miss.foodie's Profile
Good food/chocolate/treats/snacks to bring on a plane for friend in another province?
How about Bee Kim Heng Singaporean Style beef/pork jerky? Their new location is FINALLY open now according to their facebook site.
http://www.facebook.com/bkhjerky
3201 Fraser st. ( & 16th) in Vancouver.
604-875-8688, toll free 1-888-97-JERKY
bkhjerky.com
Chinese in Calgary
Great Taste Chinese Restaurant in Chinatown (formerly MBA BBQ Noodle House) does a tasty version of Dan Dan Mien. I liked it much better than the version from Szechuan Rest.
I've also posted some of my thoughts regarding Delicious Country, Szechuan Rest. and Great Taste Chinese Rest. on this other thread previously.
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/842851
Best ramen in Vancouver?
+1 for Santouka. As fmed said, ask for the noodles katame. Also, if you want to try the toroniku (pork jowl), go earlier in the day as they will sell out. The toroniku is my favourite part.
Angry Birds YYC
I did a quick google search and came up with this. The cake artist is local and her contact info is on the page.
http://www.icedinnovations.com/2012/02/angry-birds-deluxe-cake.html
http://www.icedinnovations.com/2011/09/vegan-angry-birds-cake-chocolate-vegan.html
Help with Han's Replacement-YYC
I've been to Hans both during its glory days (under the original ownership) and also during its dying days. Hans, during its glory days, used to be my favourite Chinese restaurant in Calgary and it's really had to find a replacement of the same caliber. Hans served Taiwanese-Szechuan(Sichuan) fare which is slightly different than authentic Szechuan/Sichuan fare even though the dishes have the same name in Chinese. Delicious Country and Szechuan Restaurant(on 16th Ave and 4St NW) serve authentic Szechuan fare.
Between Szechuan Restaurant and Delicious Country, personally I prefer Szechuan Restaurant. I've been to Szechuan Restaurant several times and have noted some inconsistencies but in general, I found their dishes to have more complex flavours (eg. the "water-boiled fish" aka fish in chili pepper soup @ Delicious Country and "boiled sliced fish in hot sauce" at Szechuan Restaurant). Of the dishes I tried at Delicious Country, I liked the Braised eggplant. However, I still thought the equivalent dish at Szechuan restaurant tasted better. The other great thing about Szechuan restaurant is that they offer a boneless version of the la zi ji (hot chili pepper chicken) which I haven't found at any other place around town (most places only offer the bone-in version).
Recently, I've tried Great Taste Restaurant as mentioned by slingshotz and have been quite impressed. Great Taste serves a variety of Chinese fare including Shanghainese items as well as Szechuan dishes. I tried the "water-boiled fish" which in this case is called "fish fillet in chili pepper soup" and thought it was quite good. It is almost on par with Szechuan restaurant. I also really liked their Ma Po Tofu, which I thought was better than the version from Szechuan Restaurant. However, I wasn't crazy about the eggplant dishes that I've tried at Great Taste. From the dim sum items, I really liked the Pan Fried Chive Cakes and the Sesame Cake Stuffed with Minced Pork.
None of these places can truly compare to Hans during its glory days but for myself, I'd lean towards going to Great Taste as it is convenient for me to walk there for lunch during the weekdays. The downside with Szechuan Restaurant is the parking, or the lack thereof, which makes it a pain to deal with. Even though Great Taste can be packed during the lunch hour, they do take reservations and I was impressed they got the food out quickly even when the restaurant was full.
YYC Hound looking for yummy lunch
As a YYC hound myself that frequents Vancouver a lot, I'd suggest porchetta at Meat and Bread. Ever since I tried it for the first time last fall, I go at least once every time I'm visiting Vancouver.
As LR had suggested, the beef roll at Peaceful is very good too. I've had it a couple of times at their original location.
Famous HK Style Lap Cheong in Vancouver
+1 for the lap cheong from Dollar Meats in Chinatown. There's where I get mine to bring back to Calgary on every trip (based on my parents' preference). Like LotusRapper, I buy the version that's hung dry on the racks on the wall. At Dollar Meats, I get the version tied with 'green string' as I prefer the leaner version.
Not sure if this is the article you came across in the past... I have never tried the sausage from WingWing
http://www.straight.com/article-68139/chinese-sausage-links-humble-past-present
Helen's Cafe in NE Calgary
I drove past the building last week and saw a sign for Helen's Cafe. They apparently serve North-Eastern Chinese cuisine. The address is 3115 12 Street NE unit 106. I'm curious if this place is any good. Has anyone tried it?
