18.--FOOD FIGHT! Papa Murphy's vs. Delissio Frozen Pizza

photo credit: The Pizza Review via photopin cc

It didn't seem fair to match Papa Murphy's up with a delivery pizza place, and the only heat-up-and-serve-at-home option available was frozen pizza. So we decided to match our favorite frozen variety up with Papa Murphy's and see who would k.o. the other.

At first glance this match up didn't seem fair, either. Let's face it, frozen pizza is frozen pizza. There's a reason why pizza chains flourish in the face of the cheaper frozen option. Most of it tastes blech. But there are a few exceptions, and Delissio (Diogiorno in the U.S.) is one of them. So we stuffed both into to the oven at home and waited for the results.

Papa Murphy's makes their pizza right before your eyes. The ingredients are fresh and prepared that morning. The cheeses are also shredded that morning. There is something kind of exciting about seeing your pizza made before your very eyes. You can't say the same for frozen pizza. You take it home, slide it out of the cardboard box, think "meh", and shove it into the oven.

But the playing field is a little more even when they come out. Both look tasty. Both give off that mouth-watering aroma that makes you want to eat more than your share. And both are the size you want it to be.

The big surprise is that we actually preferred the taste of Delissio over Papa Murphy's. It could be the ingredients were more calorie-laden than the fresh-made, I don't know. I do know I preferred the crust over Papa Murphy's. The crust! The frozen variety tasted like pizza crust. Papa Murphy's tasted like bread sticks. I'm not sure why.

There is no high road with pizza. Fresh ingredients are no good if they don't result in a better-tasting pizza than frozen. I'll stick with my home-made pizza, which tastes better than any prepared, frozen or food chain, but in the meantime I have to say, I was disappointed in Papa Murphy's, which has apparently won awards.

Winner: Delissio Frozen Pizza

17.--Gulberg Fine Cuisine

  My sister reminded me the other day that I had not yet done a blog featuring East Indian food. This is odd, because I love the cuisine. We chose Gulberg Fine Cuisine; primarily because it was located in the area in which we were running errands. (First rule of a successful business--location, location, location.)

The restaurant itself is comfortable, clean and spacious, with booths everywhere, something I have always appreciated. There is nothing worse than being packed  in like sardines along both sides of
of a single long table. How people assume that's fine dining I'll never know. I like a little privacy between my elbow and a stranger's, thank you very much.

The host was very friendly, a real people-person, warm and welcoming to everyone that entered the store. It didn't matter if they were in business attire, punjabi suits or jeans and flip-flops, everyone was greeted with equal respect and warmth.

We chose the butter chicken, the chicken curry, and of course the requisite roti to go. The food arrived in good time, freshly prepared. The butter chicken was pretty much what I expected; rich and tomato-based with chunks of chicken generously filling the container. It was the chicken curry that was the delightful surprise--not overly hot, with a really lovely blend of spices. Truth to tell, it was better than the butter chicken, and that's saying a lot because I'm such a fan.
Although the meal was filling I think it could have done with a free side of rice to make it a real deal. That being said, I've paid more for worse.

The next time we go I'll be eating in the restaurant itself. At about nine to fifteen dollars an entree it's worth the money, for the atmosphere and the food.

16.--Ten Really Cool Food Websites

photo credit: ecstaticist via photopin cc

There are ups and downs to spending time on the 'Net. You use up huge chunks of time that might be better spent, well...living. Housework has a tendency to suffer; your family begins to take on the uncomfortable patina of unwelcome interruption, rather than being your reason for doing things. Stuff doesn't get done. Things happen late, or don't happen at all.

