~ Thanks to Ian Angus from the UD Forum for sharing this very thought-provoking and disturbing video of catfish farming on the Mekong River in Vietnam.

Date: Friday, July 30th
Time: 6 pm – 10 pm
Suggested attire: Business Casual*

Tickets: Limited to just 100 lucky guests

The Price: $125 per person purchase tickets

Location: A 1912 “A” class heritage building in downtown Vancouver

The Chefs: we’ll never tell. The Wines: some of the best…The Menu: it’s a mystery…

The Beneficiary: Young chefs, farmers, fishers, gardeners, foragers & artisan food producers

About the mystery kitchen tour
The last Mystery Kitchen Tour was located at The Pacific Culinary Institute. The theme; some of Vancouver’s culinary icons preparing, just for you, world class food and serving world class wines as you grazed through different kitchens about the school. The beneficiary: The Chef’s Tables Society and the 2010 National Chefs Congress.

Back on June 27th friends told friends and speculation turned to delight when 100 lucky guests were treated to a menu prepared by the following iconic chefs: Angus An, Maenam; James Walt, Araxi; Julian Bond, Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts; Ned Bell, Cabana Bar and Grille; Neil Taylor, Cibo; Neil Wyles, Hamilton Street Grill; Robert Belcham, Refuel, Campagnolo; Scott Jaeger, The Pear Tree;  Watch a video of the evening here Mystery Chefs Dinner

Friday, July 30th – This time we are located in the beautiful Vancouver Club, one of Vancouver’s oldest, and a Class “A” Heritage building, and as is fitting for the slightly more formal setting, this dinner is a sit down affair. Seven courses**, paired with wine, prepared and served by seven world class chefs.

Which culinary icons will be preparing the cuisine at the July 30th dinner? Be one of the lucky 100 guests to find out…..

The Beneficiary
The 2010 Canadian Chef’s Congress, themed as Oceans for Tomorrow, is slated for September 11 & 12, 2010, when chefs, cooks, apprentices and culinary students from across Canada will converge on Providence Farm in the heart of the beautiful Cowichan Valley for two days of conversation and deliberation on the state of our water ways, our effect on marine life and what constructive steps can be taken to improve the health of our oceans. Attendees will have the opportunity to sample Canadian inspired dishes from leading provincial and territorial chefs from across the country. As host, BC chefs will present the very best that our province has to offer. The weekend will be a series of unique tastes and experiences as you munch and mingle with fellow chefs, sipping BC wines, ales, beers, ciders, and mead. For full schedule details visit: www.canadianchefscongress.com/british-columbia.

The Canadian Chefs’ Congress connects chefs to our land in solidarity with farmers, fishers, gardeners, foragers and all artisanal food producers. The Canadian Chefs’ Congress is a biennial gathering of chefs from across Canada that reinforces the passion and integrity of Canadian Food Culture. www.canadianchefscongress.com

*The Vancouver Club is a private club and has a dress code that excludes jeans, sport clothing and casual footwear such as flip flops and running shoes.

**The menu will be a set menu and as such substitutions at time of service will not be possible.  We ask that your palate is open to anything as befits the night, however if you have a severe food allergy it is incumbent upon you to let us know in advance so those substitutions can be allowed for.

(Image by: Fir0002/Flagstaffotos)

Water has long been recognized in traditional medicine as the source of life, and without it we would scarcely survive for more than a few days.  Every system of traditional medicine paid great respect to water, for its importance and restorative effects, as well as its different attributes depending on its source and further processing.  Ever since the dawn of human civilization, the protection and maintenance of a clean, uncontaminated water source has always been the first priority. In India we can see evidence of this in archeological remains of Harrapa and Moenjodharo, which had a water distribution and sewage network as early as 5000 years ago. Where cuture is advanced and evolved, water quality is considered a human right – and where industry and profit supercede this concern the society begins to self-destruct.  Ensuring clean drinking water is the highest expression of human culture.

In the natural world water comes in many forms, and among these types many traditional cultures considered freshly collected rainwater highly valued for health. According to the ancient Indian system of healing called Ayurveda, rainwater is said to be rejuvenating (rasayana), strength-promoting (balya), life-giving (jivaniya), contentment-inducing (sukha), intellect-enhancing (medhya), and balances the metabolism (tridoshaghna). If you have never tasted freshly collected rainwater it is quite remarkable indeed. The fresh rainwater collected during a thunderstorm in particular has an effervescent and fertile quality: slightly earthy but more ethereal and dynamic. In the modern times however, rain often contains the residue of airborne industrial pollutants and may not be safe. Since weather patterns vary greatly and industrial pollutants are dispersed across the entire surface of the earth, just because one may live in a pristine environment does not mean that the rainwater is not contaminated.

According to Ayurveda the water from fast-flowing glacial rivers is considered to be the best substitute for rainwater. It is said to be rejuvenating (rasayana) and balances the metabolism.  Considering that the water from melting glaciers is of ancient origin it is without a doubt the most pure, and therefore safest of all types of water. Melting from pristine glaciers the water crashes down steep slopes as a storm of negative ions, filled with the silt of the eroded rock bed. As I recounted in my introduction to this blog, glacial water is a dynamically alive and highly nutritive substance, and I have personally experienced the unique healing properties of glacial water. I have also observed that many of the longest-lived peoples reside high in the mountains next to glaciers: in the Alps, Caucasus, Himalayas and Tian Shian ranges.

