Get ready BC, more quality regionally brewed ale is on the way! The newest craft brewery on the immediate horizon is Townsite Brewing in Powell River on the upper Sunshine Coast. Just before the holidays, we caught up with the team as they were preparing their historic heritage space in the heart of Townsite for the arrival of their new brewing equipment. Come inside and learn more of what they have in store.

Describe the style and approach of the brewery…
Belgium meets West Coast.  Our Brewer Engineer, Cedric Dauchot, was born & raised & trained in Belgium and brings a Belgian flair to our west coast shores.  Think trippels, Belgian IPA’s, specialty brews and quirky crafty beers in addition to our regular stable (see below).  As far as approach goes, Powell River is very keen on sustainability and self-sufficiency so we want to use local ingredients as much as possible, gradually decreasing our dependence on outside sources and grow the business organically.  The business model is one of sustainability, not growth for growth’s sake.

Proprietor, Karen Skadsheim

What made you decide to open up a brewery in Powell River?
(Karen:)  I am originally from Vancouver and experienced the rise of craft beer there.  I wound up in Powell River pretty much by accident and when I finally realized (after about a year) that I was actually living here and not returning to Vancouver, I figured I had better get some good beer happening.  There were plenty of rumours around town about people wanting to open up a brewery or a brew pub, but when I ran them to ground I found they were all just ideas, so I wrote the business plan and found some partners and voila!  I am really excited to be opening the first brewery on the Sunshine Coast.

^ Brewmaster, Cedric Dauchot

(Cedric:)  My wife Chloe and I are both brewers and had plans to open a gastro pub in Saskatoon; however, we didn’t have the financial backing or marketing expertise.  Karen posted an ad for a brewer for the Townsite Brewing project and we both discovered that we were each other’s missing link so Chloe and I moved out west.  I am also really excited to be involved in this project and bring great beer to the Sunshine Coast.  Chloe and I and our new baby, Beatrix, have been very welcomed into the community and think Powell River has all the right ingredients for us as well as beer.

What beer styles are you launching with and why?
Our stable of initial regulars will be a Golden Blonde Ale (Zunga), a west coast IPA (Tin Hat), and a porter (Pow Town).  The names are very typically Powell River and refer to various local activities and places.  We will also be brewing seasonals featuring local ingredients and will grow the stable from those based on feedback and popularity. See bottle labels here

How will you present your product? (draft, bottles, cans)
Our beers will be available in draft and 650ml bottles, as well as growlers direct from the brewery.  We plan to have a growler charity program whereby $1 from each growler sale will go to a local organization every month, and our customers will choose the organizations every month.  This will be one of the ways the brewery will support the community of Powell River which has been so supportive and welcoming to us.

When will you be open?
All going well, the brewing equipment from Newlands should be here by mid-January and we’ll be up & running before the month is out.

Name the beer you would drink for each season (spring, summer, fall, winter)
Out of the regulars, Zunga is our session ale, perfect for any time, but especially the dog days of summer.  For the winter, definitely Pow Town will comfort you beside the fire, and Tin Hat IPA is perfect for crisp fall days.  We are also planning a complement of seasonals based on local ingredients.  The names have yet to be determined and will come about based on their individual personalities, like any good baby!

^ Chloe Smith

What is your favourite craft brewery (other than your own)?
Chloe: Sierra Nevada in Chico California for their unyielding dedication to the cause of craft beer. You want a Bavarian Wheat beer? They will travel to Germany to spend time in breweries there studying the exact brewing techniques then build tanks to the exact specifications to make you a delicious wheat beer…how can you argue with that?

Karen:  Tough question!!  I am going to cheat and say two.  First is New Belgium Brewing.  Before writing the business plan for Townsite Brewing, I went on a 3-week odyssey of beer (with a side trip to Burning Man) including a visit to NBB in Colorado and was very impressed by their business model and also their truly incredible employee loyalty.  I had the good fortune to stay with the manager of the tasting room and hang out with some of the crew and every single one of them spent months and even years trying to get their jobs at NBB, sometimes even leaving more lucrative jobs.  My second one is Driftwood Brewing in Victoria.  I really love their beers and think they have built their business really well.  They are another big inspiration for me for sure.

Cedric:  Brasserie St. Feuillien in Le Roeulx, Belgium.  This is a small, family-owned farm brewery who only recently started exporting after 20 years in business, and last year they won the Best Saison in the World Beer Awards.  It is an old brewery that was actually defunct, but the son took it over in the 1980’s and revived the local brewing scene.  Their equipment is all original from the 18th century (?) and they still use it today.

BONUS QUESTION: What is microcarbonation?
A sly marketing ruse invented by Molson created to distract you from the fact that their beer has no flavour.  OOPS!  Did we say that out loud?!?