The upside is the discovery of strange new worlds, and this is no less true for food than it is for anything else. Below I've listed ten sites related directly or indirectly to food that you should know about. Some of them are wicked cool.

http://www.just-eat.com/   JUST EAT is the world's leading online takeaway ordering service. Ordering online is simple, quick and efficient for both the customer and the restaurant owner. The JUST EAT end-to-end system for online ordering makes the takeaway ordering experience better for both parties.

 http://foodbeast.com/content/  FOODBEAST is the premier food news resource. A one-stop location for food news, culture and entertainment. Birthed from a small apartment in Orange County, with the goal of providing a clean display of current food trends, products and industry information. Written by and for the average eater.

http://foodsense.is/  Food Sense is a unique resource for thoughtful, food-loving eaters and home cooks who have a palate for plant-based eating - for themselves or their loved ones; three days a week, or every day of the year.

http://verygoodrecipes.com/food-blogs  Almost all the active food blogs. The best cooking blogs and greatest food blogs ranked in an almost complete list! Forget "Exclusive" Top 10, Top 50 or Top 100 lists: this is an INCLUSIVE list of food and recipes blogs! There are also more than 60660 recipes to peruse.

http://www.john-west.co.uk/discover-the-story-behind-your-can/  This UK company allows consumers to track the fish in every can they process by typing a tracking number (found on the can) into their website, no matter what country you're in. Very cool.

https://www.foodpairing.com/  Foodpairing is a source of inspiration that allows chefs, bartenders, and others in the food industry to create new combinations of ingredients for dishes or drinks. Foodpairing is not based on intuition or existing recipes, but on science, providing an objective overview of possible pairings. You can sign up for free (“lite”), or you can pay about twenty bucks a month for the extensive version, which has far greater applications for you. The Lite version in itself is worth perusing, though.

 http://punchfork.com/  Punchfork makes it easier to find the best new recipes from popular sites. They use conversations on social networks to show you high quality recipes that passionate cooks are talking about right now. This is a must-see website.

http://www.fraserhealth.ca/your_environment/food_safety/  Our environmental health officers conduct more than 16,000 inspections of restaurants, food facilities and stores annually. We also educate food handlers and consumers about safe food handling practices.

 http://www.slowfood.ca/  The philosophy of the movement, founded to defend gastronomic pleasure and seek a slower and more aware pace of life, extended its focus from the virtues of food to considering the quality of life and identity. It aims to recognize the history and culture of every social group as it interacts in a network of reciprocal exchange. Whether you consider a variety of fruit or a traditional local dish, you cannot ignore its relationship with history, material culture and the environment where it originated. Slow Food stresses the importance for agricultural and livestock production to maintain a balance of respect and exchange with the surrounding ecosystem. That is why Slow Food has been defined a movement of eco-gastronomes.

http://www.foodbloggersofcanada.com/?doing_wp_cron=1353253625.7391159534454345703125  Food Bloggers Canada has a dedicated team working in the background to keep things ticking along and bring you new content and opportunities.
They’re a diverse bunch but they share one common denominator: food.

Just oooooone more...
http://www.thenibble.com/  This delightful little site has dozens of diverse articles relating to food, cooking and baking items, and stuff you want to know, like the difference between buffalo and bison. It's also chock-a-block full of recipes. I dare you to look at this magazine and not be foodie-frenzified.

I hope you check some of these sites out. They're well worth your time.

 

15.--Barcelo's

Parking to the right a bit tight

We went to Barcelo's because we like chicken, the same reason we stopped going to Nando's near Guildford Shopping Center on 152nd street. We used to love Nando's, but they changed either the method of cooking, or the spices used, or the type of marinade they used (if indeed they use one; I don't know) or something; whatever changes they made to the chicken, they weren't good changes for my taste, nor my family's.

Barcelo's was a place we hadn't tried yet, and the only other choices we knew of being Church's or Kentucky Fried Chicken, we decided to give it a shot.

It was a nice surprise. The restaurant itself is appealing, spacious and clean and comfortable, although the parking lot outside left a little to be desired; there isn't much and the spaces are a tight fit, even with my compact car.

little lounge area for waiting

The food, however, is good for fast food. The chicken is reminscent of Nando's before it changed its flavor (note: we don't know if the changes are chain-wide; we only ever went to the one near Guildford). We ordered the spicy fries, which are not spicy. You have to add a sauce eerily similar to the Nando's peri-peri to make them spicy, which for some nameless reason annoyed me. If you have to add the sauce yourself don't call them "spicy", is my opinion.

