skin; silky/buttery/velvety texture, blurring the lines between texture and flavor; rich, but pure and clean tasting at the same time.

Pork stuffed pork, winter veg and salsa verde
Shredded pork, wrapped with pork into a roulade, then poached sous-vide. A simple textural contrast to parallel the flavor contrast between the two combined preparations of pork.


Impromptu egg noodles with truffle and parmesan
Gabriel was explaining that Oregon truffles tend to be lighter than their european counterparts, but this season, their intensity has been much stronger. To illustrate his point, he graciously made a shared plate of the egg noodles with shaved local truffles and a healthy grating of fantastically woody imported parmesan. The truffle and the parmesan were a luxurious pairing, each with an equal voice in the dish.


Fois gras pumpkin pie with ginger foie mousse
Another example of a well-conceived combination of components to make a dish. The richness of the fois mousse combined with the traditionally spiced pumpkin puree, with just a hint of contrasting ginger notes. They make so many of their dishes look like simply-articulated expressions of great ingredients, but there really is a lot of thought and intention behind the concepts here.

Not a bad way to get primed for Thanksgiving. I'm jealous of Portland... there are some really special things happening here, things that might very well exist specifically because of the emerging culinary ethos and contextual setting that is uniquely Portland's.

(to be continued...)

a chinese "hamburger" and a great home cooked meal

Now that daylight saving time is over, the days are becoming remarkably short and winter is fast approaching. So far, the weather has actually been surprisingly mild, but thoughts of warm comfort food are already creeping into our minds.

Which brings me first to the concept of the chinese "hamburger." For quite some time now, Lav and I have been on the prowl for our go-to chinese restaurant... something that would have the same easy, down home goodness of a place like Shan Dong back in Oakland. Fu Man Dumpling House in Greenwood comes pretty close. A tiny, family-run operation in the smallest of strip malls, the restaurant features a variety of house-made Shandong style dumplings (think simple, slightly thicker, chewy wrappers), which you can watch being made through the kitchen window. While the simply boiled pork dumplings hit the spot on a cold day, the real king of Fu Man's offerings is their "hamburger" dumpling:


These collossal dumplings are made of seasoned ground beef (or pork), hermetically sealed in a toothsome wrapper, then steamed and pan fried until crispy. As the meat cooks inside, it gets basted it its own juices, intensifying the flavor of the filling. Lav hadn't had these since she was a kid, and her eyes sparkled with excitement when I pierced the golden, crispy exterior, releasing an explosion of juices--which you can mix with the dipping sauce to coat each delicious bite.

Randomness: It looks like Fu Man might have a Myspace page... or at least one that was created by a fan.


Later that day, we flipped our switches to the other side of the omnivore spectrum and had a terrific meal sans meat courtesy of our buds JR and NR. I only spotlight the vegetarian aspect of the meal because we tease NR a lot for being a vegetarian who loves bacon (like my veggie pal GH back in SF) and disdains mushrooms, eggplant, tofu and tomatoes... but is primed to espouse the glories of vegetarian pho with an unmatched passion.

There's something immensely comforting about enjoying a meal prepared from scratch by good friends. Part of it is realizing the time, effort and intention put into the meal exclusively for your benefit. It's also the experience of being welcomed into another person's home... the place where they themselves feel the most comfortable. And I love the fact that you have an opportunity to break bread and share of the essential communion of a "meal" -- a multidimensional concept weaving together food, drink, enlightened conversation, newfound community, and shared experience; a small respite from the barrage of meaningless noise that can be modern life.

We started with a salad of avocado, pommegranete seeds (effort appreciated), and beautiful freshly snipped kale (look at that color!) from the garden.

Next was a lovely penne in tomato sauce with braised slivers of caramelized fennel, topped with a nicely piquant bleu cheese.

JR, currently a budding breadmaking enthusiast, baked a fresh loaf of french bread. Really nice crust, with a slightly denser interior texture that had just a hint of sweetness. Look a that crumb!
And to finish, a decadent, home-baked apple pie... flaky crust, gooey interior, all-around decadent goodness.
Thanks to JR and NR for a great meal, West Seattle style. We didn't miss the meat one bit!

our monthly Vancouver "day" trip... 24 hours this time

We're continuing our quest to try all of the best dim sum spots in Vancouver/Richmond, and it's turning out to be an awesome excuse to stop by what is quickly becoming one of our favorite cities. On our most recent trip up across the border, we came up with a pretty decent 24-hour itinerary:

8:30 a.m. Cafe Besalu

Get your day started with pain au chocolat perfection at this quaint Ballard bakery. An 8:30 a.m. visit should have you there before the crowds get to their usual insane lengths, but don't linger for more than one double tall americano... hit the road by 9 a.m. so you can get through the border crossing in time for dim sum.