Next on the list of water quality are artesian wells that tap equally ancient sources of groundwater. Stored in aquifers of rock such as limestone, well water is an often rich source of soluble minerals, and like glacial water, its regular consumption is similarly associated with enhanced longevity. Underground springs that come from deep aquifers have the same benefits as artesian wells, considered in Ayurveda to alleviate congestion, enhance digestion and strengthen the heart. The unfortunate problem with groundwater sources is that they are gradually replenished with runoff, from streams, rivers and lakes.  Pollutants in the runoff eventually seeps into the ground water, and so in an increasingly large number of cases the ground water is thoroughly contaminated. This is especially the case in the SE USA, where decades of nuclear testing have spread radioactive particles throughout the local aquifer system.

While glacial, well and spring water are among the best types of water, most people get the water from rivers and lakes. Depending on the location of the water source the quality will vary to a large degree, but all are affected by the spread of industrial pollutants throughout our shared atmosphere. Local snow melt and the water from fast flowing rivers is generally of good quality, but where the water moves slowly, or is contaminated with algae, or is murky and brown, it is generally considered unsuitable. Unsullied lakes and other reservoirs may also be of reasonable quality – good enough to survive, but not necessarily optimal.

This of course raises the issue of water-purification, a question about which I am frequently asked.  My general recommendation is to use some kind of carbon-filter for municipal sources of water. The water here in Vancouver is of excellent quality for a city of its size, but obviously contains some contaminants, everything from silt and dirt during the rainy months, from build-up bacterial colonies on the sides of pipes and the addition of chlorine. Since Vancouver like most urban regions does chlorinate I highly recommend a carbon filter in such places, which pretty much removes all the chlorine. Chlorine is a highly reactive oxidizing compound and it has antimicrobial properties for good reason – however – a lifetime of consuming slightly toxic water may not be good for you. But no need to freak – a standard Brita or better yet an under-counter carbon filter is all you need.

Additional purification however may be required in other regions where the water is truly contaminated, or is made in desalination plants. Here what you want is a carbon pre-filter and a reverse osmosis membrane. Another option is distillation.  In both cases however the process of purification removes dissolved minerals in the water, turning it into a highly active solvent.  Consuming this kind of water regularly will rob your body of minerals, but you can ameliorate this by either using it to make mineral rich broths (e.g. bones, seaweed, nettle tea), or fortifying it with trace-mineral additives. Given that our water here in Vancouver tends to be be rather soft, and fairly acidic, adding these minerals neutralizes the pH and boosts our mineral intake < read more>.

Apart from this basic approach to water purification, I am skeptical or at least agnostic on the issue of very expensive water devices that claim to make water better. The problem lies with the evidence to back up these claims, as most of it is proprietary research that has not been independently verified. While there may be benefit in using these water machines I will need more to convince me than an MLM enthusiast with a basket of confusing and often technically incomprehensible marketing material. Until then, I’m sticking with tradition and solid science.

In Ayurveda it is believed that there are some additional ways to change the quality of our water. Many people in India still store their water in copper vessels overnight, believing that the copper purifies water. Modern research has verified these claims, showing that enough copper ions are released into the water to elicit measurable and yet safe antibacterial action <read more >. Similarly, water that has been collected and allowed to sit in a crystal vessel and exposed to the rays of the sun all day, and then exposed to the rays of the moon all night, is said to have special healing properties.

If water is consumed in excessive amounts it tends to weaken digestion, and as such, the modern practice of consuming eight glasses of water a day may not appropriate for every person in every circumstance. In this regard, small amounts of room temperature water on a more frequent basis may be better approach, consuming more in summer and less in the other seasons. The best guide to water consumption is to rely on your desire for it (e.g. thirst), and to watch for symptoms associated with dehydration such dryness of the oral cavity, constipation, headache, or low blood pressure. Consuming water before eating inhibits digestive function and promotes weight loss, whereas consuming water after meals is stated to promote congestion and weight gain.  Once again, Ayurveda recommends drinking small amounts of water with meals, to enhance digestive function and balances the metabolism. Consuming large amounts of water on an empty stomach has diuretic and mildly laxative properties, and is a good thing to do first thing in the morning, with a little lemon and/or cayenne to augment its cleansing benefits.

Cold water is best to relieve the effects of heat and poison, and is useful for intoxication, exhaustion, fainting, fatigue, vertigo, thirst, heat, and sun stroke. Cold water however is contraindicated in constipation, flatulence, throat diseases, fevers, rhinitis, upper respiratory tract infections, coughs, hiccough, chest pain, urinary tract disorders, cataracts, anorexia, anemia, poor circulation, and tumors. Cold water is especially avoided when eating any fatty food, as it turns the fat into a kind of poison (ama) that the body can’t digestion, e.g. hamburger and a coke, chicken wings and beer, etc. etc.  Every once in awhile is probably not an issue, but if you can appreciate and incorporate simple suggestions like this you’ll save yourself some future troubles. Warm water stimulates digestive function, soothes throat irritations, cleanses the urinary tract, relieves hiccough and dispels the excesses of intestinal fermentation such as gas and colic. It is particularly useful in colds, flu and fever. Hot water is contraindicated in physical and mental exhaustion, convulsions, bronchial asthma, hunger, and hemorrhage.

