Category Archives: Canadiana

Baked Oysters au Gratin

February 11, 2013 7:02 pm /

Who does not like a good Oyster bake-up from time to time. Our local fish vendor had local Oysters on sale so we thought, what to heck – here is the recipe we used.

3 Tbsp. butter, melted
2 (8 oz.) tubs oysters, drained
3 Tbsp. white wine or vermouth
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Brush a 9” x 13” baking dish with 2 Tbsp. of the butter.

Set the oysters in the baking dish.

Combine the wine, lemon juice and garlic in a small bowl. Spoon this mixture over the oysters. Combine the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, oregano, salt and pepper in a second small bowl.

Sprinkle this mixture over the oysters and then drizzle them with the remaining butter. Bake for 12 to14 minutes, or until bubbly and golden.

Serve with Foccacia bread, oil and vinegar.

Posted in: Blog food, Canadiana

Papardelle Pasta with Scallops and lemon brown butter sauce

January 28, 2013 8:34 pm /

 

Try this simple dish – whips up as fast as you can cook pasta…

Put Pasta (fresh or dried) on to boil – enough for 2 people

In a heated saute pan – medium high, melt 3 tablespoons of butter.
Cook butter for 3 minutes until browned.

Meanwhile toast 1/4 cup of fine bread crumbs.
Spoon about 1 teaspoon of the brown butter over the toasted bread crumbs – toss to coat.

Take 4 large sea scallops – cut into quarters – add to brown butter – and cook until
“cooked through” about 1 minute.

Remove pan from heat – stir in 2 tablespoons mince garlic and 3 tablespoons squeezed lemon.

Pour scallops and brown butter sauce over drained pasta.
Add the bread crumbed + chopped parsley and toss to combine.
Season with salt and pepper.

Serve with wine and garlic bread.

Posted in: Blog food, Canadiana

Talking Geisha coffee on Newstalk 1010 in Toronto

November 29, 2012 1:31 pm /

Listen to the Podcast

 

Starbucks to feature $7 Geisha coffeeWe were talking to Jim Richards, affable and chatty host of Newstalk 1010 AM Toronto’s afternoon show.

The topic was coffee, $7 coffee at Starbucks – Geisha coffee – the exotic beans from Central America, what they are worth – who is drinking it and why.

Enjoy!

If you cannot see the audio thing above, click here for the mp3.

Posted in: Blog cafe culture, Canadiana

Living in a wireless world – safe yes or no

November 14, 2012 6:37 pm /

Listen to the Podcast

In an era of great technological advance, the question always arises – how good are these advances, conveniences and marvels of technology for us… in general? You know, our health… mental and physical.

I, for one, am typing this blog entry on a Macbook Pro connected through a secure wireless network – and I know my router pretty well… I customized the settings – I have the power level at “medium” – most people are not aware that they can tweak their routers in a myriad of ways – and for me, setting the router output power to a level that works within your work space makes sense in a variety of ways; 1.) It is more secure if you keep your range within the confines of your home and 2.) It adds the minimum of wireless energy to existing orchestra or medley of wireless signals in your living space.

And so you know: I do not believe for a second that 1 device or the output of a handful of devices is going to harm you in any quickly identifiable way – the scientific evidence is not really there.

WRT54glWhat I do question (actually I question a couple of different things about this topic area) is the immediate acceptance of any technology that is foisted upon us (or, ahem, introduced) without a sound fiscal or technical rationale for spending a small fortune on introducing the technology. And I know this is kind of late in the game but I heard recently that there have been some perfectly sound judicial decisions about the technology and some of the responses from some local media types is that the Tin foil hat wearers and those that suspect that their PIN Numbers or souls are being stolen by this technology need to relax or take a pill. Which, to me, is nothing more than cruel bullying – and are we not on that very subject of bullying a lot lately?

My point is – I respect anyone (smart or not so much) that questions stuff, any stuff – and even if their claims are a little off the wall, there is no reason to insult anyone.

So: More on where I am coming from. My actual area of expertise is electronics engineering technologist – and my main discipline is, guess what, telecommunications. So I know a little bit about wireless technology. So, let’s talk about wireless for a bit… and wireless radiation.