10:30 a.m. Peace Arch - Blaine, WA
Smile at the officer, bring your identification, don't make any jokes. When they ask you why you're going to Canada, tell them the truth... you're going to eat your way through the city.

11:00 a.m. First stop: Dim Sum (Richmond or Vancouver)
This trip, we hit the Vancouver location of Sun Sui Wah so La Verne could compare it to the Richmond branch. According to La Verne, the Richmond location is clearly superior. That's not to say this visit wasn't without its highlights. Among them:

Braised tofu with enoki mushrooms and nori. Deep fried tofu topped with enoki mushrooms and wrapped with nori, then braised in a rich, thickened chicken broth. Warm and satisfying, with a soup-like consistency from the absorption of broth into the tofu and enoki.

Deep fried savory taro dumpling (mashed taro, stuffed with shiitake mushrooms, shrimp and pork). Sun Sui Wah has a special skill with the fried items. The exterior of this dumpling was impossibly crispy, comprised of an effervescent lattice of texture. Not at all greasy (which tends to be the norm with this dim sum item at lesser places)... really superb, clean flavors.

Deep fried glutinous rice dumpling. My absolute favorite, this is pretty much the greatest dim sum item ever... magically transcending the barriers between sweet and savory, chewy and crispy... a profound study of mind-bending contrasts. Again, showcasing Sun Sui Wah's mastery of deep frying, I've never had a version of these dumplings that was quite as impossibly crispy on the exterior while at the same time having only a minimal amount of residual grease.

12:30 p.m. Chinatown Markets
After enjoying your dim sum feast, walk off the meal by touring through the Chinatown area in Vancouver. You'll come across all sorts of interesting food products; some of them are pretty tame, others more adventurous. Pay attention to your whereabouts, as Chinatown is adjacent to some of the grittier parts of Vancouver. We spotted a couple of used hypodermic needles by the sidewalk just a few blocks from these dried squid:

Fresh live blue crabs... a little odd to see these on the west coast. They must have been flown in from the Atlantic.

You'll also see some slightly more intense things, like this bucket of live yellow eels (the adult form of the American eel). Random fact: females can reach a maximum length of five feet, and males grow as long as two feet.

Dried gecko, anyone? Used for medicinal purposes (lung and kidney ailments), these geckos supposedly have a seafood aroma, with a very salty flavor.

Taiwan fungus, supposedly rich in nutrients like iron... and "delicious." A health food item eaten primarily to treat heart disease.

Ah, and back to some sights of things we're more accustomed to, like these roast ducks hanging in the window of the butcher shop.


1:30 p.m. Head off to Stanley Park
Stay active and explore the expansive forested sanctuary of Stanley Park. At just about 1,000 acres in size, Stanley Park is one of the great urban parks in North America, just a mile from downtown Vancouver. You could spend hours here exploring the forest and the waterfront by car, foot or bicycle. We visited just in time to catch the tail end of the intense, symphonic array of fall colors.

4 p.m. Some light shopping on Robson Street and hitting Yaletown for happy hour

Take a bit of time to check out the shopping scene on Robson (H&M is coming in the beginning of 2008, ensuring that Lav will be ready to visit at any time), then head over to Yaletown, Vancouver's uber-trendy converted warehouse district. Lots of cool little boutiques to visit and a good smattering of bars and restaurants. Stop by Rodney's Oyster House for freshly shucked oysters... $1 each if you can make it before happy hour ends at 6 p.m.

8 p.m. Parkside on Haro
Vancouver has a fantastic dining scene and no shortage of very good restaurants. Parkside on Haro is one of the real gems among neighborhood restaurant options. Located just a few blocks from Robson Street, the restaurant is nestled in the lower level of a building along an otherwise wholly-residential street. If not for the glowing blue sign, you'd probably walk right past it. Reminicent of an Upper East Side supper club from the outside, the place has tons of warmth and charm on the inside, casually sophisticated in its cuisine and atmosphere.

During our visit, Parkside was having its second annual Game and Wild Mushroom Festival, a great opportunity to eat some less common preparations. Our collective menu that evening:

Japanese mushroom consommé, wild boar gyoza
Napoleon of wild sockeye salmon, crisp potato, chive crème fraîche, pickled girolles and leeks
Quail ravioli with sage butter and black truffle
Paglia e fieno with wild boar bacon peas and chanterelles
Roast loin of red deer, celeriac purée, red currant jelly & mustard, brussel sprouts, bacon & walnuts
Panna cotta with wild mountain huckleberries

10:30 p.m. To the B&B
After dinner, head back to your bed and breakfast (instead of staying at one of the numerous posh but sterile hotels in the area) and relax with a bottle of scotch or port in the quaint charm of a slower, simpler Vancouver from days gone by.

The Barclay House is a good option, with comfortable and tastefully decorated rooms, champagne and fresh baked cookies when you check in, and a simple, flavorful breakfast to send on your way the next day, along with plenty of genuine smiles from the friendly staff.