Foodie in Vancouver

Oliver wineries you have to hit: Burrowing Owl for lunch is a great recommendation. I am drinking a 2000 Cab Franc from BOV as I type this. Hope they have some Syrah and Meritage left. But almost anything they produce should suit your tastes. Inniskillin for sure. If you are lucky they may still have some Zinfandel left. Any of their single vineyard reds are well worth tasting. They also have a Vigonier (I know - I spelt it wrong) Golden Mile: Absolutely on the Pinot Noirs. We bought a lot of the Black Arts Pinot Noir. Very impressive but the regular PN is well worth it. Fairview Cellars: Haven't tasted the 2003 but Bill usually has good reds. Some of his earlier vintages faded early but we had a 2000 Meritage the other night that was tasting well. Tinhorn: a bigger winery but has a varied lineup. The Oldfield Merlot is worth tasting and many of the others are extremely reliable. Several can be purchased at the LCB. But here is the secret - go to the Toasted Oak Grill and Bar (it is on Highway 97 and 350th - the only traffic light in town). There are 2 great things about this place - neither have to do with food. The first is the flights of wine. They always have a red and a white flight of 3 2-oz pours of BC wines. Many you have never heard of before. They literally have at least 1 wine for sale in the bar from every winery (97) in the province. The second great thing about the TO is the VQA store. Excellent selection and winery pricing. And, the third great thing is the washrooms downstairs. Worth a visit. I don't know how much wine you can bring back from Oliver if you are flying in. It is a very small runway. Hard to call it an airport. Other places if you have the time - Geringher Brothers have some interesting whites. Personally I have never been able to see the appeal of Domaine Combret but there are those who swear by their wines. Hester Creek has produced some good Merlots and Merlot/Cabs in the past. We didn't have time to get there last visit. These 2 wineries are side/side. Where ever you do go, try anything red from 2003. It was a very warm year. We have tasted some great red wines, even this early. I strongly recommend you call any winery you hope to visit ahead of time to see if they are going to be open. Many wineries have limited tasting room hours at this time of year. I would love to know which wineries you do get to and what you think.

Whatever you do DON'T go to Tsunami sushi. To do so would invite bitter disappointment. It is so mediocre when compared to the other suggestions in this thread. Ajisai is truly out of your way but it is a very good sushi restaurant. The room however is extremely challenging - it is tiny and there is always a line-up. Depending on the time of your flight back to NYC, it might be worth a stop for lunch on your way to the airport. Another option, but again, not downtown is Zen at McDonald and 16th Avenue. I prefer the sushi at Ajisai but like the room at Zen much better. The service at Zen has been superlative. Please let us know where you end up and what you thought.

Paul - just want to say thank you for taking such a personal role in helping to bring back some of the original "super natural BC". An amazing undertaking which we will all enjoy. Thank you.

I suggest you go to the Fairmont restaurant - they pack plane meals to go. And they aren't plain.

Some years ago, when I was thinking about memorable ways to celebrate my 50th birthday I thought I wanted to go to Chicago for dinner at Charlie Trotter's. This was partly based on the fact that I was reading his book "On Service" at the time and was extremely impressed with the values he and his team seem to embody. In the end, we decided not to go Trotter's the restaurant and instead spent a week trotting (literally) around Manhattan, eating in all the boroughs as we went. Each day we walked for at least 6 hours and then felt totally justified in having great meals and lots of wine with dinner. So, is Trotter a draw is an interesting question in that what inspired me to want to eat in his restaurant was in part the reputation for the quality and uniqueness of his food but more so the service and "event" nature a meal has in his restaurant. Thus for me, I think Trotter is more about the place and his team who embody the service values that he wrote about - his respect for the customer and the need to ensure that eating at Trotter's would be a memorable event not just because of the food but because the service team is focused on the totality of the experience. If I went to this event, I would be having fine food and wine but the experience might be more that of the Lumiere approach to service. Not that that is a bad thing. It just isn't the Trotter service experience. (Who knows - maybe it is better?) Supportive of this perspective is the Outstanding in the Field event. It was David Hawksworth who was the chef but the memory is of the event and how the service team, setting and intent of the meal is the dominant theme that remains with me. The chef is part of the equation but where the chef prepares/presents the meal can have a profound effect on how the meal is perceived. Does Charlie Trotter have the same effect in someone else's establishment? It will be interesting to hear other perspectives (in advance) and then hear the real deal after the event. Inquiring minds want to know.

