SOCIETY set to host “Pink Shirt Day” anti-bullying luncheon; Haywire: Will the home team take the gold medal?; Blue Water Cafe’s 8th Annual Unsung Heroes Festival; Get to know Quails’ Gate Winery at CRU dinner; Hawksworth Restaurant celebrates the return of Tales of the Cocktail; Kale and Nori present: La Belle Epoque Dinner at Legacy Liquor Store; Bittered Sling Bistro – February 2012 Zubrowka; Mission Hill Family Estate crowned ‘Canadian Wine Producer of the Year’ at the 2011 IWS competition; Special events for February at Legacy Liquor Store; Invite Big Lou to your Superbowl Party this year; Peckinpah Superbowl Solutions; Red Card Sports Bar is the only place to be on Super Bowl Sunday; Dine Out 2012 and Superbowl party at The Oakwood Canadian Bistro; Pink Elephant extends $18 Dine Out Vancouver menu until February 29; Celebrate Valentine’s at YEW; Invest in LFNG Portfolio 2010; Burrowing Owl Estate Winery raises over $400,000 for feathered friends & The Land Conservancy

SOCIETY SET TO HOST “PINK SHIRT DAY” ANTI-BULLYING LUNCHEON, FEBRUARY 24

Vancouver, BC (February, 2012): On Friday, February 24, join CKNW Orphans’ Fund to acknowledge ‘Pink Shirt Day’ at an anti-bullying luncheon for ladies at SOCIETY Dining Lounge. Under the restaurant’s bright pink Murano glass chandeliers, the pink-themed luncheon will feature a delicious menu, SOCIETY’s cotton candy cocktails, door prizes, a silent auction and a lovely little take-away signature ‘Pink Shirt Day’ cupcake.

The afternoon will be emceed by local media personality, Fiona Forbes from Shaw TV’s Urban Rush. Join Karen Khunkhun from CFOX Radio, Jen Schaeffers from CKNW Orphans’ Fund, Shannon Bosa Yacoub from The GLOWBAL COLLECTION and other notable Vancouver women for a wonderful afternoon in support of a very worthy cause. Proceeds raised from the luncheon will benefit the CKNW Orphans’ Fund in support of the Boys & Girls Club anti-bullying programs.

For more information about the CKNW Orphans’ Fund, visit: cknworphansfund.com/

Tickets for the luncheon are available for $25 per person and must be purchased in advance.
To secure a ticket online, visit: eventbrite.com/

Details:
“Pink Shirt Day” Anti-Bullying Luncheon at SOCIETY

Friday, February 24
12:00-2:00pm

SOCIETY
1257 Hamilton Street
Yaletown, Vancouver

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WILL THE HOME TEAM TAKE THE GOLD MEDAL?

At November’s Gold Medal Plates competition in Vancouver, Chef Feenie, food concept architect for Cactus Restaurants, won Gold with his rabbit leg confit paired to Haywire Clone 52 Switchback Pinot Gris. Now, Chef Feenie is preparing for the national competition. As the only competing chef from BC paired with a BC winery, Feenie is hoping for a win for the home crowd.

L-R: Vancouver Bronze Medallist Joël Watanabe of Bao Bei Chinese Brasserie, Vancouver Gold Medallist Rob Feenie of Cactus Club Restaurants, and Vancouver Silver Medallist Dale McKay of Ensemble Restaurant. Photo credit Gold Medal Plates.

Taking place in Kelowna, BC on February 10 and 11, the Gold Medal Plates national competition will reach new heights. After nine competitions across the country, the winning chef from each of the nine cities will head to the finale. While the dishes will only be revealed at the competition, Okanagan Crush Pad’s Haywire Pinot Noir is Feenie’s wine pairing choice. The final competition includes a mystery wine pairing, a black box competition with a secret ingredient, and the finale cook off where the chefs will create their piece de resistance in the battle for culinary glory.

Haywire winery’s owner has her fingers crossed: “We are just thrilled to be selected for this journey with Rob,” says Christine Coletta. “We wish Chef Feenie and his team the best from all of us at the winery, and we will be there rooting for him!”

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BLUE WATER CAFE’S 8TH ANNUAL UNSUNG HEROES FESTIVAL

February 1 – 29, 2012

Vancouver, B.C. (February, 2012) – Executive Chef Frank Pabst’s eighth annual Unsung Heroes Festival takes pride of place at Vancouver’s multiple award-winning Blue Water Cafe throughout the month of February.

Chef Pabst, who has won many culinary distinctions, has long been a champion of the sustainable fisheries movement. He created the Unsung Heroes Festival specifically to draw attention to the diversity of formerly under-utilized species. His concept is simple: Avoid species that are over-fished, or fished in ways that damage ocean beds or cause unnecessary by-catch, by introducing diners to new experiences and flavours using species found in abundance.

Since then, the Festival has become ‘wildly popular’ at Blue Water Cafe, as avid diners seek out new dishes, as well as returning favourites from Unsung Heroes past.

“Eight years ago, this was quite a radical concept,” Pabst says. “But now our guests are well-informed as to just how delicious and nutritional some of these lesser-known seafoods can be. I’m delighted that we’ve been able to introduce them into the mainstream.”

Again this year, 10% of proceeds will be donated to the Vancouver Aquarium’s Ocean Wise sustainable seafood program, of which Blue Water Cafe is a founding member.

Unsung Heroes Menu

recommended as sharing plates for the table

Jellyfish
stir fried with pork jowl, lotus root, chili and green onions
hoisin sauce and pea shoot salad  10.50

Periwinkles
sea snails poached in a kombu seaweed broth
served chilled in their shells, nori shoyu vinaigrette  9.50

Herring
celery salad with preserved watermelon, walnuts, fuji apples, watercress  9.50

Herring Roe
taramasalata with herring roe, grilled flat bread, citrus marinated olives  10.50

Seaweed
kaiso sunomono, mixed seaweed salad with tosa-zu sauce and ginger  7.50

Anchovy
marinated white anchovies, pearl barley, cilantro chimichurri
parmesan, romaine lettuce  9.50

Geoduck
mirugai sashimi with karashi sumiso  15.50

Sea Cucumber
smoked potato and shiitake mushroom chowder
with sautéed sea cucumber and grilled scallions  10.50

Mackerel
broiled with sesame seeds, pickled sunchokes
kabayaki sauce with orange and long pepper  9.50

Octopus
charred octopus, swiss chard, chorizo, white bean purée, romesco sauce  11.50

Sardine
pan fried in a blanket
stuffed with pine nut gremolata, broccolini, harissa sauce  9.50

Red Sea Urchin
red sea urchin trifle, avocado cream, nori seaweed nest, yuzu sake purée
peruvian gooseberries, ponzu jelly  12.50

For more info, visit: bluewatercafe.net

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GET TO KNOW QUAILS’ GATE WINERY AT CRU DINNER

February, 2011 (Vancouver, BC) – On Sunday February 26, 2012 CRU Restaurant will host a special dinner featuring the wines of Quails’ Gate Winery.

The event will allow guests to taste wines from one of BC’s hottest wineries with a four-course menu designed by one of Vancouver’s culinary stars, Executive Chef Alana Peckham. Winemaker Grant Stanley will attend the event at CRU to share his personal insights into what makes the winery so special.

The four-course dinner plus wines is only $98 per person, including tax and gratuity. Tickets are available at www.cru.ca or by phone at 604-677-4111.

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HAWKSWORTH RESTAURANT CELEBRATES THE RETURN OF TALES OF THE COCKTAIL

A Spirited Dinner – Monday, February 13th at 7pm

Vancouver, B.C., (January 30, 2012) – Hawksworth Restaurant is proud to announce A Spirited Dinner in honor of the Tales of the Cocktail’s highly anticipated return to Vancouver, for a second consecutive year. Chef David Hawksworth and his talented culinary team will prepare a southern-themed dinner to be paired cocktails featuring the Sazerac portfolio of rye and bourbon whiskeys.

Bar & Lounge Manager Brad Stanton has designed five creative cocktails to be paired with Chef David Hawksworth’s delicious canapé reception and a Creole-inspired, four course menu – a showcase of flavours from Cajun and barbeque to classic southern comfort cuisine, paired perfectly with Sazerac’s legendary sippers.

“The Sazerac Company boasts an incredible line of fine spirits allowing our team to explore the breadth and diversity with some unique cocktail creations, blended specifically for A Spirited Dinner,” states Brad Stanton. From the four course menu, guests can expect: Cajun fluke sashimi, creole ash, watermelon rind and smoked tomato, also 48hr cola & bourbon braised shortrib, grits, liquorice and puffed sorghum. The whiskeys chosen for the cocktail pairings include: Buffalo Trace, Ridgemont 1792, Eagle Rare 10 year, Blanton’s Gold Label, Sazerac 6 year rye and the legendary Sazerac 18 year rye.

A night for southern belles and esteemed gentlemen alike to mingle, dine, sip and toast to a celebration of the New Orleans cocktail culture, A Spirited Dinner takes place on Monday, February 13th within Hawksworth Restaurant’s heritage and exquisitely restored York Room at 7pm.

Tickets are $125 per person, inclusive of tax and gratuities. To book your place, email sueyen@hawksworthrestaurant.com or call 604-603-3325.

Bios, menu and wine selections available upon request.

For more information on Tales of the Cocktail, visit www.talesofthecocktail.com.

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LA BELLE EPOQUE DINNER

A treat perfect for Valentine’s Day!

Kale & Nori is proud to offer an exclusive opportunity to The Tales of the Cocktail on Tour in Vancouver “Spirited Dinner”.

This amazing cocktail conference is celebrating their second year “on tour” in Vancouver, away from their 10 year home based in New Orleans, LA. For more information visit this site www.talesofthecocktail.com

Kale & Nori is hosting this 5 course, 5 cocktail dinner on February 13 2012 at Legacy Liquor Store. The exciting part about this event is that it will be a blend of writers, bartenders and other cocktail enthusiasts. There are only 15 tickets remaining.

Menu by Chef Jonathan Chovancek and cocktails developed and presented by award-winning Mixologist Lauren Mote, sponsored by Okanagan Spirits and Tales of the Cocktail on Tour in Vancouver.

The “Belle Époque” or “Golden Age” celebrates accomplishments in Western Europe and the United States, profiling technology, medicine, music, fashion and the arts. On this day, we bring back the “Belle Époque”, as it was experienced by the fashionable, the bon vivants and the world, through the Victorian and Edwardian era(s). Era specific innovations are translated through this event, like the “Interpretation of Dreams” by Sigmund Freud (1899), the “Theory of Relativity” by Albert Einstein (1902), primary Aviation interpreted through the Wright Brothers (1903), and “Vaudeville Entertainment” (1880s-1930s) which celebrates American show business in every way – from dance to music to circus to playwright.

An opening reception with passed canapes and welcome cocktail, followed by a seated dinner, each course inspired by the “Golden Age”. There will be a bartender and chef presentation for each course. All servers and bartenders will be in “costume” and character. We will offer a “paybill” like a program for the guests as well. Cocktails inspired by late 19th century and pre-Prohibition, and beautiful foods inspired by the time, the place and the season to compliment. This event will be entertaining, exciting and a little piece of history.’