There are still more things to know about water.  Water is life after all.  But I will just leave you with this.  An independent researcher named Masaru Emoto has happened upon what he claims to be a very curious property of water.  He found that when water is taken from clean healthy sources and then frozen, the water crystals have a beautiful, regular shape, whereas when water is taken from poor quality sources and then frozen, the crystalline structures are disorganized and broken looking.  Further research on Emoto’s part showed that he could also change the types of crystal structure by praying or meditating over the water, or by putting labels on stored water with words such as love, fear, happiness and hate.  I can’t explain his research, but it does suggest that water may be linked to our consciousness, that the ocean perhaps isn’t just a metaphor for the continuity of mind, but the literal truth. Water is mind, water is emotion.  Something think about this next time you gulp down a glass of water.

~ Todd Caldecott

Salt Spring Coffee joined Offsetters, the company’s provider of quality carbon offsets, on June 29 to announce that their 400g French Roast Nicaragua is now the first lifecycle carbon neutral coffee in Canada.

Urban Diner’s own Jackie Connelly is a key contributor to a excellent new urban gardening book hitting the digital and physical shelves this week published by Timber Press and entitled, Sugar Snaps and Strawberries: Simple Solutions for Creating Your Own Small Space Edible Garden. Check it out!

From the publisher’s description:

Imagine savoring fresh-picked strawberries on a weekend morning, plucking plump figs from your mini-orchard to quarter and serve at a farm-to-table meal with friends, or harvesting and sauteing the edible stalks of garlic bulbs. If the size of your space is bringing you back to reality, here’s the best part: you don t need a big backyard to grow your own food. In fact, you don’t need a yard at all. Andrea Bellamy, founder of the award-winning Web site Heavy Petal, gives you the dirt on growing gorgeous organic food with very little square footage. Simple, straightforward, design and growing advice can help you transform just a snippet of space into a stylish and edible oasis. Bellamy goes beyond the surface and shows you how to create and maintain healthy soil, decide what and when to plant, sow seeds and harvest, and most importantly, enjoy the process. So go ahead, picture that tiny nook, corner, strip, porch, alley, balcony, or postage-stamp-sized yard overflowing with fingerling potatoes, fragrant herbs, sugar snap peas, French breakfast radishes, and scarlet runner beans. Armed with luscious photography, encouraging tips, and sophisticated designs, you re sure to be inspired to join the grow-your-own revolution.

Visit author Andrea Bellamy’s informative gardening site: www.heavypetal.ca

~ PK

From the official press release:

Sunday, June 27th, 6:30pm to 9pm, Canadian Chefs’ Congress take over the professional kitchens of Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts to host a Mystery Kitchen Tour.  All proceeds go towards this year’s Chefs’ Congress held on Vancouver Island September 11th to 12th; 2010’s focus is ‘Oceans for Tomorrow’.

Tickets for the Mystery Tour are $75.00 ( Click here to purchase tickets).  With only 100 tickets available, you’ll have to act fast.  Eight of Vancouver’s top-notch culinary purveyors, sworn to secrecy, are paired with wine and is host to their very own kitchen parties. Make your way thru the corridors of Pacific Institute to all eight food and wine stations ending your mystery kitchen tour with a dessert finale.  This exclusive and mysterious evening of superb food and wine pairings won’t disappoint. Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts is situated at the gateway to Granville Island at 1505 West Second Avenue, Vancouver, BC.  To contact please call (604) 734-4488 or visit www.picachef.com.

The Canadian Chef’s Congress 2010; ‘Oceans for Tomorrow’, is slated for September 11 & 12, 2010, when chefs, cooks, apprentices and culinary students from across Canada will converge on Providence Farm in the heart of the beautiful Cowichan Valley for two days of conversation and deliberation on the state of our water ways, our effect on marine life and what constructive steps can be taken to improve the health of our oceans.  Attendees will have the opportunity to sample Canadian inspired dishes from leading provincial and territorial chefs from across the country.   As host, BC chefs will present the very best that our province has to offer. The weekend will be a series of unique tastes and experiences as you munch and mingle with fellow chefs, sipping BC wines, ales, beers, ciders, and mead.  For full schedule details visit www.canadianchefscongress.com/british-columbia.

The Canadian Chefs’ Congress (CCC) connects chefs to our land in solidarity with farmers, fishers, gardeners, foragers and all artisanal food producers.  The Canadian Chefs’ Congress is a biennial gathering of chefs from across Canada that reinforces the passion and integrity of Canadian Food Culture.  www.canadianchefscongress.com

UPDATED: Monday, May 31, 2010 – 10 pm

CRU offers new menu, new wines, and familiar fabulous dinner deal; Le Grand Thé makes a refreshing break at Provence Restaurants; June Wine Drinker Dinner at Two Chefs and a Table pairs local, sustainable ingredients with Poplar Grove Wines; Red Card Sports Bar + Eatery Launches World Cup Cocktails and Features; Laughing Stock Vineyards passes HST savings along to wine consumer; The Bishop’s Garden; Celebrity farmers, chefs, and artists come together for stimulating program series on Salt Spring Island.