There are two types of radiation in nature: Ionizing radiation and non-ionizing radiation. Examples of non-ionizing radiation include cell phones, routers, ham radios, walkie-talkies, radio and TV transmitters, hair dryers (yes, hair dryers) – virtually any electrical or electronic device that has “inductive” properties (has a motor), modern power supplies (like a wall wart for a laptop computer) – even computers themselves radiate a bit of energy on a broad range of frequencies.

Examples of ionizing radiation include X-ray machines, ultraviolet light, gamma radiation and all that neat stuff that nuclear weapons and processes throw off. The thing about ionizing radiation that is bad is: It can (and does) alter your DNA, cause cancer and/or birth defects. It is that simple. No one questions this.

Non-ionizing radiation and electro-magnetic radiation are being studied from many angles for their potential health effects. Here are some examples of what we know. High levels of microwave radiation from cell phones, cell phone towers, radio transmitters, high power routers and other transmitting devices raise your body temperature (when in proximity of the device)… raise it slightly. What the effects of this we are not clear on. Thing is, we have not been using this technology for very long – it is the product of modern living (as in the last 110 years or so…)

When you think about it for a minute, modern medicine is the last 100 years worth of advances. It was not that long ago in history that we discovered antibiotics, antihistamines, remarkable drugs for all kinds of things – even treatments for cancer that were non-existent only a few years ago. And humans have been roaming the planet for thousands and thousands of years – so, point is: A lot of what we are doing today is pretty darn new.

My bigger point: It was only a few years ago, that people would suggest that folks with Fibromyalgia were imagining their symptoms – was all in their heads. This condition is now accepted to be real.

I personally know people that swear that they are effected, in some way, by the presence of high tension power lines (you know the ones, the 300kv transmission lines that cross many rural areas.) There is no physiological reason why anyone should be impacted by the presence of AC power lines near their home – that we currently know of. But who knows what we might discover in the future. We are, after all, bio-electrical creatures… so, who knows right?

Back to the wireless stuff and the smart meters: If you have ever been to the symphony, you will notice that everything seems pretty quiet during the violin solo – and then the rest of the violins kick in and the other strings and then the percussion – My point: 1 or 2 wireless devices in your immediate area are likely not doing you any more harm than running a hair dryer near your noggin – and definitely less of an issue than using a cell phone for 1/2 hour a day. But the more devices that are around you, the higher the levels of energy – it is that simple… and remember this:

The level of energy you encounter from any device drops, in intensity, is at the inverse square of the distance – simply, at 2 feet away, the energy is 1/4 and at 4 feet away it is 1/16th etc. It drops off pretty quickly.

So: Are Smart meters harming anyone? Well. That depends. If one burps out a burst of wireless data every minute or so – more or less at the level of a cell phone and you have one in your home, chances are, it is competing with a bunch of other devices – and some of them are chattering even more frequently. And if you live in a condo or high rise and there are dozens or hundreds of units in your space, then there are hundreds of these device ejaculating bursts of 900+ Mhz energy almost continuously.
Good or bad, we do not currently know.

What I do know is that it is likely less healthy to stress out about it and raise your blood pressure about the possible effects of something that we do not completely understand. If the average person finds these technologies intolerable, then they should have the option of limiting their exposure – and for sure they should not be ridiculed in public or privately. I have been seeing a bit of this in the social media realm and it sickens me. The same person that would ridicule someone who objects to this technology or fears it or questions the wisdom of the investment is clearly the same kind of person who abhors the sight of a handicapped person, a child or adult with a learning disability or someone in a wheel chair… etc. I think my point is clear. Bullying anyone who fears something, legitimately or not does not deserve your pious judgement.
For now, I can sleep at night knowing that all this technology is likely not killing me (that I know of…) and yes, I am an expert on the subject.

if you cannot see the audio thing above, click here for the mp3.

Posted in: Blog Gear, Canadiana

Arabica coffee under threat – the 80 year plan

November 13, 2012 8:21 pm /

TheNext80Years Listen to the Podcast

Global threat to Arabica coffee - 80 year planWas scheduled to talk on CTV Newsworld Express with Dan Matheson for 5 minutes this morning on the subject of coffee and climate change.

And although that interview was canceled at the last moment, I spent a bit of time thinking about how the interview would go and what I thought of the subject and the issues. So here is how I figured it would have gone down.

