CityFood Magazine - Late Winter 2011 by CityFood Magazine

LATE WINTER 2011

Not Your Predictable Food Magazine

Urban Foraging for our Trophy Food

Vancouver’s best sandwich?

Is this

Or maybe it’s one of these ...

Ethical Hunting, Sexy Winter Vegetables, Victoria Drive, Dripster Coffee, Vodka Intelligence, etc. “You want it, come and get it, we’ll be waiting with a gun and a pack of sandwiches...”

www.provencevancouver.com

www.quintaferreira.com

contents

Devour your city ... and then nothing, something, everything ...

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16 20

26 24

28 30

APUBLICATION OF MAYFARE PRESS LTD. EDITOR/PUBLISHER Rhonda May

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CityFood Magazine -

Oh no...10 More Food Predictions. Publishing a new issue is like taking a screen shot of what was on our computer screen three months ago. No sooner is it new, it’s already old. The outlook keeps on changing. We’re already funneling the overflow into the next three upcoming issues, however here are a few trends that we’re still keeping an eye on. They may or may not be here already, but they’re likely to play a role in 2011. 1) Restaurateurs will be looking for ways to deliver top chef-quality food without maintaining the overhead and infrastructure of an actual restaurant. The most obvious options: investing in a food truck idea, or adding a deli, catering or food takeout outlet to their existing operation. But there are other ways to stuff a sausage ... 2) Other small businesses, having seen how Twitter-enabled mobility works for the food industry, will think about how it can be applied to their operations. Mobile manicures? Unfortunately, this idea will be irresistible to large corporate and marketing groups as well. How long did it take McDonald’s to get a Facebook and Twitter account? 3) Other municipalities will see an opportunity in Vancouver’s fumbling of the food cart situation by providing for Hawker-style, semi-permanent food truck festivals -- all cooking the kind of food that people actually want to eat, not what the Nannies say we can have. All Richmond needs is one good parking lot near a SkyTrain station and they’ve got our revenue -- the Richmond Night Market all year round. 4) Facebook will change public relations. Having enthusiastically welcomed social media early on as a detour around the media gatekeepers, public relations companies may start to view Facebook as a competitor. Small businesses in particular, having discovered how easy it is to communicate directly with their customer base on an ongoing basis, will question the need to spend budget on independent message broadcasters. Especially when FB gives direct access to those media gatekeepers as well. 5) Hunting was covered in this issue and we are going to see more reference to that topic this year as wild foraging continues as a significant trend. For example, Vancouverite and food lover Chad Brealey is about to star in a new television series that will focus on hunting, fishing and gleaning from the great BC outdoors. See a sneak peek at www.saltfreshfield.com 6) In the move towards simplification, or maybe the return to old-fashioned values, names of restaurants will be used less as self-conscious imaging tools and become more straightforward and self-explanatory. For example: Meat and Bread, Big Lou’s Deli, Vancouver Hot Chocolate Festival. The most abused word of the year will be “artisanal”. 7) The challenge used to be to get the girl’s phone number. Now it will be getting access to her “real” Facebook account. With the increasing need to sanitize Facebook pages for the benefit of the boss, future employers, Mom, or just the clutter of people one needs to friend in order to be polite, people will decamp to alias accounts where the real conversations take place. 8) Hip, old-fashioned barber shops partnering up with other retail - fashion or food. A bar would be the most natural companion...but hey, we are in British Columbia.#wonthappen. 9) On the grocery list: Turkish pizzas (lahmacun) topped with spiced lamb; fregola sarda pasta for its nutty, toasted flavour; spicy, low-alchohol fruit drinks, such as Watermelon Pepper, taking the place of sweet and loaded cocktails; capon (neutered rooster) because it’s bigger than a chicken, smaller than a turkey and has more flavour and moisture than either; “flat whites” (low-foam lattes); Chile’s merken spice. 10) Someone is going to come up with a commercial BC regional version of Italian Aperol or bitters - a low-proof aperitif flavoured with roots, herbs, fruits and spices and the local bartenders will use it. Ms. Mote? -- Rhonda May, Editor

4 - CityFood Magazine

www.bishopsonline.com

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city + food + time = Events Calendar

What Lies Ahead

The C Blue Short Film Competition is open to anyone and everyone who has a story to tell on the subjects of water, sustainability, and/or oceans advocacy. The genre is as wide open as the sea–animation: PSA, documentary, comedy, performance. The winning and short-listed films will be shown at a luxe screening in March, in tandem with World Water Day, attended by food and film media, VIPs, and industry titans. The winning film receives a cash prize of $1,000. All films must be one minute to 5 minutes in length - and films shot on "lo-fi" (MacBooks, camera phones) are encouraged. Deadline is March 15th, 2011 Download Application from www.crestaurant.com/index.php/c-blue-foundation

Emailquestions to :

richard@kambolis.com Submit DVD to:

C -1600 Howe St., Suite 2 Vancouver, B.C. V6Z 2L9

- CityFood Magazine

Now to February 6: Help Adesso Bistro support A Loving Spoonful: Adesso Bistro invites guests to dine out for an important cause. The West End restaurant known for its Ligurian specialties has partnered with the charity (that provides nutritious meals to men, women and children living with HIV/AIDS), to create a special fund-raising menu.1906 Haro St., Vancouver. 604-568-9975. www.adessobistro.net

February 1 - 28: Blue Water Cafe’s 7th Annual Unsung Heroes Festival. Once again, Chef Frank Pabst presents a month-long menu packed to the gills with creative and delicious ways to eat and appreciate our local sustainable seafood. Sardines, mackerel, urchins and BC prawns are just a few tasty examples of the ingredients you can expect. 1095 Hamilton St., Vancouver. 604-688-8078. www.bluewatercafe.net.

Now to February 10: Dine Out Vancouver. Presented by Tourism Vancouver, 213 local restaurants feature three-course, prix fixe menus priced at either $18, $28 or $38. All menus come with suggested BC VQAwine pairings, available at an additional cost. Check the website for all menus and info about related special events. www.tourismvancouver.com/dov.

February 8: Cheese and Wine 101 with les amis du FROMAGE Learn the cheese basics: how to care for and serve fine cheeses. Then discover how pair those cheeses with the wines that suit them best. 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. $70 per person. 604-732-4218. Taking place at Au Petit Chavignol. 843 East Hastings St. http://www.aupetitchavignol.com/

Now to February 13: Vancouver Hot Chocolate Festival. In support of their favourite charities, six top chocolate makers and one gelato guy are spiking their hot chocolate drinks with the wildest, most delicious flavours they can dream up. 7 chocolatiers, 30 days, 50+ crazy flavours. See this list for calendar of flavours and info. www.cityfood.com or http://bit.ly/dHD3h5

February 11-14: Romance Package at Sooke Harbour House: Enjoy two nights accommodation in one of the luxurious guestrooms, plus two hot breakfasts served each day in the comfort of your room, as well as a 3- course romantic dinner for two on the night of your choice. To book this package online click here: http://bit.ly/hSK8ek or call 250-642-3421. 1528 Whiffen Spit Road, Sooke, B.C.

Now to March 7: Cocktails in the Kitchen at Raudz Regional Kitchen. Muddlers, infused spirits and blenders replace textbooks, calculators and #2 pencils in a cocktail classroom at RauDZ Regional Table. Led by mixologist Gerry Jobe, these “Liquid Sundays” have taken the traditional concept of a cooking class and the non-traditional curriculum of cocktails to develop an eight week program.1560 Water St., Kelowna. 250-868-8805. www.raudz.com Now to May 1: SweaterLodge at the MOV. This architectural installation consists of an 87 ft. long, orange, polarfleece sweater made from 2,560 recycled twolitre plastic pop bottles. Visitors are given a booklet to guide them through the experience. At the end of the visit visitors are encouraged to take home a piece of orange fleece to make their own creation. Photos of the fleece creations can then be submitted to the Flickr group "Museum of Vancouver MOV" and will be printed out and posted in the gallery throughout the run of the exhibition. Museum of Vancouver. 1100 Chestnut Street. www.museumofvancouver.ca

February 12: Dream Weekend for Foodies at Hester Creek Winery: Adream weekend for BC food and wine lovers, this getaway has very limited availability. The package is $455 per couple and includes: one night in a deluxe "Villa" suite, breakfast, dinner, live music, wine, and gratuities. For reservations,call 250-498-4435. Oliver, B.C. thevilla@hestercreek.com February 22, 23: Choucroute Dinner at Le Crocodile. Members of the restaurant industry wait all year for this highlight the delicious and abundant 5 course Choucroute au Riesling dinner at Le Crocodile. Early reservations a must! $65. 909 Burrard St. 604-699-4298 www.lecrocodilerestaurant.com March 7: Cheeses of France with Les Amis du Fromage. Explore the many regional cheeses of France, then pair them with wines from the Alsace, Loire Valley and Bordeaux. 7 9:30 p.m. $80 per person. Call 604-732-4218 for tickets. Taking place at Au Petit Chavignol, 843 East Hastings. http://www.aupetitchavignol.com/

March 2: Cocktail Kitchen 2011 at the Refinery. After the impressive success of the 2010 Kitchen Cocktail Competition, mixologist Lauren Mote begins again with a new round of bartender challenge matches for 2011. First up: cocktails made with Jameson Whiskey. Let’s guess, will the theme menu be Irish pub classics? 7 p.m. The Refinery. 1115 Granville St., Vancouver www.therefineryvancouver.com March 9: Blood Bones Butter AConversation with Gabrielle Hamilton.The chef/owner of New York’s famous Prune restaurant and the author of a much talked about new memoir, Ms Hamilton visits Vancouver for a salon hosted by Barbara-Jo’s Books to Cooks. $49. 6 p.m. At the Bookstore.1740 West 2nd Ave., Vancouver. 604-688-6755. www.bookstocooks.com March 10: Diva Chefs 15th Anniversary Dinner. Former Diva at the Met executive chefs return for one night only to contribute one course each to a 7-course gala dinner celebrating the restaurant's 15th anniversary. Opening Chef Michael Noble, Scott Baechler, Chris Mills, Ray Henry and Dino Renaerts will join forces with current Executive Chef Quang Dang to create a special evening in support of Big Brothers of Greater Vancouver. 604-602-7759. 645 Howe St. www.metropolitan.com/diva/ March 13-15: Tales of the Cocktail On Tour - Vancouver. For the first time, this internationally acclaimed cocktail festival is taking its show on the road with Tales of the Cocktail on Tour. This minifestival will be held in Vancouver and will feature a series of par ties and seminars for cocktail lovers lead by the world’s top mixologists. Taking place at the Fairmont Pacific Rim Hotel. Information and package details available at http://bit.ly/huSc5D 1038 Canada Place, Vancouver. March 22: World Water Day. Champion the right of people everywhere to clean water. Enter C’s Blue Film Festival.(See sidebar left). Deadline: March15. March 28 - April 3: Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival: This year, the Festival celebrates the wines of Spain as its focus country, and fortified wines are highlighted as the principal varietals. Expect to sample some incredible sherry. All information including schedules, prices and packages, and descriptions of related off-site events is available on the Festival's website at: http://playhousewinefest.com

The Chefs Will Shine! March 10th

15 starring ...

