Taste BC 2011- Paradise for a sample-junkie

I was lucky enough to be invited along to Liberty Wine Merchant’s Annual Fundraising event for the Children’s Hospital-Oak Tree Clinic which specializes in providing care and services to those with HIV/AIDS. This was the event’s 17^th year, and heading into this year, the event has raised a total of $170,216.

Those with tickets to the event get to taste food from local restaurants and catering companies and sample some of BC’s best wine, beer, and spririts.  

Basically, for a lush and sample junkie like me- this was heaven!

I tried a little of everything….

Food samples I loved were:

Benton Brothers Fine Cheese

Central Bistro- Fig and tomato braised lamb on a taro chip

Central City Brewing- Grilled Cheese with stout cheddar and beer bacon and tomato soup capsules (innovative and tasty!)

Rodney’s Oyster House- Freshly Shucked BC Oysters

Poplar Grove Cheese

Some of my favourite wines were: Blasted Church Hatfield’s Fuse 2009, Mt Boucherie Summit Reserve Pinot Noir 2008, Poplar Grove Merlot 2006, Therapy Vineyards Freud’s Ego 2008

Other booze I really dug:

Driftwood Brewing White Bark Wheat Ale

Howe Sound Brewing Winter’s Ale

Russell Brewing: Honey Blonde, Wee Angry Scotch Ale

Sea Cider Farm & Ciderhouse: Wild English Cider

To find out more about BC Children’s Hospital and their Oak Tree Clinic http://www.bcchildrens.ca/Services/SpecializedPediatrics/OakTree/default.htm

Getting tipsy and noshing on tasty food…..it was a good night, for a good cause!

Ashley's Birthday at Les Faux Bourgeois

It was one of my best pal Ashley’s birthday, so I decided to take her out for a special birthday date. I’ve only been to LFB once, but my experience was soo awesome, it’s now one of my favourite “special-occasion” restaurants in Vancouver. Ashley  had never been and wanted to try it, so we were already off to a good start.

Note: LFB is awesome in dealing with reservations and they call you to confirm and are great about accommodating changes.

We arrived and were seated at a table for two near the window. It was a bit chilly, but they had put out a small space heater which made our seating nook nice and cozy. After gabbing for about half and hour, and having our lovely, polite, (and adorable) server check on us approximately three times, we settled into ordering. I had checked out the menu online, and I was in a seafood mood, so I ordered Le Cabillaud ($17): Ling Cod, mushrooms, savoy cabbage, cod croquettes and manila clam pan jus. Ashley wasn’t sure what to order. Based on everything I’ve heard/read, you really can’t lose with either the mussels and fries or steak and fries. She had narrowed it down to either the salmon dish or the mussels and asked our server for his recommendation. Without skipping a beat, he suggested the mussels and fries.

 After our orders were placed, we were brought a basket of their delicious bread with butter and garlic aioli (sooo tasty- save some for fry dip!).

Our mains were brought out shortly after (approx 15 min) and they looked and smelled absolutely divine (but honestly, the same could be said for every dish we saw delivered to the hungry customers all evening). My dish was really tasty- the stand outs were the variety of sautéed mushrooms, the crispy cod croquettes, and the savoury cabbage. It was an impressive plate that I ordered because of all the delicious-sounding elements. BUT, I can honestly say that I was out-ordered that evening by the birthday girl.

Those Moules Mariniere ($16): Mussels in white wine, garlic and parsley, with pomme frites, are simple and outstanding. The dish is so simple and so flavourful. That mussel sauce creates a garlicy, buttery bowl of bliss. You almost have to refrain from diving head-first into that bowl. Thanks for sharing Ash!

Another awesome experience at Les Faux Bourgeois. Great food, reasonable prices, and awesome service.

Les Faux Bourgeois

(604) 873-9733

663 E 15th Ave

Vancouver, BC V5T2R6

http://www.lesfauxbourgeois.com/

Masa's Bar and Grill- Sunpeaks Pub Lunch

I went for a weekend getaway in Sunpeaks recently for my pal Tricia’s birthday. We ate most of the meals in her family cabin/chalet, but we did one lunch at Masa’s Bar and Grill during a snowboarding/skiing/drinking and ice skating day. 

