Postings for July, 2008

ANNOUNCEMENTS - (August 1, 2008)

RESTAURANTS

Beginning August 14th and running for two weeks until August 28th, Chow (3121 Granville Street) will present an heirloom tomato menu. Chef JC Porier’s four-course prix fixe menu will utilize several varieties of local heirloom tomatoes in dishes that include: Cold tomato soup with compressed watermelon, Dungeness crab and horseradish-yogurt granite; a warm tomato tart with marinated chanterelle mushrooms; slow cooked halibut with tomato carpaccio and roasted tomato puree; and even a dessert of spiced green zebra tomato jam with house made honey ice cream. $48. Chow is open from 5:00 pm Monday to Saturday

... MORE RESTAURANT NEWS AND CALENDAR EVENTS AFTER THE JUMP...


Filed in DAILY NEWS/Announcements.

BOOKS - (August 1, 2008)
WAITER RANT

The author of the newly published Waiter Rant asserts that approximately “ 20 percent of restaurant customers are socially maladjusted psychopaths”, and his book presents many an anecdote to back this theory up. ... CONTINUE READING ...


Filed in MEDIA/Books.

WINE NEWS - (JULY 31, 2008)
THE 2005 BORDEAUX WINES ARE COMING!

It's doubtful that wine lovers will be following the example of iPhone fans and camping out on the sidewalks in anticipation of the 2005 Bordeaux release at Marquis Wine Cellars this September 13th. Although once inside, serious shoppers could find that credit card damage for a recent bottle of Premiere Cru is similar. Price tags on the highly touted 2005 vintage sampled at a recent press preview ranged from $46 for a Cambon La Pelouse all the way up to $500 for an already lush and complex 2005 Chateau Palmer. (With most labels falling into the $150 - $300 range.) ....CONTINUE READING...


Filed in DRINK/Wine News.

... How's this for high-jumping? Hains Celestial pens a sweet deal with the Olympics Committee ... Food and Wine Magazine (finally) visits the Okanagan and goes ga-ga....I declare, Washington restaurant chains now have to put their fat content in writing....Take your private seaplane to your new home suite home at the 1 Hotel Vancouver Island ....DETAILS AFTER THE JUMP...


Filed in DAILY NEWS/Dine and Dash.

WHAT WE'RE READING NOW - (JULY 31, 2008)

The $11,000 Cover machine makes the perfect cup of Joe. Will it be strong enough to save Starbucks? - Wired (July 2008, Page 84).

Restaurant chains close as diners reduce spending. - New York Times, July 30, 2008, Pg. C1.

Union of Whole Foods and Wild Oats is Put in Doubt - New York Times, July 30, 2008, Pg C3.

Funniest F & B video ad for the day. Magnifico! - Martini and Rossi "El Toro".

Leaked French wine law to treat wine on the internet as porn - Decanter, July 24, 2008.
(article referred by Judith Lane.)

ANNOUNCEMENTS - July 29, 2008


IN THE STORES

Peter Davidson of the Mount Pleasant Cheese store has decided to sell only Canadian cheese. His new store (in operation for the last two months) carries over 150 varieties of cheese from across Canada and nearly every province, with a particular focus on artisanal cheeses not easily found in Metro Vancouver. ...MORE NEW STORE, RESTAURANT, WINE AND EVENT ANNOUNCEMENTS AFTER THE JUMP...


Filed in DAILY NEWS/Announcements.

BEVERAGE INDUSTRY TRENDS
DRINK LOCAL - July 25, 2008

Why didn't they think of this in Saskatchewan? ...

Continuing along with this year's trend in the beverage industry for marketing regionalism and 100-mile-drinking, a few interesting examples have come across our desk …
...CONTINUE READING...


Filed in SHOP/Consumer Trends... and DRINK/Cocktails and Liquor.

HAPPILY ... IT's THE PITS!

Message from Kurtis Kolt...

"...Salt Tasting Room has just received an exclusive on the entire Summer 2008 harvest of apricots from Similkameen Apiaries!

We're talking about 1,000 (!) pounds worth, which means we can use a hand processing them so Chef Colleen McClean can create jams, compotes, desserts and so on.

The first 10 people to volunteer an hour or two of their time (and a paring knife), around 7:00 this Wednesday the 23rd of July, will be treated to a glass of wine, a plate of Salt's artisan cheeses and charcuterie, plus that old-fashioned, homespun feeling of the community coming together to assist at harvest time.