Townsite Brewing Co. – opening in mid-February
5824 Ash Avenue | Powell River
Phone: 604.344.0127
www.townsitebrewing.com

Twitter | Facebook

HOW TO GET THERE

RETAIL STORE
Our retail store is open to serve you the freshest beer possible at our facility in the historic Townsite from Wednesday to Sunday Noon – 6pm

Beer Santa has some more fine gifts to offer us, but they won’t be delivered until the new year. The beer elves are still busy putting the final touches on two new BC craft breweries that are set to join the growing artisan ranks in 2012.

First up, we have Parallel 49 Brewing Company, who are set to start delivering bottles and kegs from their East Van location a few blocks north of Hastings and Victoria Drive in early spring.

Brought to us by the good folks of pioneering craft beer pub St. Augustine’s on Commercial Drive, we are expecting good things; these guys know their beer. Recently, I caught up with Parallel 49 Brewery co-owner Anthony Frustagli to ask him a few questions about the upcoming venture:

Describe the style and approach of the brewery…
The overall approach is the same one we took with St. Augustine’s.  We ask ourselves one question: “What do WE want to see out of a beer company?”  Everything kind of flows from there.  We will be producing the kinds of beers that we love.  What kinds of beers are those?  In 6 packs we want session beers with high drinkability, but that are still packed with flavour.  In bombers we’re looking to really let brewmaster Graham With loose and let him explore big, interesting beers.  Overall, I want to produce beer that is amazing… the kind of beers that Cicerones and connoisseurs can appreciate, but presented in a very fun, non-threatening way such that casual craft drinkers won’t be scared off.  Craft beer to the masses! Portland, your days are numbered!

How many beers are you planning to launch with?
Yet to be determined

What styles and why?
We haven’t hammered out all our recipes yet, so I can’t say definitively.  I will say that most of the styles we are looking at are either twists on common and familiar styles, or styles that are not represented well in our market.

How will you present your product?
Draft, 6 pack 341ml bottles, and single 650ml bombers

How many hectoliters will you produce in 1st year?
Hopefully quite a few :)  We have a few sets of projections, but saying them out loud is kind of like of like saying “shutout” (I’m typing this after the Nucks game finished 6-0, so I can say it without fear of repercussions from the sports gods)

When are you hoping to be open?
Mid-spring 2012 (fingers crossed)

If there was one brewery to emulate, which one would it be?
I can’t really name one in particular, and we’re not looking to emulate anyone.  While there are several great breweries in BC and TONS down the west coast we believe that the market is still big enough (and growing) to support more breweries that can each bring a unique perspective to the industry.

Parallel 49 Brewing Co.
1950 Triumph Street | Vancouver
Tel: 604-588-BREW (2739)
www.parallel49brewing.com

Twitter | Facebook

NEXT, we take a look at Townsite Brewing opening up on the northern Sunshine Coast in Powell River. Stay tuned!

~ PK

Check out this ‘behind the scenes’ video with restaurateur Andrew Wong, as he gives a guided tour of his brand new Wild Rice restaurant–soft opening this week in the renovated River Market in New Westminster.

With Re-Up BBQ also staking a claim in the market building, expanding from the wet, cold and cramped quarters of their two street carts, could New West be the next safe and affordable harbour for growing brands looking outside Vancouver for a new place to play? Only time will tell, but I now have 2 more tasty reasons to visit the market in the historic capital of British Columbia. ~ PK

(Video produced by Patrick King of pkmedia.ca)

From the official press release: 9/4/2011

Two Chefs and a Table is pleased to announce that it will be expanding operations to Richmond with the opening of Two Chefs Richmond at 3331 Viking Way. The new location will serve the as both a locals’ favourite stop for breakfast, lunch and after work, a private events centre and as a commissary kitchen for Two Chefs and a Table, Big Lou’s Butcher Shop and other partners.

Two Chefs Richmond will have a 65 seat dining room which include a 22-person communal table, an open kitchen, a 12 seat bar and a 22 seat private dining room for meetings. The Richmond menu will feature Two Chefs’ classics like grass fed burgers and mac’n’cheese alongside a range of new appies and a craft beer program built around partners like Saltspring Ales and other local favourites. “When we first saw the location, we thought that we’d only need a few renovations to turn it into a hidden gem,” said Two Chefs and a Table partner Allan Bosomworth.

Located in a busy industrial area, the new location will be a magnet for lunch business and the 20 seat Coffee and Sandwich counter will feature a line of signature Big Lou’s sandwiches alongside a line of new grab and go sandwiches, housemade soups and fair trade coffees all ready for quick, tasty eat-in or takeout service.

Two Chefs and a Table has long specialized in buyout and private events and the new location in Richmond will have even greater capacity to serve the local market with a private dining room and flexible layouts that are ideal for corporate events, team events and weddings.

