Halloween Costume Ideas 2010

Last minute Halloween costume ideas are needed for procrastinators like me who may not have already purchased costumes. Sure you can head to Halloween warehouses, but can you imagine how busy it will be at those stores with only a couple of days left until Halloween?

The video below shows you how to change things you may already have in to last minute clever costumes.
Personally, I think that you could go as a politician this Halloween. What's scarier than someone running for office a couple of days before the mid-term elections?
 
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=> I've got some extra costumes, if you guys need them I can lend :D Give me a message~

Best new restaurants in Canada named by enRoute

Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal, eat your hearts out.

The best new restaurant in Canada is chef Michael Stadtlander’s Haisai Restaurant and Bakery, located in rural Singhampton, Ont., about two hours outside of Toronto, according to Air Canada’s enRoute magazine.
EnRoute named the restaurant, which specializes in local, seasonal and organic ingredients, as No. 1 in its list of the nation’s top 10 new restaurants of 2010 today.
“Dinner here is a fairy tale, the kind with a very happy ending,” enRoute contributing writer Sarah Musgrave said about Haisai in a news release.

Below are the rest of her selections:
2. Bao Bei in Vancouver
3. Cava in Montreal
4. Local Kitchen & Wine Bar in Toronto
5. Stone Soup Inn in Cowichan Valley, B.C.
6. Charcut Roast House in Calgary
7. Quatrefoil in Dundas, Ont.
8. EdGe in Sooke, B.C.
9. Buca in Toronto
10. Le Quartier Général in Montreal

Which are your picks for best new restaurant of the year? And what are your old neighbourhood favourites?

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Seven Kinds of Food Can Help You Sleep

Many people have sleep problems, how to have a good sleep, here we provide you seven kinds of food than can help you sleep.

1. Milk
Milk contains tryptophan, an essential amino acids, are aiding sleep effect. Lactose-rich milk, amino acids and minerals and vitamins, can ease the tension of brain cells, The elderly is best not to drink milk at bedtime, instead of sleep so as not to get up in the night to urinate.
2. Jujube
Dates rich nutrition, Stomach and spleen, Available dates insomnia patients 30 grams to 60 grams, add sugar a little Jiantang, the night before bedtime.
3. Longan
Longan, also known as longan, has high nutritional value. Study found that longan meat on the brain cells have a certain role in nutrition, can play a calm, soothe the nerves, nourishing, anti-aging and other effects. 15 grams of longan meat, plus rice 100 grams, making a bowl of longan in the early morning or before bed Rouyu fasting food, both spleen and can soothe the nerves.
4. Lotus
Lotus has nourishing the heart, nerves, spleen and other effects on the heart palpitations, insomnia, diarrhea and other symptoms have some effect. Upset many people dream available lotus core 30, a little salt with water simmer in water.
5. Lily
Lily can prolong sleep time and improve quality of sleep. Especially after the weak health as illness, neurosis caused by insomnia, had improved function. Daily bowl of soup lily lotus jujube, soothe the nerves can play a role in aiding sleep.
6. Day Lily
Day Lily are clearing away heat, cooling and other effects. Whether for cooking or soup, all Win sleep after eating.
7. Vinegar
When you are too tired can not sleep, we might take 1 tablespoon of vinegar, slowly add warm water to take, can help sleep.

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New restaurant hall of famers inducted

By Deana Lancaster, North Shore News Wednesday, April 01, 2009

Call it sweet success.
North Vancouver chocolatier Thomas Haas was among those inducted this year into the B.C. Restaurant Hall of Fame. On Monday, more than 600 foodies from the British Columbia culinary scene were among the first to see the new wing of the Vancouver Convention and Exhibition Centre, when they gathered there to celebrate their finest. The 2009 inductees to the B.C. Restaurant Hall of Fame are eleven individuals in varying categories. They are:
- Pioneers: George Frankel, Bruno Patassini, and Primo Villanueva
- Industry Award, Front of House: Darren Gates, Jean Turcotte
- Industry Award, Back of House: Thomas Haas, Scott Jaeger
- Friend of the Industry: Sid Cross, Jamie Maw
- Active Restaurateur: David Aisenstat, Geoffrey Howes
This year's Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to former West Van resident, freelance food writer Duncan Holmes. The B.C. Restaurant Hall of Fame was founded in 2004 to celebrate and promote excellence in B.C.'s culinary traditions; and to pay tribute to the outstanding individuals, past and present, who have shaped the industry. Inductees were chosen by a panel of 80 judges comprised of industry leaders from throughout the province. For more information, visit http://www.bcrhof.com/.

Beet-Pickled Deviled Eggs [블랙 독거미 달걀요리 만들기]

[Beet-Pickled Deviled Eggs]

3 cups water / 1 cup distilled white vinegar / 1 small beet, peeled and sliced / 1 small shallot, sliced / 1 teaspoon sugar / 1 Turkish or 1/2 California bay leaf / 12 hard-boiled large eggs, peeled / 1 teaspoon caraway seeds, toastedcooled / 1/3 cup mayonnaise / 1 tablespoon grainy mustard / 1 tablespoon finely  / chopped flat-leaf parsley

Eequipment: an electric coffee/spice grinder or a mortar and pestle

Preparation : Bring water, vinegar, beet, shallot, sugar, bay leaf, and 1/2 teaspoon salt to a boil in a 2-quart saucepan, then simmer, covered, until beet is tender, about 20 minutes. Cool completely, uncovered. Put beet mixture in a container with eggs and marinate, chilled, gently stirring once or twice, at least 2 hours.
Finely grind caraway seeds in grinder.
Remove eggs from beet mixture and pat dry (discard beet mixture). Cut in half lengthwise and remove yolks. Mash yolks with mayonnaise, mustard, parsley, and half of caraway. Season with salt and pepper, then divide among egg whites. Sprinkle with remaining caraway.