Michael Noble Scott Baechler Chris Mills Ray Henry Dino Renaerts Quang Dang

Former Diva at the Met executive chefs return one night only for a special gala dinner celebrating the restaurantâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 15th Anniversary. A benefit for Big Brothers of Greater Vancouver. Reserve now! www.q4restaurant.com Diva at the Met Restaurant 646 Howe St. 604-602-7788 www.divamet.com

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city + food + culture

Highly anticipated things to read, watch and ponder in 2011

Your own private food film festival Butter

Actress Jennifer Garner and her production company are behind this comedy about a young, black, midwestern orphan who enters her town’s butter carving competition, thus pitting herself against the unscrupulous wife of the reigning champion. Mid-2011 Release.

Bitter Feast

Apompous TV chef exacts his revenge on an Internet food critic by kidnapping and torturing him at a remote cabin in the wilderness. Yes, the newest cult indie is a food-horror combo. Not too many of those around. Mario Batali has a walk on. New release - straight to DVD.

Soul Kitchen

Ayoung Hamburg restaurant owner struggles to make a success of his business. But hiring a new chef only adds to the chaos after someone spikes the food with a tree bark aphrodisiac, causing everyone - staff, customers, health inspectors - to feel the effects. On DVD. 2009

Kings of Pastry

New food books for 2011 Blood, Bones, & Butter: The Inadvertent Education of a Reluctant Chef by Gabrielle Hamilton (Random House, Release Date: March, 2011) When Anthony Bourdain calls this “the best memoir by a chef, EVER!”, and Mario Batali adds “it raises the bar for all books about cooking and eating”, what is left to say except “Get us a copy!” Catch up with Gabrielle Hamilton, the chef and owner of New York’s famous Prune restaurant, at Barbara-Jo’s Books to Cooks when she is in Vancouver on March 9th, 2011. Kate Aitken’s Canadian Cookbook by Kate Aitken (Whitecap, Reprint Release: March, 2011) Kate Aitken was the last word on cooking for Canadian women in the ‘40s and her recipes for classics such as Chicken Pot Pie and Blueberry Roly Poly taste as true today as they did then. Ahome canning expert, there’s treasure for the newbie canner in this paperback reissued by Whitecap.

The Art of Living According to Joe Beef (Ten Speed Press,Release Date: September, 2011)

For art and honour. The film follows pastry chefs in a grueling 3-day trial for the right to wear the coveted red-white-and-blue collar. Hear audiences scream as elaborate sugar sculptures shatter. Don’t watch if you can’t bear to see grown men cry. On the NAfestival circuit.

The Girl From Paris

An oldie more in tune with the times than it was in 2001. A women gives up her hi-tech job to buy a old farm and raise goats in the isolat ed French countryside. Her modern ideas on agriculture work fine until they have to get her through her first long winter. On DVD and available for loan at the Main Public library.

Oxhide II

Like Eat, Drink, Man, Woman, here we have a two-hour-plus film that depicts a family cooking dinner...only without the plot. Long camera closeups on hands will work for viewers interested in Chinese cooking techniques, while the conversation will fascinate the social anthropologists. Released Nov, 2010. On the film festival circuit in 2011.

Eating their lines

Named after a legendary tavern, Joe Beef is one of Montreal’s trendiest bistros, known for its oysters, hearty food, and unapologetic quirkiness. The book is still in production, so no sneak peeks yet, but we hear it will include poutine - only Joe Beef style, so expect anything.

The Frankies Spuntino Kitchen Companion & Cooking Manual by Frank Falcinilli, Frank Castronovo and Peter Meehan, 2010 For those who found the NOMAbook a little fey, here’s your antidote - a working manual of nononsense, how-to tutorials (with line illustrations) on such Italian cooking skills as making fresh pasta or tying braciola, along with recipes from the pot roast- and meatball-loving Brooklynites.

Life on the Line:

AChef’s Story of Chasing Greatness, Facing Death,and Redefining the Way We Eat.

by Grant Achatz and Nick Kokonas (Penguin Group, Release Date: March, 2011) The Chicago chef famous for his molecular gastronomic style, recalls his life and career , while stirring in some juicy gossip bits about the famous people he’ s worked with along the way.

From the Olive Grove

by Helen and Anastasia Koutalianos, (Arsenal Pulp Press, 2010) Our favourite local cookbook, and one we plan to cook our way through in 201 1. Well-loved, delicious recipes from the Greek family who bring Vancouver its best olive oil, along with contributions from friends and customers who also happen to be some of British Columbia’s top chefs. Also in the pipeline ... two new books from the Kambolis Restaurant Group ...

- CityFood Magazine

To Master the Art ..

is the play we most hope will make it to one of the city’ s theatre venues this year. Based on a recent biography of Julia Child’s life in Paris during the 1950s with her diplomat husband Paul, the play is currently enjoying its world premiere at Chicago’s TimeLine Theatre - to rave reviews. Especially for lead Karen Janes W oditsch, who cooks all through her performance, and who delivers a pitch perfect interpretation said to be better than Meryl Streep’s.

Zagat Vancouver 2010 “Stellar prix-fixe deals at this consistently excellent gem.”

Vancouver Magazine Restaurant Awards 2010 Gold - Best Small Plates

New Menus and Reservations at www.cru.ca Lunch: Monday to Friday, 11:30 - 2 / Dinner: every night 5:30 - 10 1459 West Broadway (between Broadway and Hemlock) 604-677-4111

www.rasoee.com

www.refuelrestaurant.com

www.cactusclubcafe.com

city + food + traffic and weather

www.toptable.ca

Anticipated Arrivals NEW RESTAURANT OPENINGS

ANY MOMENT NOW Laziza Modern Mediterranean Cuisine - 1175 Davie St. Nicli Antica Pizzeria - 62 East Cordova St. FEBRUARY Chinois - 1035 Mainland St. Coffeebar - 10 Water St. Slickety Jim’s Chat ‘n’ Chew - 3469 Main St. Penn Bakery - Hastings at Carrall St. MARCH Hapa Umi - 200 Burrard St. (at Waterfront Centre) Pizza Barbarella - 1400 Victoria Dr. Stackhouse Burger Bar - 1224 Granville St. Thierry - 1059 Alberni St. APRIL The French Table - 3916 Main St. Restaurant at Save On Meats - 43 West Hastings St. MAY Hawksworth Restaurant - 801 W. Georgia St. Dunn’s Famous Montreal Smoked Meat - 827 Seymour St. JUNE Bitter - 18 West Hastings St. SOMETIME IN 2011 Ki Restaurant - Alberni & Thurlow (Near the Shangri-la Hotel) Global Group (yet unnamed) - Alberni St. Opus Hotel (yet unnamed) - 322 Davie St. Pink Elephant Thai - 1152 Alberni St. Union Kitchen - 221 Union St. Vandusen Garden’s New Restaurant - 5251 Oak St. JUST OPENED Big Lou’s Meats and Deli - 269 Powell St. (604) 566-9229. Campagnolo Caffè - 1020 Main St., (604) 484-6018. Peckinpah - 2 Water Pl., (604) 681-5411. The Helm - 1180 Howe St., (604) 569-0860. La Ghianda - 2083 Alma St., (604) 566-9559. Rustico Gourmet U-Bake Pizza - 3335 West 4th, (604) 737-0640. Q4 al Centro - 780 Richards St., (604) 687-4444. Brixton Caffe - 22 East Georgia St., (604) 568-8200 CHANGES Boneta - Moves from W. Cordova to 12 Water St. R.I.P. Corner Bistro Suite Deluxe L’Hermitage Sweeney’s in Yaletown The William Tell

- CityFood Magazine

Points of Geothermal Activity Downtown

- 1128 West Georgia St.

Visits from Jean-Georges Vongerichten may be rare, but his Market restaurant at the Shangri-la hotel has raised its temperature with the hiring of barman Jay Jones. As founder of the Canadian Professional Bartenders Association, Jones is one of the locals responsible for persuading New Orleans’Tales of the Cocktail to bring their first road tour to Vancouver. Watch for local cocktail shakers in motion at the Fairmont Waterfront on March 13-15th.

Downtown

- 801 Georgia St.

The long awaited Rosewood Hotel Georgia will now launch on May 7, 2011 (the 84th anniversary of its 1927 debut). When it does open, we can expect an eyeful. Amenities will include 155 rooms,10,000 sql ft of banquet and meeting facilities, state-ofthe art fitness centre, restored ballroom with “Prohibition” Lounge, 54’indoor salt water lap pool, a colour palate of light blue and chocolate throughout (hum..a little 2007 maybe?), and most interesting of all, the 2,800 sq. ft Hawksworth Restaurant operated by Executive Chef David Hawksworth (with help in the kitchen from Head Chef Ned Bell). Expect another SCRATtheme (Seasonal, Cdn Regional, with Asian Twists). But even if the menu should fail to create its own category, the lovingly restored details of the landmark dining room alone will make it unlike any other.

Kitsilano

Downtown East Side Gentrification is moving so rapidly into the downtown East Side it must be scaring the shat out the pigeons. Hastings and Clark has its own scene now that the Waldorf Hotel has joined the stretch staked out by les amis du FROMAGE and the Gourmet Warehouse, but the real heat is emanating from the western strip of East Hastings Street that once formed a “scotched” earth divide between Gastown and Chinatown. Restaurateur Sean Heather and biz partner Scott Hawthorn will be adding a specialty beer hall to their portfolio with “ Bitter” at 18 West Hastings, as well as opening their commissary across the street, Penn Bakery, to the public. Meanwhile, Gastown’s young man with a sledge hammer, Mark Brand, is working diligently to re-open the heritage Save-on Foods location at W. 45 Hastings as a multi-floored restaurant/ retail emporium with built in “food lab”, to enable young food entrepreneurs. New restaurants and deli’s have been popping up near by, Big Lou’s, Peckinpaw, Meatand Bread (see pg. 12). Boneta moves down the street to newer digs, and there’s more yet to come. Expect nothing but continued buzz from an area that is attracting busy, young, creative types like bumble bees to pollen.

- 2183 West 4th Ave.

Quality lasts, and John Bishop’s eponymous restaurant is the proof of it. Can it really be 25 years ago that we first sampled black squid ink pasta with our sockeye salmon, and tasted the difference between organic ingredients and “that other stuff”? The dishes may have changed, but not Bishop’s “radical” commitment to fresh, seasonal and local food, nor the restaurant’s elegant, understated manner of presentation. To celebrate their silver anniversary, Bishop’s is offering a special $49, 4-course menu based on the 1986 original (with updating by Executive Chef Andrea Carlson). The only dish she couldn’t improve on was the notorious “Death by Chocolate”. Experience it until February 10th. Sundays through Thursdays. Call 604-738-2025, or via www.bishopsonline.com

Everywhere - and anywhere Approximately 60 new street carts will get licenses to operate in Vancouver over the next four years. This time around, the City Nannies will drop the lottery system and give the greenlighting power to an advisory council composed of food interested citizens, special interest lobbyists and a gaggle of rubber stampers. Sounds like a hung jury already. But let’s hope for the best. At least the re-selling of licenses will be phased out, which will devalue old hot dog vendor licenses - currently a side door entrance for many budding entrepreneurs.

