“Life is a paradox” – Nancy Cartwright

A paradox is something that reveals a seemingly opposing nature and Sweeney’s has an item in their menu that is a paradox of sorts – a vegetarian “meatball.” This fitting finale on the meatball quest will definitely give vegans and health-conscious food junkies alike something to look forward to when they grab a bite to eat at this “slow-fast food” place along Hamilton Street in Yaletown.

You can download the this week’s edition in PDF format HERE (or grab the full newspaper HERE,) or just keep reading (the unrated version) below.

Episode 6 – Surprise Taste on the Finale of Meatball Quest

Image cutline: When it comes to good karma, Raj and Fury believe the balls at Sweeney’s of Yaletown have it nailed.

Can’t really put our finger on it…

There’s something amiss about a humble sandwich shop that opens in the city’s swankiest culinary district. Right next door, Blue Water Cafe features champagnes such as Salon’s Blanc des Blancs at $1000 a pop.

Raj: If you check under the hood, Sweeney’s of Yaletown is by no means average.

Fury: What confounds me is that their menu is Ocean Wise, local, and organic.  Even their containers are bio-degradable but there are no signs boasting of it.  No stickers, no symbols, no hint of it on the menu.

Raj: I’d have to say that they’re believers in good karma.  They make good, honest food, use quality ingredients, and hope the universe is benevolent enough to send some customers their way.

Fury: Perhaps it’s the universe that has guided us here for the final chapter in our quest.  The thought of conquering their meatball sub has held me captive ever since I found out about it on twitter.

Raj: It’s a good start that they serve these meatballs on a torpedo bun.  To enhance the flavour, they add a bit of homemade tomato sauce and Provelone cheese, just like what they use in Philadelphia.

Fury: The meatballs were soft, kinda gummy, and I definitely tasted mushroom and thyme.  Even under the tangy sauce, I still sensed a little je ne sais quoi.

Raj: I couldn’t put my finger on it either –

Editor: You guys know that those were vegetarian meatballs, right?

Raj: There you have it, good karma!  No animals were harmed in the creation of these meatballs and they were pretty darn good.

Fury:  Considering all the meat we’ve consumed on our six-part meatball quest, I’m just thankful that we found a meat-free alternative that doesn’t suck.

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Raj Taneja is part technologist, entrepreneur, social media juggernaut and foodie. He runs urbanmixer.com and publishes a miscellany of musings at raj.jp and on twitter @tinhead. Melody Fury is the founder of Vancouver Food Tour.  Follow this YVR lifestyle ambassador on twitter @GourmetFury.

“Nothing spoils lunch any quicker than a rogue meatball rampaging through your spaghetti” – Jim Davis

Glowbal’s meatballs are neither rogue nor served with spaghetti, they’re served in style.

Various cultures all throughout the world have their own versions of the meatball, either as a part of a dish or simply served as a dish itself. The unassuming meatball is made up of ground meat and other ingredients such as breadcrumbs, minced onions, and spices, which would then be rolled up into a ball before being fried, steamed, baked, or braised with a bit of sauce. The Austrian call it the fleischaibchen, the Belgians have their ballekes, to the Greeks it is known as the keftedes, and its called the polpette to the Italians. Whichever way you call it, it’s still a meatball – plain and simple . . . well, probably not so plain and simple in the case of the Glowbal Restaurant Group, which has transformed a simple everyday meal into a dish worthy of praise.

You can download the this week’s PDF format HERE (or grab the full newspaper HERE,) or just keep reading (the unrated version) below.

Episode 1 – Three meatballs … and a secret one too

Image cutline: Traittoria serves up the ever elusive lamb-based secret meatball only to those in the know. You didn’t hear about it from us, ok?