[블랙 독거미 달걀요리 만들기]


재료 : 비트물로 만든 피클 달걀, 블랙 올리브, 삶은 달걀 노른자, 꿀,고추가루, 소금약간.
1. 달걀노른자 토핑만들기 : 달걀 노른자에 고추가루, 소금 약간, 꿀을 넣어 잘 부수어 섞어준다.
2. 독거미로 사용할 블랙 올리브는 반으로 자르고 다리 모양은 반으로 자른 것을 3~4등분 하여 만든다. 준비한 달걀에 노른자 토핑얹고...달걀 접시 주변을 꿀을 짜주면서 한번 지나간다.
3. 양념한 노른자 토핑위에 블랙올리브로 사진처럼 블랙독거미 모양을 만들면 끝!!

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Westcoast Life: Halloween events, theatre, food, visual arts, music and more...

Fright Nights at the PNE
East Hastings and Renfrew, Vancouver
How much? Youths $15, adults $25
Reviewers: Samantha Simon, 13, and Lucas Simon, 17, Magee secondary school, Vancouver
What is it? Fright Nights has five haunted houses in one: Hollywood Horrors, CarnEvil, Darkness, The Asylum and The Haunted Mansion. The haunted houses are linear houses divided into “rooms” and “hallways” with scary Halloweenish decorations and props. As well, various scares and surprises frequently jump out at you.
Scariness, out of 5: Samantha: 4.5 (depends on the house and actors); Lucas: 5.
Elaborateness, out of 5: Samantha: 5; Lucas: 5.
What was it like? Samantha: Absolutely terrific this year! The actors get 10 out of 10 — all of them. From scaring people in the houses or simply giving them a scream in the park, it felt like Halloween Town (the movie). The feelings I shared with my family members were the same. Every time we turned a corner we knew something or someone was gonna pop out and literally scare us. We knew it was coming, but we never really expected it. My favourite haunted house would have to be CarnEvil, the newest one. I thought whoever had the idea of having a 3-D house was definitely on the right track of Playland being unplay. At one point in all of the houses, I somehow ended up in front of my older cousins. We were all holding onto each other like a train winding through the houses, keeping our eyes open for the exit sign. It was a treat to hear my older brother, Lucas, and my older cousin, Matthew, scream like girls.
Lucas: Everything is so well done. You’re constantly anticipating something will happen as you walk through the house, giving a truly terrifying atmosphere with scares around every corner. The mechanisms are excellently detailed to really give you a chill once you see them. They move and act in creepy ways. But perhaps the best part of all the houses is the real-time actors wearing spooky costumes and constantly jumping out of closets or walls to frighten you. The houses have a lot of variety as well.
Highlight: A definite highlight would be in the Hollywood Horrors house where a Michael Myers character jumped out of a dresser and was running toward me!
Recommend it? Samantha: Yes! I would recommend it to everyone.
Lucas: I would indeed recommend visiting these Fright Night haunted houses.
Potters House of Horrors
12530 72 Ave., Surrey
How much? $15 for teens and adults; $10 for children 12 and under
Reviewers: Emma Munro, 15; Caitie Hernandez, 14; Jashper Paras, 15, Holy Cross regional high school, Surrey
What is it? A series of rooms filled with special light and sound effects, animatronics and actors dressed as bloody zombies, crazy clowns, demonic dolls, lunatic prisoners carrying knives and more. The actors even scare you in the lineup waiting to get in.
Scariness out of 5: 4 (can’t be a 5 because it didn’t make us cry)
Elaborateness, out of 5: 5

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Greater Vancouver Food Bank gets boost from a big business

VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) - With line-ups at local food banks up 10 per cent this year, the Greater Vancouver Food Bank Society is getting a boost from big business.

Society CEO Cheryl Carline says GE Canada has donated $25,000 to food banks nation-wide.
"We are the third largest food bank in Canada so we'll probably see a significant amount of the contribution but we also have the largest population who accesses the food bank. It's kind of a double-edged sword for us but any time we're able to have great partnerships, like those with GE, we certainly appreciate it."
Employed, low-income individuals and families are the fastest growing segment of those who use local food banks and demand will only grow as we head into the holidays.
As part of the initiative, GE Canada has launched the Good Food Drive, providing eco-friendly shopping bags and some prize packages to help encourage people to donate to food banks.
In Metro Vancouver, five contestants will be invited to a GE Café Harvest Party hosted at West Restaurant on Tuesday, October 26, 2010. One winner will also go home with a complete GE Café kitchen, including microwave, range, range hood, refrigerator and dishwasher, valued at $10,000.
Most Metro Vancouver food banks also take online donations, you can drop food and cash in person and you can buy $2 "BC Share" coupons at your grocery store with the proceeds going to your local food bank.

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Men who eat junk food are more likely to have diabetic children, study finds

Men who gorge on junk food could be condemning their future children to diabetes, research suggests.

The warning comes as Britain fights an epidemic of type 2 diabetes, with some two million already diagnosed and the figure forecast to double by 2025.
Another seven-million are on the borderline of the condition which usually comes on in middle age and greatly raises the odds of heart disease, stroke and amputation and can shorten lifespan by 10 years.
Much of the rise of the disease has been blamed on expanding waistlines. But the latest research suggests that at least some of the seeds of destruction could be sown in previous generations.
It also suggests that prospective fathers should keep an eye on their diet, in the same way as mothers-to-be do.
The Australian and American researchers fed young male rats a high-fat diet, mated them with healthy females and tracked the health of the female pups they went on to sire as adults.
The 'daughters' developed diabetes before they reached puberty, with blood glucose concentrations double those of pups born to normally-fed males.
The junk-food rats' daughters also produced half the amount of insulin, the hormone that regulates blood sugar levels and is key to the development of diabetes, the journal Nature reports.

