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Apr10

2012 Vancouver Craft Beer Week

Posted in: Craft Beer, Events, Vancouver, Yaletown

Mark your calendars: The Vancouver Craft Beer Week is back!

From May 18 to 26, VCBW 2012 presents a craft beer tour of nine headliner events, six opening act events, 36 neighbourhood gigs, and more than a dozen week-long specials. Plug in, crank it up, and sample the playlist from the “Rock Stars” of over 60 participating craft breweries.

On May 18, Mayor Gregor Robertson will again kick off festivities at the VCBW Opening Night Overture Presented by Darby’s Liquor Store in the Roundhouse Community Arts and Recreation Centre, where he’ll read the official Vancouver Craft Beer Week proclamation and tap the first VCBW 2012 Collaboration Beer cask.

Featured headliner events include the Hop-Headbanger’s Ball, Hoppapalooza 3, Biercraft Belgian Showcase, Battle of the Bartenders Beer Cocktail Competition, Cicerone vs. Sommelier, and Sisters of the Tap.

[Taken at 2011's VCBW Women and Beer II]

On May 25 and 26, VCBW 2012 will wrap up with a two day VCBW Beer Festival presented by both Legacy Liquor Store and BierCraft, at The Salt Building in The Village on False Creek.

Tickets will be released on Thursday, April 12 at 11:59 pm on VCBW’s website. The event’s official Twitter handle is @VCBW.
Mar29

Hamilton Street Grill Wine Tasting

Posted in: Dining, Education, Events, Vancouver, Wine, Yaletown

[Chef Neil Wyles with diner Karen Dar Woon]

Each month, the Hamilton Street Grill offers a wine tasting, featuring three wines paired with Chef Neil Wyles’ dishes. And March was no exception. This past stormy Tuesday evening (Monday’s event was sold out), I was invited to attend the California Cabernet horizontal tasting. The place was packed as this event has grown in both popularity and size over the months. Our three dishes were from the brand new menu that launched yesterday, in time for Dining Out For Life.

Speaking of Dining Out, this will be HSG’s 16th year straight offering up 25% of proceeds from today’s sales to both A Loving Spoonful and Friends For Life, two valuable organizations that help people living with HIV/AIDS.

[Ida Federico, E&J Gallo Canada]

The wine tasting is a social way to check out a new different wines along with fellow food and wine lovers. My table mates included wine connoisseurs, a baker, a jam maker, and personal chef.

[Spinach ravioli]

Our first wine was a 2009 Sonoma Cabernet Sauvignon, easily drinkable, with red cherry and plum notes, and peppery on first taste. This wine needs at least an hour in air (as we later discovered) and was paired with homemade spinach ravioli in tomato sauce with freshly grated cheese.

The second pour was Ghost Pine’s 2008 Winemaker’s Blend Cab Sauvignon, a slightly fuller, mellower and smoother wine, with grapes from both Sonoma and Napa Valleys. This one had blackberry and dark cherry tastes with nutty smoke and firm tannins. It paired very well with Chef Neil’s mini shepherd’s pie.

[Shepherd's pie]

A mushroom ragout with gnocchi and parmesan cheese followed for a third pairing with Louis Martini’s 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon. This wine has hints of cassis and black cherries.

I found it a bit more complex than the Ghost Pine, however our table unanimously agreed that the Ghost Pine pairing was the best of the group.

[Mushroom ragout with gnocchi]

The tasting is reasonably priced at $25. For future wine and food pairing events, check out the Hamilton Street Grill’s events section on their website.

Hamilton Street Grill
Address: 1009 Hamilton Street, Vancouver
Tasting: 5:30 to 7 pm
Tickets: Limited seating. Reserve online (often sells out in advance)
Jan23

Vancouver Foodster Tasting Plates

Posted in: Bakery, Dining, Events, Vancouver, Wine

My good friend and fellow food lover Richard Wolak (better known as Vancouver Foodster) is back with a great new foodie event coming up in mid-February! Tasting Plates Vancouver is a chance to discover a range of delicious edibles from Yaletown to the West End. Billed as a roving food tour, your ticket will allow tastings at over a dozen Vancouver eateries (with more to be added closer to event date).