NE False Creek -

West Side -

5251 Oak St at 34th.

Acaterpillar of a building is just a butterfly in progress at the VanDusen Botanical Gardens. The $20 million Capital Campaign project with its futuristic design by architect Peter Busby, is a new “living” building for the garden, incorporating administration facilities, a restaurant, as well as a botanical, horticultural and environmental education centre for the public. The graceful sweeping roof, covered with plants and designed to mimic an orchid, may look dramatic, however its purpose is to harness solar energy and recycle captured precipitation, with an aim towards 100% energy independence. Well, at last, someone finally puts the Lower Mainland’ s #1 natural resource, rain, to responsible work. Construction is currently running behind sched ule, however we could see completion by late summer or early fall of this year. How this will impact popular Garden programs, such as the Christmas Festival of Lights, is yet to be determined. See the blueprints and how you can contribute to the Planting the Seed Fund at: http://vancouver.ca/parks/parks/vandusen/website/

Smithe & Pacific Blvd.

Jokers Wild. How it happened, who can say. Someone must have had a free card to play with the provincial government in order to push through this unpopular plan to erect “a big butt casino” on land that could have been used for more aesthetic public good. In addition to the 100,000 sql ft casino housing 1,500 slot machines, developers also promise: two hotels, five restaurants (probably fast food), a lounge, five residential towers and other “assets”. One thing is for certain, once the first spade breaks the ground it will mean plenty of biz for construction, big crane and cement mixing operators for the next two years. New residents in the area may be asked to sign lease clauses acknowledging that noise levels will be “higher than normal.”

Winter Farmers Market

- 4601 Ontario

No “slow growth” predicted for the Farmers Markets, as they race to keep up with the public’ s insatiable demand for fresh, organic and local. Progress has been made at the 2011 Winter Market (at Nat Bailey Stadium) to accommodate a small number of food service trucks, thus enhancing the indie food experience. Reps say this priority will continue as the Markets move back to their multiple summer locations in May.Talk about a covered City Market remains just that, as market coordinators negotiate with the City for a permanent location. CityFood Magazine -

City + Food+ Restaurants = Sandwiches

6 The Big Bite

great places to get ...

he sandwich is kicking burger’s butt in this town right now. Never have we had so many haute-comfort hoagies to choose from, nor have so many high levelchefs taken on the bread stuffingjob with such dedicated focus. It’s a scenario that can only intensify if more meat-centric food cart proposals get the pass go card this summer. The new lunch-y items are not the kitchen sink Dagwoods of old - the sort where you needed to unhinge your lower jaw to get a tackle on it. What we’re wanting, and getting, now is a much simpler recipe of better quality ingredients. The first essential being

- CityFood Magazine

really good bread -- something with a crunchy crust but still nice and squeeze-y in the middle. (Ciabatta should get the supporting player of the year award.) Then some slow-cooked, fatty, humanely raised or caught protein to stack in between, plus a slather of something hot, spicy and/or briny to charge things up. Right now roast pork, especially barbeque is leading the pack. But where’s the beef? Do we have a seriously good pastrami yet? A Venezuelan-style arepa? A pickled beef tongue smørrebrød? A little bird tells us that even those may be coming soon. Anyway you slice it, sandwiches are taking us places that burgers can only dream of. Here’s six we’re hungry for right now.

Peckinpah

2 Water St., Vancouver 604-681-5411 www.peckinpahBBQ.com

Peckinpah arrived with the new year at the SWcorner of Gastown’s restaurant row. Asmall (35-seat) and ruggedly handsome BBQ joint, it’s the third restaurant for Tyson Reimer (co-owner of Cobre and Deacon’s Corner). This time at plate, he’s teamed with Ryan Murfitt and chef Filomena Cornacchia-Tanga. ... So now, there’s barbecue, and then there’s BBQ, and this one is North Carolina style. Meaning that it’s a vinegar and mustard based formula, as opposed to the ketchup and molasses based sauces of the southwest. No sauces are mopped over the meat during the cooking process. Just a soak in the house-made vinegar and a dry rub before a long, slow smoking over oak chips in the $12,000 smoker. It is a process that brings out the sweet and tangy flavours in the succulent grilled meat.

As one can imagine, Peckinpah is not a good hangout for wimpy salad pickers. If one of their slabs of protein (pork, beef, buffalo, sausage or chicken) can’t make you happy, then you’ll find little else than the“fixin’s” to sustain you. (Even the Cobb salad features brisket.) Smaller appetites however, can opt for one of the four meat sandwiches, (each comes with one side such as baked beans, creamed corn, cold slaw or Southern greens), and as a change from pork, we often favour the Beef Brisket Sandwich. A quick check under the hood of the bun reveals hunks of fat-slicked, almost purple-y tinged meat, plus a slice of crunchy pickle, and all of it dandified up with a frilly lettuce leaf. The effect is like seeing an interstate trucker sporting a pocket pouf in his duck hunting vest. But who’s complaining? Flavour too tame? Reach for the squeeze bottles of housemade smokey sauce, or the spicy vinegar, and have things your way. Wash it all down with beer or Bourbon, and don’t miss some local archeology in the washrooms downstairs. A very clever faux wall and window treatment makes an art display of some rediscovered vintage Georgia Straight pages (back when“the Straight” cost .25 cents.) “Let’s Party Down!”, the ghosts of 1973 nightclub ads whisper. Yah, we can dig it. Above: Beef Brisket Sandwich at Peckinpah ($9.50) Right: Roast Porchetta at Meat & Bread. ($8)

Meat & Bread

370 Cambie St. 604-566-9003 www.meatandbread.com

Ever since Meat & Bread debuted (to ridiculous lineups), just before Christmas, the media has been fond of pointing out how today’s prescription for survival is a combination of focus, simplicity, and the ability to do at least one thing better than anyone else. The ability to bullseye the human animal’s alligator brain, instinctive craving for the fat/salt/protein/carb combo doesn’t hurt either. Meat & Bread has all of the above going for them, and yet despite the rush, they still haven’t lost sight of old-fashioned, welcome-you-at-the door levels of hospitality and service. They’ve got a fast food efficiency that remembers faces. Heady stuff. Apared down menu of three or four sandwich selections, usually roast meats, is the magic formula at Meat & Bread -one that usually sells out by 2 p.m. The selection changes daily, but the constant is the Porchetta, a handheld masterpiece that satisfies on all levels. This is no uniform taste experience. Chomp down through the buttery crisp ciabatta loaf and you’ve got a rich knob of pork fat in one mouthful, a juicy chew of heritage pork in the next, a crunch of crackling and stuffing, or a hit of herbal pesto after that. It’s the bite-by-bite suspense of it all that makes it thrilling, and what defines an artisanal sandwich over any other kind of effort.

CityFood Magazine -

IN APICKLE Like sandwiches, pickles are hot, but then, what’s a sandwich without pickles anyway? If we decide to adopt a city signature pickle then let’s make it the plum. The combination of last year’s bumper crop from the Okanagan, combined with plum’s Asian vibe, had pickled plums showing up this winter in everything from cocktails (at Bao Bei) to sushi (at Sushi Monstr). Even better, porchetta and plums go together like peaches and cream. Chef Rod Butters at Kelowna’s RauDZ restaurant produces an extensive line of housebrand pickles, including plums, but he also makes a killer ‘Bread and Butter” version made from organic cucumbers. Old-fashioned and all-purpose.

- CityFood Magazine

Terra Breads Bakery & Cafe

Re-Up BBQ

Bread may play second lead in other cafes, but at Terra, it’s the star. No one could blame you if you eschewed the filler and just ordered toast. (Two slices with butter and housemade jam, $2.95.) Head Baker Mary Mckay’s team produces some of the city’s best loved loaves (black olive, stecca, organic multigrain, focaccia and organic levain, to name just a few). In the new cafe at Terra Bread’s recently renovated Kitsilano location, they fill the display cases daily with an impressive assortment of freshly made breakfast paninis and sandwiches -- roast chicken and bacon on organic pain de campagne, and roast lamb on organic raisin bread, etc. But sometimes all you want is a truly great grilled cheese, and Terra’s Grilled Four Cheese hits the spot-- asiago, cheddar, havarti and mozzarella on toasted organic sourdough served with perky baby gherkins and a real tomato-y house-made ketchup. $6.95. The only tough part is walking past all the delicious house made scones, cookies and pastries on the way out.

Re-Up BBQ operates from such a small metal cart, it looks like someone opened the window with a can opener. But who needs a lot of marketing flash when the mere smell of pulled pork can entice office workers from blocks in all directions to line up outside in the rain. Granted there’s no table service or restrooms here, but of all the places listing pulled pork sandwiches on their menus right now, Re-Up’s $6 sandwich has to be the best bang for the buck. They load up a roll with such a huge dumping of the sauce-soaked pork you can fill up on half of it, and then take the rest home to incorporate into other meals. (It’s a good idea to bring along the handi-wipes. Eating in situ, i.e. the courthouse steps, usually results in a finger-licking good mess.) Michael Kalsaris, one of the owning partners has talked about expanding the menu to offer a BLT as well as other items, but for now, business is good just making the one-note hog call. There’s also been talk of expanding to new locations, but after this winter, any new Re-Up cart is likely to be a fully equipped truck, with heating.

2380 West. 4th Ave./604-736-1838 53 West 5th Ave./604-873-8111 Granville Island Market/604-685-3102 www.terrabreads.com

(food cart)

Hornby and Georgia Sts. http://twitter.com/ReUpBBQ facebook.com/reupbbq

Fresh Local Wild

(truck)

Granville and Robson Strs. www.freshlocalwild.com http://www.twitter.com/freshlocalwild

LAcan keep their fish tacos. Vancouver has a smoked Haida salmon sandwich courtesy of the cherry red food truck, Fresh Local Wild. Living up to its name, and fierce blue fish tattoo, everything about this mouthful is BC’s best - from the slab of wild salmon, to the First Nations marinade and smoking recipe (the fish spends time in a smoker installed right inside the truck), to the heap of coleslaw shoveled on top. ($8). And that’s not all, Chef Josh Wolfe (formerly the executive chef for the Glowbal Group of Restaurants) and his partner Andrew Fielding, have other local specialties to be proud of, such as a venison burger and the vegetarian chanterelle mushroom poutine. FLWwas one of the first carts to hit the street after the city licensing lottery last summer. Their cart’s location at the busy intersection between Sears and Best Buy is a prime to be in the summer, and a not-so-hot spot in the winter when it’s raining and there is no covered place to sit. But you can bet these entrepreneurs will work it out.