“On the line from Victoria is Colin from the Coffeecrew.com website… Good morning Colin and welcome back to the show… Hey, Canadians are talking… about coffee and climate change and how coffee might be extinct in 80 years! What’s up with that?

Hey Dan. Thanks. It is good to be back.

And yes, nothing strikes fear in the heart of coffee drinkers more than the threat of losing access to their most important daily beverage – so what is going on with coffee right now? The theory is that climate change will eradicate our precious Arabica bean – within 80 years – give or take.
Well, you are probably wondering how climatologists came to that conclusion – well here is the skinny:

Coffee farmers have been talking about the weather (like other farmers) since there have been collectives and co-ops and individual groups of farmers working together to beat the odds – the odds being, well yes, the weather, pests, challenges to infrastructure, civil strife, market variables and so on – talking about these things since the earliest forms of social networks have been in place; the telegraph, mail, face to face conversation and modern technology.

Coffee itself faces a myriad of challenges – it is, after all a pretty fragile plant – sensitive to frost, sensitive to direct sunlight, too much rain, too little rain, not the right balance of nutrients etc. And Coffee’s main defense are (get this) lush green leaves and cherries loaded with caffeine – hardly an impediment for hungry bugs or mammals eager to chow down on the energy rich fruit.

Coffee plants are sensitive to minute changes in the environment – they thrive on the gentle slopes of inactive (or active) volcanoes – shaded by plantain and palm plants, shielded by afternoon cloud cover and periods of warming sun – regular rainfall. All these things and more create a ballet of factors that keep a plant productive – And remember: Coffee is only really native to Ethiopia and Yemen in the middle east. In the 1700’s it was smuggled all over the World by traders and travelers to see where it might succeed – despite protection from its Middle Eastern masters.

And that is key factor number 1: Coffee is native to one section of the Middle East and has been transported all over the globe to places where it has succeeded and to places where it has failed miserably – it succeeded because the environment was perfect. Coffee is grown in 45 or so countries other than Ethiopia (where it accounts for 90% of the countries GDP – more on that later) and those places are being challenged in some way by “climate change” whether it is nature or man made.

And it’s important to point out that this discussion is not about blame or about what the cause is – the question is: How will climate change impact the success or failure of Arabica coffee in the future?

Climate modeling for coffee – Modeling – it has never been done before: Climate scientists modelling trends 30, 60 and 80 years into the future – measuring the impact of temperature increases (alone) on coffee crops. It’s brilliant and very helpful.

An example of what has been observed thus far: There are coffee regions in Central America (Costa Rica) where coffee is successfully being grown and harvested hundreds of feet higher than ever before. And in simple terms that is because the freezing level has gone up in elevation or the number the of frost free mornings at that new altitude remain ideal – that is, NO frost mornings.

An assumption would be: Well move the coffee plantation up slope to counter the warming at lower levels and take advantage of the higher levels. That would work to a point. At one specific altitude, the incidence of frost free days drops below 100% – and it only takes 1 frost to destroy a swath of coffee plants.

Another factor: As temperatures rise, pest management changes, new pests are introduced – and as stated before, Arabica coffee is very sensitive to pests.

So, in terms of moving plantings around, some obvious things come to mind – the fact that a farm or co-op cannot simply pull up stakes and move “up slope” – what if there is no “up-slope” based on the existing terrain? And with that in mind (and these results vary significantly with each region…) there is actually a modeled average loss of arable terrain over time with every degree of temperature rise. Depending on the model, in many instances, 60 to 90% of arable land is lost following these trends.
And therein lies the factor of complete loss of suitable land for growing and developing Arabica coffee over time.

The sad reality for Arabica coffee’s home-World, Ethiopia, is – Ethiopia has maximized the utilization of its arable land to over 90% and there is little wiggle room. A collapse of the crop would crush the country – Coffee is Ethiopia. If trends continue as predicted in several climate models, production success would be dramatically impacted.

Important – Of the 45+ countries that produce coffee, each of them would be effected differently.

In Australia, for instance, coffee is grown in less than ideal conditions and the resultant coffee is mild to say the least. Regional warming could, in reality, improve their coffee crop.
The same applies to much of Hawaii’s coffee – but that, too, is changing. In fact, Hawaiian coffee farmers have been noting environmental change for 15 to 20 years – subtle things… like changes to trade wind direction which changes rainfall patterns. Hawaii has its own climate and within that climate are dozens of micro-climates, each with their own quirks and challenges.