“We’ve been looking at ways to grow Two Chefs and a Table for some time now and this Richmond opportunity made sense on a lot of levels,” said Two Chefs partner Allan Bosomworth. “The commissary kitchen will be a huge asset for all of our projects and the Richmond location will help introduce us to a whole new group of customers. We’re excited to get the renovations completed and open the doors.

For more info, visit: twochefsandatable.com

From the official press release…

The American Cheesesteak Co. Opens the Door to a Philadelphia Tradition

Restaurant is Vancouver’s first to pay homage to an authentic cheesesteak experience

(Vancouver, B.C. – October 24, 2011) One of America’s most iconic food experiences arrives in Vancouver as The American Cheesesteak Co. opens in the heart of the city’s downtown entertainment district (781 Davie Street at Howe) in October 2011.

From the streets of Philadelphia to Canada’s west coast, the legendary melt-in-your-mouth Philly Cheesesteak has been given a fresh, contemporary take. Serving classic and specialty versions of the iconic sandwich, using all-natural, locally-sourced ingredients, The American Cheesesteak Co. is Vancouver’s first restaurant dedicated to a genuine cheesesteak experience.

Chef Anthony Sedlak – a Vancouver native and host of Food Network’s The Main – spent nearly a year developing the menu for The American Cheesesteak Co.

“We went straight to the streets of Philadelphia to find out why cheesesteaks are so popular, and then created our own exclusive menu,” explains Sedlak. “Our cheesesteaks are true to the Philly spirit – they are incredibly satisfying, gutsy comfort food. We’ve kept the authenticity of the original, while maintaining Vancouver’s high standards for fresh, nurturing food appealing to a wide range of tastes.”

The American Cheesesteak Co. is a throwback to the old-style “steak” joints found throughout Philadelphia, serving a hearty slice of Americana in a fun and inviting, diner-style atmosphere.

The restaurant offers traditional cheesesteaks made from tender prime rib shaved fresh daily, savoury cheeses and proprietary seasonings, and served piping-hot on freshly baked bread. Guests will also be tempted by decadent specialty, vegetarian and chicken versions that bring together tantalizing flavours. These include The High-Roller, which showcases wagyu beef, forest mushrooms, truffle aioli and fontina cheese; the Chicken Milanese, made from hand-breaded, crispy chicken breast; and The Good Earth, a sumptuous vegetarian option combining sautéed vegetables, crumbled feta cheese and home-made pesto mayonnaise.

The menu would not be complete without irresistible sides – the perfect finishing touches to a cheesesteak: signature, twice-cooked fries, skinny onion rings, market salads, and hand-scooped, all-natural milkshakes or ice-cream sandwiches.

“Philadelphians have had a love affair with the cheesesteak since the 1930s – it is tried and true fare,” adds Sedlak. “We use simple, real ingredients to re-create this soulful classic. The American Cheesesteak Co. will be an experience that warms the stomachs, heart and spirit of Vancouver.”

The American Cheesesteak Co. is fully-licensed with sit-down dining in the restaurant and year-round patio. Open daily from 11:30 a.m. till very late, the restaurant invites lunch, dinner and late-night crowds to discover why cheesesteaks are such a time-honoured tradition, capturing the hearts of Americans for more than 75 years. www.americancheesesteak.com

Italian-inspired pizzerias are popping up all over the city (Nicli Antica in Gastown, Novo in Kits, and  Verace in Crosstown) with a couple more promising ones still yet to come to East Van (Barbarella on Broadway, Via Tevere on Victoria), and I wouldn’t want it any other way. Of all the comfort foods direly overdue of a proper make-over in this city, pizza has been at the top of the list since Expo 86.

^ Photo by Phoebe Glasfurd

One of the latest joints to open its doors is Pizzeria Farina on Main Street, a venture between Chef Jean-Christophe Poirier and the Pourhouse team, which starting making pizzas in a tiny hole-in-the-wall space beside the Cobalt Hotel in mid-August.

The interior design by Craig Stanghetta is clean and simple with painted wood walls and reclaimed wood table tops and grocery shelves. The graphic work is by Glasfurd & Walker.

This operation stands out to me for a couple of reasons. Most notably, Jean Christophe Poirier (Toque!, Lumiere, Campagnolo, Chow) is a very talented and serious chef, which pretty much guarantees the quality and approach of the menu is to be both thoughtful and well-executed. I also appreciate the focus on doing one thing really well: pizza. Nothing more, nothing less.

Here are some of his JC’s own words on the Pizza Farina concept:

“The goal is to sell 100 pizzas per day. I hope that we’ll be sold out of pizzas every day – but I will never go over 100 and compromise the product. If there is any dough left over… I’ll make baguettes to sell the next day” ($3/loaf or 2 for $5).

“Our dough is not Napoletana style for many reasons. We are using a Canadian flour and our goal with the crust is to have more of a balance between crispy and chewy, thick and thin, salty and savory.”