Each restaurant will serve up a Tasting Plate to enjoy. This unique event is a great way to dine with friends, meet the chefs behind Vancouver’s vibrant dining scene, and learn about what goes into their dishes.

A few key event details:
- Vegetarian options will be available at most of the participating restaurants.
- Prize draws to be held at each participating restaurant throughout the course of the evening.
- The first 300 people to purchase an advance ticket will receive Richard Wolak’s new book, “Vancouver Foodster’s Guide to Dining and Drinking in Vancouver” (a $21.95 value), out in February.
- Visit participating restaurants by walking, transit, bike, or carpool.
- $2 from each ticket purchase will help fund the Vancouver Food Bank.

Participating restaurants include:
Phat Deli Yaletown
Notturno Paninoteca
Cosca Restaurant
Bonchaz
Footo Delights
W2 Media Café

Participating food trucks include:
Juice Truck
Soho Road

Tasting Plates Vancouver
Date: Wednesday, February 15, 6 to 9 pm
Tickets: $25 per person (excludes Eventbrite fee). Ticket price includes tasting plates at each of the participating restaurants throughout the evening.
Note: No tickets will be sold on the day of the event. All ticket sales are final. No exchanges or refunds, however tickets are transferrable with printed proof of ticket. ALL tickets must be purchased online in advance.
*Price does not include beverages. Wine, beer, cocktails and mocktails may be purchased separately at the restaurants.
Dec2

Cento Notti Media Launch

Posted in: Dining, Dining Reviews, Events, Interior Design, Vancouver, Wine

Keeping things fresh, the third installment at the Opus Hotel is now Cento Notti, following previous popup restaurants 100 Days and One Hundred Nights.
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Aug24

Dining at Charm Modern Thai

Posted in: Dining, Vancouver, Wine

Last week, I was fortunate to have been invited to a small dinner hosted by Charm Modern Thai in Yaletown. The dinner was a friendly affair that allowed us to sample new Executive Chef Samnan Kamonroek’s dishes. Chef Kamonroek has been with Charm since 2008, after he emigrated from Bangkok to join the restaurant as sous chef. His culinary experience includes 13 years as executive chef at five star Landmark Bangkok Hotel.
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Aug9

Beerlesque! Roundhouse Fundraiser

Posted in: Craft Beer, Events, Music, Vancouver

The Roundhouse Community Centre in partnership with Vancouver Craft Beer Week and CAMRA Vancouver present “BEERLESQUE!” an intimate evening of craft beer and burlesque performance on Friday, August 19.

[Photo credit: HenriBlock, on Flickr]

Vancouver’s top burlesque dancers will perform side by side with local alt-country-gypsy-circus band Blackberry Wood, a corseted fashion parade courtesy of Lace Embrace Atelier, belly dancers, a bearded lady, and Canada’s youngest sword swallower in a carnival for the senses for those 19 and over!

To lubricate the evening, over 15 of BC’s top craft breweries such as Red Racer, Driftwood, Red Truck, Vancouver Island Brewery, Salt Spring Island Ales, Storm Brewing, Phillips Beer and Russell Brewing will be pouring their award-winning craft brews included in the admission price. As well, local food carts ReUp BBQ and Ursu Korean BBQ Tacos will be on hand to sell their delectable edibles.

Tickets for this inaugural event are available by advance purchase only for $50 (includes a full evening of entertainment and drinks). All proceeds from this one of a kind fundraising event will help fund the Roundhouse’s community programming.

To purchase tickets, visit the Roundhouse Community Centre website, call 604.713.1800 to charge by phone, or stop by the Roundhouse in person. Tickets are available at the front desk.