Thanks, Joie. Another question: Has anyone tried Red Pepper in the 1400 block Granville? It is in the space formerly known as Velvet.

Andrew - can you elaborate on the location of each of the restaurants you mention? They all sound worth a visit.

We went to a wedding in a Legion in Fort Saskatchewan last September. My first experience in a Legion . What saved the day was the fact that they had 18-year-old Scotch (can't remember which one) for $4.50 a drink. My husband was thrilled and drank doubles all night.

Is Epoisee the really, really stinky cheese? If so, it might be a consideration. I served some and almost cleared the room when I brought the cheese plate to the table. But, they did eat almost everything on the plate. But wrap it very well if you have to put it back in the fridge.

This isn't my last 3 meals out but I feel badly that I haven't posted about an amazing meal at Fresco's in Kelowna on the last night of wine festival. The meal was so extraordinary in every sense - total whimsy in every course (more later), Rod and Audrey had invited their producers to join them so we heard from the farmers and producers as well as the vineyard managers and impeccable service from start to finish. Rod and Audrey are consumate hosts who despite the gruelling schedule of Wine Festival looked as fresh and energized as if it were the first night. I want to nominate them for unsung, local culinary heroes. If there was ever a meal that should have been photographed this was it. But my wonderful husband who is the photographer in this duo forgot his camera at home. So - note to self. Pay the taxman and then buy a purse-sized camera. (But that means I will have to a) read the instructions and b) learn to post pictures.) (Note to self - bribe Arne with wine and get him to show me how to post pictures on eG). The first course was green eggs and ham served on a small portion of an oak barrel. The eggs were the Martha Stewart kind and Rod had made a velvety custard which he poured into the eggs and then (guessing here) poached the eggs in a bain marie. They were accompanied by a timbale of squash dice (tender, tender, tender) stabbed with a shard of crisp proscuitto. Next up was Shrimp popcorn - which was poached, local spot prawns with a shot glass of popcorn. But the popcorn was dusted with a very fine dehydrated tomato powder (I am not doing this justice!) The soup course was served as a can in a soup plate. Each and every can had been wrapped with a mock label which Rod had made on his laser printer to be reminiscent of a Campbell's soup label. In the bowl were several pieces of tomato - green, yellow and red. The diner then had the fun of upending the soup into their bowl. And what soup it was - no stock in this soup. Tomatos (from Milan - of course) and tomato water so it was intense in flavour - but suprisingly not acidic. The main course was 3 mini burger - turkey (it was Thanksgiving) hand chopped and seasoned, shitake and bison ribs. The buns were made in the kitchen - as well as the mustard, the mayo and the "ketchup". Fun and definitely best burgers I've had. And for me - the perfect size. Kinda like a two-bite brownie size but all the tastes were there. The wines were all from Vincor - a Pinnacle, a white meritage, the Bears Cub Zinfandel, Stellars Jay and a late harvest for the desert - a wagon wheel made with handmade marshmellow and local preserves. And of course chocolate. Another recent trimimphant wine dinner was the Sherry dinner at Cru. I was a reluctant participant as I was convinced I didn't like Sherry. I guess that is similar to the time I went to the Irish Heather for the Scotch and Cheese for the cheese only to discover I like Scotch. And today, had lunch at Nu my new favorite place for business lunches. Although we had lunch last week at HSG which as of November 1 will be my local - as one of my clients is moving to Yaletown. And, OT but OT with the OK wine festival - we have set a new record for number of cases of wine you can bring back from the Okanagan in a mini-van.

I was at Nu today for lunch and while I can recommend the food as perfect for sharing with a group of 6, I don't think I could have a long lunch in those chairs. I would second the recommendations for Bacchus, HSG, Cioppino's (Christmas lunch there last year) and West if you don't mind coming uptown.

Nels and I traditionally run away from the family at Thanksgiving. This year we will be enjoying a meal at Fresco in Kelowna. And picking up more wine - in case the cellar runs low.

Trish: My favorite carpaccio is at Cru.

I'm waiting for Keith to chime in. Surely he can't resist?

I have 2 favorites - Dana Reinhardt at CRU and David Hawkeworth at West. Like Arne, I am still gaga over the Outstanding in the Field event. Dana consistently produces the most honest, tasteful food I know. We can't afford to eat at West very often so only go there a couple of times a year. We do manage to get to Cru more often and have never been disappointed. Dana and her crew produce wonders - whether it is at the amazing wine dinners or the regular menu. And what can I say about David H that hasn't been said already - amazing chef and a very humble and lovely person.