While some pizzerias are touting their VPN certification to show their commitment to the tradition and authenticity of Neopolitan pizza, JC is mature and confident enough to keep his roots local and not rely on ingredients from Italy to make a good pizza.

The menu is dead simple and well priced, offering the Neopolitan classics (Marinara, Margherita) as well as a few creative jaunts into other regions of Italy, such as the northern Tuscan “Finocchiona” and the southern “Calabrese”.

^ The Margherita - tomato sauce, sliced mozzarella, basil and extra-virgin olive oil ~ $12

^ (Photo by Phoebe Glasfurd) Pizzeria Farina also sells artisan Italian products: house-made raw tomato sauce ($6/jar), house-made Chili-Infused and Oregano-Infused Olive Oil ($10/bottle or $18 for both) and anchovies, packed in either salt ($20) or oil ($4).

The place is catching on fast with the hyperlocals, evident by the packed house of Gastown and Main Street hipsters every time I drive by on my way home from downtown, so get there early or call ahead to avoid a long wait. A liquor license is on the way, so the time can eventually be smoothed over with draft beer and red or white wine, regardless, it is absolutely worth it.

Pizzeria Farina
915 Main Street | Vancouver
www.pizzeriafarina.com

Twitter |  Facebook

HOW TO GET THERE

Hours of Operation: From 5PM Wednesday through Sunday until the dough runs out

~ PK

Perhaps no one in the Giannakos family thought they would end up with a state-of-the-art coffee shop in downtown Vancouver when they opened Cafe Crema in West Vancouver back in December 2006. But this weekend, Revolver Coffee is set to open on 325 Cambie Street in Gastown after many months of build-out. The design is by Craig Stanghetta – I have to say I love the bright and airy space, and I love the guys brewing behind the bar. Tarry and Kristine Giannakos’ four sons will run the store. George, John, Chris and Matt are arguably some of the industry’s funniest and most dedicated baristas – and despite their young age they have travelled to coffee shops and events around the world and participated with other Vancouver colleagues like 49th Parallel Coffee Roaster’s Colter Jones in events like the TED coffee pavilion in Long Beach, California earlier this year.

They tell me they loved the building and the block where they’re located at first sight. In a neighborhood where chains like JJ Bean, Blenz and Caffe Artigiano has a solid standing, Revolver wants to offer something novel – their principal brew method will be the 1940s industrial design icon Chemex coffee brewer “with a twist”. Portland based Coava coffee roasters invented the Coava Kone in 2010, a metal mesh filter that fits in your Chemex. In my opinion, the cup result is like any filter brew, but slightly more viscous as there will be grounds at the bottom at your brewer, leading people to describe the tactile experience as something in between drinking a brew from a filter and a french press. In addition, they will on request brew using aeropress, siphon, abids, hario V60 and french press.

In addition to their two featured espressos, at the moment Hidden Cities espresso blend from Ritual Coffee Roasters in San Francisco and Panama Hartmann Honey from Calgary based Phil & Sebastian Coffee Roasters, they offer various drip coffees from these roasteries in addition to the aforementioned Coava Coffee.

Two more concepts are being rolled out as of their planned opening Friday morning: “Tasting flight” where they will brew different coffees on the Japanese Hario V60 filter brewer and a “brew flight” where they brew the same coffee in three different ways. Nerds – unite!

Naturally, many dreamy treats from Cafe Crema will be offered as well, couriered over the bridge every morning. Tentative opening hours 7:30am to 6pm 6 days a week, Sundays closed.

Revolver Coffee
325 Cambie Street | (Gastown) Vancouver
Tel: 604-558-4444
revolvercoffee.ca
Twitter

~ Mette-Marie Hansen

Maybe Keith Talent’s incessant whining (here and here) about the lack of good authentic Italian pizza in Vancouver is finally producing some tangible results. In the last few months alone, Nicli Antica Pizzeria opened up in Gastown, Verace Pizzeria Napoletana in Crosstown, and soon Novo Pizzeria and Wine Bar will open in Kitsilano in the former Incendio space beside 5th Avenue Cinemas; they are shooting for a mid-August launch.

The owners, (both from the restoration business and of Italian descent) are serious about their pizza too; they flew to Los Angeles to take an official Neopolitan Italian pizza making course with Vera Pizza Napoletanna. The V.P.N. was officially established as a denomination of control (DOC) by the Italian government, a designation that made it a legal entity able to give special designation to pizzerias who meet strict requirements that respect the traditional art of Neapolitan pizza making and the ingredients used. They also hired a veteran GM, Scott Fitch (Feenies, Lumiere, Hilton Vancouver Metrotown), to run the show.

The completely revamped space will have 88 seats inside (6 at the wine bar and 5 around the open kitchen), along with a 34 seat patio. It will be open 7 days a week from 11 am until 10 pm, with a later 11 pm closing time on Fridays and Saturdays.

