I ♥ VANCOUVER

The 2010 Olympic Winter Games are now underway in Vancouver, so I thought I'd pay tribute to my beautiful hometown by sharing some of my favorite places, activities and things to eat...

GRANVILLE ISLAND PUBLIC MARKET
FOODIE HEAVEN. Pick up a warm honey dip donut from Lee's Donuts. Indulge in some chocolate walnut rugolach from Siegel's Bagels. Build-your-own picnic with charcuterie from artisanal sausage-maker Oyama Sausage. Grab a piece of blueberry white chocolate foccacia at Terra Breads. And lastly, stop in at Edible BC's retail store for locally made gourmet souvenirs to take home (super friendly staff too).




ZIPTREK ECOTOURS
During our last trip to Whistler, I somehow managed to convince Kris to go ziplining with me on Ziptrek's Bear Tour ("It's totally safe, honey!")

But I may have neglected to mention that the longest zipline we'd be doing was 1100 feet long. Or that the last zipline was done hanging upside down! And I might have forgotten to tell him that there was a tiny possibility that you could get stuck while ziplining. Sure enough, poor Kris actually got stuck on the zipline and had to hang suspended 100 feet in the air for several minutes while waiting for rescue! And yes, we got it all on video (Kris getting stuck at 1:10, Phyllis zipping upside down at 3:21):



Mixed in with the adventure is also a educational component - during the 3 hour tour, guides discuss sustainability and minimizing our environmental impact. We also got a exciting sneak peak of the Whistler Sliding Centre (bobsled/skeleton/luge) during the ride up to the old growth forest. If you haven't tried ziplining before, the Ziptrek Bear tour is a great beginner experience. And despite getting stuck, Kris has agreed to do the more exciting (and steeper) Eagle tour with me the next time around!

For a limited time (during the 2010 Olympic Winter Games) zipline for FREE in Robson Square!


NANAIMO BAR
This popular Canadian no-bake dessert hails from Nanaimo, BC (approx 2 hr ferry ride from Vancouver). Basically layers of butter upon butter, what's not to like? I made these for Thanksgiving last year, recipe here.



ALL DRESSED POTATO CHIPS
Why is this flavor only available in Canada? Tangy, savory blend of spices, with a hint of sweetness, my favorite potato chip flavor of all time. I pack as many bags as I can fit in my carry-on whenever I visit Canada!



VANILLA FUDGE CLODHOPPERS
They're not kidding when they say these vanilla fudge graham wafer clusters are 'highly addictive'. Before I found out they carry them at Dylan's Candy Bar in NYC, I actually thought about ordering a giant case from Canada.



POUTINE
How much do I love poutine? Enough to eat 12 poutines in 12 days last year. And although the cheese curds aren't as squeaky and fresh as what you'd find in Quebec, you can still find some decent versions of poutine in Vancouver. My favorite last year was from Brado Pizza:



QUEEN ELIZABETH PARK
Amazing views, gorgeous 'sunken' Quarry Gardens, the Bloedel Floral Conservatory, and years of family picnics and wonderful memories at Queen Elizabeth Park.

Can you believe it took me over 25 years to finally go inside the Bloedel Conservatory? But it's become one of my favorite places to visit when I'm in town. The conservatory is home to exotic plants and tropical flowers...

and a hundred species of colorful birds...

Worth the $5 admission just to see long-time resident Charlie the cockatoo ham it up for the camera:



Sadly, the Bloedel Conservatory is currently facing closure due to budget cuts. Visit while you still can. You can also help save the conservatory at www.friendsofthebloedel.ca


TROUT LAKE FARMERS MARKET
A weekly farmer's market located at pretty Trout Lake, where you'll find local organic produce (gorgeous heirloom tomatoes, chive flowers, stinging nettle, exotic mushrooms, fresh herbs etc), freshly baked goods, specialty foods, local honey and cheese, fresh seafood, seedlings/bulbs from herb farms and nurseries, local artisans, and a psychadelic purple crepe truck.



We loved the honey almond nougat from local candymaker Kalley Kandy:



JAPADOG
Kurobuta pork terimayo dog!



RICHMOND SUMMER NIGHT MARKET
Late night nibbles at this Asian night market, running from May thru Oct annually. Read more here.



