Tag Archives: Chicken Wings

Love & Hate – Pickleback

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Over the next week, I’ll take a look at items to love and hate over the course of a meal: starter, main, dessert. Today, we look at appetizers, which offer a great snack, shared plate or meal. Here are some appies the Sip Advisor loves:

Chicken Fingers/Wings

Since my earliest days, Chicken Strips have played a large role in my dietary life and that continues to this day. With them being one of the few things Boy Sip will eat, they are often served in our home and also while out and about. I also like Chicken Wings, but prefer them boneless where possible. The fun thing about wings is all the crazy flavours you can use to change up the experience.

Sliders

Whether beef, chicken or pork, everything is more fun when in miniature form, and that includes sandwiches and burgers. Sliders basically takes countless restaurant favourites and shrinks them down to the point that you can have a few of them, rather than one bigger serving. This makes it easy to share amongst your group, while also getting to try multiple items.

Chicken Wings

Poutine/Dirty Fries

Crispy fries, covered with any number of toppings, can be incredibly satisfying. One of my favourite tavern meals is a Teriyaki Pulled Pork Poutine, found at the Billy Miner Pub in Maple Ridge. Honestly, it’s the only reason to travel to that locale. Ma Sip and I recently collaborated on the idea of doing a poutine bar (a more dangerous version of a salad bar), where a few different proteins were offered, along with a number of other fixings.

Pretzels

The Sipplings love soft pretzels and they provide a good way of tiding them over while Mrs. Sip and I enjoy a beer at craft breweries. I’d say my favourite pretzel is the giant one sold at Disneyland California Adventure, which is big enough to feed myself and the kids, while I sip a beer and Mrs. Sip rides the Guardians of the Galaxy drop tower.

Gyoza

I’ve recently gotten really into gyoza/dumplings, ordering them at restaurants where they’re offered and even buying them for making at home. The key to these is the sauces you can put on them or have on the side for dipping. It’s been a long time since I visited a Dim Sum restaurant, despite having many nearby. I think I’d enjoy the experience even more now, given my newly-found love of dumplings.

Pretzel

While the appetizer/starter section of any menu can contain many gems, not all that is offered here is worth selecting. Here are some hors d’oeuvres the Sip Advisor hates:

Dips with Chips

There is nothing more uninspired on a restaurant’s menu than chips and dip. I don’t care what the dip is – spinach, artichoke, salsa, cheese, etc. – this is something I can easily make at home with little effort. And the cost for some of these combos is insane. You could get a large container of the dip and full bag of chips for the same price you’ll pay for a handful of chips and small bowl of dip at a restaurant.

Lettuce Wraps

Let me get this straight. I’m supposed to take a leaf of lettuce, spread something onto it, roll the lettuce up and… eat it!? Why is lettuce involved at all? Just eat the damn thing that is supposed to go on the lettuce. Better yet, put it on a bun where it probably belongs. Apparently, ‘lettuce sandwich’ has become a metaphor for something that is mundane and unappealing. That makes so much sense!

Chips & Dip

Bread/Buns

Speaking of buns… sure, I’ll fill up on something that hampers my ability to complete my meal. There was a time when the Sip Advisor was younger – and dumber – and I would indulge in “free” bread/buns. Today, I rarely touch the stuff, leaving all available stomach room for the real food that’s about to be served and not the stuff meant to keep you occupied while you wait.

Oysters

I know some folks go crazy for oysters, buying dozens at a time at exorbitant cost, but I’ve never understood the appeal of choking down these mollusks. Not to mention, the dreaded experience of getting any shell in your meal. I suppose they’re popular because of the legend that they can be an aphrodisiac, but I don’t need any help in that department. Mrs. Sip needs to find me some anti-aphrodisiacs!

Oysters

Charcuterie Plates

Mrs. Sip and her gaggle of wine-swilling friends are obsessed with charcuterie platters. I, on the other hand, believe them to be the tool of the devil. You get a few crackers, some cheese offerings, maybe some pickles or pickled onions and a couple dips. How is that so impressive places will charge more than you’d pay for a main course dinner elsewhere?

Jalapeno Poppers

I hate cream cheese (unless it’s part of a dessert), so that’s an easy strike against these starters. I also believe jalapenos should be a garnish and not a feature of any dish. I do like that these weapons of destruction are sometimes referred to as Armadillo Eggs, but that’s not enough for the Sip Advisor to eat them. There are just so many better things to deep fry and serve up.

Love & Hate: Pickleback

Pickleback

  • 1.5 oz Irish Whiskey
  • 1.5 oz Pickle Juice
  • Garnish with a Pickle Slice

Given we’re starting our meal with smaller portions, I thought a shot recipe would be perfect. I went with the Pickleback, given another appy I like on occasion is Deep Fried Pickles. Now that the first course has been completed, next up it’s time to salivate over the all the entrees on the menu.