I ordered the vegetarian chilli combo with salad and a garlic breadstick. The chili had a nice mild/medium heat with a tomato-dominated flavour. I liked the texture- it was a nice balance with a few different types of beans, diced peppers, and chunks of tomato. I asked for some hot sauce for the table and they brought me out a small cup of quite tasty hot sauce with a slightly buttery taste (I’m guessing Frank’s Hot Wing Sauce) that I dunked my garlic breadstick in and added to my chilli for a bit more flavour. To my chagrin, when the bill came, the server had charged me an additional 75 cents for a side of hot sauce…this is a pet peeve of mine- first of all, places shouldn’t charge for condiments. But if that’s the policy, and as a server you HAVE to do it, let the customer know about the additional charge. The side salad was pretty lame with the exception of the shredded pickled beet topping.

Scott ordered the beef dip and although it looked stand-out awesome, he said it was just average. The bread was a dark crusty baguette style with some girth and the meat was well cooked, tasty, and plentiful but the au jus sauce was disappointing. According to Scott who sees himself as a beef dip connoisseur: the darker the au jus with the more floating meat bits, the stronger the flavour. He found this au jus too weak and watered down.

Tina, Jayme and Tricia all ordered the Open Faced Greek Donair-grilled chicken with iceberg lettuce, tomato, feta, and tzatziki and served with a side of fries.

 They all found this dish pretty average- something they could make easily at home, pretty unimpressive and uninspired. The diners who ordered this dish were put off by the olives liberally sprinkled on top and scraped them off immediately, and a bit cranky that they weren’t mentioned in the menu description.

Jayme and Tina also ordered the Quesadilla with sautéed mushrooms and spinach, peppers, gruyere cheese and wait for it, wait for it….garlic mashed potatoes.

The ladies gave this Quesadilla four enthusiastic thumbs up. Tina broke it down…”I’m a lover of carbs so when you get a carb, wrapped up in another carb- AMAZING! Then you get fries in there and it’s a triple threat.” Jayme loved the creative use of mashed potatoes and said it tasted “rich, but not too rich.” She also loved the sautéed mushrooms and spinach filling and felt like they added some depth to the already flavourful meal.

Some of the boys at the table ordered an appy of Cajun Encrusted Cheese Sticks with slightly melted mozza with a crumbled spicy tortilla chip exterior were a huge hit with everyone for flavour, texture and innovation.

Overall, everyone felt pretty average about their lunch except for the quesadilla that had the girls wanting to mix garlic mashed potatoes into everything!

Masa's Bar & Grill (250) 578-5434       
Located in the Village Day Lodge
Sun Peaks, BC

Feeling lucky at Hachi Hana

I love Vancouver. The mountains, the ocean, the diversity, the culture, the city, the different neighbourhoods, the amazing food.....I could go on and on. Over the holidays, my friends Bree and Kate came back to Vancouver from Peace River, AB and Toronto respectively. I really wanted to take them for a nice meal while they were in town. I threw out a bunch of ideas for based on food buzz around town for posh places for a special meal and I was leaning towards a dinner at Vij's. Bree kind of surprised me when she told me that was desperate for a sushi lunch. 
Peace River isn't exactly a culinary destination and apparantly the only available sushi is packaged grocery store rolls. Her closest sushi destination is Edmonton and apparantly it's pretty pricey. $5 for a tuna rool- $7 for a california roll-$15 for a california roll-$9 for an avocado roll.    I was surprised when Kate told me that sushi is pretty pricey in toronto too. She was quoting $5 for a basic 6 piece tuna roll and $11 for a house special-type 8 piece roll.
I did a bit of research on Urbanspoon and recommended a few places....they didn't feel like leaving the North Shore so we headed to the one NS location on my "recommended" list...Hachi Hana on Lonsdale.

Walking in at around 1:30, the place was packed- I take that as a good sign since there is pretty much a sushi joint on every block of Lonsdale, so there are plenty of other options in the neighbourhood. It was a short wait and the servers were friendly and attentive. When the menus came out, Bree and Kate started a list that seemed a mile long of all the different dishes they wanted and we quickly decided to order a variety and share.....and they had a lot they wanted to order....so they did.
We ordered 6 pcs Gyoza (3.95), 8pc Tuna Sashimi (7.95), 9 pc Vegetable Tempura (6.95), Vegetable Maki Combo- kappa, veg, asparagus (7.50), Yam/Sweet Potato Roll (3.95), Negitoro Roll (3.95), Spicy Tekka Maki (2.95), Chopped Scallop Roll with spicy sauce (4.95) and the 12 pc Hachi-Hana Special Roll w/avacado, smoked salmon and prawn(8.95)....and I got a miso soup. This was some pretty impressive ordering and we definitely filled up our table.

