Hot Lady Hotpot – Richmond, BC

Hot Lady Hotpot
#1185 – 8580 Alexandra Road
Richmond BC
(604) 303-0086

I need to get this preamble out of the way first…This restaurant does not have an official English name. The banner in front reads 麻辣妞妞火鍋專門店. Urbanspoon translates these characters (perhaps via a contributor) to mean “Hot Lady Hotpot”. My Chinese friend prefers to call this place “Spice Girls Hotpot”.

The characters 麻辣 translate to “ma la” or “numbing and hot ”, the signature spicy Sichuan flavour  combination. The next two characters 妞妞 “niu niu” both stand for “little girl”. The next two characters 火鍋 are “hotpot”. Finally the characters 專門 mean “specialist” and 店 means “inn” or even “place.”  So…this restaurant tis called “Hot and Numbing Little Girls Hotpot Specialist Place.” Hmm…

I think I’ll stick to “Spice Girls Hotpot” – Urbanspoon bedamned.

Pizzeria Barbarella – Vancouver, BC

Pizzeria Barbarella
654 E Broadway
Vancouver, BC
(604) 210-6111

It was a tough year for Terry Deane. He had sold Ah-Beetz in Abbotsford  (his first pizza joint) over a year ago now to open his dream pizzeria here in Vancouver. It took a lot longer than he expected. A couple of missteps with city permits have stretched his resolve and his finances to the limit. Zoning issues prevented him from building out at his original location – a former gelato store on Victoria Drive. This insurmountable hurdle finally forced him to seek a new place.

After a few months of active searching, he settled on a location near the corner of Broadway and Fraser. This dog-eared space that formerly housed a Chinese restaurant wasn’t any easier – it took months to get proper permits in order, and the conversion process took much longer than he had anticipated.  ”It was a mess. Everything was covered in grease,” he said.”It was a lot of work.”

Happy New Year! Top 11 Dishes of 2011 – Calgary, AB

Top 11 Dishes of 2011
Calgary, AB

Hi Everyone. Just wanted to wish you all happy holidays and all the best in the upcoming year.

I know I’ve been absent for quite a while, but i thought i’d throw out a small thank you to anyone from Alberta still reading. It may seem like we are a Vancouver-centric blog, but we started with Albertan roots, and it’s a part of the blog that is still very important to me. To be honest, the evolution, or de-evolution of the blog  is more because the non-Vancouver based writers have been negligent in their duties. I wish I had more to offer than that, but I don’t.

With changes in my life, i’m not likely to be back in Alberta anytime soon. This snapshot in time reflects how i feel today – and while it may not stand the test of time, I hope it serves you well in the near future. Please consider this a small offering from me to you – for everything you bring to Foodosophy, and to recognize some of the quiet greatness that exists in the city of Calgary today.

Much Love,

Foodosopher

Foodosophy 2011 Highlights

WordPress, the host of our online presence, has provided us with an annual summary of key activity here on foodosophy that we thought would be interesting to share with our readership.

To begin, overall it was a lighter year for us in terms of fresh posts, with just 74 new individual entries published during the year.  Interestingly, the most popular post was from two years ago, on the unusual McLobster report provided by contributor o-toro.  Other top viewed posts were those on MRKT (Market) Restaurant – Edmonton, AB, Omakase at Kimura – Vancouver, BC, Longview Steakhouse – Longview, AB, and Foodosophy of Pink Burgers in Vancouver, BC.

Dae Ji – Burnaby, BC

Dae Ji
4501 North Road
Burnaby, BC
(604) 566-9107

Not too long ago, Don’sta existed in this very same location, offering some of the very same kind of dishes.  I’d noticed that it soon changed its sign not too long after that visit that I reported on.  Initially I thought it was just a simple re-branding, but upon checking it out, I saw it was much more than that.  The proprietors seemed to have changed, along with a total re-work of the interior and a greater focused menu.  Simple put, it appeared more “professional”.  I’ve not gone to their other location downtown, but Dae Ji now has outlet number two.

With Korean-style fried pork cutlets taking center stage alone (no sign of the pasta that existed in the previous incarnation) on the menu now, there were a few twists like the option to have a mixed plate if you will of a cutlet and a hamburger patty.    A few variations exist in terms of the pork cutlet, as well such as a cheese, spicy cheese, even a kimchi infused one!  The set menus offer more bang for the buck too, as you get a side of rice, a simple cabbage salad and a miso soup.

Calgary Hot Plate Restaurant – Calgary, AB

Calgary Hot Plate Restaurant
714-5075 Falconridge Blvd NE
Calgary, AB
(403) 590-1244

“Kebab and naan,” he says, “that’s all I ever get”.

Just that alone got me to agree to having a quick dinner at this little place in the heart of Calgary’s East Indian community.  Coming in from the bristling December winter cold, the aromas alone were a much needed welcome.  Order at the counter, scan the specials board along with the regular menu sheet.  Simple process and setup.  Sit down and wait…

Out comes the warm square bowl of Chicken Qorma – with some good sized chunks of breast meat braised slowly in a combination of spices to create a velvety yogurt curry.  A definitive spicy kick to this mixture, instantaneously you feel the heat rip across your tongue along with the intoxicating flavors.  The accompanying huge plate-sized rounds of freshly made naan at first seem like a little much, but soon you’re ripping them apart and wondering if you might run out.

Maggiano’s Little Italy – Las Vegas, NV

Maggiano’s Little Italy
3200 Las Vegas Blvd South
Las Vegas, NV
(702) 732-2550

This gambling and entertainment mecca probably has the best and worst of what America has to offer from a culinary perspective.  From absurdly priced, high end celebrity chef fronted establishments to the ultra cheap diners and fast food stands, there is no shortage of food in Las Vegas.  It all depends on what you are wiling to pay, the level of your palate, and perhaps even the level of success (or lack of) you’ve had in the casinos.

Strangely enough, I’ve dined at Maggiano’s in an entirely different city – Orlando, FL, just last year.  By chance, I came across it again on a hurried trip to the Fashion Mall to pick up something before jumping in a taxi to head to the airport and leave town.  I had some mates in tow who were also in a rushed state to do some last minute shopping for the folks back home, and so we dipped in for a late lunch.  As I wasn’t feeling overly hungry and did not want to feel bloated while sitting in an airplane for the next few hours, I chose just from the appetizers list.