The list that details how we will pack our tummies while adventuring away from home can be as essential as the one that reminds us to pack our toothbrush. Here are some post-mortem thoughts on our travels that may be useful to you one day.

I’m not sure if I can be called a New Yorker yet, but having been here a week+ means that I’m slowly losing that feeling that I have another home to return to. Vancouver is previous, the Big Apple is next. I still can’t wrap my brain around it. If this is in fact some crazy dream, I’m getting my fill of some fantastic NYC food so that if I’m pinched, I’ll at least have some extra padding so it doesn’t hurt as much. And as wonderful as it is to be and eat here, I cannot forget all that Vancouver offered me and can offer you if you have a chance to visit. Thus, I’ll pass on my list of favourites in the form of a Packing List. As always with lists like these, my Vancouver eating was by no means comprehensive. I mean, I never ate Chinese food in Richmond, had a Japadog or got my fingers sticky with a Honey’s doughnut. Shoot me. Most of these I’ve written about before, so I won’t go into great detail. This is my list of familiar and much loved, and in time, I’m sure, much missed.

La Quercia

Although this list is not in any particular order, La Quercia will always be my favourite and first choice in Vancouver. The well-executed and comforting Italian menu, the impeccable and warm service, the relaxed ambiance… I was always happy when I stepped through the door. I highly recommend going the alla familiglia dining route when there, but I have also done à la carte with no complaints. I just think it’s much more fun to let the chef decide. Every course then becomes a surprise. And while I usually don’t like surprises, I crave the ones from La Quercia. Agnolotti di Guido, Spaghetti all’Amatriciana, Vitello Tonnato. Be still my heart. Reservations are usually quite hard to get, so if you need a quick fix, check out their daytime affair La Ghianda across the street. I’m very very sad to have left before being able to try the wine bar they are opening next door, L’Ufficio. Tell me all about it when you go.

(Cream and Sugar post 1, 2, 3, 4)

Nook

I always describe Nook as a French bistro that serves Italian food. It’s a tight, loud place in the heart of the West End that you visit for a nice glass of wine and above average bowl of pasta or thin-crust pizza. Cuisine that’s so overdone and so often overly boring. Not so at Nook. True to Italian cuisine, the preparation is kept simple, and the ingredients are always of the highest quality. Nook was the first place where I tried burrata cheese, and so I don’t know how I will ever repay that kindness because I’m now burrata crazy. Being a true neighbourhood place, the staff make a great effort to be friendly and remember your patronage. A no-brainer choice on a Friday night when you don’t want to cook.

Nicli Antica Pizzeria

Nicli was the first to bring true Napoletana-style pizza to Vancouver, and I think that they deserve the top spot after the wave of imitators that came after. Not to say that the others aren’t good, but my vote will always go to Nicli. Yes, the waits can be long, and it’s not the type of pizza you can take out, but that chewy, charred crust is hard to forget. I’ve always really liked the Bianca, but with this style, you can never go wrong with the classic Margherita. And $5/glass house wine? Yes, please.

(Cream and Sugar post)

Peaceful

So, I don’t know if I ever told you, but I don’t really like Chinese food. I think it’s because I’ve never had good Chinese food. One bad dim sum outing over 10 years ago means I’ve never been back, and memories of pineapple chicken balls, day-glo orange sauce and over seasoned fried rice from mall food courts equals an acquired aversion for everything else. But then I finally tried Peaceful Restaurant. I knew that it was a favourite for foodies in the know and had been featured on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives, but it took me a long time to finally get my act together and make plans to eat there. The tragedy is that I only got to do it once. Dan Dan noodles, spicy green beans, beef roll and cumin beef sesame flatbread. These four dishes rocked my world and made a crack for Chinese food love to creep in. Again, tragedy that I’m no longer in Vancouver to blow it wide open. New York will have to do.

Bao Bei Chinese Brasserie

Because Bao Bei isn’t “authentic” Chinese food, I never really viewed it through my “I don’t like Chinese food” glasses, but it did get my feet wet. I knew it was a trendy place serving a menu inspired by places like Peaceful. And yes, the prices are much higher than “traditional” Chinese restaurants, and the dishes nowhere near the same. Complaining about these things is missing the point. Bao Bei isn’t trying to be Peaceful. It’s a gem of a restaurant that offers a unique experience. The food tastes good, the room looks amazing, the cocktails are fantastic, the service always good. I’ll pay for that again and again.