POLENTA FRIES AT CASCADE
A big thanks to our friend Ly for introducing us to Cascade and these fabulous polenta fries - crispy perfection on the outside, creamy deliciousness inside, served with an addictive curry mayo dip.



THOMAS HAAS CHOCOLATES
Best chocolates EVER. Read more about truffles, almond croissants and chocolate sparkle cookies here.



STANLEY PARK
Vancouver’s first and most famous park, bordering downtown Vancouver, a thousand acres of evergreen parkland surrounded by a 5.5 mile circular seawall where you can walk, bike, or rollerblade to your heart’s content.

I was lucky enough to live a block away from this lush urban oasis and would jog the seawall every Saturday morning. In 2006, my heart ached when I heard about the devastating windstorm that knocked down thousands of trees, some of them hundreds of years old. A massive restoration effort (funded by donations) resulted in the planting of 16,000 trees in the damaged areas over the next 2 years. We visit Stanley Park every time we're in town. Don't miss it.



VANCOUVER AQUARIUM
Adorable otters and smiley beluga whales :)




SPOT PRAWNS
Sustainably harvested from BC waters, spot prawns are the sweetest prawns you'll ever eat. We timed our visit last year to coincide with Vancouver's 3rd Annual Spot Prawn Festival, allowing us to indulge in spot prawns over a dozen times!

Freshly caught beauties from fisherman Steve Johansen (Organic Ocean at False Creek Fisherman's Wharf):



GO FISH!
A fish shack located in False Creek Fisherman's Wharf, only steps from Granville Island.

Selection changes daily based on what's fresh. Best fish 'n' chips in town (fish tacones aren't bad either). Expect a huge line-up!



ENGLISH BAY



YUCCA FRIES FROM RINCONCITO SALVADORENA
I came here for pupusas after seeing them featured in Vancouver Magazine's Best Things to Eat & Drink 2008 but ended up falling in love with the yucca fries (served with crispy pork bits):



JERICHO BEACH



SAUSAGE ROLL
When I first moved to New York, I assumed that sausage rolls would be as ubiquitous as they were in Vancouver. Well I was wrong. Now I almost get heart palpitations whenever I spot one.



BANH MI (VIETNAMESE SANDWICHES)
I grew up eating sandwiches from Ba Le, but found a new favorite at Tung Hing during last year's banh mi roundup.



CARMELITAS FROM CHOCOLATE ARTS
My thoughtful friend Liz always gives me a box of Chocolate Arts whenever we see each other. My favorite is the carmelita, soft buttery caramel oozing from a dark chocolate shell:


Hungry for more? Checkout Vancouver Magazine's annual feature, Best Things to Eat & Drink in Vancouver.

I ♥ VANCOUVER

Heart Shaped Boston Cream Donut...

...from Dunkin' Donuts!

♥♥♥ Happy Valentine's Day ♥♥♥

Heart Shaped Boston Cream Donut...

Mitsuwa Marketplace, Edgewater NJ

I have a new favorite specialty market... Mitsuwa Marketplace in Edgewater NJ.

This Japanese superstore is your one-stop shop for produce, prepared foods (sushi, bento meals, Japanese pickles), fresh bread, sake, thinly sliced meats for shabu-shabu (Berkshire pork and wagyu beef!), Japanese confectionery, sushi-grade raw fish; the place for hard-to-find Japanese specialty ingredients and to purchase the high-tech rice cooker of your dreams.



Also a great place for a quick lunch - we found ourselves overwhelmed by all the choices at the food court. A warming bowl of ramen at Santouka? Perhaps some Berkshire pork katsu from Katsuhana? Or maybe some cold zaru soba at Kayaba?



After carefully weighing all my options (and inspecting the numerous plastic food displays), I settled on the spicy cod roe spaghetti from Italian Tomato:

Mmmmmm... salty/briney flavor of the creamy cod roe sauce reminded me a little of sea urchin, spaghetti was perfectly al dente.

