The Fat Badger: making good use of a familiar space CLOSED I knew when I walked into The Fat Badger (1616 Alberni St., Vancouver) for the first time that it would stir my emotions. After all, there are few buildings in Vancouver with which I have a stronger connection than this West End [...]
Central City's Imperial ... you might want to share Often as not, the best tastings are spontaneous and even unstructured. The other night I got together with my great friends and neighbours R & B. They’re very much part of our Real Person (Wine) Tasting Panel. But this was more of a last [...]
Siena: braised lamb filled ravioli, Tim Pawsey photo One of the hazards of writing “Best of” / “Year End” lists is that you’re guaranteed to miss one (or more)—even more likely if you’ve been waging a kleenex demolition derby against the lurgy sweeping through Vancouver these days. That said, here’s a greatly expanded [...]
Good pints and more ... We’ve waxed poetic (and otherwise) over the years about what used to pass for a pub in Vancouver. Having been eclipsed for so long by Victoria (which benefitted maybe just a tad from being the seat of political and bureaucratic power), Vancouver is finally coming into its own. [...]
I’ll admit it: I’m a tiny bit of a design geek. Nope. I have no qualifications. But I am intrigued by clever labels and good looking bottles. Some that come to mind are (BC wineries) Blasted Church, Laughing Stock, Tantalus, and a few more. No coincidence, they’re all the work of Brandever, a company run [...]
FarmFolk CityFolk is one of BC's longest established proponents of locally grown food Food and wine celebrations come and go but one of the longest running—unquestionably because its very telling relevance continues to resonate—is Feast of Fields, the notable outdoor graze that now unfolds in three incarnations: Metro Vancouver, Vancouver Island and [...]
Tap & Barrel: wines on tap and dazzling downtown views, Tim Pawsey photo We owe a debt of thanks to Blasted Church’s Brent Hayman for being the first to give us the heads up on the burgeoning tap wine business, earlier this spring. He introduced us to Steve Thorp and Mike Macquisten at Vancouver [...]
Calling all hopheads: Tickets go on sale at midnight tonight for Vancouver Craft Beer Week (May 18-26) Can it really be a year already since the last VCBW? Already, VCBW has quickly become one of the town’s hottest tickets. Last year many events sold out faster than you can say ‘cheers!’ What’s driving [...]
Encounter with a perfect pint, Tim Pawsey photo If there’s one thing the Hired Belly finds hard to resist it’s a decent pint, particularly when it's properly poured, and at the right temperature. I’m sure it’s one of the many very sound traits inherited from my dad—who I still sorely miss. Growing up, beer [...]
Vancouver’s classiest cocktail salute is back with a vengeance this week. Judging by the weekend pre-show and first day’s activities, it promises to far outshine last year’s inaugural event, which was impressive—even more so considering it was the first run. Where cocktails and bartenders mix, even the most functional of activities is likely [...]