Vietnamese bánh mì sandwich at Big Lou’s

Big Lou’s Butcher Shop 269 Powell St., Vancouver 604-566-9229 www.biglousbutchershop.com

Karl Gregg and Allen Bosomsworth are the two chefs part of Two Chefs and a Table, a neighbourhood bistro on the Downtown Eastside. “We were butchering our own meats and making our own sausages for the restaurant,” says Gregg”, so the idea of having a full-fledged butcher shop evolved from that”. Hence the catalyst for Big Lou’s, named after a legendary character of the area. Their delightfully ‘30s styled shop is located on a gritty corner where the DTES bumps up against the edge of Chinatown (across the street from the Sunrise Market), and visiting it is the grownup version of being a kid in a candy store. The refrigerated showcases display the kind of meat that everyone wants now, and only chefs used to be able to source: dry-aged, grass-fed beef from Pemberton; Sloping Hills baby back ribs with Texan

rub; an assortment of artisan made sausage, free-range poultry and more. But Lou’s is not an Aladdin’s food cave for yuppies out slumming, there’s less elite stuff here too, all of it reasonably priced. Such as their line of branded sauces, dry rubs and seasonings, and their pre-made dinners, vacuum packed and frozen in generous proportions, all ready for reheating. Braised shortribs, yes! But, enough shopping ...we go for the sandwiches which are made to order and neatly parceled in butcher paper and string for takeaway, or eating on site at the small counter. There are several to choose from, including a decadent roast beef and caramelized onion with pan-drippings mayo; and a juicy porchetta roast and pesto specimen that could stand hock to hock with Meat & Bread’s version. But under Chinatown’s influence we choose the Vietnamese bánh mì - a dirigiblesized French baguette stuffed withpork shoulder and pâté, a smear of spicy mayo, pickled vegetables and a fist full of fragrant leafy coriander. It’s appropriately French bistro meets Asia. $8. CityFood Magazine -

city + food + restaurants =

An Egg on its Face Breakfast Pizzas

New Breakfast Stars

Restaurants at all price points are expanding their breakfast hours, but then there are so many more fun options to eat in the mornings these days, such as new upscale breakfast sandwiches that put the old fast food versions to shame. We’re getting up early for warm housebaked biscuits (see below), breakfast pizzas (see right), even hand held breakfast pies (both savoury and sweet).

Winter Pies According to the trendologists, pie is new cupcake. While we doubt this will mean more dedicated pie cafes (such as Aphrodite’s), it could inspire a roaming food truck or two. Pie on the Fly? More likely, the high for pie means we’re going to find more tasty pie and ice cream combos on hip restaurant menus. (And weren’t we weary of those precious, bit-sized trios of dessert tastings anyhow.) Beyond the classic recipes being offered at such homey kitchens as Vancouver’s Acme Cafe (51 W. Hastings), fruit pies have gone savoury with the addition of herbs and spices. Picture this ravishing example from our tasting notebook: classic apple with nutmeg and cinnamon, but with a drop of Angostura bitters in the filling, and a sprinkle of Maldon salt over the buttery caramelized crust. This spring we’ll be ready for a honeyed rhubarb, ginger and cream. As for pot pies, those Aussie meat pie entrepreneurs who came and went may have been too early. The pot is hot! Even outside the gastropub; even at breakfast. The new Dirty Apron Deli (540 Beatty St.) claims their fastest selling item is the chicken pot pie they make daily with sour cream and spices in the filling, plus a hint of goat cheese in the crust. ($6.50). Rumours say their short rib pie may be even better. Thanks to this pot- and hand-pie craze, the Breville pie-maker ($80) is sold out everywhere. And doesn’t every good fashion need an accessory? Right now the sweet tweet find at the flea markets are vintage ceramic pie birds. Collectibles can cost up to $1,000, but the classic blackbird will only set you back $1.

Should we credit the urban chickens? While bacon has been hogging the limelight, its long time partner, the egg (often a duck egg), has quietly starred in many a chef’s dish. Sometimes it’s hidden, such as the “Scotched Egg”, served as a brunch item at refuel restaurant. (A large egg wrapped in housemade sausage, coated in bread crumbs, deep-fried until crispy, and then served on a bed of frisee lettuce with pickled plums, $11.) Other times, it’s hinted at, for example, when chefs toyed with westernized versions of Chinese mooncakes last fall. But increasingly, no matter what the time of day, the egg is sitting prominently on the plate. Take the recent hookup of poached eggs and pizza. While it’s not traditional -- you won’t find one on the menu at the new Naples-styled Nicli Antica Pizzeria (62 E. Cordova), nor at the also new Q4 al Centro (780 Richards) -- it’s not exactly cutting edge either. Chef Nate Appleman made a name for himself with his pancetta and egg pizza in San Francisco several years ago. Vancouver however, didn’t have a notable version until Chef J.C. Poirier introduced one to the menu at Campagnolo (1020 Main Street). Poirier’s egg pizza is not intended to be a breakfast item (although that would depend on what time in the afternoon you get up). Other chefs do however have the morning’s first meal in mind. Chef Dino Renaerts added a breakfast pizza with eggs to his brunch menu at Beachside Forno (1362 Marine Dr.). Italian Kitchen (1037 Alberni St.) and Rocky Mountain Flatbread Co. (1876 West 1st Ave. ) feature breakfast pizzas on their brunch menus as well. Their versions however, along with most recipes on the internet, call for the eggs to be scrambled and blended with the other toppings before cooking, thus creating a kind of pizza frittata. Campagnolo’s version however,“the Carbonara” ($14), has more in common with its namesake, the traditional Italian pasta dish. A raw egg is placed on top of the pie and only minutely cooked, as the diner is meant to break the yolk and swoosh it around with the other ingredients. In this case: smoked provolone, bacon, cremini and/or chantrelle mushrooms, and onions. Keeping it local, Poirier uses all Canadian grown flour and starts the dough with a “poolish”, not a Polish, fermentation starter. If next we see a runny egg getting cozy with bread we’re guessing it will be at one of the city’s funky new diners, as upscale nursery food. As a dipping for toast soldiers perhaps, or the classic “toad in the hole”. Food Fact Hopefully, the bread will be from Terra A popular myth states that Breads or A Bread Affair and someone Scotch eggs are laid in the will think to swaddle the egg baby in a highlands by the elusive blanket of earthy truffle cream. Wild Haggis. This is nonsense. They’re not a wee bit Scottish, but an invention of the English shop Fortnum & Mason as filler for fancy picnic baskets.

Bet Your Biscuits Are biscuits replacing croissants as the new “wich”? So it would seem at restaurants where breakfast has become an all day feature. The new Outpost Cafe (3992 Fraser) bakes a serious, square-shaped specimen, fresh all day, and by hand, meaning sans mixers. Choose from regular or flavour of the day. As a breakfast sandwich, a buttery biscuit cradling a fried egg, a strip or two of smoked bacon, some country ham and a slice of cave-aged cheese would be hard to beat. Unless it was served simply with a smear of the jam you put up last summer. Then again, Jethro’s Fine Grub (3420 Dunbar), breakfast specialists who are also big on biscuits, might say the item’s true friend is a “mess” of country style pan gravy.

- CityFood Magazine

refuel restaurant’s ‘Scotched Egg”

The Carbonara Pizza as served at Campagnolo restaurant on Main Street. CityFood Magazine -

science egg-stra

The most exciting art/food porn tome of 2010, René Redzepi’s NOMA (Phaidon),was a breath of fresh Nordic air, and an inspiration to local chefs. Not only for Redzepi’s ideas, but also because the Scandinavian ingredients he uses are closer to what we have available on Canada’s west coast. More spruce syrup, less olive oil. Just ask the kitchen alumni at Sooke Harbour House who have covered the same ground (in larder and techniques) for years. In many of Redzepi’s dishes, raw or semi-cooked egg yolks feature prominently and graphically. Liberated from traditional associations, they partner with raw oysters, bullrush, liquorice and milk ice. Or as shown above, with raw radish under a veil of parboiled sea lettuce. Vancouver chefs worked their own alchemy - often with egg mimicking results. Chef Wayne Kozinko at yew restaurant + bar (1) used a method of “spherification” to partially gel mango juice by combining it with Gluco and submerging it by the spoonful into a bath of Algin until set (2). Afterwards he rinsed the sphere in water, and slid it into a shot glass filled with simple syrup (3), where it hung “magically” suspended for a moley-gastro version of fruit cocktail dessert. Similarly, Chef Quang Dang, executive chef of The Metropolitan Vancouver Hotel (645 Howe St.)placed a faux egg yolk made from a jellied sphere of apple cider atop his Apple & Pecan Brioche Bread Pudding . (Deconstructed below.) The dish, which was part of Chef Dang’ s all apple menu for Diva at the Met restaurant, deliciously echoed another Redzepi signature - the replacement of sauces with edible “dirt”made from powdered, dehydrated and granulated juices.

spiced apple cider sphere

dulce de leche

fresh mint leaf

apple pecan bread pudding

ground freeze- dried cranberries Vanilla parfait

roasted pecan powder mixed with tapioca starch

Chef Quang Dang’s Apple & Pecan Brioche Bread Pudding as served on the all “Apple” Menu at Diva at the Met

- CityFood Magazine

Breton cookie tart dough crumble

city + food + coffee =

Becoming a Drip-ster

Campagnolo Caffe and 49th Parallel Roasters are riding Coffee’s 3rd Wave.

ou can’t insult anyone by calling them a “geek” anymore. It’s become a compliment, and the same may be true for the endearment of “drip” -- at least in the coffee world. The “drip method” is what cof fee geeks are into these days. It’s a retro, low-tech, relatively inexpensive way of brewing that is particularly suited to a certain kind of coffee drinker. The kind who cares sincerely about coffee beans. Where they came from, how they were raised, and what specific coddling they need to reach their maximum potential and deliver. In essence, the third wave coffee drinker. Hmmm, let’s back back up a bit and talk about that third wave thing. Think of it this way ... if the first wave of coffee in North America was Folgers boiling to the bitter end on some office hot plate, then Starbucks with its aproned baristas and hissing espresso machines brought the second wave. It was the quantum leap from a generation of instant coffee drinkers to

The water going into the pot is carefully weighed.

Heat converts water to vapour which is forced up a tube into a beaker.

Coffee grounds are added and stirred with a bamboo stick.

Cooling coffee falls back down through a filter to the pot below.

The final pour into the cup. Colleen Tran demonstrates use of the Hario syphon pot -------->

Unlike other Italian cafes however, it’s remarkably serene. Maybe because there are no noisy espresso machines to interrupt the tearoom-like vibe. Campagnolo uses only three types of drip method coffee apparatus. 1) a Japanese designed Hario TCA3 syphon vacuum pot, visually the most dramatic of the three because water is forced by heat to move up and back through a filter (see illustrated steps at right); 2) the French Press method via the familiar Bodum tabletop pots; and 3) a pour over system where water is poured over ground beans in a bamboo cone filter cradled inside a large Brewt cup beaker and then released into the cup. According to barista Colleen Tran, these three gentle methods extract a clean, distinctive brew with flavour nuances that are almost tea-like in their subtlety. Taking the principle one step further, Campanolo The Brewt is new, and for carries only three types of beans (all from 49th its price ($26), could be the Parallel), with each one recommended as suitable best home brewing method on the market. Buy it at 49th for one particular brewing method. “Every coffee bean has at least four flavour Parallel Cafe on 4th Ave. components and the ideal situation is to be able to detect them one that all”, says Tran. “ Some will reveal their complexity more willingly made with one method as opposed to another. The French press, for espresso style example, uses a bigger grind, and has a thicker, muddier coffee a part of its flavour.” “Which is not a bad thing”, she adds. “It’s all about daily routine, thanks to a mouth texture and its suitability for a coffee with bolder, richer brewing mething based on improved quality and personal flavours. Whereas the syphon and the Brewt reveals lighter and preferences. It was in the second wave that people turfed their more subtle flavours, such as berries, cocoa... even wine. Mr. Coffee machines in favour of home espresso appliances While several cafes are offering both espresso and drip, 49th priced at hundreds, sometimes thousands of dollars. Campagnolo and their supplier, 49th Parallel Coffee Roasters, But if the second wave was all about what the consumer fancied, may be the only cafes in Vancouver currently using the drip the third wave caters to what the coffee bean needs. The more method exclusively. 49th Parallel even got rid of their state-ofsophisticated coffee lover doesn’t shell out for expensive beans the-art Clover machine in favour of a Brewt station -- a line of 8 only to alter the coffee’s flavour with milk and syrups any more cups in a glassed-in coffee station where customers may watch than a savvy wine drinker would tinker with a bottle of wine. In their coffee in progress. the wine culture it’s about getting to know the wineries, the The beaker like containers and pots, not to mention the vintages, the grape varietals...and how all these factors come coffee burbling up and down the Hario Syphon’ glass rods, together for a variety of unique flavour experiences in the glass. definitely lends a chem lab look to the proceedings. But even if For the coffee lover it has become much the same situation. it is not exactly scientific, the process is a lot more precise than The right way to go about it now is to respect the bean, anticipate you might assume. what it has to offer, and know how to lovingly coax that out Both the water and the beans must be weighed to achieve the without forcing the issue. In some ways, finding the cof fee that’s ultimate balance of grounds to water in order to achieve that right for you can be a challenge akin to dating. Notice we didn’ t perfect cup. Coffee beans are weighed to a .10 of the gram and say foreplay, but even that analogy would be inappropriate. they use a hydrometer to measure the TDS (Total Dissolved The new Campagnolo Caffe (1020 Main St., Vancouver) is aiming for that 3rd wave ideal - in both its careful selec tion of beans Solids) in the coffee. Naturally, there’s an app for this. Drip some coffee into the hydrometer, take its readings and enter and its return to a simpler style of brewing. Enter the door to the those into the iPhone app and it tells you where you’re at and right of the restaurant, climb a flight of stairs, and you’ll find what you need to adjust -- more water , or more coffee grounds. yourself in a comfortable little salon directly adjacent to Pastry Sure it costs somewhere around $40 to $50, which is pretty Chef Paul Croteau’s working kitchen -- a showroom for his pain expensive as far apps go, but you can bet every self-respecting au chocolates, croissants, chocolate flans, apple tarts and coffee geek has one by now. signature macarons (all baked fresh daily).