The chicken was hot and juicy and flavorful. My sister said her chicken wasn't all that juicy, but my brother-in-law's, and mine, were. The young man behind the counter was considerate enough to tell us approximately how long our to-go order would take to be filled (eight minutes). Nine minutes later, which in my opinion was a pretty good guestimate on his part, we were walking out the door with our order. Three half chickens and a side of fries came to 36.25, including tax. A wee bit pricey but everything is these days.

self-serve pop

Ultimately I would have to say that whenever we decide we want fast-food chicken, we will be going to Barcelo's. At some point in the future we will be checking out other Nando's in the area. If we find that the original recipe has only changed for the one in Guildford, there will be a food fight comin'.

14.--FOOD FIGHT!--DONAIR

Stomachs, get ready to ruuuuuuuuummmmbbbbbble!

(FOOD FIGHT! Is featured in this blog the first Saturday of every month)



I decided on donairs this month because I have never had a donair, apparently being the black sheep of the family since when I confessed same to said members they looked at me as if I had just said, "I don't know what rain looks like." So it occurred to me that if I used donairs as a food fight I could try one at two different places, thereby putting to rest the family's sudden suspicion that I don't know what I'm talking about when it comes to food, due to my lack of donair experience.

The reason I chose Meditalia and Donair Affair is because they both got such high scores on Urbanspoon; if you're going to try something for the first time you may as well go with the one people like the best. Meditalia is located just off 72nd Avenue and 137th Street in Newton and Donair Affair pretty much on the corner of 108th Avenue and 148th Street in a little strip mall. Both places are small but clean, with personable people working behind the counter. In both cases we ordered the lamb and falafel donair. In Meditalia this is on the board but you have to ask for falafel with your lamb donair in Donair Affair. We also ordered a side of hummus at both places. Both orders came to approximately the same price--around 30, 32 dollars for three lamb/falafel donairs with one order of hummus.

Medalia's crib

Meditalia danced out a 330 g. (11 1/2 oz.) donair, with crisp lettuce and tomato (not too much), falafel and lamb. The lamb tasted like lamb, and fresh at that. I was amazed at the complexity of this simple fast food. This is a good example of layers of flavor. Spices, chickpea, crisp vegetable all harmonized in a really lovely way. The hummus was nice as well. Thick and full of flavor, with cumin top notes that didn't overpower the dip.

Weighing in at a whopping 535 g. (18 3/4 oz.) came Donair Affair's contender, a lamb donair with falafel added. The hummus came with two pita breads. If you are starving and need to fill up in a major way I recommend this place. Unfortunately, it didn't come up to par on taste. The meat was supposed to be lamb, but we really couldn't distinguish any lamb flavor; it could have been a really good meat spread for all we could tell. The lettuce and tomato, while crisp, was oddly flavored. If something can be stale and crisp at the same time the lettuce was a good example. The hummus was rather thin, more like store-bought tzatziki than a chickpea spread, although it did have a lovely lemon top note that won my brother-in-law and me over. My brother-in-law assured me that the donair was as good as most others but that is damning with faint praise; what it really means is that it is rather generic.

Donair Affair's crib

Meditalia, on the other hand, stands out in its quality. Ultimately if I am craving a donair I will go to Meditalia; in fact, I would be hard-pressed to try anyone else. I don't think many would come even close to creating a donair I was as happy with.

 Winner: Meditalia

 

13.--Polonia Bakery & Deli





Polonia Bakery & Deli is one of those great little places that offer you items you can't get anywhere else--breads, jams, types of flour and crackers, canned goods, bakery items...I don't think there is a Polish person in the lower mainland who doesn't know about Polonia Bakery. It has been in the same location for just about forever. When we went in this morning 'round about 11:30 the place was packed. Four people were running around behind the counters filling orders and processing purchases. You have to take a number (up to your left at the main counter) and wait for them to call you; a vigilant attitude is necessary here because if they call your number and you don't respond they wait only a few minutes before calling the next. They have to; it's crazy busy in there in the mornings. You can go in the afternoons, of course, but if you want to buy a certain loaf of bread or certain dessert from the pastry case you are likely to be disappointed. The stuff sells quick.


You gain weight looking at the pastry case

Their sausages are nice though not spectacular; likewise the breads. What you do get is variety. My sister and I spent close to an hour there the first time we went, just browsing the food shelves.
They have ready-made meals in the freezers at the far left of the front of the store when you go in: beef stew, cabbage rolls, beans in tomato sauce, croquettes stuffed with sauerkraut and mushrooms, borsche, tripe soup and more.
Should you wish to, you can get lunch at the back--soup of the day, sandwiches, perogies.