I bought some (read a lot) a couple of weeks ago and had a lovely discussion with the owner. He is working on a website and should have it up and running by next season. This will enable us to order garlic on line. His farm is called Windy River Farm in Keremeos.

I am SOOOO jealous. Nels and I love the Okanagan and haven't been up since the Spring Wine Festival. Huge oversight on our part. I need to travel more and work less.

How about the bar at West? You can eat and she can drink and both of you will be happy.

Surely someone knows what is going into the former Coco Pazzo space. The suspense is killing me!

I was at a friend's for dinner last night and was talking so much about the Pig Pickin that everyone thought I had been there which caused huge confusion. But that's how wonderful your pictures and all the posts have been - I truly felt like I was part of the fun. Best part? How much I laughed at the pig foot in the tub. Tooooo funny. Even looks like he had a fresh manicure for the party. Thanks to one and all for sharing such a marvellous event.

Back in Vancouver after setting up our daughter in her apartment at Queens and enriching many of the local businesses in the process. We ended up having a very mere appetizer on the patio at Chez Piggy. So insipid that it really doesn't deserve to be mentioned other than the quite acceptable Cab Franc from the Niagara pennisula. Unfortunately the name of the winery is totally lost. But the wine was quite restorative after spending the day in a shopping frenzy. All of our other meals were eaten at Casa Domenico (35 Brock Street). This is a truly wonderful restaurant in alll regards and certainly rivals many of the fine dining restos in Vancouver. We sampled several dishes, all of which were absolutely perfect in all regards. The mixture of textures and flavours was superb and all the ingredients were absolutely fresh and of top quality. Casa Domenico has to be one of the best restaurants I have eaten in all year. The wine list is small but focused and well atuned to the food. Service is friendly without being obtrusive and the room is lovely. We had the following appetizers (not all at one meal!): Gamberoni Albicocche - tiger shrimp in a spicy apricot curry cream sauce topped with crispy leeks - paired with the Pierre Sparr Gewurzt. Carpaccio di manzo - paired with the Ravenswood Zinfandel Anatra con Fico - Roasted sweet and spicy duck breast, mission figs, mache and pecorino - paired with a local Pinot Noir Calamari - pan seared with fresh tomatoes, chilies, capers, arugula and bagna cauda vinagrette - Ravenswood Zin Salad: Caprino Pistachio: Pistacchio crusted chevre, honey roasted tomatoes, crisp proscuitto and mixed greens with balsamic vinagrette NZ Sauvignon Blanc Pastas: Spaghetti con pollo affumicato: spaghetti with smoked chicken, spinach, roasted red peppers and gorgonzola cream sauce - Local Chard (not a hit), Ravenswood Zin (much better). This was so good we had it 2 days in a row! Orechchiette con salsiccia anatra: orecchiette with duck sausage, broccolini, crushed chilies and roasted yellow peppers in a garlic olive oil sauce (Italian Montelcino?) Linguine neri con Gamberi: Black linguine, tiger shrimp, zucchini, roasted yellow pwppers and SD tomatoes with a shrimp bisque sauce (Wine for sure - but can't remember which) This restaurant is reason enough to visit our daughter again very soon. We found reasonable coffee at the Coffee and Company cafe on Princess and Wellington but the pastries were just OK. On the drive back to Ottawa to catch our flight home we had a perfectly delightful lunch in Merrickville in the garden at Sam Jakes Inn. We shared an absolutely heavenly smoked tomato gazpacho and then I had the grilled salmon and mango spinach salad and my husband had the BLAT - bacon, lettuce, avocado and tomato sandwich. Both were wonderful and held us through the foodless 5 hour flight home. Although I must say, I quite like the fact there there isn't food on the West Jet flight. I realize that the smell of the food service was actually what must have always made me vaguely ill on flights and I rarely if ever ate the food, preferring to bring my own. We didn't get a chance to try any of the other restaurants in the area. I can't recommend Casa Domenico highly enough and can't warn you strongly enough to avoid Chez Piggy - it isn't even suitable for the porcine crowd.

Went a couple of weeks ago for a business meeting. Great drinks and excellent food. It was a great way to have an informal meeting with a business colleague - and we got a lot of stuff done. Really! We sat on the patio so didn't find it loud. In fact, I never went inside. Will have to remedy this - soon.