Reverse Trend: The Slayer, a $16,000 hand-built espresso machine from Seattle that lets baristas fine tune the pressure of each pull.

CityFood Magazine -

Photo Bottom: Brackendale Dawn by Robin Kort

Top: Robin hunting by Shannon Mendes Photography.

city + food + sustainability = Hunting

- CityFood Magazine

AGIRL’S GUIDE TO HUNTING AND FISHING by Chef Robin Kort

(See reference to Robin, article left.)

Now that she has successful shooting trips under her ammo belt, we asked new hunter , Robin Kort, for a few pointers on hunting from a woman’s perspective. Here is her list: 10 THINGS YOU MUST NOT DO 1) Buy crappy equipment. You want a very sharp hunting knife and a good gun, at the least!

Meat Foraging Gathering is so last year. Hunting gets your game on now.

e should have seen this coming when taxidermy raised its head in trendy bars. As urban hipsters found their neobohemian inspiration in the wood-paneled rec rooms of small town suburbia, a new geezerism soon followed. That too could have been predicted. Youngsters often skip a generation to express solidarity with the family tribe. After all, a grandparent can be cool, whereas one’s parents seldom are. The kids had Grandpa’s tweed cap and suspenders, his Wild Turkey hooch and whiskers. Why not his hobbies too? Unfortunately in Canada, that means choosing between bonspiel curling or hunting. If hunting had an edge over rock hurling for the cool crowd chefs, it was because meat foraging is compatible with the growing sustainability movement. Sure, you can show respect for an animal by devouring it snout to tail ... but at the end of the day, you’re still gnawing on the bones of an animal that had been raised expressly for human consumption. One that merely by requiring an artificial raising system, contributed to the environmental woes of the planet. If the way to become a conscientious carnivore is to eat only animals that have enjoyed a “happy” , or at least a natural life, it’s difficult to argue that a wild deer sustaining itself in the forest on shoots, leaves and berries, is not the most sustainable creature of all. List off the qualifiers: local, check; organic, check; not in danger of being over harvested, check; and virtually no carbon footprint at all! Not to mention the fairness factor -- an animal in the bush stands at least a sporting chance of getting away from you. Add to this, a third factor - the increasing interest in the Paleolithic diet. Its theory reasons that since the human digestive system has n’t changed since the prehistoric era, and was designed to work with the kind of unprocessed food that our caveman ancestors were familiar with, then eating lean, grass-fed game with its Omega 3-rich fat, is one of the healthiest things we can be doing for ourselves. Fruit and nutsters aside, anyone with half a set of tastebuds knows that supermarket meat, along with its attendant antibiotics and growth hormone injections is nothing more than the cheap factory food that it is. If it is responsible to grow our own vegetables, and raise urban hens, should we not be earning our own meat in the same self reliant fashion? As matter-of-fact as it was to previous generations, hunting hasn’t seen good press for a long time. And if that is changing at all, then it is thanks to a slow shift in attitude for generations raised on Disney anthromorphic TVprograms. Although a meat eater myself, I’ve never had the heart (nor the nerve) to kill an animal. I’ve always had that part done for me. Out of sight; out of mind. But I was once married to an hunter who would occasionally arrive home with freshly shot wildfowl, intent on plucking them in the bathtub. It was an embarrassing bit of domestic contention I knew better than to even joke about at cocktail parties. Around the same time, I’d also had a story on snow goose hunting in Alberta axed by my editor at Western Living for fear of upsetting the tender feelings of the readership. Clearly the times were not right; the public notready. For most people, the idea of killing any animal, let alone a wild one is deeply at odds with their “Born Free” notions. But this, of course, is ironic because as any wildlife expert will tell you, if slaughterhouse practices can be brutal in the way they deliver death, Mother Nature is even more so. Few animals die in their sleep, or otherwise peacefully.

2) Use a gun unless you’ve been trained in its operation.Ashotgun can torque your little city shoulders clean off their hinges if you don’t hold it correctly. 3) Wear head-to-toe camouflage. It could get you shot. Wear patterned blaze orange. Deer see in colour, but are weak in the orange spectrum.Hunters debate this one, but safety first! 4) Talk in the forest. This is something my other two newbie, female hunting buddies had difficulty with. But quiet is key. 5) Wear cologne or travel upwind from your target. The deer doesn’t need to see or hear you to know you are there. 6) Drink and Hunt.Come on guys, you want to hit the deer, right? 7) Shoot unless you are absolutely sure of your tar get. It could be your foolish buddy in his head-to-toe camouflage outfit. 8) Shoot anything you don't have a license for or don’ t intend to eat. The former is illegal, the later, immoral. 9) Shoot a deer in the ass or the gut. Spare the animal a bad death, and yourself from having to walk miles to retrieve the poor wounded creature. 10) Puncture the bladder of the animal as you butcher.It will spoil the meat, and hence, the whole point of the hunt. 10 THINGS YOU ABSOLUTELYMUSTDO 1) Get your firearm and hunting licenses. Amonkey could write either of the tests, which means you can too. 2) Get strong! It wouldn’t hurt to work out a little. You’ll want to be ready to haul that 1,000 lb moose out of the forest for 2 km. 3) Avoid the camo-patterned bras available at some hunting stores.Lame. Dress in layers for temperature control. Hypothermia is the number one killer in the forest. Wear warm, comfortable, waterproof walking boots. That’s just common sense. 4) New lady hunters, be confident and self reliant.Many men will want to take over as you learn.Don’t let their condescension or chivalry (whichever it is), get in your way. In fact, you may be better off hunting with other women. We’re more stealthy. 5) Know your terrain. Is there a town over that ridge, full of possible unintended targets (and lawsuits) for you? Are you going to get lost and die 1 km away from the nearest Burger King? Look for a clear area with good sightlines to hunt in. In British Columbia, 0-5 year clear cuts are great. 6) Learn to spot tracking markers, scat and prints. That way you'll know if you are getting warmer. Keep an eye on weather patterns as certain game prefer specific regions and cli mates. For example, you’ll increase your chances of finding white tail deer below the snow line. 7) Be familiar with how your rifle and ammunition works. Let's not blow ourselves up. That would be embarrassing. 8) Get used to the blood.It’s part being a meat eater and it’s a reality of hunting. Be prepared to get messy if you are lucky enough to kill anything. 9) Start with duck hunting if you can. Hunting wild fowl is probably an easier way to begin, both emotionally and physically. 10) Respect the wilderness and its wildlife, because without it, there would be nothing for you to hunt.

Note: If you need convincing that hunting can be taken up by any one, of any age, read Earning Her Food: Granny Gets Her Gun, an essay by 82-year-old, NYC food writer Betty Fussell, on her first experience hunting, killing and eating the hear t of a young doe. The article was first published in the New York Times Magazine on March 26, 2010, and earned both praise (“Go, Granny, go”) and a scolding (“Shame on you, Granny”) from Times readers. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/28/magazine/28lives-t.html

... continued on page 23

CityFood Magazine -

So You Shot One. Now What?

YOU SHOT IT, NOW WHAT? If you can clean your own fish, you can field dress your own deer. Or so say the experienced hunters. At any rate it’s essential. The on-site removal of every part of the carcass you don’t intend to eat (or save), not only reduces the enormous amount of weight you’ll have to lug out of the bush, it will keep the meat safer and cleaner on its way to the local processing facility. Below is the basic how-to from the experts. Easy-Peasy.

Gather equipment: Hunting knife, block and tackle with spreader bar, butcher hooks.

Track, kill, gut and behead the deer. Don’t cut the bladder. Nasty.

Hang your block and tackle from a sturdy tree. With your hunting knife, pierce the animal’s rear legs just above the hocks and behind the sturdy tendon. Thread the hooks through the holes, attach them to the spreader bar, and hoist the carcass just high enough so that it’s completely off the ground.

Make a single shallow cut through the skin of each rear leg, trying not to cut into the muscle, from the pelvic region up to the hock. Make a circular cut around the leg at that point; then working down the leg, peeling off the skin like a sock, scraping with the knife and pushing with your fists. Avoid the musk glands - very nasty!

Next, loosen the skin from the body, working from the belly toward the spine. Skin the front legs as you did the rear ones. Lastly, free the skin from the neck with a firm downward pull. Let carcass cool one hour.

The Top Gun Legacy of W.A. Baillie- Grohman When Bob Johnson and Petra Flaa became winemaking pioneers in Creston, they decided to name their new winery after a man with a similar trail blazing spirit -- one of the region’s most legendary settlers, William Adolph Baillie-Grohman. An Austrian aristocrat by birth, but an outdoorsman and adventurer by nature, Baillie-Grohman was one of the first Europeans to recognize the agricultural potential of the Creston Valley. But it was hunting, not farming, that first drew him to the area when he arrived during the summer of 1882, with friend President Theodore Roosevelt, to track and hunt goats on Mount Thompson. You can read about Baillie-Grohman’s land reclamation efforts in the Kootenay region via the winery’s website (www.bailliegrohman.com/history). However, he also left another valuable legacy as an author. 15 Years Sport and Life in the Hunting Grounds of Western America and British Columbia is Baillie-Grohman’s memoir of his experiences in the land he called a “huntsman’s paradise”, after finding it “abundantly stocked” with elk, moose, goat, big antler stag and other trophy game. The book’s stories, photos and maps provide a fascinating look into the history and natural ecology of our province, as well as the prevailing social structure of the time. Particularly interesting is the extremely non-PC (by today’s standards) chapter at the end of the book which was contributed by Mrs. Baillie-Grohman. Entitled “The Yellow and White Agony” it describes the challenges for the upper class housewife concerning the “servant question” and other practical issues of life on the frontier. For Johnson and Flaa, today’s concerns have less to do with chasing wapiti and bear across the Western Slope, and more about how to raise good Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Gewurztraminer and Pinot Noir grapes in its untested soil. You can judge the area’s winemaking potential yourself. Baillie-Grohman Winery’s first vintage was released in November 2010 and is now available at the winery, in select B.C. liquor stores, and at the Shore Club restaurant in Vancouver.