Drop us a line at info@salttastingroom.com if you'd like to offer your services, and we'll give you a shout with more details!

Salt Tasting Room
Blood Alley, Gastown
Vancouver, BC
604-633-1912
http://www.salttastingroom.com.

ANNOUNCEMENTS - July 22, 2008
DANIEL BOULUD JOINS GOLD MEDAL PLATES VANCOUVER

(Directly from the press release.)[Except for this stuff.]
[deleted: one "ultimate", one "world famous", one "celebrated", one "mouth-watering", one "sumptuous", one "noted foodie", one half of a gratuitously promotional quote from the boss.]

A coup for Gold Medal Plates Vancouver 2008. The celebration of Canadian excellence in food, wine and athletic achievement will feature chef Daniel Boulud, the former executive chef of Le Cirque and owner of Restaurant Daniel in New York City and the new proprietor of the soon to be-reopened Lumière and the much anticipated db Bistro Moderne on Vancouver’s West Broadway.

[Nope, he's not going to compete against our local heroes, which would REALLY be interesting, but rather... CONTINUED AFTER THE JUMP.


Filed in DAILY NEWS/Announcements.

ANNOUNCEMENTS - July 18, 2008


AT THE FARMERS MARKET

A Letter from UBC Farms ...

As you may know, the Tyee (along with the David Suzuki Foundation, Pembina Institute, Western Canada Wilderness Committee and others) are encouraging people to pool their "Campbell Cash" and donate it to projects working to mitigate climate change in order to make more effective use of this money. ("Campbell Cash" is the name given to the $100 climate action dividend sent in the mail to each B.C. resident this past month to spend on reducing greenhouse gas emissions.) They're encouraging people to vote for their favourite projects online by July 25th. The top five projects will get funding ($500) and some valuable profile raising. ....

... MORE ANNOUNCEMENTS AND NEW CALENDAR LISTINGS AFTER THE JUMP...


Filed in DAILY NEWS/Announcements.

DRINK - July 18, 2008
SPINNAKER'S INTRODUCES BLUE BRIDGE DOUBLE IPA
(Edited from the press release.)

Canada’s oldest brewpub, Spinnakers Gastro Brewpub & Guesthouses in Victoria, is celebrating 24 years of bringing people together with the release of Blue Bridge Double IPA.

“Bridges link people – they bring them together and that’s exactly what the Johnson St. or ‘Blue Bridge’ does here in Victoria,” says publican and owner Paul Hadfield. “And that’s what we’ve always wanted to do – bring people together to enjoy beers that weren’t readily available in our marketplace. The bridge was opened in 1924 and we’re celebrating our 24th year – so there’s some nice symmetry built in.” ...CONTINUE READING...


Filed in DRINK/Beer ... and REGIONAL/Victoria ... and SHOP/Local Products ...

PEOPLE - July 17, 2008
JAY JONES JOINS VOYA

A letter from Jay Jones ....

Effective immediately,

I have accepted the position of Mixologist and Head Bartender at Voya, Loden Vancouver, the newest venue within the Kor Hotel Group. As you know, the hotel has been under development and construction for some time now. The timeline is getting shorter to opening, and I have resigned as Bar & Beverage Manager with Donnelly Hospitality Management. I’m grateful for the last three years with DHM, helping to guide the evolution of several bar programs and to develop their ... CONTINUE READING ...


Filed in PEOPLE/Mixologists ... and RESTAURANTS/Personnel Changes.

RESTAURANT OPENING - July 16, 2008
CIBO OPENS IN THE MODA HOTEL

The following is a press release from Sebastien Le Goff ...

SLG Hospitality Inc. announced the opening of Cibo Trattoria in the newly renovated Moda Hotel. ... CONTINUE READING ...


Filed in RESTAURANTS/Restaurant Previews.