Canned goods boast everything from sprats and mackeral to sour cherry jam. Buckwheat groats, noodles, flours and grains jostle for position. Everywhere you look there is something
tasty to try.
We bought a Bavarian bread loaf, some incredible-looking apple/cranberry tarts, a few jelly donuts--which actually taste like donuts should, not like the stuff they sell in donut shops--and the sauerkraut/mushroom croquettes (plus some baked turkey because it was on sale). When our number was called (and we made sure we didn't take a number until we were ready to purchase, keeping an eye on the number ahead of us just in case), the server, who seemed to speak little English, was careful to ask whether we wanted our meat sliced. This was repeated for the bread we asked for. Her attitude might be construed as unfriendly if one was in a poor mood to begin with, but a smile given was a smile returned, especially once the order was filled--we suspect from sheer relief. It's somewhat of a chore to try and serve a customer who doesn't speak your language when you don't have a fluent grasp of theirs. When such communication is successful, you're happy, right?


Not spectacular but good

We felt a little awkward at first as there is no Polish at all in our linguistic family tree, and most of the staff and customers were all ordering in Polish. My sister asked for the apple tarts and when our server grabbed the wrong pastry and was corrected, we were quickly informed that what we were pointing at were not apple tarts, but apple-cranberry, as if the entire store had been watching and thought the server had been in error. It wasn't said in an offensive way, however, so my sister and I minded not at all. We simply acknowledged our mistake with a smile and ordered them.
By the time we were done we felt comfortable enough with how the store was run to know that we would be back to buy more stuff. And that's a priority anywhere there's food.










    
    






















12.--Sushi & Roll

Let's face it--there's a lot of sushi places in Surrey. Every strip mall has one, practically. But we were desperate for a place to have lunch, having driven around the Whalley/Fleetwood area for a half hour or so (hey that's a long time when you're starving hungry) and not finding anything open or appealing. Our last stop was the Olympia Restaurant just off King George Blvd. (seriously, why did they change that name from King George Highway? Its initials are KGB...), but when we went in our ears were intimidated by a live band setting up, why in a restaurant I don't know, and then when we came out we saw Sushi & Roll kitty-corner from it with a "Grand Opening" sign on it and decided to check it out. Sushi was sounding pretty good right then. I would have eaten a rock.We were delighted by the place when we entered--it has that wonderful clean, minimal-but-artistic feel that Asian restaurants do so well. There weren't many people in it when we entered; I assume it was because we caught it between lunch and dinner rushes at 2:45 in the afternoon. We were shown to a table and given a really lovely complimentary green and brown-rice tea that the server kept filled throughout the meal. My sister ordered the Chicken Udon, my brother-in-law, the Beef Teriyaki, I asked for the Sweet Potato and Prawn Tempura, and we decided to share a small plate of Gyoza as well. Five minutes later we heard a sizzling noise, and the server came up to our table with a truly spectacular Beef Teriyaki, inset on a wooden tray. It sounded like it was still frying, and the steam billowed up from it in volcano-like resplendency. No kidding, we were really impressed. A few moments after that he brought my sister her Chicken Udon, a generous portion, almost enoughfor two, and a couple of minutes after that came my Tempura, the sweet potato slices the size of the palm of my hand and the prawns which were big to begin with but with the tempura batter seemed massive. We dug in with a will, being as I think I've mentioned twice now starving, and were pretty pleased with not only the portion size but the taste. The vegetables were crisp but cooked, the noodles weren't mushy, and the tempura was not greasy like some other tempuras at other restaurants. I did think there was too much batter on them, but it's a small criticism swimming in a large pool of approval. We would have loved to try the sushi bar but when we saw the portions of our meals we knew there was no way we could eat any more than what we had. Sushi & Roll also has a lovely house spice--that's what it says on the little shaker, "House Spice"--a truly splendid combination of pepper flakes, poppy seed, orange peel, and other things I have forgotten, which begins as just flavor on your tongue and gradually builds in heat until you have a lovely intensity and which seems good on everything. I know, I had a bit of everyone's and tried it. I would have put it in my tea if the server hadn't been looking. After having eaten our fill we called for the bill and discovered to our shock that the whole thing, along with my brother-in-law's Coke, came to a measly $32.59! And that includes the tax, my friends. We have often spent that amount for three at McDonald's.

