Cheescake 101, Renaerts, Whittaker, Rose, Deuce, Capers BBQ, Shanghai Dumplings

A SWEET EDUCATION - Cheesecake 101

You’ll be forgiven if you mistake them for cupcakes. (We thought so too.) But actually, these small indulgences are cheesecakes -- very small, individually sized, and beautifully decorated, for sure – but still, true cheesecakes.

You’ll find them at Cheesecake 101 a delightful, small, “mom and pop-style� bakery that opened this spring in Kitsilano ...
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Filed in SHOP/ Local Products





TODAY'S PRESS RELEASES

This seems to be the week for playing a chef's version of Musical Chairs.
Third up this week: Diva at the Metropolitan officially announces the hiring of Chef Dino Renaerts.

The Young Man & the Sea goes swimmingly with C restaurant.

Fasten the seatbealts on your barstools, the board room of directors at Boneta are serving lunch as of today.






PINK WINE PICK FOR THE WEEK


Don’t be fooled by the cheerful, cherry colour of the juice, this is a rose that wears trousers ... CONTINUE READING


Filed in DRINK/ A Bouquet of Rose

DINE AND DASH

CHRIS WHITTAKER has joined O'Douls at the Listel Hotel Vancouver. Read the press release here.

Mark Anthony Wine Stores have split up the operation of their retail wine outlets. This spring they sold the ownership of their wine import stores in Shaughnessy (King Edward), Cadboro Bay (Victoria) and White Rock to Everything Wine. They have retained the four stores selling their domestic products under the name of Artisan Wine Shops and will be adding a fifth store to that group shortly. There has been no official release on this yet, but we understand the King Ed store is already selling wines outside of the Mark Anthony portfolio, such as Summerhill.

We hear that chef Dana Reinhardt has sold her partnership in Cru to business partner and ex-marital partner Mark Taylor, leaving Taylor now as sole owner of the wine-centric restaurant on Broadway. No word on where Reinhardt may show up next. THE FOLLOWING IS A CORRECTION/CLARIFICATION TO OUR POSTING YESTERDAY FROM MARK TAYLOR CONCERNING CRU'S CURRENT CHEF: "Alana Peckham has been Chef at Cru for the last 18 months, has done a fabulous job and I'm delighted to retain her as Chef. Shaun Snelling is Sous-chef. Dana Reinhardt was an active owner, but has now stepped down."

And finally it looks like Britta Joyce has thrown in the towel with her LK Dining Lounge in Yaletown – apparently to pursue philanthropic work in Africa. Chef Travis Williams and his kitchen crew will move to Nigel Pike’s Cascade Room, a new restaurant opening on Main Street in early August. Joyce’s last project for the LK Dining Lounge will be a fund raiser for Global Partners for Development on July 14, 2007. After that, we are not sure whether she intends to close or to sell the restaurant that started out its branding as the homespun Lily Kate's and then later morphed into a Latin club-style venue.

And lastly, an update from Ken Iaci on how things are coming along since fire destroyed his Papi's Ristorante in White Rock. Ken says:

"After many requests I thought it was about time I let everyone know the status of our rebuilding. It has been almost 6 months since the fire, we finally have a tentative date of reopening. We have been told to plan our reopening for approx mid to late September. In the meantime, Claudette and I have been keeping ourselves busy in our market next door to the restaurant. We began to serve Sunday brunches 6 weeks ago and it has become a great hit. We offer a selection of Frittatas, Italian style breakfast items and Gingerbread Waffles to name a few dishes. So I have decided to take it one step further, we will be opening for dinners in the Market . Open on Wed, Thurs and Fri from 6:30 pm. I will go to the markets in the morning and select items for that evenings menu approx. 4 appetizers and 4 entrees. Colin from the Winebar will take care of service. We have approx. 20 seats so calling ahead would be recommended. We start dinners on July 6th and are almost booked out for opening night. I'm very excited about the concept. it will be very casual but I promise you a great flavourful and creative dinner. Reservations are available by calling the Market @ 604 277-7444. We look forward to seeing eveyone. We would also like to thank everyone for their well wishes and support. Claudette and I so fortuate to have so many great friends of Papi's."

Filed in DAILY NEWS/Dine and Dash

THE PRE-OPENING ANNOUNCEMENT FOR DEUCE RESTAURANT
(This information is unedited and is reprinted exactly as shown in the company press release.)


The Menu

Executive Chef Courtney Burnham plans to bring a playful, modern approach to the menu at Deuce. Using local and organic ingredients Chef Burnham will create a west coast inspired menu sure to attract local residents and visitors alike. Courtney’s sense of fun and adventure is sure to highlight this simple fresh and diverse menu. For brunch Chef Burnham will offer a modern twist on classic favourites. With the focus on simple flavours and local ingredients the face of Sunday brunch on Lonsdale will soon be forever changed. For lunch and dinner Chef Burnham has created a menu that highlights the spectacular local producers of B.C. while offering something completely new to the North Shore. He says that he “plans to bring downtown to North Vancouver, without bringing ‘downtown’.� ... CONTINUE READING ...

Filed in DAILY NEWS/Press Releases and RESTAURANTS/News and Rumours

NEW PRODUCTS
CAPERS BBQ RUBS AND GLAZES

Sitting in the cooler cases they can look a little lab sample-ish, but if you are a grill chef on the lazy side, they can also be your new best friend.

In time for barbecue season, Capers has whipped up three new meat rubs and two glazing sauces that are guaranteed to boost the flavour of nearly any slab of charred protein. And do it with healthy, mostly organic ingredients too. ... CONTINUE READING ...

Filed in FOOD/New Products.

NEW SECTION: WHERE WE ASK READERS AND EXPERTS TO SHARE THEIR TOP CHOICES FOR RESTAURANTS AND FOOD SOURCES.
FIRST UP - WHERE'S THE BEST PLACE TO GET .... Shanghai Dumplings in Richmond.
(A Reader's Choice)

Naturally, being the marketing manager for Tourism Richmond, Ange Chew has her reasons to favor some restaurants over others. But in what she swears is a list of her own personal choices, here is her list for the best places to eat Shanghai Dumplings in Richmond: ...CONTINUE READING...



FILED IN RESTAURANTS/Experts Recommend

TODAY'S PRESS RELEASES


The Urban Peasant, James Barber will be signing copies of his book "Cooking for Two" on two occasions this week.

Vive La France, vive le cheese! Les amis du Fromage are having a big sale on all French cheese on Bastille Day.

The Society of Wine Educators are about to slap another sockeye on the barbie, and for a good cause too.

CityTv's "Taste of the City" will move to a new venue this summer.

Chileans know how to have a good time. Echevarria joins Hamilton Street Grill for a little drinking session.


Filed in DAILY NEWS/Press Releases