Maenam

Ugh. Thai food is so good, but it’s so hard to find places that do it well and are worth the cost. I find it appalling that curries that amount to little more than coconut milk and sugar equal $18 a bowl. Red, yellow, green that all taste the same; pad thai clearly made with ketchup. So sad. Your frown gets turned upside down at Maenam. Palpable spice, fresh herbs, quality meats and fish, wine pairings, fancy cocktails—contemporary Thai food that gets you excited and makes you forget to order by colour.

(Cream and Sugar post)

Vij’s/Rangoli

If you only had one meal in Vancouver, it should be within the empire of Vikram Vij. While La Quercia holds a special place in my heart, Vij’s and Rangoli are  in a class of their own. If you have the time and money, do it up big at Vij’s. If you don’t, go to Rangoli. They are different dining experiences, but the quality of food is the same: amazeballs. All the praise you’ve heard from everybody else is completely true.

(Cream and Sugar post 1, 2)

Cafe Medina

Cafe Medina was my favourite place for brunch. The wait can be long on a weekend, but you get yourself a lavendar latte in a to-go cup and natter away with your friends. Nowhere near diner style with its inventive egg dishes, Liege waffles, and creative coffee concoctions, Medina is the place to go when you remembered to put make up on after you rolled out of bed late on a Sunday. Not stuffy, but certainly not greasy. The perfect place to start or end a date…!

(Cream and Sugar post 1, 2)

Kingyo/Suika

You can’t visit Vancouver without trying an izakaya, and local favourites are the Hapa and Guu chains. My first try was at Kingyo, and I felt it was never matched by others. That is, of course, until they opened up their sister restaurant Suika. Less corporate than Hapa and more charming than Guu, Kingyo and Suika offer fun tapas-style plates that do their job of being the perfect complement to an alcoholic bevvie. There’s usually something for everyone and because of the small plate style, everyone can try what they want. The fish was always incredibly fresh and the deep fried items always worth their calories.

(Cream and Sugar post)

Hawksworth

One of my farewell dinners was in the Hawksworth dining room, and it was truly a special night. Yes, it’s a fancy and expensive restaurant where the server will place the napkin on your lap, but there is no pretense or attitude. I knew this going in because I’d had cocktails in the lounge a number of times and never was disappointed. The food, ambiance and service is worth all the recent hype. The beef short rib appetizer is definitely worth getting, as is the Hotel Georgia cocktail. Go all out and get an appetizer, entree and dessert. Portions are appropriate for splurging. (But, I think you should always eat a “well-rounded” meal!)

Aphrodite’s

Aphrodite’s is overpriced and a pain to get to in deep Kitsilano/Point Grey, but it has the best pie in the city. And I’m a big sucker for pie. Raspberry-rhubarb, apple-blackberry, pumpkin and chocolate-banana cream all made me weak at the knees. I stopped caring about the price per slice because they were too good. AND they make gluten-free pie. Aphrodite’s is also a great place to go when you feel like something homey and healthy like soup and a salad. The food is organic so yeah, I guess, that’s why it’s not that easy on the wallet. Just make sure you have a piece of pie. The happy coma afterward always made me forget the bill.

Finch’s Tea House

Finch’s is the epitome of charm and the place to go for simple, beautiful sandwiches. I say “beautiful” because they are always picture perfect; the fillings are placed just so, and the butcher paper they’re served on is the perfect backdrop. I am a fan of the ones made with the blue brie. Their sandwiches are the type you can easily make at home, but always forget to, so a visit here with a paper and a cup of tea, sitting on what could be your grandmother’s furniture, leaves a strong impression. The perfect place to go if you have a weekday off.

(Cream and Sugar post)

Shiro

Sushi! As ubiquitous as coffee in Vancouver. You can’t walk five feet in Vancouver without coming across a sushi place, and you are hard-pressed to find a Vancouverite who doesn’t crave sushi all the time. At the ready and cheap don’t mean awesome, though. I’ve always been shocked at the low standards Vancouverites will accept when it comes to sushi. You have to spend some time wading through a lot of crap to find the good stuff. I never got to go to Tojo’s, but I did have delicious sushi that was extremely affordable. My favourite of what I did try was Shiro, with Ajisai being a close second.  I liked that it was always full of Japanese people, and I liked that only wild salmon was used at a price cheaper than a lot of places charge for farmed. P.S. Lunch Set G is a crazy-good deal if you are a fan of pork katsu-don.

A big thanks to all these restaurants for such fantastic food memories. And a big smooch to all my friends who shared these experiences with me. I feel like I might have used “unique experience” one too many times. But what can I say? They all ARE unique experiences. Go. Enjoy. Get full. Walk it all off along the sea wall.

