Food and Wine

The Best Smoked Meat In Vancouver

Peter Stathakos — Wed, 30 Aug 2006 04:27:00 GMT

Since we moved here from Montreal, we have been craving a good
Montreal smoked meat sandwich. Over the past year and a half we have tried most of the places in Vancouver without too much success. Well, thanks to Roland at VanEats we heard about Zako's Deli on Broadway near Cambie. We stopped by last week to check out the smoked meat.

Well, we definitely found a sandwich to rival some of the best
in Montreal. The meat was hot and melt in your mouth tender with hardly a trace of fat. The flavour was meaty and spicy without being overpowering with spices or smoke flavour. The accompanying coleslaw was tasty and crunchy with a light vinegar-based dressing and a sprinkle of cumin seeds, which was an interesting twist.

We also tried the poutine, which had a very good vegetarian gravy that
was every bit as flavourful as a meat based sauce would be. I wasn't so crazy about the fries in the poutine however. Since I like my fries golden and crispy without any skin on them they didn't make a great poutine but anyone who likes New York Fries style of french fries should be happy.

Overall, the food was very good with good value, so we will definitely be back whenever the craving for a good smoked meat hits us.

Zako's Deli map
500 W Broadway, Unit 102
Vancouver, BC

Sharpen Knives At Home

Peter Stathakos — Fri, 28 Apr 2006 21:02:00 GMT

Here's an excellent tutorial on how to properly sharpen knives at home. It's an excellent resource on knives in general and how to know/why you need to keep them sharp.

Greek Food In Vancouver

Peter Stathakos — Wed, 12 Apr 2006 01:01:00 GMT

Sorry for the lack of posts recently, I've been out of touch for the past two weeks due to some family stuff and a little vacation time. I didn't really have much time (or energy) to sit in front of a computer at all.

Now that I'm back I've been catching up on blogs and stuff and I read this post from Darren on Vancouver's Most Parasitic Restaurant.

I've been meaning to write about Stepho's for a while, and Darren basically summarizes my thoughts. Although the food was OK, it would not be worth a half hour (or more!) wait in line for me. I've eaten a great deal of Greek food in my time (if the name didn't give it away) and Stepho's was OK, but not great. We did the smart thing and showed up at 4:30 on a weekday and didn't wait in any line, but next time we were planing to give Takis' a try, I've heard it's good as well.

Finally on this topic, you can also get some good Greek at Maria's Taverna in Kitsilano if you're in that part of the city.

WBW 16 - Judging A Wine By Its Label

Peter Stathakos — Thu, 08 Dec 2005 01:43:00 GMT

It's time for Wine Blogging Wednesday 16 hosted by Derrick at An Obsession With Food. The theme this time was eye catching labels. Keep an eye on Derricks blog for the complete roundup of wines. Also, check out the Flickr WBW16 photo pool for all the pictures.

Now, on to our choices! So, we went into the local wine store and browsed around looking for labels and bottles which caught our eye. Granted Erika and I had different ideas about what looked good, and sometimes an attractive label on a questionable bottle of wine caught our attention but we decided against those. It was a bit of a tough decision; we finally decided to two bottles:

Note: I'm not too happy with the way these pictures turned out so I'm going to give it another go-around tonight. Stay tuned.

Canaletto Montepulciano D'Abruzzo - 2002

The simplicity of the label and colour of the drawing were what drew us to this bottle. There's something about the gold lettering on the black background that I really like, it's probably an effect of the great Jackson Triggs wines we've tried.

As for the wine itself there were hints of the usual dried fruit and cherry as well as a good toasty flavour as well as leather. It had a coffee aftertaste which I enjoyed. It went well with a slightly sweet spaghetti bolognese for which I have yet to write the recipe, but I will get that done soon.

Overall however we found it to be a bit too dry with a weak body that was overpowered by the food.

Hardy's Stamp of Australia Riesling Gewurztraminer - 2005

This wine again caught our eye due to the simple main label (I guess the gold did it again) and the unique picture above. It was also a keeper for us since it featured two of our favourite grapes Riesling and Gewürztraminer, which usually mean sweet, low acid and delicious.