The spectacular Beef Teriyaki

Clean and charming



Sweet Potato and Prawn Tempura





Chicken Udon, Gyoza and a lovely mild sauce

I highly recommend this delightful place. As soon as I am hungry again (possibly next spring), I will be going back for the sushi.



11.--Taquiera Jalisco

"We are serving your area since 2006"

I love authentic Mexican food, which is why I make a point to stay away from any food chain with the word "Taco" in its name when I want some. Fortunately for the city of Surrey, there are now several restaurants to choose from when I have a craving for Mexican food, not the least of which is Taquiera Jalisco, whose sign boasts that "we are serving your area since 2006."

Table coverings brighten up the place

To call Taquiera Jalisco small and unpretentious is perhaps dressing the place up a little. If they didn't have aggressive signage out front you would never know it existed. Even then you hesitate between two doors that might very well lead to someone's apartment (choose the one on the right). Once through, however, you feel like you stepped into a small family-run place in Mexico. It has a well-used charm, and every square foot of clear floor space (there isn't much) has been given over to five or six tables, with just enough room for a little corner counter and a couple of shelves backed up against the wall like gringos on the losing side of a Mexican stand-off.



You don't get--or need--a lot of tortilla chips

The servers are quiet, almost shy, but a smile or two and a kind word receives a warm smile back. They bring you your menus (the front of which proclaims warmly that "Mi casa es tu casa") and, after ordering, they also bring you a small tray with store-bought tortilla chips and two decidedly not store-bought dipping sauces: what looks like a salsa roja and a salsa roja Mexicana. I can't be certain, though. Both salsas are very spicy, not so that you suddenly feel like you've taken up fire-breathing as a career, but enough to make you glad you ordered  something  cold  to  drink.  Dance,  taste-buds, dance!




My chimichanga looked like a bull

The three of us ordered, respectively, a chicken chimichanga, a chicken quesadilla, and a beef burrito. In every case the portions are large, nay,huge; healthy appetites are welcome here. We were impressed to see small slices of beef--not ground--in the burrito. The chicken in our quesadilla and chimichanga was diced breast meat, generously stuffed in along with the rest of the filling. Nothing is greasy; in fact, the chimichanga wrap was almost like a pastry crust; faintly crispy and very satisfying.  The rice was not terribly memorable but did have the benefit of being flavored lightly with something. Perhaps it was cooked in chicken broth. I found it acceptable, fluffy but perhaps a tad dry. The salad was that ubiquitous iceberg lettuce/tomato/green onion mix you find everywhere in North America, but at least it was fresh and crisp, and its texture balance the plate out nicely. For beverages my sister had tea, I had rice water--and very nice it was, thank-you--and my brother-in-law had a Mexican Coke. 

The much-desired Mexican Coke

A quick word about the Mexican Coke. Remember how (and I may be dating myself here), a long time ago around 1985 or so Coke replaced the old Coke with the New Coke, and then decided to bring back the old Coke and call it Coke Classic, but it never really tasted the same? Well, the Mexican Coke tastes like the original Coke, not that Coke Classic cra--er, stuff. It made me wish I had ordered it instead of my very nice rice water. A quick trip to Wickapedia (long live the 'Wick) informs me that most Coke in North America is sweetened with high-fructose corn syrup, while Mexican Coke is sweetened with cane sugar. That truly may be the reason why it tastes like original Coke, and I mean Coke from waaaay back. But I digress.
The meals are very reasonably priced--all of our entrees were about ten dollars each.



The beef burrito

I can hardly wait to go back there. I want to check out the cooking implement I saw stacked on the floor by the counter, which I suspect might be an authentic metate y mano. I'm not certain, because I didn't take the time to really look at it. At the very least, it makes for a great excuse to return.

Do yourself a favor and go. Treat yourself to a good Mexican meal. Treat the servers kindly. Tip well. They deserve it.






Lower left--matate y mano?