So, the news is not at all good – but it is not entirely bad either.

If an identified trend of planet warming was to continue over the course of 100 years, there would likely be more troublesome things to worry about apart from our daily dose of coffee. And if there is a positive aspect to this story, it gets us thinking a bit more personally (and a tad selfishly) about how it impacts us.

But actual coffee extinction? That is somewhat nonsensical. I have a collection of coffee plants in my home where the year round average temperature sits at 22 degrees – Celcius or around 72 degrees (F), day in, day out. Week after week. And my plant flowers twice a year and yields slightly less than the average coffee plant on a farm. I collect the fruit, dried the cherries as is, or I remove the fruit and dry the seeds – and put them in storage… where they will likely remain viable for 100 years or so, if kept dry. So, here is to the future!

Coffee could be grown in a greenhouse – it would make it pretty darn expensive… and it’s ironic I guess that in 2012, the relationship between farmer, co-op, exporter, importer, roaster and customer has seen some positive movement towards a more balanced state – that is, fairness… from bean to cup – where farmers and co-ops get a better rate on their products – and yes, we pay a bit more and get a way better cup. It is ironic that the World is getting a minute more just and at the same time, might be slightly more under threat from horticultural disaster.

But that is reality and the real market place.

Because (and this is a fascinating point) if you took all the coffee grown annually and put it in one place, one giant container of coffee beans (and it might be 1 mile high and 10 miles square) – and picture all this coffee… This amount is traded 5 times (or more) – changes hands… 5 times over on the New York and London coffee exchanges!
It is the 2nd most traded and manipulated commodity in the free market next to oil – and unlike oil, which kind of comes up out of the ground (often freely) and is then refined and distributed to market. Coffee is way more complicated and there are way more things that can go wrong (and often do) on the way from bean to cup.

And that is the 1st 5 minutes of a much longer story.
Stay tuned.

if you cannot see the audio thing above, click here for the mp3.

Posted in: Blog cafe culture, Canadiana

West Coast Living – the survival chapters – chapter 1

November 7, 2012 8:37 pm /

For those of us that have lived on the West coast for a while, almost everyone has encountered a minor tremor – an earthquake – or even more rarely, a staggering wind and rain storm that knocks out the power for a few hours – and even more rarely, a snow storm that brings everything to a standstill.

One such snow storm occurred, casually at first, on December 21st, 1996 – By Christmas day there was over 1 foot of snow in most places around the Victoria area – the snow picked up in earnest over the next few days and by the afternoon of December the 28th, the snowfall was full on with little indication of stopping anytime soon – and by the afternoon of the 29th, we had a 2 day record of 124cm or 48 inches – a whopping 4 feet of snow! This event seized up the transportation system. The roads were impassable. Telephone lines and power, for the time being, remained thankfully stable.

What was immediately problematic was – everyone was a shut in. For senior citizens and those unprepared for this kind of weather, the prospect of being “locked in” for 48 to 72 hours was almost completely probable.

To the best of my knowledge, nobody died or froze to death – but it was an excellent exercise in the area of “surviving” when at least one or two elements of mobility were taken away – in this case, the ability to “move” and the ability to “gather” supplies.
Most of us, at least, have 3 to 5 days worth of food on hand – some people more, some people less. And as much as I would like to have a larger supply of water in the house, I do not. (Yet) But I do have over 40 bottles of wine and 25+ pints of homemade beer – and that alone is a valuable source of nutrition! Friends, make a note of where I live!

Problem is, for Island residents, we have become somewhat complacent over time. When 25 – 35 years or so passes with little or no consequential seismic activity locally, we do not take the risks seriously. Recent events in the area of the Haida Gwaii and the central coast have been something of a wake up call – but how awake are we today, some weeks after the event. Who among us has become completely prepared? Here is a fairly complete list of what you probably need and what you should know in the event of an Earthquake or storm resulting in the loss of power, shelter and/or communications.

Here is one of the hardest facts that we all need to swallow: You may and likely will be without immediate help for up to 72 hours – that is 3 days. Prepare to settle in – and hope that the weather is not too unpleasant!