My last 3 meals were at Lumiere, Cru and Parkside The Lumiere experience is reported elsewhere (I have no idea how to do that clickety thing) so won't repeat it here save to say that of the 3, the Lumiere dinner is in the Number 2 spot. Bringing up the rear was our meal on the patio at Parkside. There were 6 of us and we went as a celebratory meal with Parkside as my choice of venue and we were the hosts. Service was lacking, barely above non-existant. We were on the patio and seemed to be off everyone's radar that night. I have been to Parkside many times so this was a real shock for me. Food unfortunately followed suit. My starter was the heirloom tomato salad. My work schedule has prevented my from getting any of Milan's tomatoes myself so this was a clear first-choice. Unfortunately, they seemed lacking in flavour - what I was anticipating was the wonderful sweetness of the tomatoes we had had at the UBC OIF meal. Not so - bland and cut very thickly with some equally flavourless olive oil. I despararately wanted some salt but couldn't attract any of the waitstaff and didn't want to stand on the table. On to main course - seared tuna. Done a little too much for me - I prefer it on the sashimi side and as tender as sashimi. This was dense and cooked well done for at least a 1/4 inch on each side. And it was only 3/4 to an inch thick to begin with. The accompanying fries were pale and very soft - there were about 6 of them in a log cabin style. 2 of our guests had the halibut which was largely uneaten. Even I could see that it was not moist. The ostrich seemed to have been a better choice as it was finished. I had the marscapone canneloni for dessert which was fine but a little sweet for me. For wine I had the Blue Mountain Pinot Noir to start with while half the table had cocktails. Barely managed to get the second glass - finely got someone's attention and it was served as I finished my main course. All in all dinner took over 3 hours due to the slow service. We were frozen by the end of the meal. The service and the food was definitely an anomaly as I have been to Parkside many times both for business and with friends. I will go back if only to prove that this was an off-night. It was quite off putting as I had gone on and on to everyone about how wonderful the food was. Our favorite of the 3 meals was the Cru Riesling dinner. Perhaps not a fair comparison as it is a special event meal. The first of the 4 courses was seared scallops served with a curry beurre blanc and a tamarind sauce. Exquisite - scallops were sweet and perfectly seared to a firm crust and tender inside. The second course was seared foie gras served with roasted peaches. My version of heaven and well worth a prescription for Lipitor. Dana knows how to get that wonderful brulee-like crust on the foie gras with the melting interior. This will be on the menu for my last supper. The next course was veal tenderloin served atop pulled breast of veal. The tenderloin was delicate and the pulled breast (one of the people at our table demanded to know where the breast is on a veal - clearly the effect of 7 tastings of riesling and 3 additional glasses with dinner) was almost a braised flavour. Dessert was a nectarine claflouti served with Riesling ice wine. This was the second time Mark has featured Riesling and again I was reminded of what a wonderful wine it is. I need to buy and serve more Riesling.