What to do with leftover squash besides make a soup? That was my predicament. Sure, a butternut soup would be good. Add some crusty bread and a green salad, and you’d have a meal worthy of guests. I should say, a healthy meal worth of guests.

But I would not be having any guests, and I would not be worried about being  healthy. This was the height of a post-Christmas hibernation-staycation, where you don’t get up before noon,  comfy clothes made of cotton are the uniform, and a nightly ritual of catching up on Downton Abbey is the most important act of the day. Healthy was for January 1. So, my predicament really was, what to do with leftover squash to make it less healthy? The grilled cheese was one way, how about dumplings soaked in brown butter for the next? Done.

I know sage is all the rage (or was all the rage?) but if you haven’t had crispy sage, try it. You’ll want it as a topping on everything. The same goes for brown butter. Don’t be afraid if you’re a newbie at making it. It makes your kitchen smell like shortbread. Add little salty clouds of squash heaven and you’ve got the perfect winter plate of comfort. You could add a green salad and some crusty bread and then invite some guests, but you should probably change out of the comfy clothes before you do so.

Butternut Squash Gnudi with Brown Butter and Crispy Sage
Adapted from Mark Bittman
Serves 3.

I just copied what I learned from Mark last year and substituted squash. The one thing I did though was drain my mashed squash. Squash has a lot of moisture, so to get the needed consistency for this dough, you’d likely end up using a lot of flour. This could leave you with leaden little clouds. If you have the time, drain your squash in some cheesecloth over a bowl in the fridge for a few hours. You won’t get a ton of liquid out, but it will help with keeping the gnudi light.
Oh, and I’m calling them gnudi this year. I don’t think Mark is necessarily wrong in calling the ricotta version gnocchi, but my reading and research has lead me to believe that these dumplings are like naked ravioli, gnudi. That is, ravioli filling without the pasta shell. Gnudi, gnocchi, delicious all the same.

Salt
2 cups cooked, mashed squash, preferably drained of excess moisture
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/4 cups freshly grated parmesan, plus more for serving
Freshly ground black pepper
3/4 to 1 cup flour
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
10 or more sage leaves

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it. Combine the squash, eggs and Parmesan in a large bowl, along with some salt and pepper. Add about 1/2 cup flour and stir; add more flour until the mixture forms a very sticky dough. Scoop up a spoonful of dough and boil it to make sure it will hold its shape; if it does not, stir in a bit more flour.

Put the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. When it melts and turns a nutty brown color, add the sage. While it fries, drop the squash mixture by the rounded tablespoon (a cookie scoop comes in handy here) into the boiling water, watching not to overload the pot.

When the gnudi rise to the surface, remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to the skillet. When all the gnudi are done, toss, taste and adjust the seasoning, and serve immediately.

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Image courtesy of www.joanne-eatswellwithothers.com

The internet is a great source for all things foodie, and we’re constantly bookmarking, starring, and emailing intriguing recipes, food porn, and inspiration. Here’s a selection of clippings we think are worth checking out.

Happy American Thanksgiving!  Means even MORE pumpkin… biscuits, savoury scones, a chiffon pie, and what looks to be a clear winner: baked pumpkin puddings.

Citrus isn’t my favourite, but something about this lemon vanilla cake makes me want it. Right now.

Raisins aren’t my favourite either, but I can only imagine how great these toasted raisin biscuits smell when they’re in the pan.

These little fig-anise swirls are listed as fall cookies, but I think they should grace every Christmas cookie plate.

Dan Dan noodles can be found at an array of restaurants here in Vancouver, from your traditional Chinese place to hip Japanese izakayas. Enjoying them as I do, I was happy to see my friend Sara shared her recipe.

Image courtesy of www.joythebaker.com

The internet is a great source for all things foodie, and we’re constantly bookmarking, starring, and emailing intriguing recipes, food porn, and inspiration. Here’s a selection of clippings we think are worth checking out.

Waking up to these lemon raspberry rolls on a sunny Sunday morning would not be too shabby.

I know we’ve been enjoying late summer sun and warm temperatures, but I couldn’t help start drooling over these very Fall-appropriate roasted carrot and ricotta gnocchi.

Same thing goes for these bread and cheese meatballs. You’re sure to please the vegetarians in your life.

And again, it’s time for tomatoes. Think about making this Southeast Asian tomato salad for dinner tonight. Or, if you want some indulgence, roll up your shirtsleeves and make some biscuit dough for a tomato cobbler.