A little bit about our sponsor, Okanagan Spirits: Exquisite Gin, Whiskey, Fruit Spirits, Grappa, Eau de Vie, Brandies, Absinthe and Aquavit. Made in the Okanagan with 100% natural sources.
- “Interpretation of Dreams” by Sigmund Freud (1899)
*Surrealism
- “Theory of Relativity” by Albert Einstein (1905)
*Mathematical and scientific
- Primary aviation interpreted through the Wright Brothers (1903)
*Innovative, ground breaking
- “Vaudeville Entertainment” (1880s-1930s) which celebrates American show business
*Entertaining, naughty, unexpected, surprising, fun

Passed hors d’oeuvres & opening cocktail presented in the Okanagan Spirits Lounge.

Course 1:
“Dreams” (Sigmund Freud, 1899)
Quince mostarda glazed albacore tuna, spot prawn remoulade, spicy greens, beluga lentil-red laver vinaigrette

Paired with
“Dreams” (Sigmund Freud, 1899)
Inspired by one’s consciousness, and the symbolism of “roses” in one’s dream.

Cocktail – “Rose Nose” – inspired by the Rose cocktail of 1920, Chatham Hotel, Paris. TWG White House Tea infused Dry Vermouth, Poire Williams, Rich Floral Syrup, Rose Dust, Taboo Absinthe

Course 2:
“Aviation” (The Wright Brothers, 1903)
Flying salmon, watch them as they vigorously fly upstream… a uniquely Canadian experience.
Canados and Vancouver Island sea salt cured coho salmon, white soy and wild celery kim chi emulsion

Paired with
“Aviation” (The Wright Brothers, 1903)

The “vieux” or “view” from above – a distinctly Canadian cocktail, using distinctly Canadian ingredients”.
Cocktail- “Vieux Canadien” – inspired by the “Vieux Carre”, 1937, New Orleans.

McLoughlin & Steele Canadian Whiskey, Canados, Canadian “hard spice” Maple “Dram”, Coronation Grape Vermouth, “Bittered Sling” Crabapple Bitters

Course 3:
“Surrealism” (various players, 1920s)
Inspired by the sense of colour, texture, taste, and composition, as interpreted through surprise, unexpected juxtapositions, and non sequitur.

Caramelized squash gnocchi, wild mushrooms, seabuckthorn molten onion cream, fresh horseradish sage brown butter gremolata

Paired with
“Surrealism” (various players, 1920s)
Inspired by the sense of colour, texture, taste, and composition, as interpreted through surprise, unexpected juxtapositions, and non sequitur.

Cocktail – “Cherry Coke” – inspired by the Americano Highball, 1932, Italy.Compromised Cherry Sweet Vermouth, hyper-ludicrous Campari, Champagne-yeast fermented “cola” – based on an “original interpretation”.

Course 4:
“Vaudeville” (various players, 1880s-1930s)
Inspired by tradition, transported to location – a decidedly Vancouver dish, inspired by dynamic French and Creole applications.
Gin-mash marinated wild elk short rib, black garlic bordelaise, Chilliwack corn-blue cheese dumpling

Paired with
“Vaudeville” (various players, 1880s-1930s)
Inspired by tradition, transported to a time and location.
Cocktail – “British Raj” – inspired by the “East India Cocktail”, 1882.Gin, Singapore Breakfast Tea Syrup, “Bittered Sling” Triple-Rainbow Bitters, Blueberry Liqueur, Eucalyptus cordial – barrel aged, New French Oak 30 days.

Course 5:
“Theory of a General Relativity” (Albert Einstein, 1911)
Inspired by a bartender-friendly equation – 1 of sour, 2 of sweet, 3 of strong and 4 of weak.
Taboo Absinthe chocolate, cocoa nibs, puffed quinoa, goats milk caramel, grapefruit meringue and cranberry curd parfait

Paired with
“Theory of a General Relativity” (Albert Einstein, 1911)
Inspired by a bartender-friendly equation – 1 of sour, 2 of sweet, 3 of strong and 4 of weak.

Cocktail – “Mrs. Betty’s Chambermaid” – inspired by the Ladies Punch Club, 1707, St. James, England.
Lemon, Pimento Oleo-Saccharum, Old Italian Prune Eau-de-Vie, Local Aquavit, Lemon Bush Tea – bottle aged, 30 days.

*A modified menu for vegetarian and/or celiac allergy will be available upon request, and must be requested at the time of ticket purchase.

Tickets are $100/person, this includes tax and gratuity.
Reservation Phone Number – 604-331-7900
Online Reservation Booking – CLICK HERE
Monday February 13 2012 7:00pm-10:00pm

For more information on how to purchase tickets for Tales of the Cocktail Vancouver, please visit this link: www.talesofthecocktail.com

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BITTERED SLING BISTRO – FEBRUARY 2012 ZUBROWKA

*Please note the date of this competition has moved to Wednesdays.

The concept of cocktail and food pairings has become extremely popular, and since 2010, Lauren Mote’s original “Cocktail Kitchen” competition at The Refinery produced energetic statistics: 168 original cocktails produced, 56 bartenders invited, 224 bottles of spirits poured, 14 different sponsors. This city’s brightest bartenders – a collaboration of seasoned veterans and young apprentices – took their place behind the wood and produced magic for 1680 total guests in 14 months. We are proud to re-introduce you to “Bittered Sling Bistro” – a bi-weekly food and cocktail pairing competition using a special featured spirit(s) that is dedicated to pushing the boundaries of cocktail craft presented at the beautiful Legacy Liquor Store in Olympic Village.

The evening starts in the gorgeous foyer of Legacy Liquor Store with a cocktail and paired hors d’oeuvres reception hosted by Kale & Nori’s Lauren Mote and Chef Jonathan Chovancek. The vaulted ceilings, spirit displays and living wall create a dynamic setting for this delicious affair. Guests are guided though an interactive tasting, led by the guest bartender, right at the harvest table. The rest of the evening is rather indulgent. Chovancek plates a seasonal three course menu that has been inspired by the feature spirit’s wide range of notes and character. Each course is accompanied by an expertly paired cocktail by the guest bartender. Following the dinner, guests will be invited to rate the bartender’s presentation and pairing skills. The two top scoring bartenders at the end of the program will compete for a grand prize. This six month program offers 6 veteran and 6 apprentice bartenders their chance to promote their style and character in an superbly interactive way.

This is all about spirit – in both the bartender and the bottle.

February: ZUBROWKA “BISON GRASS” VODKA
February’s Competitors:
Wed February 08 – Jon Richard, The Vancouver Club (apprentice)
Wed February 29 – Gerry Jobe, Raudz Regional Table, Kelowna BC

About Bittered Sling Bistro
Location – Legacy Liquor Store
Time – 7:00pm – 9:30pm
Date – Wednesdays, bi-weekly
Tickets – available online through Legacy Liquor Store for $60/person (this includes HST and Gratuity); tickets available here listed under “Bittered Sling Bistro”

Menu
Hors d’oeuvres, appetizer, principal, dessert, 4 cocktails + seminar tasting**.

Hors d’Oeuvres
Smoked black pepper Pacific oyster confit, rye crostini and dill
Raw Pacific oyster* and beluga lentil caviar, wild elderberry capers and rosemary

First
Celery and parsnip puree with red lentil fried lamb Khlii, pears and hazelnuts

Principal
Albacore tuna with harissa and pistachio, whole roasted cauliflower, cannellini beans lemon pickle and dandilion greens

Dessert
Chocolate spice ruby beet torte, sheep’s milk panna cotta, salted raw boreal honey, sweet herbs and golden beet-preserved peach sauce

*The Vancouver Coastal Health advisory: “The consumption of RAW oysters poses an increased risk of food borne illness. A cooking step is needed to eliminate potential bacterial or viral contamination”.

**Vegan option available, but must be booked at the time of ticket purchase

Schedule – Spirit and host bartender schedule will be online through Kale & Nori and the Legacy Liquor Store events page. This program runs from November – April 2012 twice monthly on Wednesdays

Prizes – each host bartender receives a prize to participate; each host bartender is eligible to win one of two spots in the finals (one night), May 2012. Grand prize for winning host bartender will be announced in April 2012.

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MISSION HILL FAMILY ESTATE CROWNED ‘CANADIAN WINE PRODUCER OF THE YEAR’ AT THE 2011 INTERNATIONAL WINE & SPIRIT COMPETITION IN LONDON, UK BY PROPRIETOR OF CHATEAU HAUT-BRION

Prestigious International Award Recognizes Outstanding Quality and Excellence Across Mission Hill’s Portfolio of Fine Wines

West Kelowna, British Columbia (January 24, 2012): Mission Hill Family Estate is the 2011 recipient of the coveted IWSC Trophy as the ‘Canadian Wine Producer of the Year’ at the International Wine & Spirit Competition (IWSC) in London, United Kingdom. The award came as a complete surprise to Mission Hill Proprietor Anthony von Mandl who was presented the award in front of 600 international wine luminaries at the historic Guild Hall in London by this year’s IWSC President, Prince Robert of Luxembourg, Proprietor of Château Haut-Brion in Bordeaux, France.

The award was particularly gratifying to von Mandl who in 2006 was the first Canadian appointed as President of the IWSC. Past Presidents include: Wolf Blass, Robert Mondavi, Baroness Philippine de Rothschild, Marchese Piero Antinori, May-Eliane de Lencquesaing and Sir Anthony Greener.

“Having started back in 1981 with a vision of producing wine that could stand alongside the best in the world, it is almost overwhelming to see this dream has become reality. This award represents a profound achievement for everything our winemaking and vineyard team has accomplished at Mission Hill Family Estate,” said Anthony von Mandl.

The IWSC was founded in 1969 and is the most prestigious competition of its kind in the world. Its aim is to promote the quality and excellence of the world’s best wines, spirits and liqueurs and it is the only international competition to use a rigorous two stage judging process of professional blind tasting followed by an extensive chemical and microbiological analysis.

In addition to the 2011 IWSC Trophy for ‘Canadian Wine Producer of the Year’, Mission Hill Family Estate won 19 individual medals at the IWSC competition, including: Gold Medals for the 2009 Reserve Riesling Icewine, 2005 Select Lot Collection Riesling Icewine and 2009 Reserve Vidal Icewine. A complete listing of awards is available at www.iwsc.net

The IWSC award comes on top of Mission Hill’s recent ‘Winery of the Year’ award at the 2011 InterVin International Wine Awards Competition. Mission Hill was also featured in Wine Spectator magazine with three of the winery’s red wines – 2007 Compendium, 2007 Quatrain and 2007 SLC Syrah – earning scores of 90 points; while its signature Bordeaux-inspired wine, 2007 Oculus, scored 91 points. This is the first time a Canadian winery has ever received 90+ scores for its red wines from this publication.

In 1994, Mission Hill Family Estate won the IWSC Avery Trophy for ‘Best Chardonnay in the World’ for its Grand Reserve Barrel Select Chardonnay. At the time this was the first major international award for Mission Hill and the accolade helped place British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley on the international wine producing map.

