Mazel Tov on the Matzah

If you’re feeling a little fress and are searching for a place to fill the void, head out to Solly’s. I can’t say that I have ever thought, “Hey let’s go there for a breakfast show.” It’s more like, “Do you want to go for a soup and sandwich and pick up a babka and a half a dozen bagels for tea later?”

Solly’s offers a scrumptious soup and sandwich offer, and for a little bit more they add a beautifully tart kosher pickle. Solly’s also offers a comforting bowl of matzah ball soup that sooths even the most restless of tummies. For dessert there are a variety of sweet baked goods. I prefer the mini babkas and the cinnamon buns. As for the coffee, they use Seattle’s best. It is all set up as a self serve utility station. You have to pay for refills but if you are there more for the baked goods and need to have that second cup, I guess you’ll just have to ante up. The shop seats about a dozen people inside and about as many outside, but the place always seems to have a line of some kind - people running in to pick up their favourite goodies, and then running back out before they are busted for their illegal parking job in the neighbourhood. One other note of interest is the shop’s support of youth art. Children are able to display a small number of pieces in the shop and people can comment on the work. The kids can even have a little art opening where they can invite family and friends to their art opening.

Out of 5 Matzah Balls floating in chicken broth
Grub: 5 - Yum! The food is delicious. You only need to be there early enough so your favourite treats do not run out.

Scene: 3 – Everyone in the ‘hood knows Solly’s. It’s an establishment. It has its stream of regulars. The people watching is fine, but you do have to wait a little while to get a decent seat.

Coffee: 2 – Seattle’s Best is okay coffee, but let’s face it. It’s utilitarian. It’s self serve. And you have to pay for refills. Not high on my list for going for a coffee. Lunch, yes. Coffee, not so much.

La Petite Patisserie Francaise Avec Saveur

This little Café along the Arbutus corridor has that little flavour of a French Patisserie where the bakers are French and the flakey pastry melts on your tongue like warm buttery snowflakes. We ordered a couple of coffees and pain au chocolats and sat down to take in the people watching We witnessed several people wander in, who were obviously French, ordering away their daily baked breads and sweets, bien sur en francais. The coffee was a deep dark roast with the right amount of water, but what made this coffee special was the cream. When asked if I wanted cream the lady behind the counter reached into a refrigerator and poured out a dollop of cream into a small creamer. As I poured the cream into my coffee, the cream was slow and smooth and swirled in my coffee like a white mist creeping through a midnight sky. I dipped my finger into the creamer and a tasted a buttery goodness that made me wonder why anyone would have ever imagined of making margarine. The coffee was good, but the cream made it better.

Out of 5 Dollops of Cream

Scene: 3 – It is a location that is made for the locals which does make it a little bit more difficult to visit if you are driving to it. The décor is plain and the seating is not that conducive to lounging for very long, and the people watching is sporadic and brief, but the French language does give a slight feeling of pretending you are in a foreign country.
Grub: 4 – Everything looked tasty and tasted even better. Everything is a little bit pricey for a bakery but I suppose that is the price of having everything made by a Boulanger Francais.

Coffee: 4 – It was the cream that made it. Need I say more.

Great View. Shame About the Coffee

They say that every cloud has a silver lining and the windstorms of 2006 that eliminated a large portion of the trees around prospect point made way for a 270 degree view over looking Burrard Inlet. Absolutely beautiful. The point that you used to have to wheedle your way through the crowds in order to take in the view has just been expanded into a glorious place to sit and enjoy a coffee. It’s just too bad that the real devastation that has taken place is the fact that you can’t get a decent cup of coffee up there. The coffee that we found came from the bar associated to the Prospect Point Café restaurant in the little tourist complex. The coffee came from one of those machines one might find at a self serve gas station. The coffees are tailored for someone who doesn’t know what coffee is and wants to drink something that is bland enough not to offend, but can say that they had “a coffee”. The restaurant inside seemed to have a pleasant décor with smatterings of wrought iron, vintage stain glass windows a whole whack of wood surrounded with eye candy views. The food was a bit pricey but listed something that could satisfy almost any tourists. It’s just a shame about the coffee.
Out of 5 blown down trees

Grub: 2 – The baked goods sold at the counter were pretty borderline. They had your packaged chips and cookies and the actual “baked goods” were probably a couple of days old from a wanna-be Bread Garden.
Scene: 5 – Great for people watching and when you get tired of that you can take a look at the view from a top of the cliff point. If you get tired o that you can walk away and make your way down to the Seawall. Just be prepared to walk, and either pay for parking or park outside of Stanley Park.
Coffee: 1 – Do your self a favour and don’t drink the coffee. It’s an experience you can’t give back. There might actually be another place up there that is a little independent. Just make sure you stay away from the auto coffee machines.

Polly Wants A Coffee

The Blue Parrot on Granville Island offers a wide selection of sandwich bar items to have with your coffee. It probably has some of the best spaces to sit and enjoy the views on Granville Island, however, there are very few spaces ever available. If you are lucky enough to find seating and have the time to wait for your order, then you can sit down to some mediocre sandwiches (taking into consideration the fact that you are on Granville Island and have the choice of many different foods) and some coffees that you were misled to believe that you custom ordered. Despite the coffee, food and service, there is no denying that they have some prime real estate in that little locale. You almost forget about what you are putting in your mouth and become fixed on the people watching.

Out of 5 Parrot Feathers

Scene: 4 – How can one argue that when you have kick ass seating on a beautiful day on GI, with people streaming around you that you are in a bad place. The seating is old school wood chairs, some of which are those 70’s captain chairs that so many of us had growing up. The only problem is that because there are so many people who are looking for seating, one cannot help but feel that you cannot linger for long. The people are hit and miss. Mostly tourists, but it just means that the scenery is always changing.

