Bobo the Cat

Last week I visited my mom and spent some time with the cat Bobo. Such a cutie.

Codfather's Fish & Chips

Codfather's. It's a pretty cute name, no? Despite the cute name, I'd never visited this place, even though it's in the same strip mall as our regular pet place, Bosley's, in Burquitlam Plaza. I suppose this is because fish and chips has never really been one of my favorite meals. Many people love it and all, but I don't get why.

The restuarant is small, with seats for about 30 guests, and filled to the brim with football scarves and knick knacks The colourful flags and scarves gave the place quite a cozy, lived-in quality. But probably the most interesting decor feature in the restaurant is this blue neon sign with a cute friendly fish on it.

We both got the same thing, the 2 piece cod and chips, which came with a dinner roll and coleslaw. The fish came in large golden pieces, and was very moist inside. The batter was quite thin and gave a crispy crust to the fish, but the batter seemed to fall off really easily as you cut into it. The chips were good, with a distinctive chewy crispness that was oddly pleasant and different. The tartar sauce went pretty well with everything, though there wasn't anything much to distinguish it. There were also the traditional white and malt vinegars on the table, which I preferred (although why do people dilute the vinegar? I don't quite get this. I always end up dredging the whole thing in vinegar because the flavour is too mild).

The parts I didn't quite like were the coleslaw, which doesn't say much because I just don't like it (as I mentioned in an earlier post, I've never met a mayo-based coleslaw I liked), and the dinner roll, which was soft and plain.

Overall, the meal was good. However, at $14.99, the meal was a tad pricey. The fish and chips was not something I was wowed by, since I'm not a big fan of fish and chips in general. However, it's a good place if you feel like fish and chips in Coquitlam. The restaurant seems to have quite the following.

Nando's Chicken - Metrotown

Metrotown is not my favorite place. It's really crowded, the lights are too bright, the music is too loud, and it's way too big. Sometimes though, you gotta go. A couple of weekends ago we ended up there to see Fantastic Mr. Fox, but, as we eventually learned, it wasn't even open yet. So we spent hours looking for work clothes for Shane instead.

Anyway, we had an entertainment book coupon for Nando's, so that's where we went for lunch. Of course, this wasn't at a sit-down restaurant, but at a food court. We both had the chicken breast with one side. I choose fries, while Shane had the chicken with coleslaw. It was a good deal with the coupon, but I did notice the prices being a little high for a food court. This was our first time at Nando's and we were impressed at the grilling that was going on.

The food was pretty good, especially comparing with the other fatty options available. The chicken was great, with a real grilled flavour and charcoal-y bits; the flesh was juicy as well. This was nice, because we don't have a grill at home and can't really replicate this. It could have had more sauce though, since I could hardly taste it. I like the lemon they included as well. This gave the chicken a brightness.

Coleslaw. I hate it. I have never met one I didn't like. It's so heavy, so mayonaise-y. Yuk. But Shane thought it was okay.

Which brings me to the fries...I ordered 'piri' fries, and I couldn't tell the difference, because it looked like regular fries. But holy cow, those fries were salty. It was as if they were drenched in salt or something, because it was so, so salty.

So all in all, it was a mixed experience. the chicken was good, but other stuff, not so much. I'd be curious to visit one of their sit-down restuarants though.

Arc of Justice

Earlier this month, John McWhorter of The Root posted an article on 10 books about race that haven’t gotten enough attention. I’m not so current with what’s out there, but as I went through his list, I thought, “of course this is important”, “of course this book has to be read.” So I went to my local library and got an armload of books.

I spent an entire weekend reading and finishing Arc of Justice: A Saga of Race, Civil Rights, and Murder in the Jazz Age, by Kevin Boyle. The book is about the experiences of Dr. Ossian Sweet, a Black doctor who had the audacity to move into a house in a white neighbourhood of Detroit in the late 1920's. Dr. Sweet was this remarkable man whose parents had been slaves in Florida, and who, with hard work and determination, went to Howard University and became a medical doctor. There is murder, unbelievable racism, the rising influence of the KKK, and a grippping courtroom drama featuring Clarence Darrow.

The book is so well written that it reads like a brilliant work of fiction. I couldn't put it down. This book won the National Book Award in 2004, and deservedly so.

A recommended read, to be sure.

