Hart House California Experience Garden Party; Renowned Chef Richard Neat – One Night Only at West; Moustache Café hosts winemaker’s dinner featuring Church and State Winery; News from JoieFarm; Pink Salmon Festival – A Celebration of Health & Plenty
Hart House California Experience Garden Party
August 20, 2009 (Vancouver, BC) – On Wednesday, September 9 2009 Hart House at Deer Lake offers a “California Experience” garden party that pairs world-class Californian wines with inspired west coast cuisine. Guests can relax and enjoy live music as they dine al fresco, celebrating the bounty of our neighbours to the South.
California has achieved global recognition for the quality of its wines. The state is geologically diverse and has a range of different climates and terroirs. Winemakers are making the most of California’s natural advantages to produce premium wines of every major varietal.
The garden party begins with a casual wine tasting of some of California’s best, held in Hart House’s elegant gardens. Guests may then purchase wines from the evening’s specially-selected list to pair with the dinner that follows. The dinner menu draws from the Californian tradition of using the freshest local ingredients to create innovative cuisine that combines influences from various culinary traditions. Live music and dancing, and a fabulous view of Deer Lake will enhance the pleasures of the table.
California Experience
Wednesday, September 9th, 2009
6:00 pm
$45 per person, plus taxes and gratuity
Hart House at Deer Lake
6664 Deer Lake Avenue, Burnaby
Reservations by phone only at 604-298-4278
www.harthouserestaurant.com
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Renowned Chef Richard Neat – One Night Only
A few seats remain for our forthcoming guest chef dinner with renowned UK Chef Richard Neat next Monday, August 31st. Richard, who mentored West’s own Warren Geraghty at London’s fabled Pied à Terre and at Restaurant Neat in Cannes and London, was honoured as the first British chef to win a Michelin star in France.
A protégé of the great Joël Robuchon, Richard realized his ambition, opening his own Pied à Terre in London’s Soho in 1992, earning his first Michelin star in 1993, and his second in 1996. It was during this time that Warren, in turn, became a protégé of Richard’s, eventually moving with him to Cannes–and then London–to open Restaurant Neat.
Together again for one night only, they will present a special seven-course menu priced at $138 plus tax and gratuity. Some reservations remain available from 6:30 to 7:15 pm. Please call 604 738 8938 to reserve your table.
Let’s Do Lunch
With a guaranteed 45-minute departure (or please relax, and linger longer), weekday lunches at West have proven popular. The seasonal à la carte menu continues throughout the rest of the summer, and into the autumn harvest. Featuring healthy, flavoursome dishes such as: chilled tomato and basil soup; salad of baby gem lettuce, grilled fennel, Bleu d’Auvergne and soft poached egg; open faced shaved prosciutto and fresh fig sandwich with housemade crisps; and Queen Charlotte halibut with fine herb tagliatelle, arugula and young spinach sauce.
Recent Awards
We’re pleased to announce that, for the sixth consecutive year, West has been awarded Wine Spectator magazine’s ‘Best of’ Award of Excellence. This distinguished award was created to give special recognition to restaurants that clearly exceed the requirements of the Award of Excellence. These lists typically offer 400 or more selections, along with superior presentation, and display either vintage depth, with several vertical offerings of top wines, or excellent breadth across several wine regions.
Once again, West has also been recognized by AAA inspectors with the Four Diamond Award, a distinction appointed to less than 3 percent of the over 27,000 restaurants approved by AAA. The Four Diamond Award denotes a ‘high degree of creativity and complexity, using imaginative presentations to enhance high quality, market-fresh ingredients. The equally proficient service staff demonstrates a strong desire to meet or exceed guest expectations. The ambiance is highly refined, comfortable and well coordinated, incorporating quality materials and a variety of upscale design enhancements to give a first-class impression.’
Voices For Bulembu
We’re proud to announce our sponsorship of the Voices for Bulembu campaign, which raises funds and awareness for the transformational work taking place in Bulembu, Swaziland.
The centrepiece of this campaign is the Voices for Bulembu Benefit Concert at the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts in Vancouver on Saturday, September 26th, featuring the musical talents of Universal gold selling recording artists The Canadian Tenors with special guests. Tickets to the concert are on sale now through Ticketmaster.
For more information on Bulembu visit www.bulembu.org.
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Moustache Café Hosts Winemaker’s Dinner Featuring Church and State Winery
August 26, 2009 (Vancouver, BC) – North Vancouver’s Moustache Café will host a winemaker’s dinner featuring one of BC’s top wineries. On Thursday, September 17 2009, guests at the Café will enjoy premium wines from Church and State Winery paired with a four-course dinner.
Chef and Owner Geoff Lundholm has a passion for fine wine, and a particular interest in the art of pairing wine with food. Geoff will design a menu that will show the VQA wines of Church and State at their very best.