Vietnamese near Crowfoot, Calgary
Taste of Saigon is now open at Royal Oak Centre. I haven't had a chance to try it yet but my coworker tells me it's still under the same ownership as before when it was at Silver Springs and the food is as good as before.
Claypot Rice Specialist: One Spot Soup House
LR is right about dish #10. The boneless chicken version is actually not #10 on the main sign. It's on a yellow paper sign (the picture that LR linked to from urbanspoon taken by chowtimes shows a partial view of the boneless chicken sign on the bottom right hand corner). You can actually see the word "boneless" in the picture.
Anyone try Superior Touch 'Better Than Bouillon'? [moved from B.C.]
They are sold individually at Costco at the prices that I mentioned above. The size is 454g / 1 lb jar.
Anyone try Superior Touch 'Better Than Bouillon'? [moved from B.C.]
Yes, costco in Canada is selling the non-organic version. The chicken is around $5.89 and the beef version as well as the vegetable version is selling for around $6.49. The US costco sells its for a similar price but it's the organic version. Note that the jars at costco are larger than the ones at regular grocery stores so it is in fact cheaper based on volume.
I really like the chicken version as I find it really helps to boost the flavour in soups, etc.
Where to buy a Japanese or Chinese knife for under $100
I agree with peter v. Knifewear would be trustworthy to buy from. I bought a Konosuke from their shop here in Calgary. Kevin and his staff are very knowledgeable and passionate about knives. I own a couple of Shuns as well. After I tried a variety of knives at Knifewear during one of their classes, I wish I had known about these knives before buying my shuns.
As a side note, Knifewear is planning to open a location in Kelowna and one in Vancouver later this year.
Anyone know where Harney & Sons tea may be sold?
I've seen them at all the Williams Sonoma stores a while ago. I'm to sure if they still carry them. Also, believe it or not, I found them at Uwajimaya in Beaverton of all places, a couple of years back. Uwajimaya even had flavours that WS didn't carry, such as the Pomegranate Oolong. I haven't been back to Uwajimaya looking for them so I'm not sure if they still carry them. But if you were in the area, it might be worth a look.
Vietnamese near Crowfoot, Calgary
Not that it's going to help your immediate needs, but I wanted to let you know that the one from Silver Springs is re-locating to Royal Oak Centre. They are not open yet but keep an eye out for them. I was super excited when I found out as it will be close to my home and it used to be my fave when it was in Silver Springs.
There's a Viet place in the Beacon Hill shopping centre called Kim Lan. I've been only been once. It was ok but not impressive. It could be an option for you for the sake of convenience. Likewise, Bobby Chao's in Edgemont also offers Viet cuisine in a separate shop (Bobby Pho House) in the same plaza as their Chinese restaurant. Again, it was just ok.
Hungarian food YYC
Jonas is one of the few (if not the only) Hungarian restaurant I know of in Calgary. Their food is pretty tasty and they are quite popular. They've got Daily Specials as well for both lunch and dinner in addition to their regular menu.
http://jonasrestaurant.homestead.com/
Charpop - Calgary
The location has been posted on the "secret" website today. Also, they called this afternoon to confirm my reservation.
good grocer to buy steak
If you have a costco membership, I would suggest costco for their Canada Prime strip loins or rib steaks (It is a grade above AAA). They are packaged in black styrofoam trays. I don't know if it is available this time of year but I've been buying them during the summer months for the last two years.
I'm not sure if all Costco locations in Calgary carry this grade. I've been buying them from the NW Beacon Hill location.
Papa Chocolat YYC
You're probably right that it opened last weekend. I was there at Chinook during one of the weekdays and it was still boarded up so I couldn't see how close they were to being ready for opening.
Papa Chocolat YYC
I walked by it the other day. The store is not open yet. It's still under construction. It's actually a Chocolaterie Bernard Callebaut store. If you go to http://www.bernardcallebaut.com you'll see it listed for Chinook. Note that this store is not affiliated with BC himself. It's part of Cococo, the company that bought Chocolaterie Bernard Callebaut.
Clotted cream
Check your local Safeway. I picked up a jar from Dalhousie Safeway here in Calgary a couple of months ago.