- CityFood Magazine

Apparently, beginners can skin a deer in 30 minutes. With practice you will get that down to 10-12 minutes. Butchering takes much longer. At this point, haul the meat out of the bush and take it to a butcher shop for processing. You may want to keep the carcass cool by stuffing it with plastic milk cartons filled with frozen water. Butchering your own deer requires more skill and produces a different cut from the slaughterhouse method. You’ll be cutting through the spaces between the bone, not sawing through them. Thus you won’t get the familiar bone-in cuts, but you won’t have bone chip and sawdust spray all over your meat either.

A Feast For All Seasons by Andrew George Jr & Robert Gairns Arsenal Pulp Press, 2010, paper, $24.95 Don’t let the fishtail on the cover mislead you. This recently released collection of First Nations’ recipes contains plenty of seafood dishes, but also many with ingredients such as duck, rabbit and grouse. Not to mention venison, Canada goose, porcupine, beaver and bear. Say a nice haunch of moose comes your way. You’ll be armed to make soup, stew, ribs, cutlets, chili, meatloaf, sausages, moose aspic, even stuffed moose heart. Even if you should chance upon some fine smoked beaver, this book will have you covered - and with no fancy pants nonsense about it. Here’s a recipe sample:

Boiled Smoked Beaver 2 lbs smoked beaver 1 tsp salt Place beaver and salt in a large, heavy frying pan with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, simmer, uncovered and without stirring, 2 - 21/2 hours, or until meat is tender. Drain meat well and serve with boiled potatoes and vegetables. Serves 4.

... continued from page 21

Most will be ripped apart while still alive by a predator , or suffer the long, drawn-out agony of pain and hunger, when injury, illness, old age or severe weather is the reaper. Considering those alternatives, the quick, lights-out method of an accurate bullet may be the kindest death of all. As might be expected, a few hi-profile chefs have endorsed wild protein foraging. England’s Jamie Oliver and Heston Blumenthal, and Montreal’s Martin Picard have made hunting appear macho glamourous. And on a recent episode of The Shopping Bags, the Manolo-shod Anna and Kristina were even filmed at a country estate bagging rabbits.’Sure you can butcher with the best’, they all seem to be saying. ‘But are you tough enough to tackle the really difficult job?’When what they mean is “Without awareness of the entire process, are you truly earning your food? Thanks to the pristine, plastic-wrapped packages we buy at the supermarket, we have all become highly disassociated from where our meat actually comes from. As one chef stated. “Few people see the abattoir between themselves and their dinner.” Searching for local chefs to interview about their recent conversion to hunting, I was surprised to discover how many people in the Vancouver food scene already knew how to handle a hunting rifle. Take for example, a recent dinner party at C restaurant. As guests tucked into their appetisers of delicately-slivered, raw heritage root vegetables, who should reveal himself as a keen hunter but our Prada-clad, metro-guy host, Harry Kambolis. Not only Kambolis, but one of his guests, the lovely and elegant CBC co-host, Gloria Macarenko, also proved to be something of a Diana. Ms. Macarenko described how hunting, fishing and living off the land was an everyday part of life for the men in her family when she was growing up near Prince Rupert. But even she had experienced a recent hunting expedition in Mexico - a trip she had initiated on her own. Kambolis’Executive Chef, Robert Clark, a native of the Gaspé Peninsula of Quebec, makes no secret about the annual moose hunting expeditions he joins with relatives every October. “Yes there is a male bonding element to it”, he admits.”However, no one is more of a localvore than a hunter, and in way, we have become the protectors and custodians of the land. Our family group has retained the rights to hunt in a specific area for generations, thus we’re become part of its ecological management. It’s a large area, but we only take out what we can actually eat, and we are responsible about what we take (no breeding females, etc.), thus our “ownership” prevents too many casual hunters from using the area and over taxing its wildlife. Despite any influence from Sarah Palin, finding women chefs taking the next step proved more difficult. Eventually we found Robin Kort, the owner of Swallow Tail Tours and the Secret Supper Society. Like another Vancouver chef, Josh Wolfe, owner of the food truck operation, “Fresh, Local, Wild” (who hunts with a bow and arrow), Kort takes her principled devotion to local, wild foods to a level she feels responsibly required to go.In taking up a gun however, she found herself in male dominated territory. “When I wrote my license exams,” she said. “I was the only female in a class of 20-something boys from the sticks.” Back to the skip-a-generation connection, it was Kort’s 87-year-old grandfather who served as her first hunting guide. As might be expected, therewere strength issues. The first time she tested her gun at a shooting range, she worried she had dislocated her shoulder from its recoil. Plus, there was the post-hunt task of packing hundreds of pounds of meat several miles out of the woods. Even so, she thinks certain traits make women naturally better hunters. Greater patience, and the willingness to ask directions, being just a couple of them. (See sidebar.) Robert Clark also brought up the reason he believes he is the best shot in his family. “I don’t get ‘buck fever’” he said, referring to the shaking adrenaline rush that many hunters experience at the point of pulling the trigger. “That helps keep my head cool and my aim steady . Making the kill doesn’t bother me, but I don’t get a buzz from it either.” Even if chefs are hunters, whatever meat they acquire can only be used for their own purposes. It is illegal to serve hunted game commercially . Thus much of the venison served in restaurants is ranched deer from BC’ s Nicola Valley. This fall however, several restaurants served a Mediterranean fallow deer from Sidney Island that could be the closest thing yet to a truly wild version. On the island, the indigenous deer graze freely on wild vegeta tion, but with no natural predators, their population would soon overwhelm the island’s eco-system if conservation officers did not cull a certain quota every year. It’s this venison, sourced through the wholesaler Two Rivers Specialty Meats that local chefs such as West’s David Gunawan and Cibo Trattoria’s Neil Taylor are serving on their menus whenever they can. Both chefs have nothing but good things to say about the quality of the meat. Somewhere in here may lie the answer. Between keeping deer in a farmed environment, and the dubious alternative of localvores running loose in the woods with guns, this type of operation may of fer the most practical, and yet sustainable, option so far. -- R.May

The Lovely Bones Perhaps the most decadent dish we ever ate was a bowl of mashed potatoes whipped with roasted garlic, rock salt and bone marrow. However, nothing beats eating marrow straight from the bone to bring out your inner tiber wolf. Read about the dish that made Gabrielle Hamilton’s NYC restaurant, Prune, famous. (See page 8.) In Vancouver, try Le Crocodile’s version, or this one from refuel restaurant - one large femur bone, split in half, roasted, sprinkled with sea salt and parsley, then served with celeriac salad. $13.50 Eat it, then go howl at the moon.

Rack Artistry Design that makes its point. This tall black candle holder by Roost is made of bronze, and cast from whitetail deer antlers. Combined with skinny black candles, the effect is dramatic, if not downright Gothic. Available through Provide in Vancouver. $85 - $95. www.providehome.com Wine for Game Dishes Game requires big wines - wines that have a rich, berry fruitiness with medium to firm tannins, and enough acid and alcohol to clean the palate after each bite. BC Okanagan Syrahs are generally a good choice, as are some of the more robust Burgundy style wines. Awine that fits, even if only for its moose-depicting, is the organic 2007 Robert Bateman ‘Get to Know’ Merlot from Summerhill with its blackberry/ current flavours and toasted oak aromas. A$1 donation with every bottle sold supports ‘Get to Know Your Wild Neighbours’, a non profit organization. $29.95 www.gettoknow.ca CityFood Magazine -

city + food =

winter’s top

vegetable all-stars

[At the Farmers Market] ... This is the yawning early-morning conference call, when the food aristocracy comes to snap off a husk cherry and determine its debut in a salad tonight, and then later, its sudden manifestation in the collective food brain. Soon, bearded Park Slopers and Lululemon’d Upper West Side mothers will chant to the overwhelmed shelvers in their local Whole Foods: husk cherry, husk cherry, husk cherry ...

New York Magazine contributor Lisa Taddeo could not have described the star making system better - how it happens that one produce item per season seems to catch fire in the public imagination and suddenly be ... everywhere. This year however, all vegetables would appear to be holding that special place in the collective food conscience -- especially the winter vegetables, and in particular, these five. The indicators? Meaty celebrity chefs the likes of Mario Batali are writing books exclusively about veggies and hiring “vegetable butchers” for their restaurants. Vegetables are showing up in desserts. And local restaurants such as Provence Marinaside, with their“Meatless Mardi” evenings, are bringing back all-vegetarian prix fixe menus. In the home kitchen, making vegetable stock has become winter’s version of last summer’s craze for canning. And terms like “vegivore” and “dirt candy” have entered the mainstream lexicon. Vegetables have even acquired an element of elitism. Last September, Sotheby’s first heirloom-vegetable auction brought in $100,000. Earlier, Parisians temporarily turned a strip of the fashionable Champs-Elysees into one long, outdoor vegetable plot. But who cares whether or not “vegetables are the new meat”? They’re simply right for the times: inexpensive, accessible, organic (preferably), and healthy (definitely) ... even nostalgic. It’s difficult to look at them on your plate and not hear echoes of mom exhorting us to “Eat your vegetables!” Now we want to. Just like Mom, it turns out that vegetables were right all along.

Celeriac The cook’s little helper. All the Euro chef’s know that adding a little of this knobby root to a dish makes any soup or puree yodel. The challenge is to find a good organic source for it. Mash it with potatoes and butter, or slice it like tagliatelle for a raw Winter salad. Chef Rob Feenie blends organic celeriac (or celery root) with aged white cheddar for a warming soup at Cactus Club Cafe.

Oven Roasted Kale Chips

January King Cabbage New to the Farmers Market, this member of the Savoy Cabbage family is one hardy little number, and yet its amethyst, cobalt and lime colour tones also makes it one of the most beautiful vegetables of the season. Eat it or use it as a floral centerpiece. It’s the only true winter season cabbage. Not even frost seems to bother it.

Drop the potato chip habit and upgrade to kale chips. One cup of the later will provide a good daily source of Vitamin A, Vitamin C, manganese and fiber .. plus the fun of all that crunch. But why pay up to $8 for a small bagful from the grocery store when it’s so easy to make your own. Note:Use more leaves than you think you’ll need. The loss of water in the leaves during baking will make them shrink to almost nothing. 1 bunch of Kale 1-2 Tbsps Olive Oil Pinch of sea salt Chili flakes or grated lemon rind, to taste Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Wash the kale, dry well and remove the toughest stems. Toss the leaves in the olive oil. Spread kale in a single layer on a baking sheet. Roast for 5-8 minutes. Remove from oven, toss and place back in over for another 10 minutes until leaves are crisp. Toss with salt and chili and/or lemon rind. Makes about 2 cups.