Venue: Roundhouse Community Centre
Date: August 19
Time: 7 pm – midnight

The Roundhouse offers a range of free and low-cost programs to the public, including the Jazz Festival, Diwali, Art exhibitions, Sustenance Festival, Children’s concerts and much more. Fundraisers such as Beerlesque help to keep high quality programming available at little or no cost to the community. Come out and show your support!
Mar24

Earth Hour at OPUS Hotel

Posted in: Dining, Events, Vancouver

Yaletown’s boutique Opus Hotel will switch off all its (non-essential) lights on March 26th at 8:30 pm, in honour of the 4th annual Earth Hour.

[Photo courtesy of puremango, on Flickr]

Bulbs will be replaced with candles. The entire property—from the front desk and lobby to One Hundred Nights—will be romantically lit by candlelight.
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Dec10

I Love Yaletown Blog Competition

Posted in: Dining, Events, Photography, Vancouver

*The following post is a contest entry for the YaletownBlog, who together with the Yaletown Business Improvement Association are working to raise awareness in Yaletown’s unique business and culture scene.

Yaletown was intriguing to me right from the start. My husband and I emigrated to Canada from Western Europe in mid-2005. We’d settled into another fantastic neighbourhood, Kitsilano, however each time we headed over the Granville Bridge towards downtown, we couldn’t help but notice the collection of tall, sleek glass structures made famous by Douglas Coupland’s read, City of Glass.

[photo credit: Duane Storey]

When we were finally settled into our digs, we ventured out one evening and discovered a cobble-stoned, cozy atmosphere reminiscent of many European cities. The restaurants had patios! The streets weren’t filled with two-way congestion-inducing traffic.

We admired its well-dressed locals shopping with their well-dressed small dogs or sipping coffee at street corner cafés.

My favourite Yaletown dining destination? There are many. It’s probably a toss-up between Goldfish Pacific Kitchen and the Blue Water Café, both worthy of either a special night out or of showing off to visitors. Growing up, my family would often vacation on Martha’s Vineyard, off the coast of Massachusetts. We grew to appreciate seafood there and when I think of Goldfish Pacific Kitchen’s seared Qualicum Bay scallops or the Blue Water Café’s infamous Seafood Tower, my mouth begins to water!

[photo credit: Sifu Renka]

It’s been a handful of years since then, and a wealth of events have taken place in this vibrant community.

I particularly enjoyed the events that took place during the 2010 Winter Olympic Games.

Yaletown has also been host to a Best of Yaletown Burger competition on Canada Day,

a photo marathon,

World Cup soccer events,

and one of my husband’s favourite activities, road cycling races.

Just a few of the many great reasons to ♥ Yaletown!
Aug28

Opus 100 Days Pop-up: Design + Food

Posted in: Dining, Events, Illustration, Inspiration, Vancouver

I was invited last night to the launch of Opus Hotel’s 100 Days pop-up restaurant, currently taking over the hotel’s former Elixir Bistro space until the end of 2010. It took only six days to renovate the eight year space that they occupied.
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Aug12

12×12 Photo Marathon

Posted in: Events, Inspiration, Networking, Photography, Vancouver

Are you a closet shutterbug? Grab your analog SLR camera and register for the second annual 12×12 Photo Marathon, coming September 12th to Vancouver.

One roll of 12 exposure 35 mm film, one theme to challenge your creative mind per hour, and off you go, interpreting each hour’s theme to your individual taste. No Photoshop allowed! I read about this event as it unfolded last year and got a ticket in time to partake in the creative brainstorming and socializing that will inevitably unfold during the event’s 12 hour duration.

The brainchild of Morten Rand-Hendriksen, a team of six creative photographers have helped to shape the event and I’m sure it will get a lot of attention. The event has already caught the eye of Vancouver Sun’s Gillian Shaw, who’s posted a story on her weekly tech blog, Digital Life.

Tickets ~~will likely go fast~~ are now sold out, as only 60 entrants are allowed to participate. Blenz Coffee on Helmcken will serve as base for the day. This is where the participants will meet up once an hour to get each new theme assignment.