CityFood-The Blue Issue 2011 by CityFood Magazine

Blue Issue 2011

Devour Your City

Food

Fall is Salmon Season Are you making the most of it? Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve got our lines out for:

HALIBUT PIZZA NEW RESTAURANTS + Even More Jaw-some Sandwiches

Flip me over

Plus all the fun events and tasty happenings taking place about town.

www.divamet.com http://www.adessobistro.net

http://www.hapaumi.com

www.basiloliveoil.com

food

contents

... sail this way

sagaCity - what’s happening now 6 Culinary Events Calendar 10 City Hot Zones 11 Food Trends + why a fish needs a bicycle

New Food - your option for noshin’ 11 More Sandwiches to love 12 Pizzamania hits town! 13 New Restaurants

Gone Fishing - thinking globally, eating blue 8 Arts & Culture - taps into water 14 Vancouver’s haul of Halibut 16 Sustainable Cooking - Nose-to-Tail Salmon

est c

oas t

Pep per-e ye

d Avocado Fish have bee

ga min m i d sw otte p s n

s cro

etis pp a s

ksworth Re Haw staurant th at is season. s te a l p

CityFood Magazine -

How

Blue became Orange

kind of

NEW FOR FALL! THE 55 MINUTE POWER LUNCH

A three course meal in less than an hour

ESCAPE TO MARKET THIS HOLIDAY SEASON

Now accepting reservations for our private dining rooms

1115 Alberni St . Shangri-la Hotel Vancouver

604-695-1115

marketbyjgvancouver.com

Sometimes when we put together these issues, we start out with one definite idea or theme in mind, but then the magaz ine starts to tell us what it wants to be instead. When that happens, we know from experience that it’s best not to resist. As Yoda would say, “the force is to use”... so to speak. That’s certainly how it was with this issue. We’d started out thinking about the colour blue - blue in the way that it represents water , and all the ways that water supports, nurtures and defines us. There were so many ways to connect to the idea of water that we decided to split the m agazine in two. We’d create a food side to discuss water via the creatures that live in it - seafood, as well as a drinks side to cover the beverage industry, and how water plays a critical role there. As any barista or brewer can tell you, you can’ t make a good cup of cof fee or a truly great keg of beer if your water is not as high in quality as the rest of your ingredients. Of course, there can be no theme on water without touching on its various ecological issues. So overall, we wanted to reflect on how , as a society, our use or misuse of water cycles back to determine our own quality of life in Vancouver - in the things we eat and drink. So far so good, but then other stories crossed our horizon and it was impossible to ignore them. The sudden emergence of a Neapolitan pizza culture in our city, for example. As well as all the exciting new street food and dynamic new wineries (that really didn’t have an irrigation angle to focus on). Then we went to Italy and became excited about the Grappa we discovered there, so that had to go into the mix too. And in our vision of it, all these things seemed sort of orange ... orange in the way that it represents warmth, the pure joy of living, as well as the pumpkin hue of the approaching autumn. Oddly enough, orange lies directly opposite blue on the colour wheel, but it is not in opposition. All graphic artists know that placing the two colours sideby-side creates vibrancy ... a spark in perception. And as soon as we were into it, we started noticing the blue/orange combination everywhere, on movie posters, book jackets, sneakers, video games and iPad covers. Kismet, but that’s how it is. There are still a lot of blue and water - related themes in this issue. You’ll find them on pages 8, 9 , 14 - 19, 20, 21, 16b and 19b, and in between those pages, many other colours too. To have done otherwise would have been like trying to follow a recipe down to the letter , when most of the fun of being in the kitchen is to be an improvisational cook. But that’s how it is with water anyway. There’s no point in trying to force it one way or another. Most times, you just have to let it flow . -- R. May Not everything can, or should, go into a magazine. V isit us on Facebook: For updates and add-ons to magazine arti cles, website alerts, and fun swag bag giveaways. /CityFood-Magazine ( http://on.fb.me/bOFGRi) Twitter: for random, but useful bits of information. @CityFood_mag (http://twitter.com/CityFood_mag) and our CityFood Online website at http://www.cityfood.com for daily news and articles.

www.q4restaurant.com

4 - CityFood Magazine

www.bishopsonline.com

www.campagnolorestaurant.ca

www.glowbalgroup.com

city + food + time = Events Calendar

What Lies Ahead Now to September 18: Zimsculpt at VanDusen Gardens: See this traveling exhibition of more than 150 stone sculptures by several of Zimbabwe’s finest sculptors. VanDusen is the exhibit’s only Canadian stop on a world-wide tour. Artists Passmore Mupindiko and Patrick Sephani, will give daily on-site demonstrations of their stone-carving art.Pieces will be available for sale. 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. 5251 Oak Street. http://www.vandusengarden.org.

September 18: 6th Annual Well Seasoned BBQ on the Bypass. Over one hundred competitors. Highlights will be The JD Farms Ultimate Burger Challenge, The Great B.C. Bake Off, new concessions, BBQ samples, and the crowni ng of BBQ champions in various categories.10 a.m.- 4 p.m. at 20771 Langley Bypass.

September 23 to October 6: Aphrodite’s loves Slow Food The Fresh Sheet at Aphrodite’s Café and Pie Shop will feature a 3-course menu of BC-grown ingredients. $35 + $10 for wines.Ten percent of income from the fresh sheet will be donated to the Slow Food Fund.At the Sept 28th special benefit you’ll meet the farmers and 100% of proceeds will be donated to the Fund. 3598 West 4th Ave. 604-733-5808. http://www.organiccafe.ca/

September 24, 25: Cheese Making Workshops at UBC Farm. Three beginner classes and one advanced workshop to choose from. Learn how to make fromage frais, paneer, blue cheese, cheese curds, yogourt and kefir. The seminar covers various stages of the cheesemaking process from culturing to l'affinage (ageing).

http://www.bbqonthebypass.com

http://www.landfood.ubc.ca/ubcfarm/contact.php

September 23: Fairmont Culinary Apprentices Dinner. The tables will be turned as Culinary Apprentices from Fairmont’s Pacific Northwest region prepare a 6-course dinner for their chef mentors and 280 guests. 6 p.m. $109 per person (inclusive of wine, gratuity and taxes). At the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver. 604-443-1815 or

September 28: An Oktoberfest Pig Out at Refuel: Put on your best lederhosen and start yodeling. This feast is served family-style at communal tables and attended by servers, memb ers of the restaurant biz, and pork fans in general. Cask beer from R&B Brewing Co. Bring your own stein for prizes! 11 p.m. $59 in advance. 288-7905 1944 West 4th Ave.

apprentice.dinner@fairmont.com.

http://www.refuelrestaurant.com/

September 29: Wines of Argentina Tasting: (See info box below.) September 29 to October 9: Fall Okanagan Wine Festival. (See info box below.)

Restaurant Hall of Fame as 400 well wishers are treated to a feast at the Italian Cultural Centre. Tickets available for purchase online or by phone: 604-669-2239. 3075 Slocan St. http://bit.ly/nmeDkB

Fall Specials: For the month of September at Provence Marinaside, order any bottle of rosé worth forty-one dollars or more and receive twenty percent off* - just say the word 'rosé' to your . server for your discount. In the meantime, tomatoes continue to be the monthly focus on the menu. http://www.provincevancouver.com

September 29th: Potluck Cafe 10th Anniversary Celebration.A lively celebration and silent auction in the historic 319 Theatre district to support Potluck’s Community Program (which provides free, nutritious meals plus job training and life skills support to DTES residents. $75. 5:30 to 8 p.m. District 319 Theatre. 319 Main St.http://www.potluckcatering.com

October 15 - November 10: Chocolate Festival in Vancouver. (See info box below.)

October 1-3: Art of the Cocktail.The festival will be bringing in the best and brighte st in the world of cocktails to enlighten, entertain and educate. Taking place at the Chateau Victoria.740 Burdett Ave., Victoria, 250-382-4221

October 31 -November 1: Toronto Chef Mark McEwan visits Vancouver. (See info box below.)

Bishop’s has been the ‘go to’ place for flavourful local cuisine for the past 25 years. This fall, Sept 13th through Oct 20th, Bishop’s will offer Harvest Table Menus, Sun-Thurs for $48. ($25 extra for wines.) Each menu will run for only two weeks and will be changed to reflect the differing ingredients coming into peak season. Chef Andrea Carlson’s first menu includes the produce from 9 different suppliers including North Arm Farm and Glorious Organics. 2183 West 4th Ave. http://www.bishopsonline.com. 604-738-2025.

November 5: The Winter Farmers Market returns to the Nat Bailey Stadium. Every Saturday (except Dec 24 and 31) until April 18, 2012. 10- 2 p.m.

Check out Cru restaurant when it reopens on September 12 with a new look, a new lunch menu and completely updated dinner menu. 1459 West Broadway. 604-677-4111 www.cru.ca.

November 14 - 20: Hopscotch Festival. Vancouver’s fall festival of premium scotch, whiskey and beer. Each year the festival provides the opportunity to learn, sip, and taste the highest quality liquors and premium beers. Various venues throughout the city. Find all details h ere.

This month the Metropolitan Hotel Vancouver welcomes Chef Hamid Salimian as Executive Chef. Fans expect sparks. http://www.divamet.com.

http://www.artofthecocktail.ca.

October 11, 18, 24: Winemakers Dinners at Top Table Restaurants (See Wine Events on Page 7b for more details.) October 17: 2011 BC Restaurant Hall of Fame Inductees Announced. Nine individuals who have been elected by their peers, will be inducted into the B.C.

October 16: Vancouver Ripe Festival. Details TBA.

http://www.eatlocal.org/events.html

October 29: Anthony Bourdain Visits Vancouver. (See info box below.)

http://www.hopscotchfestival.com/va ncouver

This is just a sampling of the many culinary events taking place this fall. For a complete, updated list. See http://www.cityfood.com/events.

29 29 15 29 31

September 29 Wines of Argentina. It may take two to tango, but it needs many wineries to show the quality and diversity of Argentine wine. This year’s WOA tasting will be held at The Sutton Place Hotel, and will feature bottles from over 24 wineries. Consumer Tasting 7 – 9:30 p.m. 845 B urrard Street. Partial proceeds will go to support the BCHF's Tip Out to Help campaign. Tickets are $44 per person and available at http://www.winesofargentina.ca

- CityFood Magazine

September 29 to October 9: Fall

Okanagan Wine Festival. Over 165 events taking place around the Okanagan Valley. Enjoy vineyard tours, lunch among the vines, or dine on a waterfront patio. Take in one of the seminars. Learn food and wine pairings from award-winning Okanagan chefs. Whatever you choose, book early: events sell out well in advance. Find all details at: http://www.thewinefestivals.com/

October 15 to November 10:

Festival of Chocolate: Save the dates October 15 to Nov 10th will see a festival of all things chocol ate, all things that pair with choco late, plus reasons to explore mentorship, career experience, and volunteerism... and did we mention there will be chocolate! The opening night event: “Chocolate and More”. From 6 to 10 p.m..... Look for tickets to go on sale soon. http://www.festivalofchocolate.ca

October 29: Anthony Bourdain appears at The Centre in Vancouver for Performing Arts. The sharptongued author and No Reservations star talks about his world travels and the exotic food he has encountered. No doubt he’ll use the opportunity to skewer the folks he so admires at the Food Network as well. Blue Water Cafe will be the official restaurant sponsor for the evening. Get tickets at Ticketmaster here: http://bit.ly/qK5m7k

October 31-Nov 1:

Mark McEwan, chef and owner of Toronto restaurants North 44, Bymark and One, returns to Vancouver to celebrate his new book, Mark McEwan's Fabbrica. Meet him for an informal cooking demonstration and chat at Barbara-Jo’s Books to Cooks on Oct 31 Cost: $50 (Includes a signed copy of Mark McEwan's Fabbrica). Or reserve a seat at the 4-course dinner at Cin Cin Restaurant on November 1. $99. Details here: http://bit.ly/zd8Kn

http://www.pinkelephant.com

http://www.eatlocal.org http://www.thaihouse.com

http://www.festivalofchocolate.ca

www.sookeharbourhouse.com

city + food + art = Culture

Read This

The Wave

by Susan Casey (Doubleday $28)

The Wave is Susan Casey’s second book with a water theme. Her first concerned great white sharks, but this one is scarier. It’s about monster ocean waves--from the 100-footers that surfers yearn to ride, to the 1,700 ft kind that can flip over supertankers like bathtub toys. (Did you know oceans swallow something like two large ships - and their toxic cargos- every week? That glacier melt could result in hundreds of years of earthquakes?) It’s fascinating stuff from this extremist sportswoman who is also Editorin-Chief of Oprah Magazine

The Domesday Book of Giant Salmon by Fred Buller (Constable, L 50)

Swimming opposite to the current school of thought about saving fish stocks, this collection of stories speaks instead to two of man’s most basic instincts; to hunt and to spin tall tales. The compiler, Fred Buller, an 81-year-old fishing tackle salesman, focuses on the salmon’s romantic if brutish life, as well as the many bizarre ways that prime specimens have been caught.(Including the 55-pound beast that two schoolboys caught with just a kitchen spoon.) A surprise best-seller in Britain.

The Ripple Effect

Fishing with Gubby

A Boy After the Sea 2

Oceanwise Cookbook

Alex Prud’Homme is Julia Child’s nephew-in-law, and the last time we saw his byline it was as co-author of Ms. Child’s memoirs My Life in France. This time out his subject is far less heartwarming. Indeed, you could say it’s chilling. Here he examines crucial issues regarding the world’s finite supply of fresh water– pollution, water quantity, waste, and governance. And how scarcity, population growth, and environmental degradation will soon force us to a moment of reckoning on a scale not seen since Noah had to think about an ark.

You’ll buy this book for your kids and end up falling in love with it yourself. Delightfully illustrated by Kim La Fave, and written by commercial fisherman Gary Kent, the plot is an authentic account of one season in the life of a B.C. salmon fisherman. Part graphic novel and part ocean adventure story, you’ll be charmed, but you will also go away with an eduction in coastal village life, fishing terminology, how-it-works marine technology, as well as a wealth of local animal and sea botanical trivia.

Part seafood recipe book, part art/photography coffee table tome, this title is the second volume published by the Dan Snook Foundation -a trust in memory of the author’s deceased son, and one dedicated to raising funds to help young people escape the jaws of drug addiction. Beyond its humanitarian purpose and serious ecological message, A Boy After the Sea 2 is also a beautiful object of contemplation. Not to be shelved away, it’s a book that should be left out, open in full view for daily inspiration.