Water – Have a minimum two litres of water per person per day (including small bottles that can be carried easily in case of an evacuation order) – Most people do not drink enough water during normal day to day routines – but when there is a crisis, water is going to keep you alive and you are going to go through it quicker than you think and you may be sharing. Have some in your home, in your office at work and in your car of you have one. I may be a bit more cautious, paranoid or prepared than most people but I have a liter of water in a steel jug with me at all times – not just at my desk but on my person – when I am at work or when I am doing my weekend hike around town.

Food – The number two most important item. You are not going to last very long or stay well in a crisis with zero food intake – and the good news is that there are lots of dry alternatives that you keep you out of trouble; energy bars, dried fruit, nuts and canned foods – you need to replace most of this annually, so you can consume as you go, day to day, but try and maintain a stock of protein and carbohydrate rich snacks. And keep in mind that many energy bars require a ready supply of water – do not consume them without water.
And once again, you can keep stuff like this in your car, your office and your home.

Tool and Health kit – Being a technician at a local University I always have a tool bag slung over my shoulders – I call it my “Jack” bag – after Jack Bauer of 24 – It has basic tools, tech gadgets, water bottle, wires, soldering iron and a leatherman utility knife, bottle opener and/or a cork screw – My wife often winces when we hit the road for a trip over the Malahat – but it is in the trunk and out of site and has enough “McGyver” bits and pieces to find a solution to any problem that comes along.
What you should have is: a knife, bandages, antibiotic cream, aspirin and any medications that you might be on, a flashlight (even if its daytime!), extra batteries, waterproof matches and yes, candles. Hey, it cannot hurt! A palm sized transistor radio is a must have even if you have a radio in your car. Under no circumstances should people rely on cell phones to get them out of a bind after an Earthquake or major weather crisis. This technology is way too dependent on other technology and electricity to be reliable during a crisis.

I call my preceding Tool and Health bag a “1 day solution” – settling in for a 3 day state of isolation requires an investment in some more stuff…

The 3 Day Kit – in addition to what we have covered so far, you need to think about the following items:

Shelter – nothing makes your temporary stay out of doors more challenging than no cover – and if you are lucky enough to find yourself at the mercy of a conflagration generated by mother nature during summer time, count your blessings – chances are, it is going to be in January. So you need to have warm clothing handy. And you need to have a method of staying warm outside and being able to sleep on the ground or somewhere with no heat. Items that come to mind are sleeping bags (that come at all prices and levels of sophistication down to basic foil survival blankets – 1 per family whichever you pick.
The 3-day kit should also include garbage bags (for personal hygiene, disposal of clothing and waste…), Toilet paper X 4 rolls which should serve a family of 4 for a few days, rubber or vinyl gloves – several pairs per day per person, a few heavier tools that the ones listed in the kit bag above; hammer, big screwdriver or a universal screw driver, a pair of variable pliers or a pair of locking vise grips – super duper useful!
And now, really important: More water! 2 additional liters of water per person per day! For cooking and cleaning. Yup, we use water like this in real life! Makes you think twice when you are letting the water run when you are brushing your teeth!
Some optional goodies could include a good quality camp stove – and be careful, the fuel cells for these are highly flammable – storage might be a challenge – a method of boiling water and cooking is very handy, particularly among us coffee drinkers.
And it that regard, think about having pouches of ground coffee or a bottle of instant coffee – it has caffeine in it and trust me, you are going to need your caffeine in a crisis!

I will stop there for now – in the next chapter, more on the other skills and things you might need during and after an earthquake or crisis here on the west coast.

Posted in: Canadiana, The Island

Growing it for a cause – Movember

November 2, 2012 1:47 pm /

 

Here is a photo of my UVic – Systems Movember team – feel free to help the cause against cancer – we are growing it, not mowing it – to raise awareness and fight a nasty disease.

Left to right: Paul S. (CIO UVic Systems), Matt S, Donny L, Yours truly, Ryan P, Ryan E, Corey S.

There is no gallery selected or the gallery was deleted.

Posted in: Blog computing, Canadiana

Testing odd looking antennas in the Victoria area

October 9, 2012 7:44 pm /

What has 50 surplus Russian made ferrite rods (ferrite rods are crushed iron and resin – and little more? They look like licorice cigars and are used in AM radios… no really!)

