After our lessons learned at Dick’s, Laura and I decided to do a little research and find some fantastic places to eat. Between Yelp.com and FlavorTownUSA.com we came across a great short list, and started eating our way through San Diego. Tonight’s stop, Little Italy for some old-school pasta at Filippi’s Pizza Grotto. Read the rest of this entry »
Filippi’s Pizza Grotto Review (San Diego)
Posted: 16th January 2012 by Mike in Restaurant ReviewsTags: 4 Star, Dinner, Restaurant Review, San Diego
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Phil’s BBQ Review (San Diego)
Posted: 9th January 2012 by Mike in Restaurant ReviewsTags: 5 Star, BBQ, Dinner, Restaurant Review, San Diego
Seeing a BBQ joint with over 3500 reviews at 4+ stars on Yelp is a pretty damn good reason to try it out. After a long day of sight seeing in San Diego, that’s exactly what lauraandi decided to do. Welcome to the institution known as Phil’s BBQ. Read the rest of this entry »
Dick’s Last Resort Review (San Diego)
Posted: 1st January 2012 by Mike in Restaurant ReviewsTags: 2 Star, Dinner, Restaurant Review, San Diego
Welcome to our last minute trip to San Diego. As always, we travel with our stomachs. Yes, we see lots of great things, but I post about all the great (or not so great) things we eat!
Our first evening in San Diego, we decided to wander the Gaslamp District. Of course, we were not only looking at the amazing buildings (this is what Yaletown should be), but browsing the endless stream of menus for something funky and tasty. Read the rest of this entry »
Last week I hit a new (for me) BBQ place near my client’s offices in Bothell, Wa. Being a BBQ lover, I was definitely excited about hitting a new joint. Upon entry, I asked the waitress what their specialty was. Without hesitation, she replied “the brisket”.
I’m a lover of brisket, in case you didn’t know from previous posts or the fact that I cooked up brisket a crazy number of times this summer. Sadly, I have come to realize that what a restaurant considers great brisket is something VERY different than what I consider great brisket. Read the rest of this entry »
Save-on-Meats Review
Posted: 1st September 2011 by Mike in Restaurant ReviewsTags: 4 Star, Restaurant Review, Triple D, Vancouver
Being a fan of diners and restaurants with character, there’s no way I couldn’t spend time at Vancouver’s landmark diner – Save-on-Meats.
I’ve been to Save-on-Meats a few times now, with various friends, and have yet to not be very impressed with their food and service. Read the rest of this entry »
Training with the Vancouver Ki Society is one of the most important things I’ve done in my life.
In my early twenties I trained in the Ki Aikido program. It was tons of fun and active, but most importantly started to teach me how to control my mind. After taking a few years off, I rejoined the Ki Society (about 5 or 6 years ago) in the Personal Kiatsu program.
The benefits of my training have affected every part of my life. My health is better, my energy levels higher, I don’t get stressed out, and I’m much more positive. In my career as a technology consultant, this has been essential to my success. Clients comment on my ability to stay calm and remain positive on a regular basis. Read the rest of this entry »
Ted’s Bakery, North Shore Oahu, HI
Posted: 24th August 2011 by Mike in Restaurant ReviewsTags: 4 Star, Restaurant Review, Triple D Worthy, Waikiki
During our recent visit to Oahu (mostly Waikiki), Laura and I had a chance to sample LOTS of local restaurants. Sadly, Waikiki is overpowered by the restaurant equivalent of Walmart and Macy’s – the big name restaurants that everyone hits in every major US city.
Thankfully, if you can pull yourself away from the strip, there’s some fabulous restaurants for almost every taste. One of the best ones we found was Ted’s Bakery, located in Haleiwa (on the North Shore). From the moment we arrived and saw the line up out the door, we knew this place was going to be a winner. Read the rest of this entry »
Herbie’s Burgers Review (Cache Creek)
Posted: 10th August 2011 by Mike in Restaurant ReviewsTags: 3.5 Star, Adventures, Cache Creek, Restaurant Review
Really old-school, roadside burger joints are a dying breed here in BC. The Rodeo Drive-in, Wally Burger, and Lost in the 50′s have all shut down, leaving a giant gap in burger history. The fast food chains have run them out of town.
When you have a craving for a burger from a different era, it’s time to go for a drive. About 4 hours from Vancouver, in the gas-stop town of Cache Creek in a piece of history – Herbie’s Drive-in.
There’s very little fancy about Herbie’s. You can’t get a buffalo patty for your burger, or fancy smelly cheeses. There’s absolutely no pretension at Herbie’s. It’s burgers, fries (poutine!) and other bits, made the way they’ve been made for decades.
The reviews for Herbie’s are pretty mixed. Are they accurate? Yes and no. I’ve eaten at Herbie’s every time I’ve been to Cache Creek (at least once a year). It’s never a letdown.
The burger tastes closer to my childhood memories of Whitespot burgers (don’t get Laura going on this topic – Whitespot has changed drastically over the last 10-20 years) than they do to a current winner like Modern Burger or Splitz. It’s simple and tasty. The poutine is great.
Try to save space for dessert. The ice cream … errr .. ice milk, it’s a good step above DQ’s soft serve. We’ve actually driven over to Herbie’s when camping up the road just for dessert – my mother’s a soft serve nut!
Earlier this month I was contacted by the Burnaby NewsLeader about my BBQ adventures. They found me through this site, looking for some local BBQ color. Apparently I didn’t interview all that badly .. and I’m now famous. That’s right – FAMOUS! Oh, how my ego inflates already! Laura can hardly stand it as it is .. . Here’s the article.
The short version – BBQ is something anyone can do very well. It’s a skill that’s part science and part art. Making amazing BBQ requires a lot of practice, patience and passion.
… And yes, I used to burn EVERYTHING. I was training my leatherwork skills …
MS Society Fundraiser BBQ – Part 2
Posted: 28th July 2011 by Mike in BBQTags: Giving Back, RM's BBQ
Great BBQ truly has to be a passion, otherwise it wouldn’t be worth the effort. Preparing for our MS Ride BBQ was an all-day event of smoking meats, making sauces and preparing side dishes. But the results .. oh the results! So worth while. Read the rest of this entry »