Kris made a beeline towards Katsuhana for the pork tenderloin combo meal - two small Berkshire pork tenderloins, 2 tempura prawns, 1 potato croquette filled with 'crab cream). Here's the plastic display:

...compared to the real food:

The Berkshire pork katsu was really tender and not greasy. The combo also came with rice, potato salad, and a small bowl of soup (pork broth with veggies).

For dessert, Ito En's green tea soft serve ice cream (really addictive, good matcha flavor):


The purplish gray hue of the black sesame soft serve can look intimidating but the taste is actually quite mild, tasting almost like peanut butter:


We also grabbed some doughy treats from Oishinbo (from left to right: taiyaki, creamyaki, obanyaki):

Taiyaki and obanyaki are filled with red bean paste; creamyaki is filled with a vanilla custard:


Couldn't resist picking up a couple of Kobe-Injinkan maki (thin crepes filled with chestnut paste and red bean paste) from Japanese confectioner Kobe Fugetsudo:


And a slice of 'kase tarte' (souffle cake with made with cheese) from Italian Tomato:

Tasted like a cross between cheesecake and spongecake with a mild, creamy, slightly egg-y flavor.

But the weirdest thing we encountered that day was a limited edition azuki-flavored Pepsi imported from Japan (and yes, it really does taste like azuki red bean!):


Three hours later, we finally left Mitsuwa carrying $75 of groceries we didn't really need (thank goodness we live over 60 miles away, otherwise I'd be here everyday):



Mitsuwa Marketplace (New Jersey location)
595 River Road
Edgewater, NJ 07020
(201) 941-9113
http://www.mitsuwanj.com/

Mitsuwa Marketplace, Edgewater NJ

Dim Sum at Sunny Palace, East Brunswick NJ

As Chinese New Year approaches, I start getting mad cravings for Asian food.

Last weekend I was DESPERATE for dim sum. YEARNING for yum-cha. And willing to drive 40 miles for it.

I started grabbing items off dim sum carts before Kris could even sit down.

har gow (shrimp dumpling):

siu mai (pork dumpling):


scallion cakes:


shrimp spring rolls:


lo bak goh (pan fried radish cake):


bible tripe:


lo mai gai (sticky rice wrapped in lotus leaf):


stewed beef tripe:

congee w/ pork & century egg:


stuffed eggplant:


Yes, 10 dishes is a lot for 2 people. But I kinda lost control (this is what happens when I don't have dim sum for over 6 months). Thank goodness the dishes were reasonably priced from $2.50 - $4.

Despite being a dim sum 'snob' from Vancouver, I found the quality of the food at Sunny Palace fairly decent. Hubby was also impressed with the restaurant's cleanliness and ample parking. We'll definitely be back.

Kris had to literally drag me out of the restaurant, as I couldn't get enough of the giant aquarium located in the main entrance, especially this cutie-patootie puffer fish:

Sunny Palace
1069 Route 18
South East Brunswick, NJ 08816
(732) 651-8668
http://www.sunnypalace.com/

Dim Sum at Sunny Palace, East Brunswick NJ

Visiting the Cake Boss: Carlo's Bakery, Hoboken NJ

Over the weekend, we thought we'd take a drive up to Hoboken (our old neighborhood) and see what the Cake Boss was up to.

The massive line up outside Carlo's Bakery at 5:30 pm on Saturday evening:

More chaos inside:


Apparently it could have been much worse, Kris' coworker Pete says that sometimes the line up gets so long it wraps around the entire block. Crowds can also get riotous during the occasional Buddy-sighting.

Despite a TLC disclaimer posted on the front door, we didn't see any cameras around during our visit. Once inside, a bakery employee hands you a number, followed by 25 minutes of standing uncomfortably crammed shoulder-to-shoulder with strangers. At least there were some pretty cakes to stare at during our wait:


I couldn't help recalling how different it was 8 years ago, when we used to walk by Carlo's everyday during our commute to NYC. Very quiet, no crowds, just a non-descript Italian bakery. We occasionally stopped by after dinner for some tiramisu, and even contemplated ordering our wedding cake from there after noticing the cake displays in the window.