Image courtesy of www.food52.com

The internet is a great source for all things foodie, and we’re constantly bookmarking, starring, and emailing intriguing recipes, food porn, and inspiration. Here’s a selection of clippings we think are worth checking out.

Here’s a recipe for baking sheet macaroni and cheese. The type of dish you make and savour… and then ask whomever to clean the pan after. Dish fairies if you must.

I don’t care if Mexican pasta sounds silly. I’m all for what looks to be a poblano chile pesto with spaghetti.

Swirly bread with cilantro? Yeah, I can see that smothered in like, lime butter. I’m so there.

Kaiserschmarrn? Something delicious you eat for breakfast.

Shamefully, I don’t enjoy drinking alone.  This means that I often end up with half-full wine bottles sitting on my counter at the end of the night pleading for me not to empty their contents down the drain. If there’s room, I’ll freeze the wine in ice cube trays. And then forget about them, of course. Jeremy’s quick sausage pasta jogged my memory. Veg, cheese and supper is done.  Wine is a key ingredient to many meat-based pasta sauces, and leftover sips should always be considered for such uses. Some might argue that you should drink the wine instead, but at least in this case, pasta tipsiness is just as good.

Dining Companion: The Killing

Sausage and Broccolini Pasta
Serves 1.

Pasta for 1 (~100 g)
Half a bunch of broccolini, chopped
1/3 cup of red wine
1 Italian sausage link (sweet or hot; pork, chicken or turkey)
olive oil
1 clove of garlic, minced
pinch (or more) of dried chilis
Grated parmigianno or pecorino cheese
Salt and pepper
Handful of torn fresh basil

Heat a non-stick pan over medium. Swirl about a teaspoon or so of olive oil in pan.  When oil is hot, remove casing from sausage, add to pan and break up into small pieces with the back of a wooden spoon.  Cook and stir until sausage is no longer pink.  Drain fat, leaving about a teaspoon.  Add garlic and chilis to pan and cook until fragrant. Add wine, reduce heat to medium low and stir to pick up any brown bits from pan. Continue to simmer until wine is reduced by about half. Remove from heat if pasta is not yet ready.

Meanwhile, cook pasta in salted water until al dente. Add broccolini during the last minute or so of cooking. Drain, reserving about 1/4 cup of pasta water.  Add pasta and broccolini to pan and return to medium heat. Stir until pasta is well coated and slowly add the pasta water until a light sauce has come together. Add basil. Season with salt and pepper and add cheese once plated.

Another solo dinner dealing with kitchen dregs. Waste not, want not, right? Solo dining on a budget is almost always trying to not overlook what you have despite continually thinking that you don’t have enough to make something delicious. Pasta is a staple, as is chicken broth, and bringing up the rear are frozen peas. In my freezer, I found the last of some cubed butternut squash. In my fridge, some cheddar and salami. Let’s throw them together in mock mac’n'cheese fashion and put them in the oven (a developing theme it appears). Although more goopy than creamy in the end, it all tasted good in my mouth. I should have mixed the diced salami throughout rather than placing it on top — but not because I browned the bits too much, I just would have liked the saltiness throughout.  Tasty, relatively healthy and filling: alright by me.

Dining companion:  Mildred Pierce

Baked Squash Pasta
Serves 1.

100 g short pasta
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup cooked, mashed butternut squash
1/3 cup green peas
3 tablespoons grated sharp cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon grated parmigianno cheese
1/4 cup diced salami
nutmeg
salt
black pepper
cayenne pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Cook pasta until almost al dente, adding peas in the last minute of cooking.
Meanwhile, add broth to squash to thin.  Warm in sauce pan over low heat. Add 2 tablespoons of cheddar to melt. Season with salt to taste and add pinches of nutmeg, cayenne and black pepper. Toss with pasta and place in a greased individual baking dish or large ramekin. Top with remaining cheeses and diced salami.
Bake for 30 minutes, broiling for for a minute or two at the end to brown cheese.

Simple recipes are always loved. But it’s rare that a simple recipe makes you think, Huh? What?! I mean, you can be surprised at how easy a recipe is and what marvelous results it yields despite its ease. But how often are you surprised-surprised by a recipe? One that contains less than five ingredients yet tastes like it’s been cooking all day? And/or is comprised of many ingredients that you can’t put your finger on because they marry so harmoniously?