About Mission Hill Family Estate
Mission Hill Family Estate is world renowned for its award winning wines, stunning setting and Terrace Restaurant. Honoured as one of the ‘Top Five Winery Restaurants in the World’ by Travel + Leisure magazine, the restaurant and epicurean program is led by our Executive Winery Chef Matthew Batey. Majestic mountains, scenic lakes and lush orchards encase the winery’s dramatic architecture and culminate in a setting that celebrates wine, food and the arts. With sustainable practices that ensure care for the environment, and a timelessness that respects the von Mandl family’s European heritage, guests experience the height of winemaking in an incomparable lakeside mountaintop winery. For more information visit missionhillwinery.com; Twitter @MissionHillWine and Facebook

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SPECIAL EVENTS FOR FEBRUARY AT LEGACY LIQUOR STORE

ZUBROWKA BISON GRASS VODKA & KALE & NORI PRESENT: BITTERED SLING BISTRO
Wednesday, 7:00pm – 9:30pm Feb 8, 2012
Feb 8th Guest Bartender: TBD
$60/ticket which includes gratuity and HST – 30 tickets available

We are proud to introduce you to “Bittered Sling Bistro” – a bi-monthly food and cocktail pairing competition dedicated to pushing the boundaries of cocktail craft.

LA BELLE EPOQUE SPIRITED DINNER
Monday, 7:30 to 10:00 pm Feb 13, 2012
Kale & Nori Present: La Belle Epoque – A Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Dinner

Celebrating the “Golden Age” of innovation, entertainment, education and technological advancement – 5 pillars of history, as interpreted by a Vancouver Chef and Bartender.
$100/ticket – Click Here for Menu and to Purchase Tickets – Vegetarian Option Available

TALES OF THE COCKTAIL
Various Times Feb 12, 2012 – Feb 14, 2012
Venue: Fairmont Pacific Rim, 1038 Canada Place
PURCHASE TICKETS HERE

Tales of the Cocktail® is taking its show on the road once again this February as they return to Vancouver for four days of seminars, tastings, special events and more, each featuring some of the biggest names in mixology from around the world. Join us as we dive deep into the cocktail culture of Vancouver. Taste everything at Legacy as we bring in the exclusive product line up being poured at Tales of the Cocktail.

TASTE OF AFRICA DINNER – PART TWO!
Thursday, 4 to 7 pm Feb 16, 2012

Our Taste of Africa Dinner last year was so popular and sold out so quickly that we had to do it again! Back by demand is Isaac and his wife Becky with their amazing food from Taste of Africa. Paired alongside South African wines, enjoy Sliced yams, Spinach stew
Rice & Beans, and Jollof Rice.
$45/ticket, 36 tickets available

For more info, visit: legacyliquorstore.com

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INVITE BIG LOU TO YOUR SUPERBOWL PARTY THIS YEAR

Superbowl Sunday is one of our favourite days of the year and this year our team has gone all-out  year to offer a great new way for you to enjoy the big day with us.

Our Superbowl Feast is a convenient and value-packed way to bring all the great Big Lou’s taste home to your house party. This all-in party pack includes our delicious home made and locally-sourced treats like our burgers, hot dogs, chilli and wings. All this well-rounded party requires is a little heating to be ready to serve to your houseful of football fans.

The Superbowl Feast includes:

• 2 litre Meat hook chilli
• 12 Big Lou’s Hot dogs
• 5 lbs Wings
• 6 Pemberton Meadows Burgers

The cost of for the standard feast is $120 and we’re also offering a Feast and a Half with a whole bunch more of everything for $185. We’ll be accepting orders up until Saturday February 4th for pickup by 1pm on Superbowl Sunday, February 5th.  Call the store at 604-566-9229 or email info@biglousbutchershop.com to order.

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PECKINPAH SUPERBOWL SOLUTIONS

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RED CARD SPORTS BAR IS THE ONLY PLACE TO BE ON SUPER BOWL SUNDAY

Vancouver, BC (February, 2012) — Named by those in the know as the absolute best place to watch a sports event, Red Card is undoubtedly the ‘go to place’ for the Super Bowl this Sunday. With 18 hi-def TV’s, two of which are 106” projectors, you will not miss a single moment of the action, including Madonna’s half time show. And what’s Super Bowl without amazing beer and food specials? All day at Red Card you can enjoy pints of Stanley Park Amber and Pilsner for just $5.00. Lovers of coveted Westcoast IPA Green Flash will be excited to know its back in stock and on tap this weekend at Red Card (one of the few bars in town to have it). And, of course, we will be pouring our very own Red Card Lager specially brewed for us by Sleemans.

In addition to our regular great menu, the Red Card chefs are featuring three Super Bowl specials. Chow down on Red Card Super Bowl chili – 24 hour braised Angus beef with fresh mozzarella for just $13.00. Or get a load of our special Red Card Poutine with Super Bowl Chili Fries consisting of 24 hour braised Angus beef Chili on house cut fries and fresh mozzarella for $10.00 Our specially imported wood burning oven from Italy will be turning out a Super Bowl ‘Touchdown’ Pizza with unique ingredients in honour of the day for $14.00.

Come dressed in your favourite team jersey or shirt and enter to win a $120 gift certificate for the ladies and a football jersey for the guys.

Doors open at 10 a.m. and get ready to party. First come – first served. For large group inquiries or reservations of more than 10 people, please email info@redcardsportsbar.ca. A credit card will be required and restrictions may apply.

For more info, visit: redcardsportsbar.ca

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DINE OUT 2012 AT THE OAKWOOD CANADIAN BISTRO

Only two days remain of Tourism Vancouver’s 2012 Dine Out, coming to a close this Sunday February 5th. Take your Dine Out adventures to Kitsilano’s latest room The Oakwood Canadian Bistro this week, and try their tasty $28, 3-course menu while sipping premiere BC craft beers and hand crafted cocktails.

Appetizer
Roasted potato, pepper and leek soup with garlic foam
Poplar Grove Pinot Gris / Kronenbourg
or
Radiccio salad with honey vinaigrette, goat cheese, candied pecans and bacon lardons
Taltalus Reisling / Monster Merlot
~
Entrée
Braised lamb stew with carrots, brussel sprouts garnished with potato ravioli
Laughing Stock Blind Trust / Monster Merlot
or
Butter poached albacore tuna with tuna confit and herb risotto
Poplar Grove Pinot Gris / Kronenbourg
~
Dessert
Nanaimo bar brulée
Poplar Grove Dessert Wine
or
Beet and carrot cake with blue cheese cream
Poplar Grove Dessert Wine

Book your reservations and view the Oakwood’s special $28 Dine Out menu through the Tourism Vancouver website at www.tourismvancouver.com.

The Oakwood Canadian Bistro serves fresh, honest food in a casual neighbourhood environment. This modest Kitsilano room encourages diners to gather around the central communal table with old and new friends, sip BC craft beers and linger over one of Chef Michael Robbins’ seasonally driven dishes. The restaurant is open Tuesday to Sunday from 5pm to late (1am on weekdays, 2am on weekends) and open for brunch on Saturday/Sunday from 10am to 3pm.
www.oakwood.ca

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SUPERBOWL PARTY AT THE OAKWOOD CANADIAN BISTRO

What :: On Sunday February 5th join Kitsilano’s premiere food and cocktail joint, The Oakwood Canadian Bistro for Super Bowl XLVI. Enjoy pre-game brunch from 10am-3pm amongst old and new friends, and then catch all the Super Bowl action on a big screen HD projector and 5 HD TVs.

When :: Sunday February 5th 2012, 10am to late

Where :: The Oakwood Canadian Bistro, 2741 West 4th Avenue, Vancouver BC

Why :: Guests will enjoy pre-game brunch featuring the famous AAA Burger and fries (or salad) with a BC craft beer for only $15. Draft beer, mimosas and caesar’s on special all day and full menu available from 5pm until late.

How :: For reservations please call 604.558.1965 or visit www.theoakwood.ca.

The Oakwood Canadian Bistro serves fresh, honest food in a casual neighbourhood environment. This modest Kitsilano room encourages diners to gather around the central communal table with old and new friends, sip BC craft beers and linger over one of Chef Michael Robbins’ seasonally driven dishes. The restaurant is open Tuesday to Sunday from 5pm to late (1am on weekdays, 2am on weekends) and open for brunch on Saturday/Sunday from 10am to 3pm.

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PINK ELEPHANT EXTENDS $18 DINE OUT VANCOUVER MENU UNTIL FEBRUARY 29

(Vancouver, BC) February, 2012 – Can’t get enough Dine Out? Neither can Pink. Desmond Chen, president of Thai House Restaurant Group, is pleased to announce that his newest restaurant, Pink Elephant Thai, is extending its popular $18 Dine Out Vancouver menu until February 29.

Pink Elephant Thai’s three-course $18 Dine Menu offers incredible value and several favorite Thai dishes. Guests may select from three appetizers: Alberni Mango Roll, fresh salad roll with mango and tiger prawn; Fish Cakes; or Floating Market, deep-fried spinach with tiger prawn, served with spicy green apple sauce. For entrees, choose from Matsaman Curry, a creamy coconut chicken curry with cashew nuts; or Grilled Free Range Duck Breast with spicy garlic and chili sauce; or traditional Pad Thai. Enjoy Three Princesses for dessert: sweet sticky rice with egg custard, fresh mango and sweet coconut strips.

To complement the menu Jackson Triggs wines are available for $6.50 per glass, and Pink Elephant Thai’s Lychee-tini and Pink Margarita are on special for $5.00.

Pink Elephant Thai is located at 1152 Alberni Street open seven days a week, from 11:30am daily, serving lunch, dinner, cocktails, plus everything in between. For reservations phone 604.646.8899. or for more information please visit PinkElephantThai.com, follow @pinkethai on Twitter, and become a fan on Facebook.com/pinkelephantthai.

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CELEBRATE VALENTINE’S AT YEW

Heed the cry of lovers everywhere and immerse yourself in romance and delicious dining for a Valentine’s long weekend love fest – February 11 to 14.

Executive Chef Ned Bell has created five inspired Valentine’s menus that build from “First Date Saturday” and “Second Date Sunday,” to “No Pressure Weekend Brunch,” “Going Steady Monday” and “True Romance Tuesday.” Each menu offers a little something different and range from a three-course brunch menu for $45, a four-course dinner menu for $59, to a five-course dinner menu for $79.

Each menu features the best of sustainable and mostly local seafood including appearances from oysters, scallops, lobster, Dungeness crab and the best of the daily catch.

Pastry Chef Bruno Feldeisen has created a number of delicious desserts such as his signature Melt My Heart sweet treat featuring white chocolate and almond mousse cake, raspberry champagne cream and candied rose petals.

Make a romantic night of it and book the Hotel’s Celebration Package and be sure to share your Vancouver Love Story on the Four Seasons Hotel Vancouver Facebook page for a chance to win a five-course Valentine’s menu, including wine, and a Celebration Package overnight stay in an Executive Suite for the evening of Tuesday, February 14. Champagne, strawberries, breakfast in bed, valet parking – the works!

If Cupid has fallen down on the job and you’re spending the holiday alone or with friends – pull up a seat at the bar and order some Romance – the cocktail. Justin Taylor’s festival refreshing pink cocktail is sure take restore your spirits.