During our visit on Saturday, the bakery staff were suprisingly unphased by the crazy crowds, super friendly and very efficient. And though we didn't get to see Buddy (he was in a meeting, according to his sister Mary), we still left happily carrying $25 worth of goodies.

chocolate and raspberry rugelach (buttery creamy deliciousness):


mini cannolis (filling was perfection - with a hint of vanilla/cinnamon/citron and the occasional chocolate chip, shells stayed really crisp even after 2 hours), small 'lobster tail' (flaky, crunchy pastry shell filled with a thick custard whipped cream), & chocolate hazelnut biscotti (chocolaty, packed with hazelnuts):


linzer tart (crumbly buttery cookie, generously filled with raspberry jam):


rainbow cookies (raspberry jam between layers, frosted with chocolate on both top and bottom):


Have to admit we were a little disappointed in the rainbow cookies - at $18.95/lb, the cake layers were a bit dry and didn't contain enough almond flavor. I also prefer versions that contain both apricot and raspberry jam (Carlo's only uses raspberry). But they get major bonus points for actually doing a labor-intensive 7-layer version (5 layers of cake, 2 layers of chocolate), as most bakeries only do 3 layers of cake and a layer of chocolate on top.

Overall, a fun and delicious experience at Carlo's Bakery, totally worth the 'designer' prices and the wait (and the $10 we spent for parking after being at the bakery for over an hour).

Carlo's Bakery
95 Washington Street
Hoboken, NJ 07030
(201) 659-3671
http://www.carlosbakery.com/

Visiting the Cake Boss: Carlo's Bakery, Hoboken NJ

Santa got run over by a reindeer?!

No. But he did encounter some unexpected turbulence on his long flight from Vancouver.

This chocolate art sculpture by Thomas Haas (my favorite chocolatier!) was a belated Christmas gift from my good friend Liz. Despite a valiant effort from Liz to keep Santa safe during his flight, he still sustained several injuries along the way.

Poor Santa. But nothing I couldn't fix with some melted chocolate and a tube of white icing.


Well, I'm happy to say that Santa and his chocolate house have been restored to their former glory :)


Happy New Year!

Santa got run over by a reindeer?!

The best kind of gifts are the ones you can eat...

I got a wonderful surprise in the mail last week, a container of homemade fudge, sent by my friend Erin and lovingly made by her mother-in-law, Lois:


I have to admit I was skeptical at first when Erin told me about her mother-in-law's famous fudge. I'd never really been a fan of fudge before, all the varieties I've tried have either been too sweet or artificial tasting. But Lois' fudge, which she's been making for the last 30 years, was melt-in-your-mouth AMAZING, especially the white almond flavor. So good in fact that I was forced to ration out the remaining pieces so we wouldn't devour it all in one sitting (and so hubby and I wouldn't fight over it).

The next day I called Erin and pleaded her to get the recipe from her mother-in-law...

Lois' Famous White Almond Fudge
(makes 3 lbs)
Ingredients
3 cups sugar
3/4 cups butter (margarine will also work but butter is better, see note*)
2/3 cup or 6oz evaporated milk
1 12oz package of white (vanilla) chips
1 7oz jar marshmallow cream
1 cup sliced almonds, crushed (see note**)
1 scant Tbsp almond extract

Directions
Combine sugar, butter and evaporated milk in 2 ½ qt saucepan. Bring to a FULL ROLLING BOIL stirring constantly. Continue boiling and stirring for a full 5 minutes over medium heat. Use a timer, don’t guess. Remove from heat and stir in chips until completely melted. Add marshmallow cream, nuts and almond extract. Pour into a buttered 9x13 pan (I like to use glass pans). Cool at room temperature. I like to cut the pieces just before they are completely cooled but don’t try to remove them until they are completely cooled.

Phyllis' notes:
*I detected a hint of salt in Lois' fudge so I used salted butter
**I substituted chopped slivered almonds because they were all I could find in our local supermarket (try shopping for baking supplies the day before a blizzard hits the Northeast). But I really loved the results using the skinless almonds, it gave the fudge a lovely milky white color throughout:

Perfect for the holidays...


Thank you to Erin and her husband Dan for sending us the fudge (and for not eating it all before it could make it to the post office).

And a special thanks to Lois for sharing her easy and fabulous recipe.
Thank you so much for thinking of us :)

The best kind of gifts are the ones you can eat...