- CityFood Magazine

Black Kale Time to turn over a new leaf. Also known as Lacinato or Tuscan Kale among sophisticated Italian vegivores, Black Kale with its bubble-wrap texture and dense green flavour is incredibly versatile -- good cooked or raw. Plus its healthy- Loaded with vitamin A,B,C, and anticancer compounds called sulforaphanes. Chefs say the best way to tenderize the leaves is to cut them into a chiffonade, toss with lots of olive oil, lemon juice and salt and pepper, then serve with curls of shaved parmesan cheese as a lively salad. Or substitute kale for romaine in a Caesar salad. We love it lightly cooked with a drizzle of kimchi butter, or as Kale Chips. See recipe below.

Red Khuri Move over butternut ...almost any dish that calls for squash tastes even better if made with red khuri (also known as Japanese squash. The sweet flavour, carrot orange colour and chestnut-like texture of this pumpkinshaped winter vegetable is in perfect balance for recipes such as Chef Lee Humphries’ Ravioli of Oxtail, Squash and Truffles at C Restaurant. Try it as a soup puree with cream and curry spices. Heaven. Red Khuri can be difficult to find at the standard grocery stores, as they tend to favor the popular butternut and acorn varieties, however the Farmers Market should have plenty.

ss The

Real Dirt

Rising fast in the charts: parsley root, black salsify, sunchokes, crones, Jade radish and Redbor kale - the last one so frilly and shocking purple, Prince will want a bouquet of the stuff. Tip: Read more about these and where to find them at: www.cityfood.com/print_issue.

Parsnip Parsnip is the new carrot. And why not? It’s a close root relation, only with its earthier, sweeter flavour and pale gold colour, it’s far more interesting and distinctive. Especially when twisted like this specimen that we think resembles a navigator from Frank Herbert’s Dune fables. Plus it boasts more vitamins and minerals. Unlike carrot, adding pureed parsnip will truly elevate plain old mashed potatoes or unsweetened applesauce. Or take another break from potatoes, pan fry them with onions and serve with sour cream. Parsnips need frost to develop their full sweet flavour, which is why they are seldom part of the Mediterranean Diet. That being said, the Romans did consider them an aphrodisiac. Something to keep in mind come Valentines Day. CityFood Magazine -

City + food = Victoria Drive

hen Westerners think of the Chinese Community in Vancouver they tend to picture old Chinatown or Richmond. Seldom does Victoria Drive pop first to mind. Yet along the long north/south axis of the street, you’ll find pockets of bustling Asian food culture -- mostly Chinese, with a little Vietnamese, Malaysian and Cambodian mixed in. Unlike the glassy glare of the Richmond malls, or the historic details of Chinatown, the architecture of V ictoria doesn’t do much to distinguish itself. It’s a mashup of modest...okay, drab...flat-roofed storefronts, all shoved together like nuggets of squab on a satay. Let’s just say, on a rain-soaked day it does little to lure you off the #20 bus. However the shops and restaurants are mostly Mom and Pop operations, which is what makes them unique, quirky and fun to explore. We’ve focused on the section between 38th and 43rd that straddles 41st. Check it out. You never know what you might find.

2 (1) Maxim’s Bakery

This bakery chain outlet specializes in the soft and puffy, sweet/ savoury buns loved by the Chinese. We like the chestnut buns (80 cents), or the ones stuffed with coconut pineapple custard. An assortment of cream cakes is always in the cooler(mango is good), but the more daring may want to opt for the tuna fish danish, the chocolate vitamin bread or the garlic cookies $2.75/dz. 5613 Victoria Dr. (604) 323-1551.

(2) Kent’s Kitchen

The weekend traffic can be intense in this small store front dispensing hot prepared Chinese food - all inexpensive, and so generously spooned into the take out containers, they have to force the lids down with rubber bands. It’s easy to order, just point to the steam tables or be guided by the English menu taped to the wall. Try the barbecued meat items, or get a recommendation from others in line. Bring cash. Prices include HST, but they don’t take credit cards. No eat- in. Grab a number. Order. Then move out of the way for the next fellow. 5659 Victoria Dr. (604) 321-8666.

(3) Tea Work

The place has the atmosphere of a well lit neighbourhood dental clinic, and no one ever has a kind word to say about the hot food or the service. But if it’s bubble tea you’re after, they can do that fairly well, in every flavour of the known universe. Some that sound enticing (Peach Milk Tea, $3.95), others that don’t (Green Bean Slush, $4.25). 5695 Victoria Drive. (604) 393-2828.

- CityFood Magazine

(4) Osoyoos Produce

The signage says Osoyoos, the posted license says something else. Google the address and you get a dozen other names. Whatever. This little corner grocery is always good for well priced, and often exotic, Chinese and Filipino foods, especially from their in-house butcher shop: Gobo roots, frozen Asian fish, chicken feet by the bagful. 5723 Victoria Drive.(604) 568-7122.

(5) Galaxy Bake Shop

They stock the usual bakery items here, but we like to check this place out for the little red bean fish and the donuts: Chinese fried donuts (90 cents each); deepfried donuts (70 cents), and on occasion, a 5-spice version. 5729 Victoria Drive. (604) 324-9188.

(6) Tak’s Farm Produce & Meat

Get a taste of Hong Kong-style street action here by watching an employee chop pigs’ feet into neat uniform chunks on an ancient wooden butcher block set right in the middle of the narrow customer service aisle. The mighty cleaver swings and little bits of pink pig flesh fly through the air, but the wee shopping ladies take it all in stride. 5751 Victoria Drive. 604-322-5075.

(7) Mui Garden Restaurant

The “Hong Kong-style” cafe/restaurant bills itself the “King of Curry & Noodles.” And of all the modestly priced items on their menu, they are best known for their Malay-style, mild and creamy beef brisket curry (#49), as well as their jelly-skinned Hainanese Chicken. The menu is not ambitious, but comforting and filling. Usually very busy with a neighbourhood crowd. 5797 Victoria Drive. 604-324-3665.

(8) Bon Bon Bakery It looks like it has been around forever, and offers the only European atmosphere for blocks. They make croquembouche, Gateau St. Honore, old-fashioned biscotti and cannoli, as well as any number of party cakes with gaudy gel icing. You can get male and female anatomy cakes here, but be careful how you word your order. It was fascinating to watch an Italian customer and Asian staffer arguing in English about the definition of the word “balls”. Not to be mistaken for the Bon Ton Bakery. 5807 Victoria Drive. (604) 325-3612.

(9) Yummy Shanghai Dim Sum Ashop that lives up to its name - our favourite on the street. There’s no decor to speak of, just a counter, a paper menu tacked to the wall, and an upright cooler stocked with clear plastic bags filled with house made wontons, potstickers, steam buns and dumplings - all well made and delicious. 25/($5.75 to $6.75) or 50/($11.75 - $16.50) The Hui family proprietors communicate well in English and are always helpful. 5815 Victoria Drive. (604) 321-2166.

(10) Yao Sun Loon Kong Chicken

The Richmond-based company sells chicken raised expressly for the Asian market. That is, fryers and boilers that are darker in colour, richer and fattier in taste, and chewier in texture. You want a plucked chicken with its head still attached for a banquet dish, or an econo bag of rooster combs? They got it. No English spoken. 5817 Victoria Drive. (604) 301-0558.

19 Jones Park

38th Ave. E.

20 18 38th Ave. E.

39th Ave. E.

13 39th Ave. E.

40th Ave. E.

(20) The last Victoria Street treasure is the mural on the wall of the first building south of Jones Park on 38th. It’s delightful and worth looking for.

17 Victoria Drive

2 (11) Jumbo Seafood

41st Ave. E.

(12) Tak Fung Noodle

4 5 6

8 9 10

42nd Ave. E. Victoria Drive

13 14

Atreasure chest for the noodle lover. Tak Fung makes every kind of noodle you can think of in their on-site factory in the back, then sells them in refrigerated cases out front. Why go to the trouble of making your own when these are so fresh and good? Tak Fung supplies many of the Chinese Restaurants in town. 5829 Victoria Drive. (604) 325-5812

(13) Wui King Herbal Co.

43rd Ave. E.

This is a typical Chinese dry goods and hardware store that’s always handy for finding useful kitchen knickknacks such as sturdy grade rubber gloves, chopping boards and neon-coloured brooms. Also oddities such as monkey face slippers and ladies’ panties imprinted with the message “I Love Me”. Something to give your darling Moi on Valentine’s Day perhaps? 5837 Victoria Drive. 604-321-8878.

(14) Fidelis Tea

11 12

Plenty of colourful exotic seafood here, and usually at very good prices. Dungeness crab was going for $3.99/lb on our last visit. Dogfish, live yellow eels, large spiny fish still gasping on the chipped ice. Watch the tiny, brave Chinese housewives grappling with feisty snapping crabs pulled from the sidewalk tanks. 5821 Victoria Drive. (604) 322-3323.

Atrip back to old China. The store not only stocks an excellent selection of rare teas, they also sell some of the most beautiful and delicate tea sets to be found in the city. Just as in a traditional Chinese tea house, they will sit you down and let you try samples of their wares in the authentic kung-fu style. 5881 Victoria Drive. 604-325-6838.

15) Pacific Gateway Supermarket If you can only make one stop, you could probably find everything you need here: produce, dry goods, a decent in-house butcher shop, frozen foods section, barbeque and hot foods counter. Staff are friendly and helpful. 5818 Victoria Drive. (604) 325-0783.

(16) Kim Phung Vietnamese Restaurant

This is a genuine little hole in the wall, only a handful of tables, and so popular for its Pho soup and other Vietnamese classics that it’s difficult to actually get to eat there. Add to that, they keep irregular hours. One waiter seems to be doing everything, but then it would appear to be a family operation. Prices on the higher side. 5764 Victoria Drive. 604-327-4490.

(17) Mr. Zhang’s Szechuan Restaurant

Inside this Szechuan Restaurant the walls are as yellow as an egg yolk, and the small square tables enhance the coziness factor if you are dining alone, or as a duo. Menus come laminated, Denny’s - style, with little chili markers so you can monitor your heat intake. We like the spicy, stir-fried pork belly - no MSG. And the little dish of salted peanuts that arrives with your tea is always a nice touch. 5628 Victoria Drive. (604-324-8840).

(18) Sweet Chili Cafe

Another tiny spot (only six tables) that is sweet, as in charming, but otherwise packs some big flavour into its mostly SE Asian style fare (satay, rendang, Indonesian coffees.) Try the lunch buffet on Saturdays. 5438 Victoria Drive. (604) 778-371-8092

(19) Golden Swan Restaurant

Here they still do dim sum the old way , via circulating push carts, and the place itself has been a neighbourhood fixture since...forever. One of the top Chinese restaurants in the ‘80s, quality has gone up and down over the years, but it keeps its fans. A good place for large groups, but check first. They take lots of wedding and party bookings and you might be shut out. 5380 Victoria Drive. (604) 321-6621. CityFood Magazine -

city + food + wine = refuel

Ask the sommelier

This issue, Tom Doughty, co-owner of Vancouver’s refuel and Campagnolo restaurants, makes the first contribution to a new column where we ask sommeliers to name wines on their menus that they feel passionate about, and would recommend to their guests. Complete subjectivity is not only allowed, it’s encouraged.