Grub: 3 – The food is actually pretty good, but it does pale in comparison to everything in the market that you almost have to pass in order to get to the Blue Parrot. The fare is nothing out of the ordinary but there really isn’t anything that you can turn your nose from.

Coffee: 3 – Not quite utilitarian, because it does offer espresso. The people behind the counter probably have the best of intentions when they make your coffee, but they slump miserably in the delivery. Everything seems to be served in a pint sized mugs with either too much water, too much milk or both – despite your requests. However, although I have not tried it myself, I have been told by several people to try their hot chocolate. Some advice I think I will take up the next time I’m in the Blue Parrot’s cage.

The McDeal on the McCoffee

When I kept hearing strange murmurs about McDonald's having great coffee, I had to try it myself. It seems as though Mickey D's has taken a page out of Timmy Ho's by asking what you want in your coffee before you receive it so they can given you a false sense of having a custom made coffee. I took cream with no sugar and waited for my little morning liquid supplement to arrive. When I first tried it, the thought of McDonald's "Too Hot Coffee Scandal" ran through my mind. "Will I burn my tongue immediately and be unable to taste the coffee or will I hate it right off the bat?" I have to say my pessimistic views tainted my perspective before The coffee hit my lips. I peeled back the lid and took my first few slurps.

At first I thought the coffee was too hot and too bitter, but as I started slurping down a little bit more my opinions started to change. Perhaps it was some caffeine kicking in, or maybe the cream was finally mixing in with some of the coffee, or I secretly really wanted to like the coffee. Whatever it was I found myself enjoying the little cup of joe. The taste mellowed out and the little cup of coffee that could did it for me.

I actually picked the coffee up in a Bacon and Egg McMuffin with a hash brown for about 5 bucks. The McDonald's on Main near terminal is sketchy at best but serves your McFare the way you McExpect it.

Out of 5 McStars

Scene: 1 - Stay out of there if you can. There is a swanky McDonald's higher up Main around 30th, but the McD's on Main and Terminal is a semi convenient locale for commuters and a great place to go if you have collected enough cans and bottles to buy a McMeal.

Grub: 2 - Okay. It is a bit of a guilty pleasure but I know the food is not good for me which is why I can only rank it as a 2 at its McBest.

Coffee: 2 - Utilitarian. But, as far as brewed utilitarian coffee went, this wasn't bad. In fact it was better than the utilitarian swill I have at work which makes it a really high two. However, let's face it, a 3 means it has to be as good as a mediocre Americano. So until the McAmericano comes along this McRating stays.

True Confessions of True Confections

Cake and Pie. What more is there? Why would there have to be? True Confections offers a smorgasbord of mile high cakes and deep dish pies. There are the odd assortment of other desserts but I don't really know why they bother. I have to say that I am a pie person. A Chocolate Banana Cream pie to be precise. The layered creamy goodness over a layer of bananas topped with chocolate shavings. Yumness on a plate. The cakes and pies can eat like a meal so if you decide that your are going to visit the join on Broadway and Alma or their downtown location, make sure you eat light dinner. Something to note with the Alma locale is to bring a sweater in the event that you sit near the windows as it can be quite cool in there. It's pretty hit and miss with how busy it is in there. It can be filled with anyone from university students to a little family outing. The place is plainly set up with the display case as the main focus of decoration.

Out of 5 Layers of Cake

Scene: 2 - I have to say that I never really go there for the atmosphere or to even people watch. It's great for the catch up time with a friend, or just to eat a slab of pie.

Grub: 5 - When it comes to this kind of food, there are few dessert places that offer this kind of quality and variety. It has found its niche.

Coffee: 3 It serves up all the regular coffee types, but don't really make it to order. Their coffee is too watery, the milk seems scalded and they charge for refills. In other words stick to serving the cakes and pies. They do however, serve a nice variety of teas, and they can't go wrong with boiling water.

Salt and Pepper Needs More Spice

From the outside it looks like a part of the Best Western Hotel Restaurant, and for the most part, it is. The inside has that “family restaurant” feel but with less style. It is pretty sterile inside and the front deck faces Kingsway. I thought that I might be able to sit there a while, pick up a wireless signal and do a bit of work. However, not only is the décor not something to look at, but the furniture physically doesn’t allow you to sit there for long. I sat on the bench near the front door and I have sat in church pews that were more inviting.

The food was actually pretty good. It was your $6.50 breakfast with 2 eggs, bacon (3 strips) or ham, pancakes or toast and hash browns with a cup of coffee. The coffee was utilitarian, but the bacon crispy and the eggs made to order. The service was also commendable. The lone waitress appeared to run a tight ship. The food arrived promptly, the coffee refilled quickly and the service unobtrusive. If you are in a hurry and want to stop in for a quick breakfast to get you going this is definitely the spot. It is definitely better than a drive though, but not quite a sit down and stay a while.

Out of 5 Dashes of Salt

Scene: 1 – Some locals- and I don’t mean Main street hipsters – perhaps a hotel guest maybe two and aside from that dead zone. Next door there is a little pub type of area but I can’t imagine it being much of a place to hang out. I overheard a couple of people trying to figure out why the place doesn’t draw in a lunch or dinner crowd in spite of the menu options. Anybody could look around and see that this place some character, and I don’t mean the kind you will find in Best Western chains across North America.
Grub: 3 – Pretty good breakfast stuff for a fair price - shame about the locale. The portions are modest but what they lack in quantities, they make up in service.
Coffee: 2 – Utilitarian. I have to say it is actually closer to a one because it was a little bit watered down.