The slow start to the sunny season has me turned upside down and I’m craving comfort food.  A plateful of meatballs, slathered in a tangy tomato sauce seems fitting for the occasion.  This craving brings on a new quest – to investigate Vancouver’s meatball scene. No, I’m not talking about the municipal government and the new bike lanes, in this case the term meatball actually refers to the food we’ll be eating on this quest and not some politicians. With this notable task at hand, it only made sense to bring on Melody Fury, my co-conspirator to give me insight on the finer points of said meatballs.

R: Glowbal Restaurant in Yaletown is known as a destination for meatballs in Vancouver.  They have five sister restaurants, four of which offer their own variety of meatball; we had no option but to make this the starting point.

M:  We were straight ballin’ out of control.  Raj and I chased five types of meatballs each with double the glasses of champagne in one afternoon.

R: No matter which Glowbal Restaurant we went to, balls were everywhere.

M:  What was once just rustic fare made with meat scraps and day-old bread, the Glowbal Restaurant Group has revamped the meatball into their lux, signature dish.

I was initially skeptical of whether Wagyu beef was overkill for the humble meatball.  After trying their over-the-top rendition (which they automatically serve to every rockstar, VIP and supermodel that rolls through) I instinctively paired the balls with an extravagant sparkling wine.

R: If there’s any place to start a meatball quest, it’s gotta be Glowbal with Italian Kitchen, Society, and Trattoria in tow.

While only selected properties serve meatballs at this time of year, serious ball-lovers should seek out the secret spicy lamb meatball at one of their sister restaurants.

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Raj Taneja is part technologist, entrepreneur, social media juggernaut and foodie. He runs urbanmixer.com and publishes a miscellany of musings at raj.jp and on twitter @tinhead. Melody Fury is the founder of Vancouver Food Tour and a freelance food writer by day, cocktail ninja by night.  Follow this YVR lifestyle ambassador on twitter @GourmetFury .

After years of research, a steak that I can call my own is finally a reality. It’s no secret that I photograph my steak and describe the sights, the sounds, the smells and the subsequent mastication in a manner that would make the editor of Penthouse Letters blush. In the past, I’ve embarked on various journeys, enjoying a threesome (two 16oz steaks and I) at Italian Kitchen (see ‘Steak vs. Steak‘), moderating the ‘WE Love STEAK‘ flickr group for the voyeuristic folks out there, and even proclaiming Shore Club and Pinkys Steakhouse as having the the best ribeyes I’ve ever set my eyes on in Vancouver.

Recently, I met with the new owners of Capones in Yaletown – Rick Momsen the experienced restaurateur who most recently departed from Flite and Jeff Wiegel who I’ve known for some time and have shared many a steak with. Both expressed interest in expanding their menu and wanted to do ‘ole daddy Raj proud by naming a steak after me – after all, who knows steak better? So given their interest, I treated them to my very fave in the city and said, “match this, if you dare…”

… and they really delivered. For the main event, I brought along two accomplices, Mr. Z and Mr. M, who both previously expressed to me, a deep, dark desire to sample in earthly, exotic delights.

Well, then let them indulge their pleasure and their own standard of values let them make love and drink; let them pass  their old age as they have spent their youth, in banquets, in a state of unconditional surrender to their bellies and the most unseemly part of their bodies… – Sallust – The Jugurthine War

What was delivered was astonishing – a petite 20oz ribeye with a beautiful complexion, cooked medium rare, moist and pink through and through, and garnished with garlic, rosemary and lots of love. What happened after laying eyes on such a beautiful steak is a bit of a mystery – perhaps we’ll never tell, but safe to say, the three of us left the room without saying a single word but nonetheless, very satisfied.

Capones in Yaletown
1141 Hamilton Street (MAP)
Vancouver, BC V6B 5P6

TEL: 604-684-7900

WEB: www.caponesrestaurant.net

HOURS: Brunch: 10:00m – 3:00pm – Saturdays & Sundays, Dinner: 5:00pm – late – Monday – Sunday

On the note of good steak talk, check out Kate Zimmerman’s ‘The Old Man and the Beef,’ HERE.