It’s a fact of life. People just have to ask me: “What’s your favourite restaurant?” It’s always tough to answer because, as a rule, I don’t play favourites. “It depends,” I’ll say … Chances are it might be the ‘flavour of the month:’ the place that’s just left a ‘lasting’ impression. Or, there may be […]
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 house on Alberni Street, in which Jean-Luc Bertrand established Le Gavroche, in 1978. I was […]
The Osoyoos ‘Oyster’ Festival? Seriously? I must admit, I was just a tad surprised when I first heard of the idea. After all, burgeoning bivalves is maybe not the first thing that come to mind when you consider the sandy (rock free), shores of the South Okanagan’s popular beach-side resort. However, the Osoyoos Oyster Festival […]
Updated, April 3rd, 2014. Kitsilano Daily Kitchen is celebrating its fourth birthday, so I decided to refurbish this post in its honour … and rerun the original piece, whose Courier links are now dead. You have to hand it to Brian Fowke, who jumped into the local, seasonal movement early. And persevered. From today’s […]
It’s quite a milestone: Dining Out for Life turns 20 this year. One thing I’ve learned covering food and wine over the years: No other industry is as generous as the hospitality sector. If there was a way to tally up volunteer hours and value of labour and goods donated, I’m sure the restaurant […]
I’m always annoyed intrigued by people who scoff at the idea of Vancouver becoming a truly “green city.” Maybe it’s just so much an entrenched part of the Canadian psyche: a feeling that progress and innovation always have to come from outside. Much in the same way that nobody used to recognise Canadian talent without […]
Just announced: the winners of the 2014 Chinese Restaurant Awards, Diners’ Choice, as tabulated from 19,612 ballots. The Chinese Restaurant Awards have grown from small beginnings into a hotly contested process that focuses a much needed spotlight on the top Chinese tastes in Metro Vancouver. The awards are divided into two parts: the Diners Choice, […]
Vintners Brunch, to the lucky crowd who book it soon enough, is one fun party. And why not? After all, it’s the major closing event of the Vancouver International Wine Festival; and a laid-back wrap-up for many of the wine industry people who have been working hard all week. Yet, behind-the-scenes there’s now a growing […]
Wagon Rouge is one of those places where, if I lived in the ‘hood, I’d be every day. And, apparently, it’s where a lot of people already are. My intro to the unfettered Gallic offshoot of Brad Miller’s popular Red Wagon diner (Powell at Victoria) was to to walk into a near capacity room. […]
Wild Rice, Andrew Wong’s trend-setting downtown room at Vancouver’s Pender and Carrall streets, has closed. Wong has decided to focus his energies entirely on Wild Rice Bistro at River Market, in New Westminster. I’m sure he’ll do well at the centre of such a rapidly growing region. If you haven’t yet made the trip to River Market, […]