They vino list will feature 20+ wines (12 red, 9 white, rose and prosecco) by the glass using an enomatic preservation system, with a focus on great value Italian wines along with some local BC favourites. The bar will also be offering Italian-inspired cocktails (think negroni). The menu will also offer a selection of traditional antipasti, pasta, and some meatier main dishes.

We look forward to a visit soon.

NOVO Pizzeria and Wine Bar
2118 Burrard Street | Vancouver
Tel: 604-736-2220
info@novopizzeria.com
www.novopizzeria.com

HOW TO GET THERE

~ PK

A warm welcome to The Oakwood Canadian Bistro in Kitsilano, the newest member of the Urban Diner community. Check out their new community listing: here

Edible Canada recently opened its doors right in the heart of Granville Island. The long-standing and expansive vision of chef and entrepreneur, Eric Pateman, the business (originally known as Edible Vancouver, then Edible British Columbia) has grown from humble beginnings as a 400 square foot stall in the market selling locally-sourced artisan products to a brand new 3,500 square foot purpose-built culinary centre. Complete with a retail store, glassed walled demonstration kitchen, and bistro with a take-out window, Edible Canada is set to showcase the best local cuisine and products like never before to tourists and locals alike.

According to Pateman, “all of the different facets of the company intertwine and work together very well – from the bistro and the retail store sharing the same space, to the guest chefs utilizing products off our shelves in their recipes, to the chef guided market tours, showing guests where the ocean wise fish is coming from that they can order for lunch in our bistro – it’s all very cohesive and fluid. Everything we do reflects our tagline – Sightseeing for your taste buds. This space is a testament to the hard working producers and farmers within our province, and now with this scope and scale we can bring in products from other provinces and territories as well. Vancouver is a world class culinary destination, and with 12 million people passing through Granville Island annually, let’s show them how incredible Canadian food and wine is.”

The bistro seats 170, including an expansive wrap-around patio. Every facet of the space was designed with sustainability in mind – from the recycled fir table tops, to the beach-scavenged cedar hostess stands (carved by Granville Island carver Clarence Mills).

The sustainable measures extend to the exterior as well; as part of the deal struck with the landlord and a corporate sponsor (GE), Edible Canada has two electric vehicle plug-in parking stalls beside their patio, utilizing one of the city’s first level 2 (full charge in 6 hours) electric charging stations.

^ Market Salad, goat cheese, Okanagan vinaigrette - $4

The bistro’s menu is a testament to how far British Columbia has come as a culinary destination with every product being sourced locally, even including the famous lobster oil recipe salvaged from the now closed Cannery Restaurant. The entire menu had me conflicted in a good way; I wanted to try everything! I eventually settled on the market salad with goat cheese and the pork belly. Both dishes were simple, fresh and perfectly executed, letting the quality ingredients speak for themselves. The compact wine list is a greatest hits of BC wine with contributions coming from the Okanagan, Vancouver Island, the Fraser Valley, and one lone gamay from Niagara. For beer they have Driftwood and Howe Sound on tap and an extensive craft bottle list from across the country. Even the spirits are all Canadian, showcasing everything from whisky, gin, vodka, and even sake.

^ Sloping Hills Pork Belly & Loin, celeriac and apple purée, pickled vegetables - $20

Edible Canada is showing great leadership by integrating and supporting local food and beverage artisans in every aspect of their business and setting a new standard for sustainability. The entire country should take notice because this is the bright future of Canadian cuisine.

Edible Canada
1596 Johnston Street | Vancouver
Tel: 604.682.6681
bistro@ediblecanada.com
www.ediblecanada.com
Twitter |  Facebook