They decided to bring us even more food and brought us a complimentary order of BBQ Tuna. It didn't look like much (kinda looked like a plain cooked chicken breast cut into small pieces) but behind its plain appearance lay a light, lemony flavour that was fresh and light-tasting.
 I'm not usually a big tempura fan, but I found this tempura exceptional:light and flaky with no greasy aftertaste.

The tuna sashimi was cut nice and thick with a beautiful colour. Fresh and bursting with flavour, it melted in my mouth. I also LOVED the attention to detail with the presentation and the use of pea shoots.

The yam/sweet potato roll was another stand-out. It was different than your typical yam roll in that the tempura yam was on top of the roll and the inside was full of marinated and grilled mushrooms.
The negitoro roll was bursting with fresh flavoured tuna and the added kick with the chopped green onions made it memorable.

The spicy sauce in the spicy tuna and chopped scallop roll is made in house and a tasty, savoury addition. All of the veggies in the rolls and garnishes were fresh and added a nice, crisp, crunchiness to some of the rolls. The Hachi-Hana special roll was a definite hit with everyone at our table. Draped in avocado and smoked salmon and stuffed with fresh prawn- it definitely felt special and like it was made with a lotta love.
Kate and Bree LOVED the quality of their meal and the comparative affordability. I think they were even a bit sad at the end of the meal knowing that it would be a while until they would have reasonable, affordable access to such a sushi feast again.
I've definitely had cheaper sushi in Vancouver and on the North Shore before- but I found these prices reasonable especially considering the quality of food and great service. It was a great meal with great friends and it was the best sushi I've had in a loooong time.
Hachi Hana
(604) 990-0081
North Vancouver
1426 Lonsdale Ave

Memorable Eats from 2010

It's a new year and around this time, we all tend to reflect on the previous year in our ways. While reflecting on events and making resolutions for 2011, I found my mind wandering to delicious meals from 2010. Rather than fight my foodie-brain distraction- I decided to go with it and come up with a round up of memorable meals in 2010.
In no particular order:

*Maenam:Braised Pork Belly and water spinach- Dinner with some TV ladies to celebrate the leggy redhead's return from an out of town gig

http://www.maenam.ca/

*Abigail’s Party: Big Al’s Burger- A wonderful laid back summer evening meal with Bianca and Ashley with a beer on the patio

Pemberton Meadows natural beef, aged cheddar, double- smoked bacon, caramelized onions, garlic aioli & butter lettuce on a Cob's sweet bun, fries & salad of mixed wild greens

http://www.abigailsparty.ca/

*The Wicklow: Grilled Lamb Burger- A surprisingly delicious St. Patricks Day Dinner

grilled lamb burger topped with feta and sautéed mushrooms served on a fresh kaiser with roasted garlic and rosemary aioli, lettuce, tomato and red onion. 13

http://www.thewicklow.com/menu.html

*East is East- I ate this a number of times over the year as a take out lunch at work

eastern plate(15$) with afghan eggplant (baked eggplant with herbs and sundried tomatoes) and minced beef kebab (organic beef with mushroom, red peppers and herbs). The plate comes with daal, afghan rice, salad and roti. Also, their chai tea is bananas!

http://www.eastiseast.ca/

*Chutney villa: Katrika Chops- A delicious dinner with the girls after mani-pedi's the night before Sheila's wedding

Katrika Chops: Delicious eggplant in a tomato based curry, served with or without egg (14$)

http://www.chutneyvilla.com/

*Tamarind Hill:Malaysian Curry Laksa (7.50)- A work lunch in North Vancouver between shoots. My first Laksa experience. Warm paradise in a bowl.