For more info, visit: yewrestaurant.com

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INVEST IN LAUGHING STOCK PORTFOLIO 2010

Laughing Stock Vineyards has opened the Futures Offering of Portfolio 2010, our signature Bordeaux-style blend. Only available for a limited time, the Futures Offering provides early subscribers with the option to secure orders of Portfolio at a reduced price before it is released to the public later this fall. Portfolio continues to be recognized as one of BC’s big reds and as noted by John Schreiner, reputed wine writer, “Portfolio is one of those reds that should be collected by anyone serious about building a cellar of British Columbia Wines”.

This year’s vintage continues to showcase the best reds we grow with a blend of the classic Bordeaux varietals: Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot. The 2010 vintage was a cooler vintage and thus early blending trials are showing a very elegant and classic expression of fruit.

The futures price is $35 per bottle (unchanged since we launched the winery in 2003), thus the program offers discounts from the release price of $42 in Fall 2012. A great arbitrage opportunity!

If you purchase Portfolio annually, you may be interested in becoming a Preferred Shareholder to gain specific benefits such as free shipping as a wine club member. Details are noted below.

February is officially Futures month and this offer is only open until FEBRUARY 29, 2012. You may place your Futures order here.

For more info, visit: laughingstock.ca

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BURROWING OWL ESTATE WINERY RAISES OVER $400K FOR FEATHERED FRIENDS & THE LAND CONSERVANCY

January 30, 2012 (Vancouver, BC) – The Okanagan’s Burrowing Owl Estate Winery is pleased to announce that as of December 31, 2011 it has donated over $400,000 to support of the work of the Burrowing Owl Conservation Society of British Columbia, SORCO (the South Okanagan Rehabilitation Centre for Owls), and The Land Conservancy of BC.

Burrowing Owl Estate Winery supports these organizations with funds raised at its winery tasting room. Visitors are encouraged to make a suggested minimum $2 donation when they visit the winery to taste its world-class wines. The winery’s donations now provide the majority of the Burrowing Owl Conservation Society’s annual funding.

Burrowing Owl invites everyone to drop by and sample our award-winning wines in our tasting room. After all, it’s for the birds!

For more info, visit: bovwine.ca

Vancouver Craft Beer Week seemed to have signalled the arrival of craft beer in Vancouver’s public consciousness. As a result, we’ve seen surprising innovation and growth from BC brewers. There’s a similar renaissance developing in Vancouver’s cocktail culture. That spirit has gained us a festival that is sure to be a comparable catalyst for our city’s bartenders.

Tales of the Cocktail is an annual event held in New Orleans that brings together cocktails, cuisine, and culture in five days of seminars, dinners, competitions and tasting rooms. Entering its tenth year, Tales of the Cocktail attracts the world’s most respected authorities in mixology, offering something for cocktail professionals and enthusiasts alike. Last year, Tales went on tour, and Vancouver was chosen as its first international location. Its success made Tales of the Cocktail on Tour Vancouver a permanent fixture.

“Vancouver is such a rich, vibrant cocktail city. We couldn’t help but come back for a second year,” said Ann Tuennerman, Co-founder of Tales of the Cocktail. “With all the friends we’ve made north of the border, it’s really become our home away from home.”

Tales of the Cocktail on Tour Vancouver is being held again at the Fairmont Pacific Rim Hotel from February 12-15. This year’s official festival cocktail is Roaming Buffalo Punch by Chambar’s Jacob Sweetapple, chosen by a panel of cocktail experts in a competition that saw more than 50 submissions from working Canadian bartenders. It will only be available at events throughout the festival’s four days. Here’s a sample of what’s to come:

Seminars

• Punch and Beyond: Colonial American Drinks
• Bitter Not Twisted
• Tequila Evolved

read more…

Special Events

• Hollywood North Official Opening Party
• BC Bar Crawl
• Farewell Vancouver, Hello New Orleans

read more…

Tasting Rooms

• Havana Cultura
• A Mad Tea Party
• Around the World in Whisky Days

read more…

A new addition to Tales of the Cocktail on Tour Vancouver is a series of “Spirited Dinners” held on the night of February 13 in eight of the city’s most celebrated restaurants. Each pairing menu explores a special theme, such as La Belle Époque, East Meets West, and Southern Style.

“The Spirited Dinners have become an irreplaceable part of the Tales of the Cocktail experience,” said Paul Tuennerman, Co-Founder of Tales of the Cocktail. “I’m happy we can share this unique experience with our friends in Vancouver this year.”

Dinners range in price and are inclusive of tax and gratuity. Space is limited and reservations are required (should be made directly with each restaurant). Visit the Tales of the Cocktail Web site for full details.

Tales of the Cocktail on Tour Vancouver
February 12-15
TalesoftheCocktail.com
Tickets: US$195.00 for all-inclusive festival pass (online purchase)

Recommended reading: How to Drink All Day at Tales without Getting (Too) Drunk

~ RG

Tales of the Cocktail on Tour Vancouver is right around the corner, taking place February 12-15.  At this second annual installment of the satellite event of New Orleans’ own Tales of the Cocktail, tequila and mezcal will figure prominently.  Charlotte Voisey, Iván Saldaña, and your very own agave correspondent will be presenting an entertaining and educating seminar entitled Tequila Evolved on Tuesday February 14.

Tequila Evolved: How Tequila Evolved, How Tequila Cocktails have Evolved and How Tequila will Continue to Evolve

Agave genius Iván Saldaña Oyarzábal is flying in from Mexico to join Charlotte Voisey and Eric Lorenz for an invigorating discussion on the past, the cocktails and the future of tequila.

^ The traditional way of extracting juice from the Agave as seen here at Fidencio Mezcal’s distillery

Ever wondered if the Mesoamericans discovered, fermented and even distilled agave beverages before the Spanish arrived in 1519?  If so, how long ago? And how has fermentation been intricately interwoven with the rise of civilization itself?  These questions will be explored in fascinating dialogue with Eric Lorenz citing provocative new research by archaeologists from the University of British Columbia.

Charlotte will be on hand for cocktail relief with silver, reposado and añejo tequilas.

^ Early distillation in Mexico: Spanish colonial-era copper alembic still in the foreground, early clay pot still used by indigenous Zapotec peoples at present (distillate from this type of still is known as "mezcal de olla") at left. Credit: Eric Lorenz.

For anyone who attended Tales of the Cocktail in New Orleans this past summer and who saw and heard Iván speak at the Before Man, the Plant seminar, you’ll recall that his knowledge of agave botany and plant physiology is unmatched.  Charlotte’s strengths (two of many actually…) are in telling the (his)story of a classic cocktail while tantalizing the tastebuds – she’ll be doing that with the margarita and more – thanks to Milagro Tequila.  And your correspondent?  Well, if you read any of my Ancient Origins of Agave Spirits series over at Examiner.com, you’ll have some idea where (and when) we’ll be going.  But you’ll have to turn up in person to hear about our new and future research – in which we’ll literally dig up the smoking guns showing early origins of agave beverage fermentation and ritual use of these beverages and analyze them using state-of-the-art molecular biology techniques.

^ Charlotte Voisey

What if I didn’t sign up in time and the Tequila Evolved seminar is full, you ask?  Well, you can still come on out to the BC Bar Crawl any time between February 12-15 and enjoy agave spirits featured at these fine establishments:

• Boneta
  12 Water Street Courtyard
  “Callejón de la Sangre” with Scorpion Mezcal created by Ben De Champlain

• The Keefer Bar
  135 Keefer Street
  “Ma Mong O” with Don Julio Tequila created by Danielle Tatarin

• West Restaurant
  2881 Granville Street
  “Geishagave” with T1 Tequila Uno created by David Wolowidnyk

And your correspondent has also learned, by leaving no stone unturned and through plenty of late-night “research” of course, that imbibers may also get a taste of mezcal if they head over to Blue Water Café or Revel Room for their cocktails featuring Cointreau and Licor 43, respectively.  But you didn’t hear that from me.

Finally, master distillers German Gonzalez of T1 Tequila Uno and Douglas French of Scorpion Mezcal are threatening that they may even be on hand for the week.  Either way, cocktail lovers and agave lovers alike will have plenty to rejoice about at Tales of the Cocktail Vancouver.

Not enough for you because you’re such an extreme agave enthusiast, you say?  Well, you’re in luck – you can enroll in the first-time-in-Canada Mezcalier Level 1 course taking place on February 16 at Latitude on Main.  This is the one and only Mexican government-certified course that you can take to be able to call yourself a “mezcalier” – and it’s only the beginning (1 of 4).  See www.mezcalier.com for costs and details.  Of course, the most important detail is that you’ll be tasting at least 20 mezcals you’ve never tasted before.

And speaking of mezcal – did I mention that British Columbia’s mezcal selection just increased by about 900%?  More on that later.

~ Eric Lorenz

‘Fresh’ is a term in coffee that has been overused by retailers and consumers alike, to the point that it doesn’t mean anything anymore. What is freshness?

Typically fresh coffee is thought of as a roasted product. It has only been within the last few years that roast dates have become a relevant selling feature of freshness in addition the desultory scribblings that ensure us of a fresh brew. All coffee is brewed fresh if you don’t consider the freshness of the product that you’re brewing or the time at which the coffee was brewed. Technically you could have a coffee that was ‘freshly brewed’ five hours ago.

Seasonality in coffee is a concept that is often overlooked and undervalued because it hasn’t been presented as a marketable selling feature in an industry that is heavily dependent on coffee blends. Blends provide consumers with the appearance of stability, but in reality blends of coffee change all the time. Specialty roasters have combated the blend epidemic by shifting their emphasis towards single-estate coffees and providing as much information as they can about the quality and origin of the coffee. This type of buying practice encourages rotation of small lots that have been farmed within a fairly recent time frame.

^ click to enlarge

The downside of marketing single-estate coffees for a larger scale retailer is that the amount of coffee is purchased is limited to the amount of coffee that a farm can produce. Typically repeat customers want to buy the same item that they have enjoyed in the past, so being too specific is a very dangerous endeavor for large coffee companies. A company like Starbucks who wishes to maintain the perception of quality amongst their customers has countered by labeling their coffees according to their countries of origin but provide no specific information about when or where they were farmed. This allows them to buy substantial volumes of coffees and stockpile them to maintain a constant supply.

The expiration of green coffee is a debated issue, but typically coffees are at their best closest to their arrival time at the roaster. When a coffee is received there is already a substantial gap between the time that the coffee was harvested and when it arrives typically due to transfer issues. Coffees that are bought at auction can often be problematic when considering that green coffee is not impermeable to the effects of degradation. A high scoring coffee relies on subtleties in flavor when it is judged at origin may lose some of those qualities during transfer. The bigger they are the harder they fall. Transfer issues can be minimized through methods like proper packaging, but the green coffee is still susceptible to degradation caused by time.

Each different region where coffee is grown has a different growing season, which is why it is has become important for coffee companies to predominantly feature coffees from specific areas to provide the freshest coffee possible. Most countries only have one growing season per year, which means that if your company commits to carrying a specific region year-round then there will be a period of time where the green coffee that you are roasting is at least a year old. Featuring coffees that are currently arriving to the roasting facility places emphasis on the importance of fresh green coffee and offering the best quality that each region has to offer. It is important from a retailing standpoint to educate the customer about the importance of an active green-buying program and that periodic menu changes are a measure that helps to increase quality.

