Living In The Pourhouse

Posted on May 8, 2012 by Smelly Danielly

On Saturday we had dinner at the Pourhouse in Gastown to celebrate my birthday. We chose the Pourhouse because it was one of the few Gastown establishments we hadn’t been to yet and we pass by it every time we park down there.

We should have asked with the Devils on Horseback were.

We were totally obsessed with the decor of the place. Yes, we are predictable. I’ve now got Chad looking at interiors thinking about how they would look in our home. Needless to say we were totally inspired by the Pourhouse and got a great idea of our ceiling in the kitchen. I was also justified in my purchase of our lighting because the Pourhouse had the same style everywhere.

I now need to find some oil lamps.

We got the charcuterie board to start. Chorizo Sausage, Smoked Prosciutto, and Venison Salami. I put a bunch of the mustard on one of the slices of bread and then piled some meat on top, not realizing how hot the mustard was. It literally felt like I was being stabbing my mouth with fire and it went up through the top of my mouth and into my nose. The most painful mustard experience of my LIFE. Chad laughed. He thought the mustard was perfect.

Chad ordered the Steak & Frites, because that’s what he does, and I ordered the Steelhead Trout. While I like seafood I am usually not a big fan of fish and often find myself disappointed when I’ve ordered it, however I have had good experiences with trout (specially the dish I had in Lake Como, Italy, SO GOOD) so I thought I would take a chance on this dish.

The trout was perfect. The skin was so crispy but the fish was still moist. It came on a bed of gnocchi that were fried, mushrooms and spinach and drizzled with a lemon, capers, and butter. It was fabulous.

It’s all about the mood lighting.

They had Chocolate Chip Cookies and a Shot of Milk on their dessert menu. Considering I have survived these past 27 years solely on chocolate chip cookies and milk (trust me, ask my Mom what I eat for breakfast every morning) I thought it was fitting that I should have then for dessert. They were baked fresh to order and were the perfect ending to the evening.

After dinner we met up with Nori, Jeremy, and Ryan who were all in the neighborhood and made our way over to the Shebeen for a drink, because you know, I love Whisky…

How does Chad turn everything about me into something about him?

It was a great evening in my favorite part of the city. An excellent way to celebrate my 27th year.

It’s Ma Birf Day

Posted on May 7, 2012 by Smelly Danielly

So, it’s my birthday today. I’m 27.

I’m still scared of the dark. I still sleep with a pink fleece blanket. I still think my stuffed animals have feelings.

I guess no matter how old you get, some things never change.

Rice Noodles and Dumplings

Posted on April 27, 2012 by Smelly Danielly

Birthday dinner traditions. We stayed in this year and Matt made me the best soup ever. He is an Asian Cooking Sensation. I love having dinner at his house. I also love asian soup.

It’s totally not fair that Matt has a vintage Bay blanket. Actually, he has TWO which is even more unfair. I would love to buy one, though they are ridiculously expensive so I am seriously contemplating buying a used one off Ebay because honestly it doesn’t matter much to me, I just want one! OR I need to find someone willing to leave me their Bay blanket in their will, much like Matts grandma did for him. They are just so amazing.

Matt made me a Gin & Tonic in his fancy new skinning glasses. Everything that Matt owns is dreamy.

We listened to Drake while he made dinner. We love Drake. Actually we loved Drake before he was Drake and he was just Jimmy on Degrassi. We go way back.

He also has the counter top I want. We are going to look at samples of it next weekend. Though now I am kind of obsessed with marble, which I believe he has in his bathroom. But marble would probably be a pain in the kitchen so maybe I should save it for my bathroom. White & Grey. White & Grey

We realized that we have been friends for 8 years now. We bonded during a school trip to Tacoma and the rest is history. I love Matt. We have so many good memories together. One day we shall collaborate and it shall be amazing.

The older this man gets the better looking he gets. That hair! That beard!

After dinner we walked over to Marios Gelato to get some ice cream and then we came back to the apartment and watched old episodes of The Nanny. Talk about perfection. I love the Nanny, like a lot, and I have not watched it in so long, it was so amazing.

Next week we are going on an adventure to Richmond since its been so long since we were there. We use to have adventures all the time when we went to school, but then we all grew up and moved on. I’m on the hunt for adorable Asian dishes. Maybe a little sushi set or two. And we can’t forget Daiso!

Tractor Gave Me a Present

Posted on May 18, 2011 by Smelly Danielly

We had dinner over at Mama and Papa Ciavarros house on Saturday. I thought it was the right time to bring out my awkward smile.

There was a rumour that Tractor has a present for me but he wasn’t giving away any secrets.

I was getting a bit antsy because I really wanted my present. It’s not every day you get a gift from the family cat so I knew this had to be special.

Finally he handed over the goods and helped me unwrap it.

Ohhhhh! The Flavor Bible! Whats this book all about!?

He wasn’t too impressed that I didn’t know what it was. Apparently all the foodies, including himself, live and breath by the Flavor Bible.