I suspect the kitchen is tiny





























10.--FOOD FIGHT!--FISH & CHIPS

Stomachs, get ready to ruuuuuuuuummmmbbbbbble!

(FOOD FIGHT! Is featured in this blog the first Saturday of every month)

AL & JAN'S FISH & CHIPS VS. SALTY'S FISH & CHIPS

This is one food fight I’ve been looking forward to, because I love fish & chips, and while I’ve been to Al & Jan’s, I haven’t been to Salty’s, so it was a win-win situation for me. I got to try a new fish & chips place out and have one I know to be good. Yay! We decided to go for the basics: a piece of cod each, some fries, and the coleslaw. The prices are similar to each other, sometimes identical on both take-out menus. Service is fast and friendly, with Al & Jan’s edging Salty’s out by a hair—the young man who served us at Al & Jan’s was genuinely warm and eager to please. You wanted to come back just for the service. The girl at Salty’s was also nice, but you could tell you were just a possible tip.

Salty's cod, chips and coleslaw

Salty’s packaging was a little slicker, as befits a food chain; wrapped in white paper with a charming inner liner made to look like a newspaper, with a forgettable seafood recipe printed on it. Al & Jan’s was the classic inner white paper lining bundled up in an outer wrap of actual newspaper. Salty’s had a proper little Styrofoam bowl for its coleslaw with a proper little cardboard box for its fries and Al & Jan’s coleslaw was a little more antwacky--it came in a Styrofoam cup with lid and the fries were bundled up with the fish. I like the fries bundled up with the fish. Looks more authentic.

Al & Jan's cod, chips and coleslaw

Al & Jan’s cod is classically battered, crispy and a little greasy (but no more so than Salty’s), and very flavorful. The flesh was flaky and tender. Salty’s coating looks like a cornflake coating but isn’t. It also is nicely crispy, but the coating tasted very one-dimensional; like it had been made with flour and club soda and that’s it. I don’t know how they make the batter to get that interesting texture but the flavor just wasn’t there. Also, the cod was a bit chewy.

I also had a problem with Salty’s fries.  Both places had tasty fries, but since the last few we ate were barely warm (hey, it takes a while to eat this stuff) we had a proper test; most fries are good when hot, after all; it's when they start to grow cold that you find out if you got your money's worth.  The inside of the fries at Salty’s had a less pleasant mouth-feel once they cooled, almost glutinous, whereas Al & Jan’s were more like what cooked potato should be in texture.

My sister and I were split on the taste of the coleslaw. I preferred the grated look and texture of Al & Jan’s but thought the dressing on Salty’s was far better—creamier and more of it. My sister preferred Al & Jan’s all the way, because she doesn’t like the dressing to overpower the cabbage. This is why there is a weight difference between us. We both agreed, however, that Salty’s coleslaw was more colorful, having both purple and green cabbage and more carrots.

The differences aren’t huge, but if I am equidistant from the two and want fish & chips, I will pick Al and Jan’s every time. So will my sister and brother-in-law.

WINNER:  Al & Jan’s

9.--A Great Little Diner

No self-respecting Lower Mainland blogger would forget to mention The Round-up Café, a little walk-by-fast-and-you-miss-it diner a block or two from the Whalley Skytrain.

It first opened in 1949, when Louis St. Laurent was prime minister for Canada and Nisga’a Chief Frank Calder was elected to the B.C. Legislature. Postwar prosperity was beginning to assert itself. Bacon was 50 cents a pound. A pound! Newfoundland joined the Canadian Confederation, and seedless watermelon, Jolly Ranchers and instant pudding were invented. The Round-Up Café must have done well, because it was still going strong ten years later when it was bought by Orest and Goldie Springenatic. Orest was Ukrainian and an avid baseball enthusiast, two things that figure heavily in the café, with its perogies, Ukrainian sausage, borsch and cabbage rolls, and the myriad of baseball pictures on the wall from Surrey’s past. Outside it boasts one of the few old neon signs left in Surrey, a cowboy on a bucking bronc, that makes me feel like all the good things from the past are not yet quite gone, and gives me hope.