It's Raining Bulgogi

Have you seen Ninja Assassin yet? This movie is NOT for the faint of heart, possibly the most violent movie I've ever seen, with buckets of blood and severed body parts flying everywhere. Gratuitous violence is not typically my thing, but I owed hubby Kris a movie after I forced him to watch New Moon (the 2nd movie in the Twilight series) with me last week.

While the plot kinda sucked and the supporting actors were really annoying, I found myself completely captivated by the lead actor, Korean R&B/pop mega-star Rain (in his first starring role in an American movie). Although his lines were minimal and consisted mostly of 5-words-or-less sentences, I couldn't ignore his magnetic on-screen presence, although hubby would argue that I was just mesmerized by his sexy abs (hubba hubba). Seriously, Rain's body is SICK in this movie (I'm talkin' zero percent body fat, people!)

I guess I must've been living under a rock or something because prior to watching Ninja Assassin, I'd never even heard of Rain, who apparently is one of the biggest stars in Asia. He's also a frequent player on the Time 100 list of the most influential people in the world - currently ranked #9, right below the Pope!

Over the past few years, Rain's been involved in a heated 'rivalry' with his Time 100 arch-nemesis, political satirist/comedian Stephen Colbert. Check out the Colbert/Rain rivalry in this hilarious video from Comedy Central (be sure to stick around till the end of the clip for a dramatic 'Dance Off' between Rain and Colbert):

The Colbert Report
Stephen vs. Rain
http://www.colbertnation.com/
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor

So wait a minute, isn't this blog normally about food? Hold on, I'm getting to it...

A couple days ago I had a sudden craving for bulgogi so I decided to make it for dinner that night. I haven't made bulgogi at home in a very long time, so of course hubby got a little suspicious and accused me of craving Korean food only because I had "Rain on the brain". LOL! Guilty as charged :)

MeHUNGRY BULGOGI*
(Ninja Assassin-style, inspired by Rain)

Ingredients

Marinade
4-5 cloves of garlic, chopped
1/3rd cup soy sauce
3 Tbsp brown sugar
Juice from 1/2 of an Asian pear, grated
2 Tbsp mirin
2 Tbsp dark sesame oil
1/2 red onion**, roughly chopped

1 - 1 1/2 lbs thinly sliced ribeye steak***
2 tsp vegetable oil
splash of Coca-cola****
cornstarch slurry, 1 tsp cornstarch mixed with 1 Tbsp of cold water (optional)*****

Directions

Puree marinade ingredients till smooth in a food processor or blender.******

Place sliced ribeye into a gallon-sized ziploc bag and pour marinade over. Tighly seal bag and lightly 'massage' the marinade into the meat. Marinate for at least 4 hours, refrigerated, flipping the bag over half way through the marinating time.

Drain excess marinade from ribeye. Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet/frying pan over medium-high heat. Stir fry for 3- 5 minutes till meat is is almost cooked through and edges start to caramelize a bit (if your pan isn't large enough, fry in two batches to avoid over crowding, you don't want to end up boiling the meat).

When meat is almost cooked, throw in a splash of coca-cola for some extra sweetness and flavor and let simmer for a minute.

If using the cornstarch slurry, add now and simmer for another minute.

Serve immediately, over white rice. Or make a bulgogi lettuce wrap with Boston lettuce, white rice, and a dab of Asian chili sauce (kochujang, sriracha, or chili garlic sauce).

Enjoy!


Notes
*this is not meant to be an authentic version of bulgogi, just a yummy one :)
**traditional bulgogi recipes usually use green onions/scallions but I find sometimes that gives the bulgogi an grassy unappetizing flavor so I use red onions instead
***I buy razor-thin frozen slices of ribeye at my Asian food market, if you can't find it pre-sliced, freeze your steak for 10 minutes to make it easier to slice thinly
****I just happened to have coca-cola around so I thought "Why not?!" Actually this isn't really that strange because I've seen people marinate their meat in 7-up or cola before!
*****totally non-traditional, but I like to thicken and shine up my sauce a bit with cornstarch, but you can leave the sauce thin and it'll still be delicious
******I puree the marinade because I hate having garlic or onion chunks in the finished product

It's Raining Bulgogi