CRU OFFERS NEW MENU, NEW WINES, AND FAMILIAR FABULOUS DINNER DEAL

Starting Friday, May 28 2010, epicureans have more reasons than ever to visit neighbourhood favourite CRU Restaurant. CRU now offers a fresh new small plates menu, an updated wine list, plus the three-course Prix-fixe for only $38 all summer long.

CRU just won the Best Small Plates category in the Vancouver Magazine Restaurant Awards for the second year in a row. Inspired by this prestigious win, CRU is launching new seasonal menus, offering guests a variety of exciting new flavour combinations. The Small Plates menu will still feature favourites like the Crispy Duck Confit and the crowd-pleasing “Cellar Door” Caesar, but guests can also try intriguing new dishes like:

• Chilled Octopus Salad, ponzu Asian slaw, sweet chili sauce
• B.C. Spot Prawns Salad, lemongrass-infused melon, passion fruit jalapeño vinaigrette
• Pan-seared Qualicum Bay Scallops, on lentils and pancetta, with lime aioli
• Grilled Local Asparagus, lemon mascarpone and a soft-poached egg

CRU’s Prix-fixe menu continues to be an amazing value at $38 per person. Guests will, however, be faced with the daunting task of deciding which option to select for each course. Starters include

• Beef Tenderloin Carpaccio with caper berries, truffle aioli and shaved parmesan
• Citrus-cured Roasted Sablefish creamed leeks and oven-dried tomato

Deciding on a main course is equally challenging:

• Baked Ricotta Flan – puy lentils with grilled, marinated & pickled vegetables
• Roasted Pork Loin – crushed potatoes, oloroso sherry morel cream
• Pan-seared Halibut – brandade croquette, vegetables “a la greque”

And, finally, the diner is faced with choosing a sumptuous dessert item:

• The “Grand Cru” Chocolate Torte – vanilla sour cream mousse, thyme & sour cherries
• Little Goat Cheese Cake – citrus sablé, port-stewed rhubar
• Basil & Lemon Semifreddo with white chocolate ganache and fresh berries

View the complete menus at www.cru.ca

CRU Restaurant
1459 West Broadway | Vancouver
604-677-4111

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LE GRAND THÉ MAKES A REFRESHING BREAK

(Vancouver, BC) – When most people think of ‘afternoon tea,’ the traditions and quaint tea-rooms of England pop to mind. However, there is another, more seductive version of this elegant mid-afternoon break – the French salon de thé. In France tea is très chic. From great food emporiums, to the most venerable cafés, tea is served every afternoon. Imagine yourself enjoying your favourite cuppa in the elegant surroundings of Angelina’s or Fauchon, even Marcel Proust’s epic In Search of Lost Time was triggered dipping a madeleine into a cup of tea.

For the past six years, long before afternoon tea took off as the popular respite it has currently become in Vancouver, Provence Marinaside and Provence Mediterranean Grill have been serving Parisian-style Grand Thé. Like all good things, Le Grand Thé evolves and changes over time. Available from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday, Le Grand Thé includes an assortment of both savoury and sweet selections plus tea or freshly brewed drip coffee for only $20. Those seeking a truly French experience may wish to include a glass of Kir Royale or bubbly – priced by the glass starting from $7.00.

The only decision you have to make is what kind of tea you prefer. Provence’s list includes an assortment of eight premium organic and flavoured teas. You may opt for traditional Organic English Breakfast or Organic Earl Grey or decide to be daring with Organic African Nectar or perhaps choose a soothing Marrakech Mint or Camomile Citrus. If tea is not your thing, then Provence always has a pot of fresh-brewed drip-coffee on the go.

Once your beverage is chosen, it comes accompanied by a two-tiered stand laden with palate-pleasing French-style nibbles. The savoury selection includes: Sweet Bell Pepper Marmalade Crostini, Smoked Salmon Profiteroles, Prawn and Cucumber Canapé, Tomato and Bocconcini Brochette with Balsamic Drizzle plus a mini Fig and Prosciutto Quiche. The lower level includes the sweet temptations: Madeleines (lemony and oh so Proustian), Parisian macarons (not to be confused with coconut macaroons. These are the heavenly French confection of flavoured pastry crème sandwiched between pillows of meringue. One bite and they become an addiction!), Orange Lavender Shortbread (very Provençal), a Chocolate Truffle Square and the ‘pièce de résistance’ – a tiny, perfect Petite Tarte au Citron. A small pot of crème fraîche and Bonne Maman preserves complete the extravagance

Provence also offers a selection of separately priced espresso drinks and luxurious hot chocolate for those who prefer beverages other than tea or drip-coffee.