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=> It's too delicious. I can't resist junk food sometimes.. Even I know I have to, but.. T^T

KFC’s Double Down raises eyebrows among Canadian nutrition experts

It's a meaty monster that can make even the bravest fast-food fanatic turn chicken — and health and nutrition experts have their doubts whether Canada really is down with the Double Down.


As what is arguably the world's most infamous sandwich makes its debut north of the border, dieticians and academics hope Canadians give KFC's bunless concoction — two slabs of seasoned fried chicken sandwiching bacon, cheese and secret sauce — a wide berth, lest they get wider themselves.


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배고픈 자취생이 간단하고 싸고 맛있게 먹을 수 있는 특별요리는?

1. 계란볶음밥
    계란 2개 꺼내서 소금으로 간을 하고 저어줍니다.
    프라이팬을 달구고 기름을 두릅니다.
    계란을 스크램블에그로 만들고 밥을 준비합니다.
    고슬고슬해지면 간장과 참기름을 적절하게 배분하여 적절하게 비벼줍니다

2. 꽁치통조림 사서 김치랑 쪄 먹기
    물은 넣지 말고 김치랑 살짝 조려서 조금 간 보고 드시면 됩니다. 캬아~

3. 핫케이크
    핫케익 가루랑 달걀이랑 우유 섞어 반죽하고 부침개 하듯 얇게(너무 얇게는 아니고!) 부치세요. 흑인여성분 그림 그려져 있는 핫케이크 시럽사서 발라드시면 돼요.

4. 참치김치찌개
    김치 볶다가 기름 뺀 참치 같이 넣고 좀 더 볶다가 물 붙고 끓이면 되고, 색깔 봐가면서 고추가루 뿌리시면 됩니다. 다진 마늘 이랑 소금간 해서 끌이시고, 김치가 양념이 별로 없는 김치라면 다시다조미료 좀 넣어주세요. 그럼 끝~

5. 라면땅
    라면 뿌개서 후라이팬에 살짝 볶다가 설탕 쫌 뿌려주면 끝!

6 .샌드위치
    식빵에 집에 있는 야채 아무 거랑 마요네즈 섞어서 사이에 넣으면 끝! 야채는 오이랑 옥수수가 좋고, 당근 양파 등도 당근 좋습니다. 여기에 참치 넣어도 짱! 넣기 전 기름 쫙! 빼주세요.
오이도 물기 짜주세용!

7. 식빵토스트
   계란1개 섞은 거에 야채 채 썰어서 도톰하게 부치고, 식빵은 마가린에 살짝 구워서 그 사이에 아까 부친 계란 넣은 뒤 케첩, 머스터드 등을 넣어주면 끝~ 취향에 따라 설탕 뿌려주셔도 으뜸입니다.

8. 짬뽕라면
   집에 있는 라면에다가 슈퍼가서 문어 오징어 새우 이런 거 좀 주섬주섬 사다가 넣어주면 되는데, 끝 물에 고추가루 취향 것 넣어주시면 금상첨화!

Research reveals why airplane food tastes so bad

Mile high: Are you disappointed with airplane food for more reasons than its inflated price?

Apparently food tastes so terrible thousands of feet above the Earth's surface not because it's truly bad to begin with (though that may be true in some cases) but because of the environment. Researchers from Unilever Labs and the University of Manchester blindfolded study participants and had them sample meals in silence and then with loud white noise playing in the background.

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Grocers begin battle over sustainable seafood

By Sarah Schmidt, Postmedia News October 13, 2010
Let the sustainable seafood war at Canadian supermarkets begin.
Sobeys Inc. plans to raise the bar today with its plan to push seafood suppliers and producers to run sustainable fisheries and farms to sell their fish at 1,300 Sobeys stores across the country under retail banners that include Thrifty Foods and IGA. Sobeys, the second-largest grocer in Canada, is the latest to release a sustainable seafood policy as food retail giants jostle to convince eco-conscious consumers of their commitment to protect vulnerable fish stocks.
In an interview, David Smith, vice-president of sustainability at Sobeys, said it's not enough to sign on to certification programs to phase-out at-risk species from fish counters, so Sobeys has teamed with Sustainable Fisheries Partnership, an international non-governmental group that works with seafood suppliers and producers to create sustainable operations.
"We're certainly committed to the sustainability of seafood and the people and the economies dependent on them. We want to make sure those can be viable for generations to come and we also want our customers now and in the future to be able to buy a broad assortment of seafood. We feel the most impactful way of doing that is actually fixing the worst first. It means actually going beyond certification programs and ecolabels. Those tend to appeal to the fisheries that are often in decent shape already. What's left out is those that are in the most challenging situations," Smith said Tuesday.
The new policy comes just a few months after Sobeys placed near the bottom of Greenpeace Canada's annual supermarket ranking on seafood sustainability, with a score of 14 per cent, ahead of Co-Op (12 per cent) and Costco (seven per cent). The Overwaitea Food Group came out on top with a grade of 51 per cent, followed by Loblaw (43 per cent), Safeway (36 per cent), Wal-Mart (28 per cent) and Metro (21 per cent).
Those at the top of the ranking have already developed and implemented a seafood policy, begun to rid their shelves of harmfully fished and farmed seafood on Greenpeace's Redlist.
Jennifer Jacquet, of the University of B.C.'s Sea Around Us Project, said in an interview that partnering with a group such as the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership is "a very sensible approach if they have at all a long-term perspective," but the situation is so dire, it may not be enough.
© Copyright (c) The Vancouver Sun

