Dirty Apron Cooking School

The Dirty Apron Cooking School opened its doors in August of 2009. It took almost a year and a half later, but after much anticipation, we finally managed to take some classes, with many thanks to the wonderful women who threw me a Food Is Love wedding shower. Brent and I took our first of two classes in November, and I've finally uploaded the photo's so I could blog about it.

Ocean Potion - The Seafood Class

We weren't really sure what to expect when we arrived, but checked in and were handed aprons and a folder. We waited anxiously with the other attendees, until they rang the bell and announced we could enter for the class. Having been to The Dirty Apron for a fundraiser for Growing Chefs (check them out, they do fantastic work), we had been in the space before, but not seen it set up for a class. There was a demonstration station at the front of the class, with chairs of varying heights so everyone could see. The perimeter of the room was lined with cooking stations. We took our seats and waited to find out what the class was really all about.

First Course - Mussels Congolese

For our first course we were going to learn how to make one of Chambar's famous mussel dishes. What a surprise to have Nico Schuermans, Chef and Co-Owner at Chambar in the class. He even came to the front and taught us how to cook his mussel dish. This is when we learned how the class was going to work. The instructors - David Robertson and Takashi Mizukami - would demonstrate how to prepare the menu before sending us to our stations to try our hand at the dish. When we arrived at our station all of the ingredients for the dish were set out for us, pre-measured. All we had to do was chop and season and cook! We got right down to it, with both David and Takashi roaming the room to answer any questions and guide us along the way.

Once our dishes were prepared, and plated, we moved to an adjacent room and took a seat at some long wooden tables. This is where the class started to get really fun. At this point we were served red or white wine, and got a chance to not only try our food, but discuss our trials with other members of the class. We ate and drank to our hearts content, and headed back inside to tidy our stations. What a lovely surprise to find that most of the dishes were gone and all we had to do was tidy our knives and spoons.

Second Course - Maple-Seared Scallops on warm Chorizo with Kalamata Olives & Pea Coulis

Next we headed back to the seats to have the demonstration on our second course - seared scallops. Until this day, I had never cooked scallops before, and was pleasantly surprised to find out how easy they are. Once again, following the demonstration we headed back to our station to find all the ingredients laid out, and began cooking. After the cooking, again it was back to the wooden tables to enjoy our food and have another glass of wine.

Third Course - Pan-Roasted Halibut with Lemon and Olive Oil Crushed Potatoes

For the third course we prepared halibut. Again, I had only really cooked white fish one or two ways. We learned the secret to a crispy crust, as well as some neat plating techniques. Once again, we headed back to the wooden tables to enjoy our food and drink. But we weren't finished yet! Although we were done with our cooking for the night, we were also going to enjoy dessert, Poached Pears that were stuffed with ice cream and served with a Chocolate Sauce. We definitely left there stuffed to the gills!

Overall, the entire experience was absolutely wonderful. We were sent home with take-out containers of our leftovers, as well as copies of all of the recipes from the evening. I'm not going to publish the recipes on this blog, because I think you should really go and take the classes. I believe that some of the recipes are available online on their website though. The instructors really took the time to make sure everyone was comfortable with what they were cooking, and the camaraderie amongst the fellow students as we laughed about failed kitchen mishaps could be felt around the room.

I would definitely recommend The Dirty Apron to anyone who is interested in taking a cooking class. Not only do you get to learn amazing tricks of the trade, but you also leave feeling as if you've eaten at a fine dining establishment, and guess what? You did all the cooking!! Classes average at $145/person, and after taking the Mama Mia Italian Class as well, Brent and I are going to be saving up to do another class. It's definitely a memorable night out.

A 'Diamond' in the rough

This past Saturday Brent and I caught an early flick at Tinseltown. After gorging on popcorn, we weren't really hungry for a full dinner, but it was 7:30, we were a little peckish, and wanted to go for a drink. We biked around Gastown trying to figure out what it was we felt like eating. I remembered having read something somewhere about a restaurant that had opened up across from the Chill Winston, in a second floor location. Thus it was that we stumbled upon Diamond.

