Everyone is putting in long hours now. It's the final dash to the finish line, which is about two weeks away. All of the big equipment is in place. The kitchen and bar are about 95% complete. We still have one more large window to install. The first one is simply fantastic. The new front windows have glass from floor to almost ceiling, and they let in so much natural light. The refrigerated showcases arrived from Vega late last week and they are even nicer than I expected. Today was cabinetry installation day, and it should be done by tomorrow.

All of the staff are in place and ready to go. Alice, the big cheese herself is going to run the retail store along with Stephanie and Larissa. We've assembled a crack team for the restaurant which includes Annette, Naomi, and Ingela in the front along with myself, Brad Miller (ex West/Pastis) and Owen Lightly (ex Voya/West) in the Kitchen.

In a few more weeks, all this opening business will be a distant memory.

There is lots going on to keep us all busy lately. Hastings should be completed in less than a month. We finally received our liquor license for APC this week. Now comes the part where we tweak the wine list.

Allison leaves for Montreal in February to be a judge at the 2009 Canadian Cheese Grand Prix. She expects to taste between 100-200 cheeses over a two day period.

In March, we will be host to a very special event: The inaugural meeting of the Western Canadian chapter of the Guilde des Fromagers. Special guests will include Rolland Barthelemy who is owner of the landmark Paris fromagerie "Barthelemy", and head of the Guilde des Fromagers. More on this later...

Hastings preview at Scout Magazine

Here is a video preview of hastings over at Scout Magazine

New Slicers

The new slicers arrived just before Christmas. I hadn't had a chance to go look at them until today. All is can say is that they are pretty awesome. One will go in the store (on it's own matching stand), and one will go on the back bar in the restaurant for slicing Prosciutto San Daniele.

Our slicers are brand new reproductions of the antique Berkel slicers that ceased production in the 1950's. Many believe this slicer is the only tool that should be used to slice fine cured meats. They don't use any electricity as they are powered by turning the flywheel. Although electric slicers may be faster, many culinary aficionados claim the heat caused by the high speed blades “cooks” the meticulously produced meats.

Tomme affine au Marc de Raisin

This fermier cheese is a real attention getter when we put it out at the shop. It has a big aroma that can't be missed if you happen to get near it. It is an unpasteurized cow's milk cheese from the Savoie that has been soaked in Marc for one month in an airtight container, and then aged under a thick blanket of grape must. The heat caused by the fermentation heats the inside of the container, making the pate tighten and become viscous. The taste of the marc permeates through to the heart of the cheese.

If you can get your hands on some Marc, enjoy it with a glass of Marc de Savoie, or if that can't happen try it with a nice robust red wine.

Van Mag - most memorable meals

Allison's choice for "most memorable meals" is listed in the most recent edition of Vancouver Magazine online. A lot of good food has made it's way past our lips this year. I'm sure she had a tough time deciding.

I'm going to try and work on some better cheese pics in the future. Santa's choice to bring me a new Canon G10 is sure to help, that is if I can figure out all the stuff it does.

There was a nice mention of les amis in The Province recently.

Tastings on Hastings. New cheese and wine tastings have been scheduled at the new store at 845 East Hastings.

Hastings Update

Work is progressing on schedule at the site. The drywall has been hung, but it still needs to be taped, etc. It has given the space a real sense of definition. If everything stays on schedule, we should be open for business before the end of January. The rebuilding of the parapet on the front is near completion. At some point in history, somebody decided to remove it. I don't really know why they cut it off, but it really makes the facade look complete.

Quest metal works should be done the kitchen venting within a week. The rest of the kitchen still needs to be finished, but it shouldn't be that long. All of the kitchen equipment is here, but it's being stored off site. By January, we should be in the completed kitchen so we can start testing some recipes for Au Petit Chavignol.