ANNOUNCEMENTS - July 16, 2008


FROM THE RESTAURANTS

Old news to Vancouver dining scene insiders but a new announcement - Crave Beachside has officially opened at its West Vancouver beachside location of 1362 Marine Drive. Stats from Chef Wayne Martin say ... "the 70-seat, natural wood beamed dining room, is bathed with natural sunlight from its patio doors and skylights and is set with the same charcoal tones and black accents as the original Crave restaurant on Main Street. This new location, with the same attention to detail as the original CRAVE on Main, carries through the signature “cracked” glass panels as well as original contemporary West Coast artwork, to complement the casual dining room. The new CRAVE Beachside has one of the Lower Mainland’s best outdoor garden patios with 55 seats on two levels, overlooking Ambleside Beach and the Hollyburn Sailing Club. As with CRAVE on Main, look forward to the same menu and the same reasonable prices as the original. " Hours: Open 7 days a week from 11:00am to 10:00 p.m. Weekend Brunch hours to follow in the coming weeks. Tel: 604-926-3332.

*** MORE NEWS FROM VANCOUVER RESTAURANTS AND SHOPS, ITEMS FROM AROUND THE PROVINCE, PLUS NEW CALENDAR LISTINGS AFTER THE JUMP ***

Filed in DAILY NEWS/Announcements.

THE NEWS HOUND - July 12, 2008

Judith Lane spotted this peculiar item in today's news ....

One smooth heist: Vancouver police investigate theft of
$170,000 worth of butter

From: The National Post.
Published: Saturday, July 12, 2008

Vancouver police are investigating the theft of hundreds of kilograms of butter, taken from a shipment to the suburb of Delta. Police are baffled over why the thieves would steal a semi-trailer carrying $170,000 worth of butter, which was reported missing on Monday morning and turned up emptied of its contents yesterday. The truck was stolen at about 9 a.m. from the 300-block of Southeast Marine Drive in downtown Vancouver. It was later found in Delta, near an industrial park. It had been emptied of its contents. "Semi-trailers do go missing on a regular basis, but butter's not a typical product that's stolen," said Constable Paul Eisenzimmer of the Delta Police Department. "The average corner store that might be interested in buying stolen cigarettes wouldn't likely be interested in butter. Getting rid of $170,000 worth of butter would be pretty hard."

ANNOUNCEMENTS - JULY 11, 2008


RESTAURANTS

Concerned about the amount of waste going into landfill from his and other take-out restaurants located in the Granville Island Public Market, Shaffeen Jamal of Curry 2 U replaced the styrofoam clamshells and plastic utensils with thalis -- circular, stainless steel "picnic plates" that are traditional items used for eating on-the-go by millions of people in India. Of course not being disposable, the thalis need to be washed, and so Mr. Jamal also installed a state-of-the-art, high volume dishwasher that is environmentally friendly. It re-uses soap water solution to wash and fresh water to rinse only, thus reducing the amount of water and soap used.

Thanks to ready acceptance by the public of the thalis, Mr. Jamal estimates he will save 100,000 plates and styrofoam clamshells from going into the landfill. "It's a total win-win for everyone - by reducing garbage, I save on costs by no longer having to purchase non-reusable plates and hopefully, I'll inspire other take-out establishments to convert to stainless steel thalis for their on-site service. I'd like to see the program go Market-wide at Granville Island." Curry 2 U has also initiated a Tiffin Club program for those wishing to take food away for consumption off-site.


The much-anticipated opening of La Quercia, a restaurant specializing in unfussy northern Italian cuisine is scheduled for next week. The chefs are Adam Pegg and Lucais Syme. Adam is a veteran of the West Coast restaurant scene, most recently at La Buca in Kitsilano. Slow Food-trained in Marche, Italy, he has worked in Trentino, Abruzzo, Piedmont, Victoria and Vancouver. Lucais has worked at a number of Vancouver’s best restaurants, including La Buca, Parkside, and Adesso Bistro. From the website (http://laquercia.ca/index.html): "La Quercia offers a casual setting, with professional service and exceptional Italian dishes. Focusing primarily on Italian wines, La Quercia provides a unique list to complement an always evolving menu. Ingredients are sourced locally and organic where possible for our daily fresh sheet. A mix of traditional and contemporary plates prepared with precise technique, presented simply are the base of our kitchen." La Quercia is at 3689 W.4th Ave in Vancouver. For reservations: Email: Info@laquercia.ca. Phone: 604-676-1007. Fax: 604-676-6689. .... MORE RELEASES FROM RESTAURANTS, FARMERS MARKETS, SHOPS, UPCOMING CULINARY EVENTS, BEST DEALS, ETC AFTER THE JUMP....


Filed in DAILY NEWS/Announcements


































Artful question #8: What's Howdy been Doodying in Vancouver?

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