The next time you are feeling over-scheduled and harried, take time to indulge in Le Grande Thé. You’ll leave restored and ready to face the world again. C’est une bonne idée, n’est-ce pas?

Provence Mediterranean Grill
4473 West 10th Ave. | Vancouver
604.222.1980
www.provencevancouver.com

Provence Marinaside
1177 Marinaside Crescent | Vancouver
604.681.4144
www.provencevancouver.com

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JUNE WINE DRINKER DINNER AT TWO CHEFS AND A TABLE PAIRS LOCAL, SUSTAINABLE INGREDIENTS WITH POPLAR GROVE WINES

This is a very special time of year for Vancouver chefs as some of the best local ingredients are just coming into season. With that in mind, the Two Chefs and a Table June Wine Drinker Dinner will focus on some of the best local, sustainable products that this region has to offer. Featuring courses made house-made sausages, wild line-caught Barkley Sound salmon, local Kushhi oysters and spot prawns and Pemberton beef this tantalizing menu is built upon ingredients that are the envy of chefs all over the World. During the special dinner on June 2nd, the courses are being served with specially paired selections from Poplar Grove Winery and their sister winery Monster Vineyards.

The Wine Drinker Dinner will be held on the evening of Wednesday June 2nd and the set menu will be offered until the end of the week as part of the daily dinner service. The dinner costs $65 per person (excluding tax and gratuity) and reservations are recommended. For more information or reservations call 778-233-1303 or email info@twochefsandatable.com.

Menu

First Course
Wine: Monster Rosé 2009
Spicy Lamb Sausage with Kusshi oysters w/spicy radish and chives mignonette

Second Course
Wine: Monster Gewürztraminer 2008
Cured Salmon and Beet Carpaccio: Long line caught salmon, citrus cured, roasted golden beets, mustard ricotta cheese, frissée, olive oil crisps

Third Course
Wine: Poplar Grove Chardonnay 2008
Local Spot Prawns- grilled with cilantro and chive oil, green papaya salad with a cured shrimp nuoc chaam

Entree
Wine: Poplar Grove Cab Franc 2006
Choice of: Iron Seared Pemberton beef w/red wine demi, lobster mushrooms, pomme puree & roasted heirloom carrots
Or/
Free range Pork Belly: 24-hour marinated and pressed w/Quebec maple syrup, pan roasted sweet potato puree and baby roasted vegetables

Dessert
Wine: Poplar Grove Late Harvest Riesling
Choice of:  Poplar Grove Blue Cheesecake: mix of rich cheesecake, lined with artisan made Poplar Grove blue cheese, finished with a lavender honey
Or/
Fresh Berry Pavlova: local berries with a classic Pavlova

Visit: www.twochefsandatable.com

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COUNTDOWN TO FIFA WORLD CUP

Red Card Sports Bar + Eatery Launches World Cup Cocktails and Features

Soccer fans across the world are preparing to unite for the long-awaited FIFA World Cup, which launches in South Africa on Friday June 11th.

Red Card Sports Bar + Eatery will be the most popular Vancouver destination to experience the World Cup in style. The experienced team behind the popular sports hub has launched feature cocktails, a signature pizza, and feature breakfast items in honour of the most widely viewed sporting event in the world.

Red Card’s feature cocktails were created to highlight eight key national teams, a celebrated list of “ones to watch”. Assistant General Manager Chris Ballas selected the list of eight teams and crafted an original cocktail for each, utilizing ingredients from their respective country. The FIFA World Cup champions are sure to rise from this list of talented teams: USA; England; Italy; Spain; France; Germany; Brazil; and Holland.
Show your support for your homeland with a classic “Three Lions” for England fans featuring Beefeater Gin, elderflower cordial and ice tea, or join the passionate fans of the Brazilian national team with an “E Campeao” with Cachaca 61, banana liquor with muddled lime and papaya puree. Raise a glass to our closest neighbours with a US-themed “Stars and Stripes” – Jim Beam Bourbon with caramel liquor and passion fruit puree or ally with Red Card Sport Bar and sip a “Forza Italia”, a nod to their proud Italian heritage.

To honour 1978 Argentinean team champion, Osvaldo “Ossie” Ardiles, Red Card’s talented culinary crew have crafted a delicious pizza utilizing all of Ossie’s favourite flavours. Order the “Ossie pizza” and savour delicious San Marzano tomato sauce, topped with garlic, anchovy, and mozzarella, finished with Fior di Latte and cooked to perfection in their world-class Marana Forni brick oven. Executive Chef Andreas Wechselberger has also created a delicious brunch menu to make the early morning games (June 20th onwards) much more enjoyable. Tuck into a Spanish-themed Chorizo with roasted peppers, goat cheese and arugula, a traditional British “Fry Up” or Italian sausage with peperonata and red onion.

Make Red Card Sports Bar + Eatery your top spot to enjoy the hottest action from South Africa’s pitches, sip globally inspired cocktails and indulge in authentic Italian cuisine.

Red Card Sports Bar + Eatery will be showing World Cup games from June 11th to 20th starting at 11am, with repeats running throughout the afternoon and evening. From June 20th, doors will open at 7am to catch all the action of the semi-finals, through to the final on July 11th.