We tried this one on it's own at first and then with dinner and it shone in both situations. The aroma was of citrus and honey with the first taste giving a taste of honey and peaches. As expected it was sweet with very little acidity and a clean aftertaste. It was not dry at all. The wine had a very pleasant taste of fresh fruit with a little taste of blueberries as well.

It went excellently with a green salad topped with a strawberry vinaigrette and baked lemon-pepper cod. A very enjoyable wine from Australia, I expect that it would also go great with slightly spicy food as well as with light cheeses and fresh fruit.

Tags: WBW16 Flickr Pool, WBW16 Technorati Tag, WBW Technorati

Wine Blogging Wednesday 16: Judge A Bottle By Its Cover

Peter Stathakos — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 09:58:00 GMT

Derrick from Obsession with Food is hosting the next Wine Blogging Wednesday event. WBW 16: Judge A Bottle By Its Cover.

The objective is to pick up a bottle based on the label alone, try it and write about it. Sounds like fun. You have lots of time (entries due on December 7th), so get out there and pick up a bottle. Oh, and if you're not a blogger but still want to participate Derrick will host your entry for you as well so you have no excuses.

All the details over on Obsession With Food.

Authentic Mexican Food in Vancouver

Peter Stathakos — Wed, 02 Nov 2005 20:20:00 GMT

Update: I probably won't be able to make it after all, this week has been way too busy. But I encourage you all try try it out and report back to me. That's an order.

Last week's Georgia Straight had an article about Mexican Chef Martín San Román who is currently in Vancouver demonstrating authentic Mexican cuisine. I was planning to hit The Mouse and Bean sometime this week but since work has been rather crazy I didn't get a chance to post this yet.

~~Anyone up for dinner Thursday or Friday night?~~ ~~Roland~~, ~~Matt~~, ~~Darren~~ ~~or other Vancouver foodies or bloggers?~~

The Mouse and Bean Antojería Mexicana
207 West Hastings Street
604-633-1781

Westin Bayshore
1601 Bayshore Drive
604-682-3377

Only until November 5, 2005.

Cookbook Tag

Peter Stathakos — Wed, 31 Aug 2005 01:12:00 GMT

I got tagged a while ago with this meme by Sam from Becks and Posh and I didn't get a chance to write it up yet. Bad food blogger. Well I don't have a huge collection of cookbooks, I tend to work more from memory and inspiration, but at times it's good to have a certain book at hand to refer to. I also find that a cookbook can be a great read when I'm not looking to get into anything technical or don't have the time to read involved fiction or something that takes a good deal of focus. The short nature of the recipes, descriptions and stories makes it easy to stop at almost any time and consume a cookbook in small chunks.

So, on to the questions!

1. Total number of books I've owned.
Oh, boy.. good question. I'm bad with numbers.. Maybe 80.

Actually, I just took a count. It's more like 15. Boy, I really overshot with the 80! (Read the above link to get the joke. Or don't. Either way).

2. Last book I bought.
The New Best Recipe: All-New Edition with 1,000 Recipes

We picked this one up in at Powell's when we were in Portland. It was a steal at $19.99 and no sales tax to boot! It's a huge tome with the "best" ways to make practically everything. The amount of research the America's Test Kitchen team does is amazing. I'm glad to have access to all the inside tricks to get THE best version of whatever it is you're making.

3. The last book I read.
The aforementioned "The New Best Recipe".

4. Five books that mean a lot to me.

1. El Gran Libro de los Antojitos Mexicanos (The Big Book of Mexican Appetizers) by Patricia Quintana
We got this book last year as a present from Erika's sister and her family. The book is a big collection of some traditional Mexican appetizers and alot of contemporary ones. It's really awesome for when you're entertaining.

2. Jacques Pepin Celebrates by Jacques Pepin
Excellent basics for American/French cooking as well as some really great ideas for presentations. Jacques is the master.