I hadn’t been to the Round-Up in many years, though I do recall that their breakfasts were really good. This time, however, we decided to do lunch and check out a couple of the non-Ukrainian offerings on the menu. The first thing we noticed was that the diner is nice and clean, and stepping in through its doors is like stepping back in time. I was disappointed to notice the jukeboxes gone from the booth tables (like I said, it’s been many years), but other than that it retains its small-town, simpler-times feel.

Not much can really be said about the food. It’s good, standard fare, satisfying and of average value. The water tastes a little funny, like it’s been poured from a tap, but other than that the food is fine. I had the club sandwich on whole-wheat, my sister had the Reuben sandwich on rye and my brother-in-law had the Bases Loaded burger with cheese, mushroom, onion and bacon. Service is good--the waitress was friendly and allowed us time to decide what to have without making us feel rushed. The order arrived at our table in ten minutes. They’re a bit chintzy on the pickle; one thin slice on the side. This wouldn’t bother most people but I carry pickle-related baggage from my childhood and so I noticed. It wasn’t the best food in the world but we’re not talking thirty dollars a plate, either. I’ve had worse for more money.

It’s easy to see why the Round-Up Café has lasted 63 years. It isn’t the best flavor or the best of anything, really.

It’s just plain good.

8.--Fraser Valley Food Show Winners

If you missed the Abbotsford Food Fair this year, you missed a real treat. In addition to LB Emporium (mentioned in last week’s post) they had 92 other exhibitors, plus 19 alcohol exhibitors in the Wine, Beer & Spirits tasting pavilion, five restaurants in the Bite of the Valley area , a Master Chef competition, daily cheese seminars, a Food Network Celebrity stage, a Grapes & Hops presentation stage, and a Great Canadian Sausage Making competition. One could attend all three days and never have to make a meal, there were so many delectable samples to try.

The winner of the Master Chef competition was chef William Tse, executive chef of the Sandbar Seafood Restaurant on Granville Island.

The Great Canadian Sausage Making competition was a little more extensive, winner-wise. Windsor Ontario’s Robert Bornais took the amateur division with his wonderful chorizo, and won in addition gold standing in the Game, Italian, and Breakfast Link sausage categories. Manfred Cross won gold as well for his bratwurst, and Steve MacLeod also won gold standing in the Farmer’s sausage category.

For the professional division the grand winner was Viktor Kozak of Sedo’s Old Fashioned Butcher Shop & Deli in Salmon Arm, B.C. with his salami entry, winning gold standing as well in the Liver/Braunschwieger and Chorizo categories. Other gold standing winners were Mink Lindsay of Hopcott Premium Meats, Pitt Meadows (Andouille, Boudin, and Italian sausage categories; Dianne and Dale Herbert, Davis Quality Meats, in Abbotsford (Kielbasa and Breakfast Links); and Gerry Gelderman, Gelderman Farms, Abbotsford (Farmer’s and Specialty).

Robin Brooks won the People’s Choice award for his Kielbasa sausage, also winning a gold standing in the Bratwurst category.

In my opinion, though, everyone there was a winner. Especially the people who went to see, and taste!

7.--Life is Spicy at the Fraser Valley Food Show

I have never been to the Fraser Valley Food Show at the Tradex in Abbotsford (last day is tomorrow, Sunday Sept. 16, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.). This morning  I dragged my sister and her husband out to see what it was all about. Certainly their website made it seem exciting  ( http://www.fraservalleyfoodshow.com/ ); but I thought to myself, how good could it really be?

I was going to write a single entry regarding this food show, but after having spent a delirious afternoon eating and drinking, I discovered that, like the chip, you just can't have one post. This is going to take a few. For those of you who can't make it to the food show tomorrow, remember it for next year. It's a foodie PNE--even better, because  the parking is cheaper (five dollars), the entrance is cheaper (nine dollars for adults), and you get way better samples to try. Delicious samples. And the booths are amazing. It's foodie heaven.

Vivian Balbeck (L), and Donna Stuart (R)

Take, for instance, LB Emporium, our number one favorite, a boutique spice company that presses all the right gourmet buttons. The owners are a couple of can-do, charming women by the name of Vivian Belbeck and Donna Stuart.

"We're high school sweethearts," Vivian joked (they've known each other since grade eight). I said I might put that in my blog.