~ Colter Jones

According to the Charaka samhita Ayurveda evolved out of a need to address the acute and chronic disease that emerged when humans first began to live together in settled communities. This suggests that the basic structure of Ayurveda could be as old as the Neolithic in India, some 10,000 years ago. By any measure Ayurveda is an ancient and venerable healing tradition, and has an enormous amount of empirical weight behind its practices, including diet. While I tend to recommend a strict Paleolithic diet in autoimmune disorders, obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease, the Ayurveda diet is suitable in many other conditions and as a general diet to promote good health.

Ayurveda recognizes two basic diets: vegetarian and non-vegetarian. Each is chosen on the basis of a number of different factors including constitution, ancestry, climate, geography, season, age, gender and disease. Secondary factors include personal habits, aesthetics, religion and culture, although strictly speaking, these aren’t within the scope of Ayurveda and in some cases may interfere with treatment. According to the late Dr. Mana Bajra Bajracharya of Kathmandu, a traditional Ayurvedic physician whose practice represented over 700 years of hereditary knowledge, there are prescribed ratios for each type of diet, whether vegetarian or non-vegetarian.

According to Dr. Mana, the general composition of a non-vegetarian diet should be:
• three parts starchy foods (e.g. whole grains, starchy vegetables)
• one part meat, poultry, fish, or egg
• one part green vegetables and seasonal fruits
• one part liquids, such as herbal tea, water, etc.

According to Dr. Mana, the general composition of a vegetarian diet should be:
• four parts starchy foods (e.g. cereals, starchy vegetables)
• one part legumes (e.g. dhal, beans, lentils) prepared as a soup
• one part dairy (e.g. milk, butter, ghee, curd)
• one part green vegetables and seasonal fruits
• one part liquids, such as herbal tea, water, etc.

The Ayurveda diet can also be modified on the basis of each dosha, emphasizing flavors and qualities in the diet that balance it. Specific diets that relate to the doshas are only used on a therapeutic basis, to reduce and balance the aggravated qualities. In contrast, diets used to balance the constitution have a greater degree of flexibility.

Vata-reducing diet
A vata-reducing diet is predominant in sweet, sour and salty flavors, expressing the qualities of hot, wet and heavy. This includes foods such as:

• Soup stock made from bones, marrow and seaweed
• Nourishing, fatty meats prepared as soups and stews, e.g. pork, lamb, goat, mutton, fish, beef, bison
• Leafy greens and other vegetables, eaten lightly stir-fried with warming herbs and spices
• Starchy vegetables, prepared with fat and moisture
• Whole grains and legumes, prepared as soups and stews with herbs and spices
• Boiled milk, with herbs and spices
• Fermented foods, e.g. pickles, sauerkraut, kefir, yogurt
• Stewed fruits, prepared with spices and fat
• Nourishing oils and fats such as olive oil, sesame oil, butter, ghee
• Warming herbs and spices, e.g. ginger, cinnamon, garlic, fenugreek, basil, hing, cumin
• Salty foods, such as seaweed, sea salt and mineral salts

Pitta-reducing diet
A pitta-reducing diet is predominant in sweet, bitter and astringent flavors, expressing the qualities of cold, light and dry. This includes a preference for foods such as:

• Soup stock made from vegetables, mushrooms as well as cooling herbs and spices
• Lean cuts of meat, prepared baked or grilled, e.g. poultry, fish, bison, elk, wild game
• Leafy greens and other vegetables, steamed or eaten raw
• Whole grains and legumes, prepared as soups and stews with cooling herbs and spices
• Raw milk, fresh yogurt, buttermilk
• Fresh fruit, with minimal citrus and sour varieties
• Cooling fats and oils, such as coconut and ghee
• Cooling herbs and spices, e.g. coriander, fennel, turmeric, clove, mint, cumin, licorice
• Cane sugar (jaggery, gur) in limited amounts

Kapha-reducing diet
A kapha-reducing diet is predominant in bitter, pungent and astringent flavors, expressing the qualities of hot, light and dry. This includes a preference for foods such as:

• Soup stock made from spicy herbs such as garlic, ginger, onion and chili
• Limited amounts of lean meats, prepared baked or grilled, e.g. poultry, fish, bison, elk, wild game
• Leafy greens and other vegetables, steamed or stir-fried with only a little fat
• Light and drying grains such as barley, buckwheat, millet and wild rice
• Most legumes, prepared with warming herbs and spices
• Sour and bitter fruits such as lemon and lime
• Fermented foods, made with bitter and pungent vegetables such as onion, daikon, radish, cabbage, tomato, peppers
• Warming herbs and spices, e.g. ginger, cardamom, cayenne, ajwain, black pepper, mustard
• Honey, in limited amounts

In my next set of entries, I’ll tackle vegetarian and vegan diets.

~ Todd Caldecott

For more info, visit: ToddCaldecott.com

Job details inside.

Naramata Heritage Inn & Spa seeking restaurant/catering manager. Wine knowledge/education essential, previous management/supervision experience in upscale casual dining required. You are: easy-going, passionate about food/wine, a born leader, results driven, a service nazi, a computer nerd, creative, grounded.

Email: jobs@naramatainn.com

Fax: 250.496.5001

When I first became involved with Vancouver’s craft beer community, Belgium came to mind when thinking about the sort of beer culture I hoped we could cultivate here. Rather than attempt to transplant Flanders in the Lower Mainland, developing a Flemish-style appreciation for beer and food in local terms seemed more appropriate. It would have to include the Reinheitsgebot styles embraced by our pioneering craft brewers and the English traditions the Campaign for Real Ale advocates.

We’ve come a long way in the last five years. Previously, the average punter only saw draught industrial lager and fried food as natural partners, while the occasional brewmaster’s dinner was celebrated by beer geeks as Christmas come early. Now, more establishments are getting beyond the unappealing sleeve as the only glass to serve beer in. Chefs are also spilling more beer into their pots and liking the results.

For beer-forward businesses, this means taking it to the next level. Biercraft’s new Battle of the Belgians dinners offer a glimpse of what’s to come. Here’s what Chef Don Farion and his team offered last month at their “100 Points Quad Dinner” featuring five courses paired with Belgian quadrupels (amongst the world’s best beers, according to ratebeer.com) supplied by David Turnbull of Horizon Wines:

^ Mushroom cappuccino with spiced truffled cream.
Pairing: Trappistes Rochefort 10

^ Antipasti plate: applewood house-smoked oysters, caviar, Chimay à la Bière cheese, truffle chèvre, Wagyu beef rissoles, venison & blueberry sausage, fig & brandy jam, organic gold & red pickled beets.
Pairing: Chimay Grand Réserve

^ Spicy Asian beef tenderloin salad with bok choy, celeriac, roasted potatoes & yams, malt extract, and Cascade hops.
Pairing: Gouden Carolous Cuvée Van de Keizer Blauw

^ Yarrow Meadow Muscovy duck with beet tops, potato croquette, fig & sour cherry demi-glace.
Pairing: Westvleteren 12

^ Curried banana cannoli with salted caramel brittle.
Pairing: St. Bernardus Abt 12

There was a sixth “course”. At the end of the dinner, we were served tasting glasses of the five quadrupels and asked to rank them blind. The one-time best beer in the world, Westvleteren 12, garnered the top spot, followed by Rochefort 10 – both Trappist-made ales, which speaks to why there were high hopes for the Mont des Cats that I recently reviewed.

Without question, this was the best beer dinner I have attended to date. The fact that the extremely rare Westvleteren 12 was available, made it noteworthy alone. And for the quality that diners received, the $100 cost represented exceptional value. However, what truly elevated the experience was the creativity employed in offering excellent pairings that highlighted the synergy one can achieve with food and beer.

Biercraft’s next Battle of the Belgians will feature tripel ales.

~ RG

pH5: the slightly acidic state at which an animal’s muscle tissues come to rest after slaughter. With pH7 as neutral, it’s slightly left of centre but not radically so—figuratively speaking, it denotes an environment ripe for change. An apt moniker for chef David Gunawan’s latest adventure.

The former executive chef of West Restaurant recently returned from a three-month stage at Belgium’s Indewulf with renewed focus and passion for his craft. David’s travels through Spain, Flanders and the Nordic region spurred a leap in his already-evolving culinary approach, inspired in no small part by the simplest of dishes: “Prawns grilled over homemade charcoal at Asador Extebarri and served completely unadorned except for a sprinkling of sea salt. That’s it. Nothing to compete with the gentle smokiness, the prawns’ delicate sweetness. No excess of ingredients to hide behind. Just two elements on a plate. One dish at Noma had more components to it than my entire tasting menu at Extebarri.”

He poured his newfound inspiration into conceptualizing pH5, a cooperative food and dining movement that “rebels against convention and current trends while embracing the land and the purity of the ingredients that it offers us.” Its goal: to bring people’s focus squarely back to the essence of food and drink at its most basic through an ongoing series of thematic meals and events.

Participating in pH5 will be farmers, purveyors, cooks, sommeliers and barmen who are just as passionate about the integrity of the process as they are about the finished product. Beyond the plate and the glass, though, David aims to remove the formality of fine dining and cultivate a relaxed, unpretentious experience.

pH5’s inaugural five-course $70 menu celebrated vegetables in all of their simple glory. He explains, “I wanted to create a different persona for vegetables, equating if not exalting their status among other culinary ingredients. Each dish highlighted the distinctive flavour profile of each individual vegetable, although certain dishes emulated the environment in which the vegetables were found.”

The gauntlet he threw down for himself? Three elements on a plate and nothing more. Parings featured Osake by Masa Shiroki of Granville Island’s Artisan Sake Maker and imaginative cocktail creations by Tanya Roussy of Maenam. David offers his reflections on the evening’s dishes:

Amuse • Warm juice of white beets, macintosh apple and horseradish / sourdough bread by Myra Maston of Thierry

1st • Compressed kohlrabi, concord pear granité, salted Asian pears, watercress from Hannah Brooks farm

“This dish was inspired by my meal at Relæ, a Danish restaurant that strongly emphasizes vegetable cookery. I wanted to highlight kohlrabi, an under-recognized ingredient, using the comforting taste of pear as a familiar flavour reference. Salting the pears eliminated their dominant sweetness and allowed the kohlrabi to shine.”

2nd • Smoked cabbage, juniper and goat’s milk potato purée

“We treated cabbage as meat—cured it in salt, sugar and spices, similar to making a pastrami. By smoking it whole over charcoal at low heat, we charred the outer layer while preserving the texture of the inner layer. The results were more than surprising because the outer layer tasted fermented with a lot of umami, while the inside remained blissfully sweet—just like the core of a medium-rare beef.”

3rd • North Arm Farm heirloom carrots roasted with hay butter, Alpindon cheddar foam

“Finished this dish with burnt hay to mirror the way farmers would burn their fields at the end of harvest.”