The winery is a leader in BC, having received more than 80 awards at international wine competitions in the U.S., Canada, and Europe. Their success is doubtless due in part to Master Winemaker Bill Dyer, who was a driving force in California’s Napa Valley wineries for nearly 30 years and now consults for Church and State. Winery Proprietor, Mr. Kim Pullen, will lead guests through the four-course dinner.
The seating for this event is limited, so reserve your tickets soon!
Church and State Winemaker’s Dinner
Thursday, September 17th 2009
6:30 pm Reception
7:00 pm Dinner
$79 exclusive of taxes and gratuity
Moustache Café Restaurant & Lounge
129 West 2nd Street, North Vancouver
www.moustachecafe.ca
The Moustache Café is located half a block west of Lonsdale on 2nd, in the heart of North Vancouver’s Lolo (Lower Lonsdale) district.
The Café has a weekly special offering 25% off all bottles of wine on Tuesday nights. The kitchen is open late, and the special also applies in the Café’s lounge, where the wines may be paired with an exceptional tapas menu.
For more information, or to make a reservation, please call (604) 987-8461.
www.moustachecafe.ca
www.churchandstatewines.com
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News from JoieFarm
JoieFarm Awarded Two Lieutenant Governor General’s Awards of Excellence
JoieFarm is proud to announce that we are the proud recipients of not one, but two 2009 Lieutenant Governor’s Awards of Excellence in British Columbia Wines for our 2007 Reserve Chardonnay and our 2008 Riesling. 
The Lieutenant Governor’s Awards of Excellence in British Columbia Wines is BC’s most prestigious and competitive wine competition as wineries are only allowed to submit their 4 best wines and they are judged in an open category, regardless of varietals, with a maximum of 12 wines in total being awarded in a given year.
The award winning 2007 Reserve Chardonnay and the first private release of our red Pinot Noir/Gamay blend, 2007 PTG, will happen shortly in early September and we will notify you at that time.
Robert Thielicke Joins JoieFarm
We are very pleased to welcome Robert Thielicke to JoieFarm. Robert will be joining Heidi in the winery as Associate Winemaker. Robert brings 10 years of viticultural and winemaking experience with him to JoieFarm. Robert comes to us from Mount Boucherie Winery where he spent six years, the past vintage as head winemaker.
Awards and Reviews
We are pleased at the response to our wines in terms of critical approval and competitive awards in 2009. Beyond the BC Lieutenant Governor’s Awards of Excellence, we have seen Gold Medals from the Los Angeles International Wine Competition, The All-Canadian Wine Championships and the Northwest Wine Summit. A full list of our 2009 awards to date can be found at the following link: http://www.joiefarm.com/awards.htm.
A complete list of our critical reviews can be found at Wine Reviews.
JoieFarm joins Lifford Agency in Ontario
Lifford Agency represents some of the world’s finest wines and are Ontario’s top premium importer. We are proud to be part of the Lifford Portfolio sharing representation of some of our admired peers & friends such as Benziger of Sonoma, California, Cameron Winery of Dundee, Oregon and our neighbours, Laughing Stock Winery, here on the Naramata Bench. Please visit www.liffordwineagency.com.
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Pink Salmon Festival – A Celebration of Health & Plenty
August 30th, 11am – 5pm Hadden/ Vanier Park, Vancouver BC.
(Vancouver) Each summer in BC, millions of salmon return to their home rivers to spawn and rejuvenate our west coast ecosystem. On August 30th, the Pacific Salmon Foundation is hosting a celebration of the return of one of the greatest, yet under-appreciated, resources in the province – Pink Salmon. While sockeye populations on the Fraser River have not returned in the expected numbers, all indications point to a run of up to 15 million pink salmon coming home to the Fraser over the coming weeks.
The PSF Pink Salmon Festival is a celebration of all that Pink Salmon represent and offer. Pink Salmon are the base for BC’s coastal ecological systems, they are sustainably harvested, and their delicious and delicate texture and are prized by culinary experts the world over.
Foodies take note: this free event features Robert Clark, the visionary and celebrated executive chef of C restaurant as well as the chefs from Raincity Grill and Nu preparing specialty pink salmon creations for the public to enjoy. In addition, barbecue evangelist Rockin’ Ronnie Shewchuk will be preparing a West-Coast classic: cedar-planked pink salmon with his signature whisky-maple glaze. This all-star culinary team will be preparing close to 3,000 pounds of beautiful, succulent pink salmon in free, sample-sized portions for what is sure to be an appreciative crowd.
Pink Salmon will also be celebrated with live music by Highrise Lonesome, fish painting by the Stream of Dreams Society, magicians, entertainers and a 60 foot salmon story telling tent! Attendees can try their hand at fly fishing and fly tying as well as enjoying a salmon art show and a fundraising silent auction and raffle. Displays from community partners such as the Vancouver Aquarium’s OceanWise program in addition to the PSF education areas featuring ocean creature touch tanks will inform people of the important role Pink Salmon play in BC every year.
Pink Salmon are a wonderful example of the health and plenty of British Columbia.
Please join us in celebrating their return home this year.
For more information:
PSF Pink Salmon Festival