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Athletes should know how much protein they are taking in

By Andrew Coppolino


My heart goes out to the friends and family of Cambridge hockey player Ben Pearson.
The 20-year-old athlete died suddenly because of a rare and undiagnosed enzyme deficiency in his liver. It resulted in a build-up of ammonia in his liver that was responsible for his death in only a matter of days.
It’s sad to have lost Ben at such a young age as he pursued the game he loved. The tragedy of the situation is such that it leaves me wondering what could have been done to prevent his death. Unfortunately, there is little to be done.
So where does that leave us? Well, we can only try to learn from Ben’s passing. He was an athlete, and he worked hard at playing hockey. At a powerful 240 pounds (109 kilograms), the former Junior B defenceman was on a high-protein diet.

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How to sniff out fake restaurant reviews

You want to try out a new restaurant tonight, but aren’t sure where to go. Unfortunately, all the conflicting opinions about local eateries that you’ve read online don’t make your decision any easier.


Someone named Anna G. says the bistro down the street is infested with cockroaches and the food there is inferior to the restaurant a couple doors down. Yet another reviewer who goes by the name Charlie M. says that same bistro has the best steak frites in town and gives it an enthusiastic five stars.

With user-generated review sites such as Yelp, Chowhound, OpenTable, Zagat and Urbanspoon, anyone can be a restaurant critic. But when that also means restaurant owners, competitors and disgruntled former staff can weigh in under the guise of impartial diners, how can you weed out the dishonest reviews from the legitimate ones?

The credibility of user-generated reviews came under scrutiny this summer when Grahamwich, the much-awaited gourmet sandwich shop of renowned Chicago chef Graham Elliot Bowles, received an abysmal one-star rating on Yelp. It wasn’t so much the bad grade that sparked outcry on food discussion boards and social networking sites, as the fact that the restaurant hadn’t opened yet.

“Amazing!” Mr. Bowles said on Twitter. “There is already a negative review of Grahamwich posted on Yelp even though we’ve yet to open. Further proves my point …”

He later elaborated in an interview with the website Eater: “The fact that someone has the ability to openly critique a business that has yet to open, leads me to question the legitimacy of the reviews involving businesses that are in actual operation.”

Some Yelp users also took exception to the premature rating.

“Once it’s out there, it’s out there and … [people will] see the one star review and assume there’s a problem with the place,” one Yelp forum member wrote under the name Chris S.

“This entire site should be taken with a grain of salt,” added another, giving the name Matty “The Soothing Rocker” G.

Stephanie Ichinose, director of communications for Yelp, acknowledges that pre-emptive reviewing “does occur,” but says such online chatter ahead of an opening is a testament to the freshness of the site’s content.

“But what it also means is that we also have to have … review guidelines that help mitigate against the abuse of Yelp,” she adds. She says Yelp uses an automated software system to screen for abuse and removes reviews it deems inappropriate.

At Chowhound, community manager Jacquilynne Schlesier says site moderators identify and take down dubious user reviews on a regular basis. “I’d say it’s a multiple times a day occurrence.”

Negative reviews penned by competing restaurants are rare, but dishonest criticism generally comes from revenge-seeking former employees, she says. More common are shill reviews, from restaurant chefs or owners pretending to be their own customers, or from friends or family members trying to “help” the business, she says. Ms. Schlesier has seen chefs’ mothers post favourable comments about their children’s restaurants without the chefs’ knowledge.

Other businesses use the review space to flat-out advertise, “which is at least easier to detect,” she says.

But sometimes suspicious reviews can turn out to be legitimate. “I mean, some people are just really enthusiastic,” she says.

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A Canadian Thanksgiving

This day may not be as big and flashy as the same holiday in the United States, and there is definitely no frantic shopping day tomorrow, but we Canadians love our own Thanksgiving celebrations.
Since 1957, we’ve been setting aside the second Monday in October as a national day of appreciation, although we have honored an annual Thanksgiving Day much further back into the 1800s.
For many of us, the 3-day weekend will be enjoyed with family and friends around a table loaded down with roasted turkey and all the fixin’s.
For others, this is a last chance for one last mini-vacation before the winter freezes us in.
You can spot us watching the usual football games and outside admiring the fall foliage.
Thanksgiving Day may only come once a year, but here in Canada the timing and weather are usually perfect.

(by eCanadaNow)

Restaurant listings

A list of restaurants recommended and anonymously visited by Sun restaurant critic Mia Stainsby. Prices are per couple for three courses, with a glass of wine each, before tip and taxes.

$ means $50 or less
$$ means $50 to $100
$$$ means more than $100
- REGIONAL/CONTEMPORARY

Au Petit Chavignol »Comfort food from the top cheese purveyor. 843 E. Hastings, 604-255-4218. $$
Bishop's » A leader in sustainability. Excellent service. 2183 West Fourth Ave., 604-738-2025. $$$
Bin 941 » Tapas bar in tiny eclectic space. 941 Davie St., 604-683-1246. $$/$$$
Bin 942 » Creative, delectable tapas dishes. 1521 West Broadway, 604-734-9421. $$/$$$
Boneta » An ambitious chef behind a constantly changing menu, some dishes reaching the sublime. 1 West Cordova St., 604-684-1844. $$/$$$
Brix » Large tapas selection, large selection of wines by the glass. 1138 Homer St., 604-915-9463. $$/$$$
Crave » Divine comfort food with elegant touches. 3941 Main St., 604-872-3663. $$
Cru » Blurs the lines of fine dining, lounge and bistro. 1459 West Broadway, 604-677-4111. $$/$$$
DB Bistro Moderne » Daniel Boulud's casual side and that includes a $28 luxury burger. 2563 West Broadway, 604-739-7115. $$/$$$
The Diamond » A saloon-like room in a heritage building. Great cocktails and an eclectic, Asianinflected menu. 6 Powell St., info@diamond.com(no phone). $/$$