HOW TO GET THERE

Hours of Operation:
Sunday to Thursday: 9am – 9pm
Friday & Saturday: 9am – 10pm
~~~
Breakfast: 9am – 11am
Lunch (weekdays): 11am – 4pm
Brunch (weekends): 11am – 4pm
Bar Menu: 4 – 5pm
Dinner: 5pm to close

~ PK

The City of Vancouver isn’t short on venues, to be sure, but what it has lacked for ages is a place that pays as much attention to its events as it does the other aspects of its operation. Translation: it’s hard to get a good bite at the same spot you’ll witness a great show, cut a rug, etc. Attending an event in this city usually means starving in the line up, getting blasted on unfortunate draft, taking a beating in the sweaty crowd, and then eventually wandering the streets in search of something cheap and greasy to soak up the poison. The newly opened Electric Owl, located in the building that once housed the legendary American Hotel, aims to put an end to those sorts of shenanigans.

The building underwent a much needed renovation, transforming from a dilapidated east side dive to a modern industrial haven for the culturally starved and traditionally hungry, and is now ready to host a new generation of interesting characters. Said characters are encouraged to show up in groups large or small, as the space is as flexible in concept as it is design. The Electric Owl is capable of the type of intimate seating arrangements you may find in a restaurant, as well as setups better suited for party time. Whichever way you want it, it’s up to you and approximately 200 of your nearest and dearest to fill it up and do your thing while the team at the Owl does theirs.

^ Heirloom tomato and daikon salad - $5

A menu loaded with izakaya-style options makes perfect sense given the vintage Japanese magazines and manga that are found on each of the many tables. On said menu, you’ll find properly executed classics like Albacore Tuna Tataki (seared rare and sliced) and Ebi Mayo (prawn tempura), as well as less traditional but equally welcome and tasty dishes like the Heirloom Tomato and Daikon Salad, where the perfectly ripened tomatoes were served atop a pile of simply dressed shaved daikon. Only the plate of deep fried yam heaped with spiced walnuts proved lackluster; it was a bit sweet and boring.

^ Oven-roasted yams with salty sweet walnuts and shredded nori - $5.20

^ Seared BC Albacore Tuna with a tosa soy sauce - $6.80

Izakaya cuisine is designed to be eaten while drinking, so it stands to reason that there would be an ample selection of beer, wine, sake, and signature cocktails. My crisp pint of Russell’s IP’eh was ideal for the heat and played nice with the food, and the Whisky Sour was, interestingly deviant in that it used pineapple as its source for acid.

Ultimately, the Electric Owl aims to make your life both better and easier by giving you a nice place to eat before it turns into the kind of place that you dance or take in some kind of show. The people involved seem very interested in creating a scene, and are keenly aware that the eventual success of the establishment depends on it. Keep your eyes peeled for something that suits you and check it out.

ELECTRIC OWL
928 Main Street | Vancouver
Tel: 604-558-0928
electricowl.ca
Twitter | Facebook

Restaurant Hours of Operation:
5pm to Midnight Monday to Sunday

~ Jacob Galbraith

eatapeachforhours.com

The Local Fresh Food Market has risen out of the ashes of adversity and transformed into a farmer owned store that is fast becoming a vital part of the neighbourhood and a direct link to local farm products.

Formerly known as the Grow-In Grocer, the store almost collapsed when former owner, Deb Reynolds, disappeared with the trust and money of farmers and customers alike.

Luckily, the passion of the farmers prevailed and the many of the former customers have returned to revitalize the store. Designed to avail busy city folk of Fraser Valley’s best produce, farmers eliminate the middle man and deliver the season’s freshest and finest when the harvest is at the peak of perfection. All members are committed to safe and sustainable farming and welcome the opportunity of forging a direct relationship with the consumer.

“Guaranteed access to fresh produce, often picked within hours of selling, lets our customers experience unsurpassed flavours and textures,” shares Bernice Noel, store manager. “The Fraser Valley generates some of the finest food ingredients in the world. We are a community of farmers who are collaborating to bring quality ingredients to our market within hours of harvesting.”

The owners include the Gelderman family, who began farming in 1978 on their property in Abbotsford, raising pigs and growing blueberries. Their environmental awareness is reflected in superior products and the practice of full circle farming.

Another owner is the Taves family, who run The Apple Barn. In 1940 Great Grandfather John decided to farm the fertile soils in the south part of Abbotsford. Grandson Loren and his wife Corinne have continued the orchards full of crisp sweet apples and have added berries and greenhouse vegetables, using integrated pest management for high yields without chemical pesticides.

”Just flavourful healthy beef” is the slogan for Redl’s Home Grown Beef. The two brothers raise cattle the natural way, on pasture, without antibiotics, pesticides or herbicides, or growth hormones.