About Red Card Sports Bar
With authentic Italian cuisine and a beautifully-restored heritage building, Red Card Sports Bar offers a dramatic and elegant environment in which to enjoy your favourite sports game. Using the freshest ingredients and traditional techniques, Executive Chef Andreas Wechselberger has created an inspired menu, executed to the highest standards. Red Card Sports Bar is located at 900 Seymour Street, adjacent to Moda Hotel, on the corner of Seymour and Smythe Streets, in the heart of Downtown Vancouver. For more information on Red Card Sports Bar + Eatery visit:

www.redcardsportsbar.ca

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LAUGHING STOCK VINEYARDS PASSES HST TAX SAVINGS ALONG TO WINE CONSUMER

-New Harmonized Sales Tax Actually Means Lower Winery Pricing-

While the upcoming introduction of the HST (Harmonized Sales Tax) in BC will cause the costs of many items to increase, BC wineries have the opportunity to pass those savings directly on to the consumer, thus decreasing the cost of BC wine when purchased directly from the winery.

Laughing Stock Vineyards has chosen to do just that and as of July 1st, 2010, will be passing along the 3% tax savings from the transition to HST to wine buyers on their website and in their tasting room.  Currently, wine is one of the only products sold with taxes included in the display price and most consumers are not even aware that the current tax rate for wine in BC is 15% which includes 5% GST and 10% PST liquor tax.  Therefore the taxation of wine will actually decrease when the 12% HST is introduced.

The BC Liquor Distribution Branch recently revealed there will be no tax savings passed through to the consumer as the LDB changed their liquor mark-up on all domestic and imported wine and spirits to offset that potential savings. BC wineries, however, are not affected by that new LDB liquor mark-up when they sell directly from the winery and thus have flexibility to adjust pricing to reflect the lower tax rate.

“Coming from a business background, we look at the big picture and since we have the option to decrease our pricing without hurting our bottom line, we are going to pass that tax savings along to the wine consumer,” says David Enns, winemaker and winery owner.  “We just feel that this is the right thing to do.  We eat it, you drink it.”

Visitors to www.laughingstock.ca and Laughing Stock’s tasting room on the Naramata Bench can expect to see price adjustments effective July 1st, 2010.

About Laughing Stock Vineyards:
Located on the picturesque Naramata Bench in British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley, Laughing Stock Vineyards is a serious enterprise with a lighthearted attitude. David & Cynthia Enns gave up their careers as research consultants in the investment industry to pursue their dream of founding a winery. And with a name like Laughing Stock, they wake up everyday with the motivation of not living up to their name. Fortunately, their flagship wine, Portfolio, has received many accolades and awards. www.laughingstock.ca.

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THE BISHOP’S GARDEN – A DISPLAY OF FRIENDSHIP

From May 27 to June 19, South Granville’s Winsor Gallery (3025 Granville Street) plays host to a show by famed artist Alan Wood. The Bishop’s Garden – presents a new series of wood relief sculptures, collage and watercolours, based on the haven found in a close friend’s garden. That close friend is restaurateur John Bishop and that garden is the one found in the back of Mr. Bishop’s Point Grey home.

” It seems like I’ve known Alan for ever,” says Mr. Bishop. “In the early days, my wife Theresa and I would save up to buy his work. In turn, Alan and his wife Flora started coming to the restaurant and the friendship grew over the years.”

“When Flora passed away five years ago, I started to drop by John and Theresa’s home. They were always so welcoming and kind. I’d come and sit in the back garden – it became my refuge. One evening, I came for dinner. John and his son David had arranged eight of my pieces around the garden illuminated by candlelight. It was magic. That gave me the idea to try to capture and interpret the calm and happiness I have found there. This show is the result,” says Mr. Wood. “I named the series The Bishop’s Garden because I want to honour the role played by everyone in the Bishop family in creating this special space.”

Alan Wood is one of Canada’s leading artists. He has received international acclaim for his painting and is best known for his use of colour and for creating the outdoor environmental work, Ranch. Mr. Wood is a prolific artist and since 1962, has participated in many group and solo exhibitions in Great Britain, Europe, Canada, the United States and Australia.

For more information on Mr. Wood, the exhibit and Winsor Gallery: www.winsorgallery.com

Bishop’s
2183 West 4th Avenue | Vancouver
604.738.2025
www.bishopsonline.com

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FOXGLOVE FARM ON SALT SPRING ISLAND AND THE CENTRE FOR ARTS, ECOLOGY, AND AGRICULTURE HAS LAUNCHED ITS 2010 SUMMER PROGRAM SERIES
Foxglove Farm on Salt Spring Island and the Centre For Arts, Ecology, and Agriculture has launched its 2010 summer program series.

Building on last year’s success, the centre has expanded its offerings with a focus on the culinary and agricultural arts.

Join Eliot Coleman, author of the New Organic Grower, Andrea Carlson of Bishop’s Restaurant, ecologist and author Briony Penn, farmer and author Michael Ableman, plant breeder John Navazio, chef, author, and mushroom expert Bill Jones and other  world class instructors for a thought provoking, informative, and delicious program series.