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Creating my own ethnic cuisine

I have no ethnic heritage. My parents grew up poor and white in the rural South, born into families with no discoverable history prior to the early 1920s. No one remembers a homeland. Being "American" and "Southern" should be enough, and it is enough, but I long for connection to an Old Country, to know traditions and recipes that have been kept alive, lovingly tended, across geography and time. Denied that connection, I console myself by visiting the ethnic markets that have sprouted up in our modest-size town.

Visitors to the Gulf Coast of Florida are often surprised by the diversity of our population. In the mid-1970s, thousands of Vietnamese refugees were relocated here. Military installations dot the coastline and the interior, and servicepeople returning home from foreign assignments often bring families from overseas. We have large Thai, Vietnamese, Korean and Filipino communities, and smaller groups from England, Turkey, Germany, Italy and Japan. Following the run of hurricanes a few years back, Mexican workers poured in to replace blue tarps with new roofs, and stayed for the construction boom. Once that passed, many moved on, but some have settled and opened restaurants and markets.

I like to browse the Mexican market, pick up bags of glossy dried peppers, inhale their smoky bitterness. I buy a new variety each time and experiment. The outrageously expressive man who runs the deli counter says, "Mamita linda! What do you want today?" If he has something new, he is insistent that I try it, and I oblige, always nodding my approval effusively enough to make him smile in satisfaction. In an invented familial history, he is my brother-in-law. One who delights everyone with his extravagant gestures and compliments, and who will surely -- we all see it coming -- break my sister's heart.

(This originally appeared on Bellwether Vance's Open Salon blog)


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VANCOUVER SUN RESTAURANT GUIDE

BY SUN RESTAURANT CRITIC MIA STAINSBY REGIONAL CONTEMPORARY

Au Petit Chavignol » Wine and cheese boite with some comfort food thrown in. 604-255-4218.
Bishop's » A leader in sustainability. Excellent service. 2183 West Fourth Ave., 604-738-2025.
Bin 941 » Tapas bar in tiny eclectic space. 941 Davie St., 604-683-1246. Bin 942 » Creative, delectable tapas dishes. 1521 West Broadway, 604-734-9421.
Boneta » An ambitious chef behind a constantly changing menu, some dishes reaching the sublime. 1 West Cordova St., 604-684-1844.
Brix » Large tapas selection, large selection of wines by the glass. 1138 Homer St., 604-915-9463.
Crave » Divine comfort food with elegant touches. 3941 Main St., 604-872-3663.
Cru » Blurs the lines of fine dining, lounge and bistro. 1459 West Broadway, 604-677-4111.
DB Bistro Moderne » Daniel Boulud's casual side and that includes a 28 luxury burger. 2563 West Broadway, 604-739-7115.
The Diamond » A saloon-like room in a heritage building. Great cocktails and an eclectic, Asian-inflected menu. 6 Powell St., info@diamond.com (no phone).
Goldfish » A designer room; good value for the casually elegant food. 1118 Mainland St., 604-689-8318.
Glowbal Grill Steaks and Satay » Hip, happening destination. Creative chef. 1079 Mainland St., 604-602-0835.
Grub » Modest little spot that delivers a lot. Blackboard menu changes constantly. 4328 Main St., 604-876-8671.
Market by Jean-Georges » Astonishingly good value for Jean-Georges Vongerichten's food. Shangri-La Hotel, 1115 Alberni St., 604-695-1115.
Nu » Waterfront. Modern regional cuisine. 1661 Granville St., 604-646-4668.
Pair Bistro » "Locovore" ingredients, wine and art. 3769 West 10th Ave., 604-224-7211.
Pourhouse » Popular Gastown watering hole with excellent cocktails. Comfort food. 162 Water St., 604-568-7022.
Raincity Grill » Locovore's delight. Try their 100-Mile Menu. Some exquisite dishes. 1193 Denman St., 604-685-7337.
Refuel » Comfort food of the highest order. Artisanal meat cuts. 1944 West Fourth Ave., 604-288-7905.
Salt Tasting Room » Contemporary charcuterie style food with wine pairings. Edgy surrounding. 45 Blood Alley, 604-633-1912.
Suvai » Good value neighbourhood spot dedicated to local ingredients. 2279 West 41st Ave., 604-261-4900.
Two Chefs and a Table » Seasonal cuisine in edgy Railtown. 305 Alexander St., 778-233-1303.
Voya » West Coast cuisine with global and creative flair; some dishes are knock-outs. 1177 Melville St., 604-669-5060.
West » One of the finest restaurants in Vancouver. 2881 Granville St., 604-738-8938.