Red Robin - Lougheed

Last week it was rainy (like it is now) and Shane felt like eating a burger. So we opted for a place from the past, the Red Robin near Lougheed Mall. It’s really from Shane’s past ‘cause he actually used to work at a Red Robin when he was a teenager (which is funny because he can’t really cook meat – everything is well done with him). I used to go there a lot back in the day, but both of us haven’t been for a couple of years (mainly because the couple of times we tried, we were waiting to be seated and absolutely no one came to greet us, so we left after about 5 minutes).

Anyway, as soon as we stepped in, it was like traveling back in time; all the fixtures were brassy, there was the same old Red everything, the wildly colourful carpet and the crazy patterned fabric in the booths. We arrived around lunchtime, and surprisingly, the place was hopping—lots of kid’s birthday parties, teenagers, and families.

To drink, Shane opted for the strawberry ‘freckled’ lemonade, which, like all their pop at Red Robin, was bottomless. I find this awesome, even though of course I can usually only manage a couple of rounds. The beverage itself was a little too sweet, but as the ice melted and diluted the drink, it became pretty nice and refreshing. The strawberries were not fresh, but rather soggy and macerated; however it did give a subtle strawberry flavour to the lemonade.

I chose the Red Robin Bacon Cheeseburger (with pickles! This was 10-11 bucks). The burger arrived with “bottomless” steak fries, and it was big. The tomato and lettuce were fresh, and the patty was relatively juicy, though the meat needed more seasoning. The bacon slices were so pitifully thin that I could hardly taste the bacon, and they were so generous with the mayo that it was all I could taste. The mayo made the burger a big, soggy mess. I like messy burger, but it's not so nice when large squirts of mayo drip from it as you bite the burger.

The fries were quite good: crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Now, on to one of the best things about Red Robin: their Buzz sauce (hot sauce) that they put on their wings. It’s vinegary, salt, hot, and different from the usual Louisiana style hot sauce. Really good with the fries.

Shane ordered the Guacamole Bacon Burger, and he had the same issues as I did – the lack of meat seasoning, the thin slices of bacon, the way too much mayo. Of course, his burger was extra soggy because of the guacamole, but that’s Shane’s own fault really.

Alas, we were too stuffed to even order a second helping of fries, or even get dessert. I remember Red Robin used to have the greatest banana splits, with pineapple, strawberry and chocolate sauces and an entire banana in a huge oblong metal bowl. I’m sorry to say that particular item has been off the menu for years now....

Red Robin’s burgers are generally pretty good based on our previous dining experiences, so I’m guessing maybe they had an off day. Those burgers are not the same calibre as Vera’s or any of the gourmet burger places of course, but there is something cool about Red Robin’s history and their huge portions (and ‘bottomlessness’ !).

We’ll probably won’t be back for a long while, but we’ll be back...eventually.

This One's for Mary

...who told me to snap this picture. These kids are taking a picture of the famous Vancouver landmark, the 'steam' clock.

Pourhouse

Last week, a few of my co-workers and I checked out the new Gastown restaurant and drinking spot, Pourhouse. Of course, we couldn't try any of their drinks because we had to go back to work, so we just opted for a nice lunch.

The restaurant is a little hard to find; there isn't a huge sign to indicate that a restaurant is there, and only recently has its name been on the door. The restaurant feels cozy and posh, with tablecloths, cushy booths, and has an old timey feel with it's exposed bricks, radiators, and shiny dark wood.

I ordered their crispy cheese sandwich, with the house tomato soup ($12). The grilled cheese itself was good, though I'd say that Burgoo's version is better (and my husband's version quite a bit better than that). It was very classic, with regular bread, but it was a little too overdone (the other side of the sandwich was black). There really wasn't anything to distinguish it from any other grilled cheese. However, the tomato soup was excellent. It had a very concentrated, tart, tomato flavour, and really went well with the greasy cheese. Some people might find the soup to be a tad strong and vinegary, but I loved it.

Now, the following are pictures (some very bad) of my co-worker's dishes. Of course, I can't say much about the taste, but they all seemed to like the food.

The sloppy joe ($16). Brigid liked this, though it wasn't very sloppy joe-like.

Another crispy cheese, but with the fish soup. The fish soup apparently was excellent.

Beef Brisket sandwich with mushroom soup

Pork and beans

Halibut. We all tried the bean puree, which was very good

After the meal, we settled down with some Americanos. Overall, we had a great time. The prices are a bit high for lunch, and the servings are on the small side, but we all left satisfied.