Rice vermicelli with dried shrimp, Tiger prawn, chicken, bean sprout, egg, tofu puffs and fish cake in spicy coconut, or curry soup.

http://www.tamarindhill.ca/The_Menus.html

*Le Faux Bourgeois- Mussels and Frites, Calamari, Lamb Sirloin and Vegetable Ratatouille- Patricia's birthday dinner- FANTASTIC, FANTASTIC, FANTASTIC.

http://www.lesfauxbourgeois.com/

Caffe Epicurean: Earthy Breakfast 12.50-

Eggs poached in a simmering Amatriciana sauce, topped with grilled Turkey or Pork Italian Sausage, accompanied with spicy or mild Eggplants and roasted Potatoes. Toasted bread, butter and jam.

Ask for the Rosemary Foccacia!

 http://www.epicureancaffe.com/

*Sushi Mori, port moody- Spicy Chirashi Don Lunch with Eunice after a location scout, an amazing meal that we tried to replicate one night for dinner with PVR'd 30 rock and Glee episodes.

 Spicy Chirashi Don(13.95) assorted sashimi and vegetables served on rice with spicy sauce

http://www.sushimorisake.com/

*Kibune sushi:tuna tataki (and many other dishes that were amazing but this stood out)

http://www.kibune.com/

*Hapa Izakaya (Kits):Spot Prawn features, sashimi salad, Tuna Avo Salsa Dip, and a few other delicious items- this was a fantastic patio belated birthday dinner from eunice and leggy redhead.

Tuna Avo Salsa Dip – 7.95
Ahi Tuna, avocado, tomato, onion and cucumber dip. Served with plantain chips

http://hapaizakaya.com/

*Pasparos Taverna, North Van- we shot a demo for a potential food network shoot here. The ladies that run this place are amazingly wonderful and the food is crazy delicious. It is now my very favourite Greek place!

Melitzanosalata(Roasted eggplant, garlic, fresh mint and basil dip) 7.5
Elioto(Olive pate) 7.5

Roast Lamb(Lamb shoulder slow roasted in our authentic blend of spices)

 Calamari(Choice of grilled, stuffed grilled or deep fried) 11.5

Vegan Moussaka- 18

Ekmek Kataifi- A delicious layered dessert with honey syrup infused kataifi pastry, custard, tossed crumbled nuts and homemade whipped cream.8

http://www.pasparos.com/index.htm

*Bandidas:Mexican Breakfast- brunch with Mel

Mexican Breakfast (all day) . . . 7 ½
2 free range eggs, corn tortillas, pinto beans, fresh salsa, purple cabbage salad and guacamole

http://bandidastaqueria.com/menu.html#7

*Three Lions Cafe:Bread and Butter Pudding with warm vanilla custard- a dessert date after a romantic outing to Best Buy. This is so good I bet it could end wars and maybe cure some scary diseases.

http://threelionscafe.ca/menu.html

*Bo Laksa King Bubbles and Bits: Laksa, Spicy Squid, Roti, Fermented Tea Leaf Salad- I took Eunice here for a belated b-day dinner and had our tastebuds rocked for a wallet-friendly price.

http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/14/1526583/restaurant/Hastings-Sunrise/Bo-Laksa-Kings-Bubbles-and-Bits-Vancouver

*Richmond Night Market- a summer evening adventure with Heather and Jen!

Meat Skewers

Octopus Balls

Samurai Burgers

Green Tea Soft Serve Ice Cream

http://www.summernightmarket.com/main/

*Yaletown Brewing Company- A Dine Out Vancouver Dinner with Jayme, Tricia, and Alana. I had a seafood soup, duck confit (my first time- SOOO good). and a chocolate dessert

http://markjamesgroup.com/yaletown.html

*La Terrazza- Another Dine Out Vancouver with the BCIT gals and their BFs. Everything was really tasty but our fantastic server and an amazing cheesecake dessert make it a stand out.

http://www.laterrazza.ca/menu.php

2010 Memorable eats outside of Vancouver restaurants:

*Jan/Feb trip to Cambodia and Thailand. Ate some weird stuff, discovered my love of spicy foods and fell in love with new flavours!

*Tommy Europe's dad made AMAZING goat curry for his surprise birthday party! I had thirds and took a tupperware home with me

*Cooked chanterelle and morel mushrooms at home for the first time! I crave them all the time now!

*Discovered cooking with canned pumpkin

*Jobin's salt and vinegar potatoes

I'm sure I will keep thinking of other things- but that is what I've got for now. I'm looking forward to a tasty new year!!!

Let me know what some of your foodie highlights were from 2010.

*Bacon dipped in chocolate and skor bits and Jaime and Jason's Xmas party