4th • Jerusalem artichoke, Meyer lemon purée, brown butter vinaigrette

“Two different sunchokes. The hard white skin was charred to create a crispy texture while keeping it soft inside. The red was half boiled before roasting in the oven to retain its pure flavour.”

5th • House-made organic yogurt in three different textures / meringue, marshmallow, ice

pH5 meals will be held once weekly until April when they’ll shift to a monthly schedule. The next five-course dinner is slated for Wednesday, January 25 and a limited number of seats are still available. If you’d like to attend, be put on the mailing list for future events, or contribute your time and talents and participate, please email David Gunawan directly at ph5dining@gmail.com.

~ Joie Alvaro Kent

Blind tasting reviews are a fun game to play with restaurant sommeliers and wine nerds across town. I pour a glass from a mystery bottle and ask them to review it blind. By not knowing what the wine is or who represents it, hopefully, an honest-no-bs-review is achieved.

Come inside and read the review of our next contestant…

^ Erin Chambers, manager of Vij's

Wine reviewed by Erin Chambers, manager of Vij’s. Erin grew up in Vancouver and has been at Vij’s for four years, where she also runs the wine education program for servers. She has a diploma from the International Sommelier Guild and is currently pursuing her Wine and Spirit Education Trust Diploma. She’s no stranger to the fruits of the vine.

Hecht & Bannier Saint Chinian AOC 2009
ABV: 13.5%
Category: Mainly Syrah (Grenache, Mourvèdre)
Country/Region: Saint Chinian AOC, Languedoc Roussillon, France
Winemaker: hechtbannier.com

Appearance: High intensity ruby with a hint of purple and a pale ruby rim.

Nose: Clean with medium-plus intensity of blackberries, red licorice, black pepper, violets and leather.
Palate: Dry with medium-plus structural elements including body, acidity, alcohol and soft tannins. Medium flavour intensity of blackberries, sweet oak, black pepper and violets. Medium length.

Assessment of quality: Good quality wine. Well balanced between the fruit concentration and the tannic structure, although it shows more complexity on the nose than the palate. Drink now or will hold two to three years. A straightforward, quaffable wine.

Further comments upon revealing the wine: Reasonable value for quality. Has typicity of the syrah varietal. Will benefit from decanting. It needs food – preferably something rich and fatty such as braised lamb or cassoulet.

Availability: Available at BC Liquor Stores.

Pricing: $30

From 1903 through to 1926, Ada Coleman, or as her regulars called her, “Coley”, worked the bar at the Savoy Hotel’s American Bar in London. She was a very talented bartender who proceeded the great, Harry Craddock, who in 1924 would come over the pond from America to manage the Savoy. Six years later he would publish the Savoy cocktail book, where the first recipe for the Hanky Panky was found.

Ada had regulars such as Charlie Chaplin, WC Fields, and Mark Twain. One particular regular, Charles Hawtrey, an English actor preferred a drink, “with a bit of punch to it.” One evening Ada came up with a new recipe involving London dry gin, Sweet Vermouth, and Fernet Branca. Upon tasting it Mr. Hawtrey said, “By Jove! That is the real hanky panky!” It has been called the, Hanky Panky ever since.

The great thing about the Hanky Panky cocktail is that a drink with only three ingredients is so delicious. The secret is nailing the dilution and the temperature. I like to use Beefeater as the gin component because the heavier juniper presence really stands up well to the complexity of the Fernet Branca. I use Cinzano Rosso for the vermouth. I find certain other vermouths like Carpano Antica formula a little too complex for this cocktail. Finally, the orange twist also helps pull everything together by delivering an elegant citrus nose. As you taste, the spice notes from the gin will be first, then the fruit from the vermouth, finished with the lovely bitter characteristics of the Fernet Branca.

Here’s the recipe:

• 45 ml Beefeater gin

• 45 ml Cinzano Rosso vermouth

• 10 ml Fernet Branca

- Add all ingredients to a chilled mixing glass.
- Add ice and stir for 20-30 seconds.
- Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
- Squeeze an orange peel over the cocktail and drop in the glass. Enjoy.

My favorite pre-dinner cocktail, but really can be enjoyed anytime!

~ Shaun Layton

(Image courtesy of: Kamyar Adl)

The GLOWBAL COLLECTION + Dine Out Vancouver 2012; Dine Out at Sequoia for a chance to win big; West announces upcoming wine and cocktail dinners; Dine Around Abbotsford returns Jan 16-Feb 4; Spirited Dinner at the Granville Room “East Meets West”; Hawksworth Restaurant takes delivery of Black Winter Truffles; Project Chef program introduces healthy eating to over 4500 children

THE GLOWBAL COLLECTION + DINE OUT VANCOUVER JANUARY 20 – FEBRUARY 5, 2012

Vancouver, BC (January, 2012): The GLOWBAL COLLECTION is proud to once again participate in Dine Out Vancouver, the city’s annual restaurant festival, January 20 to February 5. All seven restaurants within The GLOWBAL COLLECTION – glowbal, COAST, Sanafir, Italian Kitchen, Trattoria, SOCIETY and Black+Blue – will feature inspired three-course, prix fixe menus, indicative of each restaurant’s concept. From BC snapper to butter chicken, veal piccata to lobster ravioli — along with a host of decadent desserts — there is something at each GLOWBAL locale to tempt the home cook to take the night off.

As a special treat, until January 15, The GLOWBAL COLLECTION is offering guests 25% off the food portion of lunch and brunch bills at all locations (except Sanafir). Go here for details. Happy New Year indeed.

glowbal’s three-course Dine Out menu is $38. Choose from roasted butternut squash soup, grilled beef tataki or prawn cocktail to start. Entrée options include: Beef tenderloin; seared Alaskan black cod; or wild mushroom gnocchi. Dessert is chocolate crème brûlée with cinnamon and pear compote and almond biscotti. click here for more details

COAST’s three-course Dine Out menu is $38. Choose from roasted parsnip and bay scallop chowder or crispy fried reid oysters to start. Entrée options include: grilled BC snapper; pan-seared icy water arctic char; or grilled Alberta beef tenderloin. Dessert is lemon bavarois with cranberry ice cream. click here for more details

Sanafir’s three-course Dine Out menu is $18. Choose either the pan-seared tandoori prawn, tabouleh salad, yellow coconut curry, with lemon chutney and a papadum crisp, or the fried chickpea and saffron cous cous salad, with mint and tomatoes, to start. Entrée options include: Singapore prawn cashew curry with aged basmati rice; butter chicken with aged basmati rice and papadum; or almond cauliflower korma with papadum. Dessert is cardamom-dusted zelbias, cinnamon crème anglaise and chocolate bark. click here for more details

Italian Kitchen`s three-course Dine Out menu is $38. Choose from truffled celery root zuppa or artisan lettuce with prosciutto and mascarpone croquettes to start. Entrée options include: herbed roasted beef tenderloin; lobster ravioli; or baked rigatoni primavera. Dessert is classic tiramisu with mocha anglaise or lemon and basil brûlée with biscotti. click here for more details

Trattoria’s three-course Dine Out menu is $18. Choose from arugula, orange and fennel salad or cream of cauliflower soup to start. Entrée options include: roasted pork loin or butternut squash, gorgonzola and spiced walnut risotto. Dessert is classic tiramisu with mocha anglaise. click here for details

SOCIETY’s three-course Dine Out menu is $18. Choose from the sweet potato and pulled pork croquette or spinach salad to start. Entrée options include veal piccata or prawn linguini. Dessert is a chocolate smore ‘flambe’ crème brûlée. click here for more details

Black+Blue’s three-course Dine Out menu is $38. Choose from “bacon ‘n’ eggs” (thick cut double smoked bacon, fried duck egg, spicy maple syrup), or tuna carpaccio to start. Entrée options include: Angus tenderloin; roasted sablefish; or roasted onion tart. Dessert is a classic crème caramel, served with orange-almond biscotti and orange liqueur.

Make your reservations online at glowbalgroup.com.

Check out The GLOWBAL COLLECTION blog for the latest news on all the restaurants at blog.glowbalgroup.com/.
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DINE OUT AT SEQUOIA FOR A CHANCE TO WIN BIG

Vancouver, BC, January, 2011 — Every year, as we count down the days until Dine Out Vancouver, local foodies wait patiently for the highly anticipated release of Vancouver’s restaurant menus to be posted online. You’d think we would still be recovering from a holiday season full of eating, but Vancouver’s dining season has only just begun.

The Sequoia Company of Restaurants is excited to announce that all four locations will be participating in Dine Out Vancouver 2012, and will be extending their Dine Out menus until February 9th. Four distinct and delicious $28 menus will be featured for dinner, and the same menus will also be offered for $18 at lunch. But that’s not all. The Sequoia Dine Out Passport will allow guests to collect a unique stamp at each restaurant, with the goal of collecting all four stamps, and being entered to win 1 of 3 grand prizes.

From Sesame Crusted Albacore Tuna at Cardero’s, to Duck Confit at The Teahouse, finished with house made Flourless Chocolate Cake at Seasons in the Park, all four Sequoia menus feature delicious, fresh, and flavourful courses. Once you’ve tried one, you’ll want to try them all. Especially when you could win a 2 day trip to San Francisco, an overnight stay and dinner at the Quails’ Gate Family Estate Winery in Kelowna, or 2 tickets to the Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival. And if that’s not enough, guests will also receive exclusive Sequoia Dining Perks on their third and fourth visits. Dining out doesn’t get much better than that.

Instead of offering the traditional VQA wine pairings, the Sequoia Restaurants are featuring a selection of wines from Burrowing Owl and Quails’ Gate at friendly prices. Enjoy a glass of Quails’ Gate Gewurztraminer for $9 with the Pan Roasted Sablefish at The Sandbar, or sip on the Burrowing Owl Merlot at $13 a glass, paired with the Slow Cooked Lamb Shank at The Teahouse.

So when you’re scrolling through the onslaught of Dine Out menus trying to remember all the restaurants you’d like to visit, make sure you add all four Sequoia Restaurants to your list. You don’t want to miss out on the rewards available when you dine out with them this year.

For Dine Out menus and details on our Sequoia Passport please visit vancouverdine.com.

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WEST ANNOUNCES UPCOMING WINE AND COCKTAILS DINNERS

Spirited dinners abound with launch of Chef Dang’s new menus

Vancouver, B.C. (January 12, 2012) – The West Restaurant team is delighted to announce a series of upcoming wine and cocktail dinners. In conjunction with the launch of Executive Chef Quang Dang’s new single component, à la carte and tasting menus, these events are designed to both educate and uplift.