ITALIAN
Campagnolo Hard-edge neighbourhood. Step inside, though, and it's Slow Food Italy. 1020 Main St., 604-484-6018.
Cibo » Italian food with a seamless blend of fine and rustic, delicate and emphatic. 900 Seymour St., 604-602-9570.
CinCin » Ristorante and Bar Seasonal menu with wood-fired dishes. Notable desserts. 1154 Robson St., 604-688-7338.
Cioppino's Mediterranean Grill » Finest Italian cuisine with a light touch. 1133 Hamilton St., 604-688-7466.
Don Francesco Ristorante » Romantic, classic Italian restaurant with heart. 860 Burrard St., 604-685-7770.
Il Giardino » "New Italian" food, light with exotic elements. Big on game. 1382 Hornby St., 604-669-2422.
Italian Kitchen » The spaghetti with truffle cream and Kobe meatballs here is luscious. A modern Italian restaurant. 1037 Alberni St., 604-687-2858.
La Buca » A neighbourhood restaurant serving quality food, backed up by great service. 4025 McDonald St., 604-730-6988.
La Quercia » The two chef owners offer great quality Italian soul food. 3689 West Fourth Ave., 604-676-1007.
La Terrazza » Knock-out looks, intelligent and friendly staff, traditional Italian food. 1088 Cambie St., 604-899-4449.
Nook » Lively spot with a streamlined menu of good pizza and pasta. 781 Denman St., 604-568-4554.
Q4 » An Italian restaurant with flair. 2611 West Fourth Ave., 604-734-4444.
Trattoria Italian Kitchen » Good food, great service, everyday prices, busy and loud. 1850 West Fourth Ave., 604-732-1441.

CHINESE
Bao Bei » Harbinger of hip and modern in Vancouver's Chinatown. Small plates. 163 Keefer St., 604-688-0876.
Hon's Wun-Tun » House Slurp noodles and chomp on delicious potstickers. Huge menu. 1339 Robson St., 604-685-0871.
Imperial Seafood » Fine Cantonese food, (expensive) in the lovely Marine Building. 355 Burrard St., 604-688-8191.
Lin Chinese Cuisine » Cheap and cheerful. Good dumplings. 1537 West Broadway, 604-733-9696.
Kirin Seafood » Exquisite Cantonese food. City Square, 555 West 12th Ave., 604-879-8038.
Legendary Noodle. » Handmade noodles, made to order. Funky. 1074 Denman St., 604-669-8551.
Peaceful Restaurant » Northern Chinese with spicy, bright flavours on the lengthy menu of dishes. 532 West Broadway, 604-879-9878.
Sun Sui Wah » Cantonese cuisine with light, finely tuned flavours. 3888 Main St., 604-872-8822.
Szechuan Chongqing » An institution for those who love the incendiary fare. 2808 Commercial Dr., 604-254-7434.
Wild Rice » Modern Chinese food in hip setting. 117 West Pender St., 604-642-2882.
Wonton King » Ambitious Chinese food, served with a smile, in stripmall. 620 S.E. Marine Dr., 604-321-4433.

JAPANESE
Ajisai Sushi Bar » Small neighbourhood spot with sushi that sings. 2081West 42nd Ave., 604-266-1428.
Gyoza King » Gyozas reign supreme. Open late. 1508 Robson St., 604-669-8278.
Hapa Izakaya » Young and stylish; great izakaya-style Japanese food. 1479 Robson St., 604-689-4272; 1516 Yew St., 604-738-4272; 1193 Hamilton St. 604-681-4272.
Japadog » Quirky hot dog stands with Japanese condiments at Burrard and Dunsmuir and Burrard and Pender, weather willing.
Kingyo » Wonderfully crafted interior, interesting izakaya dishes. A slice of Tokyo. 871 Denman St., 604-608-1677.
Lime » Creativity in the kitchen, good sushi, music and entertainment. 1130 Commercial Dr., 604-215-1130.
Miko Sushi » Dependably fresh sushi; a cheery place that for some reason, attracts a lot of NHL players. 1335 Robson Street, 604-681-0339.
Shuraku Sake Bar and Bistro » Modern sharing plates and good quality sushi, sashimi, great sake list. 833 Granville St., 604-687-6622.

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Vancouver's multi-cultural grocery stores