3. Mexico One Plate At A Time by Rick Bayless
Erika and I love Rick Bayless and how he brings the real Mexican dishes and flavours to the rest of North America. We really like how he tries hard to distinguish between authentic Mexican food and Tex-Mex, which is good in it's own right, but it's not “real“ Mexican food. This book is a great starter for the North American home cook.

4. Molto Italiano : 327 Simple Italian Recipes to Cook at Home by Mario Batali
We picked this one up a month or so ago and it was part of my not-so-surprise birthday presents. I like having "authoritative" compendiums such as this one and Rick Bayless' book above that cover the spectrum of a particular cuisine. Then I can use these recipes as jumping off points for my own creations. I'll let you all argue how authoritative Mario Batali is. I personally like him very much. Chipis on the other hand, not so much. I guess it has something to do with the vests and the long hair.

5. La Tradicional Cocina Mexicana y sus Mejores Recetas (The Traditional Mexican Kitchen and It's Best Recipes) by Adela Fernandez
We got this one while on vacation in Oaxaca a few years ago. It's a more traditional book but again it serves as a good reference for when you're making something authentic. The cool thing about this book is that each page is split in two with the Spanish text on one half and the English translation on the other side. So it's not only a great cookbook but also a good text for English speakers who don't habla el español tan bueno (like me).

5. Which five people would you most like to see fill this out in their blog?

1. Roland Tanglao from VanEats.

2. Derrick from Obsession With Food.

3. Domestic Goddess.

4. That Canadian Girl.

5. Everyone else has already been tagged, and I mean everyone! For a very well researched history of this meme check out the Pumpkin Pie Bungalow.

And even though I'm near the top of the list I didn't get tagged THAT long ago.

Huachinango a la Veracruzana (Snapper in the style of Veracruz)

Peter Stathakos — Wed, 31 Aug 2005 01:03:00 GMT

Huachinango a la Veracruzana

1 large red snapper (see note)
2 medium onions, sliced
1 kg tomatoes, roughly chopped
3 tbs capers
6 tbsp green olives, pitted and chopped (black olives are OK as well)
5-10 pickled chile peppers, depending on the strength of the peppers and the desired heat of the finished dish
4 tbsp olive oil
salt and black pepper

A week or so ago we were down in the Steveston area of town which is an awesome little fishing village turned tourist area. There are a number of great little restaurants and shops all down near the waterfront that you can check out and lots of people all over. The coolest thing is that the docks are open to the public and you can go down and buy fresh fish and seafood from the fishermen right off of the boats. We didn't buy anything that day (we'll be back though!), but we were inspired to make one of our favourite simple fish dishes Huachinango a la Veracruzana.

Basically, all you have to do is put the cleaned fish in a large baking pan. Sprinkle with some salt and pepper and top with the tomatoes, onions, capers, olives and chiles. Pour the olive oil over the whole thing and bake in a 375 F oven for about 35-45 minutes or until the fish is flaky and tender.

Note: This dish can be made with any kind of fish really. I would recommend a firm fleshed white fish such as cod or halibut but you can easily get the same great results with sole, tilapia or even salmon if you wish.

Serve with some rice and vegetables and you're all set! Enjoy!

Utensibility - Knives

Peter Stathakos — Sat, 02 Jul 2005 13:43:00 GMT

Sam from Becks & Posh posted an interesting food related meme called Utensibility. Basically, the idea is what would you buy for your kitchen if you had a $300 gift certificate to spend at Sur La Table. Here is my recommendation:

Whenever I'm in the kitchen the first tool that I almost always reach for is a knife. At one time or another anyone who has ever cooked has had to use a poor instrument such as an improperly sharpened knife or one that is just not right for the task at hand. That's why I chose knives as the topic of my Utensibility recommendation.

At home we have a decent set of J.A. Henckels professional series knives which serve us through practically every scenario we encounter in the kitchen. Although I would not mind picking up one or two more knives (ah! this blog meme will come in handy to quite a few people I'm sure) I'm content with the selection you see in the picture.