Wendy Boys is the proud owner of Cocolico, a Vancouver-based company specializing in small-batch, hand-crafted chocolates and dessert sauces. She is an award-winning pastry chef who has apprenticed under world-renowned chocolatiers and designed dessert programs for some of Canada’s top restaurants. As one of the owners of Local Fresh Food Market, Wendy brings her taste for the extraordinary to the store.

Striving for excellence in local product, the store carries Birchwood Dairy gourmet ice cream, delectable cheeses from Amie’s Cheese & Dairy, Wild Coast Edibles teas, mushrooms and berries, piping hot coffee and fresh baked organic goodies from Aphrodite’s Cafe & Pie Shop, and wild sustainable seafood harvested by Blue Comet Seafoods.

The Local Fresh Food Market is the place where folks can buy local, fresh, organic or natural products grown or made in British Columbia. Check them out.

The Local Fresh Food Market
3010 Cambie Street |Vancouver

HOW TO GET THERE

Hapa Umi (Umi means ocean in Japanese), the fourth restaurant in Justin and Lea Ault’s growing restaurant group, is starting to settle into their new digs, the former Metro space on 909 West Cordova in the Waterfront Centre. This is their first departure from the izakaya (Japanese gastro-pub) concept they helped trailblaze in this city back 2003 with their Robson Street location.

The 150 seat Hapa Umi spans a large bar, lounge, and private dining room, and a has 50 seat outdoor patio that is opening sometime next week.

The restaurant space has been given a bit of a face lift with some additions of warm walnut finishes and leather seating, but most of the original design elements by David Nicolay and Rob Edmonds of Evoke ID remain the same, which is good, because it really is a beautiful room.

Hapa Umi offers sustainable seafood forward lunch and dinner menus that are Oceanwise certified. The ingredients, style and cooking techniques are an interesting mix of Japanese and French sensibilities. Here are a few pics from a recent menu tasting:

^ A taster of the award-winning Oceanwise chowder with the Tonkatsu caesar salad with pork cheek croutons

The seafood chowder and winner of the 2010 Ocean Wise Chowder Chowdown competition was fantastic, a delicious dashi broth with delicate chunks of halibut = a perfect cold, rainy day antidote. The “Tonkatsu” caesar salad was fairly routine and was elevated by the pork cheek croutons, which were very tasty.

^ Daily bento box lunch box ~ $19

The lunch bento box’s a good value, providing a mix of favourites (chicken karaage, sashimi) and some other interesting little bites (roasted duck wrapped green beans, soy marinated eggplant) for under $20.

^ Soy-Glazed Chicken Breast - Maple Hills organic chicken, soy sake butter, fondant potatoes, sautéed wild mushrooms ~ $23 (dinner menu)

This sous vide cooked soy chicken breast was tender and perfectly cooked and also the first real departure from the standard items on the menu, showing an obvious French approach to ingredients, technique and presentation. I look forward to seeing some more of these creative adventures from the kitchen. Dare I say fusion?

^ Assorted Hapa Umi signature rolls: California crab roll $12.5 and spicy tuna $8.5 (lunch menu)

The egg wrap on the California roll was a nice touch and it’s hard to go wrong with a spicy tuna roll as long as they nail the sauce, which they did.

^ Torched Yellowtail Hamachi with yuzu jalapeno jelly ~ $16 (dinner menu)

^ Vanilla bean ice cream wrapped in a passionfruit mochi w/ assorted berries ~ $8

Bizarre, chewy and tasty, this dessert was surprising, if not more than a little tricky to eat because of its dense mochi wrapper, made of glutinous rice and passionfruit puree.

Hapa Umi also offers a fairly comprehensive selection of premium sake and shochu (Japanese vodka), by the glass, bottle, and flight, giving a rare opportunity to experiment and experience the diversity of these delicate spirits in a comparative setting, something I hope to do soon.

Umi’s wine list spans 30 selected bottles from BC and around the world to compliment the menu, and there are several craft beers on offer (currently R&B and Driftwood).

I look forward to my next visit. ~ PK

Hours of Operation:
Lunch Mon-Fri 11:30-2:00
Dinner Mon-Thur 4:30-10:00 | Fri 4:30-11:00 | Sat 5:30-11:00

110-909 West Cordova | Vancouver
Tel: 604.420.4272
info@hapaumi.com
www.hapaumi.com

Twitter: @hapaumi

EVENT NOTICE:
If beer is your thing, Hapa Umi is participating in the upcoming Vancouver Craft Beer Week (May 6-14) with a special multi-course beer dinner with Driftwood Brewing on Tuesday, May 10th.

Tickets are $80 all inclusive. click here to purchase

Disclosure: cmp.ly/2/cqek68 – Media lunch menu preview

Spring showers indeed! A trio of exciting new restaurants are opening simultaneously in the month of May from three of the city’s finest chefs. Dale Mackay’s “Ensemble”, David Hawksworth’s “Hawksworth”, and André Choquette’s “Tableau Bar Bistro” at the Loden Hotel are all within weeks of opening their doors. I haven’t been this excited since I won fifty bucks at that casino in Palm Springs or scored that ‘Gordie Howe hat trick’ in the men’s beer league at 8 Rinks back in ‘99 (actually never happened, but I digress).

“ensemble is a new dining concept for Vancouver,” says Chef Dale MacKay. “We will combine classic French techniques with influences from around the world, and offer a wide variety of flavours and textures in tasting size dishes priced from $8-$24. The kitchen will be doing what I’ve always done, but with a more casual and modern approach.”