First, I always like to get the night started with something bubbly, and right now I can’t get enough of the Rosé Cava from Segura Viudas. It is produced in the exact same method as traditional Champagne, and at $15.99, it’s an unbelievable value -- and so versatile with food! This sparkling wine has the bracing acidity to cut through any rich dish, and it works well with either our Sawmill Bay shucked oysters or our marinated raw Qualicum scallop served with Santa Rosa plums and frozen foie gras. Perfect for a Valentine’s Day meal. As many people in the restaurant industry know, I have been trying to ‘bring Riesling back’ for many years. I am particularly fond of German Rieslings which can pair cleansing, Granny Smith apple style acidity, with an oily, rich mouthfeel and varying amounts of residual sugar. This profile helps Riesling pair well with a large variety of dishes. While many people choose red wines to go with their pork, German Riesling is the pairing of choice here at refuel, and our current favourite is the Erbacher Marcobrunn Spatlese from Schloss Shonborn 2006. It has cooked apple pie notes on the palate and a honeyed mouthfeel, yet it finishes with great acidity to cleanse the palate and get it ready for the next bite. We love to bring pork and apples together, and this wine helps make that happen. It’s also a no-brainer to pair it with our tarte tatin and vanilla ice cream.

www.trivento.com

Moving on to a red, I love the 2005 Ricossa Barbaresco from Piedmont in Italy. It is the only wine that is poured by the glass at both refuel and our other restaurant, Campagnolo. The wine is 100% nebbiolo grape and it exhibits incredible value at $21.99 a bottle on the LDB shelf. It definitely shows some of that old world earthiness of bacon fat and “barnyard” on the nose. The palate displays red fruits and fresh cherries, as well as chocolate with integrated tannins and a velvety soft finish. A medium bodied wine with well balanced alcohol, it is definitely made to drink and not to covet. We recommend this with our Whole Confit Duck for two, which is served with frisee lettuce, fennel, Granny Smith apples and a grainy mustard gastrique.

www.HillsideEstate.com

Our most popular red however, is a local wine. It is also one of my favourites, as I can taste my own blood, sweat and tears in it. My own Montagu Cellars ‘3 Barrel Merlot’ is very small production and only available at about 10 restaurants in town. The 2006 vintage is comprised of 96% Merlot and 4% Malbec grapes, which were fermented together in 33% new French oak. It is held in wood for 24 months and then in bottle for 12 months before release. The nose is lifted, cooked red fruits and plums while the palate exhibits tobacco, chocolate and leather with velvety tannins. I know it seems forward to talk about one’s own wine with so much love but no parent alive thinks their baby is ugly! We recommend this wine with our 35-day dry aged prime rib-eye steak. * Prices are retail refuel restaurant is located at 1944 West 4th Ave.

- CityFood Magazine

www.pwbrewing.com

www.arsenalpulp.com

www.sookeharbourhouse.com

www.basiloliveoil.com

NEm LAEr AKDOv KNIRd

Loving Vodka - A scorned spirit makes a comeback

If you follow social media you’d get the impression that bartenders have a hate-on for vodka. The maligned spirit gets more than its fair share of put downs. Beyond decrying its lack of flavour however, the cocktail cognoscenti do have two problems with it. 1) It reminds them of an earlier stage of their careers when vodka equated drunkenness, neon pink sugar bomb drinks, or just plain boring vodka tonics. 2) The hoggish amount of space that gimmicky brands of vodka take up on the BCLDB shelves, keep out more interesting liquor brands that the bartenders would prefer to be working with. It’s all part of the growth curve. In a way, vodka did have to be sneered down in order to increase public demand for gin, rum, bourbon, whiskey, etc. None of this is vodka’s fault, of course. It has a tradition and levels of quality that are there to be appreciated when drinkers are ready to respect them. Perhaps 2011 is the year for a comeback.

Drink like a Russian

... But maybe not like a Cossack. In Tolstoy’s novella “The Cossacks”, his characters, whenever they are not hunting wild boar, stealing horses or sitting around cracking sunflower seeds, are biding their time by drinking buckets of vodka. Not by the glass, nor the bottle, but by the bucketful. Perhaps this is a translation problem. Maybe in the line “ he finished his fifth bucket of vodka, then jumped on his horse and rode to the checkpoint”, Tolstoy was referring to something more thimble-sized. At any rate, checkpoints in those days obviously didn’t have to worry about drinking and riding regulations. So, the serious vodka drink starts with a small shot glass. Next the vodka has to be chilled to the point of viscosity, about -18C, or a couple of hours in the freezer at least. Don’t overfill your glass; half is about right. William Pokhlebkin, a Russian gourmet has been often been quoted as saying “To fill the glass to the brim is the mark of a Philistine.” Philistine being the ancient word for “donkey’s ass”. Then you sip the vodka slowly. No slamming. In Russia it may be traditional to down an entire glass after a formal toast, but that doesn’t mean you should. And no matter what you’ve seen in movies starring Yul Brynner, you don’t wham the glass on the table when you’re finished. Nor should you throw it into a fireplace; especially if it’s a gas one. The procedure is to take a big sip, then a bite of food, sip again, take another bite of food, etc. A process that should take a long time because in theory, you should be enjoying a conversation with another live person at the same time too. Drinking vodka is social for Russians, not just an excuse to get zscheet-faced. It’s similar to the way the Spanish drink sherry and tapas, only the Russians call their little plates of food - Zakuski. (See step 2)

- CityFood Magazine

city+food+ cocktails = Vodka

Forget the Jell-O.

Zakuski can be nearly anything, but variety is important. Caviar, slices of salmon or sablefish, stuffed potatoes, pickled mushrooms on toast, black bread with radish butter, sliced beets...all these are traditional matches for vodka. The important thing to remember is that unlike other food and beverage matches, vodka is not meant to blend or balance with the food. Vodka has no flavour of its own, so it acts both a palate cleanser and a food highlighter, subduing the strong, oily, salty or smokey flavours of the last bite of food, while at the same time setting up your palate to receive the clean, subtle flavours of the next. Which is why salmon, both oily and delicate, works so well. No Taste doesn’t mean tasteless. Get the best quality, smoothest vodka you can find. When you drink it, it should leave a warm feeling in your stomach but not burn your throat on the way down. Burning is due to the fatty acids that were not properly removed during distilling. And forget flavoured vodkas. If the vodka has any flavour it should come from the grain, or the potato, or something added early during the fermentation, such as a touch of honey or spice. In that case it’s a good idea to drink your vodka a little warmer so you can detect it. Zubrowka, a vodka flavoured with bison grass, or Okhotnichya has an earthy, herbal note that goes well with raw meat or fish dishes, like steak tartare or tongue with horseradish cream. Kaufman Luxury is a brand that is infused with dried wheaten bread cubes and has a toasted note that echoes the role of the blini in a simple caviar match. If a hint of spice is present, try herring cured Russian-style, with cinnamon cloves and allspice. The fuller taste of a potato vodka, such as B.C.’s own Pemberton Vodka works well with more complex dishes.

Be like Chekov, and seek out new worlds.

In other words, don’t be afraid to have a little fun and be creative. The “rules” in step two are just a place to start. Perhaps no better example of what role vodka can play in the hands of an expert was displayed this January at the finales of moxie-ologist Lauren Mote’s Kitchen Cocktail Challenge at The Refinery restaurant and lounge. Throughout 2010, Mote had challenged Vancouver’s incredibly talented bartenders to theme a cocktail to a national cuisine, and then pit their drinks against others in a series of elimination rounds. After a tour through France, Italy, India, and other regions, Mote had left the most interesting match to the finalists - matching the foods of mother Russia to the vodka supplied for the event by Russian Standard. As imported vodkas go, we like Russian Standard, it’s clean and brisk, yet contains just enough minerality and hit of caraway to keep it distinctive. The featured bartender the night of our visit was Jay Jones the founder of the Barmans Association and the new Head Barman for Jean-Georges Vongerichten at his Market restaurant in Vancouver. Keeping vodka as the constant while playing on its elusive spiciness, he focused on the food to provide the variables. With perogies he varied his cocktails to match 1) the mild but rich flavours of cheese, fried onion and bacon. Cocktail #2 answered the the herbal, earthy, dill and beet accents of a borcht soup, and #3 considered the meaty, tomato flavours of cabbage rolls. See cocktail recipes opposite. The Cocktail Kitchen Series concludes with a finale party on February 8th at the Refinery Restaurant in Vancouver. 7 p.m. The Series winner and finalists will be announced and all food and cocktails will be matched to the USSR theme. The 2011 series begin in March. See calendar pg. 6

Ben de Champlain’s Cabbage Rolls

(as prepared for The Cocktail Kitchen Series.) Serves 4 (One cabbage roll per person.)

Ingredients 1 lb ground pork 1 lb ground beef 1 savoy cabbage 1 small diced white onion Half a bunch chopped dill, plus garnish 1 Tbsp chopped garlic Salt and pepper Tomato Sauce: 1 can crushed Tomatoes 1 small diced white onion 2 Tbsp chopped garlic Dill, to taste Salt and pepper 1 cup red wine

The following three cocktails using Russian Standard Vodka, were created by bartender Jay Jones for the Russia-themed finals of the 2010 Kitchen Cocktail Series at The Refinery restaurant. The Drinks were designed to complement the traditional Slavic dishes created by Chef Ben de Champlain. Shown above: The cabbage roll matched to Jones’ Alexander the Great cocktail. Photo courtesy of Mark Prince.

First Course: Pierogi

Dominant flavours: Farmers Cheese, Fried Onion, Bacon, Chives

Method Remove core from cabbage, blanch leaves in boiling water. Remove and place in ice water bath. In a bowl, mix beef and pork with onions, dill and garlic. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Place a 1.5 oz ball of mixture in the centre of cabbage leaf, roll up the leaf and mixture, tuck the excess leaf parts underneath. Place rolls in baking tray and cover with tomato sauce. Cook for 2 hours at 350 F. Serve individual cabbage roll with more tomato sauce, and garnish with dill.

Amelia

Extra-virgin olive oil fresh from the farm in Umbria, Italy

Matching Cocktail The Hunky Bill 1 oz. Russian Standard Vodka 1/4 oz. The Refinery’s Plum/Cinnamon Bitters 1/4 oz. Abricot de Roussillon Liqueur 3 oz. Driftwood White Bark (Belgian Wheat Ale) Method. Shake all ingredients except the beer together in a cocktail shaker. Pour into a dessert or Port size wine glass. Top with the beer.

~~~ Second Course: Borscht

Dominant Flavours: Beet, Dill, Creme Fraiche

To order contact: www.ameliaoil.com ameliaoil@telus.net

604-329-0442

Matching Cocktail The Kurgan 1-1/2 oz. Russian Standard Vodka 1/4 oz. The Refinery’s House Bitters 1/4 oz. beet-infused sugar syrup Absente 55 Method: “Rinse” a vintage cocktail glass with the Absente 55. Mix the rest of the ingredients together and pour them into the glass. Garnish with a flaming lemon peel.

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Third Course: Cabbage Rolls

Dominant flavours: Ground Beef, Onions, Tomato Sauce, Apple Cider Vinegar

Matching Cocktail Alexander the Great 2 oz. Russian Standard Vodka 1/4 oz. The Refinery’s Coffee Bitters 3 dashes of Tabasco Sauce 2 oz. tomato juice 1 oz. fresh pressed apple juice 1/2 oz. fresh lime juice Method: Place all ingredients in a tumbler and roll with ice. Pour into a shot glass. Cut a baby gherkin lengthwise halfway and then hook it over the edge of the glass as a garnish.