Hendrick’s Spirited Dinner
Tales of the Cocktail on Tour Vancouver

Monday, February 13 | 7:00 p.m. | $125, all inclusive

Join Hendrick’s Global Brand Ambassador Charlotte Voisey for a charming exploration of the alchemy of Hendrick’s Gin. West’s award-winning bar manager David Wolowidnyk will lead guests on a journey of extraordinary cocktails that focus on Hendrick’s key botanical elements—cucumber, citrus, coriander, juniper and rose—to accompany a reception and five-course menu created exclusively for this evening. (menu…)

Tickets | 604-738-8938 | info@westrestaurant.com

West Coast Montes
Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival

Wednesday, February 29 | 6:30 p.m. | $150, all inclusive

Chile’s iconic Montes Winery and West unite to present this exclusive evening offering the best that each region has to offer. Esteemed Chairman and Winemaker of Montes Winery, Aurelio Montes, will offer insight and commentary about their premium Chilean wines, paired with the impeccable, multi-course cuisine of Executive Chef Quang Dang. (more…)

Tickets | Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival

California Dreaming
Arts Club Spring Wine Dinner

Tuesday, April 17 | 6:30 p.m. | $195, all inclusive

It’s a stellar line-up from six of California’s most prestigious wineries as Vintage Corks and West join to present an intimate, epicurean adventure exclusively for this Arts Club fundraiser. Executive Chef Quang Dang will craft a compelling five-course menu from pristine local ingredients, paired with top vintages from Blackbird Vineyards, Dry Creek Vineyard, Duckhorn Wine Company, Dutcher Crossing Winery, Heitz Cellars, and Silver Oak Cellars. Senior representatives from each winery, including proprietors and winemakers, will introduce each wine.

Tickets | 604-687-5315 x248 | specialevents@artsclub.com

At West, our philosophy is simple. Begin with the best local ingredients from a loyal cadre of farmers, ranchers and fishers. Next, deliver complexity without complication—flavours that resonate and speak precisely to where we live, but also say that great food and drink needn’t be reserved for a special occasion. And finally, that they’re served in an intimate setting of genuine hospitality.

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DINE AROUND ABBOTSFORD RETURNS TO RESTAURANT 62

Popular promotion runs January 16 to February 4

January, 2012 (Abbotsford, B.C.) – restaurant 62 is pleased to bring back its Dine Around Abbotsford dinner promotion for 20 days starting January 16th. The popular event gives diners a chance to enjoy a sensational three course meal at an award winning restaurant at a value price of just $30 per person.

The dinner promotion will run from January 16th to February 4th and will feature elegant regional cuisine from the Fraser Valley prepared by award winning chef, Jeff Massey. Reservations are required.

January 2012 Dine Around Menu

Appetizers

Red wine braised imported french escargots
White asparagus, herb butter and sweet peas

or

Cured salami and roasted red pepper flat bread
Havarti cheese and caramelized onions

or

Sage, white bean and smoked chorizo sausage soup
Goat cheese cream

Entrees

Seared and roasted fresh pork loin with green lentil ragout
Green beans and roma tomato

or

Slow braised organic beef Bolognese over taglietelle pasta
Roasted mushrooms and fennel

or

Grilled fresh Lois Lake salmon filet with carrot, orange and ginger emulsion
Herbed cous cous and green asparagus

Dessert
Chai Scented Creme Brule
Cinnamon Tuille

$30 per person

Click here to view the menu online.

Modeled after the popular Dine Out Vancouver, Dine Around Abbotsford was launched in 2006 by the Abbotsford Chamber of Commerce to encourage locals and visitors to experience the city’s growing restaurant scene. In the event’s first year, several Abbotsford restaurants participated but once the chamber discontinued its support, the event lost its momentum. Since 2007, restaurant 62 has held its own Dine Around Abbotsford promotion even though its now the only participating establishment. Restaurant management hopes that with its proven success, additional local restaurants will join them in promoting Abbotsford restaurant scene.

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SPIRITED DINNER AT THE GRANVILLE ROOM

Tales of the Cocktail on Tour 2012

What :: This Monday February 13th the Granville Room welcomes the 2012 Tales of the Cocktail on Tour with a special Spirited Dinner that is set to explore the relationship between gin & tea in a variety of cocktails and punches, but also combine pacific-northwest cuisine with classic Japanese and Chinese culinary techniques and ingredients.

When :: Monday February 13th 2012, 6pm – 9pm

Where :: The Granville Room, 957 Granville Street, Vancouver BC

Menu ::
First Course
Chinese green tea smoked tomato soup, lemon crème fraiche
Paired with Barrel-Aged “Harry’s Cocktail”
(Beefeater 24, Sweet vermouth, mint tea, absinthe)
~
Second Course
Miyagi Fanny Bay oysters, green tea & ginger granite
Paired with house-made fresh-hopped wheat ale
(Beefeater 24, ginger, Saaz & Haullertau hops)
~
Third Course
Green tea cured albacore tuna, coriander, daikon, fennel slaw and Seville orange emulsion
Paired with “Tableside Gin & Tonic”
(Beefeater 24 and house-made tonic water)
~
Fourth Course
Juniper crusted roast lamb rack, Japanese green tea scented jasmine rice and dark chocolate jus
Paired with “The Next to Last Word”
(Beefeater 24, Green Chartreuse, chamomile and honey syrup,
Bittermen’s Hopped Grapefruit Bitters, lemon juice)
~
Dessert
Green tea pannacotta, grapefruit sherbet and Bitter almond shortbread
biscuit with Beefeater reduction syrup

How :: Dinner is $100 inclusive of tax and gratuity. Reservations booked directly through Trevor Kallies, tk@donnellygroup.ca.

The Donnelly Group owns and operates popular pubs: The Bimini, The Calling, The Library Square Public House, Smiley’s, the Lamplighter, the Academic, Cinema Public House, the New Oxford and the Metropole Community Pub; award-winning nightclubs: Republic, Bar None, and the Post Modern; and the Granville Room and Clough Club cocktail lounges. The creative and diverse company known for its attention to products and services has earned the status of an industry leader in Vancouver due to their impressive entertainment calendars, modern designs and strict policies on patron safety. The Donnelly Fund supports many local charitable recipients including the Greater Vancouver Food Bank, BC Children’s Hospital Foundation, the Steve Nash Foundation, the Downtown Eastside Women’s Centre and United We Can. For more information please visit: www.donnellygroup.ca.

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WEST VANCOUVER RESTAURANTS KICK OFF 2012 WITH DINE OUT VANCOUVER

Join Beachside Forno & Fraîche Restaurant for Fantastic Prix-Fixe Dining January 20 to February 5

Brand New Feature Dinner at Fraîche – “Farmer, Butcher, Chef” – January 31

West Vancouver, BC. Chefs Jefferson Alvarez and Jason Harris, of Fraîche restaurant and Beachside Forno respectively, have put together some enticing three-course menus – all about flavour, fun and value. Both chefs are excited to be participating in Tourism Vancouver’s tenth annual Dine Out Vancouver Restaurant Festival.

Beachside is offering a great selection of appetizers and mains at the $18 price point – such as….Fraser Valley Pork Pate, chilled sweet pea puree, vanilla sultana compote and Braised Peace Country Lamb Orecchiette for starters and lamb bacon lardons, roasted onions, “cafe au lait” sauce as mains.

Chef Harris, in his first ever role as Executive Chef will be turning out delicious plates and is looking forward to a busy kitchen and dining room during the 17 day restaurant blitz. “Sure it’s crazy. But it’s fun and exciting! A bustling room full of happy diners is what chefs dream of,” says Harris.

Click here to view the full Beachside Forno menu and to make reservations.

“I can’t wait to cook for our Dine Out Vancouver visitors,” says Chef Alvarez. “We hope to have lots of our regulars and brand new guests in to enjoy this special three-course menu. It is a great value for diners and a fantastic opportunity to share our passion and showcase or talent to a new audience.”

Fraîche restaurant will be serving a great selection of its critically acclaimed cuisine, such as Bison Carpaccio, horseradish cream, soft quail egg, smoked salt and Smoked Sturgeon, toasted couscous, tomato relish for the $38 price point. Click here to view the full Fraîche menu and to make reservations.

Chef Alvarez and the Fraîche team are also excited to participating in a Dine Out Vancouver original dinner during the restaurant festival. The January 31, “Farmer, Butcher, Chef” event pairs, you guessed it, a farmer, a butcher and our own Executive Chef, Jefferson Alvarez. The evening will be devoted to what Fraîche does best -selecting top quality meats from local farms, butchered in-house and cooked to perfection – a true farm to fork experience.

Arrive at 6:30pm for a welcome cocktail and canapés reception and gain insight from a local farmer followed by a butchery demonstration. Following this, guests are seated and enjoy a delicious, three-course dinner centered around the featured seasonal meat.

$65 per person includes dinner, demonstration and glass of wine.
Tax and gratuities not included.

Beachside Forno is a fun and friendly casual dining experience in West Vancouver’s Ambleside neighbourhood that capitalizes on the unbeatable seaside location and the talented chef’s local, regional and sustainable sensibilities. A long time Ambleside neighbourhood favourite, Beachside Forno is an ideal spot for a romantic cocktail, friendly lunch, gatherings for family and friends and, of course, to watch the sunset from the seasonal patio.

Renowned as one of West Vancouver’s most celebrated dining experiences, Fraiche Restaurant is a feast for the senses. The bright and elegant dining room provides a sophisticated and comfortable framework to showcase the spectacular, panoramic view, while the top notch service team similarly supports the talented kitchen brigade. Led by rising culinary talent Executive Chef, Jefferson Alvarez, Fraîche offers delicious and diverse menus for lunch, dinner, bar and brunch that incorporate west coast sensibilities and ingredients with global flare and flavours.

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HAWKSWORTH RESTAURANT TAKES DELIVERY OF BLACK WINTER TRUFFLES

Vancouver BC, (January 16th, 2012): Chef David Hawksworth, owner and executive chef at Hawksworth Restaurant recently received delivery of $10,000 worth of Black Winter Truffles, from Périgord, France.

Black Winter Truffles, far superior to their summer cousins, are available from late December to early February and are at their highest possible quality right now. In contrast to White Truffles, which should be served raw and fresh, Black Winter Truffles can be jarred and cooked, a delicate and decadent addition to many dishes.

Black Winter Truffles will be available fresh on the menu at Hawksworth this week, and will pepper Hawksworth’s seasonally driven menus throughout the year. The Hawksworth chef team will prepare, lightly cook and jar the truffles at the Hawksworth Restaurant kitchen, ensuring access to this incredible and much sought-after ingredient all year long.

“While the perception is often of extravagance, when used with a delicate hand in dishes, the distinctive flavour and aroma adds a matchless character to a dish,” ensures Chef Hawksworth. “We always strive to pass value onto our guests, whilst always sourcing the finest quality of ingredients to provide exceptional dining experiences.”

Chef David Hawksworth and his team continue to shine at the pinnacle of contemporary Canadian cuisine. His success with his first eponymous restaurant, noted as the best restaurant in Canada by Macleans magazine, continues to grow thanks to access to the best possible ingredients and the unparalleled skills of kitchen and service teams.

For bookings, visit www.hawksworthrestaurant.com or call 604.673.7000

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PROJECT CHEF PROGRAM INTRODUCES HEALTHY EATING TO OVER 4500 CHILDREN

VANCOUVER – Project CHEF: Cook Healthy Edible Food, an experiential curriculum-based Vancouver school program aimed at children in kindergarten to grade seven, celebrates its fifth year in operation. Since piloting the program in November, 2007, the program has taught 4500 children from 68 schools and involved 180 teachers and over 1500 parent and community volunteers. “The response to the program has been overwhelming,” says chef and teacher, Barb Finley, who developed and teaches the program. “The evaluative data from all participants since the beginning of the program shows very strong support for the program and highlights the impact it has made on children and families.” The week-long program teaches children about healthy food: where it comes from, what it tastes like, how to prepare it and how to enjoy sharing it around a table.