However, were I to have to recommend to someone as to how to spend a $300 gift certificate, I would probably recommend something along this route...

8" Chef's Knife - $89.95 - The first thing you should get. Keep it sharp and it will last you a lifetime.

4" Paring Knife - $39.95 - Good for all types of small jobs like slicing onions, cutting fruit and even peeling vegetables.

Boning or Fillet Knife - $54.95 - Great for preparing meat or fish with excellent precision.

Cleaver - $49.95 - For cutting through chicken bones or when you're in the mood to chop like Martin Yan. Unfortunately for my wife the rest of the meal preparation goes something like this... “and a tiny tiny bit of salt and a tiny tiny bit of garlic and a tiny tiny bit of chicken stock...“

10" Pro S Knife Steel - $29.95 - Use it to hone the edge of the knives often, and the sharpener to keep them sharp.

Twin Duo Sharpener - $32.95 - I use a sharpening stone and mineral oil in order to lubricate the stone, but I could not find anything similar at SLT, so I guess this will do.

Grand Total: $297.70 Before taxes and all that, it's just under budget.

And for the under $25 gift, the next best tool to have would be a pair of all purpose tongs. Use them to turn things on the grill, toss pasta or salads, pull items out of the oven, stir fry (watch the non-stick coating though!) or just play them like maracas (but that's another meme I'm sure...).

9" and 12" Scalloped Tongs - $8.95 and $9.95

Everything a home chef needs to get them started!

IMBB #16 - Eggs Benedict

Peter Stathakos — Mon, 27 Jun 2005 03:48:00 GMT

When I heard that the subject for IMBB #16 was eggs I immediately thought of my favourite egg based dish, Eggs Benedict. The classic version uses a base of a toasted English muffin topped by a slice of black forest ham, a poached egg covered by Hollandaise sauce. These days there are many variations of the classic such as smoked salmon, mushrooms, all kinds of cheese, tomatoes; basically whatever you can imagine.

This is the version I often make, it includes some of the favourite components of the missus such as mushrooms, turkey or ham and Swiss or Gouda cheese. There are two things that always give me trouble when getting this dish together, keeping some components warm while I prepare the others and reducing the fat content. I have included a few tips in the recipe to help with both of these points.

Eggs Benedict - Serves 2
Two English Muffins, split in half
4 eggs
1/4 cup Gouda or Swiss cheese, grated
4 slices smoked turkey or ham of your choice
4 large button mushrooms, sliced
1 recipe Hollandaise Sauce

Hollandaise Sauce
3 egg yolks
1/4 tsp salt
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1/3 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup boiling water.

1. Preheat the oven to 200 F.
2. Poach the eggs for the main dish. In order to cut down on the fat in this dish I poach three of the eggs using the whites only and reserve the yolks for the hollandaise sauce.
3. Once the eggs are done, place them in the oven on a heatproof covered dish, and reserve.
4. In a small pot on the stove add half a cup or so of water and bring to a slow boil.
5. In a stainless steel bowl beat the egg yolks slightly using a whisk.
6. Add the salt and lemon juice and whisk together.
7. Melt the butter in a small frying pan. Once the butter has been melted add it to the egg mixture and mix.
8. Using the leftover butter in the pan, fry the mushrooms until soft. Add the cooked mushrooms to the dish containing the eggs in the oven to keep them warm.
9. Take 1/4 cup of the boiling water from the pan and add it to the egg mixture. Whisk together and place the bowl on top of the pot of boiling water. The water should be barely at a boil.
10. Whisk the sauce continuously so that it does cook too much around the edges. After three or four minutes the sauce should thicken to a ketchup-like (napé) consistency, it should coat the back of a spoon.
11. Taste the sauce and add any salt or lemon juice as desired.
12. While the sauce is cooking, toast the English muffins. When they are done, place them on the plate and top with the turkey slices; one slice per muffin half.
13. Place the poached eggs on top of the muffins, add the mushrooms and cheese and top with the hollandaise sauce.

Sprinkle with black pepper or paprika as desired.
Enjoy!