Enter Marcella Hazan’s famous tomato, onion and butter sauce. Reproduced by many of the big name bloggers, this pasta sauce makes jaws drop and tongues wag. A quick simmer of, wait for it, a can of tomatoes, one onion and some butter, leaves you with one of the most delicious and satisfying red sauces ever.

We’re raised on simple and perfect marinara and pomodoro sauces that usually start with garlic sautéed in olive oil, maybe with some onions, tomatoes and almost always with some form of fresh or dried herbage. That is red sauce.

Sorry, this is red sauce. And shockingly, there’s no garlic, no olive oil, no sautéing. Cut an onion in half, stick it in the saucepan with the tomatoes and the butter, read a few magazine articles, cook some pasta, and then eat the lusciousness that some people say doesn’t even need cheese. I couldn’t be that rebellious but encourage you to try.

Tomato, Onion and Butter Sauce
Adapted from Marcella Hazan

28 oz canned whole peeled tomatoes (the best that you can find, e.g., San Marzano)
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium-sized yellow onion, peeled and halved
Salt to taste
1 lb of pasta

Put the tomatoes, onion and butter in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Bring the sauce to a simmer then lower the heat to keep the sauce at a slow, steady simmer for about 45 minutes. Stir occasionally, crushing the tomatoes against the side of the pot with a wooden spoon. Remove from heat, discard the onion, and add salt to taste. Reduce heat to low while you prepare your pasta.

When I was looking for some salad inspiration, I ran across a crostini recipe by Jamie Oliver that I thought sounded rather unique as it brought together lemon, chilies and fresh mozzarella. To avoid more carbs at a pasta meal, I created a salad that followed a similar theme. Atop greens dressed in a balsamic vinaigrette, I added tomatoes, mozzarella and chopped chilies. I spooned more dressing over the top and then sprinkled with lemon zest.

Pasta pasta pasta. It probably shows up in my posts as often as Mark Bittman. You know I love it. And it’s so easy. And with barely any effort, you can pull off something that’s worthy of guests. This is one of those recipes. And and and, you can spend time with your guests while dinner’s cooking and not worry about being on top of multiple items.

As the only hostess of the house, I worry about that. I want to enjoy a glass of wine with friends with my face to them. I don’t like when all they see for the first part of the evening is my back as I chop, chop or stir, stir. With this gem, the tomatoes go in the oven, and the pasta gets minded a bit. That’s it. I get to catch up while the timer tells me when to take notice. I get to gossip while my apartment quickly fills with the appetizing aroma of garlic baking down with tomatoes.

Tomatoes! One of pasta’s perfect partners and in this dish, they become a sweet mess after the time in the oven. The breadcrumbs balance things out and the cheeses give the necessary salty kick. All that’s left is to sit at the table, pour more Chianti and make a cheesy but classic toast to good food and good friends.

Pasta with Baked Tomato Sauce
Adapted from Nancy Harmon Jenkins via The Wednesday Chef
Serves 4

I’ve made this twice now and made one adjustment my second time around — tossing the tomatoes with olive oil, garlic and seasoning before topping with the breadcrumb mixture.

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound / 2 pints very ripe cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
1/3 cup plain dry breadcrumbs
1/4 cup freshly grated parmigiano
2 tablespoons freshly grated pecorino
3 garlic cloves, minced
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 pound pasta
1/4 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves, torn

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Toss tomatoes with one of the minced garlic cloves, a sprinkle of salt, some pepper and 1/3 of the oil. Place tomatoes cut side up in 9 x 13 inch baking dish.

In a small bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, cheeses, and remaining garlic and toss with a fork to mix well. Sprinkle the breadcrumb mixture over the tomatoes, making sure that each cut side is well covered with the crumb mixture. Sprinkle with more salt and pepper. Bake until the tomatoes are cooked through and starting to brown on top, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, or until al dente. Time the pasta so it finishes cooking about the time the tomatoes are ready to come out of the oven.

When the tomatoes are done, add the basil and stir vigorously to mix everything into a sauce. Drain the pasta and immediately transfer it to the baking dish. Add the remaining olive oil and mix well. Serve at once and grate a little more cheese on top.

Serve alongside a green salad or tender-crisp green beans and broccolini quickly sautéed in olive oil, garlic and chili pepper.

Today’s Special:  Spaghetti all’Amatriciana, La Quercia
My favourite pasta at my favourite place in Vancouver.
I’ve written about the pasta. I’ve written about the place. Having the experience more than once (I think I’m at eight visits with the next already booked) is truly a treat.
I hope I get to have it with you one day.

La Quercia
West 4th & Alma, Vancouver