Published in Fall 2010, the Oceanwise Cookbook is a top selling, locally produced book that provides helpful guidance to cooks who want to make sustainable seafood choices in their home kitchens. Another is The Blue Water Cafe Seafood Cookbook by Chef Frank Pabst, D&M, 2008, $45. Both books offer expert shopping and prep advice from local chefs, reliable recipes and gallery quality photography. The Oceanwise Cookbook was nominated for a Canadian Cookbook award this spring.

The Fishmongers Apprentice

by Alex Prud’Homme (Scribner $27)

by Kim La Fave & Gar y Kent (Harbour Publishing, $19.95)

by Kevin Snook (Dan Snook Foundation, $19.95)

by Jane Mundy (Whitecap Books, $34.95)

Watch This

Blue Gold

Jiro Dreams of Sushi

Sharkeater

Flow

Waterlife

Blue Gold: World Water Wars debuted at the 2008 Vancouver International Film Festival and it is still a best seller on DVD. Narrated by Malcolm McDowell, the film discusses the environmental, social and political fallout from a dwindling global supply of fresh water, and predicts that in the future, wars will be fought over water in the same way that they are now fought for land, food and o il. All is not gloomy however, the film also spotlights the positive results of environmental activism and applauds community action.

An elderly man resembling a shell-less turtle, deftly molds raw fish into a delic ate masterpiece of minimalist cuisine. The food sculpturer is Jiro Ono, reputedly the world’s greatest sushi chef, and a man who maintains an almost monastic devotion to the purity and perfection of his art. David Gelb’s documentary examines Ono’s legend, as well as the chefs, media critics, fishmongers, and food groupies who strive to be worthy of his company. He does so in a spare, elegant style that is entirely appropriate to his subject.

Ever since Jaws, sharks have been in need of PR damage control. They may have found their man in Toronto-ite Rob Stewart, who at the age of 22, and without any previous filmmaking experience, flew to Ecuador with an underwater video camera to record how sharks are being slaughtered for their fins. The positive effect of his message has rippled worldwide. Thanks to the film, Loblaws removed shark fin soup from their shelves, and a Spanish grade 3 class successfully petitioned for a govt. ban on shark products.

Flow, was released about the same time as Blue Gold, and also ponders the potential threat to social order when water becomes an expensive commodity. In this film however, greater attention is focused on the moral questions surrounding water ownership, and how the emergence of a domineering world water cartel may force entire human populations into economic slavery. Interviews with scientists and activists intelligently reveal the rapidly building crisis, and offer suggestions on what could be done to prevent it.

This Hot Docs winner delves deep (literally) into the waters of the Great Lakes system to uncover the damage being done by industrial pollutants. That they find what they are looking for is expected, as is the message that the lakes are but a foreshock of the greater water crisis to come. But thankfully, the film doesn’t preach. Instead it highlights the lives that depend on the water and are affected most by the decline of its quality. It puts a human face on the problem and explains why it is not an easy one to solve.

Filmmaker Sam Bozzo (Documentary)

- CityFood Magazine

Filmmaker: David Gelb (Documentary)

Filmmaker: Rob Stewart (Documentary )

Filmmaker: Irena Salina (Documentary)

Director: Jevin McMahon (Documentary)

by Aliza Green (Book and DVD $28)

This comprehensive book and video could be the most valuable one in a seafood lover’s kitchen. Focused on prep as opposed to recipes, it provides detailed illustration, and clear instruction on how to purchase a whole fish, gut it, scale it, then break it down for steaks, fillets, soup stock, etc. The savings at the fish market alone would cover the book’s purchase price. Seafood experts make guest appearances too. See the chapter on shellfish with Sooke Harbour House’s Sinclair Phillip.

Are fish the new cage-free chickens

In her new book, Do Fish Feel Pain?, researcher Victoria Braithwaite poses a question that many fishermen, not to mention seafood eaters, don’t want to know the answer to. After all, its easier to think of our fish and chips as pre-existing with no other thoughts beyond the primal, instinctive ones to feed, breed and swim. As one might suspect, after examination of the evidence, Braithwaite comes to the conclusion that yes, despite their inability to vocalize it, fish do indeed feel physical pain. Even more than that, she suggests that their agonies may extend p ast the physical to the mental and even emotiona l. Finding Nemo aside, that last part is over the t op for most people. It’s not easy to be a fish hugger , and I myself could easily discard the idea if were not for an uncomfortable memory. When I was a child I inherited a bowl of two goldfish from a neighbourhood kid who was movi ng out of province. They were more like minnows actually, about 1.5 inches long each, and he’d named them Minnie and Finnie. I don’ t know how long they had been together, but I assumed they’d been sharing that bowl for a long time. Sometime later it became apparent that Minnie was in distress. It appeared not to be able to swim and couldn’t maintain its balance in the water. Remarkably, Finnie positioned itself directly under its companion’s belly and towed it “piggyback” around the bowl-- for hours. I didn’ t know it then, but a fish must keep moving, in order for water to flow over its gills so it may breathe. Eventually Minnie lost the battle and went by way of the toilet flush into the great beyond. Finnie seemed to be behaving normally, but two mornings later, we found it on the floor where it had leaped (an amazing distance) from the bowl. Considering the trajectory it would have needed to get that far, it must have required a powerful spurt of energy from the little fish. So considering that the brain of these fish is smaller than a tomato seed, one has to wonder .... finding itself suddenly alone, did the fish become disoriented, was it a suicide of operatic proport ions, or just a coincidence? American swordfish boat captain, Linda Greenlaw (she was played by Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio in the movie, The Perfect Storm) has observed similar social relationships between much larger fish. In her book, Seaworthy, she notes that swordfish mate for life, and that she has witnessed fish seemingly sacrifice themselves onto the gaffer hooks after their partner has been taken. She’s also seen swordfish defending their young from sharks, and using tricks to confuse fishermen. Make of that what you will. However , if we can conceive that fish are aware of their own lives, may even harbour a social history and culture, we will want to ensure they get the humane and respectful death we now demand farmers give pigs, chickens and other food animals. What we may see in the future is fishmongers, restaurants, and yes, even mainstream supermarkets, prominently assuring their customers that the fish they sell are not only sustainable, but were caught and killed with care. -- R. May

http://www.thierrychocolates.com

CityFood Magazine -

city + food = Spark!

Urban Hot Zones keep your eye on these emerging food ‘hoods

B ket Mar

Every now and then a formerly sleepy urban pocket suddenly jolts to life. A new restaurant here, an interesting little retail operation there, a bold idea goes into play, and before you know it - there’s a street party going on. Here’s a few areas we’ve been visiting lately .

established landmarks

Th ier ry

Pink Elephant Thai

1 2

Ki Modern Japanese Market by JGV

Coast Seafood/O Lounge Black & Blue

Thierry

IK2Go Italian Kitchen

Wild Rice H Mart

The Sun Tower

Nu Takeout Japa Dog Rasoee 7 Ramen Jinya 8

12 11 Rasoee 10 Verace Pizza

Former Dix BBQ

Ra men Ji nya

oc al

Foo d

Little Red Cart

sh Fre

15 16

17 Fresh Local Food Market

o nt Be

Bro s.

Cambie Theatre Pied a Terre Las Tortas

Pronto Caffe

- CityFood Magazine

Rasoee Indian Kitchen

La Taqueria Pinche Taco

18 20

Walrus Gift Shop Bros. 19 Benton 1

Bitter

13 Save On Meats 14 Acme Diner

Haute Alberni

For biz boys and the designer label shoppers who love them, it’s the new Golden Gulch.

1 2

1152 New Restaurant:Pink Elephant Thai.

(See pg. 14)

Modern, energetic and PINK! It’s Iza-thai-ya. http://bit.ly/j7Kjsv

1121 New Restaurant: Ki Modern Japanese and Bar. Good looking space tucked into the elbow of the Shangri La Hotel.

1059

1054b Launch pad. Glowbal Group “owns” Alberni. When

New Patisserie and Cafe: Thierry. (See pg. 14)

What downtown chocoholics and macaron addicts have waited for . they open steakhouse Black & Blue next door to Coast this fall That will only be more true. http://bit.ly/jbidxW

1037 Hot Spot. IT2Go solves it for the too-busy-to-dine

crowd with its transportable, hot Italian fare. http://bit.ly/qlksQN

East Robson St. - Library to BC Place

The wrong end of Robson, no more, not to mention relief for residents allergic to mediocre sports bars.

500 New Restaurant: Greece invades Japanese territory, as Nu Takeout wedges into a small storefront (next to Hapa

Dog), to peddle souvlaki, pita etc. http://www.nu-products.ca.

320 New Restaurant: Rasoee Indian Kitchen bets on

270 New Restaurant: Ramen Jinya migrates up from LA

future BC Place traffic with a 2nd takeout here. www.rasoee.ca to open its first Canadian outlet. http://bit.ly/iJPy0P

871 (Beatty) Rumours of activity in the old Dix

location.

That GasCroCh Triangle.

Between Gastown, Crosstown and Chinatown.

189 Keefer. New Pizzeria. Verace opens to make its bid

515 Abbott. Launch pad. Rasoee Indian Kitchen. to

in the city’s “Most Neopolitan” pizza race. (See pg. 12)

open their fourth franchise location this Fall. www .rasoee.ca

100 West Pender. Launch pad? Plenty of restaurateurs 100 W. Hastings. Launch pad . Sean Heather to add Bitter, a Chicago/Belgian concept beer hall to his Gastown empire

43 W. Hastings. New Restaurant . Save On Meats, a

diner that keeps it simple . www.saveonmeats.ca. (see page 14).

Cambie & 8th / Cambie V illage

Setting trap lines for those well-heeled big box shoppers.

16 17

463 (West 8) New Restaurant. Location of the 3rd and

newest Rasoee Indian Kitchen. http://www.rasoee.ca

2549 New Restaurant.La Taqueria Pinche Taco Shop opens its 2nd outlet. http://www.lataqueria.ca

3010 New Retail. Local Fresh Food Market. An urban “country” market owned by its own farmer suppliers.

Sandwich sector...

Sandwiches!

We thought we’d tracked down the best sandwiches in the city when we made our list this spring. But then we blinked ... and ther e were more to choose from. We have the food carts to thank, but also many new small restaurants with very focused menus. So we’ve munched through the newcomers and present:

Best Sandwich List - Part II: (1) Porchetta Sandwich at Pronto Caffe

ffe Ca

We love Meat and Bread’s porchetta, but Pronto’s version gives them a run for their money. A finer chop to the slow-roast meat distributes the fat and crackling more evenly throughout the sandwich, creating a satisfying, crunchy mouthful with every bite. $8. 3473 Cambie St. www .prontocaffe.ca

(2) BBQ Chicken Sandwich at La Brasserie Food Car t.

It seems everyone’s hooked on this combo of barbecued chicken, gravy and crispy fried onion strings, all packed into a buttermilk bun. It’s the only item on the menu, but when you have a sellout everyday , who needs anything else? Unless it’s butter tarts. $6.25 SW corner of Granville and Georgia. http://www.labrasserievancouver.com

(3) Pulled Pork Sandwich at Hubbub: Sandwich Bliss

Pork again, but this time it’s juicy, 24 hour-marinated roast pork dressed up with pickled jalapeno, garlic aioli, lettuce onions and cilantro - all tucked up into a toasty baguette. The lack of barbecue sauce allows you to really taste and enjoy the true flavour of the meat. $8.49 859 Hornby St. http://www .hubbubsandwiches.com

(4) Brisket Sandwich at Re-Up Food Cart.

Re-up’s successful pulled pork sandwich was a dif ficult act to follow, but some fans prefer their new Brisket version. As with the original, there’s a generous ratio of protein to carbohydrate. Bring a container . What you can’t eat, you can take home to help stretch out another meal or two. $9. 700 Hornby St. http:// www.reupbbq.com

(5) Flatliner Burger at Hog Shack

Can a burger be categorized as a sandwich? We say ‘yes’ when it’s stacked between two grilled cheese sandwich es. It may not be the best bur ger you’ll ever eat, but it could very well be your last. $18 (If you can eat it in five minutes, it’s free.) 3900 Bayview St., Steveston Village, Richmond. http://www.hogshack.ca

More good options ... 6) 7) 8) 9) 10)

Vietnamese Banh Mi at Bun Me Baguette Food Cart. $4.25. Robson and Hornby. (on Facebook) Montreal Smoked Meat Sandwich at Estrella’s $6-$18 5932-200th St., Langley. http://www.estrellasdeli.com Chicken-fried Oyster Sandwich at Fresh, Local, Wild Cart. $10. Burrard/W. Hastings freshlocalwild.com Philly Cheese Steak at Bada Bing Cart - 1200 Robson. (on Facebook.) Kalbi Burger at Coma Food Truck. (Daily Special) Various locations. http://www.comafoodtruck.com

3353

Restaurant. Las Tortas. Mexican style sandwiches

like only citizens of Puebla can make them. lastortas.ca

3432

WHAT’S NEXT?

More concepts to stress city nannies and car lovers .

We finally got the street carts we’d been crying for . Congratulations. However there’s no reason to stop badgering City Hall when there are other great ideas out there that Vancouver could enjoy.

People’s Choice Street Food Vendor Awards: Why let rule-lovin’ government types make the only call about who should get a license renewal? It’ s the public’s tastebuds at stake, after all. H ow about a fun and interactive public voting system, such as the NYC’ s Vendy Awards (http://streetvendor.org/vendys/). We don’t need food police permission for this, just a website and a volunteer team of judges. Hands u p. Pop Up Gutter Cafe’s: Pop Up restaurants can be dubious, and this somewhat death defying variat ion is even more so. But with hot weather in fleeting supply , many dining rooms could use a pop-up patio. New Yorkers have had some success with closing of f streets to traffic and erecting temporary sidewalk extenders in front of restaurants. Would it work for Gastown? Google: Gutter Cafes. Entrepreneurs on Wheels. Now that we have them, shouldn’ t we make more use of the bicycle lanes? Why not encourage small food producers to build bicycle delivery systems into their business models. Here’s a few success stories: Iced coffee in growlers: www.birchcoffee.com Jam: www.anarchyinajar.com / Ice Cream: www.milkmadeicecream.com Christmas Trees: www.treesbybike.com / Hot Tiffin Lunches: www.tiffinday.com

Future Trend: Time Travel.