Sip Trips #151: Winter Resting

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It’s been a while since the Sip Advisor provided an update on our adventures and that’s because there hasn’t been a whole lot of them. With the change in seasons and still settling into our new place, we’ve found ourselves sticking closer to home more often than not. Here’s what we’ve been up to lately:

On a recent date night for Mrs. Sip and I, we visited an old favourite in Patron Tacos & Cantina in Downtown Vancouver. There, we ordered our usual Queso Fundido and platter of Tacos, combining the two dishes for one incredible meal. I also downed a pair of Patron Lagers, which were on special for $5.50. The restaurant has always had good food and friendly staff, but on this visit, both of those factors seemed to have been improved even more so.

With a move to staying indoors a little more often, I’ve put together a wish list of winter beers to enjoy this season, working my way through a few of them. This has included: Stanley Park Layer Up Winter Wheat Ale, Whistler Black Tusk Chocolate Milk Ale, Dead Frog Red Rum Spiced Red Ale and Granville Island Tropical Stout. Still to be sampled from my “to do” list is the Old Yale Himalayan Salted Caramel Porter and Vancouver Island Misthorn Winter IPA. They will be mine… oh yes, they will be mine!

Frozen Beer.jpg

Last night, we finally emerged from our event hibernation to attend Craft Beer Market’s Cheers to 5 Years Anniversary Party. We have been frequent guests of the restaurant over our years living in Vancouver, celebrating birthdays and New Year’s Eves, so it was only fitting to join the festivities. Tickets were only $5 (plus tax), with proceeds going to the St. Vincent de Paul charity drive, which provides holiday hampers to 10 families in Vancouver. With entry, you received one ticket for a full-sized beer and access to unlimited beer and wine samples from those in attendance. Beer vendors in included: Moody Ales, Stanley Park, Steel & Oak, Granville Island, Strathcona, Steamworks, Longwood, Torchlight, Spectrum, Collective Arts, and Phantom. There were also appies floating around, but it wasn’t always easy to get your hands on them. With Baby Sip in tow, we took a seat in the restaurant area and ordered Chicken Wings and the Gaucho Chicken Flatbread for eats. The night ended with a tasty birthday cake and scrumptious ice cream sandwiches for dessert. Another fantastic event from the folks at Craft. I can’t wait for the next one!

While we haven’t been at our usual level of busy lately, the Christmas season is upon us and that means the schedule is filling quickly with lots of fun events. Tune in next week for another installment of Sip Trips!

Sip Trips #116: Ode to a Bar

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Everybody experiences tragedies and one recently hit the Sip Advisor headquarters. Our crack team learned our favourite watering hole, Jimmy’s Taphouse, would be shutting their doors for good, with very little fanfare.

First, a little history: The Sip Advisor started going to Jimmy’s shortly after moving to Downtown Vancouver in 2010. One night, a buddy and I were on the prowl for cheap beer and stumbled upon the bar, sitting down to a couple pitchers of their very reasonably priced Jimmy’s Lager. Best of all, the place was located just a block away from my and Mrs. Sip’s apartment. From there, the legend quickly grew and I introduced many family and friends to the pub.

Husband-Signs

In the years that followed, we celebrated birthdays there, my bachelor party, St. Patrick’s Day, joined them for customer appreciation nights, and it was a prime venue for pre- or post-event indulgences. Perhaps most importantly, it was the first drinking establishment we took Baby Sip to when she was only two weeks old. I had hoped one day we could return with her as an adult and enjoy a beverage together. Alas, that dream is gone.

Why did we like the place so much? Well, their happy hour was one of the best in the city, with a thorough half price food menu and very good drink deals, such as $4 beer sleeves and house wine. Their poutine – with a unique chipotle drizzle – was so decadent and addictive, I would dream about the dish. Their chicken wings were also quite good, with a nice chunk of meat on each piece, something that is hard to find, in my opinion. And their patio area was a must-hit spot, situated across from the Roman Colosseum-inspired Vancouver Library.

I had only recently returned to the pub, after some time apart to pursue other relationships, but had visited a half dozen times over the last two months. It’s as if a part of me knew I’d be saying goodbye soon and it was time to make amends.

Working Goodbye

So, what grand plans do they have for the space? They will be expanding their adjacent private liquor store. It’s a decision that still befuddles this writer. Goodbye gorgeous patio, amazing happy hour and all the fantastic times you could have still hosted. Then again, I don’t write the cheques that keep the place operating.

Of course, there will be other bars that nestle their way into my heart. But nothing is ever the same as your first love.

Rest in peace, my old friend… you will be missed.