ensemble’s interior design mirrors Chef MacKay’s fresh, clean and modern culinary vision. An open concept space features a cocktail bar/lounge with 30 comfortable seats and plenty of standing room for busy times like game nights and live music weekends. The 85 seat dining room is at once intimate and social – what Dale describes as a reflection of Vancouver’s contemporary dining scene.

A longtime friend and client of Chef MacKay’s has come on board as silent partner and business advisor, but the day to day operations and creative license of the restaurant will remain the domain of MacKay and his hand-picked ensemble cast, including Sommelier/Maitre d’ Kevin van Hullebush, and Sous Chef Brad Hendrickson.

ensemble
850 Thurlow Street | Vancouver
Twitter page
www.ensemblerestaurant.com

Opening date: May 7

David Hawksworth, will bring his classically grounded, ingredient-driven cooking style to his signature fine dining restaurant at Rosewood Hotel Georgia. The Hawksworth Restaurant will feature a private dining room located on the second floor for hosting elegant dinners for up to 60 guests.

Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner Hawksworth Restaurant is grown up and glamorous, yet relaxed and welcoming and is poised to deliver an array of memorable dining experiences.

Hawksworth
801 West Georgia Street | Vancouver
Twitter page
www.hawksworthrestaurant.com

Opening date: May 7

Chef Marc-André Choquette’s Tableau Bistro and Bar at the Loden Hotel is going for a classic and sophisticated design with a “lived-in comfort” feel – inspired by authentic French cuisine – seafood, steaks, salads, sandwiches, chops. “Think Paris bistro meets New York bar.”

The cavernous former Voya space has been divided into the smaller more intimate restaurant space along with a few private meeting and dining rooms. The restaurant will also feature a new sidewalk patio and be open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Tableau Bar Bistro
1181 Melville Street | Vancouver
Twitter page | Facebook Page
www.tableaubarbistro.com

Opening date: May 7

Good luck gentlemen! We look forward to a visit.

~ PK

With the exception of Burrowing Owl’s Sonora Room, there wasn’t a lot of quality wine-forward dining options in the South Okanagan. With the opening of Miradoro, a joint venture between Tinhorn Creek and restaurateur Manuel Ferreira (of Vancouver’s famed Le Gavroche), BC’s famed wine region continues to mature, as planned, into a prime culinary tourism destination. 

^ Tinhorn Creek winemaker Sandra Oldfield leads a wine tasting in the barrel room

To start us off right on our visit, Tinhorn Creek’s resident winemaker, the talented and affable Sandra Oldfield along with assistant Korol Kuklo and viticulturist and vineyard manager Andrew Moon, led our group through an informative tasting of the winery’s flagship offerings paired with some bites from Miradoro’s new tapas menu.

Note to wine nerds: Sandra has made a small quantity of rosé with some of her beloved Cabernet Franc grapes and it is only available at the winery store and in the restaurant. That alone is worth the trip!

Miradoro, the new 4,000 square foot restaurant features 65 seats indoors and 65 seats outdoors on a wrap-around deck with panoramic views of the South Okanagan Valley below. Liberal use of natural woods and cork bring a nice warmth to the large open concept and the construction and operation of Miradoro all reflect Tinhorn Creek’s commitment to sustainable practices, from the passive solar design of the building to a kitchen composting program that nourishes the surrounding vineyards, as well as a soon to be planted herb garden in the backyard.

^ The Miradoro patio overlooks the valley and also the property's amphitheater where they have an exciting concert series planned for the summer

Before breaking ground, Tinhorn Creek worked with The Land Conservancy to identify native plant species to be replanted after construction, minimizing the impact to the natural habitats surrounding the restaurant.

True to form, locavore Chef Van Geest also has ambitious plans to take full advantage of the surrounding farms to source for the restaurant, drawing upon the region’s annual harvest to stock the restaurant larder with food at its prime flavour using different preserving techniques.

Here are a few photos of the dishes we sampled from the lunch, dinner, and dessert menu that were seamlessly paired with some of Tinhorn Creek’s award-winning wines.

*NOTE: these pictures are of sample sized plates. The actual dishes have larger servings.

^ Chorizo Consommé, peas, olive caviar

^ Grilled Humboldt Squid, red fife wheat berry salad, grapefruit, caper vinaigrette

^ Pizza Funghi - morel mushroom, asparagus, Okanagan chevre

^ Forno Roasted Chicken, fingerling potatoes, prunes, bacon, sage

^ Roast Lamb in yoghurt & ras al hanout with preserved apricot, carrot puree, cous cous

^ Dulce de Leche frita – fried custard with citrus salad

^ The talented team behind Miradoro, General Manager and Sommelier Justin McAuliffe, Executive Chef Jeff Van Geest, and Restaurateur Manuel Ferreira

A big congratulations to the staff of Miradoro and Tinhorn Creek Winery for all their hard work bringing this dream to reality. I am thrilled to report, we now have another exceptional reason to make the trip to the South Okanagan and drop in for a visit!

32830 Tinhorn Creek Road | Oliver

Tel: 250-498-3742
info@miradoro.ca
www.miradoro.ca

HOW TO GET THERE

Hours of Operation:

Lunch – 11:30am to 3pm
Lighter Fare – 3pm to 5:30pm
Dinner – 5:30pm to 9pm

~ PK