Well - here I go. We had dinner last night at Lumiere at the suggestion of friends who had a gift certificate. We agreed that we would split the bill after the GC. There are 2 choices on how to dine - either the 9 course Kitchen Menu @$130pp or the 3 course prix fixe @ $100 pp. The trick is that the whole table has to have the same approach thus for a variety of reasons we went with the 3 course prix fixe. To start with, our table was jammed beside a post which made service very akward and there was an extremely loud table beside us where 1 of the 5 diners (which included 2 pre-teens) were always up and wandering around so there were some distractions from the beginning. But as has been mentioned previously, expectations were high. The amuse for the women was a yellow heirloom tomato gazpacho with shaved fennel and a choux pastry with a ricotta filling. The gazpacho was absolutely devine and a wonderful start. True tomato flavour - I could have eaten a whole bowl. The men had a tuna tartare and a panna cotta of ??(he can't remember) but it was orange in colour. He describes it as OK. For the first course I had the famous dungeness crab ravioli with a truffled beurre blanc. Crab is not an overwhelming flavour to start with so it is easy to lose- especially if the pasta is thick and too a la dente. Which, unfortunately it was. A thin, ethereal barely-there pasta wrapping to hold the crab in place would have worked so much better. Each ravioli (there were 4) was served atop a perfectly seared half scallop. The beurre blanc was delicate with a confetti of extremey thinly shaved truffle - the taste of the truffle was very very muted. Hardly there - more flavour would have been evident from truffle oil. Nothing special and hard to believe this was an Iron Chef winner. One of the others had the foie gras and loved it. My husband and I both had the roast salmon. The salmon was served with a smear of fennel puree and a green sauce - unfortunately totally unremembered because there was so little of it and it was otherwise tasteless. Or maybe the oversalted roasted salmon overwhelmed the taste. But the salmon, while not overdone, certainly was lacking in taste. Perhaps the fault lies in that incredible salmon I had at C earlier in the summer. On the plus side the salmon was moist; it was just flavourless, all I tasted was salt. With not much else on the plate one was left wanting. Other choices at the table were the loupe de mer and the Angus strip loin on chanterelles. The beef was said to be OK - not anything special. It was served as 2 pieces about 6 inches in length, 1.5 inches wide and was cooked to perfection. Bright red-pink evenly throughout. I had the peach with vanilla ice-cream for dessert. Enough said about dessert. The wine list was very difficult for us. The other couple started with a 1/2 litre of the Balthasar Reisling and we each had a glass of Alamos chardonnay ($14 each). The only Pinot Noir in our price range was the 2004 Golden Mile Cellars PN; I was totally unprepared to pay $60 for a wine that I know is unremarkable and retails for $20. We ended up with a French Gamay. Light and very fruity - $72 (I think). The next price point was well into the $100's and out of our comfort zone. Service is definitely very attentive - we had multiple people at our table throughout the evening. Absolutely nothing to complain about in that regard. My husband and I had our backs to the room so can't say too much about the decor. The place was packed, with people lined up outside the door - I assume for the tasting bar. The total for the night with tip was $700 for 4. Was it worth it? Not for me and not when I compare it to other options for dining at this price point in Vancouver. West for sure would be a way better choice if you have this kind of cash to spend. Neither of us expected that we would have been looking at a tab this high and not have had our socks knocked off. I know others have raved and maybe it was our fault for going with the 3-course option - perhaps the kitchen shines brighter on the 9 course menu. Did we say anything at the time? No - we were guests of a sort in that our friends treated us to the extent of their GC. And given the crush of people in the bar and the close proximity of the other tables I have no idea how we could have done this with any discretion. For me, I chalk it up to experience and at least I can now say been there, done that. And, I can honestly say without any hesitation, David Hawksworth and the experience at West is worth every single penny and every single time. My admiration for Chef Hawksworth just continues to grow and grow.

Another tourist chiming in. I shop regularly at Granville Island Market here in Vancouver. While not a real farmer's market in that there are many shops that sell packaged goods, such as Italian products, grains, Asian ingredients etc. and the produce sellers sell fruits and vegs from near and far. In comparison to the Borough Market, pricing is more in line with the local community. I was in London in March and visited Borough Market and was quite taken aback at the prices. And the lack of real choices. One of the great things about GI market is the requirement that there are 2 of every shop - 2 butchers, 2 bakeries, 2 fishmongers etc. Like many have mentioned in this thread, I curse the tourists. Vancouver has quite a robust cruise ship season and it seems that most cruise shippers end up at Granville Market. They, and the stroller mommies, make shopping utter hell. But, as we have discussed at length in the Vancouver forum, they are a fact of life. My strategy is to go early, which is 8:30 for our market. I did so yesterday and got just about everything I needed for dinner for 20 in the garden last night. Because of the convenience of everything all in one place I would like to think I was kinder to the environment, rather than going from shop to shop in the city and I was able to significantly decrease the amount of time spent shopping. And, because of the day vendors who bring local fresh produce I was able to get some amazing fruit which wasn't on my list. I did buy some things that I thought were outrageously priced - $7.00 for 2 heads of organic garlic seemed over the top to me. But it was more than made up for by the amazing peaches from a near-by orchard. So like you in London, I dearly want our market to succeed and be a source of local ingredients and the opportunity to interact with people who truly care about the things they sell, be it fish, fowl, beef or garlic. I want to continue to support a forum for small sellers of honesty produced products such as the hand made vinegars and jams and fruits and produce from our local farms. If in doing so I occassionally buy expensive garlic and get my toes trodden on by gawking tourists or unruly children, so be it. I will gladly endure that in comparision to shopping in our equivalent of Waitrose or Sainsburys day after day. Let's hope our continued support of genuine markets ensures they can successfully continue for a long time to come.