By Mia Stainsby


You’d need to lock yourself up and swallow the key to remain parochial in multi-flavoured Vancouver.
For instance, I walk into Alborz Fine Foods, a small but bright new Persian food store that recently opened in Park Royal Mall South. I indulge, one or two bites at a time, in unknown foods whenever I’m in an ethnic store. This time, I walk around and wait for something to grab me.
I notice bottles of a milky beverage in the cooler. It looks healthy, so I buy one. I also note some large and crispy okra, deep-fried, displayed in a brown bag. I ask for a sample, and it’s as delicate as a potato chip and has a mildly spicy taste. I buy some of that. And from the display of nuts, I buy a bag of cashews.
At home, I wonder if the beverage (called doujh) will be bitter, and I’m prepared for it. But no, it’s a carbonated yogurt drink with a bit of saltiness and a bit of mint and really refreshing. My sister, who’s visiting from Ontario, loves the crispy dried okra. The cashews are salty, but with a citrusy edge
Mitras Market, in Ambleside, another Persian store, is always a bit of an adventure, too. I’ve bought Persian breads, roasted nuts, tahini and free-range chickens there as well as mulberry seeds and Persian cookies for snacks.
Ethnic grocery stores start up to satisfy Metro Vancouver’s immigrant cravings, but they also play a powerful ambassadorial role. And prices at these stores are easy to swallow, too.
At Minerva’s Mediterranean Deli in Kitsilano, owner Mike Georgiopoulos has witnessed how culinary cultures converge. When he opened in 1971, his customers were 100-per-cent Greek immigrants, he says.
“Now, it’s the opposite way,” he says. “About two per cent of my customers are Greek and 98 per cent are other Canadians.”
He remembers a time when a Greek restaurant in the neighbourhood spit-roasted a whole lamb every Saturday.
“A lot of people thought they were barbecuing dogs and got angry, especially when they saw the head. They had never tasted lamb. The owners would be trying to explain that it was lamb,” he says. Now, in his own store, which has a deli section, lamb is one of his bestsellers.
Where, I wondered, did his Greek customers go?
“I’m gonna tell you,” he says in his Greek accent. “Greek products — you’ll find them all over the place. Now the supermarkets have it because there’s big demand.”
That’s not all. The most average of supermarkets sell items such as nori, tofu, tortillas and couscous, along with the phyllo and pita. At Minerva’s, Georgiopoulos says, you’ll find just about everything you’d find in Greece.
In ethnic stores, you should ask questions of the “What’s this?” and “What do you do with that?” variety. Otherwise, you might never taste foods such as “the famous” Atiki honey.
“The bees collect honey from thyme flowers, and it’s a special flavour,” says Georgiopoulos. “It’s one of the tastiest aromatic honeys you can taste in the world.”
Or you might forever be a one-variety olive eater, ignorant of what you’re missing. Minerva’s has 50 varieties of Greek olives alone.
Georgiopoulos says Greek restaurants have played a big role in bridging food cultures. Who, these days, is stumped by baklava? But if you talk to someone like Georgiopoulos, you might discover that the saganaki, which you’ve probably tried in a restaurant, can be souped up.
“Cut the cheese [a soft Greek cheese such as kefalogaviera], dip in egg, flour it, heat olive oil in a pan and cook both sides until it’s golden. A lot of people take brandy or ouzo and flame it in the pan and bring the cheese to the table while it’s flaming,” he says. (But we both agreed, readers shouldn’t try this unless they know what they’re doing.)
To Tina Fineza, chef at Flying Tiger, a pan-Asian restaurant, this is an incredible city for cooks. Her restaurant kitchen requires ingredients for Chinese, Malaysian, Singaporean, Korean, Japanese and Filipino dishes. She’s also a consultant to restaurants such as La Tacqueri, and has to know sources for Latin American ingredients.
“We can get practically everything in Vancouver,” she says. “I lived in Seattle for a long time, and it can be hard to find some things in American cities. Here, I’ve been able to find every single ingredient. I’d be hard-pressed to say I can’t find something. I can make dishes with exactly the same flavours I’ve experienced in Thailand. I can find baby eggplants that are the size of peas. I can find wing beans,” which are square-shaped beans. T he flowers from these beans are used for purple food dye for use in sticky rice desserts.
The Asian fruits available in Metro Vancouver’s Asian stores, she says, are amazing.
The super-successful T&T Supermarkets, purveyor of Asian foods of all types, are almost as common as Safeways in Metro Vancouver. (There are eight, with another one to open in Park Royal Mall.)
About 20 per cent of shoppers are non-Asian, says marketing manager Sandra Creighton. The goal is to attract non-Asians as well Asian customers and to carry some North American products as well.
“We’ve developed a series of ‘Asian Food Made Easy’ recipes that shoppers could easily make,” Creighton says. Selection is as varied as in any supermarket in Hong Kong, she says.
Fineza likes to go to T&T for steamed buns: “I’ll make pork-belly sliders with them. They bring the bao [buns] in fresh from local bakers, and it’s so fresh.”
She’s all over the map in her shopping. “I live on the East Side, and I’m spoiled with the price points and variety,” she says. She’s figured out that on Fraser, between 24th and 27th Avenues, she can find Filipino stores.
“And on Kingsway, from Windsor to around Clark, it’s bam! bam! bam! It’s interspersed with shops selling Chinese barbecue duck and pork bellies hanging in the window and Vietnamese stores and bakeries with amazing French baguettes, hot from the oven, for $1.50. The signs aren’t in English, so I’ll just try this or that.”
If you live in Metro Vancouver, you can’t whine about not being able to cook ethnic dishes, she says.
“You’ll find everything you need. There’s no way you can’t make authentic ethnic dishes.”

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Are healthy school lunches driving your kids to junk?