So we went through it together. It’s wasn’t a book filled with recipes, but instead a book filled with information on flavours! He told me I’d learn the following…

*explore the individual roles played by the four basic tastes — salty, sour, bitter and sweet — and how to bring them into harmony;

* work more intuitively and effectively with ingredients by discovering which flavors have the strongest affinities for one another;

* brighten flavors through the use of acids — from vinegars to citrus juices to herbs and spices such as kaffir lime and sumac;

* deepen or intensify flavors through the layering of specific ingredients or techniques; and

* balance the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual aspects of cooking and serving an extraordinary meal.

He went on to explain that if there was a a dish I was looking to cook and wanted to see what flavours would work well with it, all I would have to do is look it up! For example, if I were to make Lobster it would give me flavour information on the Lobster itself and then give me a list of flavours that would work well with it, like Anchovies or Apples.

I was pretty impressed that Tractor gave me such a thoughtful gift. I guess he really does listen when I go on and on about all the things I love to cook. He sure does know me pretty well.

Thanks Tractor, you are the best <3

I Had Dinner in the Campagnia

Posted on May 12, 2011 by Smelly Danielly

When I was thinking about what I wanted to do for my birthday this year, I figured I would keep it small and just invite the people who matter the most to me. Long gone are the days where you would create a facebook invite and invite every single person you know to join you down at Caprice for a night of dancing and despite those who said they would show up, the only people who actually did were those you cared about the most. Not that I ever went to a club for my birthday, but I figured I was old enough to just invite the people I wanted to see and cut out all those who may or may not make time to celebrate my birthday with me.

I’ve wanted to do a small birthday dinner party for a long time, so I finally took the oportinity to do it this year. Chad and I always look up restuarnats on Open Table when we want to see if anyone is having a special deal or when we want to make sure we have a reservation. I decided to do a search for a restaurant in Gastown for my birthday, but even though I was looking to book something a month in advance there were no places available for our group size at a reasonable time. Then Claudia, the brilliant foodie that she is, suggested this new place on main street called Campagnolo. She had heard many good things about it and was waiting to try it out herself. I checked out the menu and was sold. Birthday dinner location found!

There was 8 of us who went out for dinner. Claudia had to cancel due to a last minute all expenses paid trip to Hong Kong. Yea, she leads a difficult life ;)

I loved the atmosphere of the restaurant. Kind of felt like I was in someones cantina having dinner.

Treviso Salad
shaved mushrooms, arugula, shallot vinaigrette, pecorino

I had to represent half of my home town. I can’t believe I am actually coming around to the flavours of radicchio! Salad was so good!

Linguini
manila clams, white wine, chillies, parsley

This pasta was amazing. The chillies added a nice bite to it and the clams were oh so yummi. Vogole FTW!

“Affordable, casual Italian dining in a warm and welcoming space. Campagnolo serves rustic dishes inspired by the Piedmont and Emiglia-Romagna regions of Italy in an open, spacious room highlighted by original old growth fir wood beams.”

While we waited for our desserts to be served the table requested a speech for yours truly. At this point I was on my 3rd glass of wine. Well played my friends, well played!

They tried to get me to cry by mentioning ‘The Farm’ but I was stronger then that. I decided I would go around the table and tell everyone why I invited them to my party.

Chad: I told him I loved him and he was fabulous, which made everyone question if he was gay or not, because apparently you can only use the work fabulous when describing the gays.
Shaz: She is my sister in rage and with out her, who would I chat to online all day long. We also email each other funny tumblr photos which is the greatest thing ever.
Alicia: If there is every an earthquake and we are at work we will be the only one to survive because of all the vitamin Water she hoards under her desk.
Elise: She sent me an email asking me if I knew of a website that had maps of all the Castles and Palaces in England and it made me feel special that she thought I knew that much about the royal family.
Adam: He was wearing a Death from Above 1979 shirt, which I was in love with, and he had skipped his ‘Sunday Leage’ soccer game which made me feel pretty important.
Dario: We’ll hes Italian, so need I say more? We’ve also known each other for a million years so I get emotional talking about him. I also forgave him for voting Communist in the last election.
Ryan: He’s replacing the deck in our building and with out him, we will never sell our apartment. It’s all on your shoulder Ryan!

Everyone was basically laughing their heads off, which was exactly what I was trying to do. I then may or may not have thrown down an ethnic slur about blueberry farms, which I’m pretty sure made Ryan cry. Hot damn, sometimes I amuse myself.

The cool thing about Campagnolo is that they have a Grappa bar. All the boys ordered a Resentin (espresso & ½ oz Grappa di Prosecco).

“Resentin – after finishing an espresso with sugar, grappa is poured into the nearly empty cup, swirled & drunk quickly.“

I had the Vanilla Panna Cotta and was partially mortified when I noticed the candle on the side of my plate. Thank God for those 3 glasses of wine.

DEATH FROM ABOVE

Over all it was probably one of the best Birthdays I have ever had. It totally makes a difference when you surround yourself with the people you care about.

I loved Campagnolo and am very glad I chose to have dinner there. I also loved that when I told my Mom where it was she kind of freaked out. Yes, it may be in a sketchy part of town, but doesn’t she know that’s where all the good restaurants are?! The food was really good and the atmosphere was even better. There are 100 places to go in Vancouver for good Italian food, but why not try one that is relaxed and casual. I love all things rustic!

I wonder if they’d let me live in the restaurant?