Sections of PVC pipe?
A dozen turns of exotic insulated wire? (known in geek world as “Litz” wire…)
and a variable capacitor? (Not a flux capacitor by any stretch of the imagination.)

If you have ever taken apart a transistor radio you have likely seen some of these innards — on a much smaller scale.

But what does it do?

Surplus Russian Ferrite Rod Antenna - made in America!Well. Most of you folks know that long distance radio reception is possible on your little AM radio at night? You did not know that? Well it is.
For instance, a station in San Francisco on 810khz on the radio dial is audible from Mexico to Alaska. It is called “KGO” and it is part of the ABC radio network. You can hear it on your car radio or anything that tunes AM – no, really you can.

And unless you do not already have an AM-FM battery powered radio in your emergency kit, you should have one handy. Oh yea, internet radio is all sexy and everything but after an earthquake, the only thing you will be hearing (apart from the screams for help) is going to be low power AM and FM stations locally – running on back-up power. Forget your cell phones, cable TV and internet. None of that stuff is going to work. Be prepared.

I digress.

Surplus Russian Ferrite Rod Antenna - made in America!I am testing this gizmo (seen in the photo) It is one of about 10 ever made – and there are 9 other ones in use in North America.
What does it do? It pulls weak radio signals out of the air and boosts them for virtually any AM radio.

Believe it or not, when you are driving to work in the morning (on or about sunrise) in Victoria (or anywhere on Vancouver Island or on the West Coast) you are picking up signals that have traveled the entire distance across the Pacific ocean… from Japan, China, Korea, Australia, Hawaii, etc. Yup, they are there – but they are pretty weak most of the time. Sometimes (right around sunrise) they will be enhanced and you may hear Japanese or Korean… it happens. No cause for alarm.

The gizmo above gives them a huge boost so they become readily audible on virtually any small radio. I will produce a you-tube video in the next few days (conditions permitting) to better demonstrate what this thing can do.
But why build one? Well, it takes basic antenna principles to a bit of an extreme – for the purpose of receiving radio signals over vast distances, but also enhancing signals within a 100 mile circle… so when you absolutely positively must be able to receive a radio signal under stressful conditions. Yup, that is pretty much it.

I will be testing this gadget around the Victoria area for the next while. You may see it on top of my blue 2012 import along Dallas Rd. or in the Gonzales – King George Terrace look-out. Do not be alarmed. It is a passive receiving antenna. I am not transmitting any signals. And yes, the device looks odd and potentially scary. But not to worry. Stop. Come by. Ask for a demo.

It is all about making radio and retro electronics fun and staying safe during an Earthquake or civil defense emergency!

Posted in: Canadiana, News of the wierd

Life update – Hello from the other side… of a book

September 11, 2012 9:57 pm /

No I have not fallen off of the Planet. Still here.

Currently working on a small book for Christmas – and I have a pretty tight deadline…
October 15th. Coming fast.

Doing a small project on profiling the top cafes of Southern Vancouver Island – up to and including Nanaimo… out to Sooke… maybe Tofino.

Here are some of the good coffee people that have made the cut – still room for more.
This, in my opinion, is the coffee winners circle for the lower Island. Take a bow folks…
Not in any order of greatness actually!

1.) Caffé Fantastico – Quadra and Kings, Dockside Green
They ratcheted up the coffee scene in Victoria to new levels and they are holding their own…

2.) Habit Coffee and Culture – Pandora Ave, Blanshard at The Atrium
One man thought this up – name of Shane – he had a singular vision and brought it to life. We thank you every day.

3.) Discovery Coffee – Discovery Street, Oak Bay Avenue and Menzies Street
Great coffee. Great whole bean. Great people. Coffee excitement and education by the barrel full.

4.) Bubby Roses Bakery & Café – Cook Street
Bakers go back way further that cafes – add great coffee to a great cafe. You are in heaven… right here in Victoria.

5.) Cornerstone Café – Fernwood and Gladstone Ave.
Funky neighborhood – funky cafe. More to say…

6.) Spiced Water – 727 Courtney Street
Their are new and bold – featured coffee roasters – mixed methods and doughnuts!

7.) 2% Jazz at the Hudson
Sure, they are at the Times-Colonist but this joint rocks the Douglas and Fisgard hood big time – and on site roasting.