Cross-border shopping: the food/drinks you always bring home to Vancouver
Whole Foods in downtown Portland (near Powells bookstore) usually has a huge selection of finishing salts for really good prices in bulk containers. (they are located near the produce section) I've stocked up on salish (alderwood smoked salt) for a fraction of the price that Whole Foods charges here in Vancouver.
If you go to Trader Joes, you should try the chocolate covered pomegranate seeds. They are hugely addictive. I like them much better than the Brookside version, which I find to be too sweet for my liking.
I really like Fage yogurt, especially the ones with the fruit. Trader Joes used to carry the version with fruit back in the summer but there were not available at the TJ that I went to in Seattle last weekend. I couldn't find any Fage at Fred Meyers either. Interestingly enough, I found them (0% and 2% versions) at the Walmart Supercenter at Marysville and that Walmart location never used to carry Fage before when i checked a couple of months back. The full fat Fage are really hard to find. I have not manage to come across them yet.
Some of the Walmarts or Costcos in Oregon carry Mexican Coca-Cola by the flat. The Mexican Coke is sweetened with cane sugar instead of high-fructose corn syrup.
Chowhound Board Challenge! Fantastic meals under $8!
Sandwiches @ Cowtown Beef Shack - $8.00
Passion Fruit Puree
I've bought it before in frozen form from Galloway's. It comes in a 1kg container for about $20. Galloway's has a location near Byrne Rd as well as in Richmond.
JoJo's BBQ - Calgary
Are you asking about the lady who ran Smokee Lee's, the shack that served montreal smoked meat sandwiches and reubens? No, it's not the same lady. Smokee Lee's was run by Leslee Mathieson and I haven't heard about her since the shack closed down. JoJo's is owned and run by Jody Barned, the former Pit Mistress of Palomino's.
JoJo's BBQ - Calgary
JoJo's BBQ is finally up and running. I found out about JoJo's awhile back on the post about Food Trucks in Calgary. She's been open for a couple of weeks now. She's located in the parking lot of Barbecues Galore on Edmonton Trail. I stopped by a couple of days ago for lunch. It's too bad there's no real place to sit down to eat but that didn't bother us. It was raining that day so we just sat in our car to eat.
I had the snack rack of ribs and it was really good. I could really taste the smokiness in the meat. Her corn fritters were a big hit as well! They were like falafels excepts made with cornmeal and real corn kernels. The fritters were my favourite item. I also tried the garlic fries. They were as good as the ones that I used to have at Palomino's. As a side note, Jody the owner of JoJo's is formerly of Palomino's Smokehouse. She's also got Griddle Mac N' Cheese. I'm going to try that out next time.
http://bbqcalgary.com/
Restaurants in NE Calgary
Have you tried Nando's Flame Grilled Chicken? It's sort of like Swiss Chalet but I like it much better than Swiss Chalet. On Tuesday's they usually have their Double Leg dinner with one side on special. Also, they have Family packs and Party Packs.
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Nando's Flame Grilled Chicken
3333 32 Ave NE, Calgary, AB T1Y, CA
Where to find cheap Benriner mandoline in Vancouver?
I bought mine in Chinatown at one of the kitchen/restaurant supply places about a year ago. I don't remember the name of the store or which street it was on... but I can tell you the store was on the east side of Main St and it wasn't on E Hastings or E Georgia. I think I bought it for around $27. The price at Ming Wo was around $40 as well, IIRC.
ISO of Thai Lotus Blossom Cookie Mold
I'm a hound from Canada and I will be visiting the SF Bay area in early May. Just wondering if anyone has come across this cookie mold at one of the Thai or Asian grocery stores in the SF Bay area. I'm having trouble locating one in Canada and I'm hoping to pick one up on my upcoming trip. Here is a picture of one style of it.
http://www.templeofthai.com/cookware/lotus-blossom-cookie-mold-6270000447.php
I will have a vehicle so any location in the SF Bay area is fair game.
Thanks in advance.
Mario Batali Cherry Tomato Sauce (Jarred)
I've tried it and I agree it's GOOD, especially for a jarred sauce! I like to use it as is on top of pasta and topped with some fresh herbs. It's perfect for making a quick and easy gourmet meal. I don' t know whether it'd be a regular item at Costco in Vancouver but it was available here in Calgary in limited quantities briefly over the past two months. After they sold out, that was it. I knew that was going to happen so I stocked up as there was an asterisk on the sign at Costco which means it's a discontinued item. I hope Costco will bring it back in the future as I'm sure I will be sad when my stash is used up.