The restaurant is upstairs at #6 Powell Street, on the corner of Powell and Carrall. The space itself is very simple, with exposed brick and huge windows. We were lucky and able to score a window seat, overlooking Carrall street. The staff was really friendly, and helped me to pick out a cocktail. I wish I could remember the name, I do know it had champagne and ginger and basil, and something else.

For food, the menu is a selection of Asian inspired plates that are easily shared. When you order your food, it comes out as it is ready, which is really the best way to eat. We ordered the Japanese Pickled Egg and Beets, Edamame, Pork Gyoza's and the Lemongrass Broth with Glass Noodles. All of the food was fantastic, and the entire menu looked enticing.

Overall, a definite great new find. Not too hard on the wallet either. I can't wait to get back and try some of the other cocktails!

The Diamond
#6 Powell Street
Wednesday - Sunday 5:30 - midnight

San Francisco Delights

Hello internet followers. I have been m.i.a. because I have been doing a bit of traveling. Nothing too extravagant, Tucson, Arizona for a family wedding, and then this past weekend Brent and I spent four days in San Francisco. And that, my friends, is what this post is all about.

San Francisco was an amazing city, and I would definitely recommend it to everyone who is looking for somewhere to visit. You've got history, landscape, shopping, people watching, and food, oh the food. Unfortunately I didn't end up taking as many pictures of my meals as I had planned, because frankly when the food comes to your table, sometimes you just want to eat it. That being said, I thought I would mention a few places that were fantastic.

Midi
This restaurant was located in our hotel, and our first night we arrived and checked in around 7:30, so decided to check it out. What a treat. We started with a couple of drinks and the artisan cheese platter. Everything went really well together, and the presentation was great. For dinner Brent had the grilled hanger steak and I had the braised spring lamb. Both meals were fabulous. Funny note, the waiter asked Brent if he wanted fries with his steak, even though that's not how it was served, the waiter was just concerned because 'there's no starch with your entree'. We both found that kind of funny. We finished up the meal with some dessert, unfortunately I can't remember what it was, but it was also great.

Pier Market
This restaurant is located in Pier 39/Fisherman's Wharf, one of the biggest touristy spots in San Francisco. However, following our trip to Alcatraz we decided to check out this tourist area, and all I wanted was some clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl. Touting that their New England Clam Chowder was voted best in Fisherman's Wharf, I decided to check it out myself. Let's just say, it was so good that I was digging into the bowl at the end, and even returned the next day for another cup of chowder.

Catch
This seafood restaurant was recommended by a friend and colleague who also happens to be a bit of a foodie (having previously been a restaurateur). I was anxious to see if it would meet my expectations. And meet my expectations it did. We started the night off the best possible way, with some beer and fresh oysters on the half shell. Next we had the grilled artichokes with lemon pepper aioli. These were so good that I will definitely be trying to imitate them this summer on the grill. For our mains Brent opted for the classic Fish and Chips, and I chose the seafood grill, which was three types of fish grilled, Mahi mahi, salmon and another whitefish. All of the food was great, although the portion was a little bit large, but we did have two appetizers. The service was great, and we finished again with a dessert, I believe it was creme brulee. Interesting tid bit about this restaurant, it is the same building where Harvey Milk had his Castro Camera shop in 1978.

Sears Fine Foods
The first few days we were in San Francisco I saw this restaurant and didn't really think anything of it, probably being from Canada and associating Sears with the department store, I was picturing the restaurant inside Zellers or something. However, when reading different books in our hotel room looking for places to eat, this one kept coming up as a San Francisco Tradition. So, on our last day as we were looking for somewhere we could get breakfast at noon on a Monday, we came across the signs. Now I don't know about you, but it seems as though they really want you to know they are there.

Once inside I felt like we were transported to a diner from years gone by. We both had to try the World Famous Little Pancakes, and believe me they were awesome!

I can't wait to get back to San Francisco sometime and try out the many restaurants I missed. It was a great vacation, and such a quick flight from Vancouver. Don't forget to bring back some of the Ghirardelli chocolates for your friends!