8.) Bean around the World – Fisgard Street
Why not have a great cafe in the heart of China Town? and they do good cafe food too.

9.) Mirage – Blanshard Street, Yates Street and Government Street
They roast, they serve and they have lots of coffee home prep schwag!

10.) Café Artigiano – at the Bedford on Government
A Vancouver super-power in a modest sized cafe in Victoria.

11.) Fernwood Coffee at The Parsonage
The boys and girls of Fernwood coffee took a previously hum-drum cafe and brought it big time.

12.) Yoka Coffee Roasters on Mason Street
They were legend in Vancouver… and now they are old school legend here in Victoria!

13.) Broken Paddle Café – Happy Valley Road, Metchosin
Quirky fun in the middle of no where!

14.) Sooke – Stick in the Mud Café – Eustace Rd.
Owned by a rock star – serving rock star worthy coffee… for everyone!

15.)Cobble Hill – Drumroaster Coffee Cowichan Bay Road
Best of the best – more reliable than gravity.

16.) Gulf Islands Coffee Roasters – High Street, Ladysmith
Started as a modified hair dryer roasting coffee – and now BIGGER!

17.) Mon Petit Choux – Commercial St. Nanaimo
Drumroaster coffee and amazing baked stuff!

Posted in: Blog cafe culture, Canadiana

The August Report Chapter Two – Whistler and beyond – food

August 10, 2012 8:37 pm /

In previous trips to Whistler, British Columbia, I distinctly remember there being a surfeit of places to get pints or jugs of beer, burgers and fries, deep fried fatty foods, pizza and stuff that would appeal to folks who have spent the previous 7 hours of their day skiing or plummeting downhill on a back breaking mountain bike trail.

And nary a decent cup of good strong coffee to be found.

And a giant gap between salt laden junk food fry ups and the super fancy gourmet stuff you find at some of the high end hotels… and places like Araxia
(which by the way gets some pretty mixed reviews…)

Some exceptions include La Bocca which we did breakfast at one morning – and it was wonderful. The La Bocca patio was always hopping into the evening on their spacious patio area.

And 21-Steps which was very family friendly, upscale, affordable and tasty. And (please note) if you are not child friendly, come by 21 steps after 8 PM or so – because it can get loud- it becomes more of an adult date place later in the evening. Nice to have both options.

Whistler 2012 - the visit, food and drink

Our group had a wonderful meal for 270 at the Whistler Roundhouse Great food, really, really good coffee (!) and desserts – super professional and well presented staff and at 6000+ feet above sea level and 3500+ feet above Whistler village… very dramatic!

Pubs: Honestly, if it can be deep fried in Whistler, it is being done – I was surprised they did not figure out a way to deep dry coffee and serve it on a stick. There was a place that was better than expected: Blacks Pub in the Sundial Boutique Hotel had better than expected pizzas and great staff and service. In a past visit we went to the Dubh Linn Gate (at the Pan Pacific) and that was a hoot – no surprise there.

Back in the village of Whistler there is one thing that has not changed much – the coffee. “The Lift” coffee shop across the entrance to our hotel served tasty and competent JJ Bean drip and espresso based beverages and really, really good baked goodies. I think if someone could find a decent space that was affordable (that is the thing – the rents in Whistler must be unreal) there could be an incredible cafe. Truth be told, such an entity would not likely survive just selling coffee.

There are several Starbucks in Whistler and all of them had regular long line-ups.

Truth be told, my coffee experience was improved by bringing my own Aeropress and a Hario manual burr grinder and a supply of Drumroaster Coffee from Vancouver Island’s best coffee roasting joint.

Overall, Whistler has a lot on the ball – and a little tip here: If you are staying at one of many “affordable” hotels or lodges – prepare to be nickel and dimed. Our room rate for a suite was around $170/night but the parking was almost $40/day – which is absurd. We had a loyalty card which eliminated the $15/day charge for the most basic WiFi connectivity. The secret is: There is lots and lots of free 72 hour parking in Whistler – in the “big lots” – just ask anyone – they are easy to find. And over the course of your stay, you can save hundreds of dollars on parking.

So. Summary: Whistler is definitely not a winter only destination – if you love the outdoors during nice warm weather, then this could be your place.

Posted in: Blog travel, Canadiana