The workshops are held at the 120 acre historic Foxglove Farm – one of Salt Spring Island’s original homesteads, bordering Maxwell Lake and surrounded by hundreds of acres of protected forest and agricultural fields. The farm now produces 50 different organic fruits and vegetables, orchard crops, and 10 acres of grain.

This year’s workshops include a three-part ‘Field to Plate’ cooking series, The Art of Wild Crafting, Four Season Harvest, Seeds For Change, a ‘Farm, Arts and Culinary Camp for Kids’, Small Scale Grain Production, Foraging for Fungi, Farmstead Cheesemaking, The Artisan Baker, Growing For Market, Growing For Family, Backyard Poultry, Growing Tree Crops, and Preserving the Harvest.  There is also the annual Foxglove Festival – with live music, tours, fresh food and home-made ice cream.

Online registration and information on 2010 classes can be found at www.foxglovefarmbc.ca.  For information about Michael Ableman visit www.fieldsofplenty.com.

Anthony Von Mandl, proprietor of Mark Anthony Brands, generously presented a $100,00 cheque to George Heyman of Sierra Club Canada and Darcy Dobell of World Wildlife Fund Canada yesterday in support of their critical and ongoing conservation initiatives to preserve the wild habitat of the BC central coast, also known as the Great Bear Rainforest.

Fine art photographer Marni Grossman’s was also on hand to showcase and discuss some of her visually stunning images of the elusive and rare white Kermode or “Spirit” Bear, click here to view.

15% of all White Bear wine sales go directly to the cause.

Visit: www.savethegreatbear.org

~ PK

At the end of last month, the good folks at the Vancouver Aquarium’s Ocean Wise Program celebrated their five year anniversary by getting together in an attempt to butter up (and fatten up) local food media with a three hour mystery Dine Around tour to show off their wide range of participating Lower Mainland restaurants.

Greeted at the main entrance to the Aquarium with flutes of Champagne, we were split into groups, read our rights, and then shuffled aboard awaiting tour buses.  As we pulled out of the Aquarium parking lot, each and every right or left turn had all on board eager to guess our first mystery location. Shouts of “L’Altro Buca! Nook! The Teahouse!” could be heard as Chef Robert Clark of C Restaurant, and the evening’s Ocean Wise Ambassador, chuckled to himself in the back.As we carried over the Lions Gate bridge, a silence fell upon us. Were we actually leaving the downtown core? Sure enough we were, and next thing we knew, we arrived at the North Shore’s Edgemont Village at a little gem of a resto, The Edge Bistro.
First up were the stout Saltspring Island mussels in curry cream with tomato concasée, paired with a buttery, yet light and citrusy Pacific Breeze Chardonnay. As we slurped up the excess broth, Chef Clark gave us all a quick lesson in mussel geography: a higher meat to shell ratio indicates a mussel that has thrived in the clean growing conditions of West Coast waters, whereas mussels from the East Coast tend to have a smaller meat to shell ratio due to the poorer growing conditions associated with their more polluted waters.Up next, a hefty portion of pecan-crusted, shrimp and Dungeness crab-stuffed wild salmon with a mango mint salsa and orange ginger sauce. We barely had time to finish before our tour bus arrived to ship us to mystery location number two.Back over the bridge to downtown, we pulled up to the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver and were warmly greeted by a host of managers who escorted us into the 900 West tasting bar at the centre of the hotel. What came next was a series of darling little amuse-bouches, each with its own wine pairing. Beet cured wild BC salmon and blinis with a lemon crème fraiche, Ahi tuna nicoise with a delicate quail’s egg and salty seaweed caviar (a first for us all), but the best dish of the evening was most certainly the pan seared Artic Char atop a Granny Smith apple fritter decked with Granville Island Lager Foam. Not a taste bud was missed with this delectable combination.We were all a-twitter as we rolled out of the Fairmont heading to C restaurant, to meet up with our fellow groups and exchange stories of the evening’s culinary road trips.And as if the first two restaurants weren’t filling enough, Executive Chef Robert Clark, treated us to two more courses of smoked Baynes Sound scallops, and finally, a Salt Spring Island goat cheese and vanilla mousse!
The Ocean Wise Program aims to be as inclusive as possible by involving any and all chefs, restaurants, markets and suppliers who want to commit to serving sustainable seafood, be it Panago Pizza or Provence Marinaside (both participating restaurants). Currently, there is no cost associated with becoming a member of the program. As such, various fundraising events occur throughout the year, such as the springtime Chowder Chow Down.

By keeping a close eye on the ever-changing ocean-friendly seafood list, the program educates and assists their members in selecting only the most sustainable seafood on the market. Spotting an Ocean Wise symbol takes the worry out of ordering or shopping, so that diners and consumers can feel confident they’re doing their part to help ensure the health of our oceans for years to come. ~ Katherine van der Gracht

Last Friday, the Vancouver Aquarium unveiled their Ocean Wise Canstruction Inukshuk sculpture to celebrate the upcoming 2010 Winter Olympic Games and to also raise awareness amongst visiting media and tourists about sustainable seafood choices.