Donna asked me not to. I promised that I wouldn't...

Their spice mixes are amazing, complex and versatile; although each mix is recommended for certain meats, I would put them on anything and everything. They have a new retail-warehouse in Port Kells at Unit #12-19889 96th Avenue, Langley. You can get all the information you want by checking out their website-- http://www.lbemporium.com/

One of the really interesting things Donna mentioned is that they generally prefer to use fruit powder in their spice mixes instead of sugar, powders that are high in antioxidants and bought locally. "The fruits are fresh-picked and the process for turning them into the fruit powder begins that day," she explained. "Most people think spice rub blends are a simple thing, but the background is really interesting." They even have one rub sweetened with carrot instead of sugar. How guilt-free can you get?

These two entrepreneurs also named their spice rubs. We bought Hot Daddy, African Queen, Put Me Anywhere, and Last Tango in Paris. All four were chosen on the basis of the spices that were in them and the intoxicating scent (they have samples of the spice out so you can see and smell them). Plus, how can you not buy a spice named after your favorite Bogart movie? How can you say no to the flavor of Marlon Brando?

Who has the time these days to mix and try different spice combinations? In this day and age, when you never have time to mix, taste and tweak spice combos for your food, these girls do it for you, and do it brilliantly.

 Check 'em out.

 

6.--Sweeeet! The Honeybee Centre

This past week my eye fell on an online ad for the Tea Hive Café, a little spot nestled comfortably in the Honeybee Centre, located on Fry’s Corner. It was a very small menu indeed, but since I hadn’t been to the Honeybee Centre in ever so long my sister and I decided to go and buy some honey and check the café out.

You have to go. Not just for the pie at the café, which is really, really good, but for the pleasure of looking and testing the different kinds of honey, taking a self-guided tour, and checking out the courses they offer, like beekeeping and candle-making. (By the way, this is a very kid-friendly place.)

We were greeted as we came in the door with a warm smile by Karen Downey, who couldn’t be more enthusiastic about the benefits of honey. She explained that all their honey was unpasteurized; since the honey is not heated up, valuable enzymes in it are not destroyed.

We ordered the apple pie, mine accompanied by a lovely pear green tea, my sister's paired brilliantly with a delicious chai redolent with spices similar to those we traditionally use in apple pie, and then went into the “greenhouse” to sit and wait for our orders to come to us. The place was charming. One side has several tables and chairs and the other has more of a sunroom feel, with small glass-topped tables surrounded by wicker easy chairs. There is a small bookcase with books and magazines you are free to browse through while you wait. A little goldfish pond sits in one corner, pretty with plants, and everywhere there is information about bees and honey.

Karen told us they order the apple pie from a gourmet bakery, and I believe her. It was full of chunks—not slices—of apple. A scoop of vanilla ice cream nestled beside it and both pie and ice cream were drizzled with Rewarewa honey, changing it from good to fabulous. The honey took on the characteristics and flavor profile of caramel. Absolutely delicious. Do try it with the green tea—the sweetness of the dessert off-sets the teas natural mild astringency and makes for a memorable combination.

After our treat we went back into the store area and began tasting the honey at the honey bar set up for just that purpose. Karen explained that the nutrients are different for each honey, depending upon what the bees were feeding on.

Unprocessed honey has antibacterial properties because it contains natural hydrogen peroxide and it has an acid PH. But Manuka honey, for instance, has additional antimicrobial activity because the Manuka bush the bees feed on contains something called methylglyoxal. I didn't like the Manuka honey. It tasted medicine-y to me. I did, however, like the buckwheat honey, which is somewhat reminscent of molasses and is probably amazing in bbq sauce applications, and the clover honey tasted, as my sister so aptly put it, "like our childhood". I remember our mother always buying clover honey. The blueberry and cranberry honeys were amazing. Once we finished tasting we selected a jar each--my sister the cranberry and I, our childhood--and paid for our choices. We were a little sticky. If you go, take wipes.

Karen gave me a couple of brochures (I could do a blog on the Honeybee Centre alone) and let me know about their website. You can visit the website by clicking on this URL:

  www.honeybeecentre.com

Go. Enjoy. Taste honey. Learn about bees. And don't forget to try the apple pie.