In the leafy surrounds of Kerrisdale, an old-money enclave on Vancouver’s west side, Point Grey Secondary School is losing the junk food war.
Two years ago the student cafeteria revamped its menu to meet British Columbia’s new food regulations for schools. Salads now have reduced-sodium dressing, cookies contain less sugar and potatoes are baked, not fried.
But when the lunch bell rings, Point Grey students swarm to the neighbouring McDonald’s, 7-Eleven, Frankies Candy Bar, and Flying Wedge, where $3.50 buys a “student combo” of a pizza slice and pop that add up to 900 calories.
Healthier cafeteria fare, such as a $3.50 low-fat chicken wrap, can’t compete, says Glenn Canuel, co-owner of Canuel Caterers, the private company in charge of the school’s food services.
Cafeteria sales at Point Grey have dipped 30 per cent since the province tightened its food rules in 2008, Mr. Canuel says. Now that B.C. schools can no longer sell junk food, “kids are going off campus for it.”
Across Canada, school catering companies are reporting sales losses of 10 to 30 per cent in many regions where candy bars, soft drinks and deep-fried foods have been banned. Schools that share profits from food sales are also taking a hit.
After a decade of nutrition crusaders pushing for healthier food choices, the fight against childhood obesity is more daunting than ever. One in four Canadian children is overweight or obese. From coast to coast, doctors and dietitians are sounding the alarm about the rising health costs that a dangerously overweight country will have to bear. In September, provincial and territorial health ministers – in tandem with federal Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq – released a framework for action on childhood obesity.
But it may be that students have been left out of the loop, in the rush to educate schools, parent groups and private caterers about new food legislation, says Julie Stephenson, a registered dietitian and food services manager for Surrey School District in British Columbia.
“Students don’t know why things have changed,” she says.
At the provincial level, nutrition standards that eliminate trans fats and reduce sugar and sodium in foods sold in schools are a patchwork effort. Food guidelines are mandatory in British Columbia, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. Quebec has prohibited the sale of deep-fried foods and soft drinks on high-school grounds. In Ontario, schools face a deadline of September, 2011, to comply with the province’s new school food and beverage policy.
Other provinces and territories have voluntary standards except the Northwest Territories and Nunavut, which lack formal guidelines.
Schools in British Columbia have made “significant progress” in offering healthy food and beverage choices, according to a review earlier this year by the B.C. Ministry of Education.
But healthy food choices have had unintended consequences. Gas stations and convenience stores are cashing in on students’ discontent, Ms. Stephenson says. “We see local corner stores converting so that they can provide pizza.”
Poor cafeteria sales forced Chartwells Canada, the country’s largest high-school catering operation, to pull out of about a dozen schools in New Brunswick. The losses are due to declining enrolment and stricter food rules, Chartwells president Ross Munro says. “We’re telling 18-year-old kids what they’re going to eat – think about it.”
Despite the exodus from cafeterias, dietitians including Ms. Stephenson support the trend toward school nutrition legislation.
Schools have a responsibility to educate children about nutrition and provide healthy food choices, says Janice MacDonald, communications director for Dietitians of Canada. Ideally, Canada would have national guidelines, she says.
Ms. MacDonald adds that obesity has many causes, included sedentary lifestyles and aggressive marketing of unhealthy foods to children. “We can’t depend on schools to be the complete or only solution.”
Children get hooked on junk food by eating frozen dinners and take-out meals at home, says Paul Finkelstein, a culinary arts teacher at Stratford Northwestern Secondary School in Ontario. A surprising number of kids have cash in their pockets to spend on chips and chocolate bars, he points out. “I blame the parents.”
Role-modelling can go both ways, however. When children learn to prepare dishes such as moussaka at the Screaming Avocado – the café Mr. Finkelstein runs as part of his culinary arts program – many students convince their parents to provide healthier foods at home, he says.
A growing number of teacher-run cafeterias are getting creative. Some school districts have a local Jamie Oliver, the celebrity chef who drove junk food out of British schools. Teens are learning to cook from scratch in more than a dozen high-school teaching cafeterias in British Columbia, and Farm to School programs inspired by the locavore movement are taking root across Canada.
As cafeterias get better at developing appealing recipes that comply with provincial standards, students’ palates will adapt to eating less salt, sugar and fat, dietitians say.
Tomorrow’s high-school freshmen won’t remember the deep-frying days, says Donna Bottrell, director of nutrition for Chartwells.
“We see the glimmer of hope in the elementary schools,” she says. “These are going to be different kids.”

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The 25 Top Nutritious Foods for a Long, Healthy and Happy Life

Are you ready to improve your health? These top nutritious foods will do just that. They are great for many things, including weight loss, fighting disease, curing and prevention of illness and really boosting your energy levels. They truly are fantastic. Eat them as often as possible and you will feel the benefits!

•Avocados •Apples •Berries •Broccoli •Salmon •Beans •Mushrooms •Walnuts •Almonds •Linseeds
•Pomegranates •Mangoes •Skinless Turkey Breast •Tomatoes •Brown Rice •Oats •Yoghurt •Pepper
•Garlic •Tea - Green or Black •Green Leafy Vegetables •Spinach •Fish •Pumpkin •Spirulina
 
Read more : nutrition page.

See her mind-blowing recipe!

Homemade Applesauce

It's apple season, and what should you do if you have an abundant supply of apples? Follow Fresh Tart's lead and make applesauce!

I hated applesauce as a kid. (I realize how many blog posts I begin by mentioning a food I hated as a kid. I do it to reassure you, and myself, that picky children often become great cooks and eaters. So hang in there if you're feeding the impossible.)

I hated its grainy, watery texture. I hated its unappetizing pinky-grey color.
I hated that it didn't taste like apple pie, which I loved.
And then I made homemade applesauce and like many things homemade, it blew my mind a little bit. Smooth and almost creamy, thick and not-too sweet, scented with cinnamon and tasting fully of apples. Like apple pie, in fact, warm and comforting. Yes.

See her mind-blowing recipe when you read more.
It's the only applesauce I'll eat. Bonus: It's one of my son's favorite foods, especially alongside pork (in particular, no-fail barbecued ribs, tonight's din).
I feel like I'm cheating calling this a recipe, since it's nothing but apples, a splash of water, and cinnamon.
So I'll give you this rough outline, and then say this: Make some immediately.
For another twist on the pork & apple theme, check out the Pork Tenderloin with Fresh Apple Salsa recipe I posted a couple of weeks ago at the Dara & Co./Minnesota Monthly Magazine blog.

Homemade Applesauce
Makes several cups
About 20 apples (I picked up two bags at the farmers market, one of Cortlands, one of Honey Crisps)
1/4 c. water
1Tbsp. ground cinnamon
Sugar (maybe, but you likely won't need it)

Peel, core, and slice apples, tossing them into a stock pot or Dutch oven as you go. When all the apples are sliced, add water and cinnamon to pan and cover. Bring to a simmer and stir occasionally, recovering, until apples break down into a thick sauce, about 20 minutes. Taste applesauce and add 1-2 Tbsp. of sugar if needed (I didn't need to add sugar, but it does depend on 1) how sweet you like your applesauce, and 2) how sweet the apples are that you're using). When the apples are dissolved, simmer over low heat, half-covered, until sauce is quite thick, about 20-30 minutes. Serve warm or cool. Store remaining applesauce in the refrigerator for up to one week.

Read more! http://www.freshtart.net/