Made of donated cans of Ocean Wise-recommended sustainable seafood (both salmon and tuna), generously donated by Raincoast Trading, the Inukshuk will be on display at the Vancouver Aquarium through February 28th with the food being donated to the Greater Vancouver Food Bank Society after the Games. ~ PK

WHAT: C Restaurant will be visiting three select Chapters locations for food tastings and book signings for its newly released hard cover cook book, C Food.

DETAILS: Taste some of Vancouver’s finest seafood creations from C Restaurant and get your copy of C Food signed by co-author and C Restaurant Executive Chef, Robert Clark.

January 31, 2010 at 2 p.m.
Chapters Granville
2505 Granville Street, Vancouver

February 7, 2010 at 2 p.m.
Indigo Park Royal
900 Park Royal South – Park Royal Shopping Centre, West Vancouver

I have copies of all three of the excellent Cook the Hood cookbooks (Commercial Drive, Kitsilano, West End) up for grabs, and as an added bonus during this festive time I will also throw in a copy of the brilliant Vancouver 100-Mile Diet Foodshed poster to the first person to complete the challenge inside.

Good luck! ~ PK

UPDATE: No correct answers yet. Contest is now extended until January 4th. I will collect comments until then and reveal the winner in the new year.

HOT TIP: the mystery restaurant is on Vancouver Island.

1) Who are the author(s) of “The 100 Mile Diet: A Year of Local Eating”

2) State 3 important reasons for supporting local food security.

3) What 2 BC cities have joined the Cittaslow movement?

4) Name 5 local foods that are in season this winter.

5) Correctly name the restaurant in the following picture.

Fabulous video by Vancouver-based animator Jody Kramer (The Juki Museum) produced for the 100-Mile Diet Society.

Also, check out the Vancouver 100-Mile Diet Foodshed Map, to get a lovely visual of where our local food is coming from. Buy a copy of the map here.

Thanks to Jackie Connelly for the link. ~ PK

Friday, November 6, 2009 | 7:30 – 10:30 pm | Vancouver Aquarium

On Friday, November 6, 2009, the Vancouver Aquarium hosts its annual wine-tasting and food-sampling event, Toast to the Coast.  Funds raised from this hugely popular event benefit Aquarium education and conservation initiatives such as Ocean Wise, the sustainable seafood program created to help restaurants and consumers make environmentally responsible seafood choices.

Set against the enchanting backdrop of the Aquarium at night, sample wines from a wide selection of BC VQA wineries and try mouth-watering tasters from Ocean Wise restaurants including Mosaic Bar & Grille, the Refinery, Goldfish Pacific Kitchen and more!
 Explore Aquarium exhibits and galleries, enjoy live music by DJ Leanne and friends, bid in the silent auction, and be sure to enter the raffle to win a Mercedes-Benz mountain bike among other great prizes!

For more information, contact: 604.659.3579. Tickets are $75 and available click here

Two Chefs and a Table has recently taken delivery of one of only four organic Jacob’s lamb from Polderside Farms, one of the Fraser Valley’s top quality, ethically grown, low-yield meat producers, famous for their popular Redbro chickens and duck.

Two Chefs and a Table are celebrating Thanksgiving this year with a menu that starts with the peerless and rare lamb from Polderside Farms and is completed with locally farmed traditional turkey and vegetables. The five-course menu offers the best value in town and covers a spectacular range of tastes including freshly prepared lamb pate, in-house butchered leg of lamb, and seasonal desserts made from scratch.   The Polderside Farms lamb used in this dinner is one of only four that were available this season. They raise Jacob’s Sheep, a heritage lamb, easily distinguishable from more domestic lambs by its black and white fleece and horns. It’s a hardy, adaptable species that’s well suited to organic husbandry methods. According to Virginia Jacobsen of Polderside, “the heritage lamb has a finer meat texture, with a bold lamb taste . . . simply delicious!”
This special Thanksgiving Dinner will be served Saturday and Sunday October 10th and 11th on the holiday weekend and will be only $44 for the five courses. The full menu details are below and reservations are recommended. If your Thanksgiving is already booked up, there are a number of other ways to enjoy a meal made with the delicious Polderside Lamb starting with loin and rack chops on this week’s fresh sheet. Upcoming highlights include house made lamb ravioli and sausage along with the next Wine Drinker Dinner which is set to go Wednesday September 30th.
For reservations or more information on Two Chefs and a Table bistro and full spectrum catering services, visit www.twochefsandatable.com or call them at 778-233-1303.

Chef Table Thanksgiving Dinner

First Course
Polderside Lamb pate w/classic garnish & handmade onion bread
Second Course
Soup: Family grown heirloom tomato, basil oil, fresh garbanzo bean pureé, and french croutons
Third Course
Polderside Roasted lamb leg: rolled & slow roasted with fresh herbs, sweet potato, yam and carrot
Entree
Roasted Turkey: white & dark meat w/chestnut dressing, pan jus,pomme puree & local fall vegetables
Dessert
Choice of: Pumpkin pot de crème w/ a cinnamon cream
or/ Winfield apple tart: Hand picked Macintosh apple w/ vanilla gelato