The program was developed to educate children about healthy eating by exposing them to wholesome foods at an early age and teaching them the skills to prepare these foods for themselves. Hands-on cooking programs have been proven to influence children to help improve their diets and prevent obesity. “Food feels more important now,” says one grade four participant, with echoes of support from a parent volunteer, “not only did Project CHEF teach about nutrition and healthy eating, it was presented in a way that simply made preparing food fun! Whether you were a child or an adult in this program, you went home wanting to cook.”

Project CHEF Education Society partners with Vancouver School Board to bring the program into the schools with all of the funding and in-kind donations to support the program coming from a variety of philanthropic sources, including Face the World Foundation, BC Dairy Foundation, WorkSafe BC, Les Dames d’Escoffier and Chef’s Table Society of BC. “Changing children’s food choices and diets needs to be a shared responsibility involving the students, the school, the family and the community,” says Finley.

For more information or to make a donation, please visit www.projectchef.ca

Last night, while scouring the Internets for an idea on what to do with a butchered chicken carcass after removing all the good meaty bits other than making stock, I stumbled upon this little bit of McDonald’s inspired awesomeness.

Perhaps, I come from the peasant school of dining, which means that every bit of an animal is sacred protein and should be eaten and not just the clean cuts you find neatly packed in plastic at the Stupidstore, so I find Mr. Oliver’s negative reaction to the kids willingness to eat his home-made chicken nuggets to be a bit strange. What’s the big deal? Replace the crappy filler and powdered binding agent with an egg, add some bread crumbs and pan fry instead of deep-fry. Some may cry foul, but I say it’s what’s for dinner. ~ PK

Abbaye Sainte Marie du Mont des Cats is a Trappist monastery located on a mountain outside the French village of Godewaersvelde, near the Belgian border. As with the likes of Chimay, Orval, and Rochefort today, Mont des Cats was once was highly regarded for its beer. However, during the Battle of the Lys in April 1918, an artillery bombardment destroyed the monastery and its brewery. Brewing ceased and the brewery was never rebuilt.

For those Trappist breweries that continue to brew, their stature has been such that commercial breweries have tried to take advantage of their reputation for marketing purposes. To protect the Trappist name, eight abbeys founded the International Trappist Association in 1997 and created a trademark for Trappist-produced goods. Similar to a denomination of origin, for a beer to be labeled Trappist, it must be brewed under the supervision of Trappist monks. The operation of the brewery must also be managed by the monks for the sustenance of the community, not for profit.

These strict guidelines have meant that, currently, only seven breweries can use the Authentic Trappist Product logo. Pessimists wondered if there ever will be another Trappist beer. Consequently, when the creation of Mont des Cats beer was announced last year on June 9, it naturally generated some excitement in the beer community. However, the abbey does not have a brewery, nor do the resident monks have any brewing expertise. Therefore, this beer is being produced by Abbaye Notre-Dame de Scourmont, the brewers of Chimay.

Mont des Cats is a bottle-conditioned (on lees) amber ale that produces a large, creamy head when poured, leaving the signature Belgian lace on the inside of the glass. It has a mild aroma with some honey sweetness, giving way to a bready yeastiness. There is an initial biscuit sweetness on the palate that is quickly overtaken by a brisk dryness from a combination of active carbonation and hop bitterness that extends to the finish.

Mont des Cats lacks the depth and complexity one associates with fine Trappist ales. Let’s hope that this is a work in progress, and that by the time it reaches North America, they will have perfected the recipe.

Brewer: Abbaye Notre-Dame de Scourmont (Chimay)
ABV: 7.6%
Category: Belgian Strong Ale
Appearance: 4/5
Aroma: 3/5
Flavour: 2.5/5
Mouthfeel: 3/5
Overall: 3/5
Score: 15.5/25
Availability: currently, only at Auberge Mont des Cats

Beer courtesy of Don Farion, BierCraft.

~ RG

[Image courtesy of Wikipedia]
The Sanskrit meaning of the word dosha is ‘fault’ or ‘taint’, referring to the body’s inherent potential to become unbalanced and diseased. As mediators of the disease process, Ayurveda teaches us that in order to properly prevent and treat disease, we must learn how to identify the doshas and the qualities they manifest. The goal is to restore and maintain the equilibrium of the doshas, and successfully mediate the many effects and influences that can disturb them, such as emotions, diet, stress, and seasonal changes. Although each of us has all three doshas, we are born with a certain proportion of one, two or three of them in different combinations. This unique combination of the doshas is our constitution, or prakriti.

Kapha constitution
Kapha constitution is more sensitive to qualities such as heaviness, cold, and moistness, and thus measures are taken on a general basis to balance these aspects by emphasizing qualities such as light, hot, and dry. Physically, kapha types have a general tendency to weight gain, with a heavy, thick build. The shoulders are broad and the torso, legs and arms are thick and large; in women the hips are broad and breasts are full. The musculature is well-developed but usually hidden by a layer of fat, hiding any angularities of the skeleton. The feet are large and thick. Facial features are broad and full, and generally well proportioned. The skin is soft and smooth, and the hair is generally smooth, thick and greasy. The orifices (eyes, nose, ears, mouth, rectum, urethra, vagina) are moist and well-lubricated. There is a tendency to lethargy or inactivity, although once motivated the energy released can be very powerful, with great endurance and a steady pace. A kapha type might suffer from a slow and weak digestion (mandagni), as well as minor congestive conditions, such as respiratory and gastrointestinal catarrh. They may display a mild aversion to cold and prefer warmer climates, but if they are physically active they can withstand even very cold weather quite easily.

Pitta constitution
Pitta constitution is more sensitive to qualities such as heat, moistness, and lightness, and thus measures are taken on a general basis to balance these aspects by emphasizing qualities such as cold, dry and heavy. Physically, pitta types have a strong metabolism, strong digestion, and a general tendency to mild inflammatory states. The body is of average build, with a well-developed musculature and generally less fat than kapha but not skinny like vata. The features are angular: thinner, sharper and longer, with a medium breadth. The skin is often quite ruddy and there is a general tendency to excessive heat. Warm temperatures and hot climates are poorly tolerated. There is a tendency to excessive bile production and gastrointestinal secretions (tikshnagni), loose bowel movements, and more frequent urination. Pitta types are more sensitive to sensory stimuli than kapha, especially light, heat and sound. They tend to be more physically active than the either vata or kapha types, with coordinated, quick and efficient movement, sometimes aggressive, and act with determination and purpose.

Vata constitution
Vata constitution is more sensitive to qualities such as dryness, coldness and lightness, and thus measures are taken on a general basis to balance these aspects by emphasizing qualities such as wet, hot and heavy. Physically, there is a general tendency to being underweight, with dry rough skin, small wiry muscles and irregular proportions. The bony prominences of the skeleton and the veins are easily observed due to a deficiency in the overlying muscular and fat layers. Vata types will usually display a strong aversion to cold, with irregular or poor peripheral circulation. A tendency to more or less constant movement, often confused or peripheral to the situation at hand, including twitching, tapping, bouncing, picking and shaking. The joints often pop and crack, and the muscles have a tendency to go into spasm. Vata is the most sensitive of the constitutional types to sensory stimuli, with poor powers of recuperation and endurance. Digestive powers are typically weak or erratic (vishamagni), with a general tendency to constipation.

Mixed constitution
Constitutional types can also be a combination of two or all three of the doshas, manifesting their respective qualities together:

• Kapha-pitta constitutions display a combination of the qualities manifest by kapha and pitta, i.e. wet, heavy and hot. These types generally display a heavy build and a layer of fat seen in a pure kapha type, but they will have a ruddier complexion and more heat than a pure kapha.
• Vata-kapha constitutions display a combination of the qualities manifest by vata and kapha, i.e. cold, heavy and dry. These types will often display a lighter build and proportionally longer limbs than a pure kapha, with a greater sensitivity to coldness.
• Vata-pitta constitutions display a combination of the qualities manifest by vata and pitta, i.e. light, hot and dry. These types are in many respects similar to a pure vata type, but with a stronger, more compact build and larger muscles.
• Vata-pitta-kapha constitutions display a combination of the qualities manifest by all three doshas, i.e. hot, dry and heavy. These types display qualities and attributes of all three doshas, and can be difficult to discern, often displaying contradictory or alternating qualities. Conversely, no quality may be especially prominent, representing an equal balance.

Accurately determining the constitution can be a tricky business, especially when the constitution is a combination of the doshas. Traditionally the constitution was determined shortly after birth and was a complex calculation that analyzed several factors including the ratios of physical proportion. Ayurveda states that because it is the combination of the doshas when you were born, your constitution will never change – it remains a part of who you are for life. But as one lives and accumulates influences there is a cumulative effect upon our body and mind that blankets the native constitution like the layers of an onion, or like a sticky piece of gum rolled in dust. Slowly over the years the body changes and ages, and these factors happen irrespective of our constitution. In Ayurveda this pathological change of the body is called vikriti, or disease tendency.

~ Todd Caldecott

For more info, visit: ToddCaldecott.com

^ NDP Fisheries and Oceans Critic, Fin Donnelly, launches shark fin import ban petition at C Restaurant. (L to r, Claudia Li, Dr. Chris Harvey-Clark, Fin Donnelly, Rob Stewart, Cécile Yuen, Robert Clark)

Sharks are sublime creatures. For 400 million years they have survived on Earth, evolving to become the oceans’ supreme hunters and shaping the evolution of other marine species. However, surging demand for their fins for use in shark fin soup and traditional medicine is decimating global shark populations.

With up to 73 million sharks slaughtered annually, we may see the total collapse of worldwide shark species within the decade. This will significantly disrupt ocean ecosystems that a large number of people depend on for much of their protein. Already in the last 15 years shark numbers in the Gulf of Mexico and the Mediterranean have plummeted by 90%, and by 75% in the northwestern Atlantic.

Despite the potentially grave ecological consequences, it will be challenging to end shark finning. Not only is it a multi-billion dollar industry in which organized crime is involved, people’s view of sharks is very different from that of elephants, rhinoceros, and even tigers. Media sensationalism has created a deep-seated anxiety in humans that is wildly out of proportion to the actual threat posed by sharks.

^ Wedding Campaigner, Cécile Yuen, as Harry the Shark Truth mascot.

While shark protection doesn’t have the same public appeal as panda conservation, measures are starting to be taken. Shark finning at sea has already been banned in jurisdictions such as the Bahamas, Chile, Ecuador, Guam, Hawai’i, Honduras, and the US West Coast. However, without a broad international ban on the practice, backed by an effective enforcement mechanism, the shark’s future looks grim.

What can you do to help stop shark finning?

• Don’t eat shark fin soup; adopt a substitute.
• Sign the National Shark Fin Import Ban petition.
• Call or write your Member of Parliament to tell them to support Bill C-380, Fin Donnelly’s Ban on Shark Fin Importation Act.
• Host a screening of Sharkwater.

For more information on shark finning, visit:

• Shark Truth
• Sharkwater

~ RG