Restaurants will not only try to capture the flavour of a region, other artisan quality foods. www bentoncheese.com they will also aim for its vibe during 20 3473 New Restaurant. Pronto Caffe for panini a specific era. For example: Paris in and porchetta. (See above right.) www.prontocaffe.ca 1920, San Francisco in ‘68. Hong Kong in 2050. It’s vicarious experience, movie style.

to Pron

checking out the restaurant space in the Sun Tower building.

5 More Jaw-some

Retail. Benton Bros. Fine cheese, olives and

Food Trends

kimchi juice...brazil nuts...

..virgin coconut oil for cooking...cooked radishes...black rice

For inspiration: NEXT http://nyti.ms/hZpoOr

Of course, we’d also like to see artisan food fairs, outdoor beer festivals, roaming cocktail parties (within contained, policed areas, certainly). In other words, more events that combine good food, fresh air and responsible behaviour. The hockey rioters may have set things back another century . We’ll just have to keep whining.

...hand-churned butter

...artisan cider... the Vitamix juicer...full fat Greek yogurt...

...dried chili threads...pickled walnuts...spiced cherries...retro-modern general stores... CityFood Magazine -

City + Restaurants

or d el

att e,

ba sil

$1 4.

di l

at te ,o

an c, rli a ,g

vy cho

$ 13

BI B

“

tomatoes

o red nion se. $16 , chee

3 cheese

t ch

fun

goa

ghi ,t

ruffl

e,rose mar

y,asiago $15

, iutto VERA CE “The Salerno” prosc

$1 7

rejoice. What was once scarce in this town ... a truly

great slice of pizza ... is now availa ble in abundance. In fact, it seems as though a new artisan-style pizzeria opens each month. Many of them installing serious, wood-fired pizza ovens, and applying for authenticat ion certificates from the Italians thems elves. Here’s a quick list of the latest, and some that are still on the way, along with a classic contribution from a longtime pizza veteran, CinCin on Robson. The pizzas fit a similar prof ile: thin but foldable crusts that are firm, puffy and blistered at the edges, but slightly melty and goopy in the centre -- as Neopolitans would deem to be only proper. - CityFood Magazine

NT E C

Pa da no

“P

jel

or tab

ig e,f

ell

a”

s ee ly, Gr an

May the city’s pizzaioli

, na Tu

crust

o”

nn To

NICLI ANTICO “N apol etan a” P

om odo ro , fi

re ga

Pizzamania!

a” “Margherit spiced tomat N o sa I C uce CIN , fi

al Q4 MIR

AD OR O

rella “Margh erita” fresh tomato sauce, mozza

$16 sil a b h fres

THE BIBO: 1835 West 4th Ave. 604-568-6177. http://www.thebibo.com CAMPAGNOLO ROMA: 2297 East Hastings St. 604-569-0456. http://www.campagnoloroma.com CINCIN RISTORANTE AND BAR: 1154 Robson St. 604-688-7338 http://www.cincin.net PIZZERIA FARINA: 915 Main St. 604-681-9334 http://www.pizzeriafarina.com NICLI ANTICA PIZZERIA: 62 East Cordova. 604-669-6985. http://nicli-antica-pizzeria.ca Q4 al CENTRO: 780 Richards St. 604-687-4444 http://www.q4restaurant.com VERACE PIZZERIA NAPOLETANA + ENOTECA: 189 Keefer Pl. 604-669-5552. http://www.veracepizzeria.com. On the way...

NOVO PIZZERIA: 2118 Burrard St. 604-736-2220. http://www.novopizzeria.com PIZZERIA BARBARELLA: 654 East Broadway (and Fraser). 604-615-9494. http://www.pizzeriabarbarella.com VIA TEVERE PIZZERIA: 1190 Victoria Drive. (Opening this Fall.) http://www.viateverepizzeria.com and a new Vancouver location for STEVESTON PIZZA . http://www.stevestonpizza.com/ And new to wine country ....

MIRADORO at TINHORN CREEK: 32830 Tinhorn Creek Rd., Oliver, B.C.. 250-498-3743 http://www.tinhorn.com TERRAFINA at Hester Creek: 13163 - 326th Ave., Oliver, B.C. 250-498-2229 http://www.terrafinarestaurant.com

What are the

Rules

For Making

Authentic Neapolitan

Pizza

It’s difficult to get Italians to agree on anything unless one is discussing pizza. On that subject there can be no doubt. If it isn’t Neapolitan, it isn’t pizza. Subject finito. Italians have even issued a strict set of rules in order to protect Neapolitan pizza from all those other phonies. These regulations, issued by the Associazione Vera Pizza Napoletana (Agriculture Ministry), encompass everything from size to ingredients to the type of oven — and qualifying restaurants may receive a special license verifying that their establishment serves ‘the real thing”. How the VPN goes about enforcing these rules however, is not so clear. Is there a pizza peniten tiary? 1. According to “The Laws”, only three types of pizza may be called “real Neapolitan pizza”. These are: Marinara, with garlic and oregano; Margherita, with basil and mozzarella cheese from the southe rn Apennines; and Extra-Margherita, with fresh tomatoes, basil and buffalo mozzarella from Campania (the region that includes pizza's hometown of Naples). 2. Pizza must be round, no more than 14 inches in diameter, no thicker than 0.1 inches in the middle, with a crust approximately 0.8 inches thick. The texture should be soft, elastic, and foldable enough to pass the “libretto”. (Close like a little book.) 3. The dough must be made from high protein wheat flour (type 0 or 00, or a mixture of both), natural Neapolitan yeast or brewer's yeast, salt and water. The most famous brand is Caputo, owned and run by the same family for 86 years. After the rising process, the dough must be formed and flattened by hand. No rolling pins! 4. Toppings must be from the Campania region. For example: San Marzano tomatoes, which grow on the mineral-rich volcanic plains to the south of Mount Vesuvius (try Cento brand), and mozzarella di bufala Campania, made with milk from water buffalo raised in the marshlands of Campania and Lazio. (This mozzarella is also protected with its own European protected designation of origin.) Even the olive oil must be Italian.Use one that is neither too grassy nor too peppery. 5. Finally, the pizza must be baked for 60–90 seconds in a blazing 485 °C (905 °F) stone oven with an oak-wood fire. Got that?

Kitchen team prepares to begin a shift at Hawksworth Restaurant

New Places to Eat

Campagnolo Roma

Ensemble

Joining a handful of food pioneers on a beaten-down block of East Hastings, Campagnolo Roma’s small 35-seat dining room celebrates the sidewalk trattorias of Rome with a comforting menu of savoury pizza, pasta and bruschetta. This is the place to get your Cacio e Pepe fix (bigoli, pecorino, black pepper, and lots of it). Molto buona. If there was a tiny Trevi Fountain in the cash register drawer, we’d toss in coins to make sure we return. Dinner 5-10; Lunch: Wed-

Despite what any reality TV show may declare, Dale MacKay is not the best chef in Canada - at least, not just yet. Mr. MacKay is however, one of Vancouver’s most interesting young talents and the ongoing proof of his potential is on his menu. Even simple items (like the potato gnocchi) are blissful. If there are problems for his restaurant, they lie in service, high noise levels and an overall sense of disor ganization in the room. Fortunately, those stumbles can be correcte d, and likely already have been. D: Tues-Sun, and weekend

Casual Italian with a focus on Rome cuisine

Modern Canadian/French Bistro

Sun, 11:30-2:30. Weekend Brunch. $12-$18. 2297 East Hastings St., 604-569-0456. http://www.campagnoloroma.com

brunch. $9-$24. 850 Thurlow St., 604-569-1770. http://www. ensemblerestaurant.com

Diner at Save On Meats

Hapa Umi

Old-fashioned diner classics

True to his promise to keep the new Save On (with its attached butcher/fishmonger shop) a place the existing neighbourhood can relate to, Mark Brand has create d a unaffected, old-fashioned diner that feels real, not like a theme concept. Yes, the hipsters relate too. But with $4 all day breakfasts, $6 bur gers and $9 meatloaf, so can we all. If you are seeking “classics with a modern twist”, go elsewhere. Open daily. Diner: 7 am-10 pm.

Sandwich Bar: 7am-7pm. $5-$12. 43 West Hastings St., 604-569-3568. http://www.saveonmeats.ca

Modern Japanese Seafood Umi means ocean, and Hapa Izakaya group’s third Vancouver restaurant focuses on BC seafood, prep ared with modern Japanese flair. Despite the sophistication of the room, the dishes are not complicated. Go for the high quality of the ingredients, the great service, a glamourous bar, and the best outdoor patio near the VTCC. L: Mon-Fri, 11:30 -2; D: Mon-Thur4:30 - 10, Fri,

4:30-11, Sat, 5:30-11. $19-26. 909 W. Cordova St. 604-420-4272. http://www.hapaumi.com

Copper-toned...The Caesar Salad with Pork Cheek

Croutons at Hapa Umi. The crispy, panko-fried morsels of juicy, deep-fried pork cheek cubes make this classic salad sing. Or you may want to toss the lettuce aside and enjoy them as a bar snack. Also to be found at Hapa Umi - the Passionfruit Mochi Ice Cream dessert is a cooling treat. A thin skin of mochi, fragrant with passionfruit, is wrapped around a tennis-sized ball of vanilla bean ice cream. Refreshing, sweet and tangy.

... continued on page 14 Thai Iced Tea at Pink Elephant Thai. In keeping with the theme at the Elephant, there are plenty of pink drinks, but why not go orange - like this non-alcoholic choice: tall, icy and exotic. CityFood Magazine

Go Fish on Broadway

...Continued from page 13.

Seafood

If you never enjoyed sitting in the drizzle on a False Creek just to eat fish and chips, you’ll be happier now that Chef Gordon Martin has created a drier option -- duplicating the sea shack’ s menu at his Bin 942 location on Broadway . Now there is more space, a licensed bar , extended hours, and what’s more, real plates! You can’t fling French fries at the s eagulls here, but it’s all good bait for urbanites who like to feed on the oyster po’boys and hal ibut tacos .. and still wear stilettos. Gotta love that nori wall art! Open for lunch, and dinner daily fr om 4 p.m. $8-$15. 1521 West

International

Restaurants - Spin the Globe

The

Broadway., 604-734-9421. http://gofishvancouver.com.

Hawksworth at the Rosewood Hotel Georgia Canadian/Continental Fine Dining

Halibut

After a long tease of anticipation, Chef David Hawksworth’ s elegant new restaurant opened smoothly, and without surprises. For the town’s dedicated restaurant watches this was both a satisfying and anticlimactic result. On the plus side, in Hawksworth we have a place to dine that can be depended on for high levels of service, ambience and food -- and at reasonable prices too. There is undeniable value in that. On the other hand, there’ s been the absence of any dish that either thrills or risks rejection. Short ribs, pork belly ... for now, Vancouver’s best chef would appear to be playing a safe game, even if a virtuoso one. Yet it’s the dish that exceeds expectations that people will fly across an ocean for , and that would be the level for which Mr . Hawksworth must be aiming. Are we setting the bar higher for Hawksworth? Yes, guilty. And one might also argue that when a restaurant is packed all day and every night, there is litt le need to make any moves just for attention. The central downtown location makes this lovely dining room ideal for business entertaining. Open for breakfast, lunch, dinner and weekend brunch. $22-$38. Tasting Menu: $72/114. 801 West Georgia St., 604-673-7000. http://www.hawksworthrestaurant.com.

Nelson the Seagull Cafe Coffee Shop/Bakery

If you suffer from type A personality, you’ll ponder how this place will survive as a business. The staff, when you can find any, seem dreamy and distracted, although not unfriendly . The small selection of sincerely handmade items on the menu sell out early . Perplexingly so. A website with a philosophy decoder might be useful, and the young South African owners will get around to providing that... someday. Oh well, what does it matter when one has cool by the organic bushelful. This vein of Carrall is a hipster artery after all, and you’ll find plenty of the usual specimens sprawling semi-permanently on the sofa seating (which is surprisingly limited for the cavernous venue). The overall vibe is more laid back commune clubhouse than restau rant, but we hear the food is nutritious and the cof fee is excellent. Tues-Sun: 9-5. $12 or less. 315 Carrall

St., 604-681-5776. http://www/nelsontheseagull.com

Pink Elephant Thai

Call it “Iza-thai-ya”, Desmond Chen’s newest flag in his Thai restaurant empire breaks from the usual Siam temple mold to of fer tapas-style dishes and group-share platters in a modern, club-like setting. Dramatic glass chandeliers, pink elephant tinis and a club beat soundtrack ....the show is an eye-popping party in pink, but chef Parichat Poomkajorn’ s authentic flavours keeps the food respectful if not always obedient to Thai tradition. The “Double O” (oyster and ostrich) lettuce wrap is a recommended adventure, and so is the salmon in its delicious pool of Panang curry sauce. Sun-Thurs: 11:30-10, Fri-Sat: 11:30 to Midnight. Plates. $5-$16. 1152 Alberni.,

604-646-8899. http://www.pinkelephantthai.com

Rasoee Indian Kitchen

Modern, health/eco-conscious Indian Rasoee Indian Kitchen, is a modern takeout/eat-in concept styled on Indian cuisine. It’ s clean and bright and smells good, but beyond that they make a concerted ef fort to use healthy, sustainable ingredients. French fries are baked instead of fried, and so are the samosas, which helps cut down on any greasiness. The thick and creamy mango lassis are made with pro-biotic yogurt. We usually go for the curry bowls, but if you opt for the wraps, bring a bib - a big one. It’s a whole mess o’ tasty. The 320 Robson Street location was a second outlet for the growing franchise. Mid-August they opened their third at Cambie and 8th. Coming up this fall, a fourth location at 515 Abbott St. $3-$8. 604-637-2885. http://www.rasoee.ca

GO FISH:

Pan-seared halibut with fresh mango salsa, banana leaf-wrapped black sticky rice, shiitake mushroom stir fry . $20 Chef Rob Cleland

Thierry

Chocolaterie, Patiserrie and Cafe Talk about a chick magnet. Thierry Busset’s new combination pastry shop and cafe will lure anyone attracted to exquisite bon bons or even just overdue for a getaway to Paris. The confections are laid out on display like jewelry, and we could just as easily imagine teeny price tags resting discreetly beneath them. (That $17 pint of 85% dark chocolate ice cream, for starters.) But you’re worth it, right? Like they say in the lingerie shop at the other end of the street. A girl will need to be very good, or very naughty when Valentines comes around. Mon - Fri, 7 a.m. to

midnight, Sat & Sun, 9 a.m. to midnight. 1059 Alberni St. 604-608-6870 http://www.thierrychocolates.com

Coming This Fall:

Bitter - October 2011 Cactus Club at English Bay Beach - October 2011 Dino Renaerts’ new restaurant in North Vancouver - (Unnamed at presstime) TBA Dunn’s Smoked Meats - Opening TBA

- CityFood Magazine

PROVENCE MARINASIDE: Halibut with oven-dried tomato, legume vert, saffron fingerling potato, salsa verde $32. Chef Jean-Francis Quaglia

Salmon may be the BC seafood mascot, but itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fresh, seasonal, locally fished halibut that will be on nearly every menu in town fr om now until November. Thanks to the diversity of our restaurants, and the culinary adaptability of the fish, it may never look the same way twice on your plate. Photos not to scale. See closeups at http://www.cityfood.com/print_issue/ extras

BISHOPâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S: Halibut with fava bean and zucchini saute, fennel and fava tip salad, salt cod croquettes. $36 Chef Andrea Carlson

CRU: Prosciutto-wrapped halibut with caramelized cauliflower, shaved fennel/pear and lemon-caper butter. $29 Chef Alana Peckham

Box 1: clockwise: macaroni salad, steamed rice with peas, asparagus salad with truffle dressing, miso soup.

COAST:

Halibut caught by Dave Marenyke aboard the Pacific Siren out of Haida Gwaii. $32.95 Chef Dennis Peckham

FEASTRO THE ROLLING BISTRO :Halibut taco in chickpea batter, tomato/anise chutney, masala yogurt. $8 Chefs Paul and Steve

HAPA UMI: Beer-batter tempura halibut with katso tartar and 2 bento boxes $19 Chefs Tomoki Yamasaki

MARKET:

Roasted Halibut with Warm Vegetable Vinaigrette and Cilantro. $26 Chef Karen Gin

Box 2: (clockwise) tamago with truffle salt, Ahi Tuna Tatake, assorted pickles, beef tataki with daikon and ponzu sauce.

Beak-to-Tail-Salmon Once you’ve bought or caught your salmon, you’ll want to eat the cooked fillets right away, while the fish is at its peak of freshness. But what can be done with the rest of it? The head, tail and bones? If you are not bobbing about in a boat, you can’t just toss them back in the water for the benefit of other sea creatures. To be a responsible cook, you really should use as much as the animal as possible, leaving little wastage. And why not? If we can eat a pig snout-to-tail, why shouldn’t we pay the salmon the same respect? We asked Chef Quang Dang (formerly of Diva at the Met, now Executive Chef of West restaurant) to tell us how he uses all the bits that most of us tend to leave behind at the fishmongers. Believe it or not, there’s a culinary use for even the lips and fins. You just need to use a little imagination. Chef Dang, says that cooking sustainably is not only beneficial for the ecology, these days, it’s also good kitchen economics. Using the whole fish will make your food budget go farther . He also suggests using the less popular species, such as Pink salmon or Keta (Chum) over Spring or Sockeye. They taste just as delicious, and choosing them more often will create a better market for these varieties, giving commercial fishermen incentive to treat them better.

chef

roe

fire

collars 16

- CityFood Magazine

soup

skin

the sustainable way

belly cheeks

CityFood Magazine -

extreme bits

bones

skin

roe

It’s not for everyone, but even the extreme end bits of a salmon can have a culinary life beyond the stock pot. Enjoying the crunchy texture, Japanese cooks will sometimes deep fry the fins and tails. Done this way, the back and belly fins in part icular, will become as crispy as potato chips. The Japanese have also been known to cure the cartilage of the beak in salt and eat that as well. It’s all good protein after all, and makes a good ice-breaker when served as a snack alongside a sake cocktail.

It may defeat Google Search, but believe it or not, there is such a thing as salmon rib chops. According to Chef Dang, if the fish is large you can separate out the first few bones of the ribs at the end of the spine behind the head (keeping the flesh attached), toss them in flour and deep fry. It’s finicky work, thus salmon ribs are considered a real delicacy. Especially if a salmon “crown roast” is created by forming a ring with several bones for a spectacular hors d’oeuvre plate presentat ion. For most cooks however, making use of the bones and the bits of meat still attached to them, is just being econowise. Especially when you consider that the flesh was only a fraction away from the meat of the prime priced fillets. If you roast the bones, or simmer them in salted water, wait 15 minutes for the trim to cool, and then pick of f the meat clinging to it, you can get as much as 1-2 lbs of meat from one lar ge salmon. Which is useful for all kinds of dishes. In Chef Dang’s kitchen, after he scrapes the bones with a spoon, the bits become salmon tartare, or get turned into a farce for salmon sausage. Dang will also whipped the salmon bits with cream to make a salmon mousse, blend them with cream cheese for a bagel topping, or mix them with cooked potatoes for traditional Irish salmon cakes. As for the bones themselves, at the French Laundry restaurant in California, they are baked dry and then crushed and added to sea salt for a “marine salmon salt” that is fabulous on fish and chips. If the fish is small, one can even deep fry the bones and eat them as a snack.

You’ll want to eat the salmon skin because it contains the highest concentration of Omega 3 acids in the fish. But beyond that, it’s fun to cook with. When the skin is fried it puf fs up and becomes papery-thin and crispy. Chef Dang calls it “skin candy” because it makes a delightful crackling. He bakes the skin between two Sil-pad sheets in a slow 250 degree C oven until it is crispy and can be crumbled like silvery potato chips over a dish of salmon cerviche. Chef Jane Cornborough at Refuel restaurant deep fries the skin and crumbles it over a bowl of manila clams to lend the dish a popcorn-like crunch. We call it “fish bacon” and like it when the skin is salted with mapleflavoured salt from Gastown’s Maple Delights’ or the Haida Qwaii Smoked Salt (available from Edible BC.) Tip: The skin from smoked salmon or gravlax is especially delicious when served as follows:

Most of the roe we encounter comes from the Keta salmon which is a species that tends to produce a lot of it. If you are buying your salmon at the fishmong er’s then the roe will have been removed when the fish was gutted. However, it’s easy to find the roe for sale separately , and usually at the same market. We’ve all seen salmon roe as an ingredient for on sushi, but even if sushi making is not your forte, there are many interesting ways to use it: Adding the roe to scrambled eggs, blini and capers, or as a topping with sour cream for potatoes are all traditional uses too. If you can find smoked salmon or cod roe, you can follow British chef Mark Hix’s example and sprinkle it on toast or rusks that have been spread with a mixture of fresh horseradish and unsalted butter.

Deep-Fried Salmon Skins

Chef Dang likes to make a basic vinaigrette of lemon juice, olive oil, chopped shallots and fresh dill. Just before drizzling the vinaigrette over a seafood salad, he’ll toss in a small handful of salmon roe. The jewel- like, pink roe looks attractive against the white salad plate, but he makes sure to add them to the vinaigrette at the last minute because contact with the vinegar will soon make the eggs go cloudy.

Fish Stock Making fish stock is the time honoured way to use the trim. Place the head, bones and fins (you can use everything but the organs) into a stock pot along with a chopped mix of celery, onion and carrot. Add a splash of wine and enough water to cover, then add a bouquet garni (a coffee filter or loose tea bag containing a few peppercorns, a bay leaf, some parsley stems and some fresh thyme, tied with kitchen twine to close.) Bring to a boil and let simmer. After a couple of minutes, remove the fish parts, strip off any meat and set aside. Return the bones to the stock and let everything simmer for an additional 30 minutes or so, then strain and discard the solids.

- CityFood Magazine

Japanese Deep Fried Fish Bones Drop the bones into hot oil and deep-fry for two to three minutes, or until they soften and turn golden brown in colour. They will be crunchy in the thicker parts and crispy at the thinner edges, with a pleasant, slightly fishy flavor. Any meat clinging to the bone will become especially crispy and brown — somewhat like how the ends of prime rib can taste like caramelized beef jerky. Dust the fried bones with shiso pepper and salt, then serve as a snack with Japanese beer .

Heat approximately 8 cm depth of oil in a deep-fat fryer or deep-sided, heavy frying pan to 160-180 C. From 1 or 2 sides of smoked or fresh salmon, cut the skins roughly into strips, about 2-3 cm long and 1 cm wide. Deep-fry the skins a handful at a time, stirring them every so often, for two to three minutes until they are puffy and crisp. Drain on paper towels, sprinkle with sea salt and serve warm.

Chef Quang Dang’s Salmon Roe Vinaigrette

Eating the Skin. Healthy or not? There are many important nutrients in the skin of the salmon, the most significant being its high concentration of omega-3 fatty acids. This is because the salmon’s fat is stored in the layer just beneath the skin, so when the fish is cooked with the skin on, the skin soaks up these (healthy) fats. However, the health aspect is based on the assumption that the fish was swimming in uncontaminated waters. The salmon’s skin can also be loaded with chemical pollutants that can be harmful in large quantities. So a lot depends on where the salmon has been spending time and why fish caught at sea are best. Coastal waters can become polluted from things like factories, sewage treatment plants, chemical spills, and city street or farm runof f. When these chemicals are transferred to the salmon, they become concentrated in the skin, the fatty layer right next to the skin, internal or gans, and sometimes muscle tissue. If this is a concern, precautions include removing skin and the darker fat layer right next to it, and also selecting smaller salmon, as they are younger and have had less exposure to toxins in the water .

belly

collar

cheeks

head

For those in the know, the grey, fatty belly of the salmon is the prize part of the fish and melt-in-your-mouth tender when cooked. It’s the part used for making “smoked salmon candy” but the fatty texture makes it adaptable to many kinds of ethnic flavourings. For a Japanese twist, cut the belly into long strips, dip them in tempura batter, and deep fry. For a Mexican one, stir fry the strips, add them to a taco and top with salsa fresca. Or for a simp le western version, baste them with barbecue sauce over a grill. Chef Dang likes to cure strips of salmon belly in a mixture of brown or maple sugar, sea salt and herbs, and then he hot smokes them in the smoker he uses in the restaurant kitchen. He then crumbles the smokey-sweet bits into a salad, or folds them into potatoes for a westcoast style rösti.

When the smart cooks see bags of salmon collars going for peanuts at the fish market, they pounce... and for good reason. The fatty meat found around the cartilage of the collar makes incredibly tasty finger food when the collars are tossed in oil and salt and then simply grilled or roasted under a broiler. Or as Chef Tojo likes to serves it, barbecued until charred and served with green tea soba noodles. Buy them by the bag full and stash them in the freezer until you have enough for a feast. Then invite some friends over, put newspaper down on the table and break out the beer. Roast salmon collars are messy, finger licking, party fare - similar to eating crab or prawn boil. And did we mention cheap? We guarantee your guests won’t talk much - but they may well grunt. No need to feel guilty about your diet. The oil in the collars has the same omega 3 benefits as those expensive fish oil supplements you may be taking. The collars also provide nature’s best source of natural collagen, which in a salmon is concentrated around the cartilage and bones.

Tucked within the cheek, just above the gill plate, is a delicate, dime sized, opaque nugget of meat that can be fished out of a cooked head with a toothpick. More commonly associated with halibut (where the cheek is much lar ger), it’s a secret treat that fishermen often save for themselves. Pan fry the salmon cheeks as you would a scallop. When cooked they will be a similar white colour. If you have a lot of fish, or have been saving the heads in the freezer, salmon cheeks can make an conversational cocktail hors d’oeuvre.

A large fish like a salmon often has a lot of meat in its head. As a muscle that is not used for swimming, the meat has a buttery texture and is a prime ingredient for soup stock (see sidebar, opposite page). In fact, fish head soup is a traditional meal in both Mediterranean and Asian cuisine. The famous Italian cook, Marcella Hazan, includes the cucina povera dish of “Spaghetti with Fish-Head Sauce” in her book “More Classic Italian Cooking”. The fish head produces an incredibly tasty sauce and starts out easily enough via a frying pan filled with garlic and onions, but quickly evolves into a bit of a horror show procedure - what with all that boiling and hand-milling of gelatinous brain pulp, eyeballs, lips, tongue, etc. A far simpler and less challenging dish is this simple barbecue method.

Black Pepper Salmon Belly Skewers Thread a four-inch strip of salmon belly, lengthwise onto a bamboo skewer. Roll the skewer in brown sugar or maple sugar and sprinkle liberally with finely cracked black pepper. Brown the meat over medium-high heat in a non-stick or well-oiled cooking pan, turning occasionally until done, approximately five minutes. Serve while still warm as cocktail food, and be sure to pass the napkins.

Roasted Salmon Collars

(adapted from an internet recipe)

Grilled Salmon Cheeks with Bacon Make a 50/50 percent mix of salt and brown sugar and sprinkle this liberally over the raw salmon cheeks. Place the cheeks in a glass container , cover and let rest in the refrigerator overnight, or for 12 hours. Rinse off the cheeks, let them air dry, then smoke in a smoker until desired “doneness is achieved”, or cook in a little butter or olive oil in a saute pan. Season with pepper . Wrap each cheek in a strip of soft- cooked bacon and secure with a toothpick. Grill these over a bbq and serve as hors d’oeuvres. The cooked cheeks are also good served as a topping on a bowl of rice.

Split the heads in half, and place them in a large plastic baggie or a lar ge glass casserole dish. Pour in a mixture of teriyaki sauce and chopped fresh ginger to cover, or alternatively, a marinade of olive oil, garlic and lemon. Let this rest in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight. Heat up a barbecue and when ready to cook, remove the heads from the marinade and place, split side down, on a grill (or split side up under a broiler) until each piece gets a good sear, but the meat is not dried out. If you like a little more sweet/smokey flavour, drizzle on a little honey or maple syrup and let the sugars caramelize. Provide each guest with a couple of whole half fish heads, along with a crab or lobster pick with which to extract the cooked meat. (Even if your guests are adventurous, it’s probably still a good idea to place the heads on the plates, eye side down. Serve with lemon wedges, lemon aoili, salted capers and toast points.

roa ste d

For easiest handling, cut the triangular shaped collars into three pieces (one center steak from the piece surrounding the back bone, and the two side pieces attached to the front fins). Place these on a foil-lined baking tray. Sprinkle all sides of the fish pieces with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, or Japanese seaweed salt if you are going for a Japonaise shioyaki flavour. (The variation: marinate in miso paste and chopped fresh ginger before broiling.) Set your oven rack at the highest level under the broiler, slide in the tray of collars and broil for approx 5-7 minutes with the oven door ajar. When the pieces turn golden brown, flip them over. You’re aiming for a golden brown colour without actual charr ing. (If cooking on the barbecue, let the pieces cook on the oiled rack until the meat naturall y releases from the grill and the pieces can easily be turned. Remember that the various sizes will require different cooking times.) Serve alongside a bowl of lemon wedges, and a bowl of melted garlic butter for dip ping, is mashed pping sauce and eat with your hands. Another go . od di

Barbecued Fish Heads

(adapted from an internet recipe)

and verjus

ixed with salt, olive oil garlic cloves m

City +Food + Street reasons why we still love

Water

St.

If you’re into maple syrup, carved jade bears, mounties, Cowichan indian sweaters, salmon jet packs, cartoon beavers, cheap Canucks hockey jerseys, and obnoxious moose-abilia, you’ll find more of it than you can stand on Water Street. In fact, take a look

around and you’ll probably find the whole lot on a single fridge magnet one made in China.

But it’s not all a fright show on Gastown’ s main drag. Since the heritage area’ s recent renewal, some interesting new shops and eating places have infiltrated the tourist zone, wedging themselves down between the ‘70s survivors. You just have to look for them and not roll your eyes back too hard at the rest. Here are ten reasons to still love the old stroll, in order from West to East.

2 The Restaurants A B

1 The History Next time you pass the Landing Building, be sure to walk straight through the lobby to the big floor-to-ceiling windows at the back (look for the grand piano) and view the gallery of historic photographs. Most of them were taken at the turn of the last century when the 7-story, brick and beam structure was the warehouse and headquarters of Kelly Douglas, a wholesale grocery business and parent of the iconic Nabob brand. Frank Douglas and Robert Kelly launched their enterprise in 1896, and chose Vancouver because its location was the perfect distribution crossroad between Asia, Europe and North America Photos capture citizens of the era at the heart of the city’s commercial bustle: retail shopkeepers and their customers; gold rush prospectors; factory workers; and slick young salesmen, their fingers on the rotary dials of new-fangled telephone technology, ready to take on the world. 375 Water Street.

C D E F G I J K L M N O P Q

- CityFood Magazine

Al Porto Ristorante

321 Water Street.604-683-8376 http://www.alporto.ca

The Greedy Pig

307 W. Cordova St. 604-669-4991 http://www.thegreedypig.ca

Water Street Cafe

300 Water Street 604-689-2832 http://www.waterstreetvancouver.ca

Pourhouse

162 Water St., 604-568-7022 http://www.pourhousevancouver.com

Jules Bistro

216 Abbott St., 604-669-0033 http://www.julesbistro.ca

Revel Room

238 Abbott St., 604-687-4088 http://www.revelroom.ca

Salt Tasting Room

45 Blood Alley., 604-633-1912 http://www.salttastingroom.com

Judas Goat Taberna

45 (a) Blood Alley., 604-681-5090 http://www.judasgoat.ca

Peckinpah BBQ

2 Water St., 604-681-5411 twitter@peckinpahbbq

Six Acres Pub

203 Carrall St., 604-488-0110 http://www.sixacres.ca

Vera’s Burger Shack

213 Carrall St., 604-568-5850 http://www.verasburgershack.com

L’Abbatoir

217 Carrall St., 604-681-1701 http://www.labbatoir.ca

Cork & Fin

221 Carrall St., 604-569-2215 http://www.corkandfin.ca

Boneta

12 Water St., 604-684-1844 http://www.boneta.ca

Chill Winston’s

3 Alexander St., 604-288-9575 http://www.chillwinston.com

Irish Heather

212 Carrall St., 604-688-9779 http://www.irishheather.com

3 9 Tourists, bless their hearts, still love the Gastown Steam Clock. Still tooting its vapours for 34 years. Someday a street artist is going to stealth rig the icon to set of f something truly surprising and totally awesome.

. St er m Ho

C B

Glowbal Group has bought this building Hmmm.....

Proof that great restaurant views are in inverse proportion to the food can be found on the second floor of the Cat and Cradle cafe. Ouch! (behind the kite shop).

Wate r

#3 Japa Dog stand. The same

great Oroshi, Okonomi and Cheese-y Terimayo dogs you can find at the original Burrard Street location (and the new Robson St. resto), only the lineups aren’t nearly as ridiculous.

W. C or

E H

dova

St.

Abbo

tt St.

Yes, it’s an obvious tourist trap but don’t dismiss this maple obsessed shop just yet. Among the stock of mapleflavoured edibles -- gelato, lattes, organic syrups, vinegars and maple leaf-shaped candy -- there’s a few items, such as the hot maple pepper and maple fleur de sel, that can enliven your barbecued meats in interesting ways. Try the maple honey with smoked cheese. 385 Water Street. 604682-6173. http://www.mapledelights.com

People watching at the Brioche Bakery and cafe. The 7-year-old Brioche grooves in a funky, hippie vibe that feels like a flashback to Gastown’s ‘70s heyday. We can never decide what is more artistically free-form. The bike courier anarchists who hang out there or the menu chalked onto the bathroom door. Enter through the front door at 401 W. Cordova or the back entrance on Water Street. 604-682-4037. http://www.brioche.ca

Hip Pioneer Stuff at Old Faithful Shop. Set among the assortment of antique shops and second hand clothing boutiques that make up the greater part of W. Cordova is one of our newest favourites. Old Faithful stocks old-

fashioned, practical household items that your great-granny would recog nize: glass storage jars, leather fly swatters, even a slingshot -- all of it manufactured in wholesome natural materials with urban aesthetics in mind. Pick up a hip flask of Noble Tonic (bourbon barrel matured maple syrup from Quebec.) 320 W. Cordova St. 778-

327-9376. http://www.oldfaithfulshop.com

Brit Candy at House of McLaren. Yah Humbugs! The

cure for Scrooge-i-ness is here. Among its trove of tartans, heraldry, and quintessential British pantry staples (HP sauce!), McLaren’s displays a hyper schoolchild's fantasy of tuppence

Bloo

In front of the Waterfront Station. http://www.japadog.com Twitter @japadog

Maple Everything at Canadian Maple Delights.

d Alle y

Boneta has moved here

K ML N

Carrall St.

St.

Cam bie

candy: butterscotch, barley candy, mints and licorice. Look for tubes of Smarties, regal-sized Cadbury bars and all the delightfully daft metal motor cars and double decker buses that do double duty as treasure tins once the sweet stash is gone. 131 Water St. 604681-5442. http://www.houseofmclaren.com

8 Kinky Boots at John Fluvog.

Gastown was the birthplace of this quirky shoe chain and it’s still a landmark today. The signature snub-toe designs look like something the Mad Hatter would wear to kick serious butt, and the colours are cosmic. Where else could you buy vegan boots that literally are...green? 65 Water St. 604-688-6228. http://www.fluevog.com

at Orling & Wu. 9 Ceramics Set the table.

Frederik Orling and Julie Wu’s eponymous boutique tempts with charming, handcrafted finds in the way of tableware, textile and accessories, much of it imported from the best Nordic European design houses. We love the party-sized ceramic oyster bowl from Mateus, a line of Swedishdesigned ceramics made in Portugal. 28 Water Street. 604-568-6718. http://www.orlingandwu.com

Hit of Caffeine and 10 AMocha at Coffeebar.

We like this laid back space in a ‘30s concrete garage, where you can enjoy a cup of 49th Parallel coffee and a housemade pastry, and contemplate on what Boneta is getting up to across the courtyard. It’s also a distributor for the hard-to-source vegan and gluten-free chocolate bars from Vintage Plantations. If you must buy a Vancouver souvenir, pick up one of their oversize cafe au lait bowls with “Gastown” imprinted discreetly on the inside lip. 10 Water St. 604-566-9693. http://www.thecoffeebar.ca CityFood Magazine -

In print version, magazine flips over here.

Blue Issue 2011

Drink ^

And what would you like to

with that?

Not Your Nonno’s

GRAPPA! Sipping on the

Municipal Champagne Wine News

Bottles that won’t bore BC Wine . Cocktails . Beer . Coffee

http://www.winesofargentina.ca

http://www.okanagancrushpad.com

http://www.hestercreek.com

drink

contents Wine 4b 4b 6b 6b

...

- what’s happening now? Drink News Wine Calendar 9 Bottles you should know Sommelier ’s Choice - Blue Water Cafe’s Andrea Vescovi

Spirits

- italian-style options at the bar.

10b Grappa - It only looks like water. 12b Do U Like Italian Roast? Try a Coffee Correcto 14b Grappa Cocktails from CinCin’ s Colin Turner

H2O

- thinking globally, drinking blue

16b Vancouver’s Drinking Water. What’s on Tap? 18b A Social Pipeline for Sensible Water Use

A PUBLICATION OF MAYFARE PRESS LTD. EDITOR/PUBLISHER Rhonda May

FOR ADVERTISING INFORMATION CALL: TEL: (604) 737-7845

contact@cityfood.com

be our friend on Facebook /CityFood-Magazine click here: http://on.fb.me/bOFGRi

www.thewinefestivals.co

www.owfs.mobi

CityFood Magazine -

Drink News While Okanagan wineries check their grapes to see if a hot September has compensated for a cold and stingy Spring, a brief review of late summer’s highlights ... Famous for it’s sparkling wine and Pinot Noir, but also for its semi-reclusive nature -- “Appointments only please” -- Blue Mountain Vineyard and Cellars suddenly changed tactics and flung open it’s tasting room doors to the public. Perhaps the winery’s 20th anniversary inspired the policy change, but whatever the reason, the new extended hours Mon-Sat, 11-5 (until October), will make it easier for fans whose schedules are not so organized, to drop in for a visit......Professing eco concerns, Summerhill Pyramid Winery announced the launch of a line of organic wines in 3-litre bag-in-boxes. It would seem like a simple green alternative, to the equivalent, much less environmentally friendly, four-750 L glass bottles. But not in the minds of VQA regulators who have told Summerhill that they may not label the boxes as VQA wine, nor sell it in VQA stores - even though it is the same %100 BC juice that would otherwise be poured into the winery’s bottles. VQA reasoning cogs seem to be stuck and smoking on the fact that the wine cannot be aged without a glass container. In that light, Summerhill has attached a label advising that the wine should be drunk within 6 weeks. That would make the wine well suited as a party item. Although at $80 a box (or $20 per bottle), it’s still not punch........Winemaker Mark Simpson of Artisan Food and Beverage Group has relied exclusively on social media to generate word-ofmouth for his new red blend -- a Bordeaux style combo of purchased BC Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Petite Verdot and Cabernet Franc grapes, all vinified via separate fermentation and daily punch downs in Okanagan Falls with help from Tom Dibello and Alan Dickinson of Alto Wine Group. Will the results live up to its twitterfication? The proof is in the pudding. Well, actually French and American Oak barrels. Bottling takes place in mid-September. ... As fast as new wineries appear on the BC wine scene, wine writer John Schreiner publishes a new book to document their arrival. His latest tome, BC Coastal Wine Tour Guide (Whitecap, $20) highlights the significant wine activity taking place outside the Okanagan hot zone: Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands and Fraser Valley. As usual, if you read it in a Schreiner book, it’s reliable. ....Stats don’t lie. In their newest Wine Acreage Report, the BC Wine Institute estimates that total acreage planted in the province is up 8.7% (since 2008), with the most significant regions of growth being Vancouver Island and the Similkameen Valley. There are also new spurts of growth throughout the province in Shuswap/Spallumcheen, Kootenays, Lillooet/Lytton and Kamloops. The varietal planted most is Merlot, followed by Pinot Gris and Chardonnay. There are now 210 licensed grape wineries in BC with 24 additional grape growers indicating that they intend to start a winery in the future. All the recent gloomy reports about oversaturated local markets and decreasing demand for premium priced wines could dampen that projection. However, to quote Pascal, just as it is in the restaurant business,“the heart has reasons, that reason cannot know”.

wine + art

Coming up -

Fall Wine Calendar

September 17: Lillooet Beer & Wine Festival Fort Berens Estate Winery (Lillooet’s only winery) will host this festival for the second year. Live music, food, packhorse rides ... and of course plenty of wine and beer. http://www.fortberens.ca September 20: What’s in a Cask? Bob Kyle returns to Legacy Liquor Store to host another Scotch tasting. These days, the whisky industry is careful about cask selection and cask management, and “Single Cask” bottlings retain their own particular flavour characteristics. This event will allow the “taster” to examine unique changes in flavour and taste profiles when comparing a single cask bottling to a release from the same distillery. To be sampled: Laphroaig Quarter Cask,Old Malt Islay Collection, Glen Garioch 12 YO, Glen Garioch Old Malt Cask,Tomintoul 14 YO,Old Malt Tamdu 21 YO. 7 to 8 p.m. $50 a ticket. 30 seats. http://bit.ly/plxAHs 1633 Manitoba St. 604-331-7900. September 22: Colour BC VQA Fall Release Tasting Out of the barrels and into the bottles at last. BC wineries pour their newest fall wines. 2 p.m. Ballroom A. Vancouver Convention Centre West. http://www.winebc.com/events.php

September 29: Wines of Argentina will host a tasting to showcase the quality and variety of wines the country produces. Held at Vancouver’s Sutton Place Hotel, the event will feature bottles from over 24 wineries. 7-9:30 p.m. 845 Burrard St. Tickets are $44, available through http://www.winesofargentina.ca. The event will benefit the BC Hospitality Foundation's Tip Out To Help campaign. September 29 - October 7: Okanagan Fall Wine Festival. This is the big one. With over 165 events happening around the Okanagan Valley it’s the only festival in North America to take place during the peak of harvest. Enjoy vineyard tours, lunch among the vines or dinner on a waterfront patio. Take in a seminar. Learn food and wine pairings from awardwinning Okanagan chefs. Whatever you choose, do it early: events sell out well in advance. Find all details at: http://www.thewinefestivals.com/ ... continued on Pg. 7b

Art installations at wineries are usually hung inside the premises. Not so at Summerland’s Okanagan Crush Pad where the art is spray painted on the building’s exterior. The graffiti-inspired mural, commissioned by winery co-owner Christine Coletta, and created by Vancouver’s Catalog Creative and restaurateur Mark Brand, was inspired by the surrounding landscape. It’s bold, graphic design signals visitors to expect a modern, cutting edge experience when the winery opens on September 29th.

Drink Trends:

wine with breakfast (the bacon is easy, it’s the eggs that are challenging); Mediterranean grape varietals such as Bonarda, Mencia (Spain) and Xinomavro (Greece); anything smoke flavoured -- tea, cocktails, even coffee; Lebanese wines; and the return of wine and cigar matching.

- CityFood Magazine

www.provencevancouver.com

www.quintaferreira.com

www.HillsideEstate.com

http://www.pwbrewing.net/pacific-schwarzbock-taste-a-legend/

9 Bottles with Buzz

plugged in

Well made, good value ... and something electric

Ormarine Picpoul de Pinet 2010

2010 Director’s Blend White 2009 Director’s Blend Red

Available exclusively in Top Table restaurants (Vancouver and Whistler). Limited edition numbered bottles.

It’s a fact that BC restaurants love BC wines. Why not make it an of ficial marriage?

Custom blends made for specific local restaurants are becoming more popular. For example: this summer, Le Vieux Pin hooked up with Cactus Club to prod uce “Le Vieux Pin Petit Rouge Feenie’s Blend 2009”. Now the Top Table Group of Restaurants are sporting their own house label. This time the union is with Laughing Stock Vineyards. The Naramata winery has bottled two blends of its Naramata Bench- and East Bench Osoyoos-grown grapes to the specifications of Top Table wine directors Samantha Rahn (Araxi), Andrea Vescovi (Blue Water Cafe), Sarah McCauley (CinCin) and Owen Knowlton (West). The 2010 Directors Blend White is a fresh and elegant combo of four white varietals: 50% Pinot Gris, 20% Viognier, 15% Pinot Blanc and 15% Sauvignon Blanc. While the 2009 Director ’s Blend Red is a complex quartet of 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 15% Syrah, and 10% Cabernet Franc. Naturally, both wines were designed to be enjoyed with food, and were debuted at CinCin Ristorante + Bar on September 14th.

Distilleria Bottega “WISH.forJapan”

Available in International Duty Free shops worldwide.

You probably won’t find this one on the BCLDB shelves, but if you are a traveller , look for it in duty free stores worldwide. In an act of solidarity with Japan and its citizens who suffered from the earthquake disaster of March 11, 2011. The Distilleria Bottega company of Treviso, Italy has custom packaged their Prosecco sparkling wine in a graphic white bottle inspired by the Japanese flag. Unlike most charitable bottlings that only donate a portion of sales, 100% of proceeds from this line will be donated to WISH.forJapan, a fund raising program (pioneered by the employees of the Shangri-La Hotel of Tokyo) that purchases food and other daily necessities and delivers them to the small shelters housing victims in the north-eastern coastal regions. For more information see http://wishforjapan.jp.

Moon Curser Dead of Night 2009

Available in private liquor stores and select restaurants ($38) .

What was once Twisted Tree Winery is now Moon Curser, after a branding makeover this year courtesy of Brandever Designs. (See the story here: http://www.mooncurser.com/about/index.php). This bottle is in a higher price range than we normally indulge, but with Halloween on the way, what wine label could be more appropriate? It’s not like the contents are a fright. Winemaker Chris Tolley is known for his intriguing blends of uncommon red varietals, and this combination of Tannat and Syrah is no exception. Violets, dark fruit, chocolate and cedar. Let the goblins stuff their bags with sugary loot. Come October 31, we are going to serve a plate of roast beast and keep this candy for ourselves.

- CityFood Magazine

Available at BCLDB stores and private liquor stores. ($13.99)

Refreshing, highly fragrant, and lemon-y. These qualities alone made this new-to-BC wine a favourite choice for patio sipping all summer long. As the weather cools, we will continue drinking it well into fall because it is an ideal partner for seafood (see pages 14-19). The budget friendly price of $13.99 won’t hurt either. The interest factor here is provided by the Picpoul g rape - one that seldom shows up on our shelves as a 100% varietal. Grown in the Rhone Valley and Languedoc regions of France, it’s local nickname is “lip stinger” due to the grape’s high acidity. Like other characters of ancient lineage, its conversation can be amusingly tart.

Bartier Bros The Goal 2009 (red) ($30) Bartier Bros The Cowboy 2010 (white) ($23)

Available at the winery, select restaurants and VQA.

A hockey player on the label? How Canadian can a wine get without being a beer? Despite its sporty , image, “The Goal” and its brother wine, “The C owboy”, are sophisticated blends, comprised of Okanagangrown varietals. (Goal is Merlot, Cab Franc, Syrah and Cab Sauv.) Both are the first bottlings of Bartier Bros. Namely, winemaker Michael Bartier and his brother Don, at the new Okanagan Crush Pad Winery in Summerland. The wines were unveiled in early September at the Boneta’s new dining room in G astown. Will a macho indian chief or motorcycle cop show up on the label next? Hmm, probably not. They’re playing for the other team.

McWatters Collection 2007 Meritage

Available at select restaurants and private wine stores. ($25)

”Retired winemaker” is an oxymoron. Especially when you are talking about veteran Okanagan wine guy, Harry McWatters. Barely a year after establishing his own Everything Wine consultancy, he’s introduced his own wine label, McWatters Collection. McWatters pioneered the term “Meritage” in BC (pronounce it correctly, like “heritage”, or watch out!), and his 2007 Meritage is the term’s best endorsement. Made from grapes grown on his own Black Sundial Vineyard property on the Black Sage Road, and aged for 15 months in French oak casks, plus another 15 months in bottles, pre-release, the wine is velvety, well-balanced and delicious to drink right now. It should age gracefully through to 2015.

Pacific Schwarzbock Available at private liquor stores.($8.99)

A limited edition beer in its own pine beetle wood box, The “Schwarzbock” commemorates Pacific Western Brewery’s 20th year of ownership by Kazuko Komatsu (one of the few female brewery owners in Canada.) True to German-style bochs, this beer is brewed with just enough black malt to give the beer its deep, black colour , and smooth, warm mouthfeel without tasting burnt. The hints of coffee in the flavour makes it enjoyable with chocolate desserts, as well as savoury foods. Of special note: the swing-top glass bottle is right on trend for Euro-style bottles in North America.

.... continued from Pg. 4b

October 1 - New Product Salon at Marquis Wine Cellars. New Product Salon. Join the team at Marquis for a free tasting at their last New Product Salon of the season. They’ll be popping the cork on a wide selection of newly arrived wines and returning favourites that will surely be hit around the Thanksgiving dinner table. 1-4 p.m. Marquis Wine Cellars,1034 Davie St. 604-684-0445. http://www.marquis-wines.com

October 3 - Celebrity Chef Dinner at Hester Creek Winery. The winery welcomes Kelowna Chef Mark Filatow of Waterfront Restaurant & Wine Bar. Chef Filatow was recently awarded the Southbrook Canadian Wine Award for the “chef whose menu best exemplifies creative, conscientious wine pairing with an emphasis on ‘eat Canadian, drink C anadian.’” Tonight he will prepare a dinner paired with award winning Hester Creek wines. Live music. Tickets: $150 each includes wine, taxes and gratuity. Purchased through the wine shop at 1-866-498-4435. Door to door shuttle service available by prior arrangement. Oliver, B.C. http://www.hestercreek.com October 6, 2011: Legacy Goes Pink! A Breast Cancer Fundraiser. Vancouver’s Legacy Wine Store goes PINK for Breast Cancer Awareness Month! Join them for a pink-themed evening in support of “Abreast in a Boat”. Enjoy fabulous food and sample over 50 different types of products in store. There will also be a silent auction and the opportunity to meet the world’s 1st breast cancer survivor dragon boat team! 6 to 9 p.m. 1633 Manitoba Street. Tickets are $28 and are available in store and online. 604-331-7900. http://bit.ly/nOOWlK. October 7: Hester Creek Estate W inery Annual Tuscan Dinner. Hester Creek’s new guest center is the setting for this multicourse, family style dinner. Chef Heinz Schmid designs each course to compliment Hester Creek’s hand-crafted wines. Dance to the music of local band, Jazz Out West. $125 includes wine, taxes and gratuity. Tickets can be purchased at the wine shop or by calling 250-498-4435. Door to door shuttle service available by prearrangement. For on-site accommodation contact thevilla@hestercreek.com. Oliver, B.C.

November 11 - Big Guns Dinner at Araxi Celebrating its 30th anniversary, Whistler’s Araxi Restaurant will unveil its most ambitious Big Guns Winemakers’ Dinner yet when it presents: Icons of the Wine W orld. On Friday, November 11th, during Cornucopia: Whistler’s Celebration of Wine and Food, 10 stellar wineries will represent the world’s outstanding wine regions. Hand selected over the past year by wine director , Samantha Rahn, each of the wineries has received critical praise from around the globe. Executive chef James Walt will create a distinctive eight-course menu to showcase the excellence of Pemberton Valley’s autumn harvest, with each plate meticulously matched to the wines. (See right.) 6 p.m. Tickets are $250 per person and available for purchase online at http://bit.ly/ndrFn1

Menu Taittinger ‘Comtes de Champagne’, Blanc de Blancs, 2000 (Champagne, France) Joseph Drouhin Chablis Les Clos Grand Cru, 2002 (Chablis, France) Grgich Hills Chardonnay, 2008 (Napa Valley, USA) Michele Chiarlo ‘Cerequio’ Barolo, 2004 (Piemonte, Italy) Remelluri Rioja Gran Reserva, 1999 (Rioja, Spain) Catena ‘Alta’ Malbec, 2006 (Mendoza, Argentina) Mission Hill Oculus, 2007 (Okanagan Valley, Canada) Inglenook 'Rubicon', 2008 (Napa Valley, USA) St. Urbans-Hof Riesling, Leiwener Laurentiuslay Spätlese, 2006 (Mosel, Germany) Quinta do Noval Port, 20 Year Old Tawny (Portugal)

Amelia

Extra-virgin olive oil f r e s h from the farm in Umbria, Italy

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

604-329-0442

http://www.hestercreek.com

October 11: Errazuriz at Blue Water Blue Water Cafe presents a dinner to honour the wines of Chile’s Errazuriz Winery. Details TBA at press time. Check here for details. http://www.toptable.ca/events.html October 18: Whitehaven Winemaker’s Dinner. Vancouver’s CinCin restaurant hosts this top winery from New Zealand. Details TBA at press time. Check here for details. http://www.toptable.ca/events.html October 24: Sette Ponti W inemaker’s Dinner This well known winery from the Siena region of Tuscany presents its best wines at CinCin restaurant Details TBA at press time. Check here for details.

http://www.raudz.com

http://www.toptable.ca/events.html

CityFood Magazine -

Sommelier’s Choice Each issue we ask a top sommelier to names the wines on their menus that they feel passionate about, and would r ecommend to their guests. Complete subjectivity is not only allowed, it’s encouraged.

Andrea Vescovi

Wine Director Blue Water Cafe + Raw Bar, Vancouver When I select a wine for our list at Blue Water Cafe, I'm thinking of several things. First, the wine has to really reach out to me, to be compelling, to really resonate. Second, the wine will have to speak to our food, to suggest a natural pairing with our seafoodcentric menu. Not all marriages are made in heaven, so I need to feel the harmony - some wines will announce, “Yes, serve me with chef's albacore.” Third, the wine has to represent value, as we always strive to present wines at all price levels. I've offered my wine recommendations as though you are a guest at one of my tables experiencing a harmonious pairing from start to finish.

Mid Course Last year, during a working holiday to Tasmania, I discovered a thriving wine industry with brilliant Pinot Noirs. Most notable was the Josef Chromy Winery 2009 Pinot Noir, which exhibits a nice balance of fruit forwardness and acidity. Rich in colour, it showcases cherry-plum and light spice characters on both the nose and palate, and provides a generous, fleshy palate with bright Pinot fruit, balanced by fine tannins. As a lighter red wine, I love Pinot Noir with Sablefish. Chef Frank Pabst's preparation with a miso-sake glaze lends itself well to match this wine style.

To Begin At Blue, seafood is the fare of choice and it is popular to begin the evening with our three-tier seafood tower. Assembled by our chefs, the towers of fer an array of the freshest seafood: oysters, prawns, mus sels, chilled lobster, and for the adventurous palate, our signature sesame-marinated jellyfish. Champagne is always a great introduction to any meal and pairs exceptionally well with chilled seafood. On the nose, Delamotte Brut from Champagne is clean and refreshing with some minerals present. Delightfully effervescent, the palate hints at a touch of cream, aromas of grapefruit and chalk.

rst Plate

Jel lyfish

- CityFood Magazine

Octopus

Versatility is one of a wine's greatest assets, allowing the diner to enjoy it from one course to the next. One such grape is Riesling, which marries well with numerous flavours due to its high acidity content. In particular , citrus-marinated ceviches pair well with this type of acidity and also allow you to experiment with lesser known Ocean Wise seafoods such as the green sea urchin or octopus that we serve at Blue. For a Riesling that delivers incredible value far beyond its price point, look no further than Chateau Ste. Michelle Riesling 2009 from the Columbia Valley, Washington. An off-dry wine, you can expect chamomile, apple and peach on the nose. Its finesse at an affordable price of just $15.99 can perhaps be explained by Washington State having the largest Riesling plantings outside of Germany.

Principal Plate

Sablefish

Short Ribs

Moving inland from the sea, our guests can enjoy our braised Kobe style short ribs. This menu addition requires a wine with firm tannins to cut through the richness of the dish. I always guide my guests to enjoy this dish with a bold Nebbiolo. Without reservation, my go-to producer is Angelo Gaja. In fact we recently welcomed his daughter Gaia to do some staff wine-education training at Blue Water. She shared with us the Gaja Barbaresco 2007 which is a wonderful vintage combining deep, complex fruit flavours supported by bracing acidity and textured tannins. Although it will age brilliantly for many years, it may be enjoyed sooner if one is eager to taste this prestigious world-class wine.

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) 604-677-41 11

www.refuelrestaurant.com

www.cactusclubcafe.com

www.rasoee.com

City+Spirits+Cocktails

GETTING A GRIP on GRAPPA Maybe you think you don’t like Grappa. Or perhaps you’re even afraid of it. Chances are, at some point in the past, you were encouraged to knock back a bad example at a cheap and cheerful pizzeria. Or if you are of Italian heritage, you got a snootful concocted by an elderly relative in his Commercial Drive basement still. If it didn’t leave you blind, what you probably remember is how the alcohol ripped a strip through your sinuses on its way to singeing your eyebrows. In that case, what you need is an update. These days, Grappa faces the same marketing challenges that Tequila did several ago, when most people’s experience with the spirit was limited to poor quality mixtos. The fact that very few bottles have scored a BCLDB general listing only confirms the fact that for most local drinkers, Grappa is considered the tipple of Italian geezers with cast iron constitutions. The truth is, modern, premium Grappa has come a long way in the last 20 years from its white-lightning past -- when bitter seeds and stems were included in the pomace, fermenting was less carefully controlled, and distillation equipment was less sophisticated than it is today. Young Euro trendsetters have rediscovered it, but in North America, there’s only one fully dedicated Grappa bar, and that’s Bar 888 in San Francisco. Here in Vancouver, barman Colin Turner (not a geezer by any means, nor even Italian), maintains the best collection of bottles in Canada at CinCin restaur ant. “Grappa is still under the radar in this city”, says Turner. “However, people who are seriously interested in fine spirits, especially those in the bar trade, are beginning to show an interest. It’s certainly more popular that it was even a couple of years ago.” Italians themselves have come to appreciate fine Grappa as a cultural asset that needs to be preserved and protected. Since 1989, only distillates produced in Italy may be marketed as “Grappa”. (The equivalent in France, for example, would be called “ marc”, or in Spain it would be “ orujo”.) This historic right has been recognized by the European Union and estab lished by Italian law. To keep the product to stand ard, every step in the production process is rigidly prescribed by statute--from the composition of the pomace, to the distillation method and the maximum alcohol content. Like many things the Italians finally get around to, this was none too early. In 1900 there were 100,000 Grappa distilleries. Today, not counting the wineries that make it on the side as a novelty item, there are approximately 135 dedicated distilleries left, and of these, the top five companies that produce on a lar ge commercial scale, control 80% of the domestic mar ket. Sandro Bottega with his boutique collection of fashionable designer Grappas at Distilleria Bottega is one of the new breed of Italian distillers who aims to modernize Grappa and bring it firmly into the luxury class, all the while boosting production, and diversifyi ng the line, so that it doesn’ t remain stuck in a niche market category. Bottega’s company, located in a former 19thcentury farmstead and convent, in the Veneto’s Conegliano region (just 45 k north of Venice), is not, by his country’s standard, a very old one. His father , Aldo Bottega, launched Distilleria Bottega in 1947.

10b

- CityFood Magazine

After his father’s death in 1983, Sandro, at the tender age of 19, took control of the company , and now with his brother and sister, runs it as a family business. In the eighteen year interval, they’ve added a 2 0,000 square foot warehouse and new distillery buildi ng, and currently produce a wide range of products that includes Prosecco, Asti Spumante, premium red wines, Fragolino, single varietal Grappas from a variety of grapes, as well as Grappa-based liqueurs such as Limoncino. There’s even a side line of local food products: olive oil, honey and balsamic vinegar. Even so, Grappa is Mr. Bottega’s passion and he is its most enthusiastic and wound-up pitchman. He sings the Grappa message, he dances it and he parties it ... hard. He’ll even get down on the floor and do 50 push ups to prove that despite reaching the shady side of 40, drinking the stuff hasn’t done him any harm. At the very least, he can be credited as the man who is taking the Grappa gospel to the international marketplace. His ambitious distribution plan has positioned the brand in over 110 countries, dominates the duty free market, and reportedly rattles up and down business class aisles in the drink trolleys of over 40 internat ional airlines. Perhaps this success can be attributed to the fact that Bottega understands the tastes of an increasingly knowledgeable market for an artisan quality product that is smoother, lighter and yet elusively complex. Most of all, he gets the power of packaging. Bottega bottles, especially those in the Alexander Society line, are works of art in themselves, thanks to the high craftsmanship of their delicate, handblown glass bottles, made by the company’s own glass shop in the Murano/Venetian tradition. Each year, a limited edition bottle is produced with a different glass ornament fixed within it - Venetian gondolas, leaping dolphins, shooting stars ... even the proverbial ship. In honour of the 2010 winter Olympics, Bottega created a maple leaf design, and a bottle even exists that sports a hockey player in a royal blue jersey. Purists may dismiss all this as pure gimmickry, but there is no doubt they make the product jump off the shelves. The showy pieces are popular with restau rants, both local and abroad, and Sandro maintains a gallery of both his own collectible bottle designs, and that of his Veneto neighbours, at the Distilleria Bottega head office. It’s quite a Cinderella story for a spirit that was historically stashed in crude earthenware jugs, and of which the Italian writer Italo Calvino once said was "suitable only for defrocked priests, unemployed bookkeepers and cuckolded husbands”. Next ... You Can Get Something From Nothing ... The Grappa story and a Grappa primer continues on page 14b ....

Photos: This page: The Alexander Red Rose Grappa Prosecco created in honour of Rosina Zambon Bottega, Sandro Bottego’s mother and the co-founder of the company. Opposite top: 1)Sandro Bottega with a bottle of his “Vino dei Poeti” Bottega Gold Spumante Brut Prosecco. 2-5) More examples from Bottega’s handblown glass bottle collection. Opposite Middle: The copper still (alembic), and other distilling equipment at Distilleria Bottega.

Is there a correct glass for Grappa? Tasting Grappa is a different exercise from tasting wine. With wine you may like to go through the sniffing and glass swirling process when you first open the bottle, but after that you can get on with just drinking it. A Grappa on the other hand, should be tasted at every sip, with every inhale of the bouquet, in every mouthful. Hence, the glass that makes the most of the experience is important. Although not all Grappa experts agree on what the exact shape of the glass should be. Designs from top glass manufactures such as Riedel and Schott-Zwiesel vary, although most resemble a long-stemmed version of a thistle (bulbous at the base and rising to a narrow column that may or may not fan out slightly at the rim.) The idea of the chimney is to let the alcohol and aromas balance before coming into contact with your nose, and to prevent the

delicate aromas from dissipating into the air before they do. Sandro Bottega is one of the propo nents of a larger modified tulip shape. And while we are not usually a fan of stemless glasses, we could see the practicality of Bottega’s own design called the “Alexander Slang”. The round bottom allows the glasses to be placed straight into a bowl of ice, surrounding the chilli ng Grappa bottle, and makes for an impress ive presentation at the table. Conversely, if you don’t like your Grappa that cold, you can then simply warm it up in your palm. “Whatever you do”, warns Bottega. “Never swirl the Grappa around the bowl of the glass like you do when tasting wine or Cognac. Doing so, causes the alcohol vapors to fly up into your nose, numbing it to the fine, flowery or fruity fragrances of the Grappa that will follow.”

Photos: clockwise from right: A standard fine-stemmed Grappa glass; a serving bowl of crushed ice holding a bottle of Grappa and several stemless glasses; The Bottega “Alexander Slang” Grappa glass design.

CityFood Magazine -

11b

La Dolce Vita. “Marcello Mastroianni was a lover of Grappa and the beautiful girls of the Veneto.” --

bartender at Harry’s Bar, Venice

COFFEE STANDS CORRECTED

T Wood-Aged Grappa Is it the new Cognac?

To label a Grappa “Riserva” it must spend at least 18 months in wood. A rare few have been making the lungo sonno (long sleep) much longer. Sip the 10-year-old Riserva Privata from Bottega, and without the bottle to confirm the fact, you’d be challenged to identify it as a Grappa. It tastes more like a fine malt whiskey crossed with cognac. Frankly, we find it more intriguing than either. During the time it sat in our glass during a post-dinner tasting, the deep amber-coloured liqueur offered up one complex, layer of noble wood aromas and rich earthy flavours after another: wood,cocoa, tobacco, spice, honey, vanilla, ...all of it leading up to a harmonious finish. Aged 10 years in small barriques of S lavonian, Limousin and American oaks, Riserva Privata is a blend of Amarone, Cabernet and Prosecco Grappas. If you smoke cigars this is the perfect companion. It also partners beautifully with dark chocolate, candied fruit and aged cheese. Not available in Canada, the price listing on the Bottega website is merely “high”. However, we found bottles in the Rome airport duty free for 29 Euros. 43% Alc. Another Grappa riserva, new in the Alexander line, and soon coming to BC on spec, is the “Exquisite”. Distilled from a blend of Tuscangrown Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot pomace, and aged in French Oak, it exudes tobacco, spice and vanilla. 47 Euros.

12b

- CityFood Magazine

he literal translation of caffè corretto is ‘corrected coffee’, the implication being, that to take one’ s coffee without a small “lift” of some kind is an incomplete experience. In the Veneto or Friuli, Grappa is the traditional litt le helper. Look around any espresso bar in these regions, at any time of day, and you can see corretto being enjoyed -- after lunch, in the early evening before hitting the autostrada for home, and most astonishing, even at breakfast! No doubt for some Italians, life is not all La Dolce Vita. Prospects of the day ahead sometimes requires a piccolo shot of bucking up.

Like twirling pasta, Italians exhibit personal preferences with their corretto technique, although in general, there are three main variations. 1) Simply pouring the Grappa straight into the cof fee. Or premixing the Grappa with a little espresso and then gently sliding a small amount into the cup to break the surface of the “crema”. 2) Keeping the espresso cup and cicheto (shot glass) separate and drinking in alternate sips, or enjoying the Grappa as a chaser . 3) The resentin (“little rinsers”). First stir sugar into the espresso (as most Italians do, especially in the morning), drink the espresso (or dump it out), and then swirl in a small amount of Grappa to capture the foam and cof fee dregs left inside the cup, thereby making one small exquisite blend of the two flavours. We tried the last method with the 10-year -old Bottega Riserva (see left) and were rewarded. Adding the extra note of java to the already spicy, complex Grappa was pure magic, especially when the blend was accompanied by a small square of choco late. At any rate, we preferred the Riserva match to that of the boutique white Grappas with their lower alcohol and heavy floral or fruit flavours. It’s interesting to note that cof fee was introduced to Italy by Venetian merchants returning from trading trips to Turkey around the early part of the 17th century . Exactly when Grappa was first added to it remains unknown, but by the mid-18th century, about the time that Casanova appeared on the scene, the caffè corretto was embedded into Italian culture.

more grappa this way

Anna Spellanzon of Distilleria Bottega holds a barrel sample of the 10-year-old Riserva Privata

You Can Get Something from Nothing grappa

Grappa is a pomace brandy that continued. from is distilled from the leftover pg. 12b skins of crushed grapes, after their juice has been e xtracted to make wine. In historic times, it was com mon for tenant farmers to grow a few grapes on their small plots of land. Not to make wine for themselves, but as a form of tithe imposed by the land-owning noblem an. Once taxes had been paid, the farmers often had little else left but the “by product” of the winemaking p rocess. However, necessity being the mother of invention, the peasants figured out how to make quaf fable hooch from what was essentially “garbage”. It may not have been smooth, but it got them through the cold winters and helped to ease their labours. Slowly , over hundreds of years, as they passed the recipe down from generation to generation, Grappa improved until it became the fine, clear spirit it is today .

The Process Despite the skill of the distiller, most Grappa experts agree that success or failure starts with the quality of the pomace (the skins of the crushed grapes). By the time the pomace arrives at the distillery it is already in one stage or another of fermentation. Acid levels, a crucial element in Grappa quality will decompose faster in grapes that are exposed to heat and sunlight. Which is why even though Grappa is made all over the country, the northern Veneto and Fruili, being cooler than other regions of Italy , tends to produce more complex and elegant examples. A poorly made Grappa will have a “pet shop” odour - a sign that moldy or stale pomace was used. If it has an oily texture it’s a sure sign that grape seeds were crushed in the pomace, and it is that oil that is difficult for the body to digest and will manif est itself as the infamous Grappa hangover. Bottega uses the pomace from their own vineyards, which affords them maximum control over its overall condition and how quickly it is available. They use red wine pomace from the production of their Valpolicello and Amarone wines in Tuscany, but the bulk comes from the Veneto where they have developed Grappa making techniques ideal for the native Glera (Prosecco) and Tocai grapes. In the next step - the distillation, the process of separating the alcohol and flavour esters from the pomace, water and undesirable fusel oils must be carefully controlled using a continuous or single batch (non continuous) method. (Bottega employs both in a three-part distillation system.) To over simplify an intricate method, the pomace is heated in small copper tanks until its moisture is converted into steam. This steam is collected via a series of interconnected pipes and valves, in such a way that only the midsection of the steam is retained. This cuore (heart) containing the purest alcohol, as well as the flavour and aroma compounds of the fruit, is cooled back down into liquid form and retained, while the testa (head) of the steam, which holds the poisonous methyl alcohols and other chemicals, and the coda (tail), where water, fusel oils and other impurities fall behind, are discarded. A well made Grappa will be crystal clear. Tasting Grappa It is the skill of the distiller that distinguishes the exact peak of the cuore. And why the smell of the Grappa says so much about its quality. By capturing just the right amount of voluble compounds, a well made Grappa will exhibit the aromas and tastes of the

14b

- CityFood Magazine

fruit it was distilled from. Some grape varieties are better suited for making Grappa than others, in that they have a higher concentration of aromatics which show up in the glass, just as they do in wine. For this reason, Riesling, Müller-Thurgau, Gewürztraminer and Muscat grapes are often used. A Grappa made from a single variety of grape, a monovitigno, may be labelled with the name of the grape. For example, a Grappa Prosecco or a Grappa Merlot. A good Grappa may leave a slight burning sensat ion on the tongue, but it should never do so in the throat. If it does, then it’s those faulty oils that are present again. If it’s pure, a shot of Grappa is good for the digestion because it stimulates gastrin (a gastro-intes tinal hormone). Which is why it is best enjoyed after a meal, and perhaps why Sandro could easily do all those push-ups after eating a big plate of pasta. Just don’t serve it too hot or too cold; about 8-10°C is about right for a white Grappa, 15 °C for those of medium age, and 18°C for aged Grappa.

Types of Grappa Grappa giovane (young Grappa), is characterised by the aromas derived from the grape variety and fermentation. This Grappa is left to rest in steel tanks for a few months (usually six months). Further flavouring and colour can be introduced via aging in wood (see page 14b). Grappa invecchiata (aged Grappa) is kept for at least 12 months in wood barrels. Grappa riserva or stravecchia (very old), is matured longer and aged for at least 18 months in wood. Grappa aromatizzata is when the drink is infused with herbs, spices or fruits (licorice, blueberry, etc.).

CinCin Negroni Ingredients: 1 oz Grappa 1 oz Aperol 1 oz Punt e Mes (or red vermouth) Glass: Old Fashioned Method: In mixing glass, add ingredients and ice. Stir for 30 seconds. Strain into a old fashioned glass filled with fresh ice. Garnish with an orange twist, pinched over top to release the oils, and drop in.

Cooking with Grappa People of the Veneto and Fruili are not only fond of drinking Grappa, they like to toss a little of the everyday version into their cooking as well. The famous Dolce di Carnevale of Venice, a richly decorated chocolate cake, is filled with an egg creme that is frequently flavoured with Grappa. At Florians, Venice’s oldest cafe, biscotti are served with a small glass of pear Grappa for dipping, and nearly every home cook sprinkles it over pound cakes and berries. You’ll find Grappa as an addition to marmalades, cranberry sauce, pickles, marinades and as a pick-meup for pesto sauce. Venetians have even been known to brush it over their pizza dough and bruschetta before the toppings are added. The idea being that the alcohol heightens the aroma of the bread and sharp ens the flavour of the herbs. Most frequently however, Grappa shows up in the variety of rich seafood dishes of the Veneto, sometimes mixed with lemon juice and drizzled like dressing over salads or deep-fried seafood. Bottega sells an atomizer as a novelty to spray Grappa directly over lobster and other shellfish dishes, or cheese. But it’ s easy to improvise this with a small squirt bottle. Try spraying a light mist of smoked, aged Grappa over charcuterie meats. Amazing. One tip about the wood-aged Grappas ... they go especially well with tobacco flavours. Which is why grappa and cigars is a classic combo. If you can find tobacco leaves (we know, we’re not in Virginia), wrap some slices of cheese in them. The cheese will pick up the smokey, cigar notes and then go especially well with Grappa partaken after dinner.

Colin Turner, Bar Manager for CinCin Ristorante and Bar defies the misconception that Grappa is the tipple of Cosa Nostra gangsters or old Italian dudes in sock garters. In fact, his collection of 76+ bottles quali fies as the largest restaurant list in Canada. That’s something that not even Pino Posteraro or Umberto Menghi, real Italians of an older generation, can boast. “It’s still not an easy sell”, says Turner.“But younger people are increasingly interested in Grappa, and once they understand how com plex and delicate well-made Grappa can be, they usually find they like it.” Turner is happy to help in the education process by offering comparative tastings at the CinCin bar, and he relishes the opportunity to use Grappa in cocktails. (See some of his drink recipes left and opposite.) He also offers a shortcut for determining the dominant grape in your Grappa. “Rub a little on the back of your hand and sniff it, he says. “The warmth of your skin will release the aroma esters.”

MORE GRAPPA COCKTAILS ... The Grappa Sour A standard of the 1930’s:

Ingredients: 1 part white Grappa 1 part sugar syrup 1-1/2 to 2 parts lemon juice Stir with ice. If you top this drink with soda, it becomes a “Livia Collins”, the Italian sister of “Tom Collins”. For a B.C. twist we made a “Signora Victoria” highball with aged Grappa over ice, a splash of soda and a dash of Victoria Spirits’ “Twisted & Bitter” orange bitters, plus a strip of lemon peel for garnish. Or try the “Venetian Greyhound”: equal parts soda, Prosecco and Grappa with a splash of grapefruit juice over ice.

Summer in Italy

by CinCin Bar Manager, Colin Turner: Ingredients: 1.5 oz Beniamino Moscato Grappa 1 oz Campari 1 oz grapefruit juice 1.5 oz watermelon Juice 3 drops Fee Brother's Grapefruit Bitters Glass: tall collins-style glass Method: Cut watermelon into chunks and muddle in a mixing glass. Add liquor and juice. Pour into a Boston shaker , fill with ice and shake for about 30 seconds. Fill glass with more ice and fine strain over t op. Garnish with a watermelon ball wrapped in grapefruit peel.

Grappa Me Gently

by CinCin Bar Manager, Colin Turner: Ingredients: 1 oz Beniamino Moscato Grappa .75 oz Punt e Mes (or Red V ermouth) .25 oz St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur .25 oz Aperol for rinse 3 drops Angnostura Orange Bitters. Glass: martini Method: First rinse the inside of a chilled martini glass with Aperol. In a mixing glass, add all ingredients with ice and stir for about 30 seconds. Strain into martini glass. Garnish with an orange peel pinched over top to release the oils and toss in.

Meet Me in Milan

by CinCin Bar Manager, Colin Turner: Ingredients: 1.5 oz Alexander Bottega Bianca Grappa .75 oz Maritni Bianco .25 oz Lillet .5 oz fresh orange juice Glass: old fashioned Method: Using a Boston shaker, add all ingredients with ice and shake for about 20 seconds. Fine strain into rocks glass filled with fresh ice.

ON APEROL - Orange is hot! In his Negroni and “Grappa Me Gently” Cocktails, Colin Turner uses Aperol. It is an aperitivo that is well known to bartenders but has only been of ficially available in the Canadian markets since late last fall. Appropriate to any cocktail containing Grappa or Prosecco, Aperol comes from the same Veneto region. In fact, the “Aperol Spritz”, a cocktail which can contain all three ingredients, is the signature drink of Venice and Verona. If the fiery orange glow emitting from nearly every tabletop during happy hour doesn't demonstrate its popularity, then the 8 ft. tall billboards (usually featuring a frisky, Titian-haired model), splashed across city facades courtesy of company owner Campari, should convince you. Either way, it’s difficult to escape the message. Like most everything else in these Renaissance towns, the liqueur has history. The formula was created in nearby Padua, circa 1919, and has been in vogue since the second World War. Yet even outside of Italy, bartenders have relied on Aperol as a secret ingredient in their stash to give more backbone to a ho-hum cocktail. Smoother and less medicinal than its Campari cousin, even a small shot of Aperol’s bittersweet/herbal flavours (orange, gentian, rhubarb and cinchona) can add balance and extra dimension to an otherwise overly sweet or lacklustre concoction. It's dayglo tangerine colour also brings warm visual highlights to any flat brown, spirit-based drink.

The Aperol Spritz Easy. Just plop 3 or 4 ice cubes in a lar ge lowball glass, add 3 parts Prosecco and 2 parts Aperol, top with a splash of soda, hook a slice of orange on the rim, and you're done. If you need more spike, add in a splash of Grappa.

The following brands of Grappa are available at Legacy Liquor Stores

11633 Manitoba Street, Vancouver, B.C. http://www.legacyliquorstore.com/Shop/Spirits/Grappa #410373 #62927 #62505 #650069 #545483 #647396 #131110

Accordini Grappa di Amarone (Accordini Azienda Agricola) $98.65 Alexander Platinum Bottega (Distilleria Bottega SRL) $95.35 Alexander Top 5 Set AQVA (Distilleria Bottega SRL) $111.45 Tenuta Dell’Ornellaia (Tenuta Dell’Ornellaia) $78.40 Jacopo Poli Grappa di Vespaiolo (Distillerie Poli) (n/a) Marchesi di Gresy Grappa (Tenute Cisa Asinari Dei Marchesi Degesy) $119.15 Palazzone Grappa di Brunello (Azienda Agricola il Palazzone SLR) $107.85 CityFood Magazine -

15b

City + Water = Health

What’s on Tap?

Vancouver tap water is reputed to be among the cleanest and safest in the world. And under normal circumstances, that’s pretty much true. Our water comes from three protected mountain water sheds: Capilano, Seymour and Coquitlam. And to ensure public safety, drinking water is tested daily at 53 locations against standards set out in the Drinking W ater Protection Regulation (BCDWPR) and Health Canada’s Guideline Canadian Drinking Water Quality (GCDWQ). You can read the full annual report online at: http://vancouver.ca/engsvcs/watersewers/water/pdf/WQReport_2010.pdf. But here are the highlights. First the good news: Our water is clean, with e-coli practically non existent, and other coliform counts, turbidity levels, and most chemicals existing beneath allowable limits. The only bad news, if you want to see it as that bad, is that clean does not mean 100 percent pure. Chlorine levels have been known to be higher than optimum (well, you can usually smell that), as are other acid compounds formed as by-products from dis-infection procedures. Other chemicals are merely trace in infinitesimal amounts but still sit near the high end of the acceptable margin. W e’ve outlined some here. As for taste? The honour of Best-Tasting Municipal Water in the World, according to panel of judges at the W ater Tasting Awards held in Berkeley Springs, Virginia, went to Clearbrook, B.C. - for two years in a row . Now there’s a town living up to its name.

PH FACTOR Why the city is always digging up the streets.

The distribution system consists of

1,359

kilometers of pipeline, covering every street in the city of Vancouver, and servicing some 94,000 connections. These are replaced at a rate of .8 percent a year , (or 9,170 meters). So if the Waterworks dept is making your life miserable, think on the bright side. They are getting rid of older, unlined distribution mains and replacing them with new cement-lined pipes that are resistant to corrosion. Healthier for you. While they are down there, they are also installing upgraded continuous water quality monitoring instruments that test water passing through every 15 minutes. Thus protecting your water source from contamination from such sources as backflow and pipe leaks.

METAL CONTENT The metal concentration in your drinking water has more to do with the age and materials used in your household pipes, although Vancouver’s acidic water increases the problem if your pipes are metal. If you cannot upgrade them, Use a water filter and let your water run for at least 20 seconds before using. Studies show that this will significantl y lower the amount of copper and lead leaching out of lead-based solder and brass faucets. Remember that filtering your shower heads and bathtub faucets are as important as your drinking taps. Your skin is surprisingly absorbent.

6.9

Vancouver water is ultra soft (low in calcium) and slightly acidic. This is because our H2O was originally surf ace water from rain and melting snow. It’s less likely to clog your appliances and soap lathers nicely. However, to reduce the corrosiveness of the water and consequent wear and tear on city plumbing, the water is treated with calcium hydroxide and carbon dioxide.

CHLORINE Chlorine is used to disinfect the water and safeguard against microbes and contamination. If storms cause extra turbidity in the water (it looks brown) you can expect the chlorine to go up. But in general it’s a .2 mg/L residual.

TRIHALOMETHANES This is a DBP (disinfection byproduct). Chloroform occurs when chlorine mixes with organic matter such as decaying leaves. In high levels they can be carcinogenic. Vancouver water samples have been just within health standards.

Arsenic

Where are the public water fountains? Freeze resistant drinking water fountains and bottle refilling stations are pilot projects that were implemented by the City in 2009. Find them at:

Nitrates

Otherwise check the city map at:

Factoid: Home filtration is now a 2.5 billion-a-year industry .

Iron and Manganese

These leach into water from old pipes. They can give water a rusty colour and metallic taste.

Arsenic is naturally present in soil and can come from orchard and farm runoff and wastewater from glass or electronics factories. Due to the mountain source of our water , this is a greater concern for people using well systems. It’ s odourless and tasteless and in high amounts, carcinogenic. Plants use nitrates to grow so we already get nitrates in our vegetables. High levels occur when water is contaminated from fertilizers or domesticated animal waste. In high quantities it can be toxic to children. ,

16b

- CityFood Magazine

Granville & Robson Hastings & Gore. 1200 Station St (Thornton Park) 1500 Granville St (Beach and Granville) 900 Charleson St (Charleson Park) 1300-1400 Arbutus (Kitsilano) http://vancouver.ca/vanmap

They also have a free phone app. http://www.metrovancouver.org/region/tapwater.

Get ndressed!

http://www.trivento.com

With the crackers loved by wine Find them in fine grocery stores and at all the best wine tastings. www.gonecrackers.ca

5 Information line: 604-257-8335 www.vandusengarden.org

http://www.tipouttohelp.com

Thank you for your continued suppor t!

City + Water + Social Media = Change Rethinking how we use Water: If one thing has become clear, it is that as a society we have to wean ourselves off the use of disposable plastic water bottles. If not for our own health, then for the health of our planet. Last year ’s “floating dining room” (http://bit.ly/nENZiu) and Ocean Gybe (http://www.oceangybe.com) are but two local efforts doing a great job to publicize the damage that water bottles do to our oceans, and our world. (It seems these bottles are not so disposable after all). W e can all do our share, just by making a commitment to change personal habits, however , as many leading ecologists have stated, there is much work to do and the heavy lifting can only be accomplished if we act together as a community . The concepts below do just that. They’re using social situations and/or modern social technology toward realizing a collective goal.

Join the Pipe. Building the longest water pipe in the world.

We ran across this idea at a cafe in the Amsterdam airport, and were impressed with how it employed social media, as well as modern graphic design, toward achieving a global ideal - bringing fresh, clean water to people living in parched regions of the planet, while at the same time, helping to eliminate the use of plastic water bottles in the industrial world. The project was launched by two brothers in the Netherlands and is now run by a small international team. Their members, which now number in thousands, are located all around the planet. Here’ s how it works: Log on to their website at http://www.join the pipe.org, and purchase one of their beautiful water bottles Honoured by the Dutch Design Awards, each one is meant to resemble the interconnecting part of a water pipe, and is available in either clear blue plastic or white ceramic. The money earned from this sale will then be used to finance a program bringing potable drinking water to a community in the third world. For example, in 2010, funds were used to construct a series of “real” water pumps in rural Tanzania and Bangladesh. Working together this way, Join the Pipe estimates they have brought water , via 53 projects, to over 10,000 people since 2009. Members can fit their “pipe fixtures” together , both physically and virtually. Thanks to an online map, they may chose which project they want to support by connecting their plumbing piece to that part of the pipe. And considering that social communication is all part of the big picture, they may also track other donors who have chosen to connect to the same section. For more information, Join the Pipe maintains a blog, http://jointhepipe.blogspot.com and a Twitter account (@Jointhepipe). You may also view their story on a Youtube video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-3bwABjFUs

Water-on-Wheels (WOW)

is a family-owned and operated Canadian company that launched their unique service in early 2010. They help event coordinators reduce the presence of commercially-bottled water at their public events by renting out mobile water refill stations that can be connected to existing water sources (such as fire hydrants, hose bibs, etc.). These allow event guests to refill their own re-usable, water bottles with free, charcoal-filtered drinking water . An attendant comes with the booth to ensure that everything flows smoothly . WOW is based in Ontario, but here in B.C., discouraging the use or sale of plastic water bottles at public events is catching on. Bonita Magee of FarmFolk/CityFolk says they have never allowed bottled water to be sold at their Feast of Fields events. “We have Canadian Springs water "on tap" that people can put into their wine glasses (or fill up their own personal water bottle), says Magee. “And at our smaller events (Meet Your Maker, etc.), we have jugs of good old tap water - with Biodegradable Solutions (BSI) cups for folks to use.” http://www.biodegradablesolutions.com. Robert LaQuaglia, Operations Manager of Vancouver Farmers Markets, says that she would use a similar service to WOW if it were available. She’s currently waiting to hear from Metro Vancouver who apparently have a promo tap water mobile unit that brings water to events. “In the meantime”, says LaQuaglia, “we are of fering water from big bottled water dispensers at the Trout Lake Market. Other locations have public water fountains close by . We ask for a donation to fill your water bottle and that has been going pretty well.” http://wateronwheels